[Christopher Halsey]

From The Escapist

New Star Trek Series Pitch Approaches Warp Speed

1947 Entertainment owner David Foster thinks it's time for Star Trek to come back to the small screen.

It's been a few years since the last time a new Star Trek series graced our television screens and while the most recent addition to the franchise, Enterprise, was built on a cool premise, it never caught fire with fans and was canceled after a disappointing four seasons. Prior to that was Voyager, which ran for seven seasons from 1995 to 2001, Deep Space 9, which also made seven seasons from 1993 to 1999, and the big dog, Star Trek: The Next Generation, which revived the Trek franchise in 1987 and lasted for seven seasons of its own.

But if Foster has his way, yet another Trek series will be on the air soon. He's been working on an idea for a new Star Trek series since 2006 and things are apparently now at the point where he's just about ready to make an official pitch to CBS.

"The series concept is fully developed, subject to change of course, with a solid 5-7 year series plan, pilot script and a conceptualized finale that intends to define Star Trek for generations, extensive character bios, costume and ship/set designs, and more," he said at the 2011 Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas. "This is a drastic departure from the typical 8-10 page treatment of the previously pitched Star Trek series ideas that have not included even a pilot script."

Foster's plan is to set the new series in a post-Voyager era but return it to its "original series roots in big and mighty ways." It won't follow the timeline established in the 2009 Star Trek film, which he views as an "alternate canon," but will instead stick to the "positive view of the future" as envisioned by Gene Roddenberry in the original Star Trek and TNG series. Not that the galaxy will be the happiest place ever; Foster said the Klingons in his series are growing tired of having to rely on the Federation for support following the Praxis incident [look it up, non-nerds] while the Ferengi have stumbled upon some kind of new resource that has given them a windfall of wealth and power.

"Numerous individuals with Star Trek experience are supporting our endeavor with encouragement and advisory roles, including prior producers, visual effects, script writers, and more," Foster said. "We are currently working on obtaining the right executive producer for the series, and have passed on requests by a couple of interested parties."

Is the world ready for a new Star Trek series? Following the collapse of Enterprise and the box office failure of Star Trek: Nemesis, the feeling seemed to be that the viewing public had had its fill of boldly going where no-one had gone before. But then J.J. Abrams blew the lid off things with his 2009 Star Trek reboot, which proved that the franchise could attract a mainstream audience. Foster appears ready to follow the same path; he said the series will be "highly-energized with a much younger cast, and uses cutting-edge future technologies with newly-envisioned special effects and designs."

So what say you, Trekkers? Does this sound like a good idea, or does the thought of a new Trek series make you want to go looking for your Firefly DVD set?

All sounds quite positive... that is until you look up 1947 Entertainment and take a look at the staff. Sci-fi fans? Yes most definately. People that can succeed pitching a new Star Trek series to CBS?

[Grace Pryde]

I'd like to see a new show. Needs a bit of vision though.

[LynxMukka]

The key to why this will fail, is that this simply hasn't been pitched yet. I'm surprised it's being hyped up as it is since CBS have previously shown a history of not showing an interest in pursuing a new show at least until the second JJ movie.

[Stormy]

Well, Lynx, look at it from this angle. If someone had asked if the UFP should pursue Elite Force rights, they would have been told CBS will never go for it. While this isn't exactly one the same level, it does have a similar dynamic and deals with the same parent company.

[Dave Harper]

id say pick it up after nemisis
I WANT MAH ENTERPRISE E

[Infernico]

Blah no, leave that ugly ship in the dry docks. But yes I am on board.

[Kyuusaku]

I'm with Grace in her assessment of this announcement. I think the show needs a strong vision, and the mention of Praxis? Uh, been there and done. The Klingons have already fought a war or two with the Federation since then, so I fail to see how that's relevant in the post-DS9 era of Federation relations. So, we're just going to ignore Worf and Martok's relationship? Or is he going to kill them off and potentially screw over all that DS9 built?

I'm very wary. I would love to see Ira Behr and Ron Moore involved in this to make sure it's going to be awesome.

Kyuu

[Endeavour]

I'd like to see Ezri as the Captain or maybe first officer. We didn't get enough of her.

I don't think the time is quite right for another series, yet. And as much as I would like to see the prime timeline continue, I honestly thing that any series will end up being set in the alternate timeline made in the last movie.

If it is set in the PrimeLine, they'd best not make the Klingons the baddies again. After everything they went through in TNG and DS9, it just seems "anti-climatic". And keep Martok, he kicks ass!!

[Christopher Halsey]

Personally I think it would be a mistake to set a star trek show after voyager that doesn't follow the tng/ds9/voy relaunch novels.

[Endeavour]

The novels aren't canon though, and I haven't read many of them but the Borg storyline they came up with sounds good. (And they *Spoiler alert* killed Janeway!!)

I wouldn't mind seeing the Romulan War, or a series foloowing the Enterprise-B.

Not going to happen, but I would love a TNG version set in the JJVerse, where they use the full storyline for the Borg that was originally intended.

Maybe a series following Section 31, or that at least involves them and show them in more depth.

[U.S.S. Hyperion]

Blah no, leave that ugly ship in the dry docks. But yes I am on board.

That "ugly" ship could kick your cheap Nebula from here to Romulus! :icon_twisted:

A new series would be cool.

[Christopher Halsey]

The novels aren't canon though, and I haven't read many of them but the Borg storyline they came up with sounds good. (And they *Spoiler alert* killed Janeway!!)

They aren't canon because they haven't been seen on screen however they do all fit together as one continuity and on the whole the relaunch has been very well done. Because all of the Star Trek shows in the TNG era finished they have put a lot of work in to the novels to ensure that TNG, DS9 and VOY can keep going and the Star Trek universe is probably at its more interesting with everything that is going on, there really is so much potential there and I think it would be a shame if they wasted that.

[Endeavour]

I know, what I was saying was they could just blow it all off. Maybe if they did an animated series, similar to The Clone Wars, they could incorperate several ships and crews and build up to the Borg invasion.

[MadisHobbson]

Read the post, read the replies... and I can't explain how much I started waiting for the new series! Don't know what is the current situation of the project, but I keep my thumbs up for it. Lets hope something excellent comes out of the project!

[Reggie]

I reaaaaaaaaaaally hope jj abrams has his hand in this.