They Want to Make a Web Based Animated Star Trek
Why this is doomed…
I have been over to trekmovie.com, home of some of the best blogging on Star Trek, and it was revealed last week that David Rossi and his gang at Zero Room Productions (is Rossi a fan of The Doctor?) are going to do a Web based animated Star Trek. Rossi is the producer who is partly in charge of the remastered TOS, a project I like.
When everyone is talking about “going back to basics” and “bringing back Kirk (in one form or another)” Rossi and his team are going to set this version of Trek 150 years after Captain Picard. Some highlights:
“The setting is the year 2528 and the Federation is a different place after suffering through a devastating war with the Romulans 60 years earlier. The war was sparked off after a surprise attack of dozens of ‘Omega particle’ detonations throughout the Federation creating vast areas which become impassible to warp travel and essentially cut off almost half the Federation from the rest. During the war the Klingon homeworld was occupied by the Romulans, all of Andoria was destroyed and the Vulcans, who were negotiating reunification with the Romulans, pulled out of the Federation. The setting may seem bleak and not very Trek-like, but that is where the show’s hero Captain Alexander Chase comes in. Relegated to border patrol, Chase is determined to bring the Federation (and a ship called Enterprise) back to the glory days of seeking out new life and new civilizations.’”
So, let’s see; basically, the UFP is split in two, Andor (I have a problem with “Andoria” canon or not) is destroyed, no Vulcans in the Federation, Q’o'noS occupied by Romulans, etc. How is this scenario moving forward? Say what you will about Nemesis, it left one with the distinct impression that relations with the Romulans were going to get better not worse. Of course, according to Rossi, the Romulans didn’t start the war, some unnamed faction did that. Oh, great! I hear you thinking, yet another story arc!?! More:
“This new animated series would take place again on a ship called Enterprise, but the old girl has seen better days. Captain Chase’s Enterprise will be a Bismarck Class heavy cruiser from the Romulan war and a bit out of date. Her mission will be merely patrolling the border, but Chase chose the Enterprise for a reason. As a student of the Federation’s glory days, he wants to have the Enterprise reclaim her legacy. Although they are not ready to share artwork, Rossi says the ship will be very different than familiar saucer/hull/nacelle designs while still being recognizable as a ‘Star Trek’ ship.
Well, that certainly doesn’t bode well for fans of starship design. Did they choose Bismarck because that was a brand of herring? I digress:
“Her crew will be a collection of humans and aliens including a chief engineer named ‘Mr. Zero” who wears an environmental suit to survive. Life on the ship will mirror that of the Federation itself. ‘The Captain is more forward thinking and wants to go out and do some exploring but half the crew will be against that and want to just protect the border;’ says Rossi. Leading the ’stay the course’ faction will be Chase’s first officer, Commander Barric Holden who wants a command of his own and be a bit resentful of the his new captain. Rounding out the ‘big 3′ will be Lt. Kaylen Donal, a tough-as-nails security chief whose team of red shirts are all linked with Borg technology implants called ‘Biomechanical Utility Grafts’ or ‘BUGs’. The Zero Room team wants to see this security squad kick some butt and not just be cannon fodder. Rossi draws the distinction with previous security personnel ‘they aren’t the hapless pajama wearing guys who get vaporized every time… these are going to be very thoughtful clever bad-ass soldiers.’”
Yadda, yadda, yadda, blah, blah, blah! An exec who is resentful of his captain and a crew that wants to “stay the course?” Yecch!! Does this sound like any Starfleet you would want to join? I like the idea of the security team being capable for a change; it’s the one cool element in all of this heat, in fact, if this were another show, some of the ideas that Rossi is presenting are pretty strong, but this is supposed to be Star Trekand I dislike the concept of yet another “story arc.”
My idea for a new Trek is a little different, but basically goes back to the roots; exploration and character development. My Trek has a UFP where the Klingons and Romulans are members and the Cardassians, Breen and Tholians are allies, where the Federation is so big and so powerful that it has no natural predators anymore. It is a universe where Starfleet’s only charter is defense. They have to explore if only to stave off the boredom. I am talking real exploring, too. This means going to planets, creating aliens that are really alien, maybe doing the occasional Prime Directive plot, but having real SF back in the show again. Yes, you can do stories about “defense of the realm” but they should be few and far between.
Let’s dig even further; one of the reasons why the rebooted “Battlestar Galactica” works so well is that unless you are a die-hard fan of the original, you can forget about it completely and enjoy the new version with no preconceptions or encumbrances whatsoever. As far as “Doctor Who” is concerned, what some people don’t seem to realize is that it is not a reboot; it is a continuation of the original taken down to the barebones and stripped of the bullshit. Let’s not forget that the new episodes are shot in HD instead of live on video and they have better writing, acting, costumes, make up and visual effects.
That’s what any creator of any new Star Trek has to do; strip away the BS. Also, whatever you do don’t set Star Trek in a dystopian future. Star Trek is about one thing when you take away all the trappings; the betterment of mankind through self-actualization.
Human technology gives us an adaptive advantage so great, that evolving to another form is going to prove difficult if not impossible. I think that Gene Roddenberry and Gene L. Coon understood that. In fact, that is a theme Gene L. Coon hits over and over starting with the episode “Space Seed.” In that episode, Khan Noonian Singh laments the lack of improvement in mankind in the last 200 years since he has been in hibernation. He says, “Improve a mechanical device and you may double productivity. But improve man, you gain a thousand fold.” The conclusion that is implied here is that absent genetic tampering, the only way man will improve is to heighten his knowledge and increase the adaptive advantage.
Anyway, I can now get off of my rant. Will I watch this new animated Trek? Yeah. Anyone that knows me recognizes I am Star Trek’s bitch, so yes, I will watch. If I like it, I will recant on this Web page. It is all incumbent on whether it is even going to be a reality. CBS has ordered 5 spec scripts and some production art. We’ll see if it makes it, or is more like Star Trek: Phase II.
Filed under: Star Trek
