Spoilers Variety about the future of Star Trek

[Moviefan2k4]

She may have been twenty-four when she liberated, but she was a Borg for (approximately) twenty years.

Seven is four years younger than Jeri Ryan.

Then whoever created her bio for Memory Alpha screwed up, or it was an oversight by the actual TV show's writers. I carefully checked several pages more than once. That website cited multiple episodes for her history, including her birth in 2344 ("Dark Frontier"), assimilation in 2350 ("The Raven"), and separation in 2374 ("Scorpion, Part II"). But with all the chaos involved in creating a weekly one-hour series, it definitely wouldn't be the first mistake made. The dialogue you cited in "The Gift", was only from the character's second episode.

Seven is now what she's been for the bulk of her adult life: A soldier.

I've never debated that. I'm just glad they gave her more to do instead of fitting into just one or two basic stereotypes.

For once, she has a Captain's commission to show for it.

I loved seeing that scene. Jeri's reaction to her superior's words had no dialogue at all, but you could see all the thoughts going through her mind. That's the talent of a great actress.

 

[Danja]

Skydance's exclusive negotiating period expires tomorrow.

https://variety.com/2024/biz/news/sony-apollo-paramount-global-acquisition-offer-cash-1235981220/

Sony Pictures, Apollo Offer to Buy Paramount Global for $26 Billion
in Cash: Report

 

[StarMan]

Skydance's exclusive negotiating period expires tomorrow.

It's a lopsided arrangement, really. While Shari Redstone's stake in Paramount via National Amusements is only 10%, she holds ~77% of voting rights in her Class A shares. While her stake would be acquired at a premium in the Skydance deal, the majority of shareholders (holding Class B shares) will see their shares diluted.

Now, there's a more attractive option on the table for shareholders in the form of Sony / Apollo's all-cash offer for the entire company - a deal that would take the company private (with Sony as majority shareholder).

Redstone's preference is known. Perhaps that's all that will matter at the end of the day, regardless of the uproar from other stakeholders.

So far as Trek, I would guess the Sony / Apollo deal brings with it the most uncertainty.

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on any of the above.

 

[Danja]

It's a lopsided arrangement, really. While Shari Redstone's stake in Paramount via National Amusements is only 10%, she holds ~77% of voting rights in her Class A shares. While her stake would be acquired at a premium in the Skydance deal, the majority of shareholders (holding Class B shares) will see their shares diluted.

Now, there's a more attractive option on the table for shareholders in the form of Sony / Apollo's all-cash offer for the entire company - a deal that would take the company private (with Sony as majority shareholder).

Redstone's preference is known. Perhaps that's all that will matter at the end of the day, regardless of the uproar from other stakeholders.

Shari Redstone has asked for a takeaway for the Class B shareholders.

She's trying to stave off lawsuits.

So far as Trek, I would guess the Sony / Apollo deal brings with it the most uncertainty.

It also presents regulatory issues (Companies that are based outside of the USA are prohibited by law from owning American broadcast networks. Rupert Murdoch had to become a U.S. citizen prior to launching the Fox Network back in the 80's.)

Sony is a Japanese company. I don't know how they would structure Paramount to make it happen legally.

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on any of the above.

It's one reason I prefer to leave M & A's to people who are smarter than me!

"All I know is what I read in the papers." -- Will Rogers

 

[UssGlenn]

I'd much rather Skydance take control, keeping Paramount as an independent company. Id feel better about sony if they had a better track record with Ghostbusters. Plus would anti trust regulation even allow the reduction from 5 studios to 4?

 

[James Cole]

It also presents regulatory issues (Companies that are based outside of the USA are prohibited by law from owning American broadcast networks. Rupert Murdoch had to become a U.S. citizen prior to launching the Fox Network back in the 80's.)

Sony is a Japanese company. I don't know how they would structure Paramount to make it happen legally.

It's fairly doable. Televisia, by far the largest Mexican media company, merged with Univision (the main Spanish language TV network). Percentages, joint ventures...

Main FCC issue could be Apollo owning TV stations in big cities like Boston, Seattle, Orlando, and Atlanta that might need to be sold off and could delay approval. And then FTC wise I'm not sure if Paramount and Colombia can merge studio wise without having too few major studios remaining as competitors.

 

[StarTrek1701]

Please don't get mad at me, coming in from another forum, but I gotta ask - would Paramount be in this mess had they handled the Trek situation better?
I am not talking about 2017 when DSC launched, I am talking about since JJTrek launched way back in 2009.
Fans were absolutely going berserk for new Trek content and Paramount had all the goodwill after JJTrek in 2009, but they took really long to get to a sequel.
They could squeeze out Transformers sequels every two years but they took four years between 2009 to 2013 for Into Darkness to come forward and that I believe squandered a lot of the goodwill, not just the lateness but the reception to Into Darkness.
Had the execs been smarter I think Star Trek could have been a multi-billion dollar franchise like how Marvel became with the MCU but nobody could plan ahead that well.

 

[Firebird]

Trek is only one IP amongst their catalogue, and a historically niche one at that. No amount of managing and hammering a circle into the square would've turned Trek into a multi-billion blockbuster franchise.

 

[Danja]

Please don't get mad at me, coming in from another forum, but I gotta ask - would Paramount be in this mess had they handled the Trek situation better?

Nah ... We don't hate here.

We argue and drink Romulan ale, bloodwine, and raktajino!

Had the execs been smarter I think Star Trek could have been a multi-billion dollar franchise like how Marvel became with the MCU but nobody could plan ahead that well.

Things have been going soft on the Marvel end (The Marvels flopped). Franchise fatigue may be setting in.

 

[aquova]

Skydance's exclusive negotiating period expires tomorrow.

$26B is... a lot more than I thought they'd offer. I think I heard their current market value is about $4B or so (but down from $25B a few years back). I wouldn't be surprised if they sell to that. Let's hope Trek ends up with Sony, the lesser of two evils, than an investment firm.

would Paramount be in this mess had they handled the Trek situation better?

I think Trek was honestly as successful as could be expected. It was an established property, and even a breakout sci-fi hit like the Mandalorian wouldn't have saved the whole company. I think if they had handled Paramount+ better they could've avoided this.

 

[StarTrek1701]

Nah ... We don't hate here.

We argue and drink Romulan ale and raktajino!



Things have been going soft on the Marvel end (The Marvels flopped). Franchise fatigue may be setting in.

The Marvels flopped because its an honestly trash movie with horrible dialogue and literally no defined story structure.
I don't think its franchise fatigue as you mentioned, more so people who hate these franchises are increasingly being given the keys to handle them and they are ruining everything because they have zero idea about the lore.
Like the showrunner for She-Hulk literally said she never read one comicbook in her life and several MCU producers are on record saying they refuse to hire actual fans of the material.

 

[fireproof78]

Sony is a Japanese company. I don't know how they would structure Paramount to make it happen legally.

They will make it legal.

 

[Danja]

$26B is... a lot more than I thought they'd offer. I think I heard their current market value is about $4B or so (but down from $25B a few years back). I wouldn't be surprised if they sell to that. Let's hope Trek ends up with Sony, the lesser of two evils, than an investment firm.

There's a concern over where they're getting the money.

Are they going to load Paramount up with more debt?

I've heard talk that Sony will do with Apollo what Disney did with Fox: Take the studio and the IP and leave Apollo with the money-losing broadcast channels.

 

[StarTrek1701]

I think Trek was honestly as successful as could be expected. It was an established property, and even a breakout sci-fi hit like the Mandalorian wouldn't have saved the whole company. I think if they had handled Paramount+ better they could've avoided this.

Oh you're 110% right, Paramount+ and all other streamers are moneypits, including Netflix. But Netflix still has a bunch of FOMO investors propping it up.
I was more pointing out that in 2009 Star Trek got a wind in its sails not seen for nearly a decade at that point and Paramount should have struck while the iron was hot.
In fact Paramount had Star Trek and Transformers in their arsenal, but here we are, discussing a slow stuck death of our beloved franchise again.
As for Transformers.. "Its dead, Jim"

 

[Danja]

I was more pointing out that in 2009 Star Trek got a wind in its sails not seen for nearly a decade at that point and Paramount should have struck while the iron was hot.

The technology wasn't there in 2009.

CBS All Access (P+'s predecessor) wouldn't come into existence until 2014.

 

[The Wormhole]

Please don't get mad at me, coming in from another forum, but I gotta ask - would Paramount be in this mess had they handled the Trek situation better?
I am not talking about 2017 when DSC launched, I am talking about since JJTrek launched way back in 2009.

While I won't deny Paramount completely mismanaged the success of Trek XI and severely dropped the ball in regards to marketing STID (let's bring back Khan because he's the franchise's most iconic villain who people want to see again. But let's keep his identity a plot twist so we can't tell people in the promotional material the character they want to see again is in the movie) in the end, it wouldn't have made much of a difference. Paramount's current problems extend far beyond how they handled the Trek franchise.

As for Transformers.. "Its dead, Jim"

???
There was a Transformers movie out in theatres just last year and there's another one coming out this fall. That doesn't sound "dead" to me.

 

[fireproof78]

discussing a slow stuck death of our beloved franchise again.
As for Transformers.. "Its dead, Jim"

Yes, well all know Trek fans will stop engaging once no new content is produced.

TOS was long forgotten until TNG made it relevant again.

.

 

[Danja]

There were the TOS movies from TMP-TVH.

 

[fireproof78]

There were the TOS movies from TMP-TVH.

Yes, and one of them had the famous line, "Humor, it is a difficult concept. It is not logical."

Appropriate here.

 

[Danja]

No deal on either front:

https://variety.com/2024/biz/news/paramount-global-reject-skydance-sony-apollo-offers-1235991298/

Skydance’s Proposed Deal With Paramount Global Appears to Be Falling Apart

After months of M&A talks, Paramount Global and controlling shareholder Shari Redstone might be going it alone after all.

Insiders tell Variety that the expectation at the company is that neither of the two offers in play — Skydance Media-RedBird Capital Partners and Sony Pictures Entertainment-Apollo Global Management — will come to fruition. And Redstone is said to have reluctantly concluded that a deal with David Ellison’s Skydance, a longtime partner of Paramount Pictures, will not be possible.

If the M&A talks are abandoned, Paramount Global would indeed be run for the foreseeable future by the three-headed “Office of the CEO” — CBS’s George Cheeks, Paramount Pictures’ Brian Robbins and Chris McCarthy, head of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks — after Bob Bakish was shown the door. The trio have told employees they’re prepping a “long-term plan” for Paramount Global. As part of cutting the company’s debt load, insiders speculate that strategic plan might include selling BET Media Group (which media mogul Byron Allen has expressed interest in acquiring) and the famed 62-acre Paramount Pictures Studio lot on Melrose Avenue in L.A. The go-forward strategy might also see the company try to combine the Paramount+ streaming service with NBCUniversal’s Peacock in some way.