New Star Trek Movie Is Dead Jim
There has been a bunch of speculation and rumour floating around about the possibility of a new Star Trek film being in the works. Yeah well… you can put those to bed right now… because it ain’t happening. The good folks over at CinemaBlend offer us this:
The latest issue of sci-fi magazine Dreamwatch features an interview with Doug Mirabello, assistant to Trek producer Rick Berman, who has confirmed that the Jendresen script has indeed been jettisoned and there are now no plans to bring back Star Trek in any form in the forseeable future.On the Patrick Stewart rumors, Mirbello says, “It’s more likely that some executive had a casual conversation with him and brought up some hypotheticals which he ran with when some reporter asked him about Star Trek… From what I’ve heard Patrick wouldn’t do another Trek movie unless they paid him Professor X money.”
So there you have it. Can’t say I’m too broken up about it. Every single one of the “Next Generation” films have been big disappointments and the Star Trek fan base has been shrinking steadily with no new fans being brought on in years. It is indeed time to put this franchise to sleep. Maybe a new TV property… but even that is “ify” at this point.
1. Morbius replies at 28th February 2006, 7:09 pm :
Ok granted Generations and Insurrection were not great and I generally hated Nemesis but what was disappointing about the excellent “Star Trek : First Contact”?
2. R. Jackson replies at 28th February 2006, 8:30 pm :
This is Berman’s pet gopher making comments about the franchise at a time when Berman’s own footing at Paramount is tenuous at best. I’d put even less stock in what he has to say about the future of the franchise than he’s putting in the comments made by Patrick Stewart.
3. Kaneda replies at 1st March 2006, 1:21 am :
Well, that kind of sucks. While I am a Star Trek fan, Mostly the Next Generation series and some of the old series movie’s, most the next gen movies did suck and has pretty much distroyed my hopes of there ever being another good Trek movie. But if Brian Singer came on and directed after he got threw with Superman, like he said he wanted to do, that would freakin’ rule.
I also think with him doing it, no matter what Star Trek series he made the movie from, it would kick ass. Even bring in lots of people who weren’t Star Trek fans and bring back old ones. I’m hoping Singer’s drive to make a Star Trek movie is so much, that he can still convince them to wanna make a new one after all.
But even if not, theres still hope for Trek fans with the Star Trek MMO in the works. At first I wasn’t too keen on it, even thought I love MMO’s. Then I found out about the basic concept for it and it sounds amazing. So I think there is still hope for a big Star Trek boom, even if it’s not a new movie or tv series that does it…
4. jason presti replies at 1st March 2006, 8:16 am :
As someone who posts regularly here about all things Trek, you know I have followed all these developments closely and am very disheartened by this. Although, I do agree with R. jackson in that since Berman is no longer involved with the Motion Picture aspect of Trek, it is hard to take his lackeys word. I do however, believe that the current Trek movie proposal is dead. Fan reaction has been so bad its a wonder it made it this far. I mean cmon, lets turn the next Trek movie over to the guy who produced the mighty ducks and hire a director who had to be paid off and talked into doing it AFTER he said he doesnt like Trek and has no interest in ever doing it!
I still maintain that Trek veterans like Stewart ans Shatner should step forward NOW to take the reigns of the future Trek franchise. Even if its not in an on-screen role(especially shatner), but we need people with Trek’s best interests at heart and the fans interests behind the scenes. This is the time to do it! the trek fanbase is pretty much in hibernation. All the trekkies I know would love to jump back on the bandwagon as soon as something great comes along, but until then they consider the franchise dead.
I have stated this before and i will state it again: Paramount was STUPID to offer a new trek show to J.M. Strazinski(bad spelling) of Babylon 5 fame and then pull out when he wanted to be executive producer. What the hell were they thinking? they offer a new show to a guy who was the sole executive producer and writer for his own popular television show and then tells him he’ll only be producer and have to take orders from a berman or braga?!!! J.M.S. isn’t taking any damn orders from someone i consider beneath him!!!
5. darren seeley replies at 1st March 2006, 9:09 am :
*Get rid of Brannon Braga.
*Get Rid of Rick Berman.
If there is a new trek series, call Manny Coto, who did a fairly good job on Enterprise in that last season- even if he was bailing water of the sinking ship.
If there is a new Trek movie, continue it after Nemesis, (which I don’t think was horrible except for a few minor story points of TNG repetition and oversights) but…if it is TNG cast-y, have a Q story. Have a cameo by the character Jason Vito now serving Starfleet. This character had unknowingly undergone a DNA manipulation by Ferengi enemy Damon Bok, to pass off as Picard’s ’son’. OR
Take a hint of the ST novels - the series ‘New Frontier’- and have a whole new cast of characters and/or han the torch to them. That way, in one movie or the following films, you can knock off any character you want, replace characters etc.
Point is, there are SEVERAL stories that can be done- but the Berman/Braga team has run out of all creative ideas…and never had much creativity to begin with. Everytime something great happened in Trek, aside from DS9’s ‘Day Of The Warrior”, Berman and/or Braga didn’t have thier greasy hands on it.
6. Rob Merritt replies at 2nd March 2006, 10:07 am :
I’m more happy to play star trek in games and read novels at this point. I kind of want Shanter to play Kirk on last time. Just because Genesis was crappy for Kirk. However I am not wanting Star Trek to reappear on TV and screen just to have Star Trek.
7. Michael Crawford replies at 8th March 2006, 11:13 pm :
I agree that the stories since generations have been lame. Stories lack the gutsy action that Kirk had. I would love to see another star trek but please, a new writer, a cameo from the old crew with less kind and gentle characters and replace with characters that will take risks, not speak with bartenders, no day cares onboard and revive the Interprise.
8. Adrian Goldsbrough replies at 13th March 2006, 1:24 pm :
Manny Cotto should be given Rick Berman and Brannon Braga’s job as under his creative influence the fourth season was by far the best.
The “In a mirror darkly” two part story was the best of the whole series!
The problem with Enterprise was never the actors but plodding scripts that were just rehashes of things that had been done better before until the fourth season came along and it was too little too late.
As far as movies are concerned either they should stick purely to TV or (if they do back to the big screen) don’t dare approve a script that’s just a glorified TV movie.
(And be prepared to spend a summer blockbuster budget if needs be.
The franchise is also bigger than any one actor or actress.)
Oh for gods sake if anyone at Paramount reads any of this ; it’s space ships being blown up in epic battle scenes(see DS9 Dominion war and First Contact) with top notch special effects and fighting off sinster alien threats (how about giving races like the Tholians and the Gorn a look in for example)that gets backsides on cinema seats and lusting for more!
Anything less post the Lord Of The Rings and the Matrix is a waste of potential in the Star Trek universe.
Take the philosophising and social comentary too far and Star Trek is just a big yawn.