will star trek ever return to prime universe?

[horatio83]

ST09 is as much a new "universe" as TNG was when it came along. Actually it contains far more fanwank than any previous transition piece.
Trek does not need to be set in this or that "universe" to prosper, it needs less continuity obsession.

[ryan123450]

I seriously hope that the original universe is left to Pocket Books and IDW.

[Dukhat]

The only people who care about the prime universe are us. Television executives don't. If a new Trek series is ever created, it will be based on what those future executives want to do with the brand, not what a relatively small percentage of the total fanbase wants.

And even if they want to stay in the prime universe, by no means does that guarantee that it will look in any way the same. Take the new Doctor Who. It is most definitely in the same universe as the original series, and yet it couldn't look more different in terms of storytelling, set design, acting, format, etc., to the point where it might as well have been a reboot.

[Bry_Sinclair]

Greg Cox wrote:

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The conventional wisdom is about 2%, so, yeah, it would be silly to assume that the TV audiences would be familiar with what happens in the books . . . .

I used to love the Trek books, but haven't read any of the most recent releases (ie pretty much anything after DS9's Mission Gamma).

[trekmom]

Bry_Sinclair wrote:

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I used to love the Trek books, but haven't read any of the most recent releases (ie pretty much anything after DS9's Mission Gamma).

Wow, only 2%? I wonder why? I love getting the continuing story and reading about my favorite characters. I can't imagine being a fan and NOT wanting to read the new books. But then again, I've always been a reader. I know lots of people don't read just because they don't like to. Weirdos.

[EmperorTiberius]

They can easily "reset" it by setting it in 25 century. Star Trek is not Batman, there is no reason for resetting at all. The abortion that was the movie would never fly as a TV series because you woulnd't have a dedicated fanbase. It would be another run of the mill nonsense sci fi, there would be nothing special about, no magic.

[King Daniel Into Darkness]

EmperorTiberius wrote:

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They can easily "reset" it by setting it in 25 century. Star Trek is not Batman, there is no reason for resetting at all. The abortion that was the movie would never fly as a TV series because you woulnd't have a dedicated fanbase. It would be another run of the mill nonsense sci fi, there would be nothing special about, no magic.

"Nothing special" about bringing back Trek's most famous and beloved characters? I couldn't disagree more.

Characters will always be more important than continuity. That's why all the comic book characters, why all the classics, why Sherlock Holmes etc are reborn time and time again. Because the characters are loved.

Trek has tried and tried, but they never topped Kirk's crew. They are icons. And as we saw with the cancellation of Enterprise and flop of Nemesis, the setting of Trek itself is no longer enough to draw people.

Another generic Trek series further into the future with a crew of nobodies is doomed. A Trek series bringing back the characters everyone loves and updating them, THAT has a chance.

[LtChange]

KingDaniel wrote:

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Another generic Trek series further into the future with a crew of nobodies is doomed. A Trek series bringing back the characters everyone loves and updating them, THAT has a chance.

I completly agree with a series about beloved characters. So why not do a post-Romulus explosion series, like a series post 2387, let's say somewhere between 2390-2400, and could show us almost every character from TNG/DS9/VOY, as main or episodic guests. We could have a star ship with a captain and 2-3 main characters selected from the previous series but the premise of the series would be something to be different enough from the previous series. Post Romulus federation could be an interesting settings as we could have settings that could permit almost any direction. Ex. the Federation would have access to Romulan territories, other organizations like the Klingon Empire, the Cardassians, maybe the Dominon even would be interested to take over what left of the Romulan empire, the Federation could become obsessed of controlling the Romulan space because they think that Romulans where ready to make some powerful weapons against them and this is a good chance to prove this (something what happens between USA and the Middle East - mistrust, problems). Star Trek was always a mirror for current situations, and the fall of the Romulan empire could be a great setting for this set up ... I know, I'm just a fan, but this is why I would set up the new series in the prime-verse in the late 2300s or early 2400s, it could have anything that could satisfy a lot of fans: familiar characters, no need to watch continuity and so on ... But I know ... CBS executives are no fans, they only want to see if something is financial possible or not ... And let's face it, CBS audience is not the Star Trek audience.

[BillJ]

LtChange wrote:

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I completly agree with a series about beloved characters. So why not do a post-Romulus explosion series, like a series post 2387, let's say somewhere between 2390-2400, and could show us almost every character from TNG/DS9/VOY, as main or episodic guests. We could have a star ship with a captain and 2-3 main characters selected from the previous series but the premise of the series would be something to be different enough from the previous series.

It would be doomed to failure from the moment of inception. Outside of Picard, Data and maybe Worf, the modern casts have absolutely no mainstream appeal. Outside a prequel about Picard on the Stargazer (more action oriented format) or a straight reboot of TNG, you're likely to never see the 24th century again on screen.

The type of series you propose above wouldn't interest anyone except the 2% who already read the novels.

[tmosler]

I agree with all your replies that it is unlikely we will get another tv show set in the prime universe. I just hope whatever they do if they make another tv show it doesnt turn out like enterprise did. Also I just got done with book one of the destiny series and cant wait to read book 2.

[Greg Cox]

trekmom wrote:

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Wow, only 2%? I wonder why? I love getting the continuing story and reading about my favorite characters. I can't imagine being a fan and NOT wanting to read the new books. But then again, I've always been a reader. I know lots of people don't read just because they don't like to. Weirdos.

Alas, we're talking entirely different orders of magnitude. TV shows are watched by millions; tie-in novels are read by tens of thousands.

The rule of thumb, back when I was editing tie-ins, was that a show with, say four million viewers would sell roughly 40,000 books . . . .

[Ian Keldon]

^Why is that? Why doesn't TV fandom translate into following all the add-on products the way it used to?

[BillJ]

Ian Keldon wrote:

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^Why is that? Why doesn't TV fandom translate into following all the add-on products the way it used to?

I would imagine home video plays a big part in it. At one time, the only way to revisit favorite series was through novels and comics.

[King Daniel Into Darkness]

tmosler wrote:

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Also I just got done with book one of the destiny series and cant wait to read book 2.

[C.E. Evans]

KingDaniel wrote:

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Another generic Trek series further into the future with a crew of nobodies is doomed.

In a real sense, that's how Trek began--with a crew of nobodies. The key with any television series, regardless if it's Trek or not, is creating characters that click with an audience enough that they want to watch them again and again to see what they do or what happens to them next.