How might you have rebooted TOS?

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

Years ago, in my moments of woolgathering, I came up with two approaches on how I would "reboot" or re-whatever Star Trek.

My first idea: take Roddenberry's original 13-page treatment, used to sell the concept, and use that as a jumping off point. It's still Star Trek but not a complete recast of the original series. We'd have Robert M. April, his female "Number One," Doctor Boyce, and a certain Vulcan(ian) Lieutenant on board a ship called Enterprise. But nothing has to look or feel exactly the same. The show didn't have to be placed in the "prime" continuity, and could really evolve the concept of Trek by projecting into the 23rd Century from input by today's leading futurists.

The other was to do something akin to the early voyages of Kirk, as a young Lieutenant, and follow him up through the ranks as he strives to become the one thing he's always dreamed of... a starship captain. Along the way, he'd meet Bones and Spock, and be mentored by a famous captain, Pike or Garrovick. Not necessarily something that would fit neatly into the prime continuity, but certainly a way to relaunch the characters on television. Think a hybrid of Smallville and Mr. Midshipman Hornblower as adapted by Channel 4/A&E. Early Voyages was my title for this.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I've always been against a reboot, and more in favor of this approach:

Yeah, I've alway thought that would have been a good approach as well.

So you're bringing back UPN too?

 

[seigezunt]

all midgets.

 

[Forbin]

I've always been against a reboot, and more in favor of this approach:

Yeah, I've alway thought that would have been a good approach as well.

So you're bringing back UPN too?

UPN was actually still around when I did that graphic, mid-Enterprise.

 

[Forbin]

all midgets.

Sock puppets!

 

[Praetor]

Years ago, in my moments of woolgathering, I came up with two approaches on how I would "reboot" or re-whatever Star Trek.

My first idea: take Roddenberry's original 13-page treatment, used to sell the concept, and use that as a jumping off point. It's still Star Trek but not a complete recast of the original series. We'd have Robert M. April, his female "Number One," Doctor Boyce, and a certain Vulcan(ian) Lieutenant on board a ship called Enterprise. But nothing has to look or feel exactly the same. The show didn't have to be placed in the "prime" continuity, and could really evolve the concept of Trek by projecting into the 23rd Century based on today's leading futurists.

The other was to do something akin to the early voyages of Kirk, as a young Lieutenant, and follow him up through the ranks as he strives to become the one thing he's always dreamed of... a starship captain. Along the way, he'd meet Bones and Spock, and be mentored by a famous captain, Pike or Garrovick. Not necessarily something that would fit neatly into the prime continuity, but certainly a way to relaunch the characters on television. Think a hybrid of Smallville and Mr. Midshipman Hornblower as adapted by Channel 4/A&E. Early Voyages was my title for this.

I like both of these, a lot.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

Years ago, in my moments of woolgathering, I came up with two approaches on how I would "reboot" or re-whatever Star Trek.

My first idea: take Roddenberry's original 13-page treatment, used to sell the concept, and use that as a jumping off point. It's still Star Trek but not a complete recast of the original series. We'd have Robert M. April, his female "Number One," Doctor Boyce, and a certain Vulcan(ian) Lieutenant on board a ship called Enterprise. But nothing has to look or feel exactly the same. The show didn't have to be placed in the "prime" continuity, and could really evolve the concept of Trek by projecting into the 23rd Century based on today's leading futurists.

The other was to do something akin to the early voyages of Kirk, as a young Lieutenant, and follow him up through the ranks as he strives to become the one thing he's always dreamed of... a starship captain. Along the way, he'd meet Bones and Spock, and be mentored by a famous captain, Pike or Garrovick. Not necessarily something that would fit neatly into the prime continuity, but certainly a way to relaunch the characters on television. Think a hybrid of Smallville and Mr. Midshipman Hornblower as adapted by Channel 4/A&E. Early Voyages was my title for this.

I like both of these, a lot.

Thanks!

 

[Morris Irvine]

Spammage gone - T'Bonz

 

[DalekJim]

I would've done an origin/maiden voyage film similar to what we got but I doubt I'd include the time travel/new timeline stuff as I'd feel it'd be too risky and would alienate new viewers.

Shows what I know, eh.

 

[Praetor]

We never did see the initial launch of the Enterprise, if you think about it. The show just started in the middle of things. They'd been out for a little while. A reboot that shows the origin is, in and of itself, a clever idea, since it was never shown but trying to shoehorn points A, B, and C in for lack of creativity is, well, not very creative.

 

[seigezunt]

TOS should be re-booted...

in UGGS!!!

 

[Frenzy]

The more I think about it, the more I would have just started off afresh, ignoring all the time travel crap..

But then there would be the problem that everything would happen exactly the same way, unless it was a completely different timeline with the same characters, which would make no sense.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

TOS should be re-booted...

in UGGS!!!

Ugh.

 

[Warped9]

The more I think about it, the more I would have just started off afresh, ignoring all the time travel crap..

But then there would be the problem that everything would happen exactly the same way, unless it was a completely different timeline with the same characters, which would make no sense.

Nonsense. Many franchises have been rebooted.

You say you're doing a reboot/restart. You keep some familiar names and elements and start anew because whatever happened before is now irrelevant. You're starting a new continuity.

 

[Praetor]

Like the George Reeves "Superman" series and "Lois & Clark." People didn't expect the latter to follow the former's episode list.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

Like the George Reeves "Superman" series and "Lois & Clark." People didn't expect the latter to follow the former's episode list.

Although Lois and Clark did remake an episode of The Adventures of Superman -- "Panic in the Sky."

 

[Praetor]

D'oh. Good catch.

 

[Warped9]

I'm rebooting TOS...in a broader sense, though. There are ideas from TOS that I'm reinterpreting and integrating into my own original novel that I'm trying to write.

Small examples:
TOS:
- FTL starship U.S.S. Enterprise
- 5-year mission
- final frontier and strange new worlds
- new life and new civilizations
- the mid 23rd century
- average human lifespan 100 years

My version:
- fast relativistic starship (.9999c) C.R.V. Eagle
- 5-6 year voyage (relativistic time), 160-200 year voyage (real time)
- new frontier is beyond 25 light year bubble of explored space to seek terriestrial worlds for potential colonization
- great diversity of alien animal life discovered yet no alien intelligence...yet.
- the mid 29th century
- average human lifespan 120-150 years

 

[Captain Robert April]

STAR TREK: THE FIRST GENERATION

Start off with Captain Robert April, first captain and one of the key designers of the Enterprise, and his crew, many of whom took part in the ship's construction, taking the ship out of spacedock and giving her a proper shakedown. And the adventure begins from there.

All with the vow that this part of the franchise will NEVER, EVER, EVER!!! BE TURNED INTO A MOVIE!!!!!! Going down that road was a mistake to begin with, and that big, bloated, brain-dead popcorn movie that everyone is jizzing in their pants over is all the proof I need that it was a mistake. The franchise has sold its soul for the sake of those box office totals that RAMA is ever-gleefully posting all over the frelling place. I DON'T CARE IF IT MAKES ENOUGH TO PAY OFF THE NATIONAL DEBT, CRAP IS CRAP!! I don't think anybody here got into Star Trek in order to win a popularity contest.

Time to bring the ship home, back to television, and see if we can be half as successful at restoring its brain as McCoy was with Spock (btw, I suggest folks go back and watch "Spock's Brain"; it's not quite as dumb as we remember, and compared to the new movie, it's practically a NASA documentary).

 

[Anticitizen]

I agree that Trek belongs on the TV screen, first and foremost.