Why not? There are several ways that could be approached that could potentially appeal to a general audience. TOS is still a pop culture touchstone, so some of that could appeal to a general audience, as well as fans. Increase the budget alone with some talented voice actors could do a lot more to expand some of those ideas. Secondly, you could expand upon it, and increase to a full Season 2 and so on. It's all in how you approach it.
Why not? Because instead of spending money reanimating a cartoon from the 70s, CBS could spend that money on a brand new Star Trek cartoon instead? You have a TOS style cartoon without trying to reanimate a cartoon from the 70s. CBS will want a return on their investiment, a new Star Trek cartoon would yield a better return then reanimating TAS would.
Sure, I can see that as well. But, reanimating TAS could be the start of building new Kirk and Spock adventures. There is a way to have both.
I don't see the two needing to be mutually exclusive. Naturally there's a lot of sentimentality around having the original voices and a lot LESS sentimentality for how it was actually animated. It was fine as a product of its day but it hasn't aged as well as TOS itself (even with TOSs original rather than remastered FX).
It seems like CBS All Access is going to try and make several Star Trek Series/Mini-Series. I see no reason why the original series in the form of an animated series cannot get a limited run. I think there are more than hard core fans who would tune in and watch this show. Certainly they would give it a chance. Adults who know William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy would watch it. Kid may or may not, that is fine. There are going to be several different series out there for everybody to choose from. The voice work would get changed with new actors doing most of the guest stars voices. A more diverse voice pool. I would imagine that there are a lot of well known actors who would sign on to do a guest spot on a new animated Trek who would like to do scenes with William Shatner and the late Leonard Nimoy. Every week the Star Trek media blitz would feature interviews with these well known actors promoting their work and the show. Many would gush about how cool it was to work with the original Captain KIrk, William Shatner. Nostalgia plays an important role in drawing viewers in. The original animated series had 22 episodes. The computer games from the 90s(25th anniversary edition, Judgement Rites and the unreleased Secret of Vulcan Fury have approximately 20 episodes(my guess). The audio books that Leonard Nimoy and James Doohan did in the 80s and 90s could help fill in maybe 10 more episodes(my guess). So my estimation would be that they could do about 52 hour long animated episodes featuring the original cast, with many new actors guest starring and the original series musical score back in its place. 52 episodes could be divided in 2 seasons at 26 episodes a piece or more likely they would do less episodes per season and do a 4 season run of 13 hour long episodes. I think there is an audience for this show on CBS All Access. It would certainly fill in nicely while we wait for Discovery or another live action Trek to come back.
I wrote a longer more detailed argument in the other new trek cartoon thread. In short, Nostalgia is very important in drawing people in initially. William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy are still highly thought of and well remember actors. If the creators of the new series could use the computer games audio from the 90s they could add about 20 new animated episodes and approximately 10 audio book episodes(my guess). That would put the new animated Trek at about 52 hour long episodes. I envision 13 episodes per season. A nice four year run.Put the original series music back in there and the new animation will make the show look less like a "relic" and more like great Star Trek series.
But the problem is that cartoon had production problems beyond the animation, like the tiny voice cast. I like Nichelle Nichols, but she did not have the voice range to voice almost every female character that appears on the show. Most modern cartoons have the budget to hire guest voice actors to fill out the guest characters. Good animation is expensive, I would rather see that money spent on a new cartoon, rather then trying to revamp TAS for this decade. TAS is a product of its time and anyone who likes it can watch it, leave it in the past.
Then record new voices for roles other than Uhura or Scotty in the case of the doubling-up Doohan did.
So you want to reanimate TAS, but hire new voice actors to play the guest characters? Why not just make a new cartoon instead? You want to spend money on new animation and new voice actors, with that amount of money, it makes more sense to just make a new cartoon. Trying to dub in old audio with new animation will make this sound like a bad anime dub from the 80s, at best.
Or CBS can make a new cartoon instead, with new animation, new voices, new scripts, etc. That makes more sense that trying to match 70s era audio with modern animation and hiring Tara Strong and Frank Welker to voice the guest characters. Trying to match old audio with new animation will make it sound like a bad anime dub.
I think it would be cool if they made a 24th century animated series that allowed characters from the three series set in that era to interact with each other. Another choice would be a series set between TOS movies and the TNG, those "lost years." It could include an completely new crew and ship and just link events.
CBS is corporation that wants a return on its investiments. I think CBS can make far more money on a new cartoon then reanimating TAS. Reanimated TAS has little appeal to non Trekies, IMO, a new cartoon has a greater appeal to the general audience.
Speaking for myself I would automatically tune in to a new version of TAS with Shatner and Nimoy doing the voicework. They are known by me and by most Star Trek fans. A new series with no known actors or characters would not be something I would rush to see. Do not get me wrong, I will eventually after a while probably give it a watch. But the original cast would get my attention. I appreciate what you are saying, but I am just voicing my opinion on what I like about Star Trek.
I think you can do both. I think you can take the basics of TAS and reanimate, tighten up the scripts, and redo the voice work. In essence, making a new show with the scripts already laid out. Now, that said, regardless of market appeal, I don't think CBS will do it. I just think it has potential, more potential than it is given credit for.
Judgement Rites and 25th Anniversary. There's at least a dozen episodes in those games! I just realised the TNG lot have reprised their roles in an animated series before...
If you are creating new animation and adding new voice work for the guest characters for a show that only lasted 22 episodes, you are spending a ton of money on a project that only hard core Trekies could love. Who would this be aimed at, because I can't imagine today's kids caring about TAS. I also think trying to dub 70s audio into modern animation would sound terrible, like a bad anime dub. With a new cartoon, you would get prelay voice work, which would sound better.
The Star Wars Clone Wars cartoon had sound alikes for the characters and that show did well. I think this idea would only appeal to hard core fans and I think trying to dub 70s audio into modern animation would sound terrible, like a bad anime dub. I do not think it appeal to kids today or non fan adults. If you want a Star Trek cartoon with some old cast members, just make a Star Trek Titan cartoon, you could get Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis to replay their roles from TNG and bring on some new characters or just make a new cartoon with new characters, I think good stories that appeal to today's generation is more important then having a purely nostalgia driven show. I would much rather have a show with prelay voice acting then trying to dub in old 70s audio.
I'd like to see it reanimated. Filmation was a sloppy bargain basement run by a guy who was actually colorblind. Filmation, the people who brought you Web Woman and used up half a century's supply of the color mauve. The voice acting is fine and some of the stories are really good. meh.. could do with a the TOS soundtrack and not the TAS one too. Never have liked that.
I think I'll step away. I think we are talking past each other. Regardless, could this be done and be profitable? Yes. Do I think CBS will? Nope. Largely because, as you state, there is a lot of money that would be needed and doing a new show would be a larger profit.