Would a Starfleet Medical type show work?

[nickyboy]

^^^ Mercy Point

That show was a guilty pleasure of mine

 

[Spirit]

DATA: Where is your mother?

GIA: She died about a year ago. Father says she went to a beautiful place where everything is peaceful and everyone loves each other, and no one ever gets sick. Do you think there's really a place like that?

(Data gazes out at the moon and stars)

DATA: Yes. I do.

 

[Jonny]

Couldn't see it working as a long running series to be honest maybe as a one off mini series but as a full length series I couldn't see it to be honest but hey I could be wrong but then again I can't see it being made either to be honest lol

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Their reasoning for such an idea was that the Starship crew exploring space was played out and that the franchise would have to adopt different premises if it was to survive (how right they were).

Which is why the back-to-basics film did $400 million dollars in business.

Yes well apples and oranges. I'm talking about a weekly series not a major motion picture.

Exploring space could work on a weekly basis if they'd bring back Starfleet's roles of space cop and space soldier they had in TOS. Exploration alone can be a drag because every damn planet starts to look the same. Also, the movie wasn't at all about exploration, it was space war.

As for the topic, there was a space opera medical show called Gravity a while back. It was dreadful. I don't think medicine alone is a broad enough topic for a whole space opera series, but as an episode every so often, great.

 

[doublegoodprole]

What if instead of reporting the news, we reported...THE SPACE NEWS?

 

[Kai "the spy"]

To be quite honest, I would never want to watch a Trek show that was not about a crew exploring space. And that's because if you take that away, it's not Trek anymore. Sure, it's still the same universe, but Star Trek is more than just the universe it takes place in. Variations may be fine for one-shot novels or single episodes, but it's the concept and not the universe that sells the show for me.

And I say it can still work. All you need are good writers and a show runner ready to take risks while keeping the concept in mind. I would have loved that reboot series J. Michael Straczynski and Bryce Zabel pitched to Paramount back in 2004. That was a kick-ass concept for for a reboot (and if you haven't read that pitch, yet, google it, read it now and weep that we never got to see that).

So, a Starfleet Medical show could maybe work, but while it would take place in the Trek universe, it wouldn't be Trek. It would probably end up being something like the Stardoc novels.

 

[JarodRussell]

To be quite honest, I would never want to watch a Trek show that was not about a crew exploring space.

What does "exploring space" mean exactly?

 

[Kai "the spy"]

^ You know, exploring strange new worlds, going to planets that have a mystery about them, encountering space anomalies, going out there.

And before someone says that, yes, Starfleet Medical could do that, too, as it was part of the previous tv shows (DS9's "The Quickening" comes to mind), but to make Medical-related scifi the basic premise of a new show is nothing else but a narrowing of the concept and ultimately leads to not more, but less story potential.

 

[Maxillius]

I would have loved that reboot series J. Michael Straczynski and Bryce Zabel pitched to Paramount back in 2004. That was a kick-ass concept for for a reboot (and if you haven't read that pitch, yet, google it, read it now and weep that we never got to see that)

Sounds like the Stargate franchise with a smaller cast. Next.

 

[Tarek71]

I remember back when Voyager was on (or just premiering) Cinescape (yeah remember them!?) proposed this concept that I found interesting.

Essentially it would take place on Earth (or in a space station type setting) and basically be "ER in Space. Their reasoning for such an idea was that the Starship crew exploring space was played out and that the franchise would have to adopt different premises if it was to survive (how right they were).

I think I would have enjoyed any series that tried something new within the confines of Trek, even if the premise itself was overdone (really, another medical show? Those were done to death in the 90s).

Unfortunately it seemed to be Berman's belief that a Star Trek show had to be about a Starship crew exploring space...how else to explain Enterprise, which was just that.

I could see a medical ship, like the one in All Good Things, going out and dealing with issues. Sure. Why not. SciFi Medical Drama. I can think of worse examples of genre crossbreeding. Anyone who remembers Cop Rock can also. But why wouldnt CBS just make another medical drama show? What would be the reason for setting it in the Trekverse? Seems like you would be increasing the production budget of a medical show without necessarily increasing the audience. Maybe even decreasing the audience.

Having said that, if it were on, Id watch it, and give it a chance.

 

[Kai "the spy"]

I would have loved that reboot series J. Michael Straczynski and Bryce Zabel pitched to Paramount back in 2004. That was a kick-ass concept for for a reboot (and if you haven't read that pitch, yet, google it, read it now and weep that we never got to see that)

Sounds like the Stargate franchise with a smaller cast. Next.

Excuse me?! The only similarity is the concept of powerful aliens visiting Earth in early history and having an influence on the development of mankind (while the JMS/BZ concept didn't even limit this idea to Earth). This idea is hardly original to SG. From the top of my head, I can name the "Lensmen" novels, Straczynski's "Babylon 5" an, yes, "Star Trek" (episodes like "Who Mourns for Adonais"). In fact, the alien species from the JMS/BZ concept is most likely inspired by the Preservers from TOS episode "The Paradise Syndrome" and the Ancient Humanoids from TNG episode "The Chase".
And even then, the idea of Ancient Astronauts is a concept of science, made popular mostly by writers like Erich von Däniken. It's even the foundation of the Scientology sect.

Besides that, I see no similarities between the JMS/BZ concept to SG that is not found between most space opera TV shows.