If You Created a Cheap Star Trek Knockoff...

[Sisko_is_my_captain]

I'd do an ER knockoff - an understaffed Starfleet medical clinic in an underserved, urban alien setting. Maybe an Orion city or something on Bajor. Something in the ionosphere interferes with modern equipment, so the level of medical magic is much reduced, and new Federation doctors who arrive are in shock at the primitive techniques they have to employ. There would be a lot of gritty trauma scenes, but the meat and potatoes would be the relationships between the characters.

 

[Lord Garth]

I reviewed a few older threads. I am going to summarize points made:

1. To gain enough viewers, a science fiction show must appeal to women.

2.. Women don't care much for space operas that emphasize warfare.

3. Women tend to prefer fantasy to science fiction.

.....

I have more women friends than men, IRL, but even I wouldn't say, "I think I can speak for women!" (a.k.a. half the population) I know a lot of women who love BSG and DS9, and I've seen plenty on this board too. And Discovery has a large female fanbase despite the fact that the first season was about the Klingon War and the Mirror Universe. Things that would be more stereotypically male.

And how did we get onto this anyway? A cheap Star Trek knock-off, I'm assuming, would be something that would be ridiculous and would know what it is.

 

[Tim Walker]

I'd go for the gold. I'd make it a parody of '50s and '60s sci-fi.

Have you seen Amazon Women on the Moon?

I have been over thinking this. If this production is to be as cheap as we can make it, then to be entertaining it will either be:

1. Funny. Think The Orville or Galaxy Quest.

or

2. So bad it's good. Like Plan 9 From Outer Space.

 

[Tim Thomason]

I’d call it Star Trackers, the Spock character would be bald with purple skin, a robot would serve as comic relief, the captain would probably be even more into alien women then Kirk, Starfleet would now be United Earth Space Millitary, the main villain would be a knockoff of Darth Vader and the main female character would have three breast (might be too pervy).

The Captain will insist that the UE Space Military isn't a military organization.

 

[Tim Walker]

I am thinking of a Trek like ship in a quasi-Star Wars universe.

So how do you fake a light saber without being sued?

 

[fireproof78]

I am thinking of a Trek like ship in a quasi-Star Wars universe.

So how do you fake a light saber without being sued?

Ask Bungie and Halo.

 

[uniderth]

Ask Bungie and Halo.

Or Starcrash

Did Starcrash come out before or after Starvawars?

 

[Roboturner913]

I'd call it "Star Warriors." The ship would have the same basic configuration, but the warp nacelles would just be big laser cannons instead of engines, and flames would shoot out the back of the engineering section where the shuttlebay is when it's moving. The ship would be called the USS Adventure. The crew would get out of the ship and explore space in exosuits that are laden with weaponry and rocket boosters everywhere. And they would wear capes at all times, and probably short pants.

 

[Orphalesion]

I am thinking of a Trek like ship in a quasi-Star Wars universe.

So how do you fake a light saber without being sued?

Just call it a "laser sword" or maybe a "holo-sword"

 

[at Quark's]

If you use names that are very evocative of the original, yet also words that are in general use, could you be sued for copyright ?

So suppose that in this cheap knockoff series, I equip my Star Navy vessels with proton torpedoes and faders, would I be in trouble?

 

[Tim Walker]

And they would wear capes at all times

As in the original Battlestar Galactica!

Well, maybe the civilians would wear capes. For starship uniforms see previous posts.

BTW, the capes would be a nice bit of misdirection, I don't recall seeing many of them in Star Trek.

 

[Dukhat]

Have you seen Amazon Women on the Moon?

I own a copy

1. Funny. Think The Orville or Galaxy Quest.

Whatever happened to that Galaxy Quest TV series Paramount TV was supposed to make?

If you use names that are very evocative of the original, yet also words that are in general use, could you be sued for copyright ?

So suppose that in this cheap knockoff series, I equip my Star Navy vessels with proton torpedoes and faders, would I be in trouble?

'Proton torpedoes' were used in Star Wars, but the term 'proton torpedoes' isn't copywrited. So you could use the term and not get sued. However, you couldn't use the name 'Luke Skywalker' as one of your characters, because that name is copywrited (unless you’re making a parody, in which case parody laws allow this.)

 

[uniderth]

However, you couldn't use the name 'Luke Skywalker' as one of your characters, because that name is copywrited (unless you’re making a parody, in which case parody laws allow this.)

Skuke Lywalker.
And they fight with Lightsavers.

 

[Greg Cox]

Or Starcrash

Did Starcrash come out before or after Starvawars?

Definitely after.

 

[Dukhat]

What’s Starvawars?

 

[Xhiandra]

I own a copy



Whatever happened to that Galaxy Quest TV series Paramount TV was supposed to make?



'Proton torpedoes' were used in Star Wars, but the term 'proton torpedoes' isn't copywrited. So you could use the term and not get sued. However, you couldn't use the name 'Luke Skywalker' as one of your characters, because that name is copywrited (unless you’re making a parody, in which case parody laws allow this.)

That's the part that seems fuzzy, though. If the name of the character was "John Smith", I would imagine that, copyright or not, you could use it in another work.
So, how is it delineated? Where is the line that makes naming a character "Luke Skywalker" a copyright violation, but not "John Smith"?

 

[Tim Walker]

I would be very careful about naming the characters, the ship, and the show. Don't make names too blatantly copies.

 

[uniderth]

What’s Starvawars?

That's how my phone likes to spell Star Wars.

 

[Dukhat]

That's the part that seems fuzzy, though. If the name of the character was "John Smith", I would imagine that, copyright or not, you could use it in another work.
So, how is it delineated? Where is the line that makes naming a character "Luke Skywalker" a copyright violation, but not "John Smith"?

Here’s an example: in The Man In The High Castle, the main protagonist is named John Smith. You are free to have your own character be named John Smith, as long as that character has no attributes of the John Smith from TMITHC. Because at that point it’s not about the name, it’s about the character. You could have a character named James T. Kirk as long as he has nothing whatsoever to do with the JTK from Star Trek. Luke Skywalker is a different story. That is a fake name copywrited by Lucasfilm.

 

[Orphalesion]

As in the original Battlestar Galactica!

Those were some nice uniforms. I hate the Reboot from the early 2000s for many, many, many, many. [....], many, many reasons, but how boring their uniforms and costumes were is reason #1.

That being said I'm not a fan of the seventies show either, but at least it was creative.

I'd totally have a character dressed like Cassopeia on my Teen (as played by 25 year olds) Drama in Space. Maybe that's what First Office Kylie wears for Space Prom...