Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and JFK? (Roddenberry's movie)

[TiberiusK]

This is so strange. An article on Roddenberry's rejected pitch for Star Trek II, III, and IV. Has anyone read the outline, or is there more detail about the plot?

Full text: http://startrekdom.blogspot.com/2007/06/captain-kirk-mr-spock-and-jfk-rejected.html

Short teaser:

In the spring of 1980, Gene Roddenberry sat down to write a 60-page outline for a sequel to the first Star Trek feature film. Unlike The Motion Picture, the next one, he hoped, would be a Gene Roddenberry script, not a creative mishmash that went through the hands of countless other writers and studio executives. This would be the film that he wanted to make, and no one could claim co-writer credits or file grievances with the Writers' Guild. Committees be damned! Trek was his baby, and he was confident that Paramount would welcome his storyline with open arms and open wallets.

What was his grand idea? It involved time-travel, Klingons, and a beloved American president: JFK. Apparently, after losing ships to V'GR, Klingons locate the "Guardian of Forever" (seen in "The City on the Edge of Forever"), and they diabolically use the time portal to travel back to 1963. There, amidst bell bottoms, go-go boots, and Beatles fans, these rogue Klingons succeed in stopping the assassination of JFK. Perhaps they kidnap Lee Harvey Oswald, or maybe they abduct the president and feed him Gagh! Somehow... they keep JFK alive.

 

[A beaker full of death]

You know... it's not like it's a horrible idea.

As I recall Spock ends up behind the grassy knoll.

 

[TiberiusK]

A beaker full of death said:
You know... it's not like it's a horrible idea.

As I recall Spock ends up behind the grassy knoll.

Using 1960s technology to rig a communicator it overloads the moment Kennedy gets shot, and a puff of black smoke rises into the air.

That explains everything!

And Jack Ruby was a changling.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

I wouldn't have minded seeing this story reach the screen. Would've been a helluva lot better than what II - IV turned out to be. Gigantic reset button, my ass!

Personally, I liked the designs of the uniforms from TMP and would've loved to see them in future installments.

 

[Jon1701]

Meh.

Whats driving the story? As pointed out in the article, this is essentially a rehash of "City on the Edge of Forever".

Even uses the same fucking plot device.

I preferred the one on the planet of the cow people. Or the one where Kirk gets his brain seared...

 

[TiberiusK]

Wasn't there a Phase II script outline that also used the same plot device?

My god, did Roddenberry have any original ideas beyond the same 4 recycled plotlines? Well, I gueess Omega Glory was uniquely stupid, as was his Assignment: Earth attempt to use Trek to sell an unrelated pilot.

 

[Sir Rhosis]

As much grief as this idea gets I, too, would like to at least read Rodenberry's full outline before condemning it.

Sir Rhosis

 

[Peach Wookiee]

Wonder what Oliver Stone would've done with it..?

 

[cardinal biggles]

TiberiusK said:
This would be the film that he wanted to make, and no one could claim co-writer credits or file grievances with the Writers' Guild.

Well, no one except Harlan Ellison, on account of GR including the Guardian of Forever in his storyline.

Peach Wookiee said:
Wonder what Oliver Stone would've done with it..?

 

[Good Will Riker]

^^^ It's been a while since I've watched my copy of Oliver Stone's director's cut of JFK on DVD. I must have blinked and missed this particular scene.

 

[Jack Bauer]

All I can say about this idea is . Man, GR was starting to lose it even then.

 

[GodThingFormerly]

Sir Rhosis said:
As much grief as this idea gets I, too, would like to at least read Roddenberry's full outline before condemning it.

Seriously. In any event, Mike Okuda gave a brief description of that treatment circa 2005 at TrekBBS.com:

"I read Roddenberry's JFK story treatment years ago. It really has been a long time since I read it, but I recall that Spock did NOT kill JFK, contrary to rumor. There were a lot of dramatic elements in the story, including a devastating attack on the Federation, the death of Sarek and Amanda, the Enterprise crashing in the arctic tundra, and a very different version of the Klingons. It certainly would have been far more expensive to make than Star Trek IV or any of the Trek films, with the possible exception of Star Trek: TMP."

TGT

 

[Hambone]

This certainly reminds me of one of the stories they did on the 1980's "Twilight Zone". A history professor from the future travels back in time to witness JFK's death, but when the time comes he can't stand by and watch it happen so he saves the president. This disrupts the space-time continuum causing massive storms, earthquakes and floods. In the end the professor goes back again and takes JFK's place and is killed, while JFK returns to the future and becomes a guest history lecturer.

Stupid.

 

[Unicron]

^ I think it also caused a new history that was bad, as JFK surviving meant there was a nuclear war with the Russians. Or something like that.

 

[TiberiusK]

^Jeez did Roddenberry hate JFK or something?

 

[SeamusShameless]

Does anyone remember the "Planet of the Titans" premise, where Kirk's been presumed dead for ten years and Spock is in command of the Enterprise? I thought that aspect of it would have been interesting, but the part about Kirk being on a planet inhabited by giant people was kind of dumb.

 

[number6]

SeamusShameless said:
Does anyone remember the "Planet of the Titans" premise, where Kirk's been presumed dead for ten years and Spock is in command of the Enterprise? I thought that aspect of it would have been interesting, but the part about Kirk being on a planet inhabited by giant people was kind of dumb.

That would have been a great idea if it involved Mayans somehow.

 

[Jon1701]

I'm pretty sure that was the "brain-seared" one I was referring to. Didnt Sulu get his legs blown off in it?

 

[Aldo]

Unicron said:
^ I think it also caused a new history that was bad, as JFK surviving meant there was a nuclear war with the Russians. Or something like that.

We have Lister to thank for repairing that mistake. Smeg Head indeed

 

[David cgc]

jon1701 said:
I'm pretty sure that was the "brain-seared" one I was referring to. Didnt Sulu get his legs blown off in it?

Nope, that was "The God Thing," where a robotic device having assumed (and, apparently, originally created) the image of Jesus H. Freaking Christ maims Sulu for reasons that are obscure, but heartfelt.