Cool News
Roddenberry's QUESTOR TAPES To Roll With ANGEL and FIREFLY Executive Producer Tim Minear Running It??
Merrick here...
A press release (available HERE) reveals the following:
CEO of Roddenberry Productions Rod Roddenberry announced today that Roddenberry Productions has entered into a deal with Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Television to develop the Gene Roddenberry pilot “The Questor Tapes.” The announcement was made at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame induction ceremony where Rod Roddenberry accepted the posthumous honor, presented by Seth MacFarlane, on his father’s behalf.
[EDIT]
Rod Roddenberry will develop project along with Roddenberry Productions COO Trevor Roth and Imagine Television’s President David Nevins and EVP of Development Robin Gurney. Team is currently in negotiations with writer, producer and show runner Tim Minear (Lois & Clark, The X-Files, Angel, Dollhouse) to produce.
THE QUESTOR TAPES was originally a 1974 Gene Roddenberry-driven TV movie which was also a pilot. If memory serves, NBC had already green lighted a number of QUESTOR episodes before tensions between Roddenberry, NBC, and Universal imploded the whole shebang. The TV movie was aired, no series followed, and the concept slipped into history. There were several subsequent efforts to revive the idea, although none of them came to fruition.
In THE QUESTOR TAPES, an android named Questor sets out to learn about his meaning, purpose, and locate his creator. In spirit, he's something of a successor to Spock in the original STAR TREK series, and very much a precursor of Data in STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION. Themes of self-awareness and self-actualization are evident in many Roddenberry projects (the first STAR TREK movie, for example).
THE QUESTOR TAPES is one of several TV movie/pilots Gene brought forth in the 70s. SPECTRE starred Robert Culp as an occult investigator. PLANET EARTH and GENESIS II were two pilots for the same basic series - more or less about man displaced in time who has to help pull humanity back together again. This conceit was later resuscitated for ANDROMEDA, a Roddenberry branded show which drew its hero's name from GENESIS II & PLANET EARTH - Dylan Hunt.
--- Follow Merrick on Twitter! ---
[EDIT]
Rod Roddenberry will develop project along with Roddenberry Productions COO Trevor Roth and Imagine Television’s President David Nevins and EVP of Development Robin Gurney. Team is currently in negotiations with writer, producer and show runner Tim Minear (Lois & Clark, The X-Files, Angel, Dollhouse) to produce.
-
+ Expand All
-
Probably not. This will quickly turn into an action/adventure show where the main character has to save endangered humans every week and learn a lesson about humanity in the process. Sounds like something I can miss.
And is Hollywood so bereft of ideas that they have to keep going back to the waste basket of a writer who's been dead for years?
??Pseudo??
Out -
Personally I always thought one of the Star Trek movies should resurrect whatever Dekker and Ileya turn into at the end of STTMP. Kind of like Mr. Nobody from that Lost in Space episode. "Pen-ny. Don't die. Pen-ny. Pen-ny?"
-
Seriously, what the fuck people?
-
"Tapes"...How quaint.
-
Now with 3-D multimedia!
-
I'd rather go the Bender B. Rodriguez route and have him despise all humans.
-
this will run 12 eps and then be canceled!
-
Well, I suppose his luck is due to change at some point.
-
Or Manimal? How about Otherworld? Hollywood really has no more ideas of it's own. And they're getting more and more ridiculously desperate in their quest to revamp, reboot and resurrect ever more obscure crap from the past. Pathetic.
-
not when there are tons of other stories that can be adapted to the screen
Not everything has to be roddenberry, K. Dick, Asimov or one of the few other authors they adapt.
They should do Ringworld as a mini series and some of the other Known Space stories
Screw vampires, bring on a Pak Protector -
Sounds a little better. Maybe the Questor Cloud Service.
-
Jan 21, 2010 9:22:00 AM CST
What about a show about humans who want to become androids
by johnnyangel
or cylons. I want to be a cylon. Humans suck.
-
no mas, por favor.
-
It has not been done well, yet. Someone should adapt Doctorow's "Down and out in the Magic Kingdom", which is not specifically about people becoming androids, but is damn close with it's "consciousness as data" ideas and immortality by upload.
-
I think it had BJ pre M*A*S*H* as his human mentor. One episode had them going to Mount Ararat for some reason. It was an interesting show, but I thought Roddenberry's Genesis II was more interesting. (Boy I am getting old.)
-
multiple techniques
-
use David Gemmells instead. The Drenai saga would make a fantastic TV series.
As for this show with the Android idea its been and done a 1000 times. Mostly with Data on Startrek. Hell why not simply make a Lorne spin-off instead. I guess its gonna be another Cancelled but he at least he is just there for a paycheck show Minear works for. -
I ment Lore not Lorne
-
I'll be an android. Beats being decaying meat.
-
Nah. Let's do some old shit over and over and over and over....
-
Rodenberry stated at one of the early big NYC TREK conventions that the problem had been that NBC wanted to turn the QUESTOR concept into their billion dollar android vs the $6 MILLION DOLLAR MAN. Gene, quite understandably, wanted no part of that. Continuing with a series at this date? The actors are rather too old and using a new cast just risks screwing up the terrific chemistry of the originals.
-
Jan 21, 2010 10:55:51 AM CST
Gee, did McFarlane talk like a lisping sexual predator and make
by helveticaconspiracy
Other than that, I'm interested in seeing what they do with the man's work, these days. Spectre sounds pretty awesome. Anyone know where I could find a copy?
-
The whole show will be set in the late 1800s and Thomas Edison will be the inventor of Qestor. The will also be a giant steam powered mechanical spider!
Oh and JayLenoTookMyJob, the comment about Manimal was the best post! psi -
They think it's a great idea even though they can't understand it and don't like it and think it is too confusing and doesn't have enough action and doesn't have enough sex and has too much sex and has too much violence and has too much action and they don't like any of the cast and couldn't define the term 'science fiction,' and want it to have more aliens and
Oh, wait. They just canceled it. -
He's 10 times more successful at getting things on the air now that he's dead than when he was alive. BTW, this sounds pretty tedious...sort-of like "AI: The Series"?...
-
The man gets lucky with one good show and even after his death we still have to put up with his sub-standard show concepts. Great.
-
sounds like the ep is kinda like [rec] / Quarantine
-
I remember that movie. It was a blast. Especially the nonchalant Robert Culp kills the succubus with a book bit. Cool.
-
Ahhh we are almost there....yessssssssssss
-
and yea how about a Fringe TB? Lost can wait a few more days.
-
At the end of the pilot episode, Questor said his lifespan would be 200 years. His predecessor, Vaslovik, was played by the aged Lew Ayers - so it is not unreasonable to assume that these androids "age". There's no reason to assume that Foxworth can't either continue the role (unlikely with youth oriented programming/casting) or construct a successor to complete his mission... It'd be a nice piece of continuity. Still, the show was highly derivative of Roddenberry's "Assignment: Earth", with a super-being quietly guiding and influencing humanity's perfectibility - a charming if naive premise.
-
Jan 21, 2010 1:20:36 PM CST
I Would Prefer A Reboot On The Star Trek Backdoor Pilot
by media messiah
Do you all remember the episode of Star Trek with Teri Garr, the one where she was a secretary who worked for a intergalactic secret agent on modern day Earth? That was a cool episode, and would make one hell of a series.
-
This has potential, especially with Minear, I just hope it isn't made too boring. So many sci-fi shows these days revel in being totally mundane. What's wrong with a few spaceships every now and then?
-
Agreed. They've been pilaging his attic for decades now. How about a First and Last Man TV show? I'd watch that.
-
Just like a poster above said he lucked into success with the first two seasons of the original Star Trek and then quit the show before the third season. He was responsible for the first horrible Star Trek movie before getting fired from the rest. He was only in charge of the first season of the Next Generation which was pretty bad. He was also responsible for the "no conflict policy" that ended up destroying Trek.
-
Voyager destroyed Trek.
-
Two hostile crews forced to work together decades away from the Federation literally where no man has gone before (as opposed to the nearest starbase Picard and co went) trying to get home is a great idea. Its just that Berman and Braga were terrible hack writers/producers who clearly had no ability to do it.
The best of the shows is still DS9 even if Avery Brooks couldnt act for shit but that was Compensated for by Marc Alamo/Alex Siddig and Colm Meaney -
Totally agree. That's what made Voyager such a tragedy. It was a great premise and they fucked it royally but I don't think it was the Berman/Braga dynamic. It was the show runner, Jeri Taylor. She fucked that show up real good. And yeah, DS9 was the zenith of Trek. '98 was the high water mark. DS9 kicking ass on tv and First Contact in theaters. Once Ds9 ended, it was all downhill from there, except for that 4th season of Enterprise. They cancelled that show right as it found it's focus.
-
STAR TREK: THE NEXT NEXT GENERATION.
Set 80 Years After Next Generation! -
when the actor who played Chakotay (forget his name) broke Hollywood speak and came out and said how shit the show was and how it only focused on one or two charachters at the expense of the rest. For an actor to do that and risk career suicide things have to be bad. I think the guy who played Kim the eternal Ensign said a similar thing but less overtly as Chakotay.
-
...if/when it actually airs. Definitely agree that it's again time for a new NON-reboot Star Trek series. Something anywhere "in between" would be great. Something after TNG would be best. Going further into the future would be interesting, and maybe necessary. Because so much has happened in the post-TNG ST universe book wise. But along those lines, my dream would be Star Trek: Titan. That would so rock my world.
-
...an aged and drunken Denise Crosby.
-
The best of Trek by far, IMO, followed by the Original Series. I never got the TNG love, though, (talk about no conflict)! I liked Patrick Stewart and the rest of the Next Gen cast, they just never had anything interesting to do. Although, Roddenberry gets points for making the new Captain the exact opposite of Kirk; the Stargate guys should have taken notes...
And Voyager and Enterprise were just painful, (although I did like Kate Mulgrew, even if Janeway was a total boob). Oh, sorry, that was Seven. -
But the powers that be have criminally ignored it since it went off the air. To the point that I've read more than one cast member say they wouldn't even participate in anything Trek anymore. Whatever, the show was still great. TNG was good because, after season three, the show was extremely well produced and always well acted. It was great because of the characters and the actors who played them. Stewart, Frakes, Burton, Spiner and Goldberg were all money on that show. They created iconic characters that will be remembered for as long as Trek exists. Plus, ST largely exists as it does today because of TNG series and movies. The universe expanded greatly during their run. It was constantly introducing and further developing new races, places, back stories and side characters (many great Klingon, Vulcan and Romulans). Then there was that little thing called the Borg. That's why people love TNG, imo. Heh. Voyager, I simply CANNOT lump it in with that other show you mentioned (I refuse to admit that lameness ever existed). Plus, (as I've said before), there was a few good episodes of Voyager each season. Some seasons there were some great ones. The main issue (for me) with Voyager is that they didn't have enough faith in their audience to bring them home in the second or third season and give them something else to do. Stretching out the journey back over 7 seasons was lame.So, yeah, anyway. I'm a fan of ST on tv. I'll be very excited if/when they try it again. Just stop with the reboot mess! Do something in between or near the latter three series (all based in the same time frame) so that you can use those characters as guest stars. Hell, do something that involves some of them, like Titan (please, please, please!). Or, if you must, move into the future. But PLEASE stop insulting our intelligence with reboots.
-
Although every season had a few good episodes, most of STTNG was worse than Voyager (especially the Troi and Geordi episodes). It started to pick up in S5 and peaked in S6. Granted, the good was really good, but the sheer abundance of bad ranks it as the worst Trek for me. Don't agree? Try rewatching all the shows. DS9 was probably the best, although a case can be made for TOS (easiest to rewatch).
-
...but the third season is widely considered the beginning of good TNG. Episodes like Deja Q, Yesterday's Enterprise, Sins of the Father, Sarek and the first half of The Best of Both Worlds (the two hours together being some of the best Trek ever) are all classic episodes (amongst others). Also, I have and do re-watch them. I'm actually in the middle of re-watching Voyager right now after already completing all seven seasons of TNG and DS9 (the fifth or sixth time I've watched both of them since they went of the air). You'll get no argument that seasons 1 and 2 of TNG are weak sauce. Seasons 3 and 4, I'll argue.
-
Wow, hadn't heard about that. I can see why he spoke up. His character had the most interesting backstory and he was criminally underused. I mean, the American Indian in space? Yeah, I wanted to see more of what was going on with that guy. Yeas, the first season of TNG is painful to watch but nowadays, it's pretty entertaining. It's so corny, it reminds me of TOS episodes but projected into the 80's. If you look at it that way, it's pretty damn entertaining. I imagine it's what Star Trek: phase 2 probably would have been like.
-
It was Trek at it's best, especially the build up to the Series Finale. Star Trek:TNG was great in characterisation, but wasn't enough to love it as a whole. DS9 on the other hand, was a lot darker, better premises, great characters, good build up, and a really nice ending to the Series. I'm finding DS9 to be the best series to watch again and again.
-
are just lazy. Star Trek works best going forward. I would love to see another show set 100 years in the future (mid 25th century)with a half human/half alien descendent of Kirk as captain. Like, one of the alien chicks he slept with in the past had his child and this guy is his great grandson or something. In fact, have half the bridge crew be descendents of characters from ALL the other shows. Have them on an exploratory mission to the Andrmeda galaxy which they have to sleep in suspended animation at warp 10 for 80 years. Also, it's a one way trip so they know they'll never see the Federation again but they still have to represent the UFP. And since it's a different galaxy, there were no Preservers seeding this galaxy with humanoid DNA so the aliens could look REALLY alien. The other ST loose end I would like to see resolved is were Enterprise left off. If they went another season, you can sure as shit bet they were going to do the Romulan/Earth war. Berman wrote a tv movie to conclude it which, i hate to say; I would like to see. The foundation they laid in the show was pretty solid along with the Reman setup in Nemisis (it's only redeeming quality). Why did Earth never see a Romulan during a 4 year war? Because the Romulans stayed on Romulas and used the Remans as foot soldiers for the war.
-
I just fell in love with every single character. And it was the show were ST finally had the balls to tackle religion which they ignored for 30 years.
-
...was into a long series of canonical books. The books first fill in the time between Insurrection and Nemesis and then move past Nemesis. I'd say there's 15-20 of them in total, which eventually lead into Star Trek: Titan. Titan is Riker's ship and some of his crew are Exec Officer Christine Vale (a major character in the post TNG books), Second/Tactical Officer Tuvok (yeah, from Voyager) and Diplomatic Officer/Senior Counselor Deana Troi. It's also them most alien crew to ever man a Federation ship (with several of them requiring exo-environmental suits and/or quarter customized for their body types). There was a huge Roluman/Reman/Vulcan storyline post Nemesis that was largely driven by Spock want of reformation of the three. It was included in TNG books but also had it's own series contained in Diane Duane's (loooong time Trek writer) Rhiannsu novels (Rihannsu: The Bloodwing Voyages and The Empty Chair). At current there is peace between the Romulan Star Empire and the Federation (but it's a tenuous peace, as it was with the Klingon's for many years before). Janeway, who became an Admiral as she was somewhat of an expert on unexplored regions of space as well as the Borg, was eventually assimilated by a Borg ship (yes, a ship) and at this time is still assumed dead. Seven became a professor at Starfleet Academy. The rest of the Voyager crew beyond Janeway, Seven and Tuvock have been mostly ignored in the books. Deep Space Nine had a small series of books after the show which eventually stopped. Then they were re-booted (as were the other shows books), but there's only been a few of those. There are now 6 Titan books (with two more already announced). The first few were typical "big ass Starfleet vessel exploring the galaxy saving people, places and things" stories. Great reads! But nothing spectacular. TNG stories, post Nemesis and Riker getting his own ship. Veered into depressed Picard mourning the loss of his "second" family, as most of them were gone, and his lack of personal life. Eventually, Worf makes his way back to the Enterprise and is now Picard's new Number One. Beverly Crusher and Picard FINALLY (with much effort on her part) got through their mass of denial, are married and (after Picard fighting it to the extreme!) expecting a son (I imagine he'll be born in the book I'm presently reading - oh shit! I just realized that Riker and Troi are expecting as well! good planning on their part as young Picard and Riker will obviously have future adventures together). Now, some of that is slightly out of order, because...Over the last year or so, maybe a little longer, they've been writing all of the series into one story. There was a trilogy of books called Star Trek: Destiny that began that process. In that series of books (which concludes or begins many of the story threads mentioned above) the Borg get fed up and go after the entirety of the Federation (with Earth the ultimate goal). In the process they kill 82 billion (yes, billion) life forms (including large segments of very prominent and storied races) and completely destroy many familiar planets in the Star Trek universe. However, through a long series of time spanning events that it would take me another 2000 words to explain, the Federation wins and the Borg are gone. Picard breaks down crying on the bridge as the weight of the Borg is finally lifted from him. He is 100% convinced that the Borg are gone. Seven, we're being led to believe, is not so convinced, or at least happy about it (although her remaining implants did fall away as nano-biotic dust). That's as much as I can give you right now. I still have a TNG book (reading it now), one Destiny, Voyager (Captain Chakotay), and Deep Space Nine, as well as two Titan books that are all tied together and continue the same story line to read. But in general, that's where Trek has gone and that's why I still think there's a series in there someplace. But like I said, moving ahead would be fine. Just. Don't. Reboot!
-
...nothing spectacularly original. The books are great; very fun to read and would make a great lead-in to a series or movie.
-
...left the sciences and entered the command track. She is now the Captain of her own very unique ship. Some people don't dig this because Ezri is so young and it happened so fast (real world people I mean). My response to that is that Dax, isn't.
-
...forgotten points. Have any questions, ask 'em.
-
...do a remake of SPECTRE already, only more hard-core horror this time and with John Glover in the Robert Culp role. That could work.
-
It shows it's age but is still pretty entertaining. If you got someone like Ron Moore to be show runner I bet it could be awesome.
Skiffy should pick it up. Since it is set on Earth the potential to film in people's back yards in Vancouver is almost limitless. -
Have you read any of the Enterprise novels? I just saw one at the bookstore that was titled The Romulan War. That sounds like the unofficial fifth season to me.
-
I did say to ask questions, so I guess I have to answer. lol I refuse to recognize Enterprise as official Trek. All of that time frame/history had already been well documented. There was no Enterprise before Kirk's original NCC-1701. There was no Federation then, etc. etc. etc. So I've always had a big problems getting into that show. I just completely ignored it after the second season. However, to answer your question, yes, I do believe that the Romulan War is an official continuation of Enterprise. That's what they've been doing with all the books recently, rather than going back filling in holes or just telling non-canonical stories. They've been doing a big push for that particular book, too.
-
The last season of Enterprise is worth watching. It dovetails into TOS and fills in a lot of continuity plot holes. And there is no Federation yet. Just Starfleet. They basically insinuated that the Romulan War is what prompts the birth of the Federation. The last season added Judith and Garfield Reeves Stevens as staff writers and there episodes are pretty damn good. Plus it's chock full of Andorians and Tellerites. I love those guys.
-
Well it would make sense that their addition to the show (which I was unaware of) would improve it. They're fine Trek writers and did a stellar job assisting Shatner with all of his Trek books. I still can't do Enterprise. It's just not right on about 100 historical Trek points (like a Vulcan on a Starfleet ship, the Klingons going to Earth way the hell back then, the amount of interaction with the Andorians, that's not how the Federation was founded, etc, etc). I'm glad you dig it, though, so long as you don't tell me you liked the opening song. Heh. I can just continue to ignore it as it's VERY difficult for them to cross it over into the series I read. You should check out the book if it's something you think might interest you. All ST book sales are a good thing.
-
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
-
Please also give credit to Manny Coto, who was brought in as a show runner to replace the walking pile of excrement that is Brannon Braga.
He set about trying to undo all the bullshit of the first 3 seasons, and bring it back inline with canonical Trek. In the first episode of the season, he ends the time war bullshit. Then starts on repairing the continuity and plot damage from seasons 1-3.
It really is the only season of Enterprise that was worth a damn. -
That just strikes me as crap, and I didn't even like Voyager. I don't know, I just think you don't screw with one of the Captains, (including Sisko, who isn't really dead). Didn't they learn anything from Generations, (which was so shitty William Shatner had to write five some-odd books in order to undo the shittyness)? We wait to see Janeway get home for seven years, and not only is the Voyager finale utterly tepid and disappointing, but then to add insult to injury, they kill her? Put it this way: imagine if they casually killed Picard in one of the spin-off comic books. Yeah, I didn't think so...
-
but Voyager had some good ideas too, like The Doctor similar to Data, but less annoying. (Also to Data his existence and "journey" was a huge deal, everybody treating him like a precious flower, while the Doc had to fight to be counted as a person at every turn.) Bride of Chaotika is probably my favorie episode of Trek, and it happens to be Voyager.
-
Shout out to all of the trekker fans out there! I found this website with more info on Questor and an exclusive photo/excerpt from Gene and Majel Roddenberry from the original set http://www.roddenberry.com/corporate-questor
Readers Talkback
User Login
Top Talkbacks
- Whitney Houston 1963 - 2012 -- 171 total posts 169 posts
- AVENGERS enemy revealed as pink boardgame pieces... You might suffer some form of elation... SPOILERS!!! -- 157 total posts 111 posts
- There's a STAR TREK video game that is going to lead into JJ's STAR TREK 2 apparently... -- 138 total posts 75 posts
- Here's The Red Band Trailer For Drafthouse Films' THE FP! -- 67 total posts 67 posts
- To Commemorate The 3D Release Of STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE, George Lucas Wants You To Know...Greedo Shoots First!! -- 479 total posts 62 posts
- New JUDGE DREDD post production footage pops up -- 59 total posts 59 posts
- Does ‘SNL’ Rhyme With ‘Deschanel’?? Learn Which SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE Vet Hosts After Sexy Zooey!! -- 62 total posts 59 posts
- HANNA's Saoirse Ronan to boss around seven little people -- 48 total posts 45 posts
- Friday Brings SWEEPS DAY NINE!! Gab Here About Tonight’s FRINGE!! Plus Einstein on TIM, Wiig On PORTLANDIA, MAHER, CLONE, GIFTED, GRIMM, SPARTACUS, SUPERNATURAL, GOLD RUSH And More!! -- 116 total posts 32 posts
- SPACE 2099!! -- 181 total posts 30 posts