"The Wait is Over..."

[Admiral Buzzkill]

I know, a lot of fans wanted tie-ins to the other series and to Trek continuity. I really didn't, though I did enjoy some of it - the "Mirror" stories were fun, if nothing else.

My favorite things about the series were the Andorians and, to a lesser degree, the thoroughly unpleasant Vulcans. The Suliban were the usual modern Trek "new villains" misfire - see Ferengi, Kazon, Cardassians - that had to be made up for later, again in familiar fashion (see Romulans, Founders, Borg)...

Enterprise's commercial failure had as much to do with matters of style as of content. One can make a fairly nice list of ways in which the series is similar in approach to Abrams's movie on paper - but to really refresh and contemporize the whole feeling of the show would have required both putting new people in charge as producers and getting the studio Old Guard to give up their fixed expectations about Trek.

 

[peteym5]

I thought by the time ENTERPRISE premiered, it franchise was being driven into the ground. I think one issue is Paramount did 4 Star Trek shows too fast with 2 shows being done at the same time for a period. I would have preferred it if VOYAGER was held back a year or two and let DEEP SPACE NINE be alone in the STAR TREK universe after THE NEXT GENERATION ended. Could have used had some additional development time. But as some of us know after Voyager premiered, the fan base shifted back to DS9. Worf was probably one reason, but over all it seemed the writers/producers were putting more into DS9 than Voyager.

Another thing that should be avoided is doing too much Star Trek too quickly. If a new show becomes popular, let it stand on its own until it is over before doing another series. I get the impression things were rushed into production with the last two shows and did not give the writers time to come up with good ideals. At times it seemed they were scraping the bottom of the barrel for stories. They could have done less episodes per season with Enterprise. Start with 22 or 24 instead of the 26, giving the writers some breathing room.

 

[USS Mariner]

I thought most of Enterprise was just fine, though I could have lived with less fan service in the last season. That said, the series was too little too late.

Ironically, the more fan service they crammed into the last season, the worse it became. Aside from the unavoidable hiccup of "Zero Hour/Stromfront" went from cute fan-service to OH MY GOD MAKE IT END for me. Regardless of how half-assed ENT established it's own continuity and storylines, it did have them, and requiring every, single, motherfucking discrepancy to be fixed with a handful of episodes (even when there were no story-breaking problems, such as with the Vulcans and the Kilngons.)

 

[peteym5]

I agree the 4th season of Enterprise probably took the "Fan Service" alittle too far, but many do say it is the best season of the show. It is more of the direction the show should have be going all along, filling in why things are in the 22nd century that led up to the other series. However doing a prequel did put up some boundaries to maintain Star Trek cannon.

I am going to still say any new Star Trek series production should stay with what was popular with the fans and general public in the past. What made the Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and even the original the most popular Star Trek shows? I think it had a lot to do with the character development with good actors playing them. The shows had interesting races both allies and foes that the writers can create stories about.

The Klingon Empire can always be a part of the show. Can create a new story arc with them rather they be an enemy, neutral, ally, or even merged with the Federation. You going to have a story either way. You don't have to use Martok, Gowron, or Worf. Can create new characters, think many prefer it. Can say Martok got killed in battle against a new foe... now have interesting story. Personally I think it is more of a mistake to exclude the Klingons or not get something going on with them soon after a new show starts.

 

[di_mar]

It would be good to have an aftermath series of Voyager again. But, now they've gotten home, I suppose theres' not much to do with 'em. Apart from the maquis stuff yada-yada..

 

[Tarek71]

It would have to be set about 10 years after, since we have some noticeable aging going on. Thats fine. I just have feeling that with new creative teams, will come new takes and visions of trek. Even if they drop a special hook in there, like a timeline change, to explain why things are now a little different, I think things will be different.

People can goof on B&B but the Bermanverse had a lot of continuity. But without Berman, I cant see it remaining. Someone who takes NuBSG, and not TNG, as the model for a modern scifi show might make a Trek thats quite different, not only stylistically and dramatically but even through fudging the back story and history.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

I agree the 4th season of Enterprise probably took the "Fan Service" alittle too far, but many do say it is the best season of the show. It is more of the direction the show should have be going all along, filling in why things are in the 22nd century that led up to the other series.

I don't think so; I find that kind of continuity porn boring.

 

[Jeyl]

I don't think so; I find that kind of continuity porn boring.

I myself love continuity shout outs. I like it when a series reinforces the idea that the previous stories did in fact happen. Not saying we should develop entire stories around it, but let's be honest. Avoiding using the name Spock in the Next Generation episode "Sarek" simply to avoid referencing the Original Series was just stupid.

 

[AviTrek]

I don't think so; I find that kind of continuity porn boring.

I myself love continuity shout outs. I like it when a series reinforces the idea that the previous stories did in fact happen. Not saying we should develop entire stories around it, but let's be honest. Avoiding using the name Spock in the Next Generation episode "Sarek" simply to avoid referencing the Original Series was just stupid.

I'm sure avoiding the name Spock had more to do with avoiding royalties than anything else. The same way T'Pring on Enterprise became T'Pol to avoid paying royalties on every episode.

In general I don't mind brief mentions where the plot justifies it. But writing two entire episodes to justify a makeup change between TOS and the TOS movies was fanwank pure and simple.

 

[dinostar77]

Dunno if this has been suggested before, but what about a new series set a few years after the return if Voyager, but shown from a Romulan perspective?
Set on a Romulan warbird? It could give a new twist to the Star Trek tv series, show the Federation from the Romulan viewpoint (A manipulative ideology that must be resisted and stopped). There would plenty of scope to dip into past storylines i.e. Dominion (a Romulan version of Wolf 359?), Borg attack on Romulan outposts across the neutral zone, Klingons, cardassians etc. Also you could have previous cast members (from TNG, DS9, VOYAGER) appearing in the occasional episode but as it is a Romulan viewpoint the characters could be portrayed in a more negative light. (It would also probably make a comeback appearance for the actor in question more appealing as they get to convey a new side of their character).

 

[Bishop76]

I know this is a popular one among Trek fans, but no one would be interested in a show that was not told from a partly, if not mostly, human perspective.

 

[AviTrek]

Also these alternative takes generally are interesting only as long as you're showing what's different. As a niche one off DVD it could work. As a series it would run out of steam after about 4 episodes and be quickly cancelled.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

It was mentioned earlier on this thread, but I really like the idea of a new animated series. I've been watching some of the Clone Wars, and find myself really enjoying it. I began thinking about what if Trek went the same direction. But this leads to a few issues that would need to be addressed:

1. What is the target audience? Kids, current fans, new market?
2. What era? Going back to Enterprise or jumping far into the future?
3. Established crew or entirely new?
4. War or peace?

I think that Titan could be a good basis for an animated Trek series, as you definately have Riker and Troi. Then you could either use the crew from the books or create a new one. Either way there would be greater scope for new an unusual aliens.

A war-based series could also be interesting, go back to the Romulan war, or into the Cardassian war of the 2340s, or the Tzenkethi war. An established conflict which we know the ultimate outcome but know little else about. Or forward into another conflict.

Just a few random thoughts I had.
-Bry

 

[Bishop76]

Personally, I find the Clone Wars cartoon to be complete trash. The first Clone Wars cartoon using cel animation directed by Tartakovsky was MUCH better than the current one. The character design is awful, the writing is worse, and to me this show drags the Star Wars universe down even further than the prequel trilogy already had.

If Trek is coming back to the airwaves, I would hope they wouldn't waste the effort on a show aimed at kids and as badly executed as the Clone Wars, nor do I think they would.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

I'm sure avoiding the name Spock had more to do with avoiding royalties than anything else. The same way T'Pring on Enterprise became T'Pol to avoid paying royalties on every episode.

Royalties are not an issue here. "Spock" belongs to Paramount as part of Star Trek. "T'Pau" was a character in a script created by a freelancer under contract terms of the WGA agreement then in place.

 

[peteym5]

I personally think doing just an animated series is a bad ideal. If it was produced along with a live action series, I would be more open to it. Cartoons are geared toward kids and young adults, and Star Trek by tradition is geared toward an intelligent audience of all age groups.

I think a new series has to target the current fans and if its done right, it will attract new ones. I still say you have to pay attention to what was working and most popular with the prior Star Trek shows. To me, having well established main characters that are complex and doing character arcs have been at the center of Star Trek. It worked with the Original Show, TNG, DS9, and even Enterprise. Voyager was weaker in that area.

The other crucial element are your major races and powers that we see on Star Trek. The Vulcans, Klingons, Romulans, The Borg, Cardassians, and Bajorans are popular among the fans. Even people who are not major fans know who the Klingons are. A new show can visit these races with new stories. Plus it leaves the door open for new races to come in.

Maintaining High Drama with in show is very important. A Star Trek crew has to deal with interesting and dangerous problems. A series can always have both ongoing drama as well as the drama in the current episode. I like to see all the arc types going on. An ongoing series arc, mini arcs, 2 part episodes, character arcs, and some stand alone stories in between. I don't want to see them overdo one type of story, for example: "Not another holodeck malfunction..."

 

[peteym5]

I would like to keep this thread a little more active. If a new series is going to be post Star Trek Nemesis & TNG/DS9/Voyager. At least go 2 or 3 decades forward so a new show can exist in its own setting without conflicting with anything from the prior shows and movies. If its going to be on a new Enterprise (NCC-1701-F) it would leave room for a history of the last ship.

Going a few decades forward allows room for the writers to have some history for the setting of the new show and its episodes. I believe it should only lightly reference a prior show or movie in cases where an episode involve a major power (Klingons, Romulans, etc.) Make quick statments like the Klingons became more aggressive after the Dominion War without going in depth. Don't do sequels of anything that happened on a prior show until a new show establishes itself.

Since it is only a few decades past, an actor from a prior show can make an appearance with making them extremely old. That is if a new show slips in the ratings and needs a big guest appearance.

 

[Lt Cmdr Tyler]

I'd like to learn more about Vulcans on the next show, but it would probably not be that exciting to the large mass.

A good way to go is to incorporate the remaining Vulcans and their own fight for survival probably about 20 years after the destruction of their planet. Maybe a series thats revolves around their colonisation of a new planet they could call home. Even have certain Vulcan's questioning if Logic is the way, as it didn't quite help protect their civilisation. Now there is NO Vulcan homeworld, perhaps Logic is no longer the way.

 

[peteym5]

I think Paramount will reserve the Abrams version of Star Trek for the next movie. Anything dealing with the aftermath of the destruction of Vulcan will probably be revealed in Star Trek XII and later installments. Doing a whole tv show just on that subject matter could limit the amount of stories could be told. A Star Trek show has to be more broad and dealing with a wide variety of aliens and situations. Vulcans can be a part the show, but we have to see ongoing situations with Klingons, Romulans, Andorians, Borg, Cardassians, etc. to keep it interesting.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Anything dealing with the aftermath of the destruction of Vulcan will probably be revealed in Star Trek XII and later installments. Doing a whole tv show just on that subject matter could limit the amount of stories could be told.

Why would a TV show sets in the Abramsverse need to focus only on Vulcan? They could focus on everything but Vulcan.

If (and it's a very big if) a new Trek show were on the air, it probably wouldn't announce which reality it was in. But the aesthetics would work off the Abrams template, because that work has already been done and why go to the expense of re-doing it all? And you certainly can't use the TOS aesthetics.

The TOS characters won't be in the TV series but if they could get the movie actors to do cameos, of course they would, for the PR value. And they might get Shatner to do a cameo but if he showed up as 80-year-old Kirk in some kind of time travel story, that's a de-facto admission that this isn't the original universe. So you have a cameo with Chris Pine as the young Kirk and Shat as the elderly Kirk, and we sure aren't in Iowa anymore.