Jonathan Frakes recently claimed he heard that "Shit My Dad Says" star William Shatner and “X-Men” director Bryan Singer both pitched “Star Trek" TV series to Paramount. But a TrekMovie.com source says the “Next Generation” star was wrong about Singer. That filmmaker never got around to pitching a “Trek” series.
The same site, however, reports that shortly after the cancellation of “Star Trek: Enterprise” Singer asked “Free Enterprise” writer-director Robert Meyer Burnett to prepare a Trek TV pitch. Singer never forwarded the pitch to Paramount, according to the story, after he learned J.J. Abrams was preparing a new “Trek” feature.
TrekMovie.com also tracked down details about the Burnett pitch, co-authored with Geoffrey Thorne. Here the site describes the main characters populating “Star Trek: Federation”:
Captain Alden Montgomery: Human and the "perfect Starfleet officer" who is "The Captain America of the Federation" but who unfortunately gets killed off early on, leaving room for…Commander Alexander Kirk: (X-O and 3rd in command) Reinstated for the new mission Kirk is described as having a "checked past" with an "aggressive manner" who is thrust into leading the mission after Montgomery and first officer get killed and is able to deal with it well, but is "total crap at PR aspects of job." He alone (even though he doesn’t understand it) "possesses information vital to Enterprise’s true mission."
Lt. Cmdr. Chel Forlaan (Security Chief): A female Ektosi (a feline species) who has "cat-like" grace, temper and insight with natural hand-to-hand combat capabilities akin to Jem Hadar or Klingon. Joined Starfleet for the "fun", posesses a "mercurial nature" which initially makes her ill-suited to security chief. Biggest flaw is "intense curiosity which sometimes overpowers her." (get it? she’s a cat!)
Lt. Cmdr. Sergei Kenyatta (Com & Political Officer): A genetically enhanced human "Alpha" from Proxima Centauri, with a perfect physique along with mental enhancements. Described as gifted in math, linguistics, technology, and diplomacy, yet struggles with personal relationships.
The 76th Distillation of Blue (aka Diz) (Chief Engineer) a member of a gaseous species from the gas giant Penumbra who use "motion suits" to interact with the rest of the "solid" universe. For the show Diz would look like "a slender male humanoid" in the suit, but he can also appear in his gasous state or even change to a solid or a liquid, but he is "not a shape shifter." Described as a fantastic engineer who is more at home with machines than with other people.
Dr. Felicity Chen: A cybernetically enhanced physician based on (now safely evolved) Borg technology. Many medical instruments are built into her, so no need for tricorder. She can use her "nanospines" to heal injuries, but there is a personal cost to her. She still has to wrestle with her own humanity
M.A.J.E.L.: The sentient Enterprise computer (Multitronic Architecture Junction/Interactive Energetic Library) that runs the ship and his a personality of her own, including emotions.
Admiral Nelscott: Female Starfleet admiral who saw the threat of The Scourge and bucked the system to get the Enterprise project launched. Not on board the ship, but issuing orders from Starfleet HQ.
The site also summarizes the series’ first four episodes, which all featured fancy titles:
1. The Widening Gyre: Alden Montgomery encounters another planet where the inhabitants have destroyed themselves in an ‘orgy of violence’. Admiral Nelscott orders him to put together his crew for the fast-tracked Enterprise project, leading Montgomery on an origin story recruiting mission picking up various staff, including Kirk who is no longer in Starfleet and doesn’t want to join, but is the only person who has dealt with The Scourge (forcing Montgomery to "Shanghai" Kirk).2. The Blood-Dimmed Tide: Kirk and Dr. Chen explore a found small alien obelisk and deal with the crew of the Enterprise who have become victims of the violent "Scourge", including the Captain.
3. Mere Anarchy: The Enterprise chases a larger alien obelisk through space, eventually leading them into hostile Klingon space.
4. The Ceremony of Innocence: Kirk, now trapped in the obelisk with some Klingons, gets to the bottom of the mystery only to find out the Obelisks are tied to the Preservers (from TNG) who had seeded the galaxy with the building blocks of humanoid DNA.
What say you, talkbackers? Was Singer’s decision not to bring the Burnett/Thorne pitch to Paramount foolish?
Find all of TrekMovie’s story on the matter here.
