Star Trek, That Almost Was

   It was the miracle of fans that Star Trek returned to the big screen, and again when it came to the small screen. Despite a disappointing 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture' fans knew they wanted more Trek, good or bad. In the 80's under the syndication banner 'the Next Generation' brought Star Trek back to television. The networks wanted nothing to do with the franchise and Paramount, hungry for a cash hound and recognizing the huge fan base the 1966 series had amassed, went ahead with the series production. At one million dollars per episode, it was the most expensive syndicated series ever. It was also the number one syndicated series during most of its seven year run. 

   In seven years 'the Next Generation' maintained the status quo. The series was entertaining and brought fans some entertaining characters for a television series. But most of the stories never stretched the envelope of the Star Trek Universe. When it nearly did, the producers would pull back and fall into the general stream of things. Typical, but still entertaining. 

   Even Star Trek: Voyager failed to push that still Trek envelope. Alone in space, a galaxy away, the crew, producers and writers stayed in the Trek Universe living totally by the rules and regulations of the Federation. An impossibility in a real life situation. You would have fought for, or stolen  what you need to survive. Voyager had become what fans feared most, the monster of the week series. Voyager has so much potential and never hit its stride.  But the real fans stayed. They learned to enjoy the characters, if not the lame stories which the writers tried to tell. Fans were privy to excessive time travel and halo deck stories.  But hey, it was Star Trek right? It was all we had. 

   Between Next Generation and Voyager came the one series that Paramount and Rick Berman wish most to forget.  A series with wonderfully written characters in the Star Trek franchise. Star Trek: Deepspace Nine was indeed a slow starter, not finding its groove until the end of the second season.  But with Berman away and Michael Piller at the helm DS9 went to new places. It was still the Star Trek Universe, but the stories really began to push the limits of the what had become the standard Federation fare. Star Trek for the first time gave fans real character driven stories. Stories which not only showed the good in the characters, but their not-so-good sides as well. We got to see what made them the people they were within the series. Fans were treated to stories that ran multiple episodes and still told smaller adventures within each episode. It was great story telling with quality actors and the norm for effects. Deepspace Nine was a new place teetering on the outside edges of what Star Trek had always been. It was a great place for Star Trek fans wanting something more, something different, something better. Since Deepspace Nine ended  Piller has since moved on to 'the Dead Zone' literally being pushed from the Star Trek Franchise after working almost 500 hours of episodes. The characters from DS9, Worf doesn't count since he is from the Next Generation, have yet to break the feature film area for Star Trek. Kate Mulgrew immediately got a cameo in the tenth film, but Avery Brooks and Siddig El Fadil snubbed. Both actors played Federation officers and should have been moved into the feature films. 

   Deepspace Nine tried to bring in a new era of Star Trek. One with the Federation on the right path but with slightly dark edges. True to life stories of deception and greed within the mighty Federation. Star Trek was nearly brought into an exciting time. The best stories and true heroes are often born of trying times when men and women rise above the norm. Character driven stories that pull fans to the characters. People they can relate to, or even rally behind, for an hour, a year, or even a seven years run. 

   Paramount would informed Rick Berman, after Voyager,  he needed to re-invent the Star Trek franchise in order to do another series. What happened? Star Trek moved backwards. Back before the original series, and the Federation. Berman was to give fans a new Star Trek, with fresh stories and exciting characters. 

   Rather than shake-up the Federation that Gene Roddenberry created, Berman went to a time before the Federation. Rather than show the Federation needing changes in a new updated series, Star Trek went backwards. Rather than entertain fans with a new Federation forming within the old, we went backwards. Rather than telling the character driven stories that could come from the internal conflict we've got back to a before time. This so called shake-up is to create fresh stories so what does Berman do? Why bring in the familiar faces of past Star Trek writers. No new writers with fresh ideas. We need writers which could literally take Star Trek into a new direction. 

   Now fans have Enterprise. Great props, Beautiful sets, more wonderful effects, and a quality cast including Mr. Scott Backula from Quantum Leap.  A smart move on Star Trek's part. Bakula helped e increase Enterprise's ratings from other Trek series bringing in the fans of Quantum Leap who tuned in to see the Dr. Beckett play Captain Archer. Enterprise also has the luxury of being the first Star Trek series, since the Original Series ,to premiere on a network in Prime Time. We have already been treated to a time-travel theme from the first episode that still exists. Can the trusty halo-deck story be far behind? What liberties will Rick Berman and crew change that have been set by four later series? Enterprise doesn't open up a world of possibilities, but locks the new series into a Universe of what we already know is to come.

   Now that the first season has passed, it will be up the writers to create the stories that will keep the fans coming back. Character driven stories which stay away from halo decks, and time rifts which plagued 'the Next Generation', and 'Voyager'.  Fans won't give them long. The excellent written 'Smallville' is just one channel away. The WB is no slouch and would enjoy having Enterprise fans tune in to their shows. 'Bird of Prey' will be a hit series for the WB and Buffy is on her last leg. UPN and Paramount need to watch Mr. Berman and his crew of writers this second season.

  This is Paramount's and Berman's opportunity to turn an old dinosaur into a young stallion. Star Trek fans can be forgiving. But they are not stupid, nor ignorant of the Star Trek Universe and realize this is the moment. This is the moment for the television Star Trek to make its move.  Fans don't want the Star Trek that was.  They want what it could have been with Deepspace Nine, whether they admit it or not. They want what it can be. And... they want it now. This is it. There aren't anymore series for a long time if this one tanks. Star Trek has been around almost my entire life. I want it around for the next 30 years. And not some fifteen years between series.

We want Star Trek.

Tim Blackwell
Scifi2k.com