This is why there will be no new TV Trek for the forseeable future.

[Temis the Vorta]

Re: This is why there will be no new TV Trek for the forseeable future

Unless you are going to do something new with that formula, there's really no compelling reason to produce such a show.

The only compelling reason for CBS, which is the only entity with the legal rights to produce Star Trek for TV, to make a new series is that they can make a buck. They won't do a thing until they can figure out how to do that, and only if that's a more lucrative prospect than the cookie cutter cop shows they could be making instead.

Changing the format leads to some pretty dark fears, especially since CBS is involved. Is it going to be a teen soap? A cop show with sci fi window dressing? Lawyers in space? I can envision far more ways for this to go horribly wrong than right. If CBS would just make a damn show about a damn starship crew, that would amaze me enough, nevermind them putting any fancy effort into it.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Re: This is why there will be no new TV Trek for the forseeable future

Changing the format leads to some pretty dark fears, especially since CBS is involved. Is it going to be a teen soap? A cop show with sci fi window dressing? Lawyers in space?

Star Trek: Freeman and Cogley.

 

[xortex]

Re: This is why there will be no new TV Trek for the forseeable future

OK, here are my solutions.

1) Exploring an alien threat that comes to Earth - ala AC Clarke's 'Childhood's End' or 'Rendevous with Rama'. So change the premise.

2) Make it about exploring something specific in the universe that's wrong that can be extended over the span of the series with a beginning middle and end like a protracted movie. Sci-fi writers do that all the time with their series of novels with a larger story plan that weaves through it like an undercurrent. Having it threaten Earth is better as to tie it more into reality and hard science.

3) Aliens should be used very sparringly and with extreme care, as in the less of them the better. Maybe they don't want anything to do with us for some reason because we're so similar to the Klingons. They're a deus ex mechina. Technology, alien or otherwise, machines, probes, AI robots, holograms, and even metaphysical transcendant supernatural beings and higher non corporeal life forms should be used much more as people are tired of ugly bumpy headed day players playing smiling aliens. That has run it's course. I.e. the universe and subject matter should be taken and treated more seriously. Berman's predators are gone and the movie was horrible.

 

[E-DUB]

Re: This is why there will be no new TV Trek for the forseeable future

I begin with the premise that it all starts with the writing. If it's well written, any competent troup of actors can perform the material. If the writing sucks, all good actors will do is show how badly it sucks.

Then, the visuals. What made Star Trek, in it's heyday, so believable was the attention to detail. The bridge, the bio-beds, the doors that opened automatically on approach, etc, etc. (Let me tell you the first time that happened to me in real life was a true "freak-out moment.)

Put something on that's well written, good looking and competently performed, and people will watch.

Anybody who says that Star Trek has nothing more to say, when its' subject is the universe, has got to be pretty jaded.

 

[T'Cal]

Re: This is why there will be no new TV Trek for the forseeable future

But if you look at BSG, S1 was co-funded by Sky (a UK TV company)

TW is a spin off the hughly popular DW (which can pull in audiances of over 8m (allowing for population size differences in US terms that's over 35m viewers) even when the audiance is low the share is around 35-40% of the available audiance watching.

So on this side of the pond the Sci-Fi/fantasy genre is reasonable strong. Perhaps the way to go with the next ST show is to go down the co-production route.

Or take a longer term view and accept you might make a loss when aired on US TV and make the profit from international TV sales and DVD/BR sales.

But doesn't that work for Star Trek, too? The new Star Trek miniseries would be a spin off of, well, the hugely popular Star Trek.

BSG wasn't a miniseries - that was a backdoor pilot. It's not like Skiffy smacked themselves on the head and said, "gosh look at those ratings! We have to make a series out of this sucker!" They were testing things out to see if it was worth investing money in to make it a series...

Was too! Was too! It says so on the DVDs!!!

 

[Maillard96]

Re: This is why there will be no new TV Trek for the forseeable future

The upshot is, niche tastes get served if they can be served cheaply.

 

[stonester1]

Re: This is why there will be no new TV Trek for the forseeable future

Star Trek WILL be back on TV. Bank on it. It is only a question of when, where and in what form.

 

[CaptainMatt]

Re: This is why there will be no new TV Trek for the forseeable future

If Doctor Who can be brought back in 2005 after being cancelled in 1989, then Star Trek can reinvent itself and find an audience as well.

 

[The Castellan]

Re: This is why there will be no new TV Trek for the forseeable future

If Doctor Who can be brought back in 2005 after being cancelled in 1989, then Star Trek can reinvent itself and find an audience as well.

Yes, though the past 2 seasons were rather questionable.

 

[Sindatur]

Re: This is why there will be no new TV Trek for the forseeable future

If Doctor Who can be brought back in 2005 after being cancelled in 1989, then Star Trek can reinvent itself and find an audience as well.

Yes, though the past 2 seasons were rather questionable.

For some. I personally have enjoyed it all (Though not every episode is stellar, most are pretty good to excellent)

 

[CaptainMatt]

Re: This is why there will be no new TV Trek for the forseeable future

Truth be told, I was a lot happier with the first few seasons of modern Who in '05-'06. Now it seems more business as usual. I don't like that.


I hope if they bring back Star Trek for television that they do as good a job or better as they did with modern Doctor Who. Or else why even bother?

 

[The Castellan]

Re: This is why there will be no new TV Trek for the forseeable future

Truth be told, I was a lot happier with the first few seasons of modern Who in '05-'06. Now it seems more business as usual. I don't like that.


I hope if they bring back Star Trek for television that they do as good a job or better as they did with modern Doctor Who. Or else why even bother?

Yep, I myself am not impressed with this skinny little guy with shemp hair going "(Insert clothing item) are cool...." or every woman trying to sleep with him.

I myself preferred the first, 2005 season best.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Re: This is why there will be no new TV Trek for the forseeable future

If Doctor Who can be brought back in 2005 after being cancelled in 1989, then Star Trek can reinvent itself and find an audience as well.

For the thousanth time, nothing that happens on the BBC is analogous to anything happening on American TV because there is no American TV channel that receives government funds that will allow it to create a pricey space opera series without worrying about marketplace pressures. The closest analogue is PBS. Can you envision them funding a space opera? They can barely keep the lights on.

And don't start about that license fee not being from "the government." If there are authorities who will go after you for owning a TV and not paying the fee, that's the government. I sincerely hope the UK has not been taken over by armed bands of corporate brigands shaking down the citizenry.

 

[Sindatur]

Re: This is why there will be no new TV Trek for the forseeable future

If Doctor Who can be brought back in 2005 after being cancelled in 1989, then Star Trek can reinvent itself and find an audience as well.

For the thousanth time, nothing that happens on the BBC is analogous to anything happening on American TV because there is no American TV channel that receives government funds that will allow it to create a pricey space opera series without worrying about marketplace pressures. The closest analogue is PBS. Can you envision them funding a space opera? They can barely keep the lights on.

And don't start about that license fee not being from "the government." If there are authorities who will go after you for owning a TV and not paying the fee, that's the government. I sincerely hope the UK has not been taken over by armed bands of corporate brigands shaking down the citizenry.

Heh.

Oh, Temis (Off Topic), Doctor Who this year will have an episode with Ben Browder guest starring, in case you've been considering taking a dip into the Doctor Who pool at some point.

 

[CaptainMatt]

Re: This is why there will be no new TV Trek for the forseeable future

If Doctor Who can be brought back in 2005 after being cancelled in 1989, then Star Trek can reinvent itself and find an audience as well.

For the thousanth time, nothing that happens on the BBC is analogous to anything happening on American TV

Oh do calm down. No one is talking about that. I simply meant it would be nice if Star Trek got another TV series as the years away do not mean it can't ever happen, and I simply used Dr Who as an example.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Re: This is why there will be no new TV Trek for the forseeable future

How does Doctor Who coming back to British television reflect on the feasibility of Star Trek coming back to American television?

 

[The Castellan]

Re: This is why there will be no new TV Trek for the forseeable future

How does Doctor Who coming back to British television reflect on the feasibility of Star Trek coming back to American television?

Especially since american television is a joke.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Re: This is why there will be no new TV Trek for the forseeable future

Oh, Temis (Off Topic), Doctor Who this year will have an episode with Ben Browder guest starring, in case you've been considering taking a dip into the Doctor Who pool at some point.

I noticed that! I assume there's no ETA for it turning up in America yet, and if it does, is that BBC America? Because I don't get that on my cable tier. Might be a while for me.

I simply used Dr Who as an example.

And I explained why it's an irrelevant example.

How does Doctor Who coming back to British television reflect on the feasibility of Star Trek coming back to American television?

Exactly. It's an irrelevant example and does nothing to further the discussion here.

Especially since american television is a joke.

No it's not. You just have to ignore the crap and seek out the good stuff. There's plenty of it out there, and Star Trek could be part of the good stuff. In fact, since it would have to be on cable, the odds are good that it would also be "forced" to be among the good stuff. It'll never show up on CBS and almost certainly not on the CW, two of the chief purveyors of scripted crap on TV today, so that's two strikes in its favor.

 

[Sindatur]

Re: This is why there will be no new TV Trek for the forseeable future

Oh, Temis (Off Topic), Doctor Who this year will have an episode with Ben Browder guest starring, in case you've been considering taking a dip into the Doctor Who pool at some point.

I noticed that! I assume there's no ETA for it turning up in America yet, and if it does, is that BBC America? Because I don't get that on my cable tier. Might be a while for me.

No date announced, and they're in a bit of upheaval on their schedule due to a few things, but, many of suspect around about October it'll start, meaning the Browder episode is likely to air in November.

Yea BBCA is where it airs.

The more I think about it, the more the idea of AMC doing a Star Trek Series appeals to me. I'm concerned Showtime, Starz, or HBO would sex it up too much "Because they can". I have no problem with implied Graphic Sex on occasion that has an actual story purpose, but, on the Pay Channels they really get carried away on some shows, such as True Blood, with 2 or 3 sex scenes per episode. I wouldn't want to see that done to Trek.

 

[AviTrek]

Re: This is why there will be no new TV Trek for the forseeable future

Oh, Temis (Off Topic), Doctor Who this year will have an episode with Ben Browder guest starring, in case you've been considering taking a dip into the Doctor Who pool at some point.

I noticed that! I assume there's no ETA for it turning up in America yet, and if it does, is that BBC America? Because I don't get that on my cable tier. Might be a while for me.

No date announced, and they're in a bit of upheaval on their schedule due to a few things, but, many of suspect around about October it'll start, meaning the Browder episode is likely to air in November.

Yea BBCA is where it airs.

The more I think about it, the more the idea of AMC doing a Star Trek Series appeals to me. I'm concerned Showtime, Starz, or HBO would sex it up too much "Because they can". I have no problem with implied Graphic Sex on occasion that has an actual story purpose, but, on the Pay Channels they really get carried away on some shows, such as True Blood, with 2 or 3 sex scenes per episode. I wouldn't want to see that done to Trek.

At this point BBCA airs the show fairly close to when BBC airs it in the UK. Of course the BBC doesn't like to announce start dates for shows until a couple weeks before it airs.