Tweaking Star Trek history?
There are so many ways this could happen, but since this a personal indulgence I'll play. My nod to realism is not expecting perfection, but rather a little more consistency and hopefully a bit of mild cleaning up in terms of writing.
- In the beginning things play out pretty much as it did with "The Cage" with only minor alterations.
- WNMHGB plays out very close to as is with minor alterations. The series sells and a somewhat better deal is negotiated between Desilu and NBC.
- The series starts in familar form only "The Corbomite Maeuver" is the first episode aired.
- First season plays out with only very few changes, the most major being a solid rewriting of "The Alternative Factor."
- Second season plays out, but with some rethinking to certain episodes, particularly "The Apple," "I, Mudd" and "A Piece Of The Action." As a bonus Lucille Ball manages to keep Desilu going awhile longer.
- NBC comes through and gives Star Trek a better timeslot for the third season and Gene Roddenberry decides to hang around and be more involved. Consequently third season episodes are generally better without losing the decent ones we already had while improving or replacing some of the real disappointments we got. The general calibre of the season is close to that of the second.
- Still, things are not all rosy and there's a real question as to whether the show will be brought back for another year. Amidst all of this is the fact Lucy can't keep Desilu going anymore and capitulates to selling Desilu to Gulf & Western. And while GR did keep his word and stayed to produce Season 3 he still doesn't endear himself to NBC.
- Somehow against all odds NBC opts to stick with Star Trek for another year. They do see it as a prestige series even while putting up with Roddenberry. They also don't have anything better to replace the show with. Against this good news is that Paramount isn't enamored with the show and its expense. They do go along with producing the fourth season, but Paramount suits don't really think the show is worth what it costs and are not against finding a way to letting it go.
- The fourth season slides a bit despite getting some cred because of the Apollo Moon landing. The season overall is a bit better overall than the actual third season we got. And despite the show being popular with its target demographic the ratings aren't translating strongly enough with the general audience. Both NBC and Paramount think they can do better for less money and they finally pull the plug. The added incentive for both is neither will have to deal with Roddenberry anymore.
- Even as Star Trek seems to be done the show starts gettng traction in broader syndication. Fans and Roddenberry continue to pester Paramount to bring the show back in some form. Eventually Paramount concedes enough to get TAS launched and we get a series not that much different from what we got. The better stories we got are retained and the sillier ones are replaced. Nonetheless just like what actually happened TAS has a limited production life with only twenty-two episodes.
- Meanwhile TOS' popularity continues to grow in syndication and fans continue to nag Paramount to revive Star Trek as live-action. Books, comics, models, toys and other tie-in merchandise are generally well received. And rumours start floating that Paramount may be reconsidering what to do about the show. After a good deal of indecision they finally commit to a feature film (this time without the added expense of an aborted TV series). From the get-go more attention is paid to having a properly polished script before filming and sufficient time is given to properly complete the film.
- In 1979 we get Star Trek: The Motion Picture, only this time around it makes a better overall impression. The rough edges aren't there and there's more character drama. Still it is by no stretch an action film in the vein of Star Wars and there is some criticism to that effect. TMP is a good film in its own right--very much in keeping with the spirit if the series--but it aims for something other than what George Lucas was going for. The film does about the same as it actually did, but this time around there are no added costs of an aborted television project to muddy the waters. All told the film does reasonably well yet there is still some lingering sentiment for something more action oriented.
- With the success of TMP fans are hopeful that Star Trek will return to television. But the reality is Paramount still wants to keep Roddenberry at arms length and they aren't ready to commit to a new series. Additionally William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy are not interested in committing to the grind of a weekly production schedule. A year goes by before Paramount announces their interest to produce another Star Trek feature film.
To be continued...
