VARIETY: Paramount-Skydance merger collapsed in the final moments, and will lead to layoffs and austerity measures

[JoseNoodles]

I don't know if anyone's noticed, but Paramount seems to be removing archived video from the MTV and Comedy Central websites. I'm guessing stuff from startrek.com is probably next.

MTV deletes news archives from internet, erasing over two decades of articles

MTV News archives were pulled from the internet Monday, removing all articles from the site's founding in 1996 until its closure in 2023.

www.usatoday.com

Comedy Central’s Website Purges 25 Years of Video Clips and Other Content

The vast repository of content on Comedy Central's website has been removed by Paramount Global, in a move to push fans to Paramount+.

variety.com

 

[Random_Spock]

Shame on them. If people aren't going to move to Paramount +... they won't. This move won't force their hand or change their minds.

Add in people who don't have access to Paramount + (generally meaning international fans). This will just leave them in the cold.

And taking down all of MTV News's archive is a slap in the face.

 

[tomalak301]

Rather have a Trek TV show than a film. I've enjoyed most the Trek films but the silver screen isn't where Trek shines.

I miss going to the theater for a Star Trek movie though. Sitting in a dark room with like minded people watching a new Star Trek movie were awesome times, even for the bad movies like Nemesis and Into Darkness. I hope one day we can experience that again.

 

[Lord Garth]

I have more faith in the Prequel Trek movie happening than Star Trek 4.

It's pretty ridiculous how much they've struggled on the movie front.

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

I’d prefer a movie every two or three years vs. a TV series.

Has any Trek movie ever even been better than the shows? Are the best that each has to offer even comparable? TV is where Trek has undeniably excelled. They don't have to appease the lowest common denominator if they choose. They even admit that with movies they have no choice.

 

[Lord Garth]

Has any Trek movie ever even been better than the shows? Are the best that each has to offer even comparable? TV is where Trek has undeniably excelled. They don't have to appease the lowest common denominator if they choose. They even admit that with movies they have no choice.

I'm not who you asked but, from 1979 to 1996, I'd put the best Star Trek movies up against the best Star Trek TV any day. After 1996... not so much.

From Insurrection onward, the only Star Trek movie I can honestly recommend to a stranger is the 2009 Film. And even then, it's under the qualifier of "Even though it's not normally my type of thing, I liked it for what it was." A.k.a. "Star Trek as a Comic Book Movie".

 

[fireproof78]

Has any Trek movie ever even been better than the shows?

Define better.

I only have 2 hours to keep up with so it's appealing in many ways.

 

[Firebird]

Has any Trek movie ever even been better than the shows? Are the best that each has to offer even comparable? TV is where Trek has undeniably excelled. They don't have to appease the lowest common denominator if they choose. They even admit that with movies they have no choice.

The Motion Picture is definitely not a movie that appeals to the lowest common denominator, so I wouldn't paint the films with a broad brush.

 

[Citiprime]

I think what's holding them back from putting out a film is that the economics of doing a new movie doesn't make sense.

• The last Kelvin Universe film, Star Trek Beyond, underperformed. So is there a justifiable basis to spend on a big-budget Star Trek IV? I don't know the specifics of the actors contracts, but if Pine, Quinto, Zoe Saldana, etc., are not already obligated for a sequel, then they'll have to be resigned and will want more money.
• The theater going experience is very iffy at the moment for anything beyond a kids movie, or superhero film, and even then it's not a guarantee. So throwing $200+ million at a film production is a gamble.
• If you're producing Star Trek content, does putting out a movie help promote Paramount+, or does it distract from it? Would the money you spend for a theatrical release be better used for an exclusive series on Paramount+ in order to drive subscriptions?
• My guess is that, if they were to do a movie, it would be a situation where Paramount robs Peter to pay Paul. Something else Star Trek related, a series in development or proposed Paramount+ content, would be sacrificed in order for it to happen.

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

The Motion Picture is definitely not a movie that appeals to the lowest common denominator, so I wouldn't paint the films with a broad brush.

Well, it can be argued that TMP barely appealed to anybody, but that's a different debate.

Pine said it best, they want Marvel money/movies. Not the type of movie they tested (and ultimately failed with, appreciate the movie or not) the cinematic waters with in the 70s.

They want butts in the seats. Lowest common denominator. It's the era we live in.

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

Define better.

I only have 2 hours to keep up with so it's appealing in many ways.

Does Nemesis being only 2 hours make it a good movie? (I actually say this as a fan of the movie, funny enough)

 

[Christopher]

Well, it can be argued that TMP barely appealed to anybody, but that's a different debate.

IIRC, it was actually the highest-grossing Trek film until 2009, correcting for inflation. Although movies stayed in theaters far longer back then, so it had more time to accumulate ticket sales. It was hardly a failure; its production just went so over budget that Paramount decided to go in a more economical direction for the sequels and give them to someone other than Roddenberry. (Although the reported record-breaking budget for TMP actually included the development costs of the previous failed film projects like Planet of the Titans, so there was an element of creative accounting in there.)

 

[Ssosmcin]

DVDs don’t last forever. There are accounts on this forum from members whose discs have gone rotten.

Perhaps not, but they are not too hard to cheap on the secondary market (I have three sets of TOS alone - all from eBay). DS9 and Voyager are still in print, so you can replace any old sets that may not still be working.

I don't know if we're allowed to discuss digital backups onto personal drives for personal home use, but there's that too.

 

[fireproof78]

Does Nemesis being only 2 hours make it a good movie? (I actually say this as a fan of the movie, funny enough)

Who said good?

Does being a TV series make something good?

 

[BillJ]

Has any Trek movie ever even been better than the shows? Are the best that each has to offer even comparable? TV is where Trek has undeniably excelled. They don't have to appease the lowest common denominator if they choose. They even admit that with movies they have no choice.

Not about being “better”. I just enjoy anticipation vs. burn out, and the last few years are starting to feel like the late-90’s again, with way too much product.

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

Who said good?

Does being a TV series make something good?

Statistically looking at every option we've ever good, looks that way.

I mean, 560+ hours versus roughly 26 hours... Even if you only have 2 hours to watch something because of a busy life, there will be 2 episodes that are better (by all definitions) of any TV series than any one movie.

Not about being “better”. I just enjoy anticipation vs. burn out, and the last few years are starting to feel like the late-90’s again, with way too much product.

That's fair.
Though I get much more fulfillment from the actual product than just waiting and anticipating it.
The vacation is always more fun than everything that comes before it.

Besides, burn out is on us, not them. If there's too much product, it doesn't mean it all has to be consumed. I learned that early on with superhero movies and Elektra haha. Pump them out, it doesn't matter, can pick and choose.

 

[BillJ]

Even if you only have 2 hours to watch something because of a busy life, there will be 2 episodes that are better (by all definitions) of any TV series than any one movie.

Not necessarily of something new. We don’t know quality until we actually experience the product. Plus, with season arcs, you aren’t getting the entire story in two hours.

I simply don’t think there is anything they can do that hasn’t already been done over the last thousand hours of filmed material. So, a couple hours every few years with old friends is fine for me.

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

Not necessarily of something new. We don’t know quality until we actually experience the product. Plus, with season arcs, you aren’t getting the entire story in two hours.

SNW and Lower Decks just told me that you don't have to do season arcs. We'll see what Academy does (I suspect arc, though)

I simply don’t think there is anything they can do that hasn’t already been done over the last thousand hours of filmed material. So, a couple hours every few years with old friends is fine for me.

There's no guarantee it's with old friends, though.

 

[BillJ]

There's no guarantee it's with old friends, though.

At 52, generally speaking, Star Trek is an old friend. The longest continuous relationship I’ve had in my life. Movies are a friend you see every once-in-a-while. The TV series are friends who have claimed your couch as their bed and eat your food.

I simply find TV series Trek a chore. Of course, YMMV.

 

[fireproof78]

Statistically looking at every option we've ever good, looks that way.

I mean, 560+ hours versus roughly 26 hours... Even if you only have 2 hours to watch something because of a busy life, there will be 2 episodes that are better (by all definitions) of any TV series than any one movie.

And yet the odds of me finding it are lower.

And people still won't define good here.

I don't agree here. Statically maybe you increase more good content but also more bad, and requires more time, something not all of us have to dedicate to 500 hours to find the good.

Vs. going to the theater with family, enjoying food, and time with them regardless of the film shown. Like Nemesis. I went with friends and we talked about the movie afterwards and had a good time.