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Posted by colin (Member # 217) on :

In the latest interview with Exec. Prod. Berman, on May 21 (see Trek Today), Berman mentioned that they had to reintroduce Roddenberian ideals into a "...general umbrella of Star Trek..." and avoid "...stumbling blocks..." in the process of this reintroduction. My question is, when Berman refers to these blocks, what is he actually saying? And what are those blocks?

The reason I asked is that the official word from Berman on the next series has been vague and misleading. And I am attempting to understand him. So the question.

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takeoffs are optional; landings are mandatory

Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :

Interesting question, Col. Helps though if you look at the actual quote. . .

quote:
But even if Enterprise will be bending the rules a little, Berman promised that the show would still preserve Roddenberry's optimistic vision of the future. "The Roddenberry perfection of humanity is in the process of happening but will be not completed when the series begins. That will enable us to do a show within the general umbrella of Star Trek, but eliminate some of the stumbling blocks."

Or perhaps not.

My interpretation is, Roddenberry's last take on Star Trek was very much the utopian, idealised view of humanity you see in early TNG. His successors have been working to bend or completely ignore those rules ever since (ie in DS9, Voyager and the films), for various reasons including (but not limited to): it's boring, with no scope for realistic "human" interaction or conflict; they don't agree with his views of what humanity can become; or, they're just lazy and prefer to turn out the same old human dramas that incorporate the majority of network TV, only set in space.

It's those sorts of stumbling blocks I think he's referring to. Now, they can show a greedy, less enlightened, more fractious, suspicious, paranoid, divided humanity - in other words, business as usual as far as US network TV goes.

What this could actually spell is the final death of how Roddenberry saw his creation (at least in his idealistic later years, the spirit in which he created TNG) - just another American TV show but one in which people warp about, raise shields, beam down, and shoot each other with phasers.

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Phasers

Posted by Bernd (Member # 6) on :

I wonder how I can be still a little bit optimistic about the new show, but maybe Berman is indeed aware that Star Trek is supposed to be different from other views of the future. Hopefully he recognizes that Star Trek defines itself through its positive and human(oid)ist vision, rather than pointed ears and warp nacelles. So the alternative to just another scifi show could be that they really go back to the basics as announced, and this would be TOS and TNG in my opinion. On the other hand, according to Berman, there is "no way" back to the TNG formula. Quite ambiguous.

I'm not interested in the 22nd century show, and I will hate the lacking continuity, but maybe, and despite all possible attempts to adapt it to the taste of the general public, at least the idea may survive.

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"There is an intelligent lifeform out on the other side of that television too."
(Gene Roddenberry)
Ex Astris Scientia