Meyer Possibly Developing Khan Miniseries

Discussion in 'Future of Trek' started by Shalashaska, Jul 30, 2017.

  1. tharpdevenport

    tharpdevenport Admiral Admiral

    Sorry, but this just sounds boring. The highlight, in my mind, would probably be the special effects of a star exploding and the planet shifting. And that shouldn't be a highlight.
     
  2. Albinator

    Albinator Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    If anything, working on a second Trek series before DSC airs shows they have a LOT of faith in Discovery, not a lack of faith.

    Would I watch? Absolutely. I think if it ran alongside a second season of Discovery there's plenty of room for non-traditional Trek stories. Fans early on did not like that DS9 was on a space station.

    A Trek series without a ship, without Starfleet? In a vacuum I'd say no, but if Discovery is working, why not more shows that explore the richness of stories that can be told in that universe?

    My only criticism would be-- why revisit Khan YET AGAIN? If they were going to do another prequel or exploration of an existing character, I'd rather see something on the Romulans, maybe a 6-episode arch of the Roman War, which we never saw, from their perspective.
     
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  3. tharpdevenport

    tharpdevenport Admiral Admiral

    OR they see how Star Wars is exploding, with films, a CGI series with two other series eventually coming and more, and on their end they have a franchise they can also try and milk since science fiction is again hot.

    Star Trek and Star Wars will keep going, even if one series or movie bombs, faith or no faith. Alec Peter or ... actually, no Peters at all. ;-)
     
  4. Albinator

    Albinator Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    But if they weren't getting good feelings about DSC, they'd likely wait to gauge reaction. The reason Star Wars has exploded with multiple shows is because the movies proved popular: they didn't start Clone Wars until after the prequel trilogy completed, after all.
     
  5. tharpdevenport

    tharpdevenport Admiral Admiral

    The prequel series was the kick off. There was no major franchise or films at al until the prequel films, just the expanded universe in games, books and films. And Lucas had it and seemed content with just the films and maybe a live action TV series (that never came to be). Now that Disney has it, they're just going to ludicrous speed on it, regardless of how they feel. Hell, they said they'll keep making them as long as people watch them.
     
  6. Albinator

    Albinator Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    I'm also kind of tired of the comparisons between Star Wars and Star Trek. I see fans (mostly critics) saying things like "Disney should buy Trek, they know how to treat a franchise!" or "look at how big Star Wars has become, that should be Trek!"

    But Trek and Wars are VERY different franchises. Just because they're both sci-fi, doesn't mean they have much else in common.

    And hey critics, you want Trek to be as popular and successful, with lots of shows and movies as Star Wars? Then it'll have to BECOME Star Wars, it'll have to become a light-hearted action-first adventure.

    Which is exactly what Paramount tried to turn it into, and you hate it, and it didn't even really work in turning into a wildly popular franchise.

    Maybe, just maybe, we need to accept that Star Trek has it's limitations, and stop comparing it to everything else.
     
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  7. 2takesfrakes

    2takesfrakes Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I would not mind a Human-centric mini-series, but not Khan, as he's been done to death, to be Frank & Ernest about it. I'd be much more interested in seeing WWIII, the aftermath and Col. Phillip Green coming into power.
     
  8. tharpdevenport

    tharpdevenport Admiral Admiral

    Well, thankfully I didn't. I pointed out it's being milked like Star Wars is.


    Having said that, I agree with you on one of your above points.

    Disney should buy Trek? so far I don't' see them demonstrating they know how to handle Star Wars, just make movies good enough or fan wanky enough to draw in the crowds.

    But I disagree pretty much on the rest. Star Trek has a wide universe full of possibilities and it doesn't have to be light hearted or dark -- it's not one or the other; it's a false premise to begin with.
     
  9. Albinator

    Albinator Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    When I talk about limitations, I am not talking creatively.
     
  10. psCargile

    psCargile Captain Captain

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    With a surprise ending you'll never forget: Kirk kills Khan!
     
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  11. Thefallguy

    Thefallguy Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    The last picture of the last episode is a title card that reads "Please insert your Star Trek II - The wrath of Khan disc now!"
     
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  12. tharpdevenport

    tharpdevenport Admiral Admiral

    And I'd like to add: Ricardo WAS Khan. Sorry, but it won't be the same with another actor.
     
  13. Ketrick

    Ketrick Commander Red Shirt

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    I hope this is true so long as we get lots more details within canon about the Eugenics War and Khan's role in it. That's about the only details of his life that really needs much fleshing out. His life in exile on Ceti Alpha V could serve as a framing story with the Eugenics War being the show's main story.
     
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  14. Turd Ferguson

    Turd Ferguson Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I'd definitely watch it! I'll watch anything with Benedict Cumberbatch ;)
     
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  15. Lorcano

    Lorcano Cadet Newbie

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    This is a good point. Just because the (at this point theoretical) show begins on Ceti Alpha V post Space Seed doesn't mean it's the only time and place the show can cover. At the very least one would expect some kind of Earth based flashbacks to establish the world the characters behind and who they were there. 20th century Earth scenes would make a nice contrast to any alien world survivalist stories. (The obvious comparison here, narrative structure wise, would be LOST--I know that comparison isn't going to endear the concept to anyone, but no matter what you think of that show in general, it had a narrative technique that worked for television.)

    I have no idea if this rumor is based in truth, or if it is, what kind of chance we'll actually see it happen, but the more I think about it, the more I can see why CBS would pursue the idea.

    For one thing, Khan is one of the things from Star Trek that's recognizable outside of the franchise--in terms of film villains, he's almost up there with Darth Vader and Hannibal Lecter, both of whom had their backstories spun off into fairly successful television. It's something that could potentially draw both hardcore Trek fans and people who might tune in to watch a regular Trek show. Everyone loves a good baddie.

    It would also nicely complement Discovery, an expensive show that relies heavily on VFX and elaborate sets, props, and costumes that have to be designed from scratch. A Khan show would be less expensive to produce, as the two likely settings would be Ceti Alpha V and some version of contemporary/1990s Earth. Series like this one would be a good way to hold keep people subscribed to All Access in between Discovery seasons.

    The very nature of the show would be one that has elements common to a lot of the popular programming on cable channels: a select group of attractive, powerful people, with the potential for political intrigue, infighting, sex, and violence. It's not "Game of Thrones meets Trek", exactly, but it's certainly a potential way to tell a very un-Trek like story within Trek continuity.

    Limiting the action of the show (barring flashbacks/flashforwards) to one planet sounds like a bad idea at first, but we actually know little about Ceti Alpha V--we saw one small part of the planet in Enterprise, and we know it's inhospitable and in a system that hasn't been charted well. That's about it. There's a lot of potential for dangerous flora and fauna, hidden ruins/tech, other castaways, etc. Plus there's the mystery of what happened to Ceti Alpha VI--planets don't just unexpectedly explode.

    I'm not sure I'd be pushing for an ongoing Khan series, but there's certainly enough material for a one-off. I would say it would be strange to re-cast Khan, especially in the middle of Space Seed and Wrath of Khan, but there's a Benedict Cumberbatch-shaped elephant in the room that makes it easier to conceive. (Not to mention the four Sareks, two Mudds, and Tony Todd as adult Jake Sisko.) It's also possible that they could feature another Augment in the starring role, with Montalban being recreated for background machinations via soundalikes and VFX.

    (Bringing back Cumberbatch himself is a possibility, I suppose, as he's no stranger to television and would be a draw in his own right, but that wouldn't just be opening a can of worms--it's a whole case of them. Personally, I'd think it would be cool, but I can see why there would be huge problems on every conceivable level.)

    So economically, dramatically, and logistically, I can definitely see why CBS could and would pursue this. Whether they should is another question entirely. But I don't think there's anything wrong in having some spin-offs that are wildly different from the main tone and purpose of Trek proper. (And hey, if this works, maybe we could finally see an Assignment: Earth sequel! :rommie: )
     
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  16. Tosk

    Tosk Admiral Admiral

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    I hope they do Khan vs The Borg! Get rid of two overrated birds with one stone. :)
     
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  17. Captain of the USS Averof

    Captain of the USS Averof Commodore Commodore

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    Anything but a Khan miniseries. No, scratch that. Anything but a Khan or Section 31 miniseries. :thumbdown: :barf2:
     
  18. The Old Mixer

    The Old Mixer Mih ssim, mih ssim, nam, daed si Xim. Moderator

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    Space hippies miniseries FTW!
     
  19. captainkirk

    captainkirk Commodore Commodore

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    A Section 31 miniseries could be good if done right. A Khan miniseries is just people slowly dying for 15 years and then no ending because that's TWOK. It works in the expanded universe, but as a live-action series I don't see a point. Hopefully it's just an unfounded rumor.
     
  20. Captain of the USS Averof

    Captain of the USS Averof Commodore Commodore

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    Almost any premise can be good if done right. That doesn't say much. A Section 31 series would be just another spy action /police procedure TV show amidst hundreds others.