New CBS Star Trek TV series beginning January 2017

[Jeff T]

Great news... what we've been waiting a dozen years for by the time it comes out.

A new Star Trek series... all new cast... Jan 2017

I guess they are finally recognizing the vast interest still there with Star Trek Continues, Renegades, etc...

The worrisome part... read who is leading this new series... and how it will be available.

http://www.startrek.com/article/new-star-trek-series-premieres-january-2017

Thoughts?

[Arina]

Because it is Star Trek, I will watch it but reserve the right to b***h about it if it doesn't meet expectations. I don't know about you, but I am seriously hungry for 'original' Star Trek.  

[Kheren]

It's that well known and understood hunger from millions of fans they hope to cash in... especially releasing it on their exclusive media instead of mainstream media is, to me, telling how they want to grab money quickly and exclusively and not that confident in the quality of their product, especially in the long term.

Gene Roddenberry's vision has always been at odds with studio mentality. Kurtzman, Orci and Abrams, pure mainstream studio minds thinking in terms of cliches, recipes and gimmicks, are the anthithesis of the creative, thought-provoking mindset that made Star Trek so great. They are Hollywood moneymakers, and as such, rely exclusively on formulas and stereotypes, flashy superficial effects and treatment, because these are easy, safe and thus reliable to bring a buck in.

They have shown us twice now what they know very well and want to exploit: you can put Star Trek on a piece of turd and you can be sure you will find many ready to pay to smell it. That's how powerful the brand is.

They're in just for the money, not for Star Trek... or us.

That rant being done, I'll say we might yet still be wonderfully surprised because many people get to influence such a complex creation as a TV show. But with those people at the helm, it will be a true surprise indeed.

Hope for the best... prepare for the worst.

[BLZBUB]

I agree with Admiral Kheren's assessment. I will not hold my breath for a true Star Trek, but rather will wait and see if the lens flares transition to television as well as the big screen showed.

Of note, I noticed the statement by David Stapf (President, CBS Television Studios):

 “Everyone here has great respect for this storied franchise, and we’re excited to launch its next television chapter in the creative mind and skilled hands of Alex Kurtzman, someone who knows this world and its audience intimately.”

Kurtzman, imho, does not know the true Trek fan "intimately", but rather, he knows today's Trek fan.

[Niomo]

I'm concerned with the delivery system. I'll definitely watch the first episode, and then patiently await either:

a) CBS get a new brain transplant and broadcast on TV

b) Pirates to save me.

[Kheren]

Of note, I noticed the statement by David Stapf (President, CBS Television Studios):

 “Everyone here has great respect for this storied franchise, and we’re excited to launch its next television chapter in the creative mind and skilled hands of Alex Kurtzman, someone who knows this world and its audience intimately.”

Kurtzman, imho, does not know the true Trek fan "intimately", but rather, he knows today's Trek fan.

Indeed if one thing Kurtzman, Orci and Abrams showed with the 2 STINOs of Abrams is that he does NOT know either.

Among many things:

The galaxy's edge automated outpost Delta Vega becomes Vulcan's icy (!!!) twin planet

The Constitution class goes from 300 meters long to over 800 meters long

Transwarp propulsion becomes transwarp beaming

Warp drive becomes hyperdrive in look, feel and performance

Phasers become blasters in look, feel and performance

No shields to ships

The Klingon Empire is now one day away from Vulcan

Vulcan is now half an hour from Earth

Vulcan has a blue sky

No Andorians, Betazoids, Caitians, Deltans, Edoeans, Tellarites or any Star Trek Aliens anywhere

etc etc etc

He plucks snippets here and there from movies and episodes and make a collage of them (listen to the awful older episodes/movies dialog montage of the opening scene of Into Darkness), calling them "hommages" instead of the rip-offs they are and thinking fans will love it for nostalgia's sake alone. Throwing here and there some nonsense like "antimatter chambers at maximum" is what they think Star Trek is.

We all know by now that Abrams take on Trek was just to make his demo reel to pitch for Star Wars. Hence I'm not confident we'll see anything else or better with the same team still there for this series.

But then, we will see.

[Arina]

http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015 ... -chill-era

[Kheren]

Nice analysis... to which I would answer: neither.

We need neither the old Trek or the new Trek but a better Star Trek; one that would present the thinking, optimistic, thought-provoking content of the old style with the fast-pacing, spectacular, big budget style of the new one, without the verbose, forced character developpement nor the gimmick-laden, uneducated storytelling.

It needs it's TOS's roots of space exploration, but with the new wonders and challenges of current scientific discoveries.

It needs it's TNG's nobility about the celebration of the Human spirit but with a frank look back at who we are now.

It needs it's DS9's epic grand scale vision to which sci-fi is uniquely suited for but without making it anachronistic.

It needs VOY's difference in context but without the fatalistic, one-tracked storyline.

It needs ENT's connection to the whole Star Trek universe but with the proper research and care in bringing it right.

It needs the Abrams' style of pace and action and the budget of his two films without cheap plots and visual gimmicks, Star Wars rip-offs and most of all avoiding insulting the audience's intelligence.

In short, it needs another Roddenberry; a competent producer/director that loves and understands Sci-Fi in general and Star Trek in particular, has a positive vision of humanity and the future and knows how to put this into stories in-synch with our times.

Obviously, what we got so far did not in the least qualify...

Hope for the best...