If There's a New Trek TV Show Then Which Universe Will They Set It In?

[dub]

Re: If There's a New Trek TV Show Then Which Universe Will They Set It

And who is going to bring in guest stars from unpopular, poorly-rated shows or a flop movie?

You say that as if everything post-TOS was UNpopular and poorly-rated, and that's just not the case. But I don't think they need Trek guest stars to make the series work anyway. And the timeline issue is completely separate from the popularity issue. Writers will use whatever timeline works for them. Big wigs could care less about the timeline. Just the brand and whether or not the story or show will sell and be watched.

Personally, I don't think continuing the same timeline matters. If a character mentions Kirk is passing, of what real relevance is it whether it's the Kirk who saved Nibiru, the Kirk who fought the Gorn or some other Kirk?

If we're completely throwing timelines out the window and not worrying at all about what came before and making Kirk a dime a dozen like Bond, then the term "reset" will have a whole new meaning in the Trek world.

 

[MacLeod]

Re: If There's a New Trek TV Show Then Which Universe Will They Set It

They could always set it in yet another parallel universe.

 

[E-DUB]

Re: If There's a New Trek TV Show Then Which Universe Will They Set It

C. None of the above. I had an idea once for a series called "Star Trek: Parallels". During a test of a new propulsion system, the Enterprise F finds itself in a parallel universe and struggles to return home. Kind of Star Trek meets Sliders. Canon/continuity issues are no problem since they would be in a different universe every week!

 

[T'Girl]

Re: If There's a New Trek TV Show Then Which Universe Will They Set It

Oh, and there's this forthcoming fan film you might like. It's set ten years after Voyager's return:

(but ironically, Facebook fans won't stop moaning about Chekov's age)

It's not moaning, it's commentary. Been hearing about this for some time now, once it's finished and available my intereset will begin at that time.

 

[BigJake]

Re: If There's a New Trek TV Show Then Which Universe Will They Set It

It's not moaning, it's commentary.

Apparently to certain people, any commentary that does not consist of unqualified praise for every element of whatever-it-is-they-like * is "moaning."

(* EDIT: We are grateful to King Daniel Into Darkness for his invaluable input into this "attempt at a swipe." You are the solar wind beneath my nacelles, Daniel! )

 

[F. King Daniel]

Re: If There's a New Trek TV Show Then Which Universe Will They Set It

Renegades isn't nuTrek. Nice attempt at a swipe, tho.

 

[dub]

Re: If There's a New Trek TV Show Then Which Universe Will They Set It

They could always set it in yet another parallel universe.

We could have Scott Bakula return as Archer, this time leaping from universe to universe, each time experiencing a different actor playing Kirk, Spock being different levels of "emotional," and worlds facing increasing levels of mass destruction each time. All the time, Archer is desperately hoping to get back to the prime universe. Of course it never happens. So in the final episode, he signs up for a free trial of netflix. Quantum Trek.

 

[BigJake]

Re: If There's a New Trek TV Show Then Which Universe Will They Set It

They could always set it in yet another parallel universe.

We could have Scott Bakula return as Archer, this time leaping from universe to universe, each time experiencing a different actor playing Kirk, Spock being different levels of "emotional," and worlds facing increasing levels of mass destruction each time. All the time, Archer is desperately hoping to get back to the prime universe. Of course it never happens. So in the final episode, he signs up for a free trial of netflix. Quantum Trek.

Nice. Very nice.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

Re: If There's a New Trek TV Show Then Which Universe Will They Set It

By far the most interesting "new TV series" idea I've seen in a while comes from Bryan Fuller and Brian Singer. The premise: the adventures of the U.S.S. Reliant... with Angela Bassett playing the Captain and Rosario Dawson as her First Officer.

I gotta say... I would watch the shit out of that.

Love Bassett and Dawson. That'd draw immediate interest from me. But I wish the link had illuminated what direction this Reliant-based story-telling would go. Adventure? Exploration? Diplomacy?

 

[BigJake]

Re: If There's a New Trek TV Show Then Which Universe Will They Set It

^ In a scenario with Bryan Singer involved as director and Fuller writing, I would guess you could cover a pretty wide range of stories.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

Re: If There's a New Trek TV Show Then Which Universe Will They Set It

Yep ... which is why I wish they'd have offered at least some perspective. I'm already interested (based on them and their choices for leads - Dawson, for example, I was introduced to in Sin City, but I really loved her performance in a challenging role in Gemini Division) ... a general idea of what their take might be ... would be a lot of fun to sink one's teeth into.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

Re: If There's a New Trek TV Show Then Which Universe Will They Set It

How about the universe from "Parallels" where the Locutus and the Borg had assimilated Earth and the quadrant was on the brink of total domination?

 

[bbjeg]

Re: If There's a New Trek TV Show Then Which Universe Will They Set It

^I'd watch a movie (or limited series or a made for TV movie) about that but an entire series of that would be overkill (literally and figuratively).

 

[F. King Daniel]

Re: If There's a New Trek TV Show Then Which Universe Will They Set It

Post-apocalyptic Trek is fun for one-off "what if?" episodes, but as a whole series it undermines Trek's basic premise as an optimistic future.

 

[bbjeg]

Re: If There's a New Trek TV Show Then Which Universe Will They Set It

^Pretty much that.

 

[T'Girl]

Re: If There's a New Trek TV Show Then Which Universe Will They Set It

Renegades isn't nuTrek.

Sure as hell ain't "oldTrek."

 

[ALF]

Re: If There's a New Trek TV Show Then Which Universe Will They Set It

I think a show set in the alternate reality in TNG's Yesterday's Enterprise would be excellent. Giving the Federation something to fear... total domination from the Klingons. Then again, it might make exploring impossible.
DS9 made a great balance out of war arcs and standalone exploration, though.

 

[Sindatur]

Re: If There's a New Trek TV Show Then Which Universe Will They Set It

I think a show set in the alternate reality in TNG's Yesterday's Enterprise would be excellent. Giving the Federation something to fear... total domination from the Klingons. Then again, it might make exploring impossible.
DS9 made a great balance out of war arcs and standalone exploration, though.

I enjoyed Andromeda S1 - S4, for the most part, and I think it could make for a good Trek Series, if rewritten a bit to feel more organic to the Brand

 

[drt]

Re: If There's a New Trek TV Show Then Which Universe Will They Set It

Why couldn't it just be its own thing? There have been at least three different versions of Sherlock Holmes produced by different people over the last few years.

My guess is the next Trek series will be another Kirk/Spock reboot. And, similar to Sherlock Holmes TV/movies, after that next reboot, the property will probably lie fallow fow several years, and then be simply be Kirk/Spock rebooted again.

 

[anh165]

Re: If There's a New Trek TV Show Then Which Universe Will They Set It

You say that as if everything post-TOS was UNpopular and poorly-rated, and that's just not the case. But I don't think they need Trek guest stars to make the series work anyway. And the timeline issue is completely separate from the popularity issue. Writers will use whatever timeline works for them. Big wigs could care less about the timeline. Just the brand and whether or not the story or show will sell and be watched.

Most of Trek post TOS/TMP was riddled with poor writing and even worse - poor acting and casting, as an outright form of TV entertainment, it was very poor and often very insulting.

Patrick Stewart and TNG gave post-TOS some credibility and it's success was due to generally half decent casting and very importantly stuck to the explore new worlds and getting into adventures theme. It was relevant at the time where the early 1990's tried to embrace liberalism.

It was DS9, Voyager and ENT, products of Rick Berman and his army that spun Trek into a show that encouraged combat-ism and intolerance. Each week the message was if you cannot run from it (fandango folding nacelles and warp 9.999 speeds), you shoot your way out of it (i managed to pull a anti-borg phaser modulation that triples our firepower out of my ass).

This way of delivering "Trek" killed any need for proper characterisation, which meant killed the need for proper casting, and killed the need for quality acting. So this is why the Tom Paris', Harry Kims', Neelix's, Odos, Siskos, Daxs', Kiras and every Klingon played by every hammy actor got away with very unconvincing and poor performances which would not be tolerated on any other high profile TV series or movie.

Lines are merely a tool to help progress the story or to fill in voids in the screen play rather than provide insight and invite apathy of the characters, no engagement from the audience needed.

And even if Paramount and JJ Abrams took on trek within the prime universe, the huge stylistic changes towards SFX, scripting, casting and acting would cause too much discontinuity from TOS, or from what we saw in Nemesis. The alt universe angle gives the artistic license to give Trek the new/modern visual spectacle and the right sort of casting needed for today's competitive and cut throat film industry.


It is very difficult to sum up the problem of the "prime universe" in a single post, but you only need to watch a decent TV show of any other genre or quality motion picture to appreciate what good entertainment can be. And that "prime universe" trek in today's climate is not the way how to do it.