Star Trek's Next Series 406
Moogle writes "Trektoday has got photographs of the Series V cast up. They also explain about Paramount's announcement that the new series will be called "Enterprise" and have Scott Bakula in the lead role. for the full shebang" Every episode the captain and his crew will beam (surrounded by a blue light) to a new time and space where they will encounter strange new intelligence and fight them. Oh wait, that would be cool. They'll probably have touchy feely pseudo-philosophy crap and hardly any explosions.
Believe it or not, Trek is getting WORSE (Score:4)
Alas, I was wrong. I shouldn't be surprised, knowing the team that brought us seven years of Voyager time-travel/holodeck/alternate-reality/it-was-all- a-dream mindfuck idiocy.
I wish they'd give Trek a rest for about 10 years.
Meanwhile, it's high time for a Dr. Who revival...
Scott Bakula and Trek (Score:4)
--
When I'm good I'm very good, when I'm bad I'm better, But when I'm evil you better run
Scott Bakula? (Score:4)
Oooohhhh...I thought you said BLACKULA!
Maybe, maybe not (Score:4)
I'm a lifelong Star Trek fan, so I'll be watching, but if it ends up being crap like Voyager was I won't be watching long.
If Scotty were at TrekToday.com (Score:5)
If you don't have anything nice to say... (Score:2)
Actually... (Score:5)
First episode, he possesses Kirk's body and prevents him from obtaining an inappropriate hair weave.
Next episode has him entering Jean-Luc Picard's body and basically has a non-stop banging session with Beverly Crusher and Tasha Yar (pre-mortem of course).
There is a "very special" episode planned for when he becomes Janeway, but I'm not sure of the details. Possibly something to do with menstruation, but it could be anything.
Oh god (Score:2)
Trek is dead! Long life Red Dwarf! (Score:3)
Re:Please oh please.... (Score:3)
GTRacer
- Good things come in 3's
Trek Grudge Matches (Score:4)
Think about it! 26 episodes per year of the Enterprise being squished on the Battlestar Galactica's hull like a bug against a car windshield! Lyta Alexander exploding Deanna Troi's head in with a thought! John MacLean hiding out in Jeffries tubes, waging a guerilla war against the crew!
Maybe even some anime crossovers, for the truly geeky. Xellos and Q collaborating together! The Enterprise encounters the SDF-1! Wesley Crusher gets a 5-second guest appearance in Fist of the North Star! And, of course, the ever-popular Starfleet Shuttle versus Taurus Mobile Doll contest!
And best of all, HORDES AND HORDES OF REDSHIRTS DYING AT THE HANDS OF THE EWOKS!
This could work.
Information Wants To Suck (Score:3)
SuperID
Free Database Hosting [freesql.org]
Time for a New / Poll (Score:4)
Blasting Klingons
Blasting Romulans
Vulcan stuff (neck pinch, mind meld, ...)
"I kenna mek the engines go enna faster, Capn!"
"He's dead, Jim."
"It's life, Jim, but not as we know it."
Uhura/7 of 9 in those (gulp) tight uniforms!
Watching Kirk get hit by anybody!
CowboyNeal explaining the plot of each episode you've already seen 147 times.
-- .sig are belong to us!
All your
It's not Quantum Leap, you fools (Score:4)
For those of you who don't bother reading the linked article: the series premise stated by CmdrTaco in the Slashdot summary was a joke . Here's TrekToday on the subject:
Our 5 year mission... (Score:5)
What would be really cool... (Score:5)
Okay...
Bakula is a good TV actor, one that I'm afraid will never really manage the leap to the silver screen because he keeps taking CRAP roles. This could be a very good move for him. That said, from what I've heard, this has the potential to be tons better than Voyager.
What would be really cool would be if Paramount got their heads out of their asses and realized that they were writing science fiction rather than political commentary.
Yeah, there is room for the former in the latter, but I'd *really* like to see a non-PC Trek universe when the Prime Directive was more of a guideline, female starship personell all wore skirts that showed their asses, and starship captains weren't afraid to throw down and open up the occasional can of phaser-powered whupass.
I want to see racism. I want to see sexism. I want to see the captain of the show bag all the cute alien hotties. I want facepaint rather than creative nose ridges.
And... like a previous poster put it, I want explosions. Lots of explosions. This is supposed to be the Star Trek equivalent of the old west, so lets get some kick-ass space dogfights going on.
Re:Trek is dead! Long life Red Dwarf! (Score:2)
Ugh. It sounds... (Score:3)
positively dreadful.
I liked the original series, campy as it was (and when I was a preteen). Next Generation was good most of the time, even if the crew had a moral corn cob up their collective whatsis. Deep Space 9 bored me; Voyager is/was good sometimes, but is often too much of a soap opera for my taste.
Give me Farscape (although it's been rather dark recently), or the first four seasons of Babylon 5. Anything but forthright Federation/Earth folk seeking out new particles and human-like civilizations, going where countless episodes have gone before...
--
Scott Robert Ladd
Master of Complexity
Destroyer of Order and Chaos
Re:Star Trek Odd-numbered Truth (Score:5)
You want 'Andromeda'. (Score:2)
I want to see racism. I want to see sexism. I want to see the captain of the show bag all the cute alien hotties. I want facepaint rather than creative nose ridges.
And... like a previous poster put it, I want explosions. Lots of explosions. This is supposed to be the Star Trek equivalent of the old west, so lets get some kick-ass space dogfights going on.
You want 'Andromeda'. Yes, that show with Kevin Sorbo.
Seriously, 'Andromeda' is Roddenberry's view of the Star Trek universe 300 years after the fall of the Federation. It's not touchy-feelie, and it kicks some serious ass. It may not be as good as 'Farscape' (which is awe-inspiring), but it's a darn good show, and a lot better than anything done in years under the title of Star Trek.
Get Over it, Rob (Score:2)
Okay, so Stargate SG-1 comes in a distant second.
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Re:Time for a New / Poll (Score:4)
Here is the text of the release. (Score:4)
After years of speculation, Paramount Pictures yesterday officially announced that the next Star Trek series will be called Enterprise, and will star Scott Bakula in the lead role.
According to a press release sent out by the studio, Bakula will portray the physical and intensely curious Captain Jonathan Archer. "Obviously, I love the genre and am a long-time fan of Star Trek," Bakula commented. "I am also thrilled to be working on a TV series again with Kerry McCluggage and Garry Hart, a relationship that dates back to 1988 with Quantum Leap."
Star Trek producer Rick Berman, who co-created the series, agreed. "We couldn't be happier. Scott personifies the charm and intelligence that the role calls for."
Paramount's press release did not officially confirm the next series' setting, but this news makes it all but certain that the series will indeed be set aboard a 22nd-Century Enterprise. More information about the show's premise can be found in the casting sheet that was leaked to the internet two months ago, as well as recent pilot script review.
Enterprise is scheduled to start shooting on Monday the 14th of May. Paramount still has not reached an official agreement with UPN, but the network is widely expected to announce the series when it unveils its Fall schedule on Thursday.
Paramount also revealed the rest of the Series V cast, though it did not announce which roles these actors would be playing. Below is the full list of principal actors for Enterprise, as well as some info on which character they will likely be playing. Please note that the below character information is based on the assumption that the basics of the original casting sheet are still unchanged - Paramount may well have decided to change some characters during the casting process.
Scott Bakula - Bakula is best known for his five-year role as Dr. Sam Beckett on the Quantum Leap drama series, but he has also appeared in series such as The Invaders and Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Most recently, he played the lead role in the CBS comedy pilot Late Boomers, but now that he has signed on to Enterprise that show will have to look for another star.
Bakula will be playing Captain Jonathan Archer, a character that was originally to be called Jackson Archer. The casting sheet described him as a physical, bold personality, who unlike the Starfleet captains of later centuries exhibits a sense of wonder and excitement about the strange things he will encounter. He is said to hold a grudge against the Vulcans, who he blames for impeding humanity's progress - but with his first officer a Vulcan, he will have to reconsider these preconceptions.
Jolene Blalock - Blalock previously had a starring role in the recent NBC miniseries Jason and the Argonauts, in which she starred as Medea opposite Jason London. In addition, she acted in the upcoming Diamond Hunters mini-series, and had a guest role in an episode of C.S.I.. The above photo comes courtesy of Jason London Online. Though not officially announced, it is likely Blalock will be playing Sub-Commander T'Pau, an "austere yet sensual" Vulcan female. She's the Enterprise's Science Officer, assigned to the ship to oversee humanity's progress. Although she's cautious and guarded around humans, whom she considers primitive and irrational, she'll come to develop a grudging respect for Captain Archer.
John Billingsley - Billingsley is a 20-year veteran of the stage, who has said his greatest joy comes from performing in front of live audiences. He appeared in such plays as 'The Seagull' and 'The Nerd' before moving to Los Angeles, where he had guest roles on a great number of televisions shows. Science fiction fans will best remember him as Prof. Miles Ballard on the short-lived NBC television series The Others. The above photo comes courtesy of the official NBC site for that show.
Billingsley will likely be playing Doctor Phlox, a character who appears to be in his mid-40s. Phlox speaks with an alien accent, has an eccentric sense of humour that no one quite understands, and thinks that humanity is fascinating. He has filled Sickbay with all sorts of bizarre medical instruments for his own particular brand of "Intergalactic Medicine," making even the most routine visit to Sickbay an unexpected adventure.
Linda Park - Parks appeared on an episode of the WB series Popular this March, playing an Asian woman named Anna Lin. The above Popular photo comes courtesy of B5LR.com's AntonyF. Parks will likely be playinng the Japanese Ensign Hoshi Sato. She's described as "striking and intelligent," as well as an expert in exo-linguistics. As Comm Officer, she's not only in charge of all communications aboard the Enterprise, but also serves as ship's Translator.
Anthony Montgomery - Generally credited as A.T. Montgomery, this actor is best known for his recurring role on Popular as George Austin. He had guest roles on shows such as Frasier and Charmed, and last year made his first film appearance in the horror comedy 'Leprechaun in the Hood.' The above photo comes courtesy of the Internet Movie Database.
Montgomery will almost certainly be playing Lieutenant Joe Mayweather, the African-American helmsman aboard the Enterprise. Mayweather was raised on cargo ships, and as a result is more "interstellar" than even the Captain. His closest friend is 'Spike' Tucker.
Dominic Keating - Keating is an experienced science-fiction actor, with credits on shows such as Poltergeist: The Legacy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and G vs E. He had a recurring role on The Immortal as Mallos, and has also had a regular role during the final season of the Teenage Health Freak television series. The above photo comes courtesy of the official 'The Immortals' web site.
Keating will likely be playing either Commander Charlie 'Spike' Tucker or Lt. Commander Malcolm Reed. Spike is described as a Southerner who enjoys using his "country" persona to disarm people. He was hand-picked by Captain Archer, who is something of a mentor to him. Though he is a brilliant officer, he has very little first-hand experience with alien cultures, and will often be a "fish out of water" on the series.
Connor Trinneer - Trinneer is probably best-known to the general public for his role as Zeus Zelenko on the long-running One Life to Live television series. However, he has also had guest roles on series such as Sliders, Touched by an Angel, FreakyLinks and Gideon's Crossing, and last year appeared in the TV adaptation of the 'Far East' play. Prior to appearing on television, Trinneer enjoyed a successful career on the stage. The above Sliders photo comes courtesy of B5LR.com's AntonyF.
Trinneer will likely be playing either Lt. Commander Malcolm Reed or Commander Charlie 'Spike' Tucker. Reed is the British Armoury Officer aboard the Enterprise, and a bit of a throwback in this new age of humanity's enlightenment. Reed is a 22nd Century soldier, "all spit and polish and by-the-book." He's also a man of contradictions - near-obsessed with munitions, but at the same time soft-spoken, shy and awkward around women.
According to a report that appeared on Ain't It Cool News this morning, Bakula reported to the Paramount lot yesterday for his first meeting with the rest of the cast.
As part of the meeting, the cast also took part in a "table reading" of the script. This reportedly went especially well for John Billingsley, who the site said will be playing a "distinctly alien" character, in all likelihood Dr. Phlox. There was immediate chemistry between Bakula and Billingsley, and the expectation was that the two actors will play off each other well on screen.
AICN stated that not only is Bakula being paid a "small forture" to star in Enterprise, but he has also apparently been given the level of creative involvement he requested. He reportedly gave significant input to the script and his character, all of which were used by the producers.
Apparently, the massively positive reaction of the fanbase when it was first announced Bakula was negotiating for the series was one of the reasons for his eventual hiring. Bakula himself is said to be very interested in Star Trek, and then especially its characterisation and emotion rather than mere technobabble.
Now that the series has been officially announced, we have created a new Enterprise Forum at the Trek BBS, where dozens of discussions are already going on about every aspect of Series V.
According to the official press release, Bakula will also continue to develop new projects for Paramount Network Television as part of this new deal. Together with partner Tom Spiroff and his production company Bakula Productions, he has already created TV films such as 'Bachelor's Baby' and 'Papa's Angels,' and the new deal gives him the opportunity to develop series, telefilms, features and specials.
For more on this, please check out the official press release sent out via PRNewsWire by Paramount yesterday evening, as well as this article by Variety's Michael Schneider.
This news item will be updated throughout the day as new information becomes available.
Brant
Re:Star Trek w/ Explosions? (Score:2)
That would be my worst nightmare as well. But, consider this: the series takes place before holodeck technology (ahem, remember this series' time is before even Kirk's era). I highly doubt they will incorporate it. Thank the Creator.
Re:You want 'Andromeda'. (Score:2)
While Sorbo's plastic smile and perfectly toned pectorals tend to make my stomach turn, I'll check it out.
Re:What would be really cool... (Score:2)
The writing and stories (IMNSHO) on DS9 finally came together in the last two-three years. Voyager never had that. It always seemed that they were getting close, then BOOM! Another Borg episode, another holo-emitter episode, another just plain bad episode... It's almost as if the writer's strike began much earlier at Paramount, and there was nobody left to polish and shape the good scripts, and pitch out the bad ones (Janeway and Chakotay devolving into Komodo dragons and having a family is an episode I will unfortunately never forget.)
Anyway, from the spoilers I've read, the Voyager series finale will suck almost as much as the rest of the series. Hopefully, Bakula's character will do what starship captains do best: screw female aliens, and get in fights with male aliens, both to the tune of some pre-techno techno music:)
Some of season 1 fleshed out (Score:5)
IMDb (Score:2)
Star Trek is a cash cow - why would they let it go (Score:2)
--CTH
--
Andromeda = COOL (Score:2)
It started out cool, kinda what Trek would be after everything collapses.
My assessment: the show was a cheap production. The camera work was bad, most acting sucked, and the effects were worthless.
HOWEVER: the plot rocked, the characters were meaningful, etc. I really enjoyed what I saw... you've inspired me, I'm going to figure out when it is on.
Alex
Re:Believe it or not, Trek is getting WORSE (Score:2)
ObJectBridge [sourceforge.net] (GPL'd Java ODMG) needs volunteers.
Re:What would be really cool... (Score:3)
Paramount and the Trek writers/creators are absolute geniuses - just look at all the posts saying "Boy, Trek sucks so bad I can hardly watch it!"
But then you watch it. Eyeballs on screen == $$$ in Paramount pockets.
I really can't understand why people would bitch about how bad a product sucks and then keep right on buying more of it! It's like saying "Windoze Sucks!" while you install it on your machine.
Again.
For the 49th time.
This month.
"Damn, those last 158 episodes of Trek really sucked. I wonder if episode 159 will suck too?"
Paramount is bloody brilliant. My hat's off to'em.
(Personally, I watch Voyager. With the sound off. And only when Jeri Ryan is prancing around in that [drool drool drool] painted-on costume. Goddamighty, how does she breathe in that thing?)
Haiku (Score:3)
Science fiction coverage
But not of Star Wars
Re:Believe it or not, Trek is getting WORSE (Score:3)
Dr. Who?
Couldn't resist that one.
Re:Believe it or not, Trek is getting WORSE (Score:2)
Jeez, you gave me a fright. Don't do that again!
Re:Scott Bakula and Trek (Score:4)
--
Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies.
Re:You want 'Andromeda'. (Score:2)
Yup. There's even a scene in one of the episodes where the geek who keeps the ship running all the time says "He's like some sort of greek god".
I'm waiting for them to meet The Mule.
(Spot the reference?)
Re:Believe it or not, Trek is getting WORSE (Score:5)
:-)
It's not the actors, stupid. (Score:3)
Why? Rhymes with "Berman". The problem isn't the actors. Scott will do an amazing job, and his only hindrance will be the crappy scripts. Someone else mentioned that they need to actually write SciFi instead of Political Commentary. AGREED.
The problem, for a while, has been the writing. DS9, from what I gathered, finally had good writing in the last couple years.
Ditch Berman, get some real SciFi in there, and watch it grow. Hopefully, but I wouldn't bet on it. Anyone know how many writers from Voyager will be writing for Enterprise?
ObGoodSciFi: Babylon 5- Legend of the Rangers. This fall, hopefully, on SciFi. SciFi that DOESN'T suck.
Re:RIP Star Trek (Score:4)
The basis of all truly cool technology is the recalibration of shield harmonics. Without that, Trek is nothing.
oh, wait...
Re:If you don't have anything nice to say... (Score:3)
Not that I have anything against anime, I have the entire Evangelion series on my bookshelf a metre to my right. However, I do also like Star Trek, and if CmdrTaco just wants to bag it out maybe he shouldn't post news about it?
Will they get it? (Score:4)
1. Great battle scenes. LOTS of them. Explosions and death are *requirements*. Thats reality when you colide things.
2. Politics. Lying. Intrigue.
3. Sex, or at least the *distinct* impression and hint of it. Includes outfits (see Seven of Nine)
4. Flawed characters with growth. Who didnt love watching Han Solo grow to accept Princess Leia?
5. Villians we can fear instinctively. Klingons (TOS) were *plain mean*. Ferrengi (TNG) were greedy bastards that would sell you into slavery for a buck. The borg take over your BODY, and keep your mind hostage. Romulans were ALWAYS weak because there wasnt an instinctive fear attached to them.
--
Now, the question becomes what are they going to do that will work? Things they cant use:
1. Holodeck - occurs somewhere between TOS and TNG, definitely after the time period this is set in.
2. "Ablative Armor", "Quantum Torpedos", and other war tech - All came during or after TNG
3. Borg - If the show has *any* hope of keeping fans happy they WONT appear. Picard and his crew encountered them first, WELL after TOS, and the show canon says Borg *did not* get to our space before that.
4. Q - No. Just, no.
What can they do instead?
How about doing the things that geeks *love* and they havent done yet. That would be a change. Like oh, grabbing new technology, and making it a prominant part of the show in subsequent shows!
In Stargate SG-1, the asp handgun is *really* cool, and happened after the first episode, what a concept!
In ST:DSN, they added the cloak to the "nice little ship" worf loved so. In ST:VOY, they add ablative armor in the second (?) episode, but *never* mention it again.
The addition of new stuff to kick aliens butts with keeps the battles FRESH from week to week. Last time the klingons almost killed us! But THIS time we have technology-X!
I really have no idea what they could use instead of the borg. I really dont know if they can even have replicators, due to the time it is set at.
I just hope we get to see very HUMAN dialogue and reactions. I wanna see the ship get bigger, and badder. I wanna see the captain get plain PISSED OFF. I wanna see them actually stick to the canon timeline mostly.
But most of all, I want -- finally -- an explanation of the klingon head ridges. That was *such* a funny cop-out, and NOW is the time to address it and make fans VERY happy.
Explain the damned ridges!
An open format for the show like Twilight Zone (Score:4)
This would free up the creativity of the writers and let them come up with some actual science fiction , and get away from the gilligan's island/soap opera nonsense rut they've fallen into. If each episode took place on a different Federation starship bridge, it would also give the viewers the opportunity to see more of Federation space and move around without being stale or contrived.
Re:Believe it or not, Trek is getting WORSE (Score:4)
This has been done with Andromeda, also based on an Idea by Roddenberry. It is an okay show, but it is missing some of the irony that a viewers knowledge of the previous civilization would give.
If Paramount did that, it would be too obviously stealing a good idea.
Personally, I like the idea of the Star Trek would turned on its head, with a 1000 years plus of history gone down the tubes. So that the early Federation would be like the history of Early Rome Before the Ceasars.
but it is too good an idea to waste, perhaps ...
Check out the Vinny the Vampire [eplugz.com] comic strip
Re:RIP Star Trek (Score:2)
Re:If you don't have anything nice to say... (Score:2)
Re:Will they get it? (Score:2)
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Re:Star Trek w/ Explosions? (Score:5)
remember this series' time is before even Kirk's era
Does that mean they'll go back to the old-style Klingons?
Re:Believe it or not, Trek is getting WORSE (Score:2)
Re:Trek Grudge Matches (Score:2)
Star Fleet would probably send the Federation running with the fantastically cheesy theme tune alone
Re:A V version ever good? (Score:2)
As long as they Court-martial Janeway. (Score:2)
Re:What would be really cool... (Score:2)
I think a series based on Cpt. Sulu as has been talked about would be the way to go.
Braga and Berman rejected that idea because it had the potential to be good.
Re:Some of season 1 fleshed out (Score:3)
Re:Believe it or not, Trek is getting WORSE (Score:2)
Who shot that Chinese guy?
Dancin Santa
Co-star hubba hubba (Score:3)
Jolene Blalock [maximonline.com] is in Maxim Online this week. Break out the spandex!
Re:Already saw this entire series... (Score:2)
CG actors, Sabbatical (Score:2)
Second, I think any new ST series aught to make blatantly non-human (CG) characters a major part of the show. Now that CG is cheap and that here in the real world we're starting to use genetic engineering to create new kinds of life, all future Treks aught to feature every kind of life form imaginable. Most good sci-fi books feature really awesome ideas (Heinlein's martians, Adams' Hoovulue), and Trek aught to do the same. If that means ditching the old Terra-centric canon, so be it.
Bruce McGill? (Score:2)
Re:Will they get it? (Score:2)
What about Star Trek, First Contact? According to this movie, the Borg were in our solar system way back in the 21st Century when Humans first discovered warp technology. That would predate the new series, and possibly give the writers a loophole through which to introduce the Borg.
OK, I'll grant you that this would be (1) lame, (2) lame and (3) very lame of Paramount, but it's not impossible.
ObJectBridge [sourceforge.net] (GPL'd Java ODMG) needs volunteers.
Re:Star Trek Predictions (Score:2)
Re:Believe it or not, Trek is getting WORSE (Score:5)
awe, c'mon. WHen you deduct all the episodes that "never happned", it was only 3 years . . .
hawk
curse you, Berman and Braga! (Score:3)
The fans want Sulu and the Excelsior [startrekexcelsior.com], for crying out loud. Listen to them. Ultimately, it's the fans who pay your bills. Make them happy. Don't muck with Trek continuity.
If Berman wanted to kill Star Trek, he's doing a good job. ST:TNG was the last good Trek, though DS9 had its moments. I don't even consider Voyager to be Star Trek. Roddenberry created something of mythic proportions with ST:TOS, and these new producers are just screwing it up.
I have zero tolerance for zero-tolerance policies.
What will be hard to explain is: (Score:2)
How did everyone get so politically backwards from one century to the next?
In the 60's, Star Trek had a very forward looking way of life for the time, but by todays standards the social structure in TOS is very reminscent of, well, 1960's America.
So in the 90's, they move it forward a century, and it makes more sense why things would be more inclusive and progressive.
But if this series continues the trend of making Star Trek more socially progessive with each new series, how are they going to explain how things are so much more progressive 100 years before Captain James T "good ol farm boy" Kirk?
Deja Vu (Score:3)
1) Dynamic man-of-action Captain
2) Young, hot, female communications officer
3) Young African American Helmsman
4) Enigmatic alien doctor (all right, 2 of them)
5) Generic action-figure lieutenant (or 2)
Is it just me, or does anyone else see "Galaxy Quest" here?
All we need is Tech Sergeant Chen, but they didn't announce a Chief Engineer yet...
Prime Numbered Trek (Score:5)
Of course, it begs the following speculation: If prime numbered trek series are good, and divisible treks are bad...
Trek 7: 'The Spacefight Club' - This series will be composed almost entirely of starship dogfights in space, with some minor plot thrown in to appease the critics. Alien hottie flesh will be in abudance.
Trek 9: 'What Starship Captains Want' - Female and 'sensitive' male starfleet officers will particpate in a romantic comedy set entirely inside Starfleet headquarters. There will occasionally be futuristic matte paintings in the background depicting a futuristic earth, but there won't be any action or fight scenes.
Trek 13: 'Starfleet Tactics' - Series written by Tom Clancy. This one will be a little more 'intellectual' than previous Treks, but will focus on political machinations, espionage, technical and scientific detail, and large-scale starship battles. Action will not be plentiful, but it will be frequent, and well written. Critics will hail it as a 'sleeper hit'.
Treks 14-16: Will nearly bankrupt Paramount due to the casting of David Spade, Tom Green, and Britney Spears as starship captains.
Trek 17: Will be filmed using a combination of live action, full-scale starship models that really explode, and state-of-the-art quantum computer-based animation. The series will depict a life-or-death struggle in space and on Earth for the future of humanity, with generous dashes of action, sex, comedy, and gratuitous explosions. Due to the damages incurred wiping out the City of San-Francisco with a neutron explosion for the grand finale of the series, Paramount will go bankrupt.
Re:Believe it or not, Trek is getting WORSE (Score:4)
Re:Some of season 1 fleshed out (Score:2)
Re:Believe it or not, Trek is getting WORSE (Score:3)
I think they should time-warp into the Star Wars universe and get their butts kicked.
"Ok everyone, set your phasers to stun." vvvvwwwoooouuuuuuhhhhh---kkksssssssccccccchhhhh (sound of slashing/clashing light sabres...and no more phasers)
Hey, I don't hate Star Trek (I like the older ones OK), but seeing every episode umpteen times is a bit much. Is it really true there is only one master script, with some variables in it? I still remember being in the grad dorm several years ago, and walking down into the TV lounge about 8pm Friday (totally deserted) and turning on the NBA playoffs. So all the basketball nuts come out and join me. We end up owning the lounge until 1 or 2am (yeah, that _is_ a bit selfish). Funny how right at 11, a big crowd spills out of the stairwell, looks at us, and turns right around and goes back. Turns out they were the Star Trek crowd, the reruns came on at 11.
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The real reason for more Trek (Score:2)
You can bet we'll see a string of new cast members in this outing untill Paramount feels they can make profitable films.
They won't be getting my money, that's for sure.
Re:RIP Star Trek (Score:3)
. But if the new series is set in the 22nd Centuy, there can be no Borg or Q, and the technology will be crappy!
On the other hand... this means no more fucking holodeck goes nuts and tries to kill crew episodes.
That'll make it interesting right there.
Re:Here is the text of the release. (Score:2)
go fig. wonder what previously unknown vulcan ethnicity this one is.
--
Re:Actually... (Score:2)
this [concentric.net] (mirror [sickfuck.org]) is "leaptrek". it's an erotic fanfic st:tng/quantum leap crossover, where sam beckett leaps into the body of jean-luc picard. his mission? to fuck beverly crusher.
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it grew on you??? (Score:2)
More serisously, the first half dozen or so episodes (with the exception of the Squire of Gothos, err, Q, and the smarmy introduction), were well done. After that, the series centered on the characters and the technologies, anc ceased being interesting.
Captain Kirk ran around the galaxy without adult supervision, and the messes he escaped from were of his own creation as often as not. He, McCoy, and SPock were not so much individuals, but different aspects of humanity. NOt only were the programs several minutes longer, but they didn' waste several of the remaining minutes on "character development," holo-adventures, or poker games. They just told the story.
hawk
p.s. The damned robot sucked too.
Re: New B5 Movie (Score:2)
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-sfc.html?2001-
There's also a fan site with more info (spoilers on the B5 character appearing, etc.):
http://www.b5lr.com/ [b5lr.com]
Sci-Fi has said that the new series will launch if the movie looks/does well.
Re:Crusade (Score:2)
2) I agree. Wholeheartedly. I didnt say get over-balanced. I said keep escalating, and keep getting new technology, which should be a key point of a early-time-frame show.
3) I disagree. I *loved* the all-out battle with some 30 different races near the end of the series. What a way to go out. That was a VERY sexy battle.
4) I didnt *ever* say less conflict. I mention sex ONCE and the rest of the post is technology and conflict, you just focus on it.
Yes, sex is a trek tradition, but it has been watered down, and under-emphasized. I wanna see stuff like farscape and other sci-fi chan shows where sex isnt just a thought, its a yummy plotline.
Just my opinion, which differs slightly from yours.
Re:Trek Grudge Matches (Score:2)
Re:Trek Grudge Matches (Score:2)
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Re:What would be really cool... (Score:2)
Aliens, like the Guild members in Dune, the motion picture. Like the shadows and vorlons in B5. Like the thingie in Alien.
Free idea for the trek guys.. (Score:3)
Who wouldn't want to see some episodes written by say, Bear, or Stephenson, or Orsen Scott Card. Let them go nuts... you've got a whole universe to play with that people like (well, those people you haven't alienated away permanently). Let the writers in to play with it and leave them alone. Yes, it may cost you, and yes, they may actually come up with some scripts that don't fall in the normal 5 standard Star Trek plots, but hell, given what you all have churned out for the past few years, what do you have to lose (except your remaining fans?)
How does that song go? (Score:2)
Across the Universe!
Boldly going forward,
'Cause we can't find reverse!
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Re:Andromeda = COOL (Score:2)
Except for the cute computer holograph chick, the show totally sucks.
Okay, one ship gets "frozen in time" by going too close to a black hole. Then another ship flies in, attaches cables, and tows it out. Sorry, I'll have to suspend my suspension of disbelief for that one.
The Silver Bullet for the ST Franchise (Score:2)
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ablative armor? (Score:4)
Don't tell that to the pentagon--we use on tanks today . . .
omg... (Score:2)
Re:Will they get it? (Score:3)
"we don't. . . discuss that."
Re:Star Trek w/ Explosions? (Score:2)
(oops, turned another red-shirt inside out again. . . MEDIC!)
Or how about before artificial gravity?!
Re:omg... (Score:2)
Like I said, sounds corny, but if you like star trek and Quantum leap, it was a great story. Anyone got a copy of it floating around somewhere? I wouldn't mind reading it again.
Re:it grew on you??? (Score:2)
Who wants to bet that McCoy will make a guest appearance in the first few episodes as his own grandfather or something...
Scott Bakula? (Score:2)
Re:Believe it or not, Trek is getting WORSE (Score:2)
Agreed
Though it would amuse me no end that we would see see it from some far future, and part of the gist is that none would know why precisely why the federation fell. Have the Klingons become more and more like the chinese, so that they become the cultural center of a high level civilization (say, in their 5th empire, we currently seeing the 1st)) and we watch the klingon scientists at work when they find a starship encased in ice in/on the surface of a long period comet (people in stasis, etc whatever)
or whatever. The point being agreed on is to take it well outside of the normal range of events and known history so that you can start from scratch somehow. take it truly intergalatic (months to the next galaxy)
something!
Check out the Vinny the Vampire [eplugz.com] comic strip
Re:Here is the text of the release. (Score:2)
I think this setting lends itself better to having meaningful adventures (meaningful in the sense that the TOS shows were meaningful). What the group of characters does actually has some important effect beyond just themselves. They were saving the galaxy, not just their own hides. That's what Voyager was missing, and that's why I haven't watched it in quite some time. (I think the last episode I saw was the one where Kes was possessed by that alien warlord guy. {The actress did a really good job of playing the "bad guy", and she sounded really hot doing it, but other than that it wasn't a very good episode.})
DS9 was really awful at first, but what made it better toward the end was the feeling that something big and epic was happenning as the series was coming to a close. (The big kilngon/federation/dominion war.)
That feeling is also what made B5 such a good show. I'm willing to give this new Trek a try, even if it is by the same dolts who made Voyager.
No more Starfleet! (Score:5)
Screw Starfleet! I wanna merchant/smuggler/criminal Klingon/Romulan/whatever vessel, or even just a bunch of people who hitch rides all over the Star Trek universe. Maybe they'll have a mad-on for Starfleet due to bad experiences (or because they ARE criminals), and do their best to screw over Starfleet any chance they get.
The cast could be majorly disfunctional, unlike the goody-two-shoes Starfleet members, and major stories could be written about them getting themselves out of messes that they got themselves into. Instead of figuring out a good solution, their first response is to run like hell - and if they're cornered, they maim & destroy with lots of viciousness.
I have a mental image of a female Klingon "captain" who's drunk most of the time & regards the male members of the crew (of any race) as her personal harem (as they maneuver to avoid being left alone with her). (Maybe that's too much of a comedy...)
Prime Directive? When there's money to be made & peaceful civilizations to exploit? It is to laugh...
Re:RIP Star Trek (Score:4)
Anyway, the low-tech setting will force them into trying some new things. If we had a series set yet farther in the future, it would be all time-ships and glowing beings of pure energy, and who needs that crap? I want crudely-improvised antimatter weapons and women in miniskirts. I want robots to clean the floors, not paint pictures and own cats. I want ships are angular and dangerous-looking, not smooth and wimpy like some kind of alien suppository.
Naturally I am fearful, but the news of the setting gives me hope (though it has yet to be confirmed). To have any hope of regaining its status as quality entertainment, Trek needs to try something new. This is it.
Re:Believe it or not, Trek is getting WORSE (Score:5)
That being said, what I really want to know is how they're going to explain how technology suddenly takes a nosedive somewhere during the 21st century. There's WWIII, true, so maybe they'll play that up. ST:FC did make mention of a large chunk of the population being killed off. Still, though, if you think back to ST:TOS, their technology was pretty cheesy... They actually used an analog rollback odometer counter as one of their displays, their computer had AI capabilities to recognize and process human speech, but couldn't seem to generate a voice that wasn't a monotone Flash-Gordon/Dr.-Who-era drone. Also, the sets were boxy as hell, and had more pastel colors than the depth of suburban hell in the 1950s. I'm really curious to know how they're going to explain what happened to technology and what happened between now and ST:TOS to make space travel as campy as it was
But of course, that's just my $0.02
/* Steve */
Re:You want 'Andromeda'. (Score:3)
T'pau from TOS? (Score:3)
Re:Will they get it? (Score:4)
In all honesty, your check-list reads just like the key to bad sci-fi.
Explosions? Sex? Star Wars??!?!?! That's not good sci-fi. Foundation is good sci-fi. Rama is good sci-fi. 2001 is good sci-fi. Star Trek is mindless drivel in "futuristic" lycra bodysuits.
Having a Photon Torpedo and a Warp Drive does not make it sci-fi. Star Wars is nothing more than Indiana Jones in Space. Star Trek is Days Of Our Lives with tricorders.
Entertaining, perhaps. Sci-fi, definitely not.
Re:What would be really cool... (Score:3)
Are we to believe that everyone in the universe has elvolved looking just like humans with a few facial ridge features?
I have a pimple on my forehead right now - I am a star trek alien!
Re:Believe it or not, Trek is getting WORSE (Score:3)
Obviously, they're going to retcon the technology.
Expect it to be more like the movie era in appearance, even though pre-TOS in function. In particular, I would expect the computer voice to be more realistic, and all the displays to be computerized, even if many of the consoles will still have buttons.
I'm more interested in what they're going to do with the weapons and shuttles. Will they follow the continuity and use lasers? Will they make them realistic, or will they look just like phasers? (I expect the latter, real lasers are boring.)
Will the shuttles have rockets and realistic manuevering, or will they have reactionless drives and fly like they're on an invisible luge like they do on Voyager?
Also, I know we won't start with transporters, but will we develop them during the series? Will other races have them?
Ship weapons; do we have shields? Anti-matter warheads on our torpedos? Lasers and particle beams? Kinetic weapons?