New direction for trek

[cbp44189]

I was thinkin'

What if Trek had a new computer animated feature, in the same or similar style of the new Star Wars : The Clone Wars? It would open up a whole new fan base. It could be TOS, or way in the Trek future, or the Romulan Wars...Thoughts anyone?

[Chekt]

That would be cool, yea, but I would much rather have a live action series. I don't think Star Trek is the type of series that can become super stylized and still look good. In my opinion, I think the TV series would be better off doing something live action, even if it only makes it seem more human.

[cbp44189]

OK, I get it, not a good idea. *sobs* I'll do it myself *sob* I'll show you guys...

By the way, what programs will I need? *sob*




Guess I should move this to trek art thread...........

[Meredith]

They could do that with "The Secret of Vulcan Fury"

[cbp44189]

Or Vanguard, or like I said, the Romulan War. Focus on a ship, or squadron, whatever.....Both sides. The Romulan perspective and the Fed (or Earth, whoever) perspective.

[jongredic]

I'm a bit worried by the idea of a new Trek animation (think Stargate Infinity, or the Trek one they mentioned a couple of years ago), but New Frontier would surely make the transition from comic to animation as easily as it went from novel to comic... wouldn't it? WOULDN'T IT?!

Like if they did Vanguard or Romulan war, like you suggest, with the literary background behind it, that might give it the human touch a cartoon series would otherwise lack because the characters and story are already pretty fleshed out (I agree with Chekt's concern about it not quite being the same as live action).

There's potential though. I definitely wouldn't give up hope cbp44189

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Traditional animation has been used very successfully on the "DC Universe" TV shows for some years. I'd rather see Trek done that way than with primarily 3D animation. An animated Trek feature film? Not interested.

[Temis the Vorta]

Although I do like (or love!) some animation, the Clone Wars style leaves me ice cold. No thanks.

Star Trek doesn't particularly need to be animated in any style.

[cbp44189]

With animation, they wouldn't have the problems of a budget with special effects. Such as more alien crewmembers, and space shots, and crap like that.

[Rush Limborg]

Consider how short the Clone Wars episodes are. Three minutes.

Now, I'm all for taut, lean, Super-fast-paced tales, but still....

As a general rule, good Star Trek stories are pretty complex --or at least, too complex for super-shorts.

As for the animation...well, I would think it would need to have some realism. The old animated series was OK, animation-wise, but I think the artists would need to ensure that a new cartoon would have more fluid motion and agility.

[cbp44189]

Rush Limborg wrote:

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As for the animation...well, I would think it would need to have some realism. The old animated series was OK, animation-wise, but I think the artists would need to ensure that a new cartoon would have more fluid motion and agility.

I disagree, even as a kid I thought the animation in TAS wasn't very good. I do agree that the animation needs to be more fluid.
The episodes don't have to be three minutes, why not fifteen? It can be like the old time serials. Cliffhangers, be it action or dramatic whodunnit type endings, till next weeks exciting episode.

Whatdaya think?

[Danoz]

cbp44189 wrote:

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I was thinkin'

What if Trek had a new computer animated feature, in the same or similar style of the new Star Wars : The Clone Wars? It would open up a whole new fan base. It could be TOS, or way in the Trek future, or the Romulan Wars...Thoughts anyone?

I think Star Wars would benefit from a CG production if it were more like the Final Fantasy movies style of achieving photorealism, and not the "3D Cartoon" style of Clone Wars.

I've often imagined a good CG Star Trek, but I don't think it would ever go into production, unfortunately.

[jefferiestubes8]

cbp44189 wrote:

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The episodes don't have to be three minutes, why not fifteen? It can be like the old time serials.

Star Trek Secret of Vulcan Fury Trailer #1

The story for SoVF was to be divided into six chapters or episodes

see the details here.

[FONT=Verdana]voices of the original TOS crew and a story scripted by Star Trek author DC Fontana[/FONT]

http://www.geocities.com/startrekgames/secret.htm

CaptJimboJones posted what DC Fontana wrote about novelizing the script
back in 2007. but what about if instead these six chapters were turned into a CGI miniseries that were available on a few platforms via download?

PLAYSTATION 3 or PSP at PlayStation Store via a PlayStation Network account
or
the HD video capabilities of the New Xbox Experience
as Xbox Live original short films/serial short films

The original short films are free to watch and generate revenue via advertising. According to John, Microsoft agreed to make the films as a way to test the waters. If they're downloaded by enough people, Microsoft will turn Xbox Live into a "television network of sorts," he says, expanding original content into outright series.

http://www.ithaca.edu/rhp/news/4753/

the program of 2008 Sundance Film Festival short films for sale on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for Xbox 360®.
Sundance Institute helps build audiences for short films through partnerships with the iTunes Movie Store, Xbox LIVE, and through Netflix's instant watching feature on the company’s member Web Site.
Xbox 360 will offer yet another $1.99 download-to-own platform to purchase these movies through Xbox LIVE.

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/marke...v/sundance.htm
http://www.sundance.org/festival/shorts/dto.asp

While this would not be free but $1.99 as a download-to-own option it would reduce the costs of DVD/Blu-ray publishing as well as distribution of physical media.
PlayStation Network and XBOX Live networks are private networks and like the iTunes Movie Store and Netflix store all 4 have the potential to be distributors as well as Amazon.com's online streaming video service, Video on Demand. Of course with most fans of TOS over age 35 the whole downloaded contents or content on videogame networks would not appeal that much so an eventual Blu-ray/DVD would be released but at least say a 3 month window of download-only could test the waters of direct-to-download new Trek content...

Borjis mentions a good thought about using the voice recordings of the original crew from 1998 with new CGI animation.
These would be the last episodes even possible with the original TOS actors.
Recording the voices of TREK actors for use in the game went off without a hitch, as posted on November 5, 1998.
The only other even possible things Paramount could do would be hire sound-a-like voice actors or create a voice database from all spoken lines and syllables similar to the idea gastrof brings up with the Majel Barret computer voice.

[The Academic]

The Star Wars: The Clone Wars idea as such is not bad. So, here's just a little brainwave of mine (originally written in my last letter to Santa)...

• The Romulan Wars, done with an edge like nuBSG (that is much, much edgier than DS9 at its darkest)
• Stylistically similar to ENT, but a little bit closer to canon, particularly technology-wise (this point, however, is negotiable for continuity reasons)
• Realistic CGI like the Final Fantasy movies (The Spirits Within and Advent Children), both to keep it as real as possible and to keep the costs down
• As a format, both independent and intertwined episodes in the classic serial style (you simply gotta love Buster Crabbe's Flash Gordon)

All this, of course, parallel to a series of nuTrek movies on the big screen...

[jefferiestubes8]

The Academic wrote:

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• Realistic CGI like the Final Fantasy movies (The Spirits Within and Advent Children), both to keep it as real as possible and to keep the costs down

...of course, parallel to a series of nuTrek movies on the big screen...

CGI Star Trek as a series is possible without network and cable television distribution. Continuing the idea i posted above

These are the major video rental/buy streaming and downloading services :
Netflix (via Roku box, XBOX360, or TiVo Series3, HD, or HD XL DVRs ), the iTunes Store, Amazon's Video on Demand, cinemanow.com, and Playstation Network.

While it was announced in December 2008 a Nintendo Wii-based video delivery service for original content including cartoons.
Today its news that 'Nintendo considering Wii to DS video-on-demand' which would allow you to watch something on your TV as well as on a portable player the Nintendo DS.

While this is already a reality with the iTunes store and iPods/iPhones, and on the Microsoft Zune store and the Zune PMP it shows a movement towards downloadable content with more platforms now with the Nintendo Wii.
The Zune store has a Sci-Fi / Fantasy genre already.
iTunes store has already had Star Trek TOS episodes for sale.
Hulu is a advertising sponsored streaming site and doesn't really count for this method of delivering a new Trek series not dependent on broadcast ratings although Hulu offers Web-only channels that are not broadcast on network or cable television.



The launch of the TV channel - effectively a video-on-demand download service, Wii-based programming is already on it in Japan called "Wii no Ma Channel".

this channel is going to be launched worldwide, with a North American release coming later in 2009.

http://nintendo.joystiq.com/2009/01/...establishment/
SOURCE

international expansion that would lead to the channel being available in the homes of 40 million units

[about 18 million are connected to the internet.]
SOURCE

We could have a Trek series NOT on television but on one of these new downloadable content platforms with a Blu-ray/DVD release 6 months later. Video-on-demand is the future and can be used for a series without commercials if paid for by the consumer.
This further blurs the line of canon and non-canon as if it is produced by Paramount but doesn't air on TV or in cinema it should still be canon.