Fun maybe-facts from a reader known as "DH". Not much of a nick, but here's his poop.
"Since the cat is out of the bag on the focus groups, here are the details of the current Series 5 pitch at Paramount:
Star Trek: Series V (as yet, untitled)
After a Federation think tank predicted the loss of the war with the Dominion.
Section 31 embarked on several ambitious projects to change the course of the war. One of them is euphemistically called "The Final Solution". It involves assimilating the Jem Haddar by curing their addiction to Ketracel White by using Borg technology.
As plans are being drawn, a chance encounter with the prototype federation starship Prometheus brings Voyager's holographic Doctor briefly to the Alpha quadrant. While on the Prometheus, a "copy" is made of the Doctor's program. The holographic Doctor's experience with Borg biotechnology entices Sloan to acquire the program and put the Doctor to work on the Final Solution.
The result is a Federation Assault team (a la Navy Seals) that operates like a Borg collective cell. They are heavily armed with overpowering weapons and able to assimilate people, technology and ships to suit their needs. The team has the ability to act as a collective in battle mode to improve efficiency, and also to "switch off" their link and operate as individuals (much like the former Borg colony that Voyager found.)
The group had passed their first trial and successful captured and
assimilated a Jem Haddar soldier when a crisis occurred
The cell become aware of their impending death sentence and make an
escape. Their Jem Haddar prisoner, who is now free of his addiction, knows
he cannot go back to the Dominion. He and the Doctor's program are brought
along. They assimilate a federation ship and make a break for it.
Now a hunted group, the cell makes it's way to Borg space and
commandeers a Borg sphere, which gives them the ability to travel through
time and space with ease.
The show proceeds to unravel the story of this band of super soldiers
who are looking for a safe haven. They travel through different areas and
eras of the Star Trek Universe (opening up the possibilities of exploring
the early Federation and Kirk/Spock Starfleet academy storylines).
Everywhere they go, they are perceived as a threat and violently turned
away. But they are still Federation soldiers, however unwanted they may be.
An overriding theme of the show is racial coexistence. With
similarities being drawn to the exodus of the Jews and the attempt to
establish a homeland and find security in it. The show is intended to be
action intensive and mostly like DS9 during its final season." "I just got back from visiting a relative in Glendale, and after taking a trip
to the local mall they had there, wound up in a focus group where, yes, they
were screening three Star Trek series concepts.
Since I see someone has already reported in about it, I'll try not to repeat
much here. Basically as was already said,when they braught us in, they had a
standard VCR setup where they would show us all some CGI animations of ships
little virtual people running around the decks, things like that. With a
woman talking over the animations with an explanation of each show. Then they
left us alone and we debated which one's we'd watch if they were on the air.
I tell you I was pretty disappointed for the most part, that they have had
like a year to think up a new series and this is all they came up with. I was
pretty sad that there wasn't a movie-era concept.
The first one was, from what I could gather from the ships and story outline,
pretty much a Deep Space Nine spinoff. Nothing new. Which takes place at the
same time period and everything.(Oh God I see many a pointless crossover) I
wasn't suprised when discussion time came around and about five of the eleven
people there loved this one. The animations were balls-to-the-walls KICKASS,
no doubt. Again, very Deep Space Nine-ish. They had God-knows-how-many
battle sequences with ships gratiutously blowing up even when they didn't
appear to be hit, looking alot like the ones we saw in the opening battle of
Star Trek: First Contact, with finally a greek letter flying towards the
screen that I'm pretty sure was the symbol for Omega. Is that the name of the
series? Got me. Anyway, the ships were very militaristic, not typical "one
saucer, two nacelles" design of ship that we are used to. About the size of
the defiant, but different configurations, much sleeker like they were made
out of metal. There was also a sequence of CG characters storming some new
alien ship with what looked like "breaching pods" (which is stupid when they
could've just beamed over.) All in all, this was the worst of the options
presented in my opinion. Absolutely no story, but plenty of cloak and dagger,
spy and shoot. I was probably the only one that really hated it. Every one
else had dumb comments, envoking Star Wars to say something like "this is what
space shows are supposed to be." Yeah right. Sometimes what looks great in a
five minute clip won't cut it in a seven year run.
Conclusion: All style and no substance. It would kickass for a couple of
seasons and then fail to develop. You don't care if the characters get
captured or die because they're strangers to you.
Next, shock of shocks, Starfleet Academy appeared on the monitor. The CG was
less inspiring than the first, consisting of some kind of 24th century
"aircraft carrier", a huge tub ship with a long hull about the shape of
Voyager's. The openning scene showed these long bays along the side openning
up and these almost boomerang shaped fighters flying out one by one. The
uniforms on the CG characters looked like what we saw in the episode "valiant"
I kinda was receptive to it, then they started explaining what the show would
be like. A total barrage of cliches. The old scolding captain trying to keep
in line the wild top gun cadets. It just got worse from there. The lady who
was standing with her clipboard by the screen said it would focus on their
adolescent problems, they might have trouble at school, one of the guys might
fall for one of the girl characters who likes someone else. I wanted to gag.
However, I'm wondering if maybe the guy who first reported was in an earlier
focus group, because as far as I can recall no one called it a "90210 in
space." That's actually a perfect way to put it, but no one said it then.
It's an intriguing premise, I mean I remember reading Heinlein's original
Starship Troopers...but the wrong direction to take it.
Conclusion: Space: Above and Beyond resurrected, and this time worse!
Finally, the last one, the 22nd century one I'd have to say was the one that
sat with me the best. Unlike the other two it had VERY little CGI, and no
video, just screen shots. The ships kinda looked like a cross between The Old
Series and 2001: A Space Odyssey, having kindof a rugged gracefulness to the
ships(They kept the "orange necelle lights from TOS unfortunately :-)
However, just a correction: The series as it was explained to us would take
place VERY far pre-TOS and would even be pre-federation. It would focus on a
ship, the USS Enterprise(Interesting to note, the room erupted when they
mentioned that note :-) from an earth space probe administration or something,
and would focus on the exploits that led up to the establishment of the
Federation, and the havoc that occured after the disasterous first contact
with the Klingons. A "the people who were behind it all that you never knew
of" story pretty much. It looked to have taken a little of the feel from the
original series, but leaving all the 60's decor out, and leaving in an Apollo
13 kinda motif. I'd have to say without a doubt in the end this was my fav,
as from my years watching The Next generation, this seemed the only one to
capture that spirit.
Conclusion: God I hope this is the one!
Hope this interests you,
Here's more of the same, so call me Thomas Paine mail me at elcosmico@austin.rr.com
And the Trek goes on...
Another home boy writes more poop. Here we go with Thomas Paine:
Who knows. Put up yer talkbacks, let the muckety mucks know what you think, eh? Peace out, Trekkies!
-El Cosmico
