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Rick Berman Asserts STAR TREK Needs Re-Invention, TREK XI Scribe Announced

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By TRexx / 16:56, 22 February 2005 / Enterprise

For the past 19 years Paramount has launched STAR TREK films and series amid continued syndication and massive video sales. "Each time we started something else, we were competing against the previous shows, so as the number started to accumulate, we started to see franchise fatigue," glums Rick Berman. "You could see it with the performance of the last film, which was a wonderful movie. You can only squeeze so many eggs out of a golden goose." Downbeat results for STAR TREK: NEMESIS have curbed the studio's appetite to move quickly on more features. Dismal ratings prompted UPN to pull the plug on ENTERPRISE.

Berman tells Variety that the whole TREK concept has been so exposed that it needs to be re-invented. Another series would be at least three years away; and if a film goes forward, it will be the first that won't be based on already established TV characters.

Roger Nygard, who put together the TREKKIES and TREKKIES 2 documentaries, believes that taking a break is the sensible course. "It's a little like after you've eaten Thanksgiving dinner, you really don't want any more turkey," he notes. "There's been so much, for so long, that the feeling is that it's OK to take a pause."

"I think we're unique in Hollywood in people working here for 12, 15 even the full 18 years, so that's the sad part -- the family we've had here splitting up," frets Berman, who has teamed with Jordan Kerner and Kerry McCluggage to create an 11th feature now at the early stages of development; Erik Jendresen has signed on as writer.

"I don't think it's going away," attests Paramount Network Television president David Stapf. "We look at this as a hiatus."

Nygard's not worried. "We asked the question in TREKKIES 2 whether STAR TREK would be around in another 50 years and it was unanimous that it would be, in some incarnation. It's worth noting that STAR TREK didn't really begin to flourish until it had been off the air for awhile the first time."

Walter Koenig, a.k.a. "Chekov" in the original series, also believes it will be back eventually. "I really don't think that the series cancellation is its ultimate demise, although that may be just a reflex on my part," he says. "At some point, everything loses a little bit of its glow but STAR TREK has shown an uncanny ability to survive."

You can read the complete article at Variety.

UPDATE: Via Paramount Studios, Variety confirmed TrekWeb staff speculation that Erik Jendresen, not "Eric Genderson," is the scribe for TREK XI (story). Variety has now changed the name on their web site.



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RE: No, not "re-invention"... | Report this post to moderator
By: Sennik (Odo's file, contact) @ 10:58:58 on Feb 24, 2005

I think when people say re-invention they need to clarify what they're talking about. Berman threw that out there, and JMS threw out a similar word, and everyone now (thanks to BSG) gets images of a new Star Trek: The Original Series with new actors as Kirk and Spock and McCoy and so on. When they say re-invention, as Berman has here, I really doubt he's talking about starting over from scratch. I think he's referring to a fresh approach to a series. Changing the "new ship new crew" approach to something different. A new take on it, as you've put it.

Now, having said that, I really doubt Berman is capable of coming up with a new take on Star Trek. The man is devoid of any fresh ideas whatsoever. JMS could come up with a fresh take on it, I'm sure.

A Section 31 series sounds cool in theory, but it wouldn't be Star Trek. Where's the "new life new civilizations. Boldly going where no one has gone before" aspect? Part of what makes Star Trek what it is is the exploration of the universe part. Having humans exploring the universe as a backdrop for stories that explore what it's like to be human. The parallel between the two is there. A series that has a character or two who work for Section 31, and occasionally draws in the other characters into a Section 31 mission would be a good idea. Sort of an extrapolation of Reed on Enterprise being a Section 31 operative as well. Then you explore the sort of darker facets of being human with the Section 31 guys, and you've got the other parts as well. I don't know, I'm not paid big bucks to come up with new series ideas.

My point is that I think Berman is talking about the same thing you are. A new type of series, in the same universe. I just don't think Berman's capable of such a drastic change, because he's as stale as week old bread.

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