Star Trek

Star Trek collectively refers to six science fiction television series spanning 726 episodes, ten motion pictures, and hundreds of novels, video games, and other works of fiction, all set within the same fictional universe created by Gene Roddenberry in the early- to mid-1960s.

An uncertain future for the franchise

Predictions of the demise of Star Trek are nothing new. As early as 1993-1994, when ' failed to generate the high ratings of its predecessor, magazines such as Entertainment Weekly predicted the end of the franchise. The near-cancellation of ' in the mid-1990s led to more such predictions. Enterprise, which has also proven to be the most unpopular series to date, was widely reported in the media to be on the verge of cancellation after each of its first three seasons and a "death watch" of sorts was maintained throughout its fourth and final year.

Related Topics:
1993 - 1994 - 1990s

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However, due to the cancellation of Enterprise and the poor box-office performance of the 2002 film ', executive producer Rick Berman has stated that Paramount intends to rest the franchise (film and television) for at least three years.

Related Topics:
2002 - Rick Berman

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Many Trek fans want Berman and the other executive producer Brannon Braga to be replaced. Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski, former Star Trek writer Ronald D. Moore, and current Enterprise executive producer Manny Coto have been suggested as possible replacements. In an ironic twist to the fan-based efforts to bring back Trek in the 1960s and 1970s, there are groups of fans who feel that the concept has run its course and who are actively seeking the end of Star Trek.

Related Topics:
Brannon Braga - Babylon 5 - J. Michael Straczynski - Ronald D. Moore - Manny Coto - 1960s - 1970s

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Reruns of The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine are aired regularly on Spike TV in the United States. Spike TV will also begin airing reruns of Voyager in the fall of 2006, as part of its original deal for all three series. TOS, TNG, and Voyager air daily in Canada on , which has also purchased Enterprise for daily rebroadcasts starting in the fall of 2005.

Related Topics:
Spike TV - 2006

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Cast members and fans have suggested that even if there are no further Star Trek series or movies, the franchise may continue in television movies, mini-series, specials, and other forms of media.

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Future sequels to the original series

There is some desire among fans to bring back the character of Captain Kirk, as played by William Shatner, to give him a more dignified end than that shown in '.

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George Takei and fans have made frequent attempts to convince the studio to create a series based on Captain Sulu's voyages on the Excelsior, but, despite support from fans, it has enjoyed little success. Sulu and the Excelsior originally appeared in the film ' as well as in an episode of Star Trek: Voyager ("Flashback") but this did not lead to a new series. Sulu later appeared in the video game Star Trek: Shattered Universe set in the Mirror, Mirror alternate universe.

Related Topics:
George Takei - Captain Sulu - Excelsior - Flashback

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Future sequels to The Next Generation

Next Generation stars Marina Sirtis, Patrick Stewart, and Jonathan Frakes have suggested that no more TNG films will be produced; Brent Spiner is also no longer interested in reprising the character of Data. However, Spiner portrayed Arik Soong, an ancestor of the creator of his character Data, in Enterprises fourth season, and Sirtis and Frakes reprised their TNG roles for the Enterprise finale.

Related Topics:
Marina Sirtis - Patrick Stewart - Jonathan Frakes - Brent Spiner - Data - Arik Soong

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Continuation of Enterprise

In November 2004, Paramount announced that it would be offering the first four seasons of Enterprise, which aired its final episode on May 13, 2005, in television syndication as well as on DVD in 2005. The first season DVDs were released in United States on May 3rd, 2005.

Related Topics:
November 2004 - May 13 - 2005 - Television syndication - DVD

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There is some consensus among Star Trek fans that the fourth and final season of Enterprise was far superior and more "Trek-like" to the previous three seasons, and that continuation of the program under the new writing style would have stood a chance of acquiring better ratings during a fifth season.

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A campaign by Enterprise fans was mounted to have the show aired on the Sci-Fi Channel, which was rumored to be interested in the show (although TV Guide reported otherwise). Berman, however, stated that Paramount is not interested in shopping the show around to other networks.

Related Topics:
Sci-Fi Channel - TV Guide

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One campaign, Trek United, attempted to raise funds to finance a fifth season, raising pledges and cash donations of more than $3.1 million (U.S.) but its proposal which would have seen a fifth season jointly produced by Paramount along with Canadian and British production houses, was rejected by the studio. It has been reported that the decision to cancel Enterprise after its fourth season may have been made by Paramount as early as the 2002-2003 season, while lead actor Scott Bakula has gone on record as stating that management changes at Paramount in 2003-2004 left the Star Trek franchise without strong support at the studio. In April 2005, he claimed that up until 2003-2004 Paramount had actually intended for the cast of Enterprise to become the focus for the next Star Trek film. http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire2005/index.php?category=0&id=30849

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New feature film?

Rick Berman revealed in 2003 that preliminary work had begun on an eleventh Star Trek feature film. Rumors circulated that this film would be a prequel, perhaps titled Starfleet Academy or Starfleet Command, involving Spock, Captain Kirk, and Dr. McCoy played by new actors. Other rumors suggested the film would take place between the events of Enterprise and TOS, perhaps involving the Romulan War and featuring a new cast. However, rumors of such a prequel have circulated several times throughout the history of the franchise, shortly after TOSs original cancellation, and again in the 1990s, both without results.

Related Topics:
Spock - Kirk - Prequel - 1990s

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In late 2004, Paramount indicated that no plans were in place for a new film, and it was reported that the studio had rejected Berman's idea of a film featuring a new cast and crew, indicating that it preferred a film featuring familiar faces.

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In late February 2005, Berman told Variety that pre-production of an eleventh Star Trek film was underway and that screenwriter Erik Jendresen, producer Jordan Kerner, and former Paramount Television president Kerry McCluggage were attached to the project. http://www.trektoday.com/news/230205_01.shtml Berman said the film would focus on new characters, rather than any from previous series, and would take place in a time period before the original Star Trek (as Enterprise did before it). Jendresen has since confirmed such reports. However, it is still uncertain whether Jendresen's script will be approved by Paramount executives; in January 2005 it was reported by some websites that the studio had rejected a similar proposal, though Berman denied this. http://www.trektoday.com/news/180105_01.shtml

Related Topics:
Variety - Erik Jendresen - Jordan Kerner - Kerry McCluggage

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In a May 2005 interview for the UK Star Trek Magazine, Berman stated that he does not expect Trek XI, if it is actually produced, to be released for several years.http://trekweb.com/articles/2005/05/27/4297698c2c344.shtml Some sources have given the working title Star Trek: The Beginning to this proposed film, however Paramount has yet to announce any official title, or if it will actually produce an 11th Star Trek film. In a follow-up interview for the September 2005 issue of Star Trek Magazine, Berman stated that planning for the film is still "in its infant stages".http://trekweb.com/articles/2005/09/15/4329bc20736c6.shtml

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Video games

In 1998, Viacom entered into an agreement with Activision to produce Star Trek video games. Many games were released under this agreement, but in 2003, Activision filed a lawsuit against Viacom stating that they were not holding up to their end of the bargain because the Star Trek franchise was not as valuable as it once was. None of the games produced sold well. Activision cancelled the contract and sought compensation for losses. In March 2005, an agreement was reached and all lawsuits were dropped, but the other terms have been deemed confidential http://investor.activision.com/ReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=157785

Related Topics:
1998 - Viacom - Activision - Video games - 2003

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In 2004, Perpetual Entertainment announced plans for an MMORPG based in the Star Trek universe. This will be the first game of this type to be based on Star Trek. Currently, the game is tentatively titled Star Trek Online and is expected to be set roughly 20 years after the events of Nemesis. More detailed information regarding the game can be found in Stography, a wiki dedicated to the game.

Related Topics:
2004 - Perpetual Entertainment - MMORPG - Star Trek Online

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Novels

Pocket Books, current publishers of officially licensed fiction based upon all the series (as well as numerous original "Trek" series of its own), plans to continue publishing original novels for the foreseeable future.

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However, soon after Enterprise was cancelled, the company announced that it was halving the number of Star Trek novels it would be publishing, down to only one mass-market paperback per month, plus several trade paperbacks and hardcovers throughout the year.

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Although book line editors stressed that the decision to reduce the number of books was made a year earlier and was not related to popularity/ratings problems within the franchise, the announcement was seen by some as another indication that the Star Trek franchise is on the wane.

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Despite this, however, the company maintains that it has ambitious plans for the line, including (in May 2005) the confirmation that an Enterprise Relaunch series of novels is in the planning stages.http://www.trektoday.com/news/180505_01.shtml

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