Shatner's 2003 Trek TV pitch

[Captaindemotion]

Regular readers of the FOT forum will be aware that some months ago Jonathan Frakes made a remark about Viacom having rejected Bryan Singer's Trek pitch and William Shatner's pitch among others. Details of Singer's 'pitch' - which wasn't so much a pitch as an idea - have been discussed at length on a thread elsewhere in the forum but little has been said of Shatner's pitch until now. Now AICN has a story about it:

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/49996

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the concept is not unlike Shatner & the Reeves-Stevens 'Collision Course' ST Academy novels and centres around the exploits of young Kirk and Spock at Starfleet Academy.

Shatner’s 2003 series idea, according to a Wednesday story over at Blastr, would have dealt with Kirk and Spock’s days at Starfleet Academy.
(As the Blastr story points out, producer Ralph Winter – who worked on “Star Trek III,” “Star Trek IV” and “Star Trek V” – pitched in 1990 a movie that would deal with Kirk and Spock’s days at Starfleet Academy; Paramount eventually went forward with Nicholas Meyer’s “Undiscovered Country” concept instead.)

The original story, from blast.com can be found here, along with details of other unmade Trek series and movies:

http://blastr.com/2011/06/10-unmade-star-trek-proje.php#more

Sounds like Shatner's series would not have been a million miles away from the once proposed STVI prequel movie or, of course, the 09 movie, except set in the prime universe. Thoughts anyone?

 

[BillJ]

I liked Collision Course, though I'm not sure how well it would've transferred to the screen.

 

[Procutus]

^

I enjoyed the book too, in some respects better than the '09 movie.

As for the 1990 movie idea, I thought that I remember Harve Bennett being the one who was pimping the Academy idea at the time.

 

[Captain Robert April]

Rather liked the novel, but not sure how well that would've played out in a tv series. They'd have been forced into the "Star Trek 90210" territory just out of necessity, which was always the main argument against a Starfleet Academy series from the get-go.

I'd rather see those first five years of the Enterprise under Capt. April, but then, I'm biased.

 

[Procutus]

I'd rather see those first five years of the Enterprise under Capt. April, but then, I'm biased.

We have similar biases, I've expressed the desire for a Captain April movie for a number of years, one showing the commissioning and first real voyaged of the Enterprise; a movie that would've bridged the gap between ENT and TOS.

What we got was an interesting take, but not what I really wanted to see.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

^

I enjoyed the book too, in some respects better than the '09 movie.

As for the 1990 movie idea, I thought that I remember Harve Bennett being the one who was pimping the Academy idea at the time.

It was Harve Bennett's baby, which Ralph Winter would've produced and Bennett would've directed. The story was conceived by Bennett and the screenplay was written by Bennett and David Loughery, who also wrote the screenplay for TFF.

"First Adventure" was Bennett's solution to studio worries that the original cast were getting too long in the tooth for the roles.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

I'm running a poll of the ten Trek ideas that presumably got close enough to realization that they're worth discussing, and Shatner's pitch is dead last!

"Starfleet Academy" is a decent idea, but Abrams is doing a nice job with the prequel idea. Better to invent a new class of cadets and spend most of the time telling stories in space, where they are training, with as little Melrose Space-ness as they can get away witgh.

 

[Procutus]

Great poll Temis, thanks for bringing it to my attention. A lot of interesting ideas contained in that list.

 

[Yminale]

Yeah the worst idea has to be take every misconception about Star Trek and throw it against a wall and see what sticks.

Oh wait that's the crap that got made .

 

[Captain Robert April]

^ I may start using that as a sig line...

 

[Temis the Vorta]

If ST 09 was all "misconceptions," gimmee more misconceptions like that.

Which we will be getting anyway, regardless of what anyone says around here.

 

[Kegg]

If ST 09 was all "misconceptions," gimmee more misconceptions like that.

Which we will be getting anyway, regardless of what anyone says around here.

Yep.

We know what Star Trek's future is:

The next J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie.

Everything here amounts to 'wouldn't it be nice if the future is something it's not?', pretty much.

 

[Captaindemotion]

^ Yeah, I wasn't sure whether or not to post this thread in this forum but it seemed the least bad option. I guess we need a 'What-If-Trek' forum, lol

 

[Temis the Vorta]

^ Yeah, I wasn't sure whether or not to post this thread in this forum but it seemed the least bad option. I guess we need a 'What-If-Trek' forum, lol

I just use Gen Trek as the 'What-If-Trek' forum. Also here I guess. Who's stopping us?

 

[Uhura's Panties]

I’ve always liked the idea of doing stories about Cadets at Starfleet Academy. I would be all for a Starfleet Academy movie or mini-series. But, IMO I don’t think the concept would work as an on going regular series. No one would be interested in only seeing the cadets in class rooms or on training missions. The writers would constantly have to come up with reasons to get them off planet and in adventures, and after a while it could become contrived. And it’s been established that Starfleet Academy (on average) is a four year program, so after our main characters graduate then what? Follow the main characters into their early assignments? Or introduce a new group of cadets?

 

[Captain Robert April]

Another argument against having a show about cadets getting into big adventures and saving the galaxy on a regular basis is that it makes the regular Starfleet look kinda lame. After all, isn't it the job of the Academy graduates to do all the tough assignments?

 

[Uhura's Panties]

Another argument against having a show about cadets getting into big adventures and saving the galaxy on a regular basis is that it makes the regular Starfleet look kinda lame. After all, isn't it the job of the Academy graduates to do all the tough assignments?

Exactly. A few stories about Cadets getting into big adventures and saving the universe could work (TWOK and Trek '09). But too much and it'll become hokey...

 

[peteym5]

I say the idea of showing Captain Kirk at the academy did not disappear, it was recycled into the last JJ Abrams movie. Many are concerned about an academy series not doing super great for ratings or not going very long before the story ideals run dry.

May be better to have the academy as part of bigger Star Trek show. Maybe start with some cadets in their senior year in the first season than graduate and get assigned to a Starship in season 2. Going to still need some older higher officers and a captain there also.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

By the time the next movie airs, they will be three years older and there's no way they'd still be in the academy anyway.

A TV series with academy cadets would not be a bad idea. You just need to show them on missions in space. A lot.

And they don't have to save the universe. Kirk & the gang weren't saving any universes. Most of the time they had their hands full saving the space station, mine, loony bin for the criminally insane, or just saving themselves.

Another argument against having a show about cadets getting into big adventures and saving the galaxy on a regular basis is that it makes the regular Starfleet look kinda lame. After all, isn't it the job of the Academy graduates to do all the tough assignments?

There are more tough assignments in the galaxy than Starfleet personnel to handle them. The cadets would get the easy stuff, but of course it will turn out to not be the easy stuff after all. It's a dangerous, unpredictable galaxy out there.

 

[Captaindemotion]

^ Kinda defeats the whole purpose of the academy setting, doesn't it?