Which "missing years" of TOS should be explored?

[Botany Bay]

For a franchise with so much on film, there's still a number of gaps, unfortunately, in the TOS years.

Eg : what went on between TMP and TWOK that could possibly make Kirk give up command again? There's a good gap of about five years or so to be explored here.

There's also, it seems, a big gap between TFF and TUC. What went on with the Klingons (or someone else) that seemed to make Starfleet become more militaristic in this period?

Maybe there's a decent novel you could recommend that's set in one of the eras in the poll?

Which "missing years" in the TOS era interest you? Vote for as many as you like...

 

[Kor]

I would say the April and Pike years, AKA "Forbidden Planet: The TV Show."

It would have been... glorious.

Kor

 

[uniderth]

That's right. I voted for them all. I would love to see all of those filled out with a series/additional episodes. Of note, at the end of The Undiscovered Country Kirk makes it sound like the Enterprise-A will be handed over to a new crew. I would love to see a five year mission of the Enterprise-A with a totally new crew. The problem is they set the Enterprise-B launch so soon that you really have to squish some dates around to fit a final five year mission in there.

In my dream world, Kirk's seasons 1, 2, and 3 were really seasons 17, 18, and 19 of a much more expanded Star Trek. Seasons 1-5 would depict Captain April. Seasons 6-15 would depict Captain Pike's first and second five year missions, including "The Cage." Season 16 would be the start of Kirk's five year mission, including "Where No Man Has Gone Before." Season 20 would be the live action equivalent of TAS.

Post TMP the show would be named Star Trek II and would have five seasons of Kirk's second five year mission after The Motion Picture.

Using future computer technology the original actors would be perfectly duplicated and put into these episodes. This would result in one continuous Star Trek experience, blending perfectly with the 1960's Trek.

 

[TwoJakes]

The Undiscovered Country Kirk makes it sound like the Enterprise-A will be handed over to a new crew. I would love to see a five year mission of the Enterprise-A with a totally new crew

This would be fun, as far as the E-B launch is concerned, just monkey it into the future a decade or so.

A series that covers Kirk's first (supposed) command of a small destroyer, then at the end of the fourth season he is transfer to command of the Enterprise. Cover the adventures inbetween the ones we saw.

 

[Warped9]

This is an issue I have with TWOK. It was essentially a reset button that basically ignored TMP as if it never happened. And in both films it's never explained why Kirk gave up his command.

It's harder to accept in TMP because it's suppesedly set barely three years after the 5-year mission. In TWOK it's set supposedly about a decade or so after the 5-year mission so Kirk's rank as Admiral can be accepted as normal progression of rank.

 

[Shikarnov]

Although it was a common assumption that the end of TMP was the beginning of a new five-year mission -- an idea that was widely played out in the novels -- I never imagined that Admiral Kirk's position was any more permanent than was Decker's "temporary grade reduction to commander." I always figured he resolved the V'Ger crisis, took a quick celebratory joyride while Starfleet found a new CO, and then back to the office.

 

[Botany Bay]

So many possibilities. Great posts. I want all these eras explored! I am hoping desperately that the new Trek series is set right after TUC, as some have speculated.

Without bashing Enterprise, I've been saying for 20 years that setting that prequel series in the April/Pike era was a no brainer. I can't believe they ignored all the possibilities of setting a show in this period.

If anyone's interested in the TFF- TUC period, try hunting down the DC comics of the early 90s written by Peter David. That guy was so talented...he just knew the voices of the characters so well, and could mine every bit of comedy out of a situation...it was like Gene Coon was writing the comics. There were also some really touching moments, all played out against the background of an ongoing arc about the Klingons and a conspiracy within Starfleet. Excellent stuff. I wish he'd written more.

 

[Tracy Trek]

@Botany Bay , There is a set of novels collectively called The Lost Years or The Lost Era (if this is incorrect, someone please correct me). It is set shortly before TMP. Some of the titles are A Flag Full of Stars, and Recovery. There is another one* that focuses quite a bit on Uhura, Sulu and Chekov, but I can't remember the name.


*Edited to add: I found the title of the other The Lost Years book, it's called Traitor Winds.

 

[DeepSpaceYorks]

I'm becoming increasingly fascinated by the period that leads up to TMP. I wish there was some way to explore it for real. Maybe I'll start writing some fan fic!

 

[Nyotarules]

'The Lost years' JM Dillard explains in the novelverse why Spock and Bones quit Starfleet and Kirk stayed at the Admiralty. I read it decades ago and enjoyed it.

 

[Marsden]

I voted for all.

I'd really like something that would start with April, go through Pike's time and before and after WNMGB.

 

[johnnybear]

I say the Robert April years due to the fact that we have never seen him or any of his crew before (at least when it's not Gene Roddenberry or a cartoon version that is) plus it would have been great to have done his time on The Enterprise rather than 'invent' a totally new character and an unknown version of The Enterprise like they did back in 2002!
JB

 

[DeepSpaceYorks]

I changed my vote after thinking about it a bit. I've now gone for the post TMP era to WOK. I wanna see what they got up wearing those 'lounge suits in space' a little bit more.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

OP: The period between WNMHGB & The Corbomite Manuver. Although seeing the "Kirk origin period" would be fascinating, the 2nd pilot so successfully presented what Star Trek was supposed to be, that seeing where they go after that---in the young, raw, pre-TCM period would be fascinating. The crew would be experienced, but still able to have fresh eyes for the universe, and relationships would be in a "testing zone" with more edge than we would see in TCM, "The Naked Time," or "The Enemy Within."

 

[EnsignHarper]

There was/is a GREAT giant novel about Robert April and the launching of the Enterprise called, I believe, Final Frontier. It would have been the PERFECT way to do the show Enterprise - a show set twenty some odd years prior to TOS, showing the brand new revolutionary ship. The oddity would be that the main character would NOT be the Captain, but his aide, a fellow named GEORGE Kirk - yes, Jimmy's dad.
A recommended read!

 

[Nyotarules]

I remember that book, is this the story that had the interesting Romulan character?

 

[Warped9]

There was/is a GREAT giant novel about Robert April and the launching of the Enterprise called, I believe, Final Frontier. It would have been the PERFECT way to do the show Enterprise - a show set twenty some odd years prior to TOS, showing the brand new revolutionary ship. The oddity would be that the main character would NOT be the Captain, but his aide, a fellow named GEORGE Kirk - yes, Jimmy's dad.
A recommended read!

I still have that book. While not canon I've always thought it was a good read.

It could make for an interesting fanfilm to see a glimpse of the April era.