SyFy wants to go back to space - could Star Trek lead the charge?

[captainkirk]

According to this story:
Syfy Plans Return To Traditional Science Fiction Drama
There could be new space based sci-fi coming soon. But the old problem of cost remains. The best solution is for any new series to be a big event. With Star Trek's anniversary in two years, could that be big enough to guarantee enough viewers for a series to be a hit?

I don't know how likely it is for CBS to produce a series for SyFy, but it does solve the issue of where to air Star Trek.

Anyway, those are my thoughts. What are yours?

 

[BillJ]

I thought they were adapting a novel series? But no, I don't see Trek returning on SyFy.

 

[Tom]

New Trek wont be on Syfy, it would be one a network CBS owns. It will not be on CBS itself because it would demand ratings that the show would have a hard time getting.

If anything, Syfy would want to try to work with MGM so get Stargate back since that show has been a success for them (for the most part anyways).

 

[Hober Mallow]

I don't see any live-action Trek on the horizon any time soon. CBS is raking in the bucks with ST projects right now without having to put any money into producing a new series.

Anyway, was SyFy (or even the Sci-Fi Channel) ever big on space opera?

 

[C.E. Evans]

Anyway, was SyFy (or even the Sci-Fi Channel) ever big on space opera?

Farscape, the Stargate franchise, nuBSG.

In a way, SyFy has been bigger on space opera than most networks in that it generally won't hesitate to at least air it, but as with every other network, space opera is generally considered more expensive and risky to produce it than stuff centered on current day Earth (or something similar).

SyFy could be the home of a new Trek series if it was an acquisition--something that would still be owned and produced by CBS Studios (rather than the CBS Television Network). It would have to be a broadcast agreement similar to the one SyFy has with other acquired shows like Continuum, IMO.

 

[T'Girl]

a broadcast agreement

I could see it sure.

 

[captainkirk]

If anything, Syfy would want to try to work with MGM so get Stargate back since that show has been a success for them (for the most part anyways).

That's something else I'd love to see. Another possibility I could see is if there is a new space opera and it's a hit, CBS might have a similar reaction to Paramount when Star Wars came out and go "What do we have that's like that? Oh yeah, Star Trek!". But I like to be optimistic so that's probably not likely.

 

[MickJo1701]

What happened to SyFy and Martin Campbell rebooting Blake's 7? there's a series I'd like to see.

 

[JarodRussell]

At this point, I'd be more interested in more Stargate. They should continue Atlantis and Universe.

 

[captainkirk]

Unfortunately I think it's been too long. Any Stargate revival is likely to be a reboot.

 

[JarodRussell]

Then I'm not interested.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

I'd love to see the sort of space opera series where they hire talented writers with great ideas and let them do whatever they want. I hope that's what Syfy is talking about.

I love the space opera genre in general and I'd love to see it come back, just so long as the writing is good. But as long as the writing is good I don't care if it's Star Trek, B5, Star Wars, Stargate, or some completely new series. Just hire talented writers and give them a wide berth.

 

[T'Girl]

They should continue Atlantis ...

Yes.

... and Universe.

No

 

[Mudd]

Then I'm not interested.

They can live with that. That's what reboots are about.

 

[Shaka Zulu]

Then I'm not interested.

Tough shit, that's what you're most likely to get. For one thing, the actors may not want to come back as the characters, for two, the channel might want younger viewers a'la the new Star Trek movies, and for three, the Stargate franchise needs a reboot anyway.

I'd suggest a remake of the original movie as a four-part miniseries, which would also bring in characters like Teal'c and Carter, but at the beginning (Carter would be a part of the first mission into the Stargate as seen in the original film) and Teal'c would be a soldier in Ra's army who grows tired of Ra and rebels.

Other space opera properties that SyFy could/should bring back:

Buck Rogers (using the version first proposed in 1976-1977 that was more like Star Trek than Star Wars, and was talked about in this article at this blog.)

Space Cruiser Yamato

Blake's 7

The Demolished Man

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Anyway, was SyFy (or even the Sci-Fi Channel) ever big on space opera?

Farscape, the Stargate franchise, nuBSG.

Also, Lexx and Andromeda. There was a time when Friday nights was a full block of spacey sci fi.

 

[captainkirk]

Are there actually any space operas being mad anymore? Even bad ones?

 

[otomo]

Are there actually any space operas being mad anymore? Even bad ones?

There have been talks about rebooting the little known Canadian one called Starhunter as a web series (it was announced a couple months ago) but I haven't seen anything about its development. Though that was super low budget, I thought it was a great sci-fi show.