Is Bryan Fuller right? A series in the Kirk era, but not on the E?

[gastrof]

Bryan Fuller says in a Trek Today article that the next TV series should come soon, and be a Kirk era series, but NOT take place on the Enterprise. 'Kirk, Spock, and McCoy should stay on the big screen" he says.

Would we really want this?

Seems to me if we know Kirk and Spock are "out there" somewhere nearby, but we're not being allowed to see them, it sort of stinks.

Why not do another series on Kirk's Enterprise? We only saw about half of the five year mission, even if the original continuity were to be held to.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

Star Trek feels right on the little screen, but I think that CBS-Paramount should keep it movie bound for now. Although, I wouldn't mind as there are several different ways you could go for a new Trek.

I had a whimsical fantasy of a series that showed the evolution of the Starfleet officer from young Lieutenant to Captain ala the Horatio Hornblower series of books. The lead would be a young officer, early in his or her career (hell, a woman sounds like a good choice) that is given opportunities to command landing parties, schooners, frigates and the sort eventually leading to her first starship command. And very much in the mold of Hornblower (or for LitSF fans, The Seafort Hope saga) the character would be tried and tested. A character like Hornblower or Seafort who continually pays the price that command often comes with in those type of stories. It can even co-exist with current Trek movie and take place in that same 'verse.

 

[gastrof]

...I had a whimsical fantasy of a series that showed the evolution of the Starfleet officer from young Lieutenant to Captain ala the Horatio Hornblower series of books. The lead would be a young officer, early in his or her career (hell, a woman sounds like a good choice) that is given opportunities to command landing parties, schooners, frigates and the sort eventually leading to her first starship command...

Hmmm....

Maybe go the other way and show a woman who fails at a career in Starfleet...

Let's see...who could we get to play Janice Lester?

 

[Sheridan]

I wouldn't mind a Kirk era series but I think it would better to bridge the gap between Star Trek: Enterprise and the Kirk era. Maybe have a series set in between the Archer era and Kirk era?

 

[zenophite]

It doesn't matter what era they do it in as long as they leave the perfect-pod people and the idyllic socialist utopia stuff out of it and focus on interesting stories that do not rely on 11th hour technobabble solutions.

 

[Samuel T. Cogley]

I would like to see [A series in the Kirk era, but not on the E?] if it was done well. (TM)

 

[Skywalker]

I'd still prefer a series set between ENT and TOS, myself, but I think Fuller is right in that a series set in the TOS timeframe would probably be the best chance for success at this point.

 

[Franklin]

Bryan Fuller says in a Trek Today article that the next TV series should come soon, and be a Kirk era series, but NOT take place on the Enterprise. 'Kirk, Spock, and McCoy should stay on the big screen" he says.

Would we really want this?

Not me.

Seems to me if we know Kirk and Spock are "out there" somewhere nearby, but we're not being allowed to see them, it sort of stinks.

I know you're out there somewhere.
Somewhere.
Somewhere.
Sorry, got off onto The Moody Blues for a second.

Again, as far as I'm concerned, you're 100 percent correct. For me, it'd be like getting tickets to a Cardinals game, and Albert Pujols is not in the lineup.

Why not do another series on Kirk's Enterprise? We only saw about half of the five year mission, even if the original continuity were to be held to.

Maybe if the movie(s?) are successful, and everyone's gotten over the "Shatner is Kirk" thing, it'd work. Of course, by then, the "Pine is Kirk" people will probably be whinning about who's playing Kirk on TV.
Although I do seriously wonder if the format could produce more than a season or two of material that's not just derivative of everything (TOS, movies, TNG, movies, DS9, VOY, ENT) that's boldly gone before.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

DS9 writers always say that the Franchise has to get off of starships, but that dog don't hunt - hence, everyone since DS9 including and especially Abrams sets their stories aboard starships.

 

[Lord Garth]

The question shouldn't be about continuity or setting so much as if there should be another television series and who should be in it.

Having Star Trek on television dilutes it as a movie franchise to a certain degree. Why see a movie when you can see new episodes every week for free?

The first four movies generally made more money than the last six. TSFS, the least of the first four, made $76 million domestically. In 1984. Even without taking inflation into account, the only Star Trek movie of the next six to actually surpass that amount domestically was FC. That's it.

The less Star Trek is around, the bigger of a deal it'll be in the theater.

For argument's sake, though, let's say we did have another Star Trek series. Fine. It should not be anywhere within the vacinity of JJ Abrams' movies. They shouldn't be stepping on each other's toes. Whether that involves changing the characters, changing the setting, or changing the continuity, that's up to the Series VI to decide, but it would be better for the series and the movies to keep them separated so they can each fully grow into their own repsective entities.

 

[Rat Boy]

I think this concept could work. You use the existing sets from the feature films and use the original series as a back-drop, have the new crew deal with the fallout from episodes like "Balance of Terror," "Arena," and "Errand of Mercy." How did the Federation handle the revelation that the Romulans were offshoots of the Vulcans? How did relations with the Gorn shape up after Cestus III? Was there a wider war between the Federation and the Klingons before the Organians put on the breaks? A new show with a new ship could fill in the gaps and build upon the existing canon as a basis.

 

[zenophite]

^It's time to leave the prison of strict canon behind.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Bryan Fuller says in a Trek Today article that the next TV series should come soon, and be a Kirk era series, but NOT take place on the Enterprise. 'Kirk, Spock, and McCoy should stay on the big screen" he says.

I've also been thinking that's the best way to go. If the movie is a big hit, they won't be able to get those actors onto TV. If it isn't a big hit, there won't be a TV show anyway.

I could see this approach working well.

It doesn't matter what era they do it in as long as they leave the perfect-pod people and the idyllic socialist utopia stuff out of it and focus on interesting stories that do not rely on 11th hour technobabble solutions.

Yeah. Go back to the DS9 approach. Humanity is trying to be perfect - they're not pod people - and the plotlines & resolutions emerge organically from the personalities of the antagonists and protagonists, they are not determined by nonsense words dreamt up by writers.

 

[david g]

As much as I love TOS, Im surprised no one's mentioned the other, even more obvious solution--the twenty-FIFTH century. It would be interesting to see the future of the future! I also think the failure of ENT, which in its 4th season did, indeed, try hard to invoke the TOS era, doesnt bode well for such a series.

I still think if theyd given Sulu/Takei show a chance it would have been a real success.

 

[gottacook]

Are there really sufficient story ideas out there that would enable yet another weekly Star Trek series to be produced? Wouldn't it seem all too familiar? Who could possibly think that not enough Trek has been produced for TV by now?

And no, I don't think "story ideas" includes infill, as suggested above by Rat Boy. Trek novels intended for fans interested in this sort of thing have been available for more than 30 years; there's no good reason to sink millions per episode into following up a given TOS (or TNG) episode onscreen.

(During TNG's first run, I remember often feeling amazed that new, well-written episodes were actually being produced and broadcast; it was such a gift after the long drought of the 1970s and then the first four Trek movies. But my god, there have been three post-TNG series. Just because it's possible to imagine, say, a 25th-century Trek series doesn't mean it's a good idea!)

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

^It's time to leave the prison of strict canon behind.

I agree 100%. TrekLit does a fine job of dealing with the canon. Let's not have the new film (s) or any new project have to wade through the canon waters.

 

[M'Sharak]

As much as I love TOS, Im surprised no one's mentioned the other, even more obvious solution--the twenty-FIFTH century.

Perhaps not in this thread yet, but I believe it's been brought up before. Once or twice.

 

[zenophite]

The problem I see with a 25th century storyline is sort of like the problem I had with the 24th - the technology is simply too powerful and the way the drama works does not stand up to scrutiny. with replicators/transporters and the fundamental manipulation of matter there is simply no limit to what they would be able to do. In fact, except for a few mediocre attempts, they never even took the opportunity to deeply explore the philosophical issues of what it would mean to be split up into atoms and transported - much less the spiritual connotations which is seemingly anathema in the star trek universe.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

I've said for a while I'd like to see something like that. I'm not one of the those who see Kirk, Spock and Bones as some mythic characters I want to see reenvisioned over and over.

It's all about approach though, Enterprise should have been fresh and exciting but it was servicable at best on its good days.

 

[theenglish]

I would love to see ANY DECENTLY WRITTEN AND PRODUCED Trek series on television.

Trek has made some good movies but its true home is as a weekly series. It doesn't need movie budget effects because its stories are inspired by the human condition and Trek is always best when telling those stories that don't need the huge effects budgets anyway.