(no subject)

[tresjolie9]

Finally have some time to write my thoughts down on the upcoming JJ Abrams reboot of Star Trek.

As of now the only Trek TV, or movie I would want to see is something made for Sci Fi, as pretty much a "grand finale," of the franchise as we know it. Get as many of the Trek vets they can afford, from TOS, TNG, DS9 and VOY, and make mini series with takes place after a few years after Nemesis, dealing with some kind of rebellion within the Federation, and possibly the Maquis. This film would be the swan song for Trek as we know it at the moment, and in many ways a thank you to the fans. Afterwards, no more Trek for at least ten years, letting the fields lie fallow. Trek can exist in paperback books, comic books, and perhaps a number of audio plays done via podcasts on some official Star Trek site.

I must admit, if Star Trek were to return to TV, or movies now really isn't the time. Right now the shows making an impact on TV are Lost, Heroes, and Doctor Who. With all the fannish attention now turned to these shows, combined with the general fandom's rejection of Enterprise, I really think the Trek fields should lie fallow for a few years.

The new JJ Abrams Trek film, is going to be the equivalent of the universally hated mid nineties Doctor Who Movie. That film came out at the wrong time, when dark and angsty shows, such as Highlander, Forever Knight, Babylon 5 and DS9 were the norm. Dark and angsty just didn't fit with Who, and it hurt the film and that attempt at revamping the franchise. Almost ten years later when it came out, it came out on a lighter note, with a heavy Whedon influence, when all things Whedon were coming to an end, and shortly after the downfall of the Trek Franchise.

The Trek producers should follow in Doctor Who's footsteps. Wait until the next era of TV, when the prequel fad has long since passed, when the Whedon influence is down, when Lost, and Heroes end their run, when the current Doctor Who mania has passed, and there isn't a starship ensemble, based show on the air. Chances are in about ten years the fads will be different, and some new life can be breathed into the Trek franchise by a fresh new creative writer. Sitting here thinking of who could be the Russell T. Davies of Trek

Rebooting even by greats like JJ Abrams, or JMS is a terrible idea. Part of the appeal of the Trek characters is the actors who played them, we are used to William Shatner as Captain Kirk, and Leonard Nimoy as Spock. Those actors have given something of themselves to those characters. With comics we are willing to accept different actors in different roles. However when something is film or TV based, and we suddenly see new actors in familiar roles, without any type of an explanation, it feels like the audience is being cheated. In a daytime drama, it is bad, but in a beloved long running film/TV franchise it is worse, unless an explanation is given for the new body.