New Star Trek Series In Works
December 14th, 2006
TrekMovie.com has information from long-time Trek producer David Rossi about plans for a new Star Trek series set in the 26th century. The new series will be animated (like The Animated Series continuation of TOS) and CBS have given the go ahead for test artwork and scripts for 5 mini episodes to be developed.
The series will probably be broadcast online on the Star Trek website; a first for the franchise. With the success of sites such as YouTube, this is the natural next step forward in television broadcasting and it’s not too surprising. As well as that, it may also be shown on TV and DVD.
The series will be set 150 years after Picard and Star Trek: Nemesis.
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.
There are some really interesting twists - for example the chief engineer of the ship “Mr. Zero” needs to wear an environmental suit to survive on the ship. There will also be a security team with some Borg technology.
The TrekMovie report contains more details and some artwork from the series in works.
The project is currently believed to be in a holding pattern until the release of the 11th Star Trek film in 2008.
I think opinion amongst Trek fans is going to be divided. In some ways, I still feel Enterprise should get another 3 seasons and to be finished off. An animated series would be interesting but should it be considered part of the Star Trek canon? Or perhaps this is a last desperate attempt to revive Star Trek?
- Sci Fi
- Comments(31)
Hmmm, animated? Why? I was looking forward to a proper ST, not this! I’ll be keeping an eye out for more info…
I think I would like it. Just remeber to advertise for it
I agree, why animated, just make it a proper ST. I heard somewhere else they are only going to be 6 minute episodes each. but WTF, cant we get on with a new series. Im ok with it being set far into the future with a dismantled UFP and the vulcans going awall, it could be set up as the dark times for the UFP, but as long as they are committed to making it, not just some half assed animated series, nor continuing to hang around TOS for the memories, I’m not going to see the new movie, because I am so sick and tired of hearing about Kirk and the rest of his buddies. Future, borg tech, dismantled UFP, yes lets go.
But if its going to still be animated, i too have the question should it be ST canon? Do we still have to call the ship Enterprise? Is this the same thing we all read about the Star Ship Cardinal in Ferengi Space?
We need a new generation of Star Trek with new and exiting technologies like Starfleet experimenting with transwarp on the USS Enterprise E in the 25th century with a new crew or maybe go further and have an Enterprise F? it could open up a whole new concept of galactic exploration. Maybe even beyond. We need to see new technologies the way we saw new stuff when TNG first came out; we saw replicators and holodeaks. We need to see stuff that takes Star Trek to the next level like long range transporters and instant short range transporters, ones that take less than a second to dematerialize and rematerialize. What about the deployable hull armour in endgame? Or what about phaser resistant personal armour? Or personal shields? I want to know what happened to the class of battleships of which the Defiant was the prototype. The ones that carried more firepower than ships three times there size. How about all those cool vehicles we saw in the last three films? How cool would it be to see the federation in an all out war with say the Andromedan Empire? Transwarp would totally make intergalactic travel, exploration and war possible. We don’t want to see an inexperienced bickering crew of the Cardinal fresh out of Starfleet, we saw that with Harry Kim, and Bashir and others. We want to see a crew that is young but has worked their way up to the top, to the Enterprise, through other assignments. We want a professional crew, not a soap opera. Please don’t let Star Trek suck any more!
I couldn’t agree more with the above but the truth is the series died with Roddenberry. After season six of TNG. it was all fighting… no science, no exploration, no brain.
All they need is another show based on the Enterprise slightly after TNG (for cameo reasons) and people would watch. That and perhaps using some of the thousands of scripts they recieve annually from scientists all over the world instead of letting a few people try to write material that is far beyond them.
Why waste time on something like this when Cardinal is waiting to be made?
Because from what I have read so far “Cardinal” is the worst Star Trek idea yet and if the outcry is loud enough maybe, if we are lucky, it will get scrapped.
More war and arguing, no science and exploration…..once again.
But you are correct, hoping that the people in charge will wake up and listen is certainly a waste of time.
I agree with nearly all the sentiments above, Enterprise was an abomination. We want to see people going bodly where no-one has gone before. Let’s face it, TOS were always encountering, shooting or shagging a new race everyweek whilst still coming up against old favourites every now and then. That said, please can someone make this new idea for an animated series into a real show? The ideas interest me and it would be cool to see some ‘dark times’. I think the main problem we have these days is making the series seem new and fantastic, with TOS and even TNG the innovations such as personal communicators and automatic doors were unheard of now they are everywhere, the shows really need a crack team of science geeks to keep the wow factor going.
Oh and one more thing, never again should any Star Trek theme song be allowed to be anything other than orchestral. Enterprise’s theme stopped me from liking the series before the start of the first episode!
Enterprise was so awful I never watched past the first season. The theme was bad I agree, in fact I think the same woman wrote the Aerosmith song they used for Armageddon which was equally horrible. The thing with Enterprise I couldn’t get past was a Vulcan with fake breasts. Sounds stupid I know, but it just seemed contradictory to the past characters ideals.
ok so i agree with the people that are saying a animated ST series is a waste of time, and this reverting bk to the beginings of starfleet and the federation in past series and the up coming movie is rediculas, there just not viable as sources of entertainment because people already no the forthcoming star trek technologies and how they came about is often described in series such as TNG and movies such as first contact. People want to see the future of the federation, the increase in technological advancements and, how we get from enterprise E to time ships. The galexy is bigger then our universe, yet the producers and writers dont seem to understand this. It also makes sense that such ideas as animated series is not something which will appeal or attract a wide audiance. ST was about moving forwards yet it has begun to contridict itself, Its time for a all out new series about the future of the federation using sets and actors and set in a time where we can still go to places weve never been with other series.
I have no interest in the proposed Cardinal idea. The more recent proposed 26th century idea sounds better….but the ‘bleakness’ of it isn’t inspiring. Nothing beats TNG and Voyager. Now those series were all about science and exploration. And WHY get rid of the Vulcans? Are you kidding? For many that aren’t as fascinated with ST as us Trekkies….Spock, the “v” sign & “Live long and prosper” are things they immediately think of when Star Trek comes to mind.
Get back to the pure idea of exploration. There’s plenty of fighting to be done when exploring, ya’ know? If they feel the need to add more and more fighting/violence….they need to realize it just isn’t that neccessary. Not for true fans.
T’Pol had fake breasts? Didn’t know that… but I did appreciate the sex appeal which has been a Trek mainstay since TOS.
Totally agree that Trek needs to keep up the wow factor and reveal some new technologies that the average person wouldn’t expect. However, with the Federation teaming up with the Roms in DS9 along with the storyline of Nemesis, it seemed to me they were gearing Trek fans up for an eventual alliance with the Romulans… so this plot seems to be out of left field and a deviation.
I’m all for some Trek “dark times”, but I think it would be more interesting to see the Feds and Roms as allies and a different race as the antagonist. (Not to mention it seems kind of absurd to think the Romulans could take on the Klingons AND the Federation, both powerful races and badasses in their own right)
Also, yeah… animated series seems like a bad idea. Let’s get a real show… animated series to me sounds like it would alienate the more serious Trek fans. Beyond comedy, cartoons are for kids. (Except Anime I guess… but Trek + Anime sounds like a bad idea)
Just like to say one thing. Animated series why??? because its cheaper and if its a flop they can pass it off as an internet based programme with little press coverage.
The owners of the trek brand are cowereds, bite the bullet and put something into full production (and not animated).
Animation, for the most part, is for kids. I want a live action, well-scripted, and well-acted series. With the huge discoveries made in astronomy in the last 10 years (with Hubble and over 150 extra-solar planets), the new series has plenty of material to draw new and imaginative locales… Then add in characters as products of these new environments and other technologies… There is just too much material and too much imagination to work with. Bring back another Star Trek!
i had an idea that could bring all the series together, it takes place at star fleet command san fran, where a sr. class studies lord garth, janeway, and other historical starfleet officers. starting in the class room, then following their star fleet career. the doctor from voyager still running his program, loars body datas chip, tuvok back as an instructor again, seven of nine and the doc. together after all that time. the borg find a way to adapt and assimilate species 792 and thats the new war path, bio borg tech. insta-worm hole travel, and a temporal flux inhibitor that breaks as ofter as the Q appers
i want to be a dax, telaxion, borg, starfleet ambassador, who finds neelix and brings his back yo earth, if this idea gets picked up.
Ummmmmmm, animated? wow don’t think so, if they were lookin for a good idea they certinly didnt find it. The story is ok, but why not have it real life, and instead of having some random captain workin with the Enterprise, I think it would be better to have it centered around a ship that belongs to section 31!!!!! Section 31 Bends the Rules and I for one love it! and with a story like that why not have a crew thats willing to bend the rules to restore order to the federation?
personaly i like voyager the best i mean come on the original ST’s were good and all but with voyager they did something they never did with any other ST series they sent them 75 000 lightyears away from home to the delta quadrent meeting ALOT of new spesies and finding new scientific discoverys that ST series was all about exploreation lets get back to that i don’t think that these series sound to bad but they need a bit of fine tuning in the idea and plot department.
It is so true that the enterprise series was rubbish, I guess the only reason I watched it was to see that sexy Vulcan T’pal get it all hot and steamy with the chief engineer Trip. I miss the true trekkie series with action, science and that wow factor not that animated foolishness I hear going around, I want to see new innovations in technology like the holographic communicator in the DS9 episodes, ablative armour transformations and wars with the Borg, Romulans, Dominion or something. I want to see some wickedly cool series set in the far future with real actors. Star Trek to me is dieing and getting a bit boring, all I do these days is just sit their looking at the TV rewatching old series….. I need some something new not that prequel foolishness, that just boils my blood….Give Me The Future…. Give Me New Tech….Give Me Spectacular…..NOT PREQUELS & ANIMATIONS….NO! NO! NO!
I’ve just come accross the Cardinal idea on another site and left a message. I think its the dullest thing I’ve ever heard about and will not only kill star trek but will dance on its grave.
My idea is to set a star trek series in the late 24th century (or early 25th if you prefer), it can be set on the Enterprise F or another ship (it doesnt matter), but I would base it on the exploration of the Beta quadrant (apart from Klingons and Romulans we know next to nothing about it). The Federation could be setting up colonies in the unclaimed regions of the quadrant, ,aybe welcoming new worlds into the federation.
I think it should reveal new technologies, have relevant social and moral allegories and messages for the current times and feel more like TOS and TNG.
(I have absolutely no talent for writing, just got ideas so I’d leave that basic premise in the hands of more talented people.)
I would also suggest that the ideas and stories of scientists and ordinary fans are given more consideration.
Well, again another bad idea has been heaped upon the legacy of Star Trek. First off, I disagree with alot of you out there; I thought Enterprise, though it had the crappiest theme ever, had amazing potential. They took a literary charcter, Captain Archer, and started to develop him in such a way that fit with exploring the unknown; insatiable curiosity coupled with a pair of balls when the excrement impacted the occilating rotary air mover (think about it). And you gotta admit, de-con was pretty cool. And on top of that, we got to see that the venerable stoic Vulcans really do have the same short comings as most people. On top of that, the way the series was wrapped up not only took an established story line and ran with it but also established an amazing continuity between TOS and Archer’s time. And we finally find out what happened to the Defiant in Tholian space (at least in thte Mirror universe). That alone would have been amazing. To see the Empire take on the Halkans or the Organians.
Now, the original animated series was kinda cool and I have the entire set. I watch them on Saturdays because today’s cartoons pretty much suck minus a couple of cool ones. There have been some incredible feature length Marvel and DC movies that are great stories told in a different media. But to bring on a new animated series, you’re gonna hit a couple of snags. For one, you are trying to appeal to a younger audience that, since they did not grow up with the series(s), the IPod/MTV generation has the attention span of a donut these days. The flashback movie might be cool; still reserving judgement. But there is so much great material out there to develop on. As wakeyboy said, why not start tapping the fans that are submitting potentially great stories and scripts? Why not start a new series about Captain Mackenzie Calhoun? New ship: The Excalibur. New missions. Not a captain cut from Starfleet fabric but a revolutionary fighter that Picard sees potential in. And you also have a couple of carry over characters from Next Gen that kinda ties it all together and answers some “Whatever happened to…” questions. Good to see Shelby off Riker’s back. Little Miss “Rules”…Leffler, I think? Wesley had a thing for her even though we all knew he would end up gay. Their Vulcan Medic was in the Academy with the gay Wesley Crusher. I love the Enterprise, but last I heard there were 12 ships in the original fleet and it has only grown. Is the Enterprise the only ship/crew that go to do anything? Seems like every time there was a crisis the Enterprise was the “only ship in the qudrant”. If I were captain, I would be pissed at all the other slackers out there! So don’t kill the dream and vision that lives in the hearts of Trekkies everywhere in the interests of making a buck. You can put KISS faces on anything and it will sell. But with Star Trek you have a loyal hard-care fan base which quite frankly is responsible for one of the most successful franchises ever. Your fan base genuinely cares about how their favorite modern day mythos is handled by a group that may not realize how lucky they are to be involved in something so many people love. But with that comes a great responsibility to your fans. Don’t let it be tarnished or soiled by people who are just concerned abut how long they can “milk Star Trek”.
I agree with most comments, however how would you feel if they put the whole Star Trek thing to sleep & never bothered again?
Boldly looking forward to new Star Trek shows…..
I agree with many of the comments above but wat if the new series were set in the distant future in and many of the Federations enemies had banned together in there own Federation-esque coalition? Maybe it could could be the Voy. Doc as the captain of the ship cause his ECH sub routines have been revamped and added borg technology in. The enemy coalition could band together to attack Earth or something. Or a small Federation fleet could explore the Gamma Quadrant. We really haven’t gotten to see much of the Gamma Quadrant. Really all we know is that the Jem’ Hadar, the Vorta and the Breen are the only species in the GQ. Yes i know in DS9 there a couple of unique species but wat else is out there? I do believe that ST Franchise needs a drastic new twist to bring the series new life. I don’t agree that Enterprise was as bad as some of the comments above led to but yes it was not as good as past series. And yes the new theme needs to be nothing more than orchestral. The Enterprise theme was “ok” but i’m sure it had Gene Roddenbery doin flips in his grave.
Prequels inevitably cannot live up to the originals. Funny how prequel technology looks more advanced than series tech. The new movie should have been based on Voyager. I doubt the ship and it’s crew would have been retired after it got back to Earth. There were many hints to dark times for the Fed it would be interesting to see Voyager’s part in it. What happened to Janeway, Chokotay, Tom Parris, Belana, Harry Kim, the Doctor and Seven of Nine?
Star Trek voyager was one of the best in my opinion! I wish the voyager series would have lasted longer. I dont think they should have had help from the future to get home.
I think the new movie should have involved the Voyager crew and The Next Generation crew.
I also think that the ending of ST:Voyager was very poor. As soon as they arrive in the alpha quadrant, cut to credits. What?!? Had we been watching all those years for that?! What an anti-climax. And where was captain Braxton to stop Admiral Janeway?
I also think they could have done more with the characters.
Tom and B’elanna was about the only thing they did right. They should have had the Doctor choosing a name and getting his own quarters.
Neelix should have made it to the alpha quadrant.
Chakotay and Janeway should have got together.
Seven of Nine should have started a relationship with someone, possibly the doctor.
I agree with the comments above that the next Trek should be based in the future with new and exciting technologies and themed around exploration and new discoveries. I think most fans will agree that they are drawn to Star Trek becuase of its optimistic view of the future and space. We want a fantastic powerful ship with great new technologies and compelling ethical metaphores that connect with our time. Give us something new and fresh and exciting but don’t change the original formula- why do you think McDonalds doesn’t change their fries?? Optimism+technology+exploration+bad-ass ships+ethical lessons= Star Trek.
After watching some TNG episodes last night (the one where Riker is abducted and goes insane in a “mental hospital” and the one where the Enterprise is “frozen” in time due to lifeforms in a Romulan’s artificial singularity), I felt like the more recent series have detracted from these great types of character-driven and story-driven episodes.
Yes, it is exciting to have multi-episode or seasonal arc-stories driven by war and explosions (Dominion War, Temporal Cold War, Xindi), but these have all come at the expense of character development and nuanced story telling.
Building on what “Brandon” posted above, go back to making quality episodes. Yes we want our shiny ships, futuristics techs, and quantum torpedo explosions (transphasic torpedoes?), but take the polished techy-look of the later series and go back to the great story telling of the first few series.
The Enterprise grew on me after while I felt Paramount/CBS should have gone in a different direction. On a side note I liked the theme song. I felt it was fitting for the show. Showing exploration through the ages. Enough on that.
They should do a series that took place at least 5-20 years after the Dominion War. I don’t know about you but I was left hang wondering what happened to the federation or voyagers crew. Maybe they should of done a series involving an akira class ship or the starship promethius. Both class of ships were built for war. They could of done a series were the warships had to operate in a time of peace. Act as exploration vehicles and still serve to protect the federation while it is recuperating from the war.
*Don’t want a ST cartoon*27th century ST sounds great*Voyager was aweful to the nth degree*Loved TOS, STNG, and DS9*
New Star Trek series would be great but set few years after return of voyager crew. but the idea of animated series would be rubbish, and from what ive read about 150 years after nememsis is boring story and not attractive to this star trek fan. i didnt even find last animated series interesting. Im truly excited about new film so i love to see news of new series after that film. starship exploring gamma quadrants.