Wouldn't it be smart for CBS or Paramount to just make a deal with or take over Star Trek: Phase II and/or Star Trek Continues as a way to get Trek back on air in some media or other? They both are quality fan series and at least Phase II has a fan base that could be built on which could somewhat negate the economic difficulties a brand new Trek series would face.
Why hasn't CBS or Paramount just taken over a fan series or two?
- Thread starter Ketrick
- Start date
So far, both series have done a decent job on their own so all CBS would really need to do is just provide finances and oversight and guidance, perhaps from someone like Manny Coto. The problem is, of course, they will almost certainly wish to be more hands on than is really necessary. Still, I think it could work as long as CBS isn't too heavy handed. By the way, I suspect Phase II has a larger fanbase than you think.
Hollywood execs - and actors', extras' and directors' unions - don't work that way.
Throwing money at amateurs doesn't necessarily produce a higher quality product, nor guarantee a larger audience. And would fans who love making a show for fun, and no profit, really want to toss in their day jobs in hope that things would be... better? More authentic? Better accepted?
Have you seen many professional publishers buying up fanzines or sponsoring the amateur editors to print more? Have you seen many amateur home chefs get pursued by gourmet restaurants?
Based upon...?
That's kinda what they're hoping will happen with Star Trek Renegades. Stands a slightly better chance of being taken over anyways since it involves some of the actors from the various shows.
True, however, if Renegades special effects are anything like Of Gods and Men's, I doubt it. Phase II and Continues have far better special effects than OGAM did.
Renegades, like any other fan-produced productions, has no chance in hell of ever being legitimized by CBS, no matter who is involved or starring in it.
If a fan production could PROVE it was pulling in large numbers - HUGE numbers that mattered to a big corporation like CBS, you bet they'd be jumping to buy it up and continue production.
As of yet, no one's been able to provide any hard numbers to justify making such a move.
As of yet, no one's been able to provide any hard numbers to justify making such a move.
Ooooo! Being replaced by Manny Coto would be delightful! Only when I am out on my ear will our fan series become really good and popular!
(For what it's worth, we've recently brought Mr. David Gerrold onboard as our "show runner.)
Plus, the guys throwing money at them would then be in a position to dictate new directions which they might not want to take. Not happening.
Lol! I actually think you and the others in charge of Phase II have done an excellent job and that's why I wish CBS would just make Phase II an official series. I wasn't talking about having you or anyone else replaced, just having CBS put in their "man". Now, I didn't know y'all had brought David Gerrold in to be "show runner". So, no offence to Manny Coto, but it sounds like you already have someone who will do and has already done an awesome job. I just hope CBS would accept him and keep him on. I know I would.
As Doc Brown would say "Your not thinking fourth dimensionally!"
Ogam was shot in 2006, the effects were a little bit dodgy, but compare it to New Voyages in 2006, they are roughly on par with OGAM. So now 7 years later, Renegades will have amazing VFX, we have 3 separate companies working on it. 2 of those companies are also doing effects for P2 and Continues. Renegades shares a pretty close nit relationship with 'Continues', many on our crew are also doing some work with 'Continues' also.
BTW, like your screen name
Can the fans produce 20 episodes a year? Would they quit their day jobs? Are they even members of the relevant unions? Would the show even be that cheap once everyone involved is paid the union wage? And does either show have the us fan base in the millions that CBS would look for? What's your elevator pitch to moonves?
Of Gods and Men was great fan Service, and great fun, but, it lacked a "Leading Man" (Or woman) personality to carry the movie. It was like a bunch of little vignettes with Character Actors. Like I said, it was great fun, but, certainly not saleable to the General Audience, who lack the nostalgia we have.
I haven't seen any Phase 2, but if it or Renegades has the same issues, they're no more salesable to the General Audience and therefore, would hold no attraction to CBS
I haven't seen any Phase 2, but if it or Renegades has the same issues, they're no more salesable to the General Audience and therefore, would hold no attraction to CBS
Well, whether our script is written by David Gerrold, or Dorothy Fontana, or by any of our writers, we try not to do lots of little little vignettes strung together to make an episode (although we have done short 5-minute-long stand-alone vignettes from time to time). Generally our full hour-long episodes follow a traditional TOS story structure involving the main characters of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy.
A typical example is our Hugo Award- and Nebula Award-nominated episode "World Enough and Time" with George Takei reprising his role of Sulu (and Grace Lee Whitney as Rand):
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4TC5wl0IzE[/yt]
I'm a completist
, so, I actually am intending to watch them all. Do you start with Episode 4x01 (IE: Star Trek 4th Season) or is 4x what you're currently up to? I googled Videos and saw several 4x, but, nothing earlierYou make some good points. As far as the unions go, I have no clue honestly. Also, I don't know if they could produce 20 episodes a year. Then again, a new Trek series might be better off with 13-15 episodes a year anyway and with CBS help and backing, I think the fans could pull that off.
While, Phase II and/or Continues may not have a fan base in the millions (I don't know the actual numbers, but I do know at least Phase II is quite popular.), they already have an established fan base and if they were brought to tv, an even large fan base would come out to check out any new Trek series anyway. Plus there would be the simply curious. So if you combine all of them you would have millions of viewers.
Another thing, by using an already established fan series, CBS would save money on sets and costumes.
I'm a completist
Our growth curve has been fairly dramatic--the downside of which is that our ealiest effort or two are, hmm, an acquired taste, I guess. (They are like our developmentally-disabled children: we love them no matter what.) You can start chronologically, bu don't be so put off that that you refrain from watching our later, better efforts. On the other hand, if you start with our better episodes, don't be disappointed that they all aren't that good (or "good").
Yes, the conceit of our series is that we are like the fourth season of TOS, so all the episodes are labeled with "4x." Note: our first episode, "Come What May," is "4x0," so it's harder to find and we don't draw too much attention to it.
Wikipedia lists all our episodes. It's fairly accurate:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Star_Trek:_New_Voyages_episodes
Or PM me. I'm always glad to introduce people to our crazy litle production.
As Doc Brown would say "Your not thinking fourth dimensionally!"
Ogam was shot in 2006, the effects were a little bit dodgy, but compare it to New Voyages in 2006, they are roughly on par with OGAM. So now 7 years later, Renegades will have amazing VFX, we have 3 separate companies working on it. 2 of those companies are also doing effects for P2 and Continues. Renegades shares a pretty close nit relationship with 'Continues', many on our crew are also doing some work with 'Continues' also.
BTW, like your screen name
I'm glad to hear Renegades will have better effects. Though, perhaps I should explain my main problem with the special effects on OGAM which was that it was clear that objects like the Enterprise B and other ships were computer-generated. They had a very inauthentic look. Contrariwise, while the special effects in the early episodes of The New Voyages/Phase II were a bit dodgy in some respects (the Enterprise doing loop-de-loops, the Doomsday Machine), for the most part everything looked like TOS.
Btw, other than my quibbles with the special effects and a few elements of the epilogue, I loved OGAM. The plot was very good, on the level of official Star Trek episodes and movies (actually above the level of some episodes like Spock's Brain). I wish Paramount or CBS had gone to the trouble to produce something as good as OGAM for the fortieth anniversary of Star Trek. Also, thanks for complimenting my screen name.
