What Would Be Wrong With Ending TNG On DVD?

[slappy]

There's still a stigma on straight-to-home movie releases and I wonder why that is. There have been great and varied uses for the home video market (besides porn) outside of low-rent, cheap garbage. Animated spin-offs, so on and so forth.

Why can't TNG finally end its run with some dignity in tact? I'd love a proper send-off to Picard and co. and I think a straight-to-DVD event would be great. Or perhaps air it on Syfy first then on DVD the next week. With DVD, they don't have to worry about a huge opening weekend and can do it in any way they like. Maybe three mini-episodes that tie into one another where we can say goodbye to each character equally.

Watching this DVD make more money in week one than Nemesis ever did is not only possible, but would do my heart good in saying goodbye.

 

[Borgminister]

Production costs would be prohibitive, I would imagine. Unless lots of stock footage is used. I'd buy it...

 

[StarshipDefiant]

Production costs would be prohibitive, I would imagine. Unless lots of stock footage is used. I'd buy it...

Oh, nice...I have a pretty good idea what your talking about there, too.

As the above poster said, the production cost would be way to much, even if the DVDs could possibly do good, it would still cost to much (IE, they have to spend more then say...five bucks to try and make a profit, they aren't into that so much anymore), not to mention getting the actors together at a common time (Patrick Stewart is pretty busy these days) and because Nemesis flopped so badly, the studio is convinced that the moving going public doesn't want more TNG era stories, but JJ Abrams trek stories.

The sad thing is, half of Nemesis problems is a half assed story and a director that can't seem to keep track which character is Human, and which character is not.

 

[Yug]

I've known others who've brought this up as an idea for the ending of Enterprise, perhaps a Romulan War mini-series on dvd or SyFy. It's often immediatly shot down by others posters with no vision. I think it would by a highly profitable venture for a TNG send off, considering the new cgi and other green screen effects, and let's face it, with the exception of Patrick Stewart, what else are the actors doing these days. They'd jump at the chance to go once more...

But still, I think the current Enterprise novelizations are continuing where the episodes left off, but they just aren't considered canon. Why not have a line of fully canonized TNG novels that wrap up the open ended stories on the next generation characters?

 

[AviTrek]

Well here goes the shot down, and the OP knew it was coming. Direct to DVD is considered a 2nd or 3rd tier property. Once something goes direct to DVD it never comes back. Star Trek has always been an A list property. Paramount just spent a huge sum of money elevating Star Trek's status to a summer blockbuster, no one will waste that money by destroying the brand and going direct to dvd.

 

[CaptainStoner]

If you think NEM was bad, which it wasn't, a direct-to-DVD TNG film would show you what bad really is.

Although I share the nostalgia and wishing there was more. It's likely that none of the NEM-era sets even exist anymore, as awesome as they were.

I don't buy the popular opinion and feel that TNG did indeed leave us on a high note, and wouldn't want to see a watered-down attempt to do better.

Although I'd love to see several TNG cast do some voiceover for a new TNG video game, in the style of Final Unity with modern graphics. Preferably with the Ent-D.

 

[Pemmer Harge]

I'm very happy with the ending we got in All Good Things... For me, that's the end of TNG. Obviously the characters had further adventures and we see some of those in the films (and DS9), but TNG ended in 1994 when it was still good and I'm glad it went out the way it did.

 

[Shazam!]

Once something goes direct to DVD it never comes back

 

[AviTrek]

Futurama came back as a new season/dvd release from the start. When SyFy announces they're bringing SG1 back for a new season you'll convince me.

 

[Yug]

Well here goes the shot down, and the OP knew it was coming. Direct to DVD is considered a 2nd or 3rd tier property. Once something goes direct to DVD it never comes back. Star Trek has always been an A list property. Paramount just spent a huge sum of money elevating Star Trek's status to a summer blockbuster, no one will waste that money by destroying the brand and going direct to dvd.

That's an almost outdated notion. The dvd/bluray landscape is changing, my friend... get on board. Scheduled network televison is slowly becoming a dinosaur.

 

[DarKush]

I like this idea. Its something I think TPTB have slept on for a while. I mean, we could've gotten a STV Excelsior movie/miniseries years ago, and it would be great to see continuations/post-finales of TNG, DS9, ENT, or VOY on DVD. I'm assuming that the Stargate movies are doing well, and BSG got into the act with The Plan.

With Tim Russ's "Gods and Men" and some of the other fan films shows that some Trek alumni have no trouble reprising their roles for free, and if fan films can put together pretty good productions on a shoestring budget, I'm confident that TPTB could. I guess the problem would be that some actors would be too expensive, Patrick Stewart, or might not want to come back, but you could write around that. If Stewart doesn't want to come back, but everyone else does, promote Stewart to admiral or make him an ambassador and reference him. Besides, with Stewart and Data out the way, though I love both characters, it might free up more space for development for the other characters. Or maybe a Titan DVD movie or miniseries in lieu of a TNG movie. If you go by the books, I got a feeling that Frakes, Sirtis, and Russ would be game.

 

[ChristopherPike]

Nothing. The JJ Abrams pictures can take care of themselves. The hundreds of hours of Prime Universe showing on TV and DVD had zero impact on the box office. All the reboot/new beginning hoopla brought vast numbers of non fans to the cinema. Viacom president Sumner Redstone himself described the film in an interview, as radically different and unlike any previous entry in the franchise. So you would think going by that, producing something based on TNG or ENT would be an entirely different proposition. A DVD movie or mini-series would require only a small percentage of feature-film profitability to be in the black... for a majority of fanbase to purchase, with an equal number of opportunistic buyers curious to see what else Star Trek has to offer. Factor in a broadcast, first on Pay-to-view cable/satellite, followed by ordinary TV six months after the DVD release and that would be the business model to go for.

Of course, having been slowly plugging away at this Direct-to-DVD angle ever since 2005 (after the ENT cancellation was announced and they began to be release the show on DVD)... sending postcards, letters, sampler discs, YT viral videos, petitions both online & physical... the complete lack of any response anybody from CBS or Paramount seems to shoot down such a suggestion. They've also junked or auctioned off all the pre-existing sets, props and costumes back in late 2006, the replacement of which puts up the budget more than usual, before the cameras are even rolling.

 

[KottenFutz]

Paramount just spent a huge sum of money elevating Star Trek's status to a summer blockbuster, no one will waste that money by destroying the brand and going direct to dvd.

Although, Paramount did spend a bunch of money remastering TOS with new visual effects, released it into syndication, dvd, and it's own Hulu channel... I'm sure they're interested in keeping the Trek brand alive, no matter what form it takes. I doubt they think in the manner of 'prestige', just whatever might sell. Whether it's old or new, or brand new.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

There's still a stigma on straight-to-home movie releases and I wonder why that is

Because if you have something good enough to make it on the big screen, that's where you put it, because if you have a big screen hit, you make more money than any other media option. Hence direct-to-DVD is an admission that you don't have what it takes to play in the big leagues. It would have been okay for Trek before Abrams revitalized the brand, but it's not going to fly now. Trek will be premium or nothing from now on.

I think it would by a highly profitable venture for a TNG send off

It would be peanuts compared with the big screen and it would drag down the Star Trek brand. Nobody with the power to greenlight anything is at all interested in TNG. It has the stink of failure on it, and that is a smell Hollywood finds immensely offensive. To them, TNG has already been "sent off" to the garbage heap of failure.

Abrams' Trek is it for now. TNG flopped horribly*; Abrams' Trek succeeded magnificently. Hollywood isn't going to pay attention to anything more nuanced than that stark success-or-failure dichotomy. I don't think Trek will leave the 23rd C for quite some time; all the series except for TOS will be largely forgotten (maybe Abrams & crew will find it amusing to resurrect/recast EMH or Kira Nerys some day, but I wouldn't hold my breath); and cheapo approaches like direct to DVD or direct to download are off the table.

*The most recent thing TNG did was to flop horribly. Previous success does not count. Remember the Hollywood motto: What have you done for me lately?\

Once something goes direct to DVD it never comes back

Hey I love Futurama, but A-list property it is most definitely NOT!

That's an almost outdated notion. The dvd/bluray landscape is changing, my friend... get on board. Scheduled network televison is slowly becoming a dinosaur.

It's not an outdated notion at all. And why are you talking TV? This is big-screen summer blockbuster vs direct to DVD crap. As for TV, that's where Trek belongs, and it's hardly a dinosaur. Americans are watching more TV than ever. You may have heard network TV is failing, but that's due to viewers shifting to cable. I don't care if Trek ends up on a basic cable channel vs network. Who makes any distinction between them anymore?

A DVD movie or mini-series would require only a small percentage of feature-film profitability to be in the black...

You're looking at this the wrong way. Envision CBS considering a project to capitalize on their Star Trek property. They don't ask themselves, can we make this profitable. They ask themselves, will this be more profitable than the dozens of other things we could spend our time, resources and personnel on instead? CBS is doing just fine with its lineup of police procedurals. Why do Trek when doing another CSI lineup is a surer and safer way to make a buck? As for Paramount, they're in the summer blockbuster business. Why would they waste a moment on small potatoes like direct to DVD?

But the real way to look at this is - envision the people who will be championing Trek, or not. How is that going to help their career? Because really, that's what it comes down to - somebody who picks up the notion of direct-to-DVD Trek as a career boost. I can't envision anyone thinking that suggesting direct-to-DVD for a premium brand name is going to do anything but make them look like a clueless chump. Nobody going to do it, so it's not going to happen.

 

[Yug]

Because if you have something good enough to make it on the big screen, that's where you put it, because if you have a big screen hit, you make more money than any other media option. Hence direct-to-DVD is an admission that you don't have what it takes to play in the big leagues. It would have been okay for Trek before Abrams revitalized the brand, but it's not going to fly now. Trek will be premium or nothing from now on.

Not true. Especially for a franchise...

It would be peanuts compared with the big screen and it would drag down the Star Trek brand. Nobody with the power to greenlight anything is at all interested in TNG. It has the stink of failure on it, and that is a smell Hollywood finds immensely offensive. To them, TNG has already been "sent off" to the garbage heap of failure.

That's an almost outdated notion. The dvd/bluray landscape is changing, my friend... get on board. Scheduled network televison is slowly becoming a dinosaur.

It's not an outdated notion at all. And why are you talking TV? This is big-screen summer blockbuster vs direct to DVD crap. As for TV, that's where Trek belongs, and it's hardly a dinosaur. Americans are watching more TV than ever. You may have heard network TV is failing, but that's due to viewers shifting to cable. I don't care if Trek ends up on a basic cable channel vs network. Who makes any distinction between them anymore?

It IS an outdated notion, or soon will be. The distiction is clear, and keep in mind, people don't watch cable on a scheduled basis all that much either. Tivo, iTunes, DVR, OnDemand, DVD and internet sites like Hulu are the new wave and is how a show becomes succesful lately. The show LOST is still on TV mostly because of the past seasons selling huge on DVD, millions more are spent on ad campaigns for the DVD's of some network shows than the shows themselves. Adult Swim made it's bones on a small boutique following, and makes more money in DVDs of the Adult Swim mantle than it's network slot. And the trend will continue into the future. Making something straight to DVD, while it may be peanuts profit wise right now, entertainment companies are big elephants who love peanuts and will get them wherever they can, especially in the current market. As said earlier in the thread, they don't care much about prestige. The viewing audience is fracturing, and now more than ever a company does make shows for a very small fan base for the various new markets. A big movie like Star Trek XI and future sequels can become the flagship that maintains all the smaller projects and properties. The current trend in fan made series like New Voyages is fueling the idea that a "straight to whatever" series is closer to being a profitable resource, that always leads to the big production companies paying attention to these concepts. Star Trek is a huge property, but so is Star Wars and much has been done to partition it's brand with multiple and smaller formats, even Lucas approved fan made videos. Trek has a fan base that can support a small run of straight to DVD projects, especially in the current and future entertainment landscape.

 

[slappy]

1. To the people that say "once you go DVD, you never go back". Well that's kinda the point, to say goodbye to TNG on it's own terms. There'd be no need to continue on. At least not with that part of the franchise. After that, I expect to see Nu-TNG on the big screen, 10 to 15 years from now.

2. Star Trek is hot again, thanx to Abrams. There are alot of Trek fans though could've made this profitable a couple years ago, much less now when the franchise is hot again. A DVD special movie directly to the Trekkies won't hurt anything. Hell, there are already novels and comics that continue TNG, keep die-hards happy, and don't water down the franchise to the general public.

3. It could also easily be marketed in conjunction with Star Trek Online MMPOG. That'd be a great idea, to include a demo in with the DVD or even the game itself, if a subscription will be involved and maybe some free hours.

4. Star Trek's too premium again to do DVD? Wrong.

Star Wars, Family Guy, (though those are animated), scores of TV shows and tons of other franchises have created direct-to-dvd DVD supplemental material for fans. If Stargate SG1 can profit in this market, surely something as big as TNG's final trek can do well.

 

[jefferiestubes8]

It would be peanuts compared with the big screen and it would drag down the Star Trek brand.

I totally agree with Temis here.


and additionally TNG ended with a 2-hour episode.
#725 All Good Things 05/23/94
Notes

This episode originally aired as a two-hour telemovie, while it may have been split up in two parts for later airings.

according to Trek Today episode guide.
I can understand if it is 1994 and you are asking for this but this many years later and 4 movies later... TNG Trek will not be returning except for cameos.

 

[AviTrek]

What has Star Wars done Direct to DVD? I'm not talking about special features. I'm talking about new content released only on DVD.

And I still maintain that any direct to DVD release would taint the entire franchise. That means hurting future movies and future TV shows.

 

[Yug]

What has Star Wars done Direct to DVD? I'm not talking about special features. I'm talking about new content released only on DVD.

And I still maintain that any direct to DVD release would taint the entire franchise. That means hurting future movies and future TV shows.

The original Clone Wars cgi movie was meant to be a direct to DVD project... it was fan interest (and therefore a corperate decision) that led to a theatrical release, which did better financially as a dvd release than it did in theatres. It's basically a pilot for the Cartoon Network show. The point is the same: I'm not saying the market is ready for a live action direct to dvd Star Trek feature or series, but the market is on the verge of being a viable place for such a project based on the success of cheaper to produce projects like animation, and won't be considered a burden to the franchise. It can and will happen.

Let's also be clear, Star Trek is not really a prestige property, it already has a stigma as nerd fodder and is barely a blip on the radar to the average consumer. And to that end, the new Trek film is more or less considered a novelty to the non or occasional sci-fi fan. Trek XI was created to open the market to new Trek properties, and revive interest. Not really to elevate the franchise to some 'gold' standard. What other DVD release had 7 different versions with 4 different kinds of bonus swag and gimmicky packaging like com badges and Enterprise shaped DVD cases? Or the fact that they realeased the TOS animated series and re-released the original 6 Trek films in a new collector's package? It's because they know our small fandom will buy some if not all of these variations... we're still being milked for our money, and Paramount will find other ways to put out more product without any consideration to cheapening the Star Trek name.

 

[jefferiestubes8]

Let's also be clear, Star Trek is not really a prestige property, it already has a stigma as nerd fodder and is barely a blip on the radar to the average consumer.

Yug you may have provided the oily rags and petrol for yourself there.
This is a fan forum after all.
Star Trek (2009)

Worldwide: $385,459,120
Widest Release: 4,053 theaters, Close Date: October 1, 2009, In Release: 147 days / 21 weeks

http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=startrek11.htm
$385 million in 5 months is a good performer.


Re: Star Wars The Clone Wars 2008 theatrical release:

Yug wrote:
it was fan interest (and therefore a corperate decision) that led to a theatrical release, which did better financially as a dvd release than it did in theatres. It's basically a pilot for the Cartoon Network show.

This goes in line with my starting this thread:
next Trek series pilot in cinemas as double feature from Paramount?