Glen here...
Imagine if you will: a Star Trek series set long before The Next Generation, long before Deep Space Nine and Voyager. Imagine if you will a series set long before the *original* Star Trek series. A series which would chronicle the earliest days of deep space exploration in the Star Trek universe,maybe even using a ship called Enterprise.
Imagine seeing her pulling out of space dock for the very first time, perhaps under the command of a captain named Robert April. Imagine the expression on his face as he looks out into the darkness of space to realize how huge and daunting it is, and how many adventures it must hold - both glorious and tragic. Imagine a presentation of space travel which is entirely different than what we've become accustomed to on television: a dangerous and unpredictable kind of space travel which throws all kinds of obstacles in the path of a heroic and pioneer crew - which is desperately trying to master the new technologies with which audiences have already become so familiar and comfortable.
Imagine being able to watch these adventures on a weekly basis, as April and his crew blaze a path through space - living adventures and doing things which profoundly impact the worlds of James T. Kirk and Jean-Luc Picard.
Imagine one of the boldest concepts ever entertained by the Star Trek franchise - a notion so completely off the wall and wacked-out you just wanna grab every last person on the Paramount lot and hug 'em.
Taking "Star Trek" back-to-the-basics.
Rough & tumble, gritty and real. But always holding on to the tenets and idiologies which make Trek so compelling - and even exploring the formation of these ideologies.
Am I saying this is going to happen?
NO!
But that answer is not as mean as it sounds. Let me explain.
Coaxial has received some strong indication that Paramount is currently mulling over the possibility of a new Star Trek television series. Said series is being contemplated as a replacement for the departing Deep Space Nine, which wraps a long and successful production sometime 'round April.
While sources are unable to confirm the exact nature of this new series, there is some indication that...at some point in time...at some level....the notion of mounting a prequel Star Trek adventure has actually been articulated.
Before everyone goes blabbing this all over the Internet, LET'S BE VERY CLEAR HERE: 1) there is some extremely solid indication that Paramount is evaluating the possibilities for another Star Trek series. 2) The prequel notion I outlined above was only one scenario - which may not have even made it into on-going discussions regarding this new series. It may have been blabbed in a bathroom somewhere, then dismissed by the time the toilets were flushed. It may have just been a general "prequel about the Star Trek universe" idea, and the concept of Robert April commanding the first Enterprise were only implied - if even that.
In other words, this new series could still take any form, including the dreaded Starfleet Academy premise which has been floating around for god knows how long. I really hate that idea, I sure hope they don't make a Starfleet Academy series. I really, really, really don't wanna see a series like that. That might be the first series I wouldn't be even be able to watch. Although, AICN perennial Annie Reed loves it. Then again, what do you expect from someone who hangs around on the Empire State Building, waiting for Godzilla, King Kong, or Tom Hanks to show up?
I don't wanna see a series about Klingons either - which seems to be another fan favorite.
I wanna see a series that puts the awe and wonder and mystery back into Star Trek. A series where the inside of Starfleet ships don't look like the lobby of a doctor's office. A feeling where the people on the journey are frightened and challenged by the obstacles in their way. A series which puts a feeling of being alive back into the show on a weekly basis. A series which looks different than DS9 and Voyager - with different kinds of photography that don't make me feel like the series was shot on a super-mega-fancy-shmancy video camera.
And while I look forward to Crusade, I don't feel entirely comfortable having to turn away from Star Trek to find the kind of Star Trek I am looking for. To me, that is more a testament to the Trek franchise than to Crusade's ingenuity.
I'm saying this because I *love* Star Trek, and I really think Paramount needs to take it back-to-the-basics if the franchise is to survive another series.
((Glen Note: I don't want to read any stupid e-mails or Talkbacks telling me I don't love Star Trek because I'm saying bad things about it. Grow up and open your eyes. Saying crap like that makes you exactly like the stereotype non-Trekkers/Trekkies have about you. I listen to *your* ideas and opinions with an open mind, without calling you names. I watch every single episode of each Star Trek series every week, including the repeats & re-airings. So let's not draw a line in the sand here, okay folks? Lets just contemplate and evaluate the potential this new series (whatever form it takes) has to make things right.))
It's because I love Star Trek that I'm concerned for its future. I think Star Trek could go one forever - but not on the path its currently travelling.
So, time will tell what Paramount will do with this next Star Trek series. Certain considerations (with which I am unfamiliar) seem to be governing the decision making process at the moment. Sounds like some pretty political stuff, from what I gather. The "go" / "no go" debate is also driven by certain economic consideration (*not* involving coming up with the money to do a series, though.)
So, there could be a decision made to mount a new series as soon as Deep Space Nine has vacated the premises, or there could be a very conscious decision to wait a while before launching a new installment in the Trek mythology.
There were some initial indications that an announcement regarding this project was expected as late as last December (1998). Needless to say, it hasn't happened yet.
Hope this gives you some sense of where things stand at the moment...
