Star Trek Picard/Discovery - Discussion Thread

[Kheren]

Latest news from Kurtzmantrek: Captain Pike series confirmed:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OD6kUZwMOjQ


Are we finally going to see the return of actual Star Trek? or will this be another disaster like Star Trek Picard?

[Jeff T]

I am truly excited about this announcement; especially since they are noting that their intention is to have a "classic" trek series based on an optimistic future... and with the correct uniforms!

Having Pike (Anson Mount) in Discovery was the only good element of Discovery for me in that series. Plus Rebecca Romijn as Number One and Ethan Peck as Spock... there is optimism in the air.

Please CBS.... hire and utilize writers and directors that are knowledgeable about cannon and the classic series that will create real trek episodes! They can study how Star Trek Continues managed to accomplish this with episodes like Lolani, Fairest of Them All and The White Iris.

[Kheren]

I agree with you to an extent, Jeff.

On one hand, these kinds of announcements have proven totally meaningless. Kurtzman, Chabon, even Frakes and Stewart always pretended Kurtzmantrek was a faithful continuation of Roddenberry's vision, true to it's optimistic and positive vision of the future. Even Roddenberry' s son is directly involved in Kurtzmantrek.

We have seen how that turned out to be.


On the other hand, we have learned that Kurtzman is more and more sidelined from at least the creative content, that a new showrunner is to be involved in this new series and it will allegedly go back to the proven Trek formula of ''a Captain and his crew.''

Now, it is possible to go right about this:

If they go the episodic route instead of the always failing season-long arc story, (looking at you STD and STP)

If they go for an ensemble cast of characters instead of  a Mary Sue or a Gary Stu, (looking at you Michael Burnham)

If they avoid the identity politics and shoehorned political agenda, (looking at you inept, corrupt female-of-color Starfleet)

If they endeavor to tell entertaining stories of imagination instead of trying to be ''relevant,'' (looking at you Sir Patrick)

If they hire at least competent sci-fi writers (STC did it easily enough) instead of SJW hacks (looking at you Short Treks)

If they portray admirable characters as rich, inspiring human beings instead of fallen and failed morons as cardboard propaganda puppets,(looking at you Old Picard)

If their stories promotes universal humanism instead of  Anglo-Saxon partisan politics, (looking at you Michael Chabon)

If they go more towards a modernization of the classic aesthetics (a la Axanar for example) and not keep to the Abrams visuals especially when it's just to sell your toys (looking at you Secret Hideout)

If they do not again try to rip-off another IP (looking at you STD season 1 (Anas Abdin) Season 2 (MCU) season 3 (Andromeda) and STP (Mass Effect))

If they at least try to do Star Trek and not just about everything else BUT Star Trek (Looking at you again STP)


Yeah, tall order... for Kurtzman and Co. Even here in our modest Role playing, or even in STO, all of this is done effortlessly. Heck even The Orville, meant as a parody and hommage to Trek, is doing it splendidly, more Trek without being Trek than anything this official Trek spewed out so far. In the end it only requires one thing:

respect Star Trek.

So they can. But will they? 

That's why I am not excited by this announcement. I am apprehensive; hopeful but fearful.



Edit: some research brought back the fact that Alex Kurtzman, back in the days when he was offered Star Trek, was nothing short of adamant about not making a show with a white male captain. Ever. And now this?

He is allegedly writing this new series with Akiva Goldsman (yeah the so-called prize-winning writer who gave us most of STD season 2 and STP) and CBS is calling it a brand new take on Star Trek. Has CBS shoved this down his throat to have proper Trek back? (which WOULD be a brand new take for Kurtzman). Or does this means that they are going to go even more off-course than they already did with STD and STP?

And according to some official announcement reported, not only is this yet another prequel (like we really want those) but it will NOT be about Pike and crew on the Enterprise but about the decade BEFORE they got to the Enterprise... Now what kind of shyte would that be?

Again, barely announced and this new Kurtzmantrek seems as ruderless as everything they made before. Not promising...

[Redding]

Last I checked it was more 'back slapping' than actual work being done.
It's been 'green lit' but no one was willing to fund it.
I fear it's a cover to re-spark interest in their near bankrupt series and they will claim 'their way works' as soon as the numbers show ANY progress.

[Kheren]

facts agree with your assessment, Redding.

So far, they have announced: Star Trek IV for years now; while the actual licence of Bad Robot has expired.

They have announced Season 4 and 5 of Discovery; yet they have actually dismantled all the sets.

They have announced Section 31 for years now; anything in sight yet?

They have announced the coming of a Star Trek animated series Lower Decks; yet, they can't even give a date for Discovery season 3.

They have announced a Picard season 2; yet they have also admitted they have no clue what to do with it.

They have announced that they have planned Star Trek to be a continuous presence on CBS All Access; how long now since Picard ended and nothing else is out?

Now they have announced a Pike series; but where is the fundings when fiscal reports show they have lost all merchandizing revenue, a lot of the viewing audience, to the point that they are scrapping CBS All Access as VIACOMCBS is in so dire a situation, they may be sold to more solid firms like Netflix. Yes the same Netflix that, after funding entirely in advance STD season 1, wants out of Kurtzmantrek and would not even pay a cent for their infamous Short Treks.

In short: announcements are cheap and mean nothing.

So your re right. They do this only to try sparking interest in investors in the hope of bringing in money to save themselves.

And on this topic, here is a most enlightening report which also explains why Star Trek Picard was such a disaster: and what we might expect from this Pike series if it ever becomes a thing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewkqYBckPkk

And this is not rumor this time; it is their own printed words.

As dire as it may seems, it is also in truth hopeful. These Trek Dark Ages may be at an end.

Moreover, other things like STO are looking good and strong and Trek-like The Orville is about to know a third critically and popular acclaimed season, despite being just a Star Trek wanna-be. True Trek is out there; it only needs the right people and they are out there too.

If even Disney could destroy Star Wars and yet make The Mandalorian, indeed there is still hope.

[Kheren]

Is this a glimmer of hope I am seeing?


https://ca.yahoo.com/news/kirk-2-0-capt-pike-191652778.html


At least, it seems that they would be going along the true Trek episodic formula. Instead of being stuck a whole season with a shitty story (STP) focus on a despicable character (STD) and an inept writer (Kurtzman, Chabon, Goldman), we get to see somethign new, fresh and different every week, like The Orville does so well.

I can live with an episode like Miri, Code of Honor, Threshold, Come Along Home or Desert Crossing if the next week I get a City On The Edge Of Forever, Measure of Man, The Void, The Valiant or In A Mirror Darkly.

They are also centering again on a Captain and his crew and, to beleive this article, an admirable leader with a competent and significant staff; although Anson Mount's well-played Pike so far has proven only a subservient lapdog to Goddess Burnham, Rebecca Romjin's featureless portrayal of Number One as a generic Starfleet Officer and Ethan Peck's Spock... well let's hope we have seen the last of singing, dyslexic, sister-crutched, bearded emo Spock.

It is reported that Kurtzman and Goldman are writing for this; that certainly throws dark shades over this possible light at the end of the tunnel. Let's hope the episodic format will free us all from their greedy, pretentious incompetence and their foul socio-political agenda.

They still have STD and STP for that.

They could go right about this hiring writers like those who made Star Trek Conitues an astounding masterpiece or those currently building up the awesome Axanar or the acclaimed The mandalorian and The Witcher. And they still could go as wrong with this as Batwoman did with it's first season of absolutely atrocious writers bent on agenda instead of storytelling.

Unfortunately, with things like the hiring of people like Dana''white male culture destroyer'' Schwartz for She-Hulk and a Kathleen ''the Force is Female'' Kennedy hiring a Leslye ''know and care nothing of Star Wars'' Headland to helm a femalecentric Star Wars show, we see this corrupting trend is still out there.

may the Great Bird Of The Galaxy finally watch over Star Trek.

[Jeff T]

Like the Star Trek philosophy itself, I'm still optimistic about the possibilities of this Pike show.

They need to bring great writers front and center into this project, along with knowledgeable Trek experts to carve out meaningful episodes. Having 2-part episodes, like cliff hangers at the end of the season is fine, but they need to focus on single standalone episodes rather than making an ongoing soap opera in space for an entire season. Utilizing writers like Harlan Ellison, as done in TOS for the aforementioned City on the Edge of Forever would be a brilliant way to go. Then the episodes would be very unique, fresh and hopefully meaningful. Of course these would be contemporary authors rather than those from 50+ years ago.

They also need to weed out those participants that would spoil the episodes and characters with preaching dialogue and blatant PC messages. Allow the audience to draw their own conclusions and interpretations, don't dumb down what is being presented or assume that you have to spell out every little detail of what transpires. Also bring back intelligence, creativity, empathy and hope into their missions and interactions. 

Perhaps those connected to the upcoming Pike series will visit Trek sites like ours, Youtube analysis of Star Trek by a variety of Trekkers over the past 11 years along with online articles that strive to enlightened their approach...and maybe someone with some clout will embrace the key recommendations we are all postulating.

[Joester]

While I agree with you Jeff I must confess I am not confident they will be that smart and do research into what the fans want. They know people are going to tune in and watch because its Trek and that's all they care about, its a huge cash flow revenue for them and that's all that it ever will be

[Kheren]

I have to agree with Joester.

Everything you say is true Jeff. But that means they would have to make a complete 180 degrees turn and not only do everything they have never ever done but also stop literally everything they have done so far in all of the Secret Hideout Trek shyteshows; like researching and respecting canon, hiring competent and hard-working writers, avoiding partisan and identity politics...which is their avowed main drive so far...

I am not at all confident that they will do even half of what is needed... unless they are forced to do so, as in the case recently with Warner/DC forced against their adamant will to release the famous ''Snyder cut'' of Justice League by AT&T... or unless ViacomCBS either buys off Kurtzman's contract instead of still loosing millions on his white elephants... or they are sold to a giant like Netflix (wich wants out of anything related to Secret Hideout since STD season 1).

Considering the present financial state of ViacomCBS, any of those three scenarios might just happen...

[Kheren]

Latest rumors are not looking good:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6red3bNAe9w


Or maybe it's just the opposite and these are furthers signs that the Trek Dark Ages are slowly but surely coming to an end

And here is the in-depth, feature lenght analysis of Picard they say has Amazon Prime and other distributors concerned:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwF1iri1GjQ


What do you think?


EDIT: rumors are mounting about the darkness at VIACOMCBS and Secret Hideout/Bad Robot... and thus the light of hope for getting real Star Trek back since 2005 is getting all the brighter:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9HARBq2mFw