From TrekToday:
quote:
Paramount Approves Series V Concept
Christian (April 4, 2000 - 10:48 PMGMT )I just received a most fascinating report concerning the fifth Star Trek series, including the news everyone has probably been waiting for - apparently, Paramount TV Chairman Kerry McCluggage has finally approved Rick Berman's and Brannon Braga's Series V premise. This comes after several months of work that had already been invested in developing an acceptable Series V premise for the studio -- which had included the rumoured rejections of earlier versions of the now-confirmed and other premises, and focus group sessions that had tested three possible series concepts - a rumor that was confirmed today by Brannon Braga.
The premise that has been reportedly approved by McCluggage bears a strong similarity to the one that has been in the news ever since November, namely the 'Birth of the Federation' premise - with one important twist. Apparently, the villain of the series is someone from the 29th Century, who travels back in time to prevent the Federation from being born in the first place. The reason for this 'First Contact meets Future's End' twist is presumably to address the complaint that the 'Birth of the Federation' premise lacks enough suspense, because it obviously has a pre-established outcome.
According to the reports we received, the studio is still looking at a Fall 2001 premiere, meaning Series V would launch directly after Voyager's departure from the small screen.
As usual, though I have every confidence in these reports, treat them as you would any other rumour. This certainly hasn't been officially confirmed by Paramount yet.
And, to add to the above, from Sci-Fi-Wire:
quote:
Star Trek: Voyager executive producer Brannon Braga confirmed for SCI FI Wire that Paramount has indeed been testing concepts for a new Trek series to replace Voyager. That would appear to contradict statements by Braga's partner Rick Berman to Fandom.com that there's only one concept under consideration by the studio."There has been some testing," Braga told SCI FI Wire. "Obviously, that's true. I honestly can't say a lot about it simply because I have nothing to do with it. This is something that Paramount is doing. The testing of concepts, particularly on something that's a franchise, so to speak, I understand is fairly normal procedure. They are testing various things, and I didn't have anything to do with it, and I have yet to hear about any results from it. It's real peripheral to me."
Well, Um... uh... Well....
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The above post was mulled-over, composed, and posted during time Tom would have better spent on his plethora of homework and homework-related exercises. Now don't you feel special?
[This message has been edited by The_Tom (edited April 04, 2000).]
[This message has been edited by The_Tom (edited April 04, 2000).]
I wouldn't have minded a "Birth of the Federation" idea, but the 29th Century villian just ruins it. I can just imagine how each episode will end:
"I'll get you next time, Captain So-And-So! Next time!"
"MEOW!"
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"Time is but a window. Death is but a door. I'll be back."
- Vigo the Carpathian, Ghostbusters II.
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"Contact in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1... more or less."
-Tal Celes "Good Shepard"
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/7647/
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Klingons never do anything small, eh Worf? -Commander Riker,
Star Trek: Insurrection
http://www.huntel.net/massa/StarTrek/index.html
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"Good. I'll look forward to your report, Mr. Broccoli."
-Capt. Jean-Luc Picard, TNG: "Hollow Pursuits"
Perhaps some might think that there is a difference when the whole future of Earth, the PD and Root Beer is at stake each week, instead of just the ship. But I doubt the difference is a major one in the end.
And in any case, the main villain will probably only appear in about every twentieth episode, just like Voyager misses going home by that much only two times each season, not every second episode as we originally feared. Most of the show will rotate around general Trek things, and explore alternate premises, just like Voyager does.
This premise gets my tentative okay. It's better than spinning something off an established character - no Trek character is really worth that currently, not Sulu, not Picard, not Spock. And it's a departure from what has been done before. Of course the writing and acting will not change, but there was never hope of that and never will be. What is important is that the premise is formally a fresh one.
Timo Saloniemi
[This message has been edited by Timo (edited April 11, 2000).]
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"The Starships of the Federation are the physical, tangible manifestations of Humanity�s stubborn insistence that life does indeed mean something."
Spock to Leonard McCoy in "Final Frontier"
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"Nobody knows this, but I'm scared all the time... of what I might do, if I ever let go." -- Michael Garibaldi
1. I don't think there should be a new Trek series for a few years
2. I think Branon Braga should concentrate on Voyager.
3. I don't think that BB and RB can cope with such a series if they can't address simple continuity on Voyager or scoff at the fans when they complain about the continuity problem
4. It ties in the 29th century again - probably the only original Voyager idea - and its going to be clone for a new series...
5. They'll ruin what has already gone before - I can't seem them keeping to the TOS style... or one 100 years earlier...
6. There is TOO MUCH Trek... please how many of you can - and presumably all of you that are here are FANS, can say they have watched EVERY single episode of Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: DS9 and Star Trek: Voyager (plus the Nine movies and the Animated series) TWICE.
I haven't even seen all of TOS or TAS once.
I definately haven't seen all of TNG twice
I DEFINATELY haven't seen all of DS9 twice (even though its my fave.)
I haven't seen all of Voyager - of course because were six months behind here - even still I can't remember some of the episodes clearly... the middle of Season 3 and Season 4 is murky. and Season 4 and 5 are my fave seasons.
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"Who wouldn't be the one you love
Who wouldn't stand inside your love." - Stand Inside Your Love, The Smashing Pumpkins
Speaking as someone who has a copy of virtually every Trek book in existence... there's no such thing as too much. (Well, okay, some of the earlier "Mary Sue" novels.)
Too much comes when I can no longer afford it. And if it comes to that... I'll give up one of my other vices, like nudie movies. 
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"Nobody knows this, but I'm scared all the time... of what I might do, if I ever let go." -- Michael Garibaldi
Every time they went back to TOS / preTOS, except the Tribbles-on-DS9 ep, they screwed up something. The worst one is "11:59": e-mail, fancy 90's style people, internet, no wars.
What will happen with the entire Dominon Wars story? They have to rebuild the UFP. I really hoped for a series set in the beta quadrant
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"When You're Up to Your Ass in Alligators, Today Is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life."
-- Management slogan, Ridcully-style (Terry Pratchett, The Last Continent, Discworld)
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Prakesh's Star Trek Site
Uhh... I'm confused. What was wrong with them predicting the U.S. not being in any major, major wars on December 31, 2000?
I don't mind this idea, though. I mean, the Kazon were supposed to be Voyager's enemy, right? 
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"Warning: The contents of this Physics lab are 100% matter. Should the lab come in contact with antimatter in any way, a catastrophic explosion will occur."
First of all, it's an even bet that at least one AQ/BQ power involved in the Dominion War wouldn't be able to keep up with the demands that were placed upon it by extended conflict. The Romulan Empire, being the most insular of the three, is most likely. Given that it has already shown signs of potential instability (the "Reunification Movement"), has unknown adversaries on its other side or some other past conflict ("matters of greater urgency caused our absence," -- TNG The Neutral Zone), and has obvious problems in its power structure (the Tal Shiar, the mass of ambitious Senators in conflict), it would not be unexpected for the Roms to suffer some fatal (to the Empire) calamity.
Given that so little is known about the area inside and beyond Romulan space, this opens up a realm of areas and potential adversaries that could pose a 'clear and present danger' to the rest of the Federation. Upstart species that were once servitor races, or who had been conquered by the romulans, could suddenly appear on the stage, perhaps even using Romulan technology/ships. Previously unknown Empires that were on the far side of Romulan space could arrive, expanding into disrupted Romulan territory.
There could also be various Romulan factions vying for the remnants of power, some of whom could be cast members on board the ship.
Speaking of cast, a sort of joint mission, with cast representatives of former enemies, could help. throw in a Klingon, a Ferengi, a Cardassian or two...
And there's always the Borg... if Voyager hasn't ruined them completely by then.
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"Nobody knows this, but I'm scared all the time... of what I might do, if I ever let go." -- Michael Garibaldi
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Star Trek: Leeds
Creator, Producer, Only Writer
Until he said that Voyager has ruined the Borg, albeit not completely.
no emergency medical holograms
no replicators
no Cardassians, Ferengi, Trill, Breen, Bajorans, Klingons as only enemies
much slower warpdrive
no Borg threat
no Dominion, no Founders, even in the background
a return to fashions and set design that modern fans find laughable.
Is this the best way to keep the franchise alive?
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"What did it mean to fly? A tremor in your soul. To resist the dull insistance of gravity."
--
Camper Van Beethoven
Klingons couldn't be enemies until a little later, after first contact.
And "a return to fashions and set design that modern fans find laughable"? Why? Sets wouldn't have to look like '60s TOS retro. Did the missile silo and stuff in FC look like that? No. So why can't we assume that things would lok more like that?
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"Warning: The contents of this Physics lab are 100% matter. Should the lab come in contact with antimatter in any way, a catastrophic explosion will occur."
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"I see you have the ring. And that your Schwartz is as big as mine!
-Dark Helmet, Spaceballs
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"Who wouldn't be the one you love
Who wouldn't stand inside your love." - Stand Inside Your Love, The Smashing Pumpkins
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"When You're Up to Your Ass in Alligators, Today Is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life."
-- Management slogan, Ridcully-style (Terry Pratchett, The Last Continent, Discworld)
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Prakesh's Star Trek Site
Oh yeah, and everyone one in the show would be complete bastards.
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"Sometimes I wish the planet would be scoured with cleansing fire. Other times I just wish Frank would be."
Sol System
5 years, no less before the next series. IMHO.
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"Blind faith is the crutch of fools"
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"Who wouldn't be the one you love
Who wouldn't stand inside your love." - Stand Inside Your Love, The Smashing Pumpkins
Look, either we're going to get a good series or a bad one. If it's good, it's good. If it's bad, waiting five years or fifty won't make it any better.
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"What did it mean to fly? A tremor in your soul. To resist the dull insistance of gravity."
--
Camper Van Beethoven
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"Compared to you, every male on this ship is an expert on women!"
-Geordi LaForge to Wesley Crusher, TNG: "Sarek"
Star Trek: Voyager executive producer Brannon Braga has yet to sell Paramount on a concept for a new Trek series to replace Voyager, though he's been working on one since late 1999. And with Voyager heading into its seventh and final season, the Internet is buzzing with rumors about what--if anything--will fill the void it leaves behind.
Braga and partner Rick Berman continue to develop the new show, about which neither will say much. But Braga revealed a little more about the process of coming up with the new series, confirming among other things that Paramount has tested several concepts, but hasn't settled on any one yet.
Speaking exclusively to Science Fiction Weekly after this month's Grand Slam Star Trek convention in Pasadena, Calif., Braga also commented for the first time about the fan campaign to base the new series on the character of Capt. Hikaru Sulu and the exploits of the starship U.S.S. Excelsior, as seen in the 1991 film Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. More than 4,300 fans have registered in the campaign, and they showed up in force at the convention. They plan to demonstrate in front of Paramount on April 22.
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Is there anything you can say about the new series?
Braga: There is a new series in development. Rick Berman, myself and Paramount are developing it now. What it will be and when it will be are big question marks at the moment. We are in very early stages of development right now. I can tell you that we are eager to do something that is completely different, that feels fresh while at the same time captures the essence of Star Trek [and] gets it back to where it needs to be. We just don't have anything nailed down specifically at this point, so I really have nothing more specific that I can tell you.
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You're familiar with the Internet reportage, that there were three concepts tested: a Klingon concept, a Starfleet Academy concept and a prequel to the original series. Rick Berman has denied that those reports were true or that those concepts were tested. Is that so?
Braga: No, there has been some testing. Obviously, that's true. I honestly can't say a lot about it, simply because I have nothing to do with it. This is something that Paramount is doing. The testing of concepts, particularly on something that's a franchise, so to speak, I understand is a fairly normal procedure. They are testing various things, and I didn't have anything to do with it, and I have yet to hear about any results from it. It's real peripheral to me.
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So it's not influencing the concept that you and Berman are developing?
Braga: It's so far out of my daily life. ... Whether it will influence it, I don't know. It has not yet. But again, we're just beginning to talk about stuff.
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Is there a timetable for development of a series yet?
Braga: Not yet. No timetable at all.
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You've heard about the Excelsior Campaign by the fans to base a new show on Sulu? What do you think about that?
Braga: I really like Sulu. We did a Sulu episode on Voyager. Whether or not there's some sort of Sulu project, it's out of my domain. I'm not really aware of any plans to do it. I would be very surprised. There's also a "Bring Back Kirk" campaign. Some people want to see [a] Starfleet Academy [show]; some people want to see a Borg show. ... We keep an eye on these things. And there are a lot of rumors and a lot of campaigns going on. But I don't think any of them are really going to influence what we do.
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Have you had any contact with the organizers of the Excelsior Campaign?
Braga: No. I have not. I don't know if Paramount has.
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It's been suggested that Paramount may be concerned about the fans' campaign.
Braga: As they should be. I mean, the fans are what keep this series afloat. But as far as these campaigns go, there are so many coming from different directions. ... You've got to take fan influence into account, no doubt. But there is no plan for a Sulu series at the moment, I can say with almost certainty.
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Can you talk about any future Star Trek film?
Braga: I am so out of the loop on the feature film, I don't know. You'd have to ask Rick Berman that.
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People keep saying maybe it's time for Star Trek to take a break, that maybe the franchise has run out of gas. How do you feel about that?
Braga: I have mixed feelings. There's a part of me that thinks, of course it should be given a rest. But there's also a part of me that feels that there's a great opportunity on the horizon to revitalize the franchise, and let's go for it. There are many different arguments. If you let the franchise go for a few years, people could lose interest completely. That's a danger. Then again, if you rush into something, maybe people are just sick of it. And we've discussed this. But I'm very eager to get involved in something new, and add some new dimension to the franchise. And Rick and I are both very eager to do something different, do something that's going to take people by surprise and get them interested in Star Trek again. Hopefully. Those are lofty goals.
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Is Paramount holding your feet to the fire to come up with something?
Braga: It's all alchemy. You can't predict what's going to recapture people's interest. At the moment, no, they're not putting our feet to the fire. We're just talking about ideas in the most preliminary fashion. "What if we did this, what if we did that?" And we haven't really nailed down anything yet. So we'll see what happens when we start edging closer to a concept.
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Do you have other non-Star Trek projects you're interested in?
Braga: I do. The only other thing I've done recently was Mission: Impossible 2, which comes out Memorial Day. And I ended up with a story credit on that. Other than that, I haven't had time to do anything else, unfortunately. Believe me, I'm totally eager [laughs]. ... [For Voyager] you have to do 26 episodes a year. ... Most shows do 22. It's a hard job, a 12- or 14-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week job. I wish I had time to do other stuff.
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Will you be handing over a lot of the show-running of Voyager to Ken Biller next year?
Braga: I will be stepping away from Voyager, but I'm not right now, nor ... do I have plans to step away until the new series occupies enough of my time to justify stepping away. I just wrote the cliffhanger for Voyager this year. I plan on writing the second part, and plan to continue working on Voyager with Ken, who will be an executive producer next year, until I step away. When I will step away is the big question.
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Fool of a Took, throw yourself in next time!!
Gandalf
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"Who wouldn't be the one you love
Who wouldn't stand inside your love." - Stand Inside Your Love, The Smashing Pumpkins
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"One more day before the storm
At the barricades of freedom!
When our ranks begin to form
Will you take your place with me?"
--Enjolras, "One Day More," Les Miserables
And, as for the latex thing, you have to expect that. This is Trek; that's how they make aliens. They already have too many humans running around on there as it is...
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"Compared to you, every male on this ship is an expert on women!"
-Geordi LaForge to Wesley Crusher, TNG: "Sarek"
Anyway, did Riker really look that different between season 3 and season 7? Change of haircut, and no-one would notice.
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*Amusing quote not available, please call back later*
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Cluck cluck jibber jibber, my old man's a mushroom etc.
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Boris
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Obviously you refuse to cooperate with me. Obviously you have no discipline to kepp the mouth shut. Obviously you don't. Let's try it that way, then you might get the hint. How many more minutes are we going to waste asking you not to talk? How many more!?!