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If you owned the franchise ... ?

But how long do you think you could have held on to Shatner and Nimoy? Nimoy always had a bit of trouble with the Spock character and at some point would have declined contract renewal. He (as I understand it) had no interest in appearing in Phase Two.

Shatner too would have wanted to move on to other acting possibilities.

Replacing Nimoy in a hypothetical season four with a new first officer character, with that actor then replacing Shatner subsequently as captain might be the way you would be essentially forced to go.

Kelley on the other hand, as a working actor, would have stayed for a decent paycheck.

That was my idea behind "short" 13-episode seasons; allowing the actors to "stretch their legs" with other opportunities during hiatuses.
 
I would have gotten "Planet of the Titans" produced and released before "Star Wars," and then follow up soon with "The God Thing."

Kor
 
I think one important thing would have been to find a games production house that actually did good games..
 
Knowing what I know now, I wouldn't do much different up through TNG and DS9, except I would never have run multiple Trek series at once and I would have done Marvel style integration between film and TV franchises.

So, one series ends, next year a movie comes out that involves known characters and ships but focuses on new people. Year after that new series starts that relates to the movie but goes off in its own direction. So now we have film and TV series with casts under 60 whose storylines are independent with occasional convergences and cameos.

The concept of Voyager could be set up as that continuing film franchise and it all could converge in a Borg invasion movie where they coordinate with the E-D across quadrants.
 
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I would fire JJ Abrams.

...out of a cannon, into the sun.
What do you have against "Star Wars?"

Also, if that happened, he just would have slingshot around the sun and come back in the 1960s, working with GR on his "Wagon Train to the Stars" pitch." ;)

I would have gotten "Planet of the Titans" produced and released before "Star Wars," and then follow up soon with "The God Thing."

Kor
I would be curious to see those produced.
 

Holy crap, you definitely worked that one out.
I don't think I would be able to compete with your knowledge regarding production or contracts (and that my English is not sufficient to write into detail), or you knowledge about who was who and filled what role.

Well starting from the original series, definitely two more seasons.
I do however think there would have to be more quality control regarding the scripts. It would not mean the series would go more serious sci fi with no room for comedy/banter to break up or add to the more serious and dramatic parts, but I would definitely like to see the more B movie esque elements being removed or reduced.

Edit: as someone else mentioned, there would be philosophical and moral issues to deal with but I would insist it would have been kept realistic or applicable and not become all moral preaching to the audience. (also would keep any religious undertones low key or favor towards any religion)
And of course keep the show as much action-adventure oriented with elements such as comedy, detective, mystery, and horror where it can work. (not blood and guts, just playing a bit on people's fear for the unknown for the sake of entertainment)

Also definitely less questionable character writing, questionable as in of poor or average quality. (there will always be two dimensional characters but writing characters stupid or foolish for the sake of plot can go to far sometimes)
If the money was there some more investment in the sets, props, and models.

Hmm, a second five year mission/series is of course something we fans would like to do but again it really depends on the financing and the ratings.
Would the show bring in the money to justify more seasons.

I also wonder what sort of impact this would have on spin off shows such as TNG, DSN, and VGR.
With the original series now lasting a few years longer (and not having an average third season), would people want the franchise to move ahead a century or perhaps a series about a different crew or group of people in the same era?

Also this also would radically change how the movies would turn out.
Would Star Wars still create a want for a Star Trek movie? From what I recall the wish for a Star Trek movie was partly inspired by that and of course fans wanting Star Trek to come back.

Well I can tell you two things, there would have been more quality check on Voyager, and I probably would not have gone ahead with any prequel series like Enterprise.
Not only that there would perhaps be need for a break in order not to exhaust the franchise and overflow the audience (I know, not the right word but I can't come up with the right word right now) with to much Star Trek.
I think the public at some point was as tired of the show as the show itself was.

Edit: There are a couple of things I do agree with when TNG and later DSN and Voyager was made; removing some of the more sillier and unfortunate more ridiculous stuff from the original show's universe/the Star Trek timeline in general to 'ground' the show more.

For one, less or no 'godlike' or 'genie' like characters. I know the whole explanation "Advanced technology would at some point come over as magic yadiyadiyadi.", and I don't rule out that very advanced knowledge and technology really could pull of some stunts that we 21st century people would see as magical but there is a point where even credibility takes so much strain before it breaks.
Also, I don't think we/the audience want to see more more characters such as Q who put humanity on trial. As if we alone have committed both acts of kindness and decency and also atrocities but other species get off because they are simply following their nature or some such reasons.
Real powerful aliens should also be really weird, with there barely being any similar points of reference for us and them. Sort of like what the Prophets started out with, not understanding linear time as they live in place with complete different laws of time and causality.

Also less time travel, over the years of watching various shows, reading various books and comics, and playing games with the theme I have come to discover that time travel is really difficult to pull off well.
If it can not be written properly then it is best to ignore it.

Oh and limited to no travel to other universes. I think the Mirror Universe was better off as a one time occurrence and not something that could happen on a more regular basis. (this should have been something very incredibly rare and extremely difficult to repeat, not doing serious damage to reality at worst or killing yourself in a creative new way at best)
Plus I think it was more interesting a premise for a show like Sliders than Star Trek, if you make space exploration to be so boring that going to other universes is more interesting then you are making creative/writing mistakes somewhere.
 
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With the original series now lasting a few years longer (and not having an average third season), would people want the franchise to move ahead a century or perhaps a series about a different crew or group of people in the same era?

Oh, I think so.
In my version, TOS would have definitely moved into features, with Trumball as "Executive Producer of Visual Effects".
But I would place an at least two year gap between TOS ending, and another series with new crew/ship/locale starting in first-run syndication.
Of course, though, you run into the "Bennett" trap; would a new series take away from TOS box office? Harve felt TNG bit into STV:FF's box office. I maintain it was poor story and poor effects.
 
Of course, though, you run into the "Bennett" trap; would a new series take away from TOS box office? Harve felt TNG bit into STV:FF's box office. I maintain it was poor story and poor effects.

I think so as well, quality speaks for itself even if the characters are not the 'new kids on the block'.
The iconic nature of captain Kirk and his crew in Americans' mind would have worked in its favor. I don't know in what season TNG was at the time. (TNG might have been able to compete with the Original Series movies in popularity with Season 3 and 4, but around Season 1 and 2 the movies were in general still superior)

Even if there had not been any Trek competition I am sure Trek V would still have suffered in reception, it just wasn't a good Star Trek movie or sci fi movie even if it had a few iconic lines that are worth remembering.

Edit: I like the idea of Kirk and crew challenging a being who claims to be the Abrahamic God, there is some good subjects for philosophical debate there, it is the build up in the rest of the movie I pretty much dislike.
 
Oh one more thing (sorry for double posting).
I would get rid of all the scripts that involve parallel Earth/planets with human populations that have developed the same way as Earth has.
In fact if I could I would remove all the episodes with the same theme from the previous seasons. (I like "A piece of the action" but "Miri", "Patterns of Force", and "Bread and Circuses" just have to go)
 
Oh one more thing (sorry for double posting).
I would get rid of all the scripts that involve parallel Earth/planets with human populations that have developed the same way as Earth has.
In fact if I could I would remove all the episodes with the same theme from the previous seasons. (I like "A piece of the action" but "Miri", "Patterns of Force", and "Bread and Circuses" just have to go)

But...but...Hodgkin's Law of Parallel Planet Development.
 
After TWOK, I would have made the franchise take a break for quite a while. Then I would have made a more adult-oriented spinoff/reboot to show on HBO or Showtime.

Kor
 
After TWOK, I would have made the franchise take a break for quite a while. Then I would have made a more adult-oriented spinoff/reboot to show on HBO or Showtime.

Kor

If that means we can finally get a series where the crew walks around naked, then I'm all for it!
 
But...but...Hodgkin's Law of Parallel Planet Development.

I always saw the use of various period clothing and background props due to the limits in the budget.
Perhaps during that era people really had the idea that sentient species on other worlds would completely resemble humans and develop similar civilizations (with almost similar histories) including the ancient empires.
But I really think it is a plot device that should not ever have been used to begin with, or the idea that these are Earths from parallel universes throw into the Star Trek universe, or forgotten human colonies, or the result of groups of humans being transplanted to other world.

Patterns of Force despite not technically dealing with 'humans' is cringe worthy in many aspects (no I am not some basher who thinks that every reference to Nazism should be banned). Nazi Germany wasn't even such a good model of efficiency and wealth so the historian really had a warped view of humanity's own history to use that nation as an example to rebuild a society.
Plus Space Nazis are so ridiculous and cliche, even for the time in which the episode was filmed.

It would not mean that there would not be visits to human colonies that have gone their own separate way since their founding, but less cliche and more futuristic, perhaps playing with the question if there are also alternatives to the Federation that work out well.

And if there was no budget or the cosmetics and creating props to create aliens was to limited so that actors could not be dressed up as aliens, fine, but then just make them renegade humans and not aliens resembling humans.
Why wouldn't there still be deviants in a relative rich and utopian future?
 
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