This could be all gospel, this could be all nonsense, but Coax is all about speculation, right?

This item, which appeared Sunday morning, is all apparently tied to a Paramount casting sheet which went out to talent agents (in connection to a pilot slated to begin shooting May 8th). Ponder...

At TrekToday.com, a news site dedicated to Star Trek, we posted the first plot and character info for the next Star Trek show:

http://www.trektoday.com/news/040301_01.shtml

According to a casting sheet sent out by Paramount, the as-yet-untitled show will be set aboard the Starship Enterprise, under the command of Captain Jackson Archer. It will take place in the 22nd Century, before even the original Star Trek series.

Jackson is described as a bold and intensely curious explorer in his early 40s, who, "unlike the Starfleet captains in centuries to come, exhibits a sense of wonder and excitement as well as a little trepidation about the strange things he will encounter." Like Captain James T. Kirk, he is described as having a strong sense of duty, but also not afraid to question orders or even disobey them if he feels in his gut that he's right -"he's a bit of a renegade," according to the casting sheet.

His crew include Sub-Commander T'Pau, a Vulcan female assigned to oversee humanity's progress on board Enterprise, Commander Charlie 'Spike' Tucke, a Southerner who is brilliant as engineer of the Enterprise but very inexperienced when it comes to dealing with alien cultures, and Doctor Phlox, an exotic alien who practices a brand of "Intergalactic medicine" the likes of which we've never seen.

A recurring character that will be appearing in the show is Silik, a physically agile alien, and leader of the Suliban, a deadly species obsessed with genetic enhancement - described as the show's main villain. In addition, the pilot will feature several high-ranking Starfleet Admirals and a Vulcan ambassador, perhaps suggesting that it will also show some of the political intrigue that undoubtedly took place during the early years of the Federation.

The full casting sheet can be found by going to the following URL:

http://www.trektoday.com/news/040301_01.shtml.

Please feel free to use some of the material in a news item, but we would ask that you link to the source article at TrekToday.

Sincerely, Christian

This conflicts with a lot of stuff we've heard, but the casting sheet looks not illegitimate. Is Christian a hoaxster, or is he The Man? Let us know!

I am - Hercules!!

P.S.: ROBOGEEK here, and while I am loathe to step on the great Herc's toes, I can't resist the urge to chime in and point out that Berman & Co. seem to have completely bastardized (if not altogether abandoned) established STAR TREK continuity in exchange for what appears to be yet more mediocrity. A "prequel" to the Original Series should be a love letter to Roddenberry's original vision, while also an act of redemption to the much-abused (and dissolving) fan base. Instead, this sounds like a slap in the face (read the points raised in Talk Back) and is quickly approaching the fear value of the WB's forthcoming "teen Clark Kent" abortion (itself a rape of Tim McCanlies' planned spin-off for his proposed "Bruce Wayne" series, which was brilliantly conceived). At least we have Tom DeSanto steering the new "Battlestar Galactica" to pin our hopes on.

P.P.S. HERC here again! As incredible as it might seem, it now looks like this is not a ruse!! A VERY reliable source with ties to "Star Trek" insiders just e-mailed me this:

Herc, about that casting sheet for "Trek"... I can't be sure, but it certainly looks legit. And it tracks with everything we've been hearing. It looks like they ditched the 29th Century villain (which Paramount rejected) and replaced him with someone obsessed with genetic enhancement, whatever the hell that means.

NOT the response I was expecting!! Another reliable source whom Herc knows to have a shocking amount of inside dope on "Star Trek" adds this:

The name of Star Trek series five is "Enterprise." It will not be "Star Trek: Enterprise." Berman said it would be a stand alone title. Paramount is quite concerned about the fate of Star Trek as it is one of their premeire franchises. After Next Generation went off the air and became movies the merchandising dropped, even the merchandise developed for the movies. After Insurrection tanked at the box office and Voyager's ratings started to drop, Paramount talked about an updated version of Next Generation without Stewart and Spiner who did not want to do a weekly series again. Paramount suggested series five be developed and asked Berman to make sure it was set on the Enterprise -- any Enterprise. Berman suggested a few concepts without including everyone's favorite starship and Paramount shot them down. I don't know anymore than you do but the initial cast will be five main characters and some semi-regulars. The sets are built and have been redressed for use in the last couple of eps of Voyager.

Wacky!!