New Series Wishes

By Sam

Heads up, this is literally all I’m going to talk about for the next 12 months. We did our live periscope last week to discuss our collective thoughts but after listening to The Ready Room podcast on Trek.fm with Christopher Jones and guest Larry Nemecek it has go me thinking about what I want to see.

Btw, I rarely get a chance to listen to podcasts but I’m glad I took the time to listen to this one (scroll to bottom of this post to play). It provides logic behind the decision to stream and how the development of previous incarnations of Trek can provide insight into the development of this series.

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Decision to Stream

I have no strong feelings about this. When streaming services first arrived, it seemed that they were regular TV’s poor relation. Remember the campaign to get Enterprise on Netflix and how many fans felt it wouldn’t do the show justice? Those days are behind us now. Streaming is where we are now. I often read history books about TNG’s launch (I’m trying to make myself sound younger than I am!) and read about the controversy of it being ‘syndicated’. I googled ‘syndication’, I barely understand it now. Times have moved on and from everything I have read about choosing to deliver Trek via streaming, it sounds a good business strategy that proves they have the utmost faith in Star Trek.

But like TNG and syndication, I suspect this is an American problem. Here in the UK we have channels such as CBS Action ‘The home of Star Trek’ that I’m sure will be CSB’s preferred outlet. We have tweeted them and asked. Funnily enough, they didn’t answer! Unless they are planning to release CBS All Access in other markets globally?  As for the monthly cost?

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Which Universe?

In our live chat I stated that I think it’s going to be set in the JJ Universe. And I mean that in the way I mean “I don’t want anything special for Christmas’ I WANT THE PRIME UNIVERSE SO BAD!!!!

It feels like a forbidden wish. If I wish it too hard, I’ll jinx it. I would love to see what happens to the Federation after Voyager returns. What career path did Seven of Nine take? Did Bajor ever join the Federation? Has Cardassia recovered from near annihilation? Did they restore Data’s backup file onto B-4? Did Geordi ever find his mothers ship? Did anyone hear from Captain Sisko ever again?

QFISH

I know a lot of these questions are covered in books, I’ve read a fair few but it’s not the same. It’s not real.

After listening to the podcast below I felt a bubbling of excitement when Larry spoke of how it would be a wise business decision to have the new series based in the Prime Universe. It’s a sure bet to please. Most fans support it. But no. I must go through the kolinahr because I cannot allow myself to get too excited!

Earlier on this year this news story broke about a fan, Michael Gummelt, who owned the rights to startrekbeyond.com – a website where he has developed a very detailed idea for a Star Trek series now called ‘Star Trek: Unchartered’. Obviously, the Founders people who make Star Trek needed that domain for their movie so they took a look and must have liked what they saw because they invited him to Paramount to pitch his idea. The story itself sounds rather plausible for the type of story they might develop. In an interview with TrekMovie he answers the question ‘what universe is it set in?’

“Star Trek Uncharted” is set sometime in the future, distant enough that it doesn’t really matter which universe it takes place in. It’s universe-agnostic. In my fantasy world where the series actually gets made, it would need to establish itself as its own show, with its own identity. Only once it’s accomplished that would it need to establish its place in the lore. In any case, I imagine it would be up to Paramount, CBS and Bad Robot to decide if they wanted to use it as a “shared universe” show along the lines of Agents of SHIELD. – Michael Gummelt, TrekMovie

That sounds like the sort of speak CBS would like to hear. It is reminiscent of Enterprise and the Movies, that it is given its own space (pardon then the pun) in which to develop, independent of existing timelines which could be restrictive. So either Paramount really like Gummelt’s idea or they had to sweeten him into handing over his domain name with no fuss.

Cast

I said in our video that hands down, I want a female Captain. Doesn’t need to be a big deal but the 6th Captain, by rules of probability and to reflect the gender equality that exists in the future, it’s got a be a woman Captain.

In the interest of moving forward and breaking ground (although Star Trek would be a late runner to this) I’d like to see a Human gay character, male or female. Star Trek has embraced this subject using metaphors (alien relationships) but let’s show that for our own cultures and species, it’s not an issue in our future.

Much like the shows before it, I imagine it will hire new faces and I support this, it allows you to get to know that character without any preconceptions.

That said. Gillian Anderson for Captain, all the way!!

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How good would it be if David Duchovny made a guest appearance too!! …… As an agent from temporal investigations!!! **Splashes cold water on my face** …. Nope **Opens wine**

Continuing my fantasy that this will be in the Prime Universe (and at a date set sometime after Voyager’s return). I’ve even casted the first officer.

Michelle Forbes baby!!! There is a lot of scope for the Ro Laren character. Maybe it’s a mixed crew again and she is in the Bajaron Militia and seconded to Starfleet when Bajor joins the Federation? (because THAT has to happen, right!). I see Anderson’s Captain as a mellow Picard type. A listener, a diplomat but friendlier and more caring to the crew. She’d throw parties on the Battle Bridge for the ships children just for fun. But Ro… Ro is Ro!

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But going back to preconceptions with known actors. Remember when Zachary Quinto was cast as Spock? There was part of me that was worried I wouldn’t see past Sylar (baddie in Heroes). Could I ever see in him our belovered Spock? Eventually I could, but it was a process that started long before the release of the film.

Quinto appeared alongside Leonard Nimoy at the 2008 Official Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas, a move that allowed the fans to separate him from the cold blooded murderer Sylar into the Green Blooded hobgoblin we know and love.

Where am I going with this? It’s the 50th year Anniversary celebrations next year. We know there’s a big celebration in Las Vegas and we’re praying to the prophets, to Sto Vo Kor and that God from Star Trek 5 that Destination Star Trek will pop up for the occasion. This will be the perfect opportunity to show off the new assemble. Throw them in the deep end! Let us fans stare at them like we’re Ferengi eyeing up a group of Dabo Girls! And let us get their autographs before they’re too famous!

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Credit: TrekMovie

Crew

We know Alex Kurtzman is at the helm. I’m very happy with this. I’ve got a huge amount of respect for him. He is a Star Trek fan himself and some excellent credits to his name such as Fringe and Alias. I hope he has tough skin though because like most helmsmen they take a lot stick from the fans. This is something I’ve never understood. Surely if you love a series as much as fans love Star Trek, why such venom towards the caretaker of the franchise?

Apparently they are looking for a writer still. Like most fans, I pine for Ronald D Moore!

It doesn’t look like former Producers Rick Berman or Brannon Braga are involved either.

Brannon Braga

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Rick Berman

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The Ship

Unless the concept is something like Starfleet Academy or the Klingon empire, I’m presuming they’ll be a ship. My gut feel is they will go with a ship based series again.

I can warm to any ship, a bit like a car, they all have personality no matter what their ability. Star Trek has an ability to anthropomorphise it’s starships, making it part of the crew. I like sleek ships and ships that feel like home. I preferred the more luxurious feel of the Galaxy Class over the Defiant. I don’t care if the Defiant can do sweet manoeuvres. I don’t want to sleep in a bunkbed!

Same for the NX01, it doesn’t look like the sort of ship you can roam around in your PJ’s – although the Enterprise NX01 crew preferred nudity!

I’ll let other fans get excited over whether it has a Quantum Slipstream, Grapplers or Tractor beams. I like potted plants in the corridor and messy Quarters

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My comm badge is in here somewhere

For the Fans

For the Trekkie Girls we are excited to have new content to explore. At the moment it feels like every convention that has a Star Trek guest, it’s a blessing. But finally we are going to be contemporary! This is the perfect way to celebrate the 50th year anniversary of Star Trek where for the first time in over a decade we’ll not only be celebrating the past 50 years, we’ll be looking in to the future too.  Which is what Star Trek is ultimately about.

I’m particularly excited about the ‘next generation’ of fans. Such as my Son. Ok he’ll only be two years old when it starts but you got to start them young! This will be his Star Trek.

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So there are my initial thoughts. But there are a lot more questions. What will it be called? When will the next bit of information be released? How far down the development process are they? You can count on the Trekkie Girls to be there every bit of the way as we explore this Undiscovered Country.

Here is the excellent podcast by Trek.fm featuring Christopher Jones and Larry Nemecek

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