Star Trek: The Series (Featuring the 1st Captain of Kirk's ship)!

[Luther Sloan]

Star Trek: The Series (Featuring the 1st Captain of Kirk's ship)!

This thread is inspired by the Robert April New Star Trek Series Pitch on April Fool's Day. It is essentially the adventures of the very first Captain (Robert April) who took command of the NCC 1701. However, I made a couple of modifications to the idea, though. So read on fellow Trek believer(s) and let me know what you think.

The Characters:

Captain Robert April: (Played by actor: Eric Dane)

Robert April who didn't have a mother or father growing up, picked up on the hardships of life in his early adult life. He learned to value the meaning of life when his wife and child died many years ago.

Robert is extremely intelligent at memorizing and comprehending on a wide variety of subjects due to his photographic memory. He also relies more on intuition and his gut instinct versus protocol or rules or regulations.

Besides his life long best friend (Who is the helms officer (played by actor Balthazar)) and his sister (played by actress Maura), Robert keeps everyone else at arms length due to the fact the he is afraid that he might get too attached. Thus why he hasn't made any new friends or has treated women as disposable pleasures rather than meaningful pursuits.

Number One (Played by actor: Phil Morris)

Is a military man who ended up joining Starfleet. He was a part of the MACO unit and likes to do things by the book. However, he also likes to shoot first and ask questions later, too. A trait he no doubt picked up while being a MACO.

Chief Medical Officer: Sarah Holloway (Later named Sarah April)
(Played by actress: Sienna Guillory)

Sarah Holloway always wanted to explore the stars. As a child she would sit out at night and dream of visiting each and every one of them. However, seeing she came from a family of mostly doctors she was pushed into becoming a doctor herself. Later, after turning down her life long boyfriend's proposal for marriage, she enlisted in Starfleet in the hopes to be a medical officer on board a starship.

Communications / Science Officer: (Played by actor: Brandon Routh)

During their first mission, the Enterprise's original communications officer is killed, which forces their science officer to pick up the slack. In fact, what the crew eventually learns is that this science officer is a lot more talented and knowledgeable than what he was originally letting on.

Brikar Security Chief: (Ron Perlman or a tall or large unknown actor with some talent)

In honor of the Excalibur book series, I think a Brikar would be a a nice addition as security chief. This Brikar would be the Worf type character of the show. He would essentially be an outcast from his people and be the growling, mumbling, battle ready, tough as nails character.

Efrosian Chief Engineer (Played by actor: Michael Nouri or Ken Watanabe).

This character would be the wise sage on board the ship. Sure he knows how to fix the engines (with his eyes closed). But he also knows how to fix the human heart, as well.

Helm Officer: (Played by actor: Balthazar Getty)

Being best friends with the Captain, he is not afraid to be a bit of a goof ball at times. However, he steers the ship into inventive or creative maneuvers (like no one else) that save the crew on more than one occasion. So he definitely earns his keep.

Male Yoeman / Helm Officer: (Played by actor:Jesse Eisenberg or Michael Cera)

Is the young wet behind the ears crew member that comes off shy and unsure of himself. He is sometimes teased by Balthazar's character at times.

Assistant Engineer: (Played by actress: Emma Stone)

Is the wise cracking crew member who becomes good friends with the Male Yoeman / Helm Officer character. She is also a bit of a genius when it comes to fixing things mechanical or technological.

Special Guest Star: Robert's older sister: (Played by actress Maura Tierney)

Robert's sister helped design the Constitution Class starships. She and her brother Robert are the only family they can actually talk with. Their father is mentally ill and doesn't speak and their mother walked out on them when they were really young. She ends up getting seriously hurt and falls into a coma after the alien attack.

Story Consultant: (Writer: Peter David)

Peter David would be great to have on board as a story and or character consultant. I think he would be great at creating some really interesting dynamics between the characters in a really important way.

Promotional Pitch:

Adventure into the unknown on board the most legendary starship in history before it was taken over by Pike and Kirk.

~Star Trek: The Series.


Quick Take on the Story:

Opens up with the Earth Romulan War with Earth having primitive starships armed with nuclear weapons. A few months later we see a truce take place and the neutral zone established.

Many years later Robert April is recalled while already underway on his 5 year mission into space. There is a bombing of the Federation ship yards and half the city of San Francisco from orbit. It is believed or reported that it might be the unseen enemies known as the Romulans. Did they break the neutral zone treaty? If so, why would they break decades of peace?

Well, within a short time, the Federation quickly gathers the available evidence and concludes that they need to plan a retaliation back at Romulus. However, Captain Robert April is convinced that the evidence is not conclusive enough to sanction such an attack against the Romulans. Robert makes a convincing argument (with no actual proof of his own). So he is given 72 hours to find some answers before Starfleet sends a fleet of ships that could potentially put them at War with the Romulans again.

Plot Themes:

Exploration and Finding / Admitting the Truth.


Effects, Sets, & Props:

The effects, sets, and props will try to mimic the design and effects as best it can to JJ Abram's Star Trek film on a television budget while painstakingly paying attention to the details within the Original Series.

Uniforms & Technology:

The uniforms and technology is reminiscent of the ones used in the unaired pilot titled "The Cage". Non Starfleet looking engineering outfits are used in key positions thru out the ship. And the progress of technology has halted due to multiple attacks on Federation worlds with EMP (Electro Magnetic Pulses) type weapons.

Also, the show will also go to great lengths in trying to convince you that this series happens a good few years before Kirk, too. Canon should be double or triple checked in the writing rooms or script reviews.

Side Note 1:

Obviously it probably wouldn't be possible to get the entire cast listed above without the production budget possibly being challenged or because of the actor's availability or what not. So replacing the cast above with extremely talented unknown actors that look similar to the list mentioned above would be the next logical step.

Side Note 2:

Furthermore, as much as I like this Robert April concept and would enjoy seeing something like this on TV, the one major downside I see about doing a series like this is that it is very similar to what Star Trek: Enterprise and JJ Abram's new Star Trek film had done.

On the other hand, I believe if the story and characterization is good enough, and they make it a real prequel series from the beginning, I can see a show like this becoming successful.

Side Note 3:

Also, I think the Romulans should wear updated outfits of the ones they wore within The Original Series.

However, any appearances by the Klingons (at least in the beginning) should appear the way that we seen them within the Klingon deleted scene of JJ Abram's new Star Trek film.

Side Note 4:

Also, here is a list of recommended TV shows and or films to watch with the following actors listed above.

Eric Dane: - Feast
Phil Morris: - Smallville - Star Trek 3 - DS9 - VGR
Sienna Guillory: - Helen of Troy
Brandon Routh: - Superman Returns - Chuck
Ron Perlman: - Hellboy
Michael Nouri: - Legend of the Seeker - Enterprise
Ken Watanabe: - Last Samurai - Batman Begins
Balthazar Getty: - Feast - Alias
Jesse Eisenberg: - Zombieland
Michael Cera: - Superbad - Juno
Emma Stone: - Zombieland
Maura Tierney: - Liar Liar


Side Note 5:

This is a work in progress. So please be kind. Oh, and any or all helpful suggestions would be appreciated, too.

Also, I do realize that a TV show may not even happen for quite a while either and a producer for the new Star Trek show would never even go this direction with this series if he even read this. However, it is fun to dream of the possibilities of what could be (or could have been).

Anyways, thank you for reading.

Sincerely,

~J.

 

[Luther Sloan]

Oh, and one more thing, to prove to you that Eric Dane can pull off a heroic type role, check out this video here...

http://www.tubechop.com/watch/45770

Enjoy.


Side Note:

And yes... I do realize the second photo of the Enterprise (in my post above) is the Enterprise "A" version. I was just posting cool pics of Kirk's Enterprise for inspiration not accuracy.

Again, thank you for reading.

 

[Captaindemotion]

Wow. You've certainly put a lot of work into this one.

I always thought that the series that became Enterprise should have been set on the NCC-1701 under Robert April. That would have quelled a lot of the bitching about how we'd never heard of Archer and the NX-01 before (and how it didn't appear in TMP along with all the previous Enterprises).

But IIRC, the April of TAS was English and has generally been portrayed to resemble Gene Roddenberry. Not canon of course, but he's rarely seen as dashing and hunky as Eric Dane.

Still, nice post and good cast.

 

[Dukhat]

Yes, you're definitely on to something here going back to Trek's roots, and you've obviously put a lot of thought into this, which is refreshing and a far cry from the usual "read this idea that I just pulled out of my ass" thinking that's the norm for this section of the TrekBBS.

However, I will say that there are at least two problems with your idea. First, there is no way that some of the actors you've suggested would commit to a weekly television series, especially if it's Star Trek. I just do not see Brandon Routh, Ron Perlman or Ken Watanabe even considering something like this. And even if they did, what kind of money would they be asking for? Ridiculous amounts, that's what. No, the best thing to do would be to cast complete unknowns, with one or two bigger-named actors in the mix. That's what basically worked for TNG.

Second, although I applaud your interest in "officialdom" with having the captain be Robert April, that's not enough of a snazzy, ear-catching name for a new captain of the Enterprise. Just thinking like a television producer here. Names like Kirk, Archer or Chase have a much better hero-ring to them than April does.

 

[Captaindemotion]

^ Ummm - Does the name Jean-Luc Picard have a hero ring to it? No more than Robert April, IMHO.

 

[di_mar]

Some good casting. I like Maura Tierney! She plays the roles of tense characters, especially Abbey from E.R!

 

[Dukhat]

^ Ummm - Does the name Jean-Luc Picard have a hero ring to it? No more than Robert April, IMHO.

Jean-Luc Picard was named after Jacques Piccard, one of the most famous underwater explorers in recent history.

Robert April was named after a month of the year.

 

[Captaindemotion]

^ Yes but do you think one has any more of a ring than the other? Or that the fact that his name is April would really affect viewership?

BTW, I believe you'll find that Picard was actually given a name to evoke Jacques Cousteau, rather than being specifically named after anyone.

Jonathan Archer shares an initial and surname with a notorious convicted perjurer, bad writer and, worst of all, former deputy chairman of the UK Conservative party. Sisko - makes me think of the Sisko kid. And Janeway? What sort of name is that. But I still watched all those shows.

 

[Luther Sloan]

Wow. You've certainly put a lot of work into this one.

CD:

Thank you. I appreciate that.

I always thought that the series that became Enterprise should have been set on the NCC-1701 under Robert April. That would have quelled a lot of the bitching about how we'd never heard of Archer and the NX-01 before (and how it didn't appear in TMP along with all the previous Enterprises).

Agreed. I think a series like this would have been better accepted, in my opinion (with this particular cast of actors of course).

But IIRC, the April of TAS was English and has generally been portrayed to resemble Gene Roddenberry. Not canon of course, but he's rarely seen as dashing and hunky as Eric Dane.

Yeah, this is true. However, I have a theory to debunk this issue to be used in the book or novel series, though. You could have Robert April's father (who is English and sort of resembles Gene Roddenberry) mind meld with his father (as part of his death bed wishes) with the help of a Vulcan. But in the process, something goes wrong and Robert takes on a part of his Katra. Thus why we see Robert April looking like his father and having his English accent approximately 12-15 years later in the TAS (The Animated Series) episode.

Yes but do you think one has any more of a ring than the other? Or that the fact that his name is April would really affect viewership?
BTW, I believe you'll find that Picard was actually given a name to evoke Jacques Cousteau, rather than being specifically named after anyone.
Jonathan Archer shares an initial and surname with a notorious convicted perjurer, bad writer and, worst of all, former deputy chairman of the UK Conservative party. Sisko - makes me think of the Sisko kid. And Janeway? What sort of name is that. But I still watched all those shows.

Very well said sir.

Yes, you're definitely on to something here going back to Trek's roots, and you've obviously put a lot of thought into this, which is refreshing and a far cry from the usual "read this idea that I just pulled out of my ass" thinking that's the norm for this section of the TrekBBS.

Dukhat:

Thanks. That means a lot.

However, I will say that there are at least two problems with your idea. First, there is no way that some of the actors you've suggested would commit to a weekly television series, especially if it's Star Trek. I just do not see Brandon Routh, Ron Perlman or Ken Watanabe even considering something like this. And even if they did, what kind of money would they be asking for? Ridiculous amounts, that's what. No, the best thing to do would be to cast complete unknowns, with one or two bigger-named actors in the mix. That's what basically worked for TNG.

Yeah, I did state in my post that if they couldn't get these actors they should just go with talented unknowns. However, Brandon Routh was on the TV show called Chuck for quite a few episodes, actually. Ron Perlman started his early career in TV. Ken Watanabe has also done TV but outside the US. Plus, actors that we thought we would never see on TV have starred in full fledged series. So you never know where an actor's career will take him (as unlikely as that may sound).

Second, although I applaud your interest in "officialdom" with having the captain be Robert April, that's not enough of a snazzy, ear-catching name for a new captain of the Enterprise. Just thinking like a television producer here. Names like Kirk, Archer or Chase have a much better hero-ring to them than April does.

Yeah, maybe. As I said before, I think an idea like this wouldn't probably be picked up because they had already done a prequel TV series and a prequel movie already. So another TV show in the same vein wouldn't probably be all that big of unique draw. Unless of course they found other ways to pull people in. Which would be a very tough task to do.

I just know that I would have rather seen something like this series rather than "Star Trek: Enterprise". But that could be because I wasn't a huge fan of Enterprise, though.

Some good casting. I like Maura Tierney! She plays the roles of tense characters, especially Abbey from E.R!

Di Mar:

I am glad that you like my casting choices. I just really could see these actors pulling off these type of roles really well along with a descent amount of actor chemistry, too.

Yeah, and I always liked Maura Tierney, as well. I haven't seen her on ER. But I always liked her in various films I seen.

One of these days I will get around to catching it.

Thank you all again for the praise.



And if you have any ideas in regards to the story or characters. Please feel free to pitch in some of your ideas, too.

Thank you.

 

[Dukhat]

I just know that I would have rather seen something like this series rather than "Star Trek: Enterprise". But that could be because I wasn't a huge fan of Enterprise, though.

Believe me, so would I. Star Trek '09 proved that going back to Kirk, Spock, et.al was the right way to go instead of some half-baked prequel series about the formation of the Federation whose premise the producers and writers couldn't live up to.

Yes but do you think one has any more of a ring than the other? Or that the fact that his name is April would really affect viewership?

Not at all. I'm just saying the producers wouldn't have liked that name, considering that it was originally abandoned for Pike, and then Kirk, more "tougher-sounding" names.

BTW, I believe you'll find that Picard was actually given a name to evoke Jacques Cousteau, rather than being specifically named after anyone.

No, the ST: Encyclopedia specifically states that Picard was named after Piccard.

Jonathan Archer shares an initial and surname with a notorious convicted perjurer, bad writer and, worst of all, former deputy chairman of the UK Conservative party.

I doubt any of those people were the motivation for naming the character Archer.

Sisko - makes me think of the Sisko kid. And Janeway? What sort of name is that. But I still watched all those shows.

Janeway was named after the American writer Elizabeth Janeway.

 

[Captaindemotion]

^ I think we're both right, but I now do accept what you say. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Luc_Picard Wikipedia says that JLP was named for one or the other of the Piccarde brothers; however, all I can say is I definitely saw an interview somewhere with Roddenberry where he said that he wanted to evoke an explorer like Cousteau and thus made JLP French like Cousteau. The Piccardes were Swiss, not French. I think JLP is obviously meant to combine the best aspects of the Piccards & Cousteau.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auguste_Piccard

Stewart's IMDB page suggests Picard was named after Cousteau's close friend, presumably Piccard:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001772/bio

Apparently Picard's yacht in Insurrection is called the Cousteau.

At the end of the day though, is the name Picard necessarily going to evoke heroism to a tv exec any more than April?

 

[Dukhat]

^Well, if by "heroism" you mean an explorer and adventurer, then yes, "Picard" rings more of a bell than "April."

 

[Captaindemotion]

^ I think two bald men fighting over a comb (no Picard reference intended) acquires the epic status of WWII compared to this issue. At the end of the day, if this tv show were to be made, it would be called 'Star Trek: Something Or Other', not 'April.' If tv lead characters can be called names like Draper (Mad Men), Soprano, Scofield (Prison Break) or or Graystone (Caprica), I don't really see why 'April' would be a problem.

I mean, on one show, you had a leading & titular MALE character called Angel (and, just to confuse matters, he was an entirely different sort of supernatural character).

But if you don't like the name, well, fair enough. I still think Luther Sloan has come up with a good concept and I don't want to hijack his thread any further on this point. Time for some fanfic Luther?

 

[Michael]

Yeah, this is true. However, I have a theory to debunk this issue to be used in the book or novel series, though. You could have Robert April's father (who is English and sort of resembles Gene Roddenberry) mind meld with his father (as part of his death bed wishes) with the help of a Vulcan. But in the process, something goes wrong and Robert takes on a part of his Katra. Thus why we see Robert April looking like his father and having his English accent approximately 12-15 years later in the TAS (The Animated Series) episode.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around someone who can go to such lengths just to explain such a minor implausibility, yet can't accept Enterprise as a valid prequel to the Star Trek continuity.

 

[Luther Sloan]

Time for some fanfic Luther?

CD:

Well, okay. Because you demanded it. I will try and create a more detailed plot break down of the pilot episode (with a title) and a quick scene or hook.

Give me a little time, though.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around someone who can go to such lengths just to explain such a minor implausibility, yet can't accept Enterprise as a valid prequel to the Star Trek continuity.

NCC-1701:

I didn't go to great lengths. I thought of the idea within about an hour later while doing stuff around the house. Plus, the Animated Series is not canon. So the quickie explanation I created for this Robert April Series (which is explained within a book or novel series) is also not considered canon.

In other words, seeing the problem or issue presented to us in TAS is not considered canon. The seriousness or weight of the issue is nowhere near the level of the seriousness that was put into question with Star Trek: Enterprise because it is considered canon. Therefore, any implausible or quickie explanations for TAS is more acceptable because we are talking things that are not regarded as canon (or something that is not as serious).

Personally, I just don't buy any of the theories that Enterprise fans have come up with in regards of it fitting within the same time line as the rest of the series. They sound absolutely preposterous and they twist around the original meaning of certain episodes within previous Trek. So I simply consider Enterprise to be an Unexplained First Contact Time Line and not a part of Prime Time Line. It just makes more sense to me. But that's just my opinion, though.

 

[Dukhat]

Yeah, this is true. However, I have a theory to debunk this issue to be used in the book or novel series, though. You could have Robert April's father (who is English and sort of resembles Gene Roddenberry) mind meld with his father (as part of his death bed wishes) with the help of a Vulcan. But in the process, something goes wrong and Robert takes on a part of his Katra. Thus why we see Robert April looking like his father and having his English accent approximately 12-15 years later in the TAS (The Animated Series) episode.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around someone who can go to such lengths just to explain such a minor implausibility, yet can't accept Enterprise as a valid prequel to the Star Trek continuity.

What does that have to do with anything? So he didn't like Enterprise. So what? Granted, Luther Sloan's idea about April is a bit convoluted (ok, more convoluted than it really needs to be), but it's just this guy's fanfic. Like he even said, it's not canon. So what's the big deal?

 

[Michael]

I didn't go to great lengths. I thought of the idea within about an hour later while doing stuff around the house. Plus, the Animated Series is not canon. So the quickie explanation I created for this Robert April Series (which is explained within a book or novel series) is also not considered canon.

Luther:

But that's besides the point. I just find it really odd how you are willing to find ways to work around inconsistencies in some Star Trek series but are unable to do the same with Enterprise. It doesn't matter if we are talking about a thing that isn't canon. I just don't get why on the one side you are perfectly able to think up a way for some contradictory information to gel, but on the other side think it's impossible for Enterprise to depict the 22nd century of the Star Trek universe.

Personally, I just don't buy any of the theories that Enterprise fans have come up with in regards of it fitting within the same time line as the rest of the series. They sound absolutely preposterous and they twist around the original meaning of certain episodes within previous Trek.

But that is done all the time! It didn't start with Enterprise. You even said it yourself in the Unpopular Trek Opinions thread in General Trek: One only has to be imaginative enough to think around mistakes or canonical errors in Star Trek. Enterprise isn't really any different.

But that's just my opinion, though.

And I'm absolutely fine with that. Luther, I want to make that clear, I don't have a problem with how you feel about Enterprise. I really don't. I'm just honestly curious why you think it's the only thing in Star Trek that can't be reconciled with the rest of it.

What does that have to do with anything? So he didn't like Enterprise. So what? Granted, Luther Sloan's idea about April is a bit convoluted (ok, more convoluted than it really needs to be), but it's just this guy's fanfic. Like he even said, it's not canon. So what's the big deal?

No big deal, really. I'm not sure why it bothers you so much, but it's just a thing I'm curious about. I don't have a problem with someone not liking Enterprise. Why should I? I even loathe a lot of it myself. I just think that the reason Luther Sloan gives for not liking it are very odd. Especially when you consider how he is perfectly able to work around virtually everything else that doesn't really line up in Star Trek. That's all. I was unaware of the fact that I apparently need your approval for posting something.

 

[Dukhat]

No big deal, really. I'm not sure why it bothers you so much, but it's just a thing I'm curious about.

Actually, I was questioning why it seemed to bother you so much, since it was a complete nonsequitor that had nothing to do with his idea.

I was unaware of the fact that I apparently need your approval for posting something.

Yeah, now you're kinda blowing things out of proportion here. Let's say we just drop this as a miscommunication and let Luther continue this thread.

 

[TiberiusMaximus]

I like it, especially the idea of a Brikar as security chief. I'd like to see Brandon Routh in Star Trek, I actually envision him as one of the cast members in my fanfic series. And I'd like to read some fanfic about this idea, it'd be great.

 

[Luther Sloan]

But that's besides the point. I just find it really odd how you are willing to find ways to work around inconsistencies in some Star Trek series but are unable to do the same with Enterprise. It doesn't matter if we are talking about a thing that isn't canon. I just don't get why on the one side you are perfectly able to think up a way for some contradictory information to gel, but on the other side think it's impossible for Enterprise to depict the 22nd century of the Star Trek universe.

NCC-1701

In the words of Chang:

"On the contrary, these views and motives are, indeed, at the very heart of the matter!"

Besides, comparing something that is canon versus something that is not canon is like comparing chocolate with dirt. One is official and matters. The other one is unofficial and is not to be treated as seriously. Even if that non-canonical story or fact helps to explain certain canonical things.

I mean, if there is a Star Trek novel out there about a Captain who likes to wear a crotchless clown outfit on the bridge, I really wouldn't give it any attention. Why? Because it isn't considered a part of the TV series or movies that I care about. So if I come up with a throw away explanation for something that is a 2nd rate Trek novel or a 1970s non canonical cartoon series. It really is not all that important if that non canonical explanation is all that believable or not.

That is the difference.

But that is done all the time! It didn't start with Enterprise. You even said it yourself in the Unpopular Trek Opinions thread in General Trek: One only has to be imaginative enough to think around mistakes or canonical errors in Star Trek. Enterprise isn't really any different.

Yes. They are very different (Read below).

And I'm absolutely fine with that. Luther, I want to make that clear, I don't have a problem with how you feel about Enterprise. I really don't. I'm just honestly curious why you think it's the only thing in Star Trek that can't be reconciled with the rest of it.

Well, you have been asking me for a while now. I suppose I will have to gather my list of explanations behind Enterprise and post something in the next week or two. I will send you a link to the appropriate thread when I am done compiling what I have to say properly on the matter.

Thank you for your interest on my viewpoints on the topic.