posted
Some really good ideas put forth in this thread. The mini-arc idea is good from a financial viewpoint, as you can amortize visualizing the aliens and their culture over several shows. And the last idea, the Hornblower 'glimpses of a life' notion, is even more appealing. I just think these notions lend themselves to a NON-trek universe, one with more richness and texture and less technobabble.
One reason I like these ideas of yours is that I came up with stuff along these same lines, but for an AntiTrek zerobudget film series I tried making myself (in super8 and 16mm) back in the 80s called CRITICAL ORBIT, one that was a more practical-minded universe than Trek but paid a lot of hommage to the Hornblower character-driven aspect. Ran out of money before we could finish it, but in the 90s I reworked it on paper as a series concept (bible plus 40 story outlines) for a disenfranchised career military guy who winds up a privateer-type, and still think it'd be a great way to go if HBO ever got behind the idea of doing a serious SF series.
One last thought about how to reinvent Trek: just saw a newspaper ad for Tarantino's KILL BILL that includes the tag line:
revenge is a dish best served cold - old klingon proverb
THAT guy could really give Trek a shot in the arm, and it wouldn't be a shot of novacaine like Berman&co seem intent on pumping into audiences.
Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
Either of the ideas (miniseries or Hornblower) sounds good to me. A longer episode format may also help; the ITV version of Hornblower has each story in two hour long parts- that might help with character development, etc.
The Hornblower format is one that I've thought would work well in Trek for some time; it would allow more of the Trek universe to be seen, as well as increasing the number of possible storylines.
Of course, the whole thing would depend on the quality of writing....
-------------------- "I am an almost extinct breed, an old-fashioned gentleman, which means I can be a cast-iron son-of-a-bitch when it suits me." --Jubal Harshaw
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted
Imagine some of the past episodes that should have been longer....
-------------------- "You are a terrible human, Ritten." Magnus "Urgh, you are a sick sick person..." Austin Powers A leek too, pretty much a negi.....
Registered: Sep 2000
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posted
Snay, that's a killer idea. I like the idea of it starting just pre-TNG and running up through post Voyager events. We'd get to revisit all the TNG time periods with a new twist on things.
They could even do a "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead" type deal where the focus character(s) intersect with major events in the other series. Maybe they're at Wolf 359 or the First Contact Borg invasion. There would be room for new ships, old friends, and a much wider view of the eras we've already seen.
The characters could change ranks and positions which would give us new settings all the time. They could even jump ahead 10 years in the course of a couple of episodes.
Man... already this idea is better then NBC's entire Fall lineup...
posted
This old series idea might be workable in that multi-episode arc scenario...
quote:STAR TREK: EMPIRE'S END
*I want to start off by admitting that the concept of this story is shockingly similar to that of the New Frontier books by Peter David. However, I came up with the idea independently, before I ever read those books. Truthfully.*
It's a years after the events in Dominion War. Not long after Nemesis.
The Romulan Empire, having used up most of its military resources during the War, and with its governmental structure (both the Senate and those who tried to usurp power) largely destroyed and, due to its isolationism, not being able to economically and politically recoup, has collapsed.
The Romulans have split into several squabbling factions, each of which is trying to gain power in its own way, including: --- Old Imperialists -- Other Reman Insurgents --- The Tal Shiar --- The Unificationists --- Petty Warlords and Pirates
The Orion Syndicate is moving in.
Various and sundry planets that were previously Romulan-subjugated worlds with servitor people, are rebelling, some seeking simply independence, some seeking to startup their own little Empires.
The mysterious unknown powers on the other side of Romulan space (What I assumes the Romulans to mean in "The Neutral Zone" when they spoke of 'matters of greater urgency caused our absence') are making subtle moves and overtures.
Into this cauldron, as an attempt to help create a little stability, while simultaneously gathering information in space that was previously a no-go area, the Federation flings our heroes' starship, either a veteran of the Dominion Wars, or a ship that was constructed shortly thereafter. The older members of the crew are War veterans, the newer ones not much more than cadets. (This would reflect the losses suffered)
They are guided through this space by a Romulan or two on board, possibly including a Garaklike character (cross Garak and Neelix?), any or both of whom may have agendas of their own.
-------------------- "The best defense is not a good offense. The best defense is a terrifyingly accurate and devastatingly powerful offense, with multiply-overlapping kill zones and time-on-target artillery strikes." -- Laurence, Archangel of the Sword
Registered: Mar 1999
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quote:Originally posted by Aban Rune: Snay, that's a killer idea. I like the idea of it starting just pre-TNG and running up through post Voyager events. We'd get to revisit all the TNG time periods with a new twist on things.
I really like this idea... If needed you could even bring in CApt. Baldy, Data, Worf or any of the other person you want and just use them for a second or 2 and continue on with the story.
The story plots could lead into or continue with the TNG era storys (like more of BoBW, the clean up of the E-D, looking in the bad lands to see WFT happened to voyger, ect...)
-------------------- "That's the problem with nature. Something is always stinging you or oozing mucous on you. lets go watch tv." - Calvin & Hobbes
Registered: Nov 2001
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posted
Idea 1. One idea that I've been suggesting is a variation of the old NBC Mystery Movie from the 1970s. For those of you who can still remember, this was a series made of four separate subseries, each of which had a 90-minute episode every third of fourth week. The subseries included, if memory serves, Columbo, McCloud, and McMillan and Wife (and something else). What Trek could do with the format is set each subseries in a different time period or location, but maybe have some sort of element appear in each subseries -- a character, like a Trill, a particular family, an artifact, or a location. If one subseries turned out to be better or more popular, it could be "promoted" to a weekly 60-minute series. If a subseries stunk, it could be dropped. You could also have limited cross-overs between subseries or even mega-arcs spanning subseries.
Idea 2. As done by the "New Odd Couple" in the 1980s ( http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0083454/ ), use the scripts of the original "Star Treki" but recast the show with blacks or other ethnic/racial groups.
Idea 3. "Trek Rock!" Instead of speaking dialogue, all the characters sing!
Registered: Oct 1999
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posted
Ideas #2-3 earn you a fiery place in hell, you know that don't you? Don't be suprised, you really brought it on yourself, Masao.
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Registered: Aug 2002
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posted
C'mon, "Trek Rock" needs to be greenlit this minute.
Instead of fighting with torpedoes and phasers the crews would beam down to a planet and go all "West Side Story" on eachother.
-------------------- "You must talk to him; tell him that he is a good cat, and a pretty cat, and..." -- Data "I will feed him" -- Worf (Phantasms)
Registered: Sep 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Aban Rune: Snay, that's a killer idea. I like the idea of it starting just pre-TNG and running up through post Voyager events. We'd get to revisit all the TNG time periods with a new twist on things.
I dunno. The problem with a lot of these ideas is that they very much play to the mroe dedicated fan. The other 90% of the fanbase will be left cold. You think that they'll care what Ensign Flibbyblob thinks about Voyager coming home? They'll want to see him out there doing things, not reacting to things.
Ritten: And that's the reason why a series focussing on "Lower Decks" characters wouldn't work, either. Senior officers make stuff happen. They command the ship. They talk to the aliens. They DO things. The runts below decks just run around, fix things, have dinner, and don't speak when on camera so they don't have to be payed. A series that docussed on them would have to be a glorified soap opera.
-------------------- Yes, you're despicable, and... and picable... and... and you're definitely, definitely despicable. How a person can get so despicable in one lifetime is beyond me. It isn't as though I haven't met a lot of people. Goodness knows it isn't that. It isn't just that... it isn't... it's... it's despicable.
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
Well, that would be the writing challenge... making the things we didn't see in and around the major events interesting. Maybe Lt. Commander Billy Bo (at this point) was on the Prometheus when Voyager came home. Maybe something exciting happened right before that event that we never got to see.
In actuality, very little of the series would revolve around these events, but they would tie in heavily in places. We could see the lead up to things, maybe months in advance. Or the aftermath of events that extend months farther than where TNG or DS9 left off.
Most of the series would be it's own stuff, simpoly taking place in those time periods, but every once in a while they would connect to familiar events. I'm not saying it would be easy to do... but it could be really good.
posted
Make it a small action team, a team leader, ensign or LTjg, an assistant, a chief, a couple of medics, a couple of engineers, a couple of biologists, a couple of xenologists, and a couple of something else, for a team of 12. Give them a run-about to zip about in, and for longer trips have them hook up with a starship. This group can interact with the various species of the galaxy, kind of like a second contact group. This can show the species of the arc/season graw along with the characters. Kind of like the one book where Kirk stops the first nuke exchange and limits the second, then meets the big planet eating thing. Or Data's little friend with the devested planet....
The idea would work without everyone being on the senoir staff, as low level crewbeing whatever can be in contact with planetary/rebel leader somename to pull a sliver out of his little toe...
-------------------- "You are a terrible human, Ritten." Magnus "Urgh, you are a sick sick person..." Austin Powers A leek too, pretty much a negi.....
Registered: Sep 2000
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quote:Originally posted by First of Two: They are guided through this space by a Romulan or two on board, possibly including a Garaklike character (cross Garak and Neelix?), any or both of whom may have agendas of their own.
Talk about going from the sublime to the ridiculous...
-------------------- “Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.” — Isaac Asimov Star Trek Minutiae | Memory Alpha
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted
Why not just have a crew get jumped to the alternate universe from "Mirror, Mirror" and then of course the framistatic-doohickey effect make it impossible to cross back. Then they could hook up with the peaceful Romulans to try and subvert the Evil Vulcan influence on the empire. You can bring back all the old characters for one-shots as "Bad-dude-Bad-dude!" and see what may have been. Building the federation out of an Empire going down. Somewhat like a Harry Seldon/Tranto/Foundation thing.
OF course then they would have Verhoevan direct it and blow it all to Qo'nos like he ruined Starship Troopers.
-------------------- I am the Anti-Abaddon. I build models at a scale of 2500/1
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