Star Trek; Starfleet Academy

[Kelso]

it's about kids going to school!

That could work well for an animated series... particularly if it was targeted to the younger crowd.

 

[Dusty Ayres]

it's about kids going to school!

That could work well for an animated series... particularly if it was targeted to the younger crowd.

That's who I'm targeting this show towards-the next generation of Trekkers! With new characters, not new actors playing the legendary crew of TOS-to paraphrase Alexander in the episode 'Plato's Stepchildren'-"Forward, forward in our plan/We proceed as we began."

 

[jefferiestubes8]

The Academy Years

Second time's the charm for my posting of this concept, hopefully.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy-TAS

PLOT/CONCEPT: The famous training institution,and the young people who inhabit it. The show will center on a core of freshmen (about 6 youths) training to be future officers and crew members in Starfleet-their hopes, dreams, aspirations, successes, and failures.

Would this be similar to
Harve Bennett's unproduced Starfleet Academy script (titled Star Trek The Academy Years)

As Harve said:

we had not only a script, called The Academy Years, we had a green light, which is a "Go" to picture. When the administration in Paramount changed in '89, and the new administration insisted that we have a picture with Nimoy and Shatner in it, we wanted it to be about teenage Kirk and teenage Spock in the Academy.

24 November 2006
http://trekweb.com/stories.php?aid=4567b5038964d

 

[T'Girl]

same problem with every academy idea concept-which is it's about kids going to school!

How about this, same cast of youthful characters, but change the setting. Make them senior midshipmen assigned to a one ship or have them as a group moving between many ships. The commissioned officers are peripheral characters, rarely seen. Show the "kids" carrying out mission from the ship, not from the academy. They still have a lot to learn, sometimes the lessons come hard won.

Option two, similar to above, except they're resent graduates.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

ANIMATION STYLE: Let's face it, anime is the style that's popular now, and in order to get viewers, a style similar to anime (think Teen Titans) would be the way to go. While the show will be that way, it won't have all the trappings of anime; no large drop of water from the head or anything like that, more something along the lines of Cowboy Bebop.

Any evidence to support this idea that anime styling is very popular? Adult Swim shows anime and those shows get mostly shit for ratings.

I don't want Star Trek to be any sort of animation.

Oh, and to play the pendantic Trekkie:

George Washington Carter: The self-appointed leader of the group, he is an Afro Canadian from Toronto,

Canada doesn't exist.

It's amazing how quickly this debate became about whether anime-style animation is popular and didn't bother to address the real problem with the idea-the same problem with every academy idea concept-which is it's about kids going to school!

I don't see that as a problem, especially since the school is college level, and the students are not children.

 

[jefferiestubes8]

Even if it were a live-action series...

I'll borrow a quote from this thread What channel should a new Trek TV series be on? today:

Why does the Starfleet Academy idea get such a bad wrap from fans? I

I think the problem is fans hear young Kirk/Spock or even just Starfleet Academy + CW and think young Clark Kent on Smallville.

Even if it were to go ahead and aim at a younger demographic audience (under 25) a pilot and say half a dozen episodes before it would start airing. Once the fan feedback came in not liking many things the producers would start making changes but we are talking about episode 12 before seeing a lot of changes. For a 22-26 episode season on broadcast TV that's too much of a change for season 1.

Trek would work better in a 12 or 13 episode format and no matter the type of story (Starfleet Academy or not) need to stick with it regardless of fan mail. The producers need some balls to stick to their guts.

How about if it were marketed and publicized that the next Trek TV series was in development and it would be based on cadets at Starfleet Academy.
If they actually waited and watched all of the fan websites and read the viewer feedback they could make a show that would go along with what a lot of the fans really want before the pilot even goes into pre-production.

 

[AviTrek]

How about if it were marketed and publicized that the next Trek TV series was in development and it would be based on cadets at Starfleet Academy.
If they actually waited and watched all of the fan websites and read the viewer feedback they could make a show that would go along with what a lot of the fans really want before the pilot even goes into pre-production.

If a show was based on what fans wanted it would alienate 90% of the non-fans and never have a shot at a large enough audience to survive. Also, fans can't even agree on what they want. Just look at the split betweens fans who loved the Abrams movie and those who hated it.

What Star Trek needs is a new producer with balls to create his vision and stick to it despite what some fans on the internet say.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

A TV producer should just do what Abrams did: understand what is the core of Trek (it's not that complex or restrictive when you whittle it down to the essentials) and build a kick-ass story around that.

Of course, the slam-bang action approach that works in a movie would have to be amended for TV. You couldn't afford as much action but could more than compensate for it with deft storylines, characterization and dialogue.

A TV producer shouldn't have an "original" vision but rather should take the existing vision of Star Trek and create something (most) fans and the general public will appreciate.

 

[Sigh]

Rather than rehashing this I'm just going to quote myself here--

I think we all know where a series based on the academy would go... Trek Teens With Problems! Sorry, I will veto any idea that centers around this unless given some interesting background. Odd because I have a cache in my brain of certain teen dramas that I do have respect for... but adding Trek into the mix just feels disrespectful.

Which makes me stop and go 'why must Trek canon be respected' when so many of the series were way out in left field at the time... So... there's hope for that gem in the rough if someone were to really give it the careful attention it would need to be something other than the Scooby gang in space.

Meanwhile, on the topic of anime conventions versus anime television ratings... You can't compare the two. Mainstream television viewers (the majority) do not go to conventions. Conventions are for hobbyists, fans (as in already invested in the content), and other people who have more than a cursory introduction to whatever's going on. When you introduce a television program to the mainstream audience, they aren't making any effort to receive the program other than switching the channel over from Comedy Central.

 

[Brainsucker]

There is a good anime scifi tv series that I like. It was Mugen No Ryvius / Infinite Ryvius. A Japanese cartoon about teenegers / cadets who trapped in a mysterious starship and struggle to save their live from themselves. It is good, as although animated, but the plot is enjoyable to adults.

Soooo, I think, Star Trek Academy is a good idea for the next series. But, even when the Anime is good, I prefer Live Action.

 

[jefferiestubes8]

I think, Star Trek Academy is a good idea for the next series. But, even when the Anime is good, I prefer Live Action.

Brainsucker we know we won't see Anime style on American TV for Trek TV series.
I would like to ask you whether you would like CGI animation (as discussed in this thread), traditional animation, or a live-action series if it were based around Starfleet Academy cadets.

 

[Brainsucker]

errr...don't know about CGI. But it can work

The problem of Live Action is that every Stage that used in episodes will increase the cost of the budget. While in CGI, the creator can create as many as stages / setting as they want.

 

[Brainsucker]

errr...don't know about CGI. But it can work

The problem of Live Action is that every Stage that used in episodes will increase the cost of the budget. While in CGI, the creator can create as many as stages / setting as they want.

 

[Whofan]

Jeyl: You're right, I've never seen Moribito. But I'm monumentally unimpressed with anime style. The ridiculous doe eyes alone make me want to barf! Even though I like early anime like Speed Racer and even Starblazers, I really have an intense dislilke of that unrealistic, unnatural style where peoples' mouths are twisted into toothsome maws! -- RR

 

[jefferiestubes8]

elite cadets at Starfleet Academy

from the What channel should a new Trek TV series be on? thread regarding a Starfleet Academy-based Trek series

The trick to doing this is to tell stories about young Starfleet cadets that deal with whatever emotional problems they have in addition to being what they are as Starfleet cadets. The Starfleet Academy comic book by Marvel did this quite well; maybe a show can use it a s a guide.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy was a comic book series published by Marvel Comics in the United States, running for 19 issues from December 1996 until June 1998.
The series followed the adventures of Nog and his classmates in Omega Squad in the years 2372 and 2373.

Now that is 211 years after Starfleet Academy was created.

It was created in the year 2161

SOURCE

via Starfleet Academy wiki:

A Starfleet Academy TV series has been proposed several times, but has never made it past the discussion stage.

although

The Academy existed as early as the 2140s. It was originally used as a training ground for United Earth Starfleet personnel.

I think a more exciting time would be around 2161 when Starfleet Academy is first created.

check out these locations that would be used for the series:
Starfleet Academy training bases and annexes

• Academy Flight Range
• Marseille Starfleet base
• Starfleet Academy, Beta Aquilae II
• Starfleet Academy, Beta Ursae Minor II
• Starfleet Academy, Earth
• Starfleet testing area, Relva VII
• Starfleet Academy, Psi Upsilon III

and these extention courses would make great 2 or 3 part episodes:

• Emergency Medical Course, Starfleet
• Engineering extension course
• Tactical Training, Advanced

There is also the separate

Red Squad or Cadet Training Squadron 47 was an elite group of cadets at Starfleet Academy. Red Squad members received special classes and advanced fieldwork training.

as well as
Nova Squadron

which would make a good idea for a series since one would assume these cadets would be older and more mature rather than young EMO angst. It was in 2372, the program was a relatively new idea when the comic book series of the Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's Omega Squad was also set.

 

[jefferiestubes8]

the US Naval Academy did it for a while was you went to the academy for one year, then you receive academic and practical instruction aboard ships with the fleet for three years as a midshipman, followed by one more year at the academy.

A Star Trek series that follow a group of midshipman AWAY from the academy during their second, third and fourth years aboard a starship would be far more interesting than a campus show.

This could work and would put the cadets on a ship for a 3-year period of time.
Of course the pilot could be done at the academy and a reveal at the end of the ship leaving spacedock.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Maybe animation would be ok after all. I'm warming up to the Clone Wars animation style. It's great for doing the spaceships, planets and nonhumanoid characters and monsters. For humanoids, the movements are still too weightless and jerky, but the faces can be animated to be emotionally believable, which gives that style a vital advantage over more 2-D styles of animation.

I'd still prefer live-action, though.

 

[Admiral2]

same problem with every academy idea concept-which is it's about kids going to school!

How about this, same cast of youthful characters, but change the setting. Make them senior midshipmen assigned to a one ship or have them as a group moving between many ships. The commissioned officers are peripheral characters, rarely seen. Show the "kids" carrying out mission from the ship, not from the academy. They still have a lot to learn, sometimes the lessons come hard won.

Then it's just "The Lower Decks: The Series," an idea I'd find as repulsive as "Star Trek: Kids In School."

I want to see officers fully graduated and doing the job. I don't want to see wet-behind-the-ears man- and woman-children learning stuff. I have to watch that everyday I go to work. It's never pretty, and I couldn't bring myself to watch any series based on the concept.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

What if our young heroes-in-training are more intrepid, intelligent and admirable than the pack of bozos you apparently are forced to work with?

I agree, nobody wants a show that reminds them of the bozos they know personally. Unless it's comedy.

 

[AviTrek]

What if our young heroes-in-training are more intrepid, intelligent and admirable than the pack of bozos you apparently are forced to work with?

I agree, nobody wants a show that reminds them of the bozos they know personally. Unless it's comedy.

Then you run into the Wesley problem. You can't have a bunch of cadets constantly saving the ship. There should be a reason they are only cadets and not officers.