Letter to Moonves

[Hober Mallow]

To the city of lost angels and Paramount pictures, I sent a letter to Les describing the way Star Trek could come back to television and won't stop until I get a response.

No offense, xortex, but studios don't take unsolicited television series proposals. When they want to start a series, they go find a producer/writer with whom they already have a working relationship or who has a track record. You're not likely to ever get a response.

There's a good reason for not even looking at unsolicited story ideas from fans. If, on the off chance, they ever do something similar, you might think they stole your idea and sue them. They don't want that, so they aren't going to deal with it no matter how many times you send it to them.

Rest assured, when the studio has plans for a Star Trek series, they'll find someone to develop it.

 

[Tarek71]

To the city of lost angels and Paramount pictures, I sent a letter to Les describing the way Star Trek could come back to television and won't stop until I get a response. If I get a negative reaction, I will post the idea here. It's only a half page long but it is a high mind concept adapted and merged into the pre Star Trek universe origins. I suspect Les is under orders not to appreciate anything creative by his staff of lawyers but if not him, then whom? The fans are Star Trek. Gene is Star Trek. It doesn't have the traditional Nx or NCC ship but it takes place before everything.

You could always make fan fiction if you want. There are even fan productions. Or write it as a novel. But if you dont want to go any of those routes, then my honest advice is to re-write it so that its not Star Trek at all.

Make your own universe! Follow in Gene and Lucas' footsteps. Pioneer! And once youve removed all the Trek material, you can pitch it to a much wider range of people. Maybe not a TV show at this point, but you can always try putting it together as a film script or as a novel.

I think if and when CBS wants to make a Trek series, they will have no shortage of major established showrunners and other talents to run it, assuming JJ does not. And all of those people will have their own ideas.

 

[xortex]

Yea, but their ideas won't be as good as mine is right now. Is there any way to contact Brian Fuller. Rob, my idea is not to bring back TOS - The movies idea is to do so. My idea takes place before everything - the Klingons, the Romulans, the nx-01's, the ncc's, the UFP, Kirk, Spock, and Archer. The ship is entirely different with a crew of twenty five. It's cruel to subject fans to whatever they come up with when a new original series is viable right now that won't mess or interfere with their canon and universe because it is in the same canon and universe as the new movie.
I already wrote it as a stand alone universe screenplay but I love star Trek and would be willing to yield the idea for another television series. Does anyone else like my idea?The movie was an attempt to do tos again

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Here's what we need to do: convince Moonvies that Trek on TV is a better thing to spend their time and energy on, than yet another iteration of CSI.

CSI's benefit is that it's safe and CBS knows it can succeed with it.

But here's what Trek offers: a hope for the future. CBS' audience is aging right out of the demo advertisers care about. Trek has just demonstrated once again that it has appeal to a broad, young-skewing audience.

And sci fi is pretty successful on TV. It has the handicap of attracting too many time-shifting type viewers (who advertisers discount because they tend not to watch as many ads) but any new sci fi show does tend to make a splash at least initially. Sci fi gets you buzz, and makes your audience more youthful. That has to have some value to CBS.

And then there's all that new media jazz. It's very embryonic now, about 1% of viewership, but it's only going to grow. Star Trek is well positioned to take advantage of those new media.

xortex, show Moonves a science fiction show on network tv that gets good enough ratings to air on CBS. If you can prove science fiction is commercially viable on network tv Moonves will try to make money, until you do he has no interest regardless of your concept.

LOST is probably the most successful SCIFI show in the 2000s (unless you count Hannity). So it can be done...

rob

Lost is an outlier. There have been many failed attempts to mimic Lost and they've all flopped. Moonvies isn't going to be convinced by that argument.

There's also the problem that Lost isn't space opera. The sci fi that works on TV is non-space-opera, another mark against Trek.

Picture 'Frame of Mind', now picture frame of alien's mind and Alice in Wonderland too. My letter is much more eloquant but that's it in a nutshell. Now picture meeting that alien - oh he's just a metaphysical manifestation - and trying to solve his mystery.

And why would Moonvies - or anyone - think that idea would attract a bigger audience than the CSI spinoff they could air instead? That is the hurdle Trek must clear to air on CBS.

Also consider that if the show is on CBS, its most likely audience (the ones who will be advertised to) is the CBS audience, which has demonstrated zero interest in sci fi. Sure, other networks' audiences can be reached but networks value synergy between programs - a lead-in show that can deliver its audience intact to the next time slot. There's nothing on the CBS lineup that is remotely compatible with Trek.

And definitely do not dis the new movie in your correspondence. Abrams is now the God of Star Trek because he made shitloads of money, which is all that ever really counts in Hollywood. The only reason Moovies would even consider a Trek series is to ride Abrams' coattails.

No offense, xortex, but studios don't take unsolicited television series proposals. When they want to start a series, they go find a producer/writer with whom they already have a working relationship or who has a track record. You're not likely to ever get a response.

What could, remotely, work is for fans not to send ideas (because let's face it, the pro's can come up with dozens of perfectly good ideas and don't need our help) but to simply state that we would watch Star Trek on TV. I don't watch anything on CBS but I would start if Star Trek were on CBS. That is really the only thing networks want to hear - that you will watch the show and therefore watch the ads that pay their salaries.

Let's focus less on the content and more on the business aspects of getting Trek back on TV. There's all sorts of content that can work. The business problem is far trickier.

 

[RobertScorpio]

Here's what we need to do: convince Moonvies that Trek on TV is a better thing to spend their time and energy on, than yet another iteration of CSI.

CSI's benefit is that it's safe and CBS knows it can succeed with it.

But here's what Trek offers: a hope for the future. CBS' audience is aging right out of the demo advertisers care about. Trek has just demonstrated once again that it has appeal to a broad, young-skewing audience.

And sci fi is pretty successful on TV. It has the handicap of attracting too many time-shifting type viewers (who advertisers discount because they tend not to watch as many ads) but any new sci fi show does tend to make a splash at least initially. Sci fi gets you buzz, and makes your audience more youthful. That has to have some value to CBS.

And then there's all that new media jazz. It's very embryonic now, about 1% of viewership, but it's only going to grow. Star Trek is well positioned to take advantage of those new media.

xortex, show Moonves a science fiction show on network tv that gets good enough ratings to air on CBS. If you can prove science fiction is commercially viable on network tv Moonves will try to make money, until you do he has no interest regardless of your concept.

LOST is probably the most successful SCIFI show in the 2000s (unless you count Hannity). So it can be done...

rob

Lost is an outlier. There have been many failed attempts to mimic Lost and they've all flopped. Moonvies isn't going to be convinced by that argument.

There's also the problem that Lost isn't space opera. The sci fi that works on TV is non-space-opera, another mark against Trek.

Picture 'Frame of Mind', now picture frame of alien's mind and Alice in Wonderland too. My letter is much more eloquant but that's it in a nutshell. Now picture meeting that alien - oh he's just a metaphysical manifestation - and trying to solve his mystery.

And why would Moonvies - or anyone - think that idea would attract a bigger audience than the CSI spinoff they could air instead? That is the hurdle Trek must clear to air on CBS.

Also consider that if the show is on CBS, its most likely audience (the ones who will be advertised to) is the CBS audience, which has demonstrated zero interest in sci fi. Sure, other networks' audiences can be reached but networks value synergy between programs - a lead-in show that can deliver its audience intact to the next time slot. There's nothing on the CBS lineup that is remotely compatible with Trek.

And definitely do not dis the new movie in your correspondence. Abrams is now the God of Star Trek because he made shitloads of money, which is all that ever really counts in Hollywood. The only reason Moovies would even consider a Trek series is to ride Abrams' coattails.

No offense, xortex, but studios don't take unsolicited television series proposals. When they want to start a series, they go find a producer/writer with whom they already have a working relationship or who has a track record. You're not likely to ever get a response.

What could, remotely, work is for fans not to send ideas (because let's face it, the pro's can come up with dozens of perfectly good ideas and don't need our help) but to simply state that we would watch Star Trek on TV. I don't watch anything on CBS but I would start if Star Trek were on CBS. That is really the only thing networks want to hear - that you will watch the show and therefore watch the ads that pay their salaries.

Let's focus less on the content and more on the business aspects of getting Trek back on TV. There's all sorts of content that can work. The business problem is far trickier.

I hope that an equal amount of fans say they wont watch a new series.

Rob

 

[AnyStar]

Doesnt CBS still own a stake in the CW network? any trek, even a bad one would most likely double the CW's ratings...

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Here's what we need to do: convince Moonvies that Trek on TV is a better thing to spend their time and energy on, than yet another iteration of CSI.

CSI's benefit is that it's safe and CBS knows it can succeed with it.

But here's what Trek offers: a hope for the future. CBS' audience is aging right out of the demo advertisers care about. Trek has just demonstrated once again that it has appeal to a broad, young-skewing audience.

And sci fi is pretty successful on TV. It has the handicap of attracting too many time-shifting type viewers (who advertisers discount because they tend not to watch as many ads) but any new sci fi show does tend to make a splash at least initially. Sci fi gets you buzz, and makes your audience more youthful. That has to have some value to CBS.

And then there's all that new media jazz. It's very embryonic now, about 1% of viewership, but it's only going to grow. Star Trek is well positioned to take advantage of those new media.

LOST is probably the most successful SCIFI show in the 2000s (unless you count Hannity). So it can be done...

rob

Lost is an outlier. There have been many failed attempts to mimic Lost and they've all flopped. Moonvies isn't going to be convinced by that argument.

There's also the problem that Lost isn't space opera. The sci fi that works on TV is non-space-opera, another mark against Trek.



And why would Moonvies - or anyone - think that idea would attract a bigger audience than the CSI spinoff they could air instead? That is the hurdle Trek must clear to air on CBS.

Also consider that if the show is on CBS, its most likely audience (the ones who will be advertised to) is the CBS audience, which has demonstrated zero interest in sci fi. Sure, other networks' audiences can be reached but networks value synergy between programs - a lead-in show that can deliver its audience intact to the next time slot. There's nothing on the CBS lineup that is remotely compatible with Trek.

And definitely do not dis the new movie in your correspondence. Abrams is now the God of Star Trek because he made shitloads of money, which is all that ever really counts in Hollywood. The only reason Moovies would even consider a Trek series is to ride Abrams' coattails.

No offense, xortex, but studios don't take unsolicited television series proposals. When they want to start a series, they go find a producer/writer with whom they already have a working relationship or who has a track record. You're not likely to ever get a response.

What could, remotely, work is for fans not to send ideas (because let's face it, the pro's can come up with dozens of perfectly good ideas and don't need our help) but to simply state that we would watch Star Trek on TV. I don't watch anything on CBS but I would start if Star Trek were on CBS. That is really the only thing networks want to hear - that you will watch the show and therefore watch the ads that pay their salaries.

Let's focus less on the content and more on the business aspects of getting Trek back on TV. There's all sorts of content that can work. The business problem is far trickier.

I hope that an equal amount of fans say they wont watch a new series.

Rob

Then we get CSI: Hoboken instead. How is that an improvement?

Doesnt CBS still own a stake in the CW network? any trek, even a bad one would most likely double the CW's ratings...

CW's strategy is to target the young female audience (which regardless of how successful they may be, is a perfectly valid approach for a small business competing against bigger ones). That's even less compatible with Trek than CBS's old-folks demo. By a sad twist of fate, Star Trek is affiliated with the least compatible networks for Star Trek. NBC or Fox would be the most compatible (with NBC having the "advantage" of desperation - which may be the saving grace, considering the difficulty of getting decent Neilsens for a space opera on network TV). Then there are the basic cable possibilities like Skiffy, AMC, TNT etc., where the ratings expectations are less but the potential audience is also less. There's simply no good natural home for Trek on TV, so it will have to be the least bad option.

 

[AviTrek]

And the least compatible network extends to cable. CBS doesn't have any cable channel that would be a good fit. Showtime is the closest option in the CBS family.

 

[xortex]

The CW is fine. Star Trek doesn't need alot of money to be good - just crazy metaphysical ideas and a different concptual premise to turn it on it's ear. Brian Fuller says he's been kicking around an idea for some time now. If it's better then CBS should go with it. They almost went with the osiris chronicles, but a star Trek idea could be so much better. There's still alot of life in space opera if it's done right. Moonves is too afraid to pull that trigger. C'mon people (trekkies), make some noise. We have more power in our tiny fingers than they do concerning Star Trek. Do we want to wait two years for Trek? How dare they do this. Does anyone else think this is a good idea? Great music, great scripts, great production values, a new ship, good acting and good looking people.

 

[xortex]

Did anybody elde like Space Rangers when it was on CBS? I did.
The new movie was an attept to bring back the old universe. Xortex takes place in that universe.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

The CW is fine.

The CW doesn't want Star Trek unless you rewrite Star Trek to appeal to teenage girls. Perhaps the adventures of the USS: Emo Vampire would do the trick?

 

[AviTrek]

The CW is fine.

The CW doesn't want Star Trek unless you rewrite Star Trek to appeal to teenage girls. Perhaps the adventures of the USS: Emo Vampire would do the trick?

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will suffice. A bunch of freshman in college sleeping around and crying about their relationships and lack thereof.

Assuming that you could even get teenage girls to tune into sci fi show not about vampires.

 

[Dusty Ayres]

The CW is fine.

The CW doesn't want Star Trek unless you rewrite Star Trek to appeal to teenage girls. Perhaps the adventures of the USS: Emo Vampire would do the trick?

Have you ever read my idea for just such a Star Trek Show with young people?

 

[Temis the Vorta]

The CW is fine.

The CW doesn't want Star Trek unless you rewrite Star Trek to appeal to teenage girls. Perhaps the adventures of the USS: Emo Vampire would do the trick?

Have you ever read my idea for just such a Star Trek Show with young people?

Not interested in an animated show, and definitely not anime, which I find intolerable (except for Miyazaki but he's in a different league). And to work on the CW, the show would have to amp up all the soapy bullshit that would make everyone here puke. If it's not on the CW, then what's the point of making the characters kids?

I'm not opposed to Starfleet Academy as an idea for a series, but there are better ideas. The Academy idea would work if you send the kids out into space for training and they quickly become embroiled in real adventures. So what's the advantage of them being cadets? Just have real Starfleeters having real adventures.

 

[xortex]

Star Trek: Xortex or alt. titles The Infinity Complex or Factor, takes place in the JJverse except before everything with a different ship - Man's first attempt at leaving the solar system aboard the I.S.F. Ganymede. Xortex is a precurser of Q. I think the JJverse is going to get more Star Warish with more bizzare looking aliens and that is just fine with me. Xortex could be an ultimate origins story. All JJ did was bring back TOS designs, universe and characters which is why I think it was so successful. This should have been done in 1987.

 

[downinabluefunk]

Star Trek: Xortex or alt. titles The Infinity Complex or Factor, takes place in the JJverse except before everything with a different ship - Man's first attempt at leaving the solar system aboard the I.S.F. Ganymede. Xortex is a precurser of Q. I think the JJverse is going to get more Star Warish with more bizzare looking aliens and that is just fine with me. Xortex could be an ultimate origins story. All JJ did was bring back TOS designs, universe and characters which is why I think it was so successful. This should have been done in 1987.

Hmm. If you want it to succeed on CBS, you may want to retitle it NCIS: Xortex.

 

[Dukhat]

Star Trek: Xortex or alt. titles The Infinity Complex or Factor, takes place in the JJverse except before everything with a different ship - Man's first attempt at leaving the solar system aboard the I.S.F. Ganymede. Xortex is a precurser of Q. I think the JJverse is going to get more Star Warish with more bizzare looking aliens and that is just fine with me. Xortex could be an ultimate origins story. All JJ did was bring back TOS designs, universe and characters which is why I think it was so successful. This should have been done in 1987.

You have six different and alternating thoughts in that one paragraph, which makes the paragraph make sense not at all. Let's see if I can sort this jumble out.

Star Trek: Xortex or alt. titles The Infinity Complex or Factor, takes place in the JJverse except before everything with a different ship - Man's first attempt at leaving the solar system aboard the I.S.F. Ganymede.

The name of the series is "Xortex," "The Infinity Complex" or "The Infinity Factor"...why? And man's first attempt to leave the solar system...again, why? How would this in any way tie into Star Trek? And what does "I.S.F." stand for? Also, if you're saying it "takes place in the JJverse except before everything"...then it takes place in the Prime universe.

Xortex is a precurser of Q.

Who the heck is Xortex? Why is he a precurser of Q? Why is he/she/it even in this series?

I think the JJverse is going to get more Star Warish with more bizzare looking aliens and that is just fine with me.

Ok.

Xortex could be an ultimate origins story.

We've just had two Trek origins stories. Enterprise, which failed miserably, and Star Trek '09, which was a huge success. Why make some random show about leaving the solar system when Paramount can bank on JJAbrams' Trek?

All JJ did was bring back TOS designs, universe and characters which is why I think it was so successful.

Well, duh

This should have been done in 1987.

I don't know about that. I think The Next Generation was just fine for 1987.

Seriously, if that was your "pitch" to Bryan Fuller, I doubt it's gonna fly.

 

[xortex]

Well I sent the letter to Fuller through his agent. Xortex would become part of the crew like a Spock like character. He is an interdimensionally trapped alien simulation wrapped in a mystery like Dean Stockwell's character in Quantum leap except if he was Ziggi. I.S.F. stands for Interstellar space foundation before the nx-01's and the U.S.S's and before the Federation. It was lost in space as the first ship to do what the enterprise did on a consistant basis. Totally different than TOS but similar except more contemporary.

On a side note, I noticed on lost one of the characters saying in a twilight zone kind of way - Where are we? So they're either dead or trapped in somebody's mind or imagination which is my idea and I got it copywrited.

 

[Dukhat]

On a side note, I noticed on lost one of the characters saying in a twilight zone kind of way - Where are we? So they're either dead or trapped in somebody's mind or imagination which is my idea and I got it copywrited.

The above comment totally does not make any sense to me, and as far as I know you can't copyright an idea. So any time someone writes a book, TV show or movie about a character who says "Where am I" because he's either dead or trapped in somebody's mind or imagination, they owe you money because they stole "your" idea which you "copyrighted?" I don't think so. Unless I totally misread your statement.

And you do realize that any spec script or idea that you or anyone else sends to Bryan Fuller, he's contractually obligated NOT to use it, or anything close to it, right?

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

And you do realize that any spec script or idea that you or anyone else sends to Bryan Fuller, he's contractually obligated NOT to use it, or anything close to it, right?

Unless he buys it, which is generally sort of the idea.