Rolling Stone Magazine calls for the return of TNG to TV

Discussion in 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' started by VOODOOXI, Sep 10, 2013.

  1. JirinPanthosa

    JirinPanthosa Admiral Admiral

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    I'm not sure this article is serious. I mean, they did name it after the most famous satirical essay in history. I think they're making fun of the Trekkies who criticize the new films.
     
  2. Lance

    Lance Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Realistically is they were going to try and revive TNG in some form, a CGI cartoon ala Clone Wars might be the go? You could hire the entire cast then without worrying about scheduling conflicts or concerns about androids getting a little too pudgy around the middle. ;) Indeed, such a scenario could even take place during the TNG television series, rather than necessarily having to be a post-Nemesis universe.

    It would be a creatively berefit idea, but it'd certainly tickle the nostalgia bone if that's what they were aiming to do.
     
  3. Trek Survivor

    Trek Survivor Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    You beat me to it!!

    Live-action TNG? Nah.

    Animated show? Hell-to-the-yeah.

    I've argued before that I think an animated series of Trek, TNG-based or other, would be a huge hit. The very concept of the franchise "to go where no one has gone before" - is ripe of the sort of visual storytelling that animation can provide. And the maturity and clever storytelling that can often be seen in new shows like TMNT from Nick, the recent Thundercats relaunch, or Star Wars: Clone Wars, would make for some intriguing plots as well.

    And we can finally get a decent Trek toyline in there as well! :techman:
     
  4. R. Star

    R. Star Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I won't argue that some animated series do have some excellent plots, but TAS didn't exactly set a high bar in Trek's one attempt. The only downside is why pay Patrick Stewart however much he makes when we can get some unknown voice actor who sounds almost like him and pay him a lot less? The biggest upside I can think of is, hey we might actually see some really alien aliens instead of humans with funny foreheads.
     
  5. Lance

    Lance Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    ^ While I do see the point you're making, I do also think that TAS has led to a lot in Trek fandom getting concerned about any animated foray into the franchise. In other words, there is definitely a contingent within the fandom whose sole experience with Star Trek in animated form "burnt their fingers", so to speak, and so they are therefore understandably reluctant to see the franchise ever try that particular medium again.

    There are many people who won't be able to see that Trek could work very well in animation, until such time as somebody actually does and proves the point.
     
  6. VOODOOXI

    VOODOOXI Commander Red Shirt

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    With all due respect, nobody is really going to care about an animated series except die hards who visit sites like this...I think that TNG's return (with some younger cast members) from a commercial point of view is a no brainier.
     
  7. BillJ

    BillJ The King of Kings Premium Member

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    No it's not. Sorry.

    When they went out, the general public no longer cared about them. You're thinking with your heart not your head.
     
  8. Makarov

    Makarov Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Actually when they went out on TV the public definitely cared about them. They didn't lose popularity in the realm of TV.
     
  9. BillJ

    BillJ The King of Kings Premium Member

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    It's still popular to some degree with Star Trek fans. But it has really been forgotten by the population at large.
     
  10. Rarewolf

    Rarewolf Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Not if he listened to Kirk's - Don't let them promote you. Don't let them transfer you. Don't let them do anything that takes you off the bridge of that ship because while you're there, you can make a difference.

    By that reason why does anyone employ him for audio work?
     
  11. R. Star

    R. Star Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    There's a huge difference between long term employment over at least a season's worth of work and a small part as Emperor Septim in a popular game franchise.
     
  12. mythme

    mythme Commodore Commodore

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    Stewart does voices on Family Guy and is a very regular character on American Dad.
     
  13. R. Star

    R. Star Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    And I daresay Family Guy and American Dad has a bigger viewer base, and thus budget. Not to mention their animation is significantly cheaper.
     
  14. BillJ

    BillJ The King of Kings Premium Member

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    How exactly would their animation be "significantly cheaper"?
     
  15. R. Star

    R. Star Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Because there's a higher demand for elaborate graphics and quality effects in Star Trek that doesn't exist in the comedy cartoons.
     
  16. BillJ

    BillJ The King of Kings Premium Member

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    Have you actually watched current episodes of Family Guy or American Dad? The animation is quite elaborate and quite a bit of CGI is used as well. We'd be lucky if they spent the money spent on those shows for a Trek animated series.

    In 2009 they cost roughly $2 and $1 million dollars an episode respectively.
     
  17. VOODOOXI

    VOODOOXI Commander Red Shirt

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    I agree to a certain point, but the biggest reason they didn't go out on top was a series of terrible films combined with franchise fatigue...TNG was not made for theatrical films.

    On the other hand their ratings in syndication were unprecedented. TNG may not be as iconic as TOS, but the program does have a huge following.

    When one mentions Star Trek, the vast majority of people think TOS or TNG. The general public simply does not care about anything else, thus you have a built in audience.

    Wouldn't a studio prefer a modern version of TNG (old cast mixed with young actors) that has a strong brand recognition rather than roll the dice on a series that is unfamiliar to the general public and the only recognizable thing is the name Star Trek? It didn't work for the last three series.

    To further my point, when the film franchise was in trouble tptb didn't go to new characters, they went to the most iconic characters in the series (Kirk, Spock etc.) and brought back the some of the old guard (Leonard Nimoy) to re-energize the once powerful fan base...A few years later the ST film franchise is stronger than ever...A modern version of TNG would do the same thing for the tv franchise.
     
  18. MikeS

    MikeS Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    As long as we have fans screming about "ze canonz" and slating writers that dare to shake things up, a series set in the "primeline" will never work. Canon is as restrictive as Rodenberry's box was.

    With the advent of NuTrek we should hope to see Trek become more like Holmes, Batman or Jesus - iconic characters and settings ripe for the reimagining. I think a NuTNG with new actors might work. New slants on Q, the Borg et al. They don't even have to give us some poxy reasoning about red matter and changes to the timeline - it's simply similar stories told differently.
     
  19. Trek Survivor

    Trek Survivor Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Star Trek: The Animated Series was made 40 years ago, by a company (Filmation) well known for recycling animation footage as much as possible.

    If Trek fans are stupid enough to let something made that long ago blind them to the potential of a new animated series...I don't know what to say!

    And, done right, I don't think a new Trek cartoon show would be limited to just existing Trek fans. In fact, I suspect a lot of existing Trek fans might snobbily dismiss it in any case.

    No, I think a new animated show could find a younger generation of fans. Of course, it would be a bit more action-orientated (and I know some fans wail and gnash teeth when they see that phrase) but that doesn't mean it still can't have all the other elements we know and love about Trek.
     
  20. Halmirdax

    Halmirdax Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    It'd be amazing if it did get back on TV, but how likely that is to happen remains to be seen. The films have been great but it's not the same as the weekly episodes.
    Patrick Stewart does look pretty much the same but it'd be great for it to move onwards, I'd rather see a new series. It wouldn't be the same to try and drag TNG with different writers and so on.