Trek fandom is filled to the brim with ideas fantastical, far and wide. Perhaps stretching the mind in more ways than anything in the franchise itself has ever done, we Trekkies have scratched our brains for the most awesome, the most outrageous, the most downright impossible things we'll probably never see on the small screen. (Or the big screen for that matter.)
Most thoughts on where the franchise can go from here have been tempered by the forge of realism; 'don't count on it' is the popular motto when voicing concern for how unlikely many suggestions have been. The television industry is a cold place where ideas are shot down mercilessly if they don't make money. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that -- it is what it is what it is -- but it weeds out the vast majority of more unique creative musings before they ever reach the potential for a production stage.
So I've created this thread to discuss what the most likely things we'd see in a sixth television series would be. When facing that forge of realism, what do you think has the highest chance of success in today's television world? What do you think the core elements would be; would it be a ship, a station or something else altogether? What sort of crew do you envision? What century, hell, what timeline is this taking place in? Are there any cameos you can imagine weaving into the tapestry nicely and grabbing ratings? What hurdles do you foresee? Who won last night's lottery?
For my money, I'd say the most likely product would be something tied into the current film franchise with occasional cameos by Enterprise crew. It wouldn't be too hard to get John Cho a recurring role as Sulu, for example.
The show would most definitely be set on a ship, most definitely exploring with a most assuredly primarily-human crew. Why these parameters? Well, the ship thing is classic Trek and can be sold as a big revival of the 'glory days' of the franchise. The exploration thing is classic Trek, too. And the primarily-human crew would be less of a potential turn-off to a lot of selective viewers who would rather see compelling human characters tackling decidedly galactic stuff for greater cast association.
It would also harbor a strong sense of continuity; despite its exploration premise it would hold a multitude of well-paced arcs in the background. Modern viewers aren't nearly so stupid as some like to say. LOST was a hit for this kind of thing and if it isn't too intrusive, it can be done here as well.
It should be clear the goal of this thread is not to suggest what you, personally, want to see most. My suggestions are nothing of the sort. My suggestions are what I see as having the largest shot at avoiding cancellation!
Most thoughts on where the franchise can go from here have been tempered by the forge of realism; 'don't count on it' is the popular motto when voicing concern for how unlikely many suggestions have been. The television industry is a cold place where ideas are shot down mercilessly if they don't make money. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that -- it is what it is what it is -- but it weeds out the vast majority of more unique creative musings before they ever reach the potential for a production stage.
So I've created this thread to discuss what the most likely things we'd see in a sixth television series would be. When facing that forge of realism, what do you think has the highest chance of success in today's television world? What do you think the core elements would be; would it be a ship, a station or something else altogether? What sort of crew do you envision? What century, hell, what timeline is this taking place in? Are there any cameos you can imagine weaving into the tapestry nicely and grabbing ratings? What hurdles do you foresee? Who won last night's lottery?
For my money, I'd say the most likely product would be something tied into the current film franchise with occasional cameos by Enterprise crew. It wouldn't be too hard to get John Cho a recurring role as Sulu, for example.
The show would most definitely be set on a ship, most definitely exploring with a most assuredly primarily-human crew. Why these parameters? Well, the ship thing is classic Trek and can be sold as a big revival of the 'glory days' of the franchise. The exploration thing is classic Trek, too. And the primarily-human crew would be less of a potential turn-off to a lot of selective viewers who would rather see compelling human characters tackling decidedly galactic stuff for greater cast association.
It would also harbor a strong sense of continuity; despite its exploration premise it would hold a multitude of well-paced arcs in the background. Modern viewers aren't nearly so stupid as some like to say. LOST was a hit for this kind of thing and if it isn't too intrusive, it can be done here as well.
It should be clear the goal of this thread is not to suggest what you, personally, want to see most. My suggestions are nothing of the sort. My suggestions are what I see as having the largest shot at avoiding cancellation!
