Star Trek (2017 series) - analysis, speculation, news, discussion

[INACTIVEUSS Einstein]

The other threads about this read like a bar room economics conversation; analysing CBS shares and picking apart the modern state of the media. This thread is for outright Trekkie fanaticism; picking apart hints and set photos - speculating like complete nerds - hype. I'm frankly suprised this hasn't happened yet; we have been waiting 10 years for this; as long as Star Wars fans have been waiting for their new movie - and we have been living through a dark age of television sci-fi.

The Star Trek (2017 Series) Speculation / Analysis / News / Rumors / Discussion Thread




What are the present possibilities:

• A show set in the Alternative Timeline
• A show set in the Original Timeline
• A complete reboot of Star Trek

And what are the possibilities within these confines:

• A.T.: A show set during the timeframe of the JJ Abrams movies
• A.T.: A show set during the future of the Alternate Timeline (TNG era)
• O.T. A show set contemporary to James T Kirk's captaincy
• O.T. A show set contemporary to Jean Luc Picard's captaincy
• O.T. A show set 100 years after Jean Luc Picard's captaincy
• Reboot: A complete recast of the original series (gender blind casting?)

Who, over the dark years, has proposed or been rumored in connection with a new series:

• J J Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci & Damon Lindelof
• J Michael Straczynski & Bryce Zabel
• Seth MacFarlane
• Bryan Singer
• Bryan Fuller
• Sam Raimi
• Brannon Braga

Which of them would you have preferred had Alex Kurtzman not succeeded? Would you like them to join up in the new series as co-executive producers?

What will Alex Kurtzman's vision for the series be like, who will he hire? Will he take a cue from J Michael Straczynski's proposal and hire the best contemporary writers of science fiction to do stand-alone stories? Will he blend episodic arcs with stand alone episodes? Will it be entiely arc-based?

What will any new ship look like? What will it's top speed be? It's capabilities? Who will the major antagnoists be? Romulans, Klingons, the Dominion, the Borg? Will Commander Sela be recast, and be a main villain? Will a younger Garak run around a rebooted Enterprise D, sabotaging systems? Or will this turn out to be the adventures of the USS Kelvin, NCC-0514-C? What do you want to see?



Discuss!

 

[IronMaiden]

What makes you think it will be the future?

It could be around the same time or after voyager.

 

[INACTIVEUSS Einstein]

What makes you think it will be the future?

It could be around the same time or after voyager.

I don't, but it would be logical - when Star Trek last needed refreshing, they moved it forward a generation - a similar idea could work again. It would also free the staff from a lot of baggage, potentially.

But personally, I think it's more likely to be set during TNG era, but in the Alternate Universe. Rebooting Picard and the most popular Star Trek series, after rebooting TOS and Kirk in the movies, seems logical too.

 

[IronMaiden]

If it is in the new time i won't watch it, also i think when they made Enterprise trying to come up with a new series they did not want to go to the future again.

I think they said it would just be faster ships and better stuff and that would be boring.

 

[INACTIVEUSS Einstein]

A bit more information to stimulate discussion:

J Michael Straczynski's proposal was the first out of the gate, in the mid-2000s, after Enterprise had died, and before JJ Abrams had yet rebooted the franchise. His idea called for a complete reboot of the series, focusing on Kirk, Spock and McCoy as a kind of classical trinity of Decision Maker, Rationalist and Confessor. It's hook, was that in addition to stand-alone Five Year mission episodes, there would be an ongoing arc, because the Enterprise's secret orders would be to uncover an ancient mystery, and prevent it falling into Romulan or Klingon hands. The treatment also called for hiring the best writers possible:

Another proposal, by Bryan Singer, was for a "Star Trek 3000", set in the 31st century, at a time when the Federation had lost it's way, fallen into decadence, and members were threatening to withdraw. I must admit that I don't like this idea, but it could have potential; king of Gene Roddenbury's "Andromeda" done right - piecing together a fallen civilization and reasserting the values of Star Trek.

Other than that, fans have plenty of ideas for what could make an interesting series, and although I think a Michael Dorn "Captain Worf" series is probably not a great idea, as it would be very niche, and perhaps too far from what Star Trek is about, mixing and mashing crews could be interesing, as in Nerys Myk's post:

Obviously Kurtzman needs to steal my idea:

Deep Space Voyager the Next Generation​

An epic multi-POV, arc based series in the mode of Game of Thrones.

• Deep Space Nine- Formerly an orbital Cardassian ore processing station, the Bajoran Provisional Government has turned it over to Starfleet to serve as the base of operations for the defense and exploration of the Bajor Sector and beyond. In addition to Starfleet and the Bajoran Militia, there is a large civilian population on the station that includes Bajorans, Starfleet dependants and other foreign nationals.
  
  • Commodore Benjamin Sisko- Starfleet Commander for the Bajoran Sector. Sisko is veteran of the Cardassian Wars. His wife, Jennifer and son, Jake live with him on DS9, but he has misgivings about them being so close to the Cardassian border.
    Lt. Commander Tuvok- Starfleet Intelligence. Tuvok oversees various on ongoing SI operations in the sector. Some of which might be above Sisko's "pay grade".
    
  • Commander Katherine Pulaski- Chief Medical Officer. A veteran officer with strong opinions, she's often a thorn in the side of Sisko and his unofficial conscience. She's also fond of needling Tuvok and has a low opinion of "spies".
    
  • Lt. .Commander Data- Chief Operations Officer. An android. Data is in charge of keeping the station running. Given its blend of Federation. Cardassian and Bajoran technology it a task that keeps Data busy around the clock. Not needing sleep he is well suited for the task. As an android wishing to become more "human" Tuvok finds him fascinating.
    
  • Colonel Kira Nerys- Bajoran Liaison Officer. Kira was a member of the Bajoran Resistance during the Cardassian Occupation. She is still wanted in the Cardassian Union for terrorism. She coordinates activities that involve Starfleet and the Bajoran Militia.
    
  • Constable Odo- Chief of Law Enforcement for the station. A shapeshifter of unknown origin, Odo was raised on the station by Bajorans. He is strongly attached to the station and sees it as his only home. While nominally in charge of civilian law enforcement, Sisko likes to use Odo for Starfleet related operations as well.
    
  • Quark- A Ferengi merchant who runs a casino on DS9's promenade. He is also heavily involved in various criminal activities in the sector. As such, he and Odo have an adversarial relationship.
    
  • Garak- A Cardassian tailor who runs a shop on the promenade. He is the only Cardassian still on the station. His reasons for staying are currently a mystery. Though Tuvok certainly has a few ideas.
    
  • Dukat - A Gul in the Cardassian military. Dukat is the former Prefect of Bajor and presided over the transition from the Cardassian Union to the Bajoran Provisional Government. Currently he is the military commander for the Cardassian territory adjacent to the Bajor Sector. He would very much like to be Prefect of Bajor again.
• The USS Enterprise- A Galaxy class vessel, the Enterprise is the newest and most advanced ship in Starfleet. It's primary mission is establishing diplomatic relations with the new worlds beyond Bajor. It's staff includes a large diplomatic team.
  
  • Captain Jean-Luc Picard- The ship's Commanding Officer. Picard is a man weary of war. The prospect of commanding a mission of exploration and diplomacy has kept him Starfleet. He sees a new war on the horizon and is making every effort to change course.
    
  • Lt. Commander Chakotay- The ship's Executive Officer. Chakotay's homeworld was on the frontlines of the Cardassian Wars and now lies in Cardassian territory. He's not happy being a ship who's main objective is to "make nice" with the Cardassians.
    
  • Ambassador Deanna Troi- The sector's Chief Diplomatic Officer, she divides her time between DS9 and the Enterprise. As a civilian, she's not always greeted with open arms by Starfleet. Her goals are often at odds with Commodore Sisko's, the sector's military commander. Picard is more open minded and she prefers the Enterprise to DS9
    [*]Lt. B'Elanna Torres- The ship's Chief Engineering Officer. She served with Chakotay in the Cardassian Wars and shares his views on making peace with them.
    
  • Lt. Commander Beverly Crusher - The ship's Chief Medical Officer. The widow of Jack Crusher, Picard's former XO and closest friend. Her son is in Starfleet and she worries about his future.
    
  • Ensign Ro Laren- The ship's Flight Control Officer. Born in a Bajoran refugee camp she's never been to Bajor before this assignment. She's at odds with native born Bajorans, who see the refugees as cowards who chose to flee rather than fight
• The USS Defiant- A Defiant class light cruiser. Its primary mission is defense of the station and the Bajor system. It serves as the flagship for the commander of DS9.The Defiant is a warship, part of the legacy of the Cardassian Wars. It's crew is small and most are experienced combat officers.
  
  • Commander William T. Riker- The Defiant's Commanding Officer. Riker comes across as a genial sort, quick with a joke and a twinkle in his eye. He's also known to have an eye for the ladies. In a combat situation he's all business, though. A clever commander with a trick or two up his sleeve.
    
  • Lt. Commander Elizabeth Shelby- The ship's Executive Officer. She's all business, all the time and isn't afraid to speak her mind if she thinks Riker ( or anyone else) is wrong. She has high standards and if she had her way the crew would be drilling around the clock.
    
  • Lt. Worf- The ship's tactical officer. On a ship the size of the Defiant, tactical includes flight control. He respects Riker and admires Shelby.
    
  • EMH- Experimental Medical Hologram. A new technology currently being tested on the Defiant. It's inventor, Dr. Louis Zimmerman is on board overseeing the test. (or is he?)
    
  • Lt. Ezri Tigan- Medical Officer. Tigan is Combat Field Medic and provides backup for the EMH. An unjoined Trill, who's not on the candidate list, she lives life to the fullest.
    
  • Lt. Geordi La Forge- The ship's Chief Engineering Officer. Blinded in the Cardassian War, La Forge can interface with the ship's systems through his VISOR, a device that enables him to see. As such he feels and senses what the ship does. At times this seems to cut him off from his crewmates and he wonders if he is losing his humanity.
    
  • Ensign Harry Kim- Operations Officer. A rookie right out of the academy he's in awe of these "heroes".
• The USS Voyager- An Intrepid class scout ship. It primary mission is science and exploration. Most of its crew are in the Science division and the rest is comprised of young officers, some just out of the Academy. Because of this, the ship has been nicknamed "The School Bus". Voyager spends most of its time away from the Bajor Sector in unexplored territory.
  
  • 
    
  • Commander Kathryn Janeway- The ship's Commanding Officer. Formerly in the Science Division, this is Janeway's first command. For her the thrill of the "hunt" is what drives her. She needs to know what's behind the next nebula and beyond the farthest star.
    
  • Lt. Commander Jadzia Dax- The ship's Executive Officer and Chief Science Officer. A joined Trill, Dax can call upon decades of experience from her previous hosts. Which is at odds with her youthful appearance. A close friend of Sisko in her previous host, he still calls her "The Old Man". A name that followed her to Voyager.
    
  • Chief Petty Officer Miles O'Brien- The ship's Chief Engineer. The real old man aboard the ship, he has a decade on most of the crew. A veteran of the Cardassian Wars, He's one of Janeway's trusted advisors and a father figure to the younger crewmen. (Just don't tell him that). His wife, Keiko, lives on DS9.
    
  • Lt. Julian Bashir- The ship's Chief Medical Officer. Young, inexperienced and on his first deep space mission, Bashir is out of his element and tries to cover it up with bravado. O'Brien has taken him under his wing.
    
  • Ensign Wesley Crusher- Operations Officer. A gifted young man, Crusher completed Starfleet Academy in record time. He's the youngest member of the crew and very aware of this As such he is over eager to prove himself. His mother is the CMO on the Enterprise.
    
  • Lt. Tasha Yar- The Ship's Chief Security Officer. Growing up as an orphan on failed colony where every day was a fight for survival, Yar feels out of place on a ship full of scientists and overachievers.
    
  • Lt. Tom Paris- Flight Control Officer. Paris is onboard the Voyager as a favor to Admiral Owen Paris, Janeway's former CO. Paris has been a disciplinary problem (and embarrassment to his father) in the past. Voyager is his "last chance".

 

[INACTIVEUSS Einstein]

If it is in the new time i won't watch it, also i think when they made Enterprise trying to come up with a new series they did not want to go to the future again.

Even so, since we are getting it, it's interesting to speculate about the possibilities and opportunities, even if you don't like the idea. I think a series set in the farther future has just as much potential as TNG - it just takes the right producers and writers to see it. There is nothing at all stopping them from making a "Next-Next" Generation an interesting era of exploration and discovery - except failure of imagination. There are always ways around making technology seem too powerful. Enterprise likewise had a lot of potential, most of which went unrealised.

I think they said it would just be faster ships and better stuff and that would be boring.

Star Trek is a big enough setting, with so many thousands of avanues for storytelling, that you could basically set a new series anywhere timeline-wise.

The technology/era isn't as important as the writers they hire; anything is fresh, when written well, and conveyed in a new way, with enthusiasm. The problem with Enterprise wasn't so much lack of originality (it was ridiculous when producers blamed the Romulans for being "over-used"), but rather tired producers, one of whom, by their own admission, hadn't even seen the Original Series, despite being paid to be caretaker to a beloved franchise. Yet, even so, re-watching it, it is a much stronger series than I remember.

Contrast this utterly defeatist attitude with the enthusiasm Kevin Feige shows for re-treading 60 year old Marvel material - and how he navigates the age of the material.

 

[BeatleJWOL]

The treatment also called for hiring the best writers possible:

Neil Gaiman ended up writing a couple episodes of the renewed Doctor Who, so this kind of thinking would be welcomed.

An Andy Weir Trek episode would be neat.

 

[INACTIVEUSS Einstein]

Yeah, Gaiman also wrote for Babylon 5, being the only writer to break Straczynski's ridiculous 50-episode run as sole writer (or however long it was) lol. It would be interesting to see what he would do with Star Trek, although his leanings are toward the mystical, so I'm not sure how it would jive with ultra-rationalist Trek.

One other thing I think would be interesting to see if they went down the route of rebooting TNG, would be re-introducing the Dominion, but as they were originally intended, as a sort of anti-Federation, full of diverse races (instead it ended up looking more like a king of caste system):

The Dominion was conceived as "a sort of unifying anti-Federation in a way, just to give it a completely different character," said Robert Hewitt Wolfe. Indeed, the group was intended to be similar in structure to the Federation but with very different ideologies. The Dominion was to represent a wide array of alien races, just as does the Federation (as opposed to the mono-species Klingon Empire, Romulan Star Empire, and Cardassian Union), but it was to be fascist-like, ruled by coercion and domination, in contrast to the cooperation and freedom of the Federation. As Wolfe explained, "The Dominion was not monolithic. It wasn't just the Romulans or the Cardassians. They were distinct in that they were the Dominion. They were, like the Federation, a collection of different races. But unlike the Federation, they were bound together by fear and extortion, whereas the Federation is bound together by noble thoughts and love and friendship and all that good stuff. So in a lot of ways, they were the mirror image of the Federation." (The Birth of the Dominion and Beyond, DS9 Season 3 DVD special features) Ira Steven Behr explained, "We wanted warriors, businessmen, and a dark force that was controlling it all." Wolfe elaborated, "Basically, the idea was that the Dominion was the Carrot-and-Stick Empire. The businessmen, the Vorta, were the negotiators, the friendly guys who show up with the carrot [....] Then, if you don't toe the line, they kick your ass with the Jem'Hadar." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 154)

Also interesting:

As part of this mandate, Behr tasked the writing team to read Isaac Asimov's Foundation trilogy, which all the writers then read.

How fantastic would it be to actually see inside their society, as say, reboot Picard has to launch an infiltration mission from the reboot Enterprise D, deep into their territory; showing what everyday life is like in some highly urbanised Dominion cityscape, inhabited by billions of citizens.

You could have like anti-Vulcans, a telepathic species adept at science, different soldiers to the Jem'Hadar, used as specialists, show the Vorta as controlling corporations, research projects, etc, not just as commanders of the Jem'Hadar. In fact, martok2112 recently wrote something in another thread that sounds a lot like this vision of the Dominion:

My idea, have a rival power compete with the Federation, starships from this other power are trying to get newly discovered civilizations to join them over the Federation and is trying to get claim new planets to take their resources, all so they can be in a good position to attack the Federation at a future date.

Which is what we've seen before, so if I can suggest a slight change.

The rival isn't a enemy, more a competitor. A competitor for new members, new worlds to colonize, new trade partners, new natural resources to drive and expand their civilization.

Not particularly looking for war with the Federation, but will use limited force if the Federation deliberately get in their path.

We first hear of them on the new series when a Federation member cancels their membership, in order to freely join the rival.


.

Said competitor could even be (if we wanna throw a sort of twist into it) a throwback kind of organization... one that looks on monetary and business gains, rather than exploration and such. Now, I'm not necessarily talking about the Ferengi. I'm talking about an organization from Earth that somehow has managed to exist since the founding of the Federation, and has eventually managed to get enough resources to have a force that could rival StarFleet. But, knowing that the Earth they remembers from history back no longer exists, they have founded their own world base on another planet. They set out with their own ships.

Whereas the Federation works toward the betterment of all, this corporate entity works to make its profits, forge monetary business trade with other worlds, forms protectorates (and alliances where possible). They don't feel bound by the Prime Directive, but they're not necessarily out to corrupt or enslave worlds.

The Federation may take a dim view to this corporate competition for the trust and membership of worlds, but it's not like the Federation can really do anything about it. This organization operates outside of Federation law. The forces they have can actually contest whether or not it is "Federation" space, and the Federation may have a hard time trying to press home any legality of the Prime Directive to this competitor.

It kinda becomes a "he who has the most planets, rules the quadrant" kind of thing. Until then, there are territories. Some are Fed territory, others are the corporate force territory. The two powers might have to do some negotiating if one has to traverse the other's territory.

However, even the corporate entity respects things like the Klingon and Romulan Neutral Zones. They have no desire to start a war, and understand that neither the Klingons, nor the Romulans are likely to discriminate between StarFleet forces and Corporate forces, especially if either tries to cross the Neutral Zones.

To the Federation's surprise, the corporate controlled worlds seem to prosper about as well as Federation planets. Little, if any conflict. No starvation. No faction wars. They aren't perfect utopias, but they do alright. Every now and again, the corporate forces might have to put out a small brush fire in their own territory, but nothing has broken out into full on open warfare.

This entity could be a dramatic foil for the Federation, without having to be overly antagonistic.

There might even come a time where the two forces realize that they can defend their respective territories as joint forces should the Klingons or Romulans decide to try an invasion, or start a war.

That could work in a rebooted TNG era; and rather than a new foe, it fits well enough with what little we know of the Dominion. Like the Federation, they want to admit new members all over the galaxy - unlike them, they could be 'clients', 'protectorates', etc. Like the East India Company, the Dominion could have corporate armies. Although to be honest, thats probably how the Romulans operate too, to some extent, being a colonial empire, and an 'imperial democracy'.

 

[TheUsualSuspect]

I chose the complete reboot in the poll; of the options there, that's the one that most appeals to me.

I think we're most likely to get either a new ship and crew (non-Enterprise, not Kirk/Spock) set in the Abramsverse, mostly likely during the TOS period, or a complete reboot that reinterprets the ships, characters, and situations of Star Trek.

Either would be fine with me, although I'm most intrigued by the possibility of a complete reboot. If it's set in the Abramsverse, I do think a TV series would be different in tone from the fast-paced, action-packed approach of the movies.

Regardless of the period, universe, or setting, I'm hoping for story-telling that includes both multi-episode arcs and smaller, stand-alone, stories. Something like what DS9 did for much of it's run or the Straczynski proposal.

I'm definitely looking forward to January '17!

 

[INACTIVEUSS Einstein]

I chose the complete reboot in the poll; of the options there, that's the one that most appeals to me.

I think we're most likely to get either a new ship and crew (non-Enterprise, not Kirk/Spock) set in the Abramsverse, mostly likely during the TOS period, or a complete reboot that reinterprets the ships, characters, and situations of Star Trek.

Either would be fine with me, although I'm most intrigued by the possibility of a complete reboot. If it's set in the Abramsverse, I do think a TV series would be different in tone from the fast-paced, action-packed approach of the movies.

Regardless of the period, universe, or setting, I'm hoping for story-telling that includes both multi-episode arcs and smaller, stand-alone, stories. Something like what DS9 did for much of it's run or the Straczynski proposal.

I'm definitely looking forward to January '17!

I also think it would be really interesting just to see a complete reboot. Maybe with completely re-imagined hard science; NASA consultants, etc. I also wouldn't mind such a show just completely blind casting every character; Indian American Woman Kirk, and Chinese American Spock with British Nigerian Bones. It would keep with the principles of Trek, and also be interesting to see how they keep the essential traits of each character alive. Idris Elba as Kirk? Ming Na as Spock?

But yeah, I think a JJ Verse show is much more likely, given Kurtzman's close association with that setting - perhaps he and Orci were the driving force behind it's creation more than Abrams anyway, so Abramsverse is a bit of a misnomer? I agree, the show would likely be different in pace from the movies and able to dwell on things longer - as others have pointed out, the TOS movies are different in tone to the series too, so I could see the TV show being much more restrained.

Agree with your post totally - can't wait to find out more.

 

[LLAP]

You could easily have a series set shortly after the end of Voyager, I certainly don't see why not. Prior story gives a richness that is hard to create from scratch. Also it'll look very new anyway because of the difference between 2017 and 2001 which was when that trek time was last filmed. Writers still have the freedoms to do pretty much whatever they want too. A new story and characters in a world with a rich history that we love. I have no interest in a JJverse series, why not just create a new science fiction show. Either a totally new show, or proper star trek.

 

[INACTIVEUSS Einstein]

You could easily have a series set shortly after the end of Voyager, I certainly don't see why not. Prior story gives a richness that is hard to create from scratch. Also it'll look very new anyway because of the difference between 2017 and 2001 which was when that trek time was last filmed. Writers still have the freedoms to do pretty much whatever they want too. A new story and characters in a world with a rich history that we love. I have no interest in a JJverse series, why not just create a new science fiction show. Either a totally new show, or proper star trek.

This podcast on TrekFM seems to think the Prime Universe makes a lot of business sense:

http://www.trek.fm/the-ready-room/190

 

[INACTIVEUSS Einstein]

Some reactions, including from Rick Berman, Brannon Braga and Seth MacFarlane:

Rick Berman responded to the new series with cautious optimism. On his Twitter feed, he tweeted, "I wish them nothing but good luck and smooth sailing. Just hope it stays true to Gene's vision." [11]

Brannon Braga likewise wished the new series well, commenting on his Twitter feed, "Star Trek is a vast canvass with many artists. Constantly evolving. Godspeed to Mr Kurtzman." [12]

Robert Hewitt Wolfe admitted to not knowing anything about the new series, apart from having read about it online, and stated he is currently too busy to write for it. He also commented, "Sounds like it could be great though." As for the way the new series will be released, he stated, "Subscription streaming is an extremely successful model & allows for good budgets so it makes sense for Star Trek." [13] [14]

David A. Goodman reacted to news of the series by saying, "Hope it's good, will watch it even if it's bad." [15]

As for whether he and wife Denise Okuda will be involved in working on the new series, Michael Okuda remarked, "We'd love to be involved. Kurtzman already has a talented, experienced team from the last two films, but who knows?" [16]

Rene Auberjonois dismissed the notion that the new series will feature himself and Nana Visitor portraying their respective Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters of Odo and Kira Nerys. [17]

On Seth MacFarlane's Twitter feed, he recommended, "Let's make this new Star Trek series optimistic, eh? I think we're all dystopia'd out." [18]

Press reactions to the series' announcement pondered how Star Trek could appeal to a new generation and compete against darker, more mature, shows of the 21st century like Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, and Ronald D. Moore's reboot of Battlestar Galactica. [19] [20] [21] [22] National Post felt there was no need for a new series, arguing Star Trek had become a quaint retrofuture series akin to Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers. [23] The Independent was one of the few to argue the optimistic future of Star Trek would make a welcome antidote. [24]

And the article in The Independent:

Star Trek offers a rare optimistic view of humanity - and its return to TV can do a lot for progressive values

I have been a Star Trek fan for my entire life. Growing up in the eighties, my earliest memories are of being curled up in my Dad’s lap as we watched endless repeats of my heroes - Kirk, Spock and McCoy – galloping round the cosmos, fighting rubbery monsters and learning the power of friendship. The franchise has since exploded to form part of our pop culture. You needn’t have taken in the twelve movies or five television series to know that phasers are best set to stun, warp speed is the expedient way to travel, and Mr Spock is hard to get angry.

The two recent JJ Abrams movies have kept Star Trek popular but the absence of Trek on television has been tough for fans. Trek isn’t built to slog it out with dinosaurs and superheroes for the multiplex buck. Its true power resides in the dexterity that episodic story-telling involves. It allows for weekly allegorical morality plays – revealing a favourable diagnosis of the human condition. All hidden behind wobbly sets and grown-ups in pyjamas.

So the news that Star Trek is set to return to the small screen is the most exciting thing to happen for us fans since Star Trek: The Next Generation debuted in 1987. Undoubtedly, the landscape of entertainment and culture itself will benefit. Most depictions of the future involve the Mad Max/Planet of the Apes brand of dystopia which (probably correctly) predicts that we will ultimately succumb to our warlike and selfish nature: worshipping the bomb or the coin until our ultimate demise.

Trek posits that we might actually harness our ingenuity and compassion and bind ourselves together as a species to create a better future. That our insatiable curiosity will inspire a co-operative race to the stars. This is inspiring stuff. Literally. I promise you that if we walk the halls of the brilliant dreamers of NASA, and throw a rock, we’ll hit a Trekkie or two.

Consider also the efforts that Star Trek has put into furthering the causes of social justice. Only two years after US law forbade racial segregation, Star Trek had a black female officer on the bridge - with a name derived from the Swahili word for ‘freedom’. Nichelle Nichols, who plays Uhura, thrills the convention circuit with the tale of being talked out of leaving the show by Dr Martin Luther King. The story goes that he told her Star Trek was one of the only shows he allowed his children to watch, because it showed a black woman not as the help, or as comic relief – but as an officer and an equal.

Star Trek is about to turn fifty, and in those five decades it has taken on almost every difficult human subject by dressing it up as escapist science fiction so we didn't know we were learning. I recently watched an episode which tackled the ethics and effectiveness of torture. It was made in the nineties but could very well have been made now. What allegorical play will be spun from the Edward Snowdon, North Korean demi-gods, or of the current refugee crisis? Amazingly, in spite of its decade spent off the screen, Trek already has episodes which deal with these very themes within its canon.

For me, Star Trek is one of our most important, progressive (and amazingly for its age - atheistic) pop culture touchstones. And in truth, its return to the small screen simply makes the world a better place.

And the implications for video games:

Can a New TV Series Revive the Fortunes of Star Trek's Video Games?

There's a clear interest in games where you jet around the galaxy in a starship; but outside of Cryptic's Star Trek Online, there's been almost nothing unless you count Trexels - a middling Tiny Tower knockoff set on the original Enterprise. Given the obvious appetite for sci-fi action games and the continued public interest in the franchise, it's fair to ask what gives. Where are all the Star Trek games? If you don't mind me answering my own question (I'm a journalist!), I have a few pet theories on that front.

1. There hasn't been enough Trek media over the past few years: The TV shows are long dead outside of Netflix, with Enterprise having gone off the air in 2005. Since then we've got a grand total of two movies of varying quality and a whole lot of rumors. Netflix has kept the shows from fading from the public consciousness, but it's tough to sell a publisher on funding a game based on 20 year old show like Star Trek: The Next Generation.

2. CBS and Paramount exercise strong control over the license: When I went to see the Star Trek game in 2011, I was surrounded by an army of PR reps who were there to represent the interest of the franchise. Every detail of a licensed adaptation is scrupulously vetted by stakeholders at CBS and Paramount. Given the tight control exercised over Star Trek and the attendant licensing fees, it's not surprising that larger publishers like EA have shied away from the series, especially given recent failures.

3. No one seems to know what to do with Star Trek: Star Wars is a natural topic for a video game. Everyone likes Star Wars because it has lightsabers, blasters, space battles, and explosions. Star Trek is trickier because it's more cerebral, often focusing on high concept sci-fi and political issues at the expense of space battles. It's thus no surprise that most of the best Star Trek games have been adventure games that focus on conversations and puzzle-solving - a more thoughtful and thus more niche genre (though Telltale has managed to do quite well with it). On a sidenote, I've always found it strange that no one like Obsidian or Bethesda ever thought to make a Star Trek RPG, particularly given that Bethesda held the North American publishing rights to the franchise at one point. The closest we've gotten is Star Trek Online, which is a fun game hamstrung by MMORPG conventions and microtransactions. What a shame.

Mostly, Star Trek games have suffered from a lack of quality development. It's no surprise that Star Trek's best games come from the likes of Interplay - a publisher responsible for some of the best games ever made. Unfortunately, Interplay's involvement has been the exception rather than the rule, and Star Trek games have more often been farmed out to obscure studios like Mad Doc Software and Reflexive Entertainment. By comparison, Star Wars has benefited from the talents of DICE, BioWare, and LucasArts at its peak.

 

[Quinton O'Connor]

This is, already, a remarkably informative thread. It is precisely what I'd hoped to create when logging in this evening. I've had thoughts this past few days of putting together the barebones framework for a kind of all-in-one up-to-date information source for the new series, modeled after the success I've had with a Mass Effect thread on BioWare's forums. Keeping things organized via Google Docs, the hypothetical Star Trek topic would contain links to the information, whilst cataloging development updates from across the net.

It appears you've taken some strong first steps toward that, in conjunction with a focus on speculation and analysis. Bravo. If you'd like to work together at some point on that idea of mine, please don't hesitate to let me know. Meanwhile, I'll think of some stuff to say on the speculation front and post again in a bit.

 

[Catarina]

I think they said it would just be faster ships and better stuff and that would be boring.

Spoken by people with limited imaginations.

 

[Catarina]

Whatever time and place it takes, I just hope it reopens possibilities and above all restores humanity. I'm sick of this dark ages of 'let's watch messed up people's lives for entertainment'. Shift back to growing generations with integrity, action, justice, faith, prosperity and so forth.

 

[Pondslider]

I really like the idea of bringing in established Sci-fi writers to write episodes. Unfortunately several of the ones Straczynski referenced there have passed away now. There are some good female writers working like Station Eleven author Emily St John Mandel for example that I'd like to see have a chance too.

 

[Salinga]

It would not surprise me if CBS did a reboot of TNG in the JJVerse, so much like in the 80's, Kirk is in the movies, Picard is on TV. Much like TOS, TNG was a huge success so CBS could count on that like Paramount did with the reboot of TOS. It would also mean, the character definition and setting of the TV/streaming reboot would also be defined by Roddenberry, much like the TOS characters of the movie reboot.

Maybe Paramount and CBS strike a deal for the shared JJVerse and Paramount even gets the option to bring the CBS show onto the silverscreen when the show was successfull for some years and isnt produced anymore (like "Generations" after the TV run of TNG).

Paramount played it safe with the reboot; would not surprise me if CBS does the same. In both cases the reboots would be based on successfull characters by Roddenberry himself.

 

[BeatleJWOL]

Rick Berman responded to the new series with cautious optimism. On his Twitter feed, he tweeted, "I wish them nothing but good luck and smooth sailing. Just hope it stays true to Gene's vision." [11]

Brannon Braga likewise wished the new series well, commenting on his Twitter feed, "Star Trek is a vast canvass with many artists. Constantly evolving. Godspeed to Mr Kurtzman." [12]

 

[INACTIVEUSS Einstein]

This is, already, a remarkably informative thread. It is precisely what I'd hoped to create when logging in this evening. I've had thoughts this past few days of putting together the barebones framework for a kind of all-in-one up-to-date information source for the new series, modeled after the success I've had with a Mass Effect thread on BioWare's forums. Keeping things organized via Google Docs, the hypothetical Star Trek topic would contain links to the information, whilst cataloging development updates from across the net.

It appears you've taken some strong first steps toward that, in conjunction with a focus on speculation and analysis. Bravo. If you'd like to work together at some point on that idea of mine, please don't hesitate to let me know. Meanwhile, I'll think of some stuff to say on the speculation front and post again in a bit.

Wow, thank you for such a positive response - you are a fellow hardcore Mass Effect fan too! I've been following that series intimately since two years before Mass Effect 1 was released, and knew even then it would be my favorite game of all time. Of course you may use this thread however you like - I would find your input in this thread most most welcome - and hopefully as the thread grows, fans will start picking apart news about the new show in minute analytical detail, having a ton of fun while doing so.

Consider yourself fellow caretaker of this thread

The more the merrier