STAR TREK: Captain Worf and other recent proposals

[Danlav05]

I support this 100% alongside any other Trek project. Especially if it’s ‘prime universe' - I love the idea of revisiting at least a few of those characters from TNG, DS9 and VOY. Maybe the ENT fans could ge some sort of folow up?



Universes aside, 4 years is too long to wait for more Trek. Dorn says he will have another few characters in the script. I wonder if he spoke to Frakes as he wants to do Star Trek: Titan.


There’s Rossi's animation [Final Frontier], Zicree's Sulu webseries, the Singer project [Federation], the stuff Frakes & Shatner [Academy] submitted – some tha I'm sure will be documented in years to come - so many people want to do more Trek. It’s sad to hear when these projects are being turned away. I think even some of the fan films (Phoenix, New Voyages) have tried to get a licence from CBS.


Singer & Bryan Fuller have both expressed a desire to bring Trek to TV together



There’s the Nolan Batman films AND DTV films AND children’s cartoons – why can’t we have more Star Trek?


If there is not a weekly live action show, then after an animated series a DTV would be good – maybe also being done for SyFy for a bit of extra finance and a broadcast slot.



It’s so weird with Star Trek what’s been happening after Enterprise there are so many similarities to what happened with Doctor Who – a long run, followed by waning interest and a one-off movie (yes this time there is a sequel) with many fans still wanting more. Obviously WHO came back after 15 years, the future of Trek is still uncertain.


What is your opinion on some of these projects guys? Which Trek TV shows/DTV projects do you want to see from CBS? We've discussed Secret of Vulcan Fury here before, that would still be amazing.

 

[Patrick O'Brien]

^All of the above

 

[Ln X]

Sounds interesting! Glad to know there is some hope for the Prime Universe...

 

[BillJ]

None of the above. I want a hard reboot.

 

[Danlav05]

A few years ago they made Of Gods and Men. This was a spare time project so release was delayed probably by a year (it felt like forever) HOWEVER about two dozen professional actors were in it, and the producers were pros. CBS could have easily put some money into it – surely a DVD would have made a fair bit of money.
Or would it?


Maybe it’s time to try it out. I’m sure I heard that K/O were looking at the possibility of an animated show akin to Transformers Prime – that could be OK but it would be (presumably) in the JJVerse – not a problem but I’m talking aboout the Prime Universe.


My worry is ‘Captain Worf’ sounds like an ego trip, but he is an interesting characer and was the only regular in two shows.


Right now, aside from fan fiction (which I love but there are so many different ideas out there!) there are the books and ST Online continuing the story. I’, not sure if a TVM would contradict it, but so what? I think people would want to see new Trek.


The STAR TREK: FEDERATION got revealed; Shatner adapted his ACADEMY into a novel and we have details for a few others, but we don’t know what Frakes’ project was about – probably Captain Riker on the Titan.


There are a lot of people – some of whom have not been professionally involved with Trek at all – pitching such projects. JJ has Kirk and Spock and I’m enjoying what’s going on with that.


Maybe a TVM/DTV like ‘Captain Worf’ could lead into sequels/spinoffs and eventually a series.


Even if Frakes has his own Telemovie, maybe it could be rewritten to tie in, so it could be like a loose series of films exploring aspects of the Trekverse POST-NEMESIS. That would be great, however it would probably render the books/games definetly not canon.

The only thing would be rebuilding the 24th Century sets, uniforms and props after it was all auctioned off. It would take a lot to rebuild DS9 for example, though the ships may be easier


C’mon CBS – please consider some of these options

 

[Kelso]

I'll admit it... I would love the shit out of a Captain Worf movie.

 

[C.E. Evans]

I'd love an animated series, one set in its own continuity like either the CGI Green Lantern series or the anime-inspired Thundercats reboot.

 

[KQuita]

A few years ago they made Of Gods and Men. This was a spare time project so release was delayed probably by a year (it felt like forever) HOWEVER about two dozen professional actors were in it, and the producers were pros. CBS could have easily put some money into it – surely a DVD would have made a fair bit of money.
Or would it?


Maybe it’s time to try it out. I’m sure I heard that K/O were looking at the possibility of an animated show akin to Transformers Prime – that could be OK but it would be (presumably) in the JJVerse – not a problem but I’m talking aboout the Prime Universe.


My worry is ‘Captain Worf’ sounds like an ego trip, but he is an interesting characer and was the only regular in two shows.


Right now, aside from fan fiction (which I love but there are so many different ideas out there!) there are the books and ST Online continuing the story. I’, not sure if a TVM would contradict it, but so what? I think people would want to see new Trek.


The STAR TREK: FEDERATION got revealed; Shatner adapted his ACADEMY into a novel and we have details for a few others, but we don’t know what Frakes’ project was about – probably Captain Riker on the Titan.


There are a lot of people – some of whom have not been professionally involved with Trek at all – pitching such projects. JJ has Kirk and Spock and I’m enjoying what’s going on with that.


Maybe a TVM/DTV like ‘Captain Worf’ could lead into sequels/spinoffs and eventually a series.


Even if Frakes has his own Telemovie, maybe it could be rewritten to tie in, so it could be like a loose series of films exploring aspects of the Trekverse POST-NEMESIS. That would be great, however it would probably render the books/games definetly not canon.

The only thing would be rebuilding the 24th Century sets, uniforms and props after it was all auctioned off. It would take a lot to rebuild DS9 for example, though the ships may be easier


C’mon CBS – please consider some of these options

Books and Games have never been considered Canon.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

The Singer & Bryan Fuller project is the most likely to happen, or Seth McFarlane's project, or maybe somebody we haven't heard from, but it won't come from someone without a track record and clout.

It'll be on cable or a digital "channel" like Netflix, so the old ground rules won't apply. It won't need to be seven characters in a spaceship going boldly. In accordance with the cable style, it will be at least as serialized as DS9, and at least as "dark." It will be largely about new characters, and we may not be able to tell which universe it's set in.

The best time for a new series to premiere is the fall season after the final Abrams movie launches.

CBS could have easily put some money into it – surely a DVD would have made a fair bit of money.

Direct-to-DVD has a bargain basement reputation, and CBS would be fools to degrade a brand that Paramount is putting millions into rebuilding for them (at no cost to CBS, either!) Better to just leave a brand alone rather than degrade it. When CBS decides to do a Star Trek TV series, it will be given a budget, marketing push and decent venue (cable, Netflix) commensurate with its revived reputation as a respectable box office success.

Until CBS can do all that, they should do nothing. Star Trek has already suffered terrible brand management and we don't need a repeat of that experience.

The biggest obstacle, as always, is that there's no real reason why CBS should do a Star Trek series. Space opera is dead on TV, being too expensive and too nichey to be really viable. Syfy might do a space opera series in the future, but that remains to be seen. If even the so-called science fiction channel is that scared of space opera, why should CBS bother with it?

The CW and Showtime aren't right places for it, and CBS itself is utterly wrong. Syfy is owned by NBC - why would CBS go out of its way to make a show for competitors? There's really no channel on broadcast or cable that seems particularly right for a Star Trek series.

The most interesting recent development is that Les Moonves seems amenable to reviving Jericho with Netflix. That shows that unlike other studios, CBS doesn't regard Netflix as "the enemy" to be destroyed at all costs, but rather as a compatible business partner.

Netflix is a subscription service so it's more like HBO or Showtime in that it can afford to create series for niche audiences. They've demonstrated willingness to revive cancelled TV series, especially ones that have noisy, loyal fanbases, and they could use some good PR. Reviving a beloved (and now respectable) franchise would generate positive news stories for them and doubtless attract new subscribers.

 

[Ryan8bit]

As much as I'd like to see any more next gen cast, I have to say that this proposal is pretty unrealistic. The market isn't right for it and it seems kinda fannish. I think any new series is going to have to start a lot more fresh.

 

[bbailey861]

I don't think it will happen - but - in this case I would love to be proven wrong and made to eat 'crow'. I would love to see this happen.

 

[Danlav05]

A few years ago they made Of Gods and Men. This was a spare time project so release was delayed probably by a year (it felt like forever) HOWEVER about two dozen professional actors were in it, and the producers were pros. CBS could have easily put some money into it – surely a DVD would have made a fair bit of money.
Or would it?


Maybe it’s time to try it out. I’m sure I heard that K/O were looking at the possibility of an animated show akin to Transformers Prime – that could be OK but it would be (presumably) in the JJVerse – not a problem but I’m talking aboout the Prime Universe.


My worry is ‘Captain Worf’ sounds like an ego trip, but he is an interesting characer and was the only regular in two shows.


Right now, aside from fan fiction (which I love but there are so many different ideas out there!) there are the books and ST Online continuing the story. I’, not sure if a TVM would contradict it, but so what? I think people would want to see new Trek.


The STAR TREK: FEDERATION got revealed; Shatner adapted his ACADEMY into a novel and we have details for a few others, but we don’t know what Frakes’ project was about – probably Captain Riker on the Titan.


There are a lot of people – some of whom have not been professionally involved with Trek at all – pitching such projects. JJ has Kirk and Spock and I’m enjoying what’s going on with that.


Maybe a TVM/DTV like ‘Captain Worf’ could lead into sequels/spinoffs and eventually a series.


Even if Frakes has his own Telemovie, maybe it could be rewritten to tie in, so it could be like a loose series of films exploring aspects of the Trekverse POST-NEMESIS. That would be great, however it would probably render the books/games definetly not canon.

The only thing would be rebuilding the 24th Century sets, uniforms and props after it was all auctioned off. It would take a lot to rebuild DS9 for example, though the ships may be easier


C’mon CBS – please consider some of these options

Books and Games have never been considered Canon.

I know but they are the closest thing to an official TNG continuation - the Titan was used for an exhibition.

 

[bullethead]

I'd love an animated series, one set in its own continuity like either the CGI Green Lantern series or the anime-inspired Thundercats reboot.

Hell, I'd settle for that Captain Worf movie being an animated feature (Dorn is a well known voice actor - he even showed up on the Regular Show cartoon last night as a demon baby). But if they did do a out-of-continuity animated show, I think that it would be a good opportunity to revive the New Earth/Challenger series, which was out of continuity with everything but SCE (which had a Blood Many dude be Scotty's assistant) and fairly small cast of regular characters once Challenger rolled around.

But in this economy, I would think that the suits would go for something a bit more action packed, so maybe Starfleet Special Operations would be a better idea, since you don't have to have an excuse for them to go around the galaxy shooting at stuff. Taking a few elements of the various games that deal with Federation ground forces like Elite Force and Away Team would be cool.

 

[DarKush]

I really like the Captain Worf straight-to-DVD movie idea.

 

[C.E. Evans]

I'd love an animated series, one set in its own continuity like either the CGI Green Lantern series or the anime-inspired Thundercats reboot.

Hell, I'd settle for that Captain Worf movie being an animated feature (Dorn is a well known voice actor - he even showed up on the Regular Show cartoon last night as a demon baby). But if they did do a out-of-continuity animated show, I think that it would be a good opportunity to revive the New Earth/Challenger series, which was out of continuity with everything but SCE (which had a Blood Many dude be Scotty's assistant) and fairly small cast of regular characters once Challenger rolled around.

I think they should steer clear of stuff like that and just have a clean reboot. Aim the show for a younger demographic like most of the Saturday morning shows on Cartoon Network or the Sunday morning shows on Disney XD. There can be easter eggs for older fans, but I think it should be a brand-new Trek series for kids first and foremost. It could be an opportunity to really expand Trek's audience beyond just adults.

But in this economy, I would think that the suits would go for something a bit more action packed, so maybe Starfleet Special Operations would be a better idea, since you don't have to have an excuse for them to go around the galaxy shooting at stuff. Taking a few elements of the various games that deal with Federation ground forces like Elite Force and Away Team would be cool.

I definitely think it should be very action-packed, but it could still have some thought-provoking stories without it being preachy.

 

[bullethead]

I'd love an animated series, one set in its own continuity like either the CGI Green Lantern series or the anime-inspired Thundercats reboot.

Hell, I'd settle for that Captain Worf movie being an animated feature (Dorn is a well known voice actor - he even showed up on the Regular Show cartoon last night as a demon baby). But if they did do a out-of-continuity animated show, I think that it would be a good opportunity to revive the New Earth/Challenger series, which was out of continuity with everything but SCE (which had a Blood Many dude be Scotty's assistant) and fairly small cast of regular characters once Challenger rolled around.

I think they should steer clear of stuff like that and just have a clean reboot. Aim the show for a younger demographic like most of the Saturday morning shows on Cartoon Network or the Sunday morning shows on Disney XD. There can be easter eggs for older fans, but I think it should be a brand-new Trek series for kids first and foremost. It could be an opportunity to really expand Trek's audience beyond just adults.

I agree, but these days, I'm not exactly sure if there is a good basic cable channel for a Trek cartoon, since some cable/satellite providers like to chop one or two of the cartoon heavy channels out. IIRC Comcast or whoever provides cable in Tallahassee cuts Cartoon Network from basic cable, while Disney XD is usually relegated to premium cable/satellite packages.

But in this economy, I would think that the suits would go for something a bit more action packed, so maybe Starfleet Special Operations would be a better idea, since you don't have to have an excuse for them to go around the galaxy shooting at stuff. Taking a few elements of the various games that deal with Federation ground forces like Elite Force and Away Team would be cool.

I definitely think it should be very action-packed, but it could still have some thought-provoking stories without it being preachy.

I don't think the problem is being preachy, but not being exciting or satisfying in how they resolve stories. At times Trek has a real problem with making it feel like the main characters earned their victories, which would probably be amplified in a cartoon aired during normal hours.

 

[C.E. Evans]

Hell, I'd settle for that Captain Worf movie being an animated feature (Dorn is a well known voice actor - he even showed up on the Regular Show cartoon last night as a demon baby). But if they did do a out-of-continuity animated show, I think that it would be a good opportunity to revive the New Earth/Challenger series, which was out of continuity with everything but SCE (which had a Blood Many dude be Scotty's assistant) and fairly small cast of regular characters once Challenger rolled around.

I think they should steer clear of stuff like that and just have a clean reboot. Aim the show for a younger demographic like most of the Saturday morning shows on Cartoon Network or the Sunday morning shows on Disney XD. There can be easter eggs for older fans, but I think it should be a brand-new Trek series for kids first and foremost. It could be an opportunity to really expand Trek's audience beyond just adults.

I agree, but these days, I'm not exactly sure if there is a good basic cable channel for a Trek cartoon, since some cable/satellite providers like to chop one or two of the cartoon heavy channels out. IIRC Comcast or whoever provides cable in Tallahassee cuts Cartoon Network from basic cable, while Disney XD is usually relegated to premium cable/satellite packages.

Not in all areas, because Disney XD can also be found in basic packages in other parts of the country. Aside from Cartoon Network, there's also the CW's Saturday morning action cartoon block. Additionally, there is the Hub (generally found on digital tiers), which is airing new shows like Transformers: Prime and G.I. Joe: Renegades. Even so, such non-basic shows are increasingly being made available either online, through video on demand services, and on DVD/blu-ray.

But in this economy, I would think that the suits would go for something a bit more action packed, so maybe Starfleet Special Operations would be a better idea, since you don't have to have an excuse for them to go around the galaxy shooting at stuff. Taking a few elements of the various games that deal with Federation ground forces like Elite Force and Away Team would be cool.

I definitely think it should be very action-packed, but it could still have some thought-provoking stories without it being preachy.

I don't think the problem is being preachy, but not being exciting or satisfying in how they resolve stories. At times Trek has a real problem with making it feel like the main characters earned their victories, which would probably be amplified in a cartoon aired during normal hours.

It depends on the audience a show is being aimed at. If it's aimed mostly at kids, it'll be written differently than if it was written entirely for older viewers. At the same time, I don't think it'll be overly simplistic, but more along the middle-of-the-road style of the action-adventure shows we're currently seeing on CN, DXD, and the Hub.

 

[AviTrek]

Hell, I'd settle for that Captain Worf movie being an animated feature (Dorn is a well known voice actor - he even showed up on the Regular Show cartoon last night as a demon baby). But if they did do a out-of-continuity animated show, I think that it would be a good opportunity to revive the New Earth/Challenger series, which was out of continuity with everything but SCE (which had a Blood Many dude be Scotty's assistant) and fairly small cast of regular characters once Challenger rolled around.

I think they should steer clear of stuff like that and just have a clean reboot. Aim the show for a younger demographic like most of the Saturday morning shows on Cartoon Network or the Sunday morning shows on Disney XD. There can be easter eggs for older fans, but I think it should be a brand-new Trek series for kids first and foremost. It could be an opportunity to really expand Trek's audience beyond just adults.

I agree, but these days, I'm not exactly sure if there is a good basic cable channel for a Trek cartoon, since some cable/satellite providers like to chop one or two of the cartoon heavy channels out. IIRC Comcast or whoever provides cable in Tallahassee cuts Cartoon Network from basic cable, while Disney XD is usually relegated to premium cable/satellite packages.

If Cartoon Network is a fit for Star Wars, it's a fit for Star Trek. Stop complaining about different tiers. In some areas cable companies are consolidating and pushing pretty much everything into a single tier. And in others, suck it up and upgrade your package. If people will subscribe to HBO/Showtime for a series, they will subscribe to a higher cable tier for a series too.

 

[bullethead]

Not in all areas, because Disney XD can also be found in basic packages in other parts of the country. Aside from Cartoon Network, there's also the CW's Saturday morning action cartoon block. Additionally, there is the Hub (generally found on digital tiers), which is airing new shows like Transformers: Prime and G.I. Joe: Renegades. Even so, such non-basic shows are increasingly being made available either online, through video on demand services, and on DVD/blu-ray.

I'm fairly sure all the cartoon heavy shows put their new stuff on iTunes because that's pretty much the only place you can get episodes without banner ads and logos (which means they get pirated like crazy). They just never advertise it because they think it'll cut into their ratings or something (ignoring the fact that most of these shows are rarely re-run until they hit the end of the season).

If Cartoon Network is a fit for Star Wars, it's a fit for Star Trek. Stop complaining about different tiers. In some areas cable companies are consolidating and pushing pretty much everything into a single tier. And in others, suck it up and upgrade your package. If people will subscribe to HBO/Showtime for a series, they will subscribe to a higher cable tier for a series too.

That might have been true prior to high speed internet, but these days, only technologically incompetent or absurdly high principled people would do that. Everyone else would find a live stream or a site to download episodes from. Hell, people do that for basic cable shows, including Cartoon Network stuff. I see it all the time.

As for the Star Wars comparison, that's a massive joke. The main reason CN treats Star Wars so well is that George Lucas has enough money to do whatever the hell he wants (including troll neighbors who didn't want Skywalker Ranch expanded by saying he'll build low income housing instead). CN is going to bend over backwards for him. I doubt they'd do that for Trek, given how their management seems to be somewhat incompetent at best (making a live action series after previous attempts bombed, randomly shift show time slots with minimal advertisement) to the batshit insane (cancel a show for low toy sales when toys didn't even exist for it and it was getting good ratings, relaunch a beloved programming block at midnight with practically no budget 7 weeks after bringing said block back as an April Fools joke).

The only advantage CN offers over other channels besides their basic cable presence is the fact that they're willing to show stuff from other people's IPs (for cut of the cash from toy sales IIRC).

 

[JRoss]

I think that character-centric DVD releases made on smaller budgets might be a good idea. They could be made with little fanfare, so as not to confuse the casual viewers who are only in it for the JJverse.

That might sound disrespectful to prime continuity, but the fact is that the JJverse is what is funding Trek right now. It's the goose laying golden eggs, and so we don't want to see anything detract from it. Besides, I think that they may work to create more Trekkies.

Making a Worf movie, a Riker-Troi movie, etc. would be nice because then they would not have to try and round up all of the actors at once. Of course, I'm really digging the new Trek novels and would be bummed to see them thrown out the window of semi-canonicity.

I think that an animated feature stands the best chance, as one can create any FX shot they desire without heed to budget. Also, voice actors are cheaper.