Can Star Trek Be Saved? (lighter topic alert)

TV Guide ^ | 2/03 | Nollinger

[GreatOne]

Until you get rid of that idiot Rick Berman and obtain better writers for the movies, the show will sink like a rock. I still can't get over learning that the two morons who wrote the first "Next Generation" movie did so by imitating the characters' voices as they wrote. I saw an interview with them and how they reveled in their geek-dom in doing the script like this. Unbelievable.

Berman has been a pox on this franchise. Should read Shatner's (admitedly self-serving) book on making the movies. It's amazing at how close "Wrath of Khan" and "Undiscovered Country" came to being complete wretches.

Here's a good example at how a crappy producer can impact a movie. Remember that mechanical spider in "Wild, West West" (Will Smith movie)? One of the two producers (either Jon Peters Barry Sonnenfeld, I can't remember which) had a kid see a film on spiders in school, and came home and told pop about it. After that, he did what he could to get a giant spider into a movie he was involved in. One of the possibilities was to have this occur in the next "Superman" flick. Complete idiocy. This is Berman.

[mommybain]

Gay actor, what gay actor?

Enquiring minds want to know....

[discostu]

J Michael Strazinski wrote B5, interesting fellow. The whole story arc can be very difficult. In the process of doing it all he wrote pretty much every single episode of the 3rd and 4th seasons, something entirely unheard (one guy writing 50+ hours of TV in two years). A few shows are experimenting with arcs but nobody is really working the genre the way B5 did. One of the interesting side discussion in B5 that I've never seen anywhere was why are humans better. Humans aren't like any alien culture that's ever been presented in scifi, from a creative/ literary perspective there are good reasons for this, JMS decided to put a cannon answer to it in the show (we make communities was the answer he came up with).

I was hoping for a lot of what you mentioned from Enterprise, since it's pre-Federation the only human ship out this far just learning the ropes. Figured it had a lot of potential for that, and the first season seemed to be going in that direction. Of course we have to remember that all of the post-TOS shows have had an aberant 2nd season where the zigged in a direction other than the rest of the show's run; hopefully that pattern is continuing. We have gotten the invention of the alert system and the seeds of the prime directive in this show. For all their problems that's something Lucas has done very well with the Star Wars prequels, he's showing the Empire being built both in the broad plot aspect ways and in the little way, best scene to me in Ep II was when we saw that the clone ships were the triangular shapes we've all come to expect from the Empire, really cool touch. I'd like to see some of that in Enterprise.

[zeugma]

Tv today has enough shallow 'buffy the vampire slayer' shows that are geared to kids and have no depth

Actually, Buffy has a suprising amount of depth. Much of the show is written for 2 different audiences, both kids and adults, where each will take a different meaning from it. If you watch closely, you'll see some really funny stuff that someone who hadn't watched the past few seasons wouldn't even notice. The writers are much better on that show than many, including myself gave them credit for until I'd watched a few episodes. I watch 2 television shows every week, and one of those is Buffy.

[Republic of Texas]

" Roll the dice and marry the DS9 cast and TNG cast in an all-out action flick- possibly centering on Worf, the Klingons, and a new and mind-bogglingly terrifying threat from the Gamma Quadrant. "

That is a first rate idea.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

I love the modern day Klingons - those TNG season 4 Klingon Civil War episodes were phenomenal. I would definitely go for that.

[Cold Heat]

Although their is nothing in print that says Bakula is remotely gay, the guy looks better in drag then he does sitting in the captains chair.

Methinks the Majel Roddenberry social change party needs some major revisions.

I do appreciate the Vulcan.

[Republic of Texas]

Thank God I'm not the only one. I prayed for Wesley Crusher's (screen) death every week. He might have been more annoying than the 2 brats in the original Jurassic Park. It's a close call, and I can't bear to think about it anymore.

[Centurion2000]

Here's a thought: The original show takes place several decades after an interstellar war between Earth and the Romulan Empire. If Paramount is looking for an engaging story line that falls before the original series, it's right there under their noses.

Even better .... Star Trek: The Romulan Wars

THAT's a series people will like.

[Republic of Texas]

" Even better .... Star Trek: The Romulan Wars "

Paramount! You gettin' this?

[Centurion2000]

The Romulan Wars could also explain the neutral zone .... a buffer of formerly front line planets that were litterally blasted clean of life and smashed by photon torpedoes hitting solar systems .... 2 things ya get from this .

1) Really kewl effects
2) People realize the energies involved in the starship combat and why captains are judicious with the weapons of one
3) WE GET TO SEE A DECENT WAR with a clearcut enemy that has no redeeming features at the time.

Until well after the Earth-Romulan treaty no human had even seen the body of a Romulan

[billbears]

You're kidding. I wouldn't miss an episode of Voyager, but probably haven't watched 5 full episodes of Enterprise. It's about as bad as Deep Space Nine

[Bogey78O]

They need to tie this into Billy_bob_bob's idea...

"Not just different crews, different starbases and planets. Sometimes an episode could revolve around the activities of a scout ship in a distant quadrant. Let's say they commit some kind of galactic faux paux that pisses off some newly contacted race. The next episode could revolve around the ramifications of their actions as the politicians get involved at the Federation Council. The episode after that could involve something completely unrelated, the episode after that could somehow tie them all together. Or not. You have that freedom with this format. However, an overriding "story arc" would be an asset to a production like this, IMHO."

[freedumb2003]

>>Space Above and Beyond <<

Now THAT was a series! I was so incredibily hooked on it, it was unreal. Then it went away. Like so many programs, too good to live.

[knews_hound]

Ok, I will weigh in on this also.

Unlike some here, I never really enjoyed the origional series very much. Cheesy sets, bad acting (can you say Kirk?) and simplistic plots doomed it for me.

That being said, I sort of enjoyed TNG, even if Picard was as wimpy as overcooked Pasta. Voyager suffered from the same problems, but I did like certain elements, 7 of 9 for instance. Still, the series suffered from terminal PCitis IMO.

How to make Enterprise better?

# 1 Since there is no prime directive, act like it. If a pushy race comes along, looking for conflict, give it to them.

#2 Give us an enemy that is diabolical, mean and just plain bad ass. One that will not be defeated with a shield adjustment or some new gizmo that solves every problem.

#3 If I have to watch one more episode where they go throught he whole "shields are down to 10 % Captain" I am gonna SCREAM. Get a new way to add suspense!

#4 Gimme more of that hot Vulcan bootie. Sure I am a sexist pig? So what? Who do you think your audience is anyway?

#5 Weapons, I want weapons. The existing Phase Cannons are OK, but only for a start. I could never imagine sending a ship on a mission such as this without being armed to the teeth.

#6 If we have technology today that can do certain things, I would expect them to be much improved in the future. For instance, Enterprise is the first starship I have yet seen that has the same capability as any of the spy sattelites today. I was amazed to see Enterprise actually turn on a Telescope to look at a planets surface to try to ID a person. We can do this now, today. I would have expected this to have only gotten better in the future.

#7 Who is the Chef? I have been waiting since the first episode to meet him/her/it. Since the Chef is mentioned in nearly every episode, we need to know who or what it is. Be BOLD.

#8 I like the idea that the Transporters are very iffy. Too often in the past, it was a crutch that bailed the writers out by simply "beaming" them out of trouble. It is nice to see them have to think of new ideas.

#9 Trip is one of your best assetts, use him. He is a Texan (well Oklahoman anyway) a straight shooter and is the "everyman" we always look for in a Star Trek show. Highlight him and his straightforward approach every time Archer goes wobbly.

And finally...

#10 Fighting, Conflict and Battles. Deep down, we all know it is a savage world out there. Space would only be worse. PLEASE no more Aids PC episodes where we get beaten over the head trying to make some PC point. Real men are NOT PC.

But then agian, what do I know? I might be completely off base here.

Cheers,

knews hound

[freedumb2003]

>> major character killed off in the middle of a season! Is it any wonder why B5 had such a loyal following? No one knew what was going to happen, or more importantly, how the situation would be resolved.<<

Same thing (and more) for the Anime series RoboTech. What an incredibly real and adult series! Except Mimnei only had 2 songs and they stunk.

NOT FOR KIDS!

[Oztrich Boy]

Tv today has enough shallow 'buffy the vampire slayer' shows that are geared to kids and have no depth. As an adult, I don't need to see teenybopper crap,

Hey it's still working.

Studio suit: "It's just that we think the title will deter some people from watching the show."

Joss Whedon: "Yes and they are very silly people and I don't want them watching my show."

Back to topic: All the Star Trek captains could take lessons in leadership from cute little Willow Rosenberg when she goes into Commander mode. Direct orders issued without hesitation, explanation, or any hint of uncertainty.

[strela]

He left Trek after a Trek script of his featuring two gay lovers was refused by Paramount. In fact. Gerrold disappeared, period, about ten years ago after the fourth, disappointing book in his "Matter for Men" series.

As my Minnesota friends say, "Ick." I still say that "The Trouble With Tribbles" was some of the funniest stuff I've ever seen.

Pity.

[Charlotte Corday]

The second, third, and some of the fourth season of B5 comprised the best SF ever put on television. Some of ST:TOS are almost as good. Some of DS9 are real, real close to as good. The rest of ST isn't even close.

[Charlotte Corday]

I wonder how many others, like me, were totally blown out of our chairs by the first two books of the Chtorr series, and said to ourselves "now THIS would make a movie/miniseries"...then Gerrold went all new age-y and totally lost it.