Bob Orci: Spoke with CBS about returning Trek To TV

[ComicGuy89]

NuTrek Animated: this would be for hard core trek fans only and/or kids. I don't see this as a mainstream audience winner. Do we really want Trek for kids (Clone Wars)? I don't. LEGO Star Trek? Watching the LEGO Star Wars eps is good for laughs but doesn't move the franchise forward. It IS mainstream audience focused though.

Have you seen The Clone Wars though? Don't let first appearances fool you, that show has produced some of the most noteworthy Star Wars stories in recent years. In my opinion, it's definitely the best Star Wars has had on the small screen. It's not just kids' stuff either, some episodes handle material the movies shied away from.

If Star Trek were to take that route, yes, it will be aimed at kids and their income will come chiefly from kids and not the mainstream audience, but that's not entirely a bad thing. Furthermore by aiming it at kids, it can supplement the movies instead of, as you say, relegating Trek back to a secondary delivery channel. Trek fans, if they are open minded enough, will get amazing stories while kids get a nice action packed series. Mainstream audiences may tune out, but they have the movies to please them.

If they do Animated though, I hope Orci and Kurtzman learned a bit from Transformers Prime and fix some of the mistakes made on the show. It was very ambitious and dark, but lost a bit of its direction midway through. Still a good effort though.

 

[BigJake]

You'd at least know how many of us felt during the last decade plus of Modern Trek.

You should have figured out some time ago that I'm not a defender of the last decade plus of Modern Trek -- since I've actually told you so in so many words multiple times -- but whatevs.

 

[Balrog]

I love the idea of an animated series. I'd also love to see a TNG live action reboot series. A recast of TNG in the new universe would be awesome.

 

[BigJake]

I'm glad to see the interest in an animated series. Not sure I understand why it would necessarily have to be primarily kid-focused -- didn't The Simpsons family atomics blow a hole in the mainstream-market shield wall like, way back in the forties or something? -- but I'm not fussed either way.

 

[SeerSGB]

I hope they won't recast the crew yet again.

I think we're about ten years from that happening no matter what.

If Orci is heading up a show, I'd put a wager on him doing what he did with the Transformers Live Action Franchise

I'd actually wager on it being a computer-animated series in the same style of the recently concluded Transformers: Prime (Orci served as exec producer on that show along with his buddy Kurtzman). It'd be a way lot cheaper than a doing a live-action series and could be used to bring more kids into Trek, IMO. It'd also have a lot of kid-oriented merchandising potential too.

Which is what I said and linked to:

If Orci is heading up a show, I'd put a wager on him doing what he did with the Transformers Live Action Franchise: Live Action to CGI Animated series.

NuTrek Animated: this would be for hard core trek fans only and/or kids. I don't see this as a mainstream audience winner. Do we really want Trek for kids (Clone Wars)? I don't. LEGO Star Trek? Watching the LEGO Star Wars eps is good for laughs but doesn't move the franchise forward. It IS mainstream audience focused though.

Have you seen The Clone Wars though? Don't let first appearances fool you, that show has produced some of the most noteworthy Star Wars stories in recent years. In my opinion, it's definitely the best Star Wars has had on the small screen. It's not just kids' stuff either, some episodes handle material the movies shied away from.

If Star Trek were to take that route, yes, it will be aimed at kids and their income will come chiefly from kids and not the mainstream audience, but that's not entirely a bad thing. Furthermore by aiming it at kids, it can supplement the movies instead of, as you say, relegating Trek back to a secondary delivery channel. Trek fans, if they are open minded enough, will get amazing stories while kids get a nice action packed series. Mainstream audiences may tune out, but they have the movies to please them.

If they do Animated though, I hope Orci and Kurtzman learned a bit from Transformers Prime and fix some of the mistakes made on the show. It was very ambitious and dark, but lost a bit of its direction midway through. Still a good effort though.

Yeah, one of the chief complaints about TF:Prime was that it wasn't aimed mainly at kids. Orci & Co. aimed for the live-action and Fall of Cybertron fanbase and made it a bit more Young Adult to College age in on their target. And made one of the best Transformers series in a long time. But, yeah, they lost the focus of the story: shifting the focus of the series to often and bringing in to many new characters. From what I was reading last spring, the next series will be more "kid and family friendly".

Clone Wars routinely got bitched at for making Star Wars not kid friendly. A result of ranging their episodes from very kid friendly to serious and violent. Fans loved Clone Wars (choke a fucker for information and knife a terrorist in the back) Anakin, a lot of parents didn't.

Give me a Star Trek animated serious on par with TFP or CW and I'll be happy.

 

[BillJ]

If we get a new series, I want it to focus on either a Kirk and Spock five-year mission or young Picard in command of the Stargazer.

Runner up would be a Captain Sulu series starring John Cho.

 

[ComicGuy89]

I'm glad to see the interest in an animated series. Not sure I understand why it would necessarily have to be primarily kid-focused -- didn't The Simpsons family atomics blow a hole in the mainstream-market shield wall like, way back in the forties or something? -- but I'm not fussed either way.

The Simpsons spawned its own genre of adult-oriented comedy animation, but unfortunately, that's about as mainstream as you can get for animation.

In recent years animation has found a nice niche where the show can be ostensibly aimed at kids yet have a lot to offer for adults. A good example is Pixar, whose movies are definitely kid-friendly yet mature. And as I said before, Star Wars: The Clone Wars tackled subject material far more mature than the movies themselves, and they managed to disguise all this under a PG rating.

 

[C.E. Evans]

I hope they won't recast the crew yet again.

I think we're about ten years from that happening no matter what.

If Orci is heading up a show, I'd put a wager on him doing what he did with the Transformers Live Action Franchise

I'd actually wager on it being a computer-animated series in the same style of the recently concluded Transformers: Prime (Orci served as exec producer on that show along with his buddy Kurtzman). It'd be a way lot cheaper than a doing a live-action series and could be used to bring more kids into Trek, IMO. It'd also have a lot of kid-oriented merchandising potential too.

Which is what I said and linked to:

Actually, what you said was "If Orci is heading up a show, I'd put a wager on him doing what he did with the Transformers Live Action Franchise."

I wasn't commenting on what Orci was doing with the Transformers live action franchise (the less said about that the better), just the animated series Prime Orci was involved with as an exec producer.

I'm glad to see the interest in an animated series. Not sure I understand why it would necessarily have to be primarily kid-focused -- didn't The Simpsons family atomics blow a hole in the mainstream-market shield wall like, way back in the forties or something? -- but I'm not fussed either way.

"Kid-friendly" or even "aimed at kids" doesn't always mean "just for kids." Shows like Green Lantern: The Animated Series and even The Clone Wars can be considered kid-friendly, but they also dealt with topics such as love, tragedy, and death when their stories required them.

 

[JarodRussell]

I think we're about ten years from that happening no matter what.


I'd actually wager on it being a computer-animated series in the same style of the recently concluded Transformers: Prime (Orci served as exec producer on that show along with his buddy Kurtzman). It'd be a way lot cheaper than a doing a live-action series and could be used to bring more kids into Trek, IMO. It'd also have a lot of kid-oriented merchandising potential too.

Which is what I said and linked to:

Actually, what you said was "If Orci is heading up a show, I'd put a wager on him doing what he did with the Transformers Live Action Franchise."

I wasn't commenting on what Orci was doing with the Transformers live action franchise (the less said about that the better), just the animated series Prime Orci was involved with as an exec producer.

I'm glad to see the interest in an animated series. Not sure I understand why it would necessarily have to be primarily kid-focused -- didn't The Simpsons family atomics blow a hole in the mainstream-market shield wall like, way back in the forties or something? -- but I'm not fussed either way.

"Kid-friendly" or even "aimed at kids" doesn't always mean "just for kids." Shows like Green Lantern: The Animated Series and even The Clone Wars can be considered kid-friendly, but they also dealt with topics such as love, tragedy, and death when their stories required them.

Because kids at that age never deal with love, tragedy and death.

 

[C.E. Evans]

^^^

 

[Cinema Geekly]

I'm sure it's been brought up before, but I wouldn't mind seeing a show set much farther in the future. Like Voyager or BSG in concept but taken a step farther, something like the first ship to explore outside of the Milky Way.

 

[Balrog]

Like the 'Andromeda' series, except, you know, not sucking.

 

[chardman]

I've never understood the notion that the current film crew wouldn't be willing to do a television series, (or wouldn't work for television wages), seeing as how most of them are currently appearing as regulars or semi-regulars. on a television series anyway.

Quinto is on "American Horror Story"
Urban is one of the leads in "Almost Human"
Pegg shot a series pilot for TNT entitled "Mob City"
Cho has a recurring roll on "Sleepy Hollow"
Yelchin does tons of television voice work, so clearly has no bias against TV roles.

The only two main players who aren't either already on a show, or actively pursuing a show, are Pine and Saldana, and neither has ever said anything to imply they wouldn't be interested in doing regular television work.

 

[BillJ]

The only two who aren't either on a show, or actively pursuing a show, are Pine and Saldana, and neither has ever said anything to imply they wouldn't be interested in doing regular television work.

Though if they continue to get regular film work, it would limit their availability for a TV series. And Quinto apparently wants to go back to doing stage work.

 

[SeerSGB]

The only two who aren't either on a show, or actively pursuing a show, are Pine and Saldana, and neither has ever said anything to imply they wouldn't be interested in doing regular television work.

Though if they continue to get regular film work, it would limit their availability for a TV series. And Quinto apparently wants to go back to doing stage work.

Also,the fact they'd have leverage to demand higher than average wages. They are the crew that starred in the hit films, likely they'd push for wages that fall in line with that status.

 

[Mountie1988]

The only two who aren't either on a show, or actively pursuing a show, are Pine and Saldana, and neither has ever said anything to imply they wouldn't be interested in doing regular television work.

Though if they continue to get regular film work, it would limit their availability for a TV series. And Quinto apparently wants to go back to doing stage work.

Also,the fact they'd have leverage to demand higher than average wages. They are the crew that starred in the hit films, likely they'd push for wages that fall in line with that status.

I don't know about that. Hollywood and the TV landscape are so in change right now - one can totally screw whatever knowledge one has gathered.

 

[Mountie1988]

But please, please Mr. Orci, CBS, do not produce an animated series a la 'Star Wars Clone Wars'. That's like the dumbest piece of sith on television except of Germany's next Topmodel with Heidi Klum.

 

[BillJ]

But please, please Mr. Orci, CBS, do not produce an animated series a la 'Star Wars Clone Wars'. That's like the dumbest piece of sith on television except of Germany's next Topmodel with Heidi Klum.

I liked The Clone wars.

 

[chardman]

The only two who aren't either on a show, or actively pursuing a show, are Pine and Saldana, and neither has ever said anything to imply they wouldn't be interested in doing regular television work.

Though if they continue to get regular film work, it would limit their availability for a TV series. And Quinto apparently wants to go back to doing stage work.

Also,the fact they'd have leverage to demand higher than average wages. They are the crew that starred in the hit films, likely they'd push for wages that fall in line with that status.

Except that they're already stars with the leverage to demand higher than average wages, and it's not kept them from being hired for television gigs.

As for Quinto wanting to go back to doing theatre... plenty of other television actors also do stage work too. I don't see any conflict.

 

[The Wormhole]

Bleeding Cool carries very little credibility with me since the way they handled the whole missing episode recovery story with Doctor Who this past summer.

But assuming there is something to this, my take is:

-It's that animated series Orci's been saying might happen for the past few years.

-It'll be set on another starship, or even a space station in the Abramsverse, and we'll follow these guys in the years-long gap between Trek movies showing us life on the Enterprise. Which, really sounds like a similar situation we were in with things in the 90s.