New Star Trek Series in 2017

[Poe Dameron]

They aren't going to follow the old model in a post BSG and BrBa world. At least, not if they are smart.

 

It's been so long, and television has evolved so much, I'm not sure that it wouldn't feel fresh to dump modern expansive television storylines and return to the old model. Back to smart self-contained mostly episodic television that ages well and the audience can sit down and connect with without worrying about what happened last week.

 

Seriously, why compete? I bet if they put out a call to modern science fiction writers looking for old-school Trek scripts filled with allegory and inventive stories, they'd get bombarded with excellent 40 minutes teleplays that are simultaneously nostalgic yet cutting edge in their themes virtually overnight.

 

 

 

My bad! I was thinking of Symbiosis.

 

Not to be difficult, but what AIDS connection was there in that episode? It's been a long time, but the only messages I recall were the standard 80s "Just Say No!" discussion Tasha had with Wesley and the rich exploiting the addictions of the poor.

[Driver]

Oh you love to be difficult. Honestly, I never rewatch those really early awkward episodes-- but IIRC it was about a society that was dying of a plague-- hence my AIDS association. Not as overt as the one you mentioned obviously.

 

As for narrative--

 

TNG and DS9 did a decent job of being serialized as well as giving us lots of safe one-offs. That structure would still work-- I just think they'd have to go deeper with the flaws and drama is all.

 

My guess is that this new series will be a cable-sized season of 10-12 episodes, so they aren;t going to make a bunch of filler.

[Poe Dameron]

Oh you love to be difficult. Honestly, I never rewatch those really early awkward episodes-- but IIRC it was about a society that was dying of a plague-- hence my AIDS association.

 

Ah. Well, it turned out there wasn't really a plague, or rather the plague was cured long ago. The symptoms that remained were actually withdrawal symptoms caused by an addiction to the drug that cured the plague. Basically, the planet with the "cure" were a bunch of drug dealers living off what was once an advanced culture. Picard resolved the issue by giving them the finger and refusing to repair their ships citing the Prime Directive.

 

Really nothing to do with disease at all, other than the disease of addiction.

 

 

 

My guess is that this new series will be a cable-sized season of 10-12 episodes, so they aren;t going to make a bunch of filler.

 

Too bad. I mean, DS9 proved that Trek can work in long format, but, other than that series, like 90% of the great Trek episodes are stand-alone.

 

I understand why they do it because that was television is these days. And everyone needs to have an epic storyline building to something grand. I just won't be surprised if we all say, "That was pretty good," and then forget about it.

[Guest El Chalupacabra]

Yeah, unfortunately Driver, while there was the TNG season 1 plague episode, Symbiosis that Poe is describing, that was more an allegory on drug addiction. But it did air in 1988, during the time AIDS was still freaking everyone out, so I can see how that could be seen as an AIDS episode, too. I guess if there is any irony there to be had, Merritt Butrick (who had also played David in TWOK) was in that episode, and he did die from AIDS about a year after that episode aired. So maybe that was the AIDS connection you're making?

 

But the Star Trek episode often cited as the "AIDS allegory" is the Enterprise episode, Stigma, from season 2, where T'Pol contracts a degenerative and what was supposedly a fatal disease through a mind meld, something that was forbidden for Vulcans to do at the time.

[Driver]

I think you missed some posts, my friend...

[Stevil]

Tank man. Why have you got a hard on for me?

 

I brought up LGBT because it's quite a progressive thing to talk about and in the realms of Trek quite on topic.

 

Also, I don't like Kirk and Riker's womanising. It's so 25 years ago and even less appealing now. It's nothing to do with sexuality and just vomit inducing.

 

And another thing... You can't take the moral high ground when you're part of an industry that created these inequalities and stereotypes. An industry that's still addressing them as well 20 years too late.

 

I've not said anything inflammatory at all. You're reading shit that isn't there dude.

[Driver]

I said I wasn't really picking on you! Just playing devil's social justice cross-examiner!

 

I fully admit to putting words in your mouth-- no insult intended, just trying to point out we only have this discussion when it's not straight white male.

 

And trust me, the fact that I am in the thick of it SUCKS. I've literally been in meetings where I've been asked to change the gender/race of characters.

 

One huge reason is-- you think we're bad, other countries are worse. The foreign market sales are even more specific-- action movies with white dudes 35-45. Smaller studios that depend on foreign sales as part of their financial plan won't even consider other types of scripts.

[Guest El Chalupacabra]

So, we have a teaser trailer and this article:

http://www.comingsoon.net/tv/trailers/705263-star-trek-discovery

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGsuM31IC-Q

 

The name: Star Trek Discovery. Personally, I love the title which is also the name of the ship. Couldn't have picked a better title and ship name. I just hope people keep the tradition of a 3-letter abbreviation for this series, and dub it DIS (much like TOS, TNG, ENT), and not call it STD! It appears this series is in the Prime timeline. Judging by what appears to be the registry, NCC-1031, my guess is this series may take place in between ENT and TOS. We may even see the Earth/Romulan war.

 

In any event, now the ship. It is a carbon copy of the unused Ralph Mcquarrie concept Enterprise:

 

Now this is a design some people like me, who love seeing old concepts put into new works (like I did with Star Wars TFA) love at first sight, but there is also going to be some people out there who will absolutely hate this design. They will complain about its shape, or the fact it is not starfleet gray or white. Or whatever. And then in 10 years or so, the same people who bitched about the ship will talk about how they loved this show. It wouldn't be Star Trek if someone didn't hate the hero ship of the movie or series!

 

But to me, especially if this is a post ENT/pre TOS era show, this fits right in! I definitely think this is a far better choice than a F***ING Daedelus class! Also, on the saucer, I see some design queues we see in the USS Franklin (AKA Frank Lyn) from Star Trek Beyond, which further leads me to believe this may be a post ENT series.

 

The only complaint I have is the CGI. I have seen some Star Trek fan films with better CGI. I hope this is just a rough cut, and the actual production quality is much better.

[Driver]

You said pretty much exactly what I've been saying. They say PRIME universe for Trekkies, but this period was obviously picked since it is in a time before the split, so it's still in continuity with the nuTrek films.

Also, I never realized it until somebody pointed it out-- but this ship design has been seen before. In Star Trek 3 as the Enterprise enters the space dock, this ship designs is in the background (and mostly obscured).

[Guest El Chalupacabra]

Yeah, I also believe that same model was used in a TNG episode, and was located in a star ship bone yard. Don't remember the episode name off the top of my head, though. Edit: I think it was Unification.

 

As for continuity, I agree, if this is the post ENT/pre TOS era, this is probably the best scenario as it ties in both the prime universe for long time fans like me, and also the Abramsverse. I really think it will be interesting if we do get the Earth-Romulan war, or at least in flashbacks. It would be really nice to see NX-01 crew members make cameos. Especially if they set it 10-20 years after the events of ENT, it could be done.

 

It's just the fanboy in me, but Enterprise deserved a better send off than it got, and it would be nice to see an episode or two of Star Trek Discovery fix that. But realistically, I would be surprised if Enterprise gets mentioned beyond a casual name drop.

[Poe Dameron]

Not to put too much emphasis on a far from finished product, but the effects kinda suck. They looked better in the 90s. And, no, I'm not just talking about models being superior. DS9 and Voyager had plenty of CGI.

[Driver]

Yeah-- the FX aren't great... but it is a promo and not actual production footage ( I hope)

[Guest El Chalupacabra]

Yeah-- the FX aren't great... but it is a promo and not actual production footage ( I hope)

My guess is they are floating this footage to poll the audience on how they like they design. So, I can see them not putting a lot of money or effort into it. Unfortunately, a lot of what i read seems negative, even though I think it is pretty awesome looking.

 

As to the CGI production quality itself....it just speaks to how far it has come. Really, that clip is not any worse than Star Trek Enterprise, but fan films like Axanar, let alone the new Star Trek Movies, completely blow it away, as far as realism.

[Driver]

People keep say Axnar was super awesome-- but every fan film I've seen from those guys looks terrible.

[Guest El Chalupacabra]

I was just saying the starship clips in the Axanar kickstarter video from last year has pretty good CGI quality.

 

But you are right. Fan films like renegades suck ass. Really most of them are pretty ametuer. Probably the only one that I actually like is Star Trek Continues, and even that is a mixed bag. And really, as far as Axanar, I don't know if you have been following it, but Alec Peters with his Kickstarter raising 7 figures and drafting professional former Star trek actors and fx people has pretty much screwed it up and caused Paramount\CBS to crack down and lay down some restrictive rules for fan films. I think we are going to see Star trek fan films go by the way side, before long.

[Guest El Chalupacabra]

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/75876

 

Starting to look more and more like it may be a show set after Enterprise, but before TOS and probably before the Narada time incursion.

[Driver]

Like we all figured!

 

I'd love to see the Romulan War, but beyond that it's a pretty boxed-era of Trek history. I can accept more prequel action, I just really hope they push beyond the boundaries of just a new crew on a new ship.

[Guest El Chalupacabra]

Yeah, I am kind of hoping that this show ends up being the show I had wished we would have had with Enterprise. The Romulan War is the biggest thing about Enterprise that I wished I had seen. Plus, we could actually see the formation of the Federation, and a Starfleet under the UFP, and not just Earth.

 

People keep saying that there is a problem being "boxed in" between two timelines (not you D, other sites I visit), but seriously, I don't think it will be too much of a problem. We have about 70 years between the end of Enterprise, and the Narada time incursion. That is more than enough time to play with for a show that will have 13 episode seasons, which if we are lucky, will likely only last 4-5 seasons. Should be a piece of cake.

[Driver]

Boxed in is probably not the best term, if they do small personal stories they should be fine.

 

What I fear is that they try to slot in galactic spanning epicness that doesn't jive with canon.

[Guest El Chalupacabra]

I agree. At the end of the day, it will come down to writing. I'd prefer if they did a mix of the two, though: focus on one major event (IE Romulan or Klingon Wars) as the major arc of the series, but small personal stories for each episode (sort of like TNG, or DS9).

 

As long as they stick to one major event, they should be fine. IF they start trying to shoe-horn the entire development of the UFP, the origin of the {fill in with any Star Trek race here} or something like that, it could be trouble.

[Guest El Chalupacabra]

Inspired by The Thing? You decide!

 

 

[Guest El Chalupacabra]

So, some info dropped today. Basically, the show is a prequel set 10 years before TOS (limiting!). No Romulan War (BOOO!). Lead is a human female LT Commander, instead of Captain (interesting). Possible Secion 31 connection (ugh! Not again!). Probably gay cast member (to be expected). There be robots (Data's grandpa? LAME!). Suddenly I am less optimistic.

 

http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/08/11/star-trek-discovery-will-have-a-female-lead-is-set-10-years-before-kirk-took-command-of-enterprise

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/startrek/comments/4x53z6/new_information_about_star_trek_discovery/

 

http://trekmovie.com/2016/08/10/breaking-star-trek-discovery-to-be-set-10-years-before-tos-will-feature-female-lead-gay-character/

 

https://twitter.com/TheEricGoldman

 

But given the time frame, no wonder Paramount/CBS decided to shut down Axanar. This is basically the same time period!

[Poe Dameron]

No Romulan War (BOOO!).

 

Meh, I didn't really want to see them get too deep into a war where you never see the other side anyway.

[Stevil]

Bloody women and bloody gays. They have no place in Star Trek. It should be a straight men only cast with cameos from fit birds only!!

 

In all seriousness. Really happy to get back to episodic trek and I'm glad the project is moving along. I don't know why they need a lead though. Sure the captain is important but Trek isn't always just one story about one person. Maybe it's the new Lt Commander who travels through time??

 

Anyway, colour me excited

[Guest El Chalupacabra]

Bloody women and bloody gays. They have no place in Star Trek. It should be a straight men only cast with cameos from fit birds only!!

 

In all seriousness. Really happy to get back to episodic trek and I'm glad the project is moving along. I don't know why they need a lead though. Sure the captain is important but Trek isn't always just one story about one person. Maybe it's the new Lt Commander who travels through time??

 

Anyway, colour me excited

It seems they are trying to shift the focus to more junior officers, who have the action. There has been some Star Trek fans clamoring for a TNG episode Lower Decks style of point of view, and this may be a partial acquiescence to that. The captain will likely be sort of like how General Hammond was portraed on Stargate SG1: he's the guy in command, but it was the SG1 team that was the focus.

 

The thing that really concerns me is the "10 years before Kirk" thing. A little too close to me. What if this show goes 7 seasons? that seems to be a little limiting. I would have preferred at least 20-30 years prior.