ST: XI - The Menagerie

[MightyCaptain]

We have had series after series of all new characters and vessels and it is time for Trek to revisit one of its popular roots- a series based around the adventures and missions of Captain Hikaru Sulu and the Starship Excelsior.
There is a strong enough fan base already built in and there would no risk, which is not the case with this prequel film, which I feel is an absurd idea and doomed to fail.
We dont need any more new crews and starships, we need to get back to basics and this is the best way as I see it.
Well, thats my two cents anyway.

[Dave]

There has always been a strong fan support for the Captain Sulu series. There was a huge fan call for it to be the last series, but they made Enterprise instead.

I love the idea, especially after seeing him again in Voyager 'Flashback', but I think he is getting too old now. Ten years ago it would have worked, but not now.

The other idea I've read is that they could re-imagine the original series - recast Kirk, Spock, and Bones with new young actors. This IMHO is a huge mistake, I just don't think it would work.

But I do think that the tired old formula of a new starfleet ship with a new crew needs to be ejected. Personally, I'd like to see space police boats, orion pirate ships, a Klingon battleship, and MACO attack cruisers.

[MightyCaptain]

No, I must disagree with at least one aspect of your well thought out post.

The need and interest for an Exclesior series is still as viable as ten years ago or even four years ago, when Voyager was wrapping up. They could have done it then but went with Enterprise instead, as you refer to in your post, which shows the series could have worked much later than 1995, as you implied, if it had been given the green light.

I really dont think it is too late and George Takei is definitely not too old to do it, and, as I said before, there is enough interest -in the fans if not Paramount.

They really have nowhere left to go, so why waste a grand oppurtunity to resurrect Star Trek from what it has sadly become under Berman's rule?

A series with Captain Sulu is the logical solutuion if the franchise contnues.

[Dave]

You (and I) might not think George Takei is too old, and with William Shatner's corset and Leonard Nimoy's zimmer frame he probably could make a few more films; but I can never see studio executives ever picking him to front a new seven year TV series.

This is some real news on Star Trek XI though from 'Star Trek Magazine'.

They claim that during a meeting between the Premier of South Australia, Mike Rann, and Paramount Pictures executives to discuss Paramount's upcoming film of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Princess of Mars Star Trek was also mentioned.

They are considering filming it in Australia. It will be set in the very near future; 2010 to be exact. A time when Earth has been almost destroyed by nuclear war, which is when our saviours from the future arrive. The story will be set over two movies. Nothing was said about who would star but it was inferred that Spock was a must. It could be open to any and all of the Star Trek casts from all the shows. So, Hikru Sulu is still a possibility too.

[ray gower]

I might be missing something, but haven't they rather covered the "Our Saviours from out of space" with First Contact?

2010 is also too close to our future. We can pretty well guess where we will be in five years.

With regard to launching a series based on Captain Sulu. I don't think it matters greatly.
There has been very little change to the general format of Star Trek since TOS. What they have lacked is character.

It can be seen in Enterprise, the whole sheebang pretty well ground to a halt by the end of season 2.
The arc of season 3 was an improvement, but not a outstanding one, certainly not enough to rescue the series.
Then all of a sudden it came alive again, or at least the cast woke up for season 4 under when new management.

Which rather brings us back to the debate we had a while ago as to why TOS was better than TNG http://64.46.119.37/forums/showthrea...threadid=19152

[Dave]

The rumourmongershop continues with this. According to Hailing Frequencies Scifiheaven.net has a rumor up that Tom Hanks might star in the 11th Star Trek movie, Star Trek: The Beginning, written by Erik Jendresen (Band of Brothers).

I've stopped buying 'Star Trek Magazine' now, so no idea what Rick Berman says on this. I mentioned before the rumour of Erik Jendresen and 'The Beginning' as a title. Tom Hanks is a new development though.

I think I agree with Mighty Captain that I'd much rather see a film with an established series cast - if not TNG then why not DS9, VOY or ENT - or a mixture. I just don't think a new cast with 'Hollywood Stars' is really what most fans are looking for.

[PTeppic]

Originally posted by Dave
I just don't think a new cast with 'Hollywood Stars' is really what most fans are looking for.

Unless it's the extended pilot for a new, awesome series...?

[TK-421]

News on the new Star Trek film from Director JJ Abrams (Lost, Alias, Mission Impossible 3):
http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/nationa...ek-abrams.html

[Brown Rat]

Sounds interesting. I wonder if whoever ends up playing Kirk will try to channel Shatner's theatrical performance style?

[Jives]

Rock and Roll! Go with the adventure, I always say! If the movie had the budget and the STORY to match the concept we may have a hit here.

I'd cast some unknowns, they always add to the ability to suspend disbelief. (And the opposite is true too, See: Tom Cruise in "War of the Worlds."

[I, Brian]

The movie will follow how the two characters met at Starfleet Academy and their first space assignment together.

Ah, crap. They're still looking backwards.

Rather than look to where they can take the stories into the future, they're busy looking at the past and at their feet. Big mistake IMO. Leave the original series be and get on with what Star Trek was supposed to do - tell the future - not self-indulge on its own past.

Modern CGI with original series effects is just going to create another anachronism.

[Void Dragon]

They should just leave the franchise alone...
B&B just turned a magnificent show into the most horrible thing my eyes have ever seen (including my grandma naked!), and then caused it to die a dishonorable death...

Why make it even worse than that?

As said, they should make a new spin-off, somewhere in the future where the achieved transwarp and the once divided Milky Way merged into one big galactic society. Then they could start exploring REALLY new frontiers, like other galaxies in the local cluster, maybe in the Magellan cloud...
Let them meet new, truly alien characters and species...
Make them do things never done before...

Or maybe, even better: a series that shows us the downside of the federation, with characters who are low on the social ladder...
Show us a corrupt, incompetent Federation (as in: even more incompetent than it already is)...
Show us how a group of idealistic rebels tries to refound the Federation, according to its original ideas!

[Brown Rat]

Originally Posted by Void Dragon

Show us a corrupt, incompetent Federation (as in: even more incompetent than it already is)...
Show us how a group of idealistic rebels tries to refound the Federation, according to its original ideas!

That would be cool.

[Void Dragon]

or maybe something to the likes of Firefly: A group of adventurers doing jobs for anyone who bids the highest and trying to avoid interference with Federation law

[Void Dragon]

hm, I've really got lots of inspiration tonight:
You know all humanoid races in the Milky Way were created with DNA from the so-called Progenitors.
Let our Feddie friends travel to another galaxy, where they end up meeting an old enemy of those Progenitors, who still sees the humans, Vulcans, ... as their enemies.

Or does that sound to much like an SGA rip-off?