JMS for Star Trek?

[Shr'eshhhhhh]

I liked Dark Skies too, it was much better than the simular early Taken episodes. (though they did have that gorgeous bad guy with the bit of Roswell saucer, who's name escapes me.)

[starfighter]

Originally posted by Andrew_Swallow
JMS submitted a proposal for a new Star Trek. We do not know how seriously it is being taken. My guess is that Paramount is using it to give the Producers of ôEnterpriseö a kick up the backside. However if the ratings do not improve there is a contingency plan ready and waiting.

From rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated Date: 6/17/2004 2:43:33 PM
ô{snip}
Amusingly enough, on the Trek front, Bryce Zabel (the creator of Dark Skies)
and I got together and wrote a treatment earlier this year that specified how
to save ST and develop a series that would restore the series in a big way. I
actually think it could be a hell of a show. Whether that ever goes anywhere
with Paramount, who knows?ö

any chance of talking mr zabel into bringing back dark skies used to enjoy it
ps jeri ryan lokked better in dark skies than as seven of nine

[Shr'eshhhhhh]

In a way you do get my point.

I see both Star Wars and Babylon 5 as both being broad sweeping epic saga in space. Now admittedly Star Wars is pure fantasy and B5 has at least tried to tie as much science in as wouldn't weigh the plot down. But it still has the transmigration of souls, mystical energy beings, guardians of justice swinging hand to hand weapons, dogfights in space, mysterious masked characters, family up and downs, romance etc etc thus marking out as a space opera.

Star trek is far from epic, with a few notable exeptions it has no story arcs, no grand sweep. Most episodes are complete unto themselves. No mystical armies of light pitched against ancient forces of darkness, etc etc

I too have found Star Trek and later Star Wars incarnations not to be a patch on B5 or written Science Fiction. But that's where a writer of JMS's calibre may step in and help.

[Capt.Montoya]

I'd have to disagree... I don't see that similarity.

Star Wars is Space Opera, an adventure based drama set in space. SW had no pretenses to scientific accuracy (and when trying to introduce sciencefictional explanations it falls flat, e.g. midiclorians). The only sciencefictional device that is really essential to SW is "the force." Other than the force you could set the story in several time periods in Earth, replace ET aliens with alien nationalities and you could still have the same basic plot.

B5 was much more realistic Science Fiction (its adherence to getting the science right would even classify it as "hard" SF). The basic story of B5 couldn't be told without its interlinked science fictional elements (time travel, the great machine, the telepaths, the first ones, etc.).

Maybe I'm just biased (I can admit to that), since after reading hundreds of SF books Star Wars and Star Trek have lost a lot of shine for me...

Or maybe I just don't get your point and further explanation would allow me to??

[Shr'eshhhhhh]

More than seeing JMS involved in Star Trek, I'd like to see what he would do on the proposed Star Wars telly show. In my opinion B5 had alot more in common with tales from a galaxy far far away than the final frontier.

[Dr Maturin]

<<I think it's salvagable without having to 'rest' it for 10 years.>>

Oh I didn't say it was salvageable, exactly. I meant it would have a chance. Right now, those chances are slim. But if you wait, put it on the back burner for a decade, then try again...maybe, just maybe something good will happen.

[Shr'eshhhhhh]

I think it's salvagable without having to 'rest' it for 10 years. I refer y'all to my previous posting Dr Who and Star Wars came back after their 'resting' worse in many ways than before. (Admittedly we only got one tv movie of Who and Lucas still has one film to redeem himself)
Voyager got alot better half way through and if they laid off making the movies for a while I'm sure Enterprise can be made to work. And even if they don't directly use JMS to do it they can at least take a leaf out of his book and plan the thing out a bit.

[AaronB]

Originally posted by colonyearth

As for it being dead, on that I agree with ZHDD.

After this, I guess peace in the Middle East can't be too far off

baron

[colonyearth]

Far be from me to dispute ZHDD , but OC Trek actually was a critical success, and if we had broken down ratings by demographics back in the late 60's as we do today, Trek would never have been cancelled. Years later, NBC learned that Trek was doing extremely well in the key male 18-30 demographic.

Ah, if only they had known then.

As for it being dead, on that I agree with ZHDD. Give it about ten years or so, and Paramount will find someone with fresh ideas and vision who will revive it.

As for B&B's Trek, I would welcome the death of their vision of the Trek universe -- or rather I should say lack of vision for the Trek universe.

CE

[Dr Maturin]

<<So if Enterprise fails, that will be it. The end. Two failures in a row (VOY & ENT) will be the end of Trek.>>

<<When one with the history that Trek has dies it is a very sad day...>>

TOS was a critical failure and look at the franchise it launched.

No, Trek won't be dead. It will be in between moments, but not dead.

Look for a comeback in more or less ten years with -- hopefully -- fresh minds and ideas.

[Shr'eshhhhhh]

It would be a shame if Trek vanished.
The show has a fine pedigree, some of it's episodes have been the best science fiction off the printed page. And Yes B5, Farscape and others have eclipsed it in terms of daring and original ideas. That said I loved the middle to later Voyager episodes and the most recent Enterprise season. If JMS is asked to inject a little new energy into the franchise, I wish him the best of luck and power to his quill. We need quality science fiction shows. When one with the history that Trek has dies it is a very sad day, take it from a energy being starved of its Dr Who fix for 2 decades and still waiting for a decent Star Wars film since 1980.

[RCmodeler]

Originally posted by TheFirstOne
what I ment with the "hope that ratings go down" joke , was that I figured that if Enterprise ratings go down a bit, the series will do all it's seasons, but the creators will realize "Ok, this show wasn't so good, we need something that can pretty much guarantee greatness"

This has already happened. The "failed" series was Voyager which had abysmal ratings (1/10th of NextGen's ratings) and Enterprise was the attempt by Paramount to return Trek to its roots.

So if Enterprise fails, that will be it. The end. Two failures in a row (VOY & ENT) will be the end of Trek.



(And frankly, I wouldn't care. Trek reached its peak in DS9 & has since been eclipsed by shows willing to take risks and excite the audience - Babylon 5, SG-1, and Atlantis. I no longer need Trek.)

[cruiser]

Wasn't that just about every episode???
Pretty lame first post, eh?

Yes and No

[alk3hol]

Originally posted by Z'ha'dumDweller
Actually, that may not be a bad idea. Think of using footage like they did in T&T from all the series, and then original stories, too, of course. It'd be a cool and funny way to "explain" things in bad episodes, like if the Enterprise-D got out of a sticky situation too easily or something.

Wasn't that just about every episode???

Pretty lame first post, eh?

[Dr Maturin]

Originally posted by Shr'eshhhhhh
i'd like to see Time Trek all abot the temporal prime directive police guys. that way you could have them turn up on all the previous incarnations of the show and the films Trial and tribbulations style. JMS does write great time travel stories.

Actually, that may not be a bad idea. Think of using footage like they did in T&T from all the series, and then original stories, too, of course. It'd be a cool and funny way to "explain" things in bad episodes, like if the Enterprise-D got out of a sticky situation too easily or something.