My god! Bryan Fuller is sending all the right signals about Trek!

[cultcross]

One thing Roddenberry was good at was his own public self image. While the politics at the studio might have turned against him, he'd done a great job of making sure the meme "Star Trek is Gene's Vision" was firmly in the public and the fans' eye. When the fans reacted angrily to a new Star Trek without Kirk and co, the blessing of the 'Great Bird' would go a long way towards getting then on board. And as they'd realised on the movies, they could pretty much just give him a title and an office and then ignore him.

 

[SpaceLama]

And yet....

Even knowing these things, I'm not a believer in the "cynical interpretation" of Roddenbury's vision. I think his optimism and humanism did have an essential impact on Star Trek. Yes, in the writers room, some people, like Ronald Moore, felt constrained by some of the things they were hearing from high up. Yet, many of the ideals that Roddenbury displayed resulted in television that bucked the norm, and presented an optimism for the future that is direly missing right now in television.

I mean watch the Writer's Room feature on TNG - Moore, Braga, Echievarra and Shankar may have resented not being able to kill off Riker and stuff, but ultimately being restrained by Jeri Taylor and Michael Piller and having the Roddenbury stuff coming down, resulted in a unique show. They all seemed to recognise this. And there were times when Battlestar Galactica, a show in which these impulses were un-restrained, developed into a soap opera as a result (like a lot of modern TV does, when you just have angst and conflict for it's own sake).

 

[fireproof78]

And yet....

Even knowing these things, I'm not a believer in the "cynical interpretation" of Roddenbury's vision. I think his optimism and humanism did have an essential impact on Star Trek. Yes, in the writers room, some people, like Ronald Moore, felt constrained by some of the things they were hearing from high up. Yet, many of the ideals that Roddenbury displayed resulted in television that bucked the norm, and presented an optimism for the future that is direly missing right now in television.

I mean watch the Writer's Room feature on TNG - Moore, Braga, Echievarra and Shankar may have resented not being able to kill off Riker and stuff, but ultimately being restrained by Jeri Taylor and Michael Piller and having the Roddenbury stuff coming down, resulted in a unique show. They all seemed to recognise this. And there were times when Battlestar Galactica, a show in which these impulses were un-restrained, developed into a soap opera as a result (like a lot of modern TV does, when you just have angst and conflict for it's own sake).

I can agree with a lot of these points and I tend to view GR's vision with cynicism. But, I don't view it as perfection either. I appreciate the optimism and can recognize the humanism, but there is also an element of fallibility in TOS that TNG didn't have until later on, and I think that is harder to take, mostly due to the arrogance.

One of the facets of GR's box that I disagree with is the lack of, well, disagreement. This why, as much as I don't like some aspects, Eddington's defection in DS9 is so interesting. It shows that there can be disagreement in the Federation, and explores the potential for conflict. GR's vision is certainly interesting to explore and that includes challenges to it as well.

GR's limits certainly made for a unique show, and that definitely shows. But, I think the optimism is the more important point, and, as you stated, is something sorely lacking in media right now. Personally, I would prefer a more TOS style optimism with action and adventure and collaborative problem solving among our crew to the messy politics of GoT. Though that is a bit of an extreme example.

 

[Mudd]

I don't really care for much of Roddenberry's thinking about Trek - I much prefer what people like Coon, Sturgeon, Ellison, Moore, etc. brought to the show.

 

[Tesophius]

I understand that it's unlikely, but I'd like more realism to be introduced into the new Star Trek. For instance, in the ST universe they've made almost no progress in Longevity, people still die at around 100 or 150, as opposed to having indefinite lifespans (in general)

Most researchers in the field estimate that we'll have indefinitely lifespans by the early 22nd century now.

 

[Mr Awe]

Fuller's production company, Living Dead Guy Productions, and Roddenberry Entertainment are involved too.

Fuller is credited as creator, executive producer, showrunner and his production company is developing the show with Kurtzman's and Roddenberry's.

He won't be taking orders from Kurtzman, they're at most on equal level.

I suspect that having their production companies involved is more for tax purposes than anything. The production company gets paid directly. Something like that. Kurtzman will be in charge.

Mr Awe

 

[Mr Awe]

I don't really care for much of Roddenberry's thinking about Trek - I much prefer what people like Coon, Sturgeon, Ellison, Moore, etc. brought to the show.

Yes, yes, Dennis. I'm very much surprised that I agree with you -- and completely so!

 

[Mudd]

I suspect that having their production companies involved is more for tax purposes than anything. The production company gets paid directly. Something like that. Kurtzman will be in charge.

Mr Awe

Exactly so.

CBS hired Kurtzman. Everyone else is being brought aboard by Kurtzman to help.

 

[Christopher]

Kurtzman will be in charge.

Technically, yes. But as I've said before, he'll be too busy to oversee the show personally, since his first priority at the moment is the Mummy re-remake he's directing and the Universal Monsters shared universe he's developing. And Star Trek will be one of about a half-dozen TV shows of which he's also in charge.

The way I see it is, Fuller's the captain of the ship and Kurtzman is the commodore in charge of the fleet. Fuller will be making the day-to-day decisions, but will be one of the multiple showrunners reporting to Kurtzman -- just as Kurtzman and Orci reported to J.J. Abrams on Fringe, say. (The other showrunners being the ones in charge of Hawaii Five-O, Sleepy Hollow, Scorpion, Limitless, and whatever else Kurtzman's company is developing for next season.)

 

[Shalashaska]

Kurtzman will be like a more in-demand, less hands-on version of Rick Berman on TNG and DS9. Fuller will be like Michael Piller on TNG or Ira Steven Behr on DS9.

The main reason I think Kurtzman was brought in was because he's had multiple successful long-running television shows (his experience with helping reboot Star Trek on the big-screen in a big way is just a bonus). Fuller is a much better writer and ideas man, but all of his shows, even with all the positive reviews from critics, have been prematurely cancelled for low viewership. Kurtzman will be there to keep the show from going too off the rails and will handle more of the business/production side of things with Heather Kadin.

I don't think he'll have much of a large say in the creative department, aside from a few tips and recommendations here and there. Kurtzman will probably co-write the pilot with Fuller, but other than that, he'll be way too busy with Hawaii 5-0, Sleepy Hollow, Scorpion, Limitless and his other big-screen obligations like directing The Mummy. Fuller will handle the day-to-day running of the show and will be heavily involved with the writing staff and what direction the series goes story-wise.

 

[benjaminh]

We have a few sets of clues to consider when thinking about the new Trek show: Bryan Fuller's credits on DS9 and Voyager. From looking at the episode list at imdb, he wrote some good Voyager episodes imho:

Star Trek: Voyager (TV Series) (teleplay - 15 episodes, 1997 - 2000) (story - 10 episodes, 1997 - 2001) (written by - 4 episodes, 1997 - 2001) (story editor - 1 episode, 1999)
- Friendship One (2001) ... (written by)
- Workforce: Part 2 (2001) ... (story)
- Workforce: Part 1 (2001) ... (written by)
- Flesh and Blood: Part 2 (2000) ... (story)
- Flesh and Blood (2000) ... (story) / (teleplay)
- The Haunting of Deck Twelve (2000) ... (teleplay)
- Fury (2000) ... (teleplay)
- Spirit Folk (2000) ... (written by)
- One Small Step (1999) ... (teleplay)
- Alice (1999) ... (teleplay)
- Barge of the Dead (1999) ... (story) / (teleplay)
- Relativity (1999) ... (teleplay)
- Juggernaut (1999) ... (story) / (teleplay)
- Course: Oblivion (1999) ... (story) / (teleplay)
- Dark Frontier: Part 1 (1999) ... (story editor)
- Gravity (1999) ... (story) / (teleplay)
- Bride of Chaotica! (1999) ... (story) / (teleplay)
- Drone (1998) ... (story) / (teleplay)
- Living Witness (1998) ... (teleplay)
- Retrospect (1998) ... (teleplay)
- Mortal Coil (1997) ... (written by)
- The Raven (1997) ... (story) / (teleplay)
Show less
1997Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (TV Series) (story - 2 episodes)
- Empok Nor (1997) ... (story)
- The Darkness and the Light (1997) ... (story)

 

[benjaminh]

And here's an interesting quote from Bryan Fuller at imdb:

Personal Quotes:
I got into writing to become a "Star Trek" writer. I was a rabid fan. I had shelves and shelves and shelves of action figures in my bedroom that scared away more dates than I care to admit to. So it was really...if back then, you told me 'you're gonna write for "Star Trek" for twenty years,' I couldn't have imagined a happier career. But after writing for "Star Trek" for four years and bumping up against the parameters of the storytelling, which sometimes were very restrictive because there was always that magical reset button and you could never carry story arcs over the episodes because they were so heavily syndicated that it simply wasn't allowed, I began to get itchy and wanting to tell stories with a little more emotional depth, because one of the things about the "Star Trek" universe, especially "Next Generation," and "Deep Space Nine" and "Voyager" were that the characters were so much more evolved than we were that they wouldn't be terrified when they're looking at a giant Borg cube about to assimilate them. They would handle their jobs and they would behave responsibly and calmly, and I just had a hard time relating to that after a certain point.

 

[benjaminh]

The episodes written all or in part by Fuller that my son and I would consider classics include: Living Witness, Drone, Bride of Chaotica!, Dark Frontier, Course: Oblivion, Relativity, Flesh and Blood, and Workforce.

 

[mos6507]

Considering how many projects Kurtzman is involved in, I don't see how he'd have the time to micromanage Trek, unless the guy doesn't sleep. I really think at the end of the day Fuller is going to be the one who really shapes this show.

 

[AviTrek]

I understand that it's unlikely, but I'd like more realism to be introduced into the new Star Trek. For instance, in the ST universe they've made almost no progress in Longevity, people still die at around 100 or 150, as opposed to having indefinite lifespans (in general)

Most researchers in the field estimate that we'll have indefinitely lifespans by the early 22nd century now.

Most of the increase in average lifespan has come from improving infant/child mortality. The maximum age of people hasn't moved much in the past couple hundred years. What makes you think it will suddenly improve in the next 200 years?

 

[eyeresist]

Most of the increase in average lifespan has come from improving infant/child mortality. The maximum age of people hasn't moved much in the past couple hundred years. What makes you think it will suddenly improve in the next 200 years?

Genetic manipulation, nanotech, and computing advances may well combine to push us over the 120 years hump.

(And a change over 200 years would hardly be sudden. )

 

[fireproof78]

Considering how many projects Kurtzman is involved in, I don't see how he'd have the time to micromanage Trek, unless the guy doesn't sleep. I really think at the end of the day Fuller is going to be the one who really shapes this show.

It depends on how he manages his time. Some projects may not require his direct oversight and he can devote to Star Trek and getting that off the ground. Once the show is going and the pieces are in place, he could step back.

 

[Christopher]

It depends on how he manages his time. Some projects may not require his direct oversight and he can devote to Star Trek and getting that off the ground. Once the show is going and the pieces are in place, he could step back.

That seems likely. That's how J.J. Abrams usually works -- he co-creates a show with its showrunner, co-writes and directs the pilot, then steps back and lets the showrunner take it from there.

 

[AviTrek]

He hasn't even directed that much anymore. He directed the Undercovers pilot, but before that he hadn't directed a TV pilot since Lost and Alias. He isn't even creating/writing the pilot as much these days. He has writing and created credits for Fringe in addition to Undercovers, Lost, Alias, and Felicity, but for Westworld, Persons of Interest, Believe, Revolution, Almost Human, and Alcatraz he's only listed as an Executive Producer.

Kurtzman is not Abrams, but looking at Scorpion and Limitless he's only credited as an Executive Producer there, so he may only be an EP on Star Trek too. At most we can expect the writer/creator for the pilot and then stepping back into an oversight role.

 

[JD]

If Kurtzman is a big Trekkie, I could see him being a bit more hands on, just because he loves the franchise so much.