All Things Star Trek

[Elessar78]

Well, I'm not a Trekie by any means because the force is strong in my family.  But, I always watched ST and dig the movies, especially the reboot.  I think, basing a series off of Kirk as he goes through the ranks (like the new movies) would be sweet.  Give it the more bad-ass look like the new movies.

 

Honestly, I think if they did the right mix of casting, made it bad/kick ass in action, a new reboot would work on CW.  

I would equate that to Stargate SG1, which started out on Showtime then got cancelled and sold to Sci-Fi (or SyFy).  Probably wouldn't work as well on a premium channel due to a lot of people not wanting to pay for it.  Granted they are afforded an extremely larger amount of leniency as opposed to local and cable networks, it probably wouldn't last.

 

I'm all for it though, I have all the premium channels (HBO, Showtime, Max, etc.)

I think the failure of SG1 was that it was campy. It's all in the execution. I mean the premise of Game of Thrones isn't original, it's been done hundreds of times.

 

What I'd love to see is a Prime Directive be damned Star Trek. We're always the ones getting invaded. What if we were the planet colonizers spreading flu and wiping out civilizations light years away. 

[Slateman]

I liked that SG-1 was campy and didnt take itself seriously

[PokerPacker]

What I'd love to see is a Prime Directive be damned Star Trek. We're always the ones getting invaded. What if we were the planet colonizers spreading flu and wiping out civilizations light years away.

Well you could have a Klingon-centric Star Trek.

[Dont Taze Me Bro]

I liked that SG-1 was campy and didnt take itself seriously

Im a huge SG-1 and Atlantis fan, I've seen the entire series of Atlantis at least 5 times over.  SG-1 about 2-3 times over, so many episodes lol.

[nonniey]

I think the failure of SG1 was that it was campy. It's all in the execution. I mean the premise of Game of Thrones isn't original, it's been done hundreds of times.

 

What I'd love to see is a Prime Directive be damned Star Trek. We're always the ones getting invaded. What if we were the planet colonizers spreading flu and wiping out civilizations light years away.

Didn't watch much SG1 but failure? I thought that show was on for about 15 years.

[DCSaints_fan]

Well you could have a Klingon-centric Star Trek.

 

Yeah that would be a really interesitng spin on the series.   Star Trek (along with just about everything film, except maybe Disney films :-) ) are "human centered" though so I think you would have to find a way to make a human the main character.   Maybe something like when the Federation and Klingon Empire are at peace and some Starfleet officer (maybe even a small group) volunteers for a "diplomatic cruise" onboard a Klingon ship.

[Dont Taze Me Bro]

Yeah that would be a really interesitng spin on the series.   Star Trek (along with just about everything film, except maybe Disney films :-) ) are "human centered" though so I think you would have to find a way to make a human the main character.   Maybe something like when the Federation and Klingon Empire are at peace and some Starfleet officer (maybe even a small group) volunteers for a "diplomatic cruise" onboard a Klingon ship.

Or how about a spin-off called Khan.  That would be bad ass. 

[PokerPacker]

Yeah that would be a really interesitng spin on the series.   Star Trek (along with just about everything film, except maybe Disney films :-) ) are "human centered" though so I think you would have to find a way to make a human the main character.   Maybe something like when the Federation and Klingon Empire are at peace and some Starfleet officer (maybe even a small group) volunteers for a "diplomatic cruise" onboard a Klingon ship.

I recall an episode of The Next Generation when Worf's brother, Kurn (who did not reveal himself as such at the start), took part in an Officer Exchange Program with the Federation. They could do a series with a Starfleet Officer doing the same aboard a Klingon vessel. I could see that adding an interesting dynamic as he might have to compromise some of his human principles under a Klingon captain, and you'd also see the tension between him and the Klingon crew under him taking his orders.

I always did like TNG's Klingons. They were such a bloodthursty, savage race, but at the same time were honorable. Gowron, in particular, fascinated me. He was a vicious, cut-throat Klingon with ambition who had the glare of a psychopath, but he was honorable and made for a strong leader.

[Larry]

Well you could have a Klingon-centric Star Trek.

 

I could see something like that working. 

 

There's a Trek book I've really, really, liked, called The Final Reflection.  It's not considered cannon, because of how/when it was written, but I think it's a great story. 

 

 

It's Klingon-centered.  And it's set around 50 years pre-Kirk, at the time of the first contact between the Federation and the klingons, 

 

Central character is Vrenn, a teenaged Klingon orphanwho makes good, so to speak, joins the Imperial Fleet, rises to Captain his own ship, and so on.  He is assigned to a special mission, (When he receives his orders, and is informed that this mission requires volunteers, he reflects that often "most qualified for a special mission" means "most expendable", and that, if he declines to volunteer, then they will simply expend him, and call the next name on the list.), to travel to Earth and pick up the first Ambassador from the Federation to the Empire.

 

 

I might even know of a good time to base such a series. 

 

 

In Enterprise, we had a pair of episodes that established why Kirk's Klingons looked different. 

 

There was a two-part episode of Enterprise where they revealed that the Klingons had learned about Kahn and company, and they thought that the idea of genetically engineering a race to be smarter, stronger, and more aggressive sounded like A Good Idea.  So they stole some of the DNA from Kahn and Co, and began researching to see if it could be applied to Klingons. 

 

Since they didn't want to be bothered with creating test DNA, planting it into a zygote, and then waiting 20 years for it to grow up, to see if it worked, they embedded the Augment gene into a virus, allowing them to implant it into Klingon test subjects, and relitively quickly alter their DNA to include the Augment genes. 

 

Well, they succeeded in creating stronger, more intelligent, more aggressive Klingons.  The DNA also made them look considerably more Human, but hey, that's an acceptable price for their new conquering army to pay. 

 

The virus became contagious.  Klingons who weren't intentionally infected began turning into human-looking (and stronger, and more aggressive) Klingons. 

 

In the Enterprise episode, the Klingons were fighting the spread of the disease by wiping out anybody infected.  But, the virus was slow acting.  People didn't show symptoms till well after infection.  So, the Klingons had begun wiling out the entire city of anybody infected.  Then entire colony planets, to try to stop the spread of this "disease" which they had manufactured. 

 

The Enterprise episode revolved around a Klingon scientist kidnapping Dr. Phlox, and forcing him to help them try to design a virus-based "cure" for this "disease". 

 

Phlox was able to design a cure which canceled some of the symptoms of the disease.  It reduced the gains in intelligence and aggression, but infected Klingons still wound up looking more Human.  (Thus giving up the Klingons from Kirk's time, and explaining how Koor, Kang, and Koloth, the three Klingons from TOS, could show up on DS9, looking like "movie Klingons", instead of "TOS Klingons".  Obviously, somewhere between Kirk and Picard, the Klingons managed to fully cure the "disease")

 

 

Well, I've always thought that, somewhere during this period, when some Klingons have "cheese graters" on their heads, and others look like Fu Manchu, when "disease" is spreading through the Empire, when the Organian peace treaty hasn't been imposed, . . . . .

 

We all know that somewhere in there, there's going to be a Klingon Civil War.  (At least one.)  Between the "real Klingons" and the "diseased Klingons".  (They look like Humans.  Ewww!!) 

 

You could have a series, set in that period.  The Klingon Civil War.  Klingons fighting each other can happen, without it really affecting anything in the Federation.  (And thus, it doesn't disturb their sacred timeline.) 

 

We can introduce new species, from the other side of the Empire.  Some of them may be Klingon opponents, others can be species the Klingons have conquered. 

 

And we can still do social commentary.  Lots of opportunity to beat people over the head with how immoral things can happen, when you're willing to do anything, to win a war. 

 

I could see it working. 

 

(I'm not sure how long it would work, though.  I could see people really enjoying a movie or three, set in that period.  Maybe a year of TV episodes.  But can they keep it interesting for a seven year TV series run?) 

 

I might even propose a tentative title.  Kinda a takeoff on "Game of Thrones".  (And a really big reference to the above-mentioned story that I liked so much.) 

 

"The Game of Empire".

Edited May 21, 2014 by Larry

[DCSaints_fan]

I recall an episode of The Next Generation when Worf's brother, Kurn (who did not reveal himself as such at the start), took part in an Officer Exchange Program with the Federation. They could do a series with a Starfleet Officer doing the same aboard a Klingon vessel. I could see that adding an interesting dynamic as he might have to compromise some of his human principles under a Klingon captain, and you'd also see the tension between him and the Klingon crew under him taking his orders.

I always did like TNG's Klingons. They were such a bloodthursty, savage race, but at the same time were honorable. Gowron, in particular, fascinated me. He was a vicious, cut-throat Klingon with ambition who had the glare of a psychopath, but he was honorable and made for a strong leader.

 

Yes, perhaps a backstory could be the Klingons are at war with a faction like the Cardassian Empire, and while the Federation is officially neutral, they are providing covert support and even some of Starfleet officers volunteer to fight for the Klingons.   (This has historical parallels with for example, American pilots flying for the RAF or Chinese Air Force in WWII before the US actually entered the war).   The one thing that intrigued me about the Klingons, is the every character seems to be (or at least once was) a warrior - where do they get their engineers/doctors/technicianss (or even run of the mill like cooks/garbagemen )?  Perhaps the Starfleet officers have some special skills that the Klingons are in short supply of and due to the war going badly for them they compromise and let non-Klingons serve aboard the ship.

 

The only problem I forsee, is running out of themes/ideas..  Every ST series (except maybe DS9 to some extent, though I didn't watch the later seasons) had the theme of "explore new worlds and new civilizations" , the writers got pretty much a clean slate every week, there weren't many continuing plot lines except maybe some minor subplots.  With a major backstory like a Klingon war, I can see the writers perhaps getting of repeating the same themes: Initial conflict/non-acceptance between Starfleet officer(s) and Klingons?  Check.   Starfleet officer(s) "prove their street cred" somehow and some of the Klingon crew members begrudglily accept them as "one of them" Check.   Starfleet officer(s) face existential crisis in compromising their morals in order to survive in unfamiliar/hostile environement?   Check.  I can see enough for maybe a season or so, before it would get stale and they would have to take the show in an entirely different direction.

[PokerPacker]

The one thing that intrigued me about the Klingons, is the every character seems to be (or at least once was) a warrior - where do they get their engineers/doctors/technicianss (or even run of the mill like cooks/garbagemen )?  Perhaps the Starfleet officers have some special skills that the Klingons are in short supply of and due to the war going badly for them they compromise and let non-Klingons serve aboard the ship.

I've wondered a bit about this myself. Well, at least about the engineers. I could see Klingons as a race that would be quite happy to eat their food raw. Did a little digging, and it seems that most of Klingon technology has come from other races. Apparently they killed off invading aliens and reverse-engineered their warp technology giving them their warp ships, for example. I believe they received their cloaking technology in a trade with the Romulan Empire, sending them some D7 class ships in return. So it seems most of their engineering feats come in the form of reverse-engineering technology of other races.

I wonder if these non-warrior classes are reserved for their women. The only Klingon engineer I've been able to find from the shows: http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Kurak

[ABQCOWBOY]

Divergent TimeLine:   They could do a Series where the timeline is changed and something like the Borg do succeed.   You can have a Human Race on the verge of extinction, together with the Vulcans, Romulans, Klingons and whomever else, in the same boat, all forced together in a common fight for survival.  You could incorporate the idea of Human Genetics being embraced (Khan) as opposed to rejected, as they were earlier in the ST story, and introduce a Super Human Cast with very few survivors battling the Borg for their survival.   Sometimes fighting the Borg while also searching for a new area of the Universe to settle and create stories on the different situations you might encounter in that search, in order to escape the Borg.  You could also be searching for a way to reset the timeline with different plot lines and make it multisegmented story lines.   Like 3 or 4 different story lines going on at the same time, in the same series.  

 

Lots of stuff you could do.

Edited May 22, 2014 by ABQCOWBOY

[Riggo-toni]

Abq -that sounds like a fascinating premise actually.

[Slateman]

ABQ, that sounds a little like BSG. Only a few non-Borg remaining, fighting a guerrilla war.

[ABQCOWBOY]

Abq -that sounds like a fascinating premise actually.

 

I think you almost have to do something like that.   The Star Trek idea has been so thoroughly written about that you almost have to create multiple stories within the storyline.   That together with the audiences over exposure to Special Effects and short attention spans in general, the writing would have to be really good to make it successful.   You have to expand the series to make it interesting.

 

 

There are probably lots of stuff that could be done if the budget were there to support it.

[The 12th Commandment]

I could see Netflix doing a great job if they work it out. Nice to see there is some interest.

 

http://www.geek.com/news/netflix-rumored-to-get-exclusive-new-star-trek-series-1596342/

 

It has been nearly a decade since new stories in the Star Trek universe have been produced for the small screen, but we might be getting close to a revival of this storied franchise courtesy of Netflix. At Phoenix Comicon, Star Trek author and producer Larry Nemecek has announced that CBS is in talks with Netflix to produce a new series that would air on the streaming service. Set phasers to excited. Update: Nemecek has posted a rebuttal of the original report, saying he never stated there were ongoing talks about a new Trek series on Netflix. Apparently there have been “overtures” in the past, but as far as he knows nothing is happening right now.

-continued at link

Edited June 10, 2014 by KAOSkins

[Kosher Ham]

I will preface, by stating...I was never a fan of the show/series (any of them), and the only movie I liked was Wrath of Khan.

 

I don't see a way they could build a new fan base. The costs to do shows these days is huge, I suppose they would be able to get sponsers. Would the show be good enough to convince traditional fans like most of you, or draw any new fans at all ?

 

That seems unlikely unless they got real aliens and such.

 

Similar to Knight Rider in that sense, and plenty of other shows.

[SpacePenguin]

Eh...I only liked the original series. TNG portrayed the human species as angelic to such a degree I could not take it seriously. Ruined me on even giving the other spinoffs a chance.Same thing with SG-1 and its spinoffs.

Earlier someone wrote that they liked the whole "mankind is innately a force for good" kind of thing. I despise it. Stories dealing with morality are great, but only when there are shades of grey. When things are polarized to black and white, they lose all relevance in my eyes.

I actually can't think of a single scifi franchise I'd want more of, aside from Farscape. A sequel featuring the son of John Crichton would be amazing

To each their own.

Edited June 11, 2014 by SpacePenguin

[Burgold]

 

 

Similar to Knight Rider in that sense, and plenty of other shows.

Nah, the problem with Knight Rider is that too many of us own KITT these days.  Our cars have computers in them.  We have cruise control, GPS, it can tell us where the best place to go is.  Sure, we look turbo boost and armour, but the wonder of KITT is gone.

 

With Start Trek, we do have communicators.  Hell our smart phones are better than what Kirk used.  We've even developed tricorders.  The magic of exploration and alien encounters though... that's still there.  Laser battles (or phasers if you must) and Warp drives still tickle the imagination.  Sure, we've sent an unmanned probe beyond the solar system, but that adds to it... there's a lot of possibility still out there if you get smart writers.

[PokerPacker]

With Start Trek, we do have communicators.  Hell our smart phones are better than what Kirk used.  We've even developed tricorders.  The magic of exploration and alien encounters though... that's still there.  Laser battles (or phasers if you must) and Warp drives still tickle the imagination.  Sure, we've sent an unmanned probe beyond the solar system, but that adds to it... there's a lot of possibility still out there if you get smart writers.

We have tricorders? I know a bounty was put out to develop a tricorder ($10 million), but I don't think it's been claimed.

[@DCGoldPants]

 

Netflix Wants To Make A New ‘Star Trek’ Series Happen

 

 

It’s easy to forget that Star Trek is mainstream: Star Trek: The Next Generation was arguably the single most financially successful show of the 1980s, and the five TV series are streaming monsters for Netflix. Which means, in turn, that Netflix would like more Star Trek. But will it actually happen?

 

So far, apparently it’s in the form of Netflix sending CBS an email saying “Hey, this Trek thing seems to be a big deal, how about we do a new series?” The main problem seems really to be over at Paramount: CBS and Viacom both hold some of the Star Trek rights… but they’re technically two different companies with two different CEOs who, by all accounts, absolutely hate each other.

Adding to the problem, Viacom tends to prefer to work with Amazon, while CBS prefers to work with Netflix. That makes negotiating a Star Trek series as a streaming exclusive a bit tricky. Oh, and also, the premium cable networks involved, Epix and Showtime, probably wouldn’t be happy at losing a plum series to a company essentially killing them.

On the other hand, it’s the job of a CEO to make money, something Netflix has in abundance and would really like to give to these companies. And the lure of having Netflix pay for a show that will be guaranteed to make them money on everything from merchandising to home video sales to theme park rides is hard to dispute.

There’s also the question of where a new Trek series could really air, outside of streaming services. The syndication networks that made Paramount $1 million an episode off Star Trek: The Next Generation don’t exist anymore. Most cable channels have become more restrictive and vertical, focusing on properties their parent company owns.

So, essentially, it’s going to happen sooner or later. One suspects that Viacom or CBS is taking a wait-and-see approach with the Marvel series that will be hitting Netflix. So, if Daredevil does well, don’t be surprised if a new Trek hits the streams in fairly short order.

 

 

[Larry]

If nothing else, I think House of Cards has demonstrated that having Netflix produce shows direct to themselves certainly CAN work.

(Although, I suppose, only Netflix knows whether Netflx is actually making money on that show).

[@DCGoldPants]

I imagine House of Cards is cheaper as well. Present day dramas vs. sci-fi stuff. But I think the FX tech is there to have a fine version (if written/acted well) for a Sci-fi. though I think a show on FX or USA would be grittier. 

[JMS]

dislike.

 

I agree...

 

I enjoyed the original and TNG...    I really really enjoyed Enterprise it was fresh and built upon what we knew from the other series...

 

What I really dislike about the re imagining of the star trek universe it has nothing to do with the Original shows...   It's like if they made up an entirely new Sci Fy show, were to lazy to build their own audience,  so they kind of did a corporate takeover with Star Trek plastering the new show,  new characters,  new technology on top.    

 

I'm old school,   what made star trek extra special was there were consistency across it's series and from show to show.    That's what made it a Cadillac of scify.     I think JJ Abrams brought a lot of action to the series,  but overall I wish he would have sold shoes rather than mess up Gene Rodenberry's vision.    I'm so disgusted by it I may not even see his next movie.

[Slateman]