Why not just make a Pike era show?

[Terok Nor]

Don't get me wrong, I prefer having new characters and a new setting. I just think it's dumb to have a prequel set during Pike's era and not have it set aboard the Enterprise. I mean we could have the iconic Spock instead of his booby prize of a sister. Removing that albatross from the series could only improve it.

Did anyone ever truly believe Kirk and Spock would be killed or the Enterprise destroyed during TOS? I don't see how setting a series prior to TOS would limit anything. Being a prequel in the first place is the biggest limitation and they already did that with Discovery.

I'm not campaigning for a Pike series. I'm enjoying Discovery for the most part. Just pondering why.

 

[eschaton]

I'm not campaigning for a Pike series. I'm enjoying Discovery for the most part. Just pondering why.

As I said, the reason is almost certainly because it happened the following way:

1. CBS decided it was time to revive the Trek franchise.
2. They hired Bryan Fuller to come up with a series outline.
3. Fuller came in with a pitch that didn't involve Captain Pike on the Enterprise.

 

[XCV330]

Don't get me wrong, I prefer having new characters and a new setting. I just think it's dumb to have a prequel set during Pike's era and not have it set aboard the Enterprise. I mean we could have the iconic Spock instead of his booby prize of a sister. Removing that albatross from the series could only improve it.

Spock's character is probably the most developed of anyone in Trek. Having to write him even further would just have pidgeonholed writers who essentially could not have done that much with him (with Kelvinverse Spock they don't have that issue) I hope he's not on board if they do a Pike Series, or at least not often. Just because he was science officer doesn't mean he was there the entire time. He might have transferred out, and returned in time to replace Una as XO.

I see the appeal of yet another show with the big E, but I'm glad they didn't do it. There are other ships in the fleet. Nice to see one of them.

Did anyone ever truly believe Kirk and Spock would be killed or the Enterprise destroyed during TOS? I don't see how setting a series prior to TOS would limit anything. Being a prequel in the first place is the biggest limitation and they already did that with Discovery.

TV audience expectations are very different today than 50 years ago. A limited number of fans might have drooled over the idea of a 4 season run, but it might not have drawn in new viewers. I think they took the risky route, hope long terms it pays off. I'd probably have enjoyed either series but I like Discovery, and obviously if they did/do a Pike series I'd rewatch over and over again. I'd probably keep my CBSAA account active, if you're listening CBS.. just saying.

 

[Tim Walker]

Oh noes, not TEH CANNON!!!!!!1!!! again.

Has it occurred to people that this is a f fictional universe, a multiverse now really?.

I expect that every new show runner will have their own ideas concerning Trek. So we are starting to see a multiverse similar to Gundam.

 

[Greg Cox]

It's funny how as I've got older, I've become far more accepting of this as a view, rather than being some sort of canon fascist as I probably was 10 years ago.

I know the feeling. In the immortal words of Bob Dylan, "I was so much older then; I'm younger than that now."

 

[Terok Nor]

Is it just me who thinks all the shows more or less fit into the canon? Visually perhaps not, but most of the continuity lines up. Sure, there are some glaring holes but there have been over 700 episodes!

 

[eschaton]

I'm not one of the canon purists by any means. At the same time, it's a problem for the showrunners if they are perceived as violating canon, because it will piss off a large section of fandom. Thus if they're going to do it, they should have a damn good story reason for doing so - not just thoughtlessness.

In the case of Discovery, I think they arguably had good story reason to retcon the existence of Micheal Burnham into Spock's family. The execution left something to be desired - particularly due to James Frain sometimes being underwhelming as Sarek - but there is the potential for meatier stories there in the future.

In contrast, I don't think there was any real reason for the extensive Klingon redesign. Not only were the bald orc-Klingons not needed to tell the story season 1 set out to tell (unless one presumes that Voq had to be played by Shazid Laif, which required very heavy makeup) they worked worse within the story than a mixture of TOS and Berman-Era Klingons would have, given the limitations on performance that the makeup gives. Arguably the spore drive also fits in here, because of the huge problems introducing it into the Trek timeline provide, and how (to this date) the onscreen utilization of it within the plot doesn't seem worthwhile when other within-canon technologies (like the Iconian gateways) existed and could have been utilized.

 

[Lord Garth]

Don't get me wrong, I prefer having new characters and a new setting. I just think it's dumb to have a prequel set during Pike's era and not have it set aboard the Enterprise. I mean we could have the iconic Spock instead of his booby prize of a sister. Removing that albatross from the series could only improve it.

Did anyone ever truly believe Kirk and Spock would be killed or the Enterprise destroyed during TOS? I don't see how setting a series prior to TOS would limit anything. Being a prequel in the first place is the biggest limitation and they already did that with Discovery.

I'm not campaigning for a Pike series. I'm enjoying Discovery for the most part. Just pondering why.

I wouldn't have done 10 years before TOS, or before TOS at all, if I were coming up with the series. But given the way they wanted to have the Klingon War and the Mirror Universe, I see why they set it when they did.

In order to tell the story they wanted to tell: The Klingon Empire has to be totally hostile and the idea of friendship with the Federation has to be completely foreign. The Terran Empire has to be in its prime (no pun intended). The Humans can't be Perfect 24th Century Humans. But they also wanted the Federation to be established and Starfleet to have a sizeable fleet with all the familiar technology. So, basically, they needed it to be the 23rd Century but backtracked a little bit from TOS.

For not having the Enterprise: I figure, outside of guest appearances, they want to reserve the TOS crew for the films only. Including Spock. And, like I said before, you can do whatever you want with a whole new ship. The Discovery isn't bound to a status quo. The Enterprise is. It still has to be there by the time Kirk takes command and we know what happens to Pike. We have no idea what will happen Burnham or the crew of the Discovery.

And originally there was only going to be one season in this setting. After this, it would've been whatever Bryan Fuller would've had in mind for skipping to the TNG Era. But, TPTB after Fuller left have decided to stick with the setting they're in. So we have Discovery in the 23rd Century as something that just is.

 

[ozzfloyd]

I'm really enjoying DSC and am totally fine with their choices to date. Personally would have loved a post TUC series with the monster maroons though .

 

[The Wormhole]

The thing about a Pike era show is it's a series with a definate end-cap.

Disco itself has a definite end-cap. Spore Drive is abandoned, and the Klingon war burns itself out.

Drastic Measures makes mention of the early Constitution ships being involved in secret missions. So much so that the rest of Starfleet doesnt even seem to know much about the ships. Desperate Hours has them wearing their own separate uniforms and with a design layout in general very different to the rest of the fleet. How come? Sounds interesting.

That's just the novels rationalizing how things played out on screen. The thing about the Constitution fleet being involved in secret operations was to explain why no Constitutions were involved in the Klingon war or the Battle at the Binary Stars, while the stuff in Desperate Hours about the Constitutions having a different interior layout and the crews of those ships wearing their own uniforms was to explain why The Cage showed Starfleet looking very different from what we're seeing in Disco.

Although, they may decide to ignore all that in season 2 anyway and show the Enterprise crew wearing the Disco uniforms and having an updated interior. Such is the way of things.

 

[XCV330]

Disco itself has a definite end-cap. Spore Drive is abandoned, and the Klingon war burns itself out..

Or Discovery winds up marroned on Ceti Alpha 6 or spores itself accidentally into the future in front of Enterprise E as its warp engines are about to go back online.

 

[The Wormhole]

As the writing staff seems to think they're not allowed to use anything from any of the movies, that rules out the Enterprise E ever being on this show.

 

[jaime]

And I still don't care. You can. I'm just saying my peace from a personal perspective. This topic was supposed to be about a Pike era show, a topic that actually interests me. Then someone brought up canon, a topic that does not.

You said you don’t understand why it matters.
The fact you are interested in a Pike show, and not insert-random-new-pre-Kirk-enterprise-captain show, shows that you have at least some interest in canon.
Gruff speech patterns don’t change that.
Me? I would be fine with a Pike era show, with my usual ‘prequels are pretty much always a bad idea’ disclaimer, and wondering how yet another version of Spock would go down with the fan base. The universe will never be threatened, the ship will never be threatened, and it’s gonna end badly for the captain, but it has THE WOMEN and we don’t know what happens to them. Fiddly recasting Majel Though.

 

[The Wormhole]

The universe will never be threatened,

It's always saved anyway.

the ship will never be threatened,

It's usually saved or reset, with the exceptions of The Search for Spock, Generations, The Changing Face of Evil, and Beyond.

 

[Visitor1982]

I wouldn't be surprised if a 2nd Star Trek TV series about Pike and the Enterprise is already being developed by CBS... It would make sense to have two shows set in the same time frame with crossovers and such, just like SG1 and SGA did.

 

[Tim Thomason]

I think with only a few small changes, Disco might've worked better as a show set in 2276, as opposed to 2256. You'd have to add Kirk's name to the distinguished Captains list, rework the Klingons so that the Organians and 2260s stuff is referenced ("not seen in almost 10 years").

The ships all look fine. You can keep the costumes (as some sort of odd design between TMP and TWoK, Cause and Effect be damned). The Mirror Universe can feature a look into how Kirk and crew made it back. Spock would be older, and his relationship with Burnham and Starfleet would have to be reworked, but the other Sarek and Amanda scenes still work.

The identity of the Captain of the Enterprise (an HD redo of the movie refit) could even be a cliffhanger. Is it Admiral Kirk? Captain Spock? Or someone else entirely at this point?

 

[Dijeirusan]

I wouldn't be surprised if a 2nd Star Trek TV series about Pike and the Enterprise is already being developed by CBS... It would make sense to have two shows set in the same time frame with crossovers and such, just like SG1 and SGA did.

They'll probably want to nail the casting of the Pike crew first, before announcing anything like that. However if they do, I sorta hope they announce the show is in a 3rd timeline. It allows the show total free reign for such a spinoff to do whatever.

 

[jaime]

It's always saved anyway.

It's usually saved or reset, with the exceptions of The Search for Spock, Generations, The Changing Face of Evil, and Beyond.

Yeah, but there’s that slim chance for real stakes.

 

[jaime]

They'll probably want to nail the casting of the Pike crew first, before announcing anything like that. However if they do, I sorta hope they announce the show is in a 3rd timeline. It allows the show total free reign for such a spinoff to do whatever.

I have no interest in a non-prime, third timeline. It’d be a goodnight Vienna scenario. I suspect I am not in a minority that will take the wrinkles in continuity, but would just drift off if they did that. It’s creatively bankrupt, reboots almost always are, and trading off a history as big as Treks to do it? Nah thanks, i’d Rather save my merchandising money for something with sense.

 

[Lord Garth]

I don't go into any Star Trek series expecting the Federation to fall. The real tension of "In the Pale Moonlight" was "How is Sisko possibly going to get out of this? He's alive and the station's still around but being dead would probably have been easier than having to deal with whatever he's talking about now." This was what I was thinking before I actually found out what happened at the end.

I look at the more personal stakes when I watch Star Trek. What happens to the ship and the crew. And Discovery, unlike any other Star Trek series seems devoted to not having a status quo of any type. Anyone can die, any time. Even the Discovery can be destroyed as long as the show is about discovery as opposed to the USS Discovery. The first two episodes took place on the Shenzou. So that's where I find the tension and the stakes in this series to be.