Orci says ST series talk "getting real"

[BillJ]

Voyager, Enterprise and The Next Generation movies were not Trek's prime. If they were, Berman and Company wouldn't have been replaced.

[Kegg]

I actually caught an episode of Voyager last week ("Real Life", aka the one where the Doctor gets a family) and enjoyed it immensely. When all is said and done I have a great fondness for the Berman era and it's because of that era (TNG in particular) that I'm a Trek fan to begin with.

BillJ wrote:

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Voyager, Enterprise and The Next Generation movies were not Trek's prime. If they were, Berman and Company wouldn't have been replaced.

And if the original series was it's prime, it would never have been cancelled.

But yeah one can play those arguments all day. You like whatever parts of Star Trek you like and there's no objective proof that some other parts are better.

[Temis the Vorta]

The only objective standard for any of this is, does it make enough $$$ for them to want to keep making more? By that standard Trek may seem to have had a rocky road, but nearly half century later, it's still a viable moneymaker! That's impressive in such a brutal and unforgiving industry. Star Trek, I'm proud of ya!

It's had to evolve with the times and changes in both the TV and movie businesses, and will have to evolve even more to keep going, especially to get back on TV (or maybe skip TV altogether and just go streaming, that's where everything is headed anyway). I wouldn't bet against it.

Matt S wrote:

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As long as Rick Berman and Brandon Braga are no where to be seen, I am happy with the idea of a new show. Its been awhile, and I miss it

I am confident you will get your wish. Those who don't want Abrams & co to be involved are not likely to be so fortunate.

[CorporalCaptain]

Kegg wrote:

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I actually caught an episode of Voyager last week ("Real Life", aka the one where the Doctor gets a family) and enjoyed it immensely.

Well, you picked a good one.

[C.E. Evans]

Temis the Vorta wrote:

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I am confident you will get your wish. Those who don't want Abrams & co to be involved are not likely to be so fortunate.

Not necessarily. Depending on when such a series might happen, CBS may seek out someone else that they like who is currently not very well-known.

I think if there's not a new Trek series within the next ten years, the chances of Abrams & co being involved with it start dropping. It gets higher if it's done within the next three to five years, IMO.

[Temis the Vorta]

If it doesn't ride the coattails of Abrams success, then the odds of it happening at all drop considerably. CBS has no overwhelming motive to bother with Star Trek. The movies are our best window of opoortunity, and at least they are pretty consistent with the past. A future series unconnected to Abrams might just reboot the thing entirely and we'll end up with something awful.

[C.E. Evans]

Such a series won't be necessarily awful. A total reboot may really be the next step for Trek once the Abrams era ends.

[Kegg]

^
Quite so. Given Abrams has gone back to Basics - Kirk, Spock, Enterprise - a TV series made sometime after his film trilogy that does the same thing might feel natural. A TV show made now, well, the issue would arise what relationship, if any, it has to the Abrams franchise (a Worf series obviously little, an animated series with the film characters a lot).

[BillJ]

I think the future of Deep Space Nine will tell us whether we get a Trek TV series in the next five years or so. If CBS decides to give the series an HD treatment like TNG, I think it'll be unlikely we see a new series while the restoration process is ongoing.

If CBS is making good money with little investment, they'll likely see no reason to dump a ton of cash into an unknown.

[Temis the Vorta]

C.E. Evans wrote:

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Such a series won't be necessarily awful. A total reboot may really be the next step for Trek once the Abrams era ends.

Sure, it could be great. (I should have said we might end up with somethng awful.) Imagine if Showtime reimagined Star Trek as somethng more emotionally real and adult, along the line of Game of Thrones.

But if Showtime wants to dabble in genre fare, they're more likely to go for a more marketable category - high fantasy, supernatural cop show, supernatural horror - rather than space opera.

Given Abrams has gone back to Basics - Kirk, Spock, Enterprise - a TV series made sometime after his film trilogy that does the same thing might feel natural

That's the last thing CBS would do now. The Abrams reboot is too high profile and to reboot Kirk, Spock, etc all over again would turn the advantage of the movie's success into a detriment, by confusing the audience. They'd have to wait till the movies are pretty well forgotten but then, why bother with Star Trek at all?

More likely, they'd make a grownup drama for Showtime or a young female centric drama for CW, with all or mostly new characters. And either of those channels would demand a very different appoach than we've seen in the movies or on TV. Abrams didnt really reboot the franchise because it still has the same feel, but that wouldn't necessarily be the case for a new series.

BillJ wrote:

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If CBS is making good money with little investment, they'll likely see no reason to dump a ton of cash into an unknown.

That argument still makes no sense. Just because one facet of Star Trek is easy money does not preclude CBS also investing in something that's less easy. They do it all the time, when they launch a new series that has no established fanbase, such as this year's Vegas.

So if they're willing to do things that aren't easy money in general, why would the name Star Trek turn them off? A new series would be synergistic with the older series, helping promote each other.

If they're putting effort into promoting other series, then why not ride those coattails, too, with a new series? The more Star Trek's profile is raised, by re-releases, movies, etc, the better the environment is for a new series. But waiting till all the hooplah dies down is a terrible strategy because then you have to build all the PR up from zero.

[BillJ]

Temis the Vorta wrote:

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That argument still makes no sense. Just because one facet of Star Trek is easy money does not preclude CBS also investing in something that's less easy. They do it all the time, when they launch a new series that has no established fanbase, such as this year's Vegas.

So if they're willing to do things that aren't easy money in general, why would the name Star Trek turn them off? A new series would be synergistic with the older series, helping promote each other.

Sure it makes sense. They won't want remastered Trek competing with new Trek for syndication, streaming and home video dollars.

CBS likely knows that the Trek glut of the late 90's contributed to the franchise downfall in the early 2000's.

[C.E. Evans]

Temis the Vorta wrote:

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Sure, it could be great. Imagine if Showtime reimagined Star Trek as somethng more emotionally real and adult, along the line of Game of Thrones.

But if Showtime wants to dabble in genre fare, they're more likely to go for a more marketable category - high fantasy, supernatural cop show, supernatural horror - rather than space opera.

I doubt that Trek will ever wind up on Showtime and become something exclusively for adults. If anything, I think the goal will be to reach for more people rather than fewer, so a new Trek will probably skew younger, while still having something for all audiences. That doesn't mean a new Trek series can't explore serious themes and storylines, but I don't believe we'll ever see a "TV-MA" Trek series.

In fact, I really believe the next Trek series will be an animated one aimed at kids myself with a toyline and other related merchandise fully behind it.

[Kegg]

C.E. Evans wrote:

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I doubt that Trek will ever wind up on Showtime and become something exclusively for adults.

Yeah that really seems to be more wish fulfilment than anything else. I can't see Star Trek rating itself more mature than Battlestar Galactica, and would think it would skew the other way. Temis floats the idea of Star Trek on Showtime so often you'd think an edgy cable drama is the most likely way Star Trek is coming back.

In fact, I really believe the next Trek series will be an animated one aimed at kids myself with a toyline and other related merchandise fully behind it.

It's certainly possible, and it's one of the few ideas one can organically fit into the Abrams franchise.

[BillJ]

Kegg wrote:

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Temis floats the idea of Star Trek on Showtime so often you'd think an edgy cable drama is the most likely way Star Trek is coming back.

Starting to wonder if she owns a piece of the channel.

[Temis the Vorta]

BillJ wrote:

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They won't want remastered Trek competing with new Trek for syndication, streaming and home video dollars.

CBS likely knows that the Trek glut of the late 90's contributed to the franchise downfall in the early 2000's.

You're assuming the competition aspect outweights the synergistic aspect, which I'm not assuming at all. Product lines within a single brand can be used strategically to support the whole brand line, not cannibalize it, if someone puts some thought into it.

The population of potential new viewers for Star Trek is much larger than existing fans, especially when you think about it globally. But will people who are unfamiliar with Star Trek (except for Abrams movies maybe) want to see "old stuff" that has the stigma of being old? Maybe a new show would appeal to them, and then they discover the old stuff - a nice pathway to creating a whole new audience.

And even if CBS ascribes to the glut theory of Star Trek (has anyone ever officially said they believe that?), the glut has long since dissapated away. It's more of a starvation situation now.

BillJ wrote:

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Starting to wonder if she owns a piece of the channel.

I wish I did, I'd tell them to stop frakking up Dexter. But I mention it just because CBS owns it, and I shudder in horror at the show going to the CW instead. But my current theory is that the next series will be on Netflix, not Showtime. I think premium cable is too snobbish for a space opera show that is associated with free TV.

In fact, I really believe the next Trek series will be an animated one aimed at kids myself with a toyline and other related merchandise fully behind it.

That's probably the most likely scenario of all, and if it's like The Clone Wars in terms of appealing to all ages, I can get behind it, but I'd much rather see a live action show on Netflix or anywhere really.