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Paramount invites Star Trek fan to pitch new TV show

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brian577

Banned
http://www.slashfilm.com/star-trek-uncharted/
In what would likely be a dream come true for any Trekkie out there, Paramount Pictures has made the unprecedented move to invite Star Trek fan Michael Gummelt to pitch a new TV series that could allow him to boldly go where no fan as gone before.

Gummelt isn’t an entertainment industry professional or anything like that, which makes this all the more incredible. But he has a thoroughly thought-out pitch for a new TV series called Star Trek Uncharted, formerly known as Star Trek Beyond, which would bring Star Trek into the 21st century, complete with an all-new crew, new technology, and a new Enterprise.

A mysterious signal is received from the Andromeda Galaxy, claiming to be from the creators of life in the Milky Way, and inviting us to come meet them.

A new “space folding” technology developed– a Hyperwarp Gate constructed to warp jump 2.5 million light years to the Andromeda Galaxy.

Probes have returned successfully with data about Andromeda.

A new USS Enterprise is built. It is the first ship to bear the name since the original Enterprise was destroyed in the Galactic War.

The Enterprise is the first ship assigned to the new galaxy. Its Mission:

To explore strange, new worlds.
Seek out new life and new civilizations.
To chart the Andromeda Galaxy and its inhabitants.
Establish first contact.
Form alliances and diplomatic relations.

The Enterprise will occasionally return to Milky Way for staffing changes, refits, extended leave.

Meanwhile, Starbase A-1 is being built, will be complete at end of first year and two more ships will join the expedition. Admiral Oviedo San Lagos will be the commander of Starbase A-1.

This concept has gone through a lot of different incarnations over the past 20 years since I first started working on it. But the way I look at it now is: it should, first and foremost, be a show that can stand on its own. It shouldn’t rely too heavily on any deep, intimate knowledge of every past Trek show and movie. It would be very tempting to put in all sorts of references and trivia that only fans like me would get. But for Trek to return to TV after so long, it needs to be reinvented for a new generation. Not a reboot, that’s already being done in the movies.

What I want for this series is for it to be the future – a Star Trek TV series that feels modern and feels futuristic relative to our current times. So, as I see it, “Star Trek Uncharted” is set sometime in the future, distant enough that it doesn’t really matter which universe it takes place in. It’s universe-agnostic. In my fantasy world where the series actually gets made, it would need to establish itself as its own show, with its own identity. Only once it’s accomplished that would it need to establish its place in the lore. In any case, I imagine it would be up to Paramount, CBS and Bad Robot to decide if they wanted to use it as a “shared universe” show along the lines of Agents of SHIELD.”

Sounds very intriguing, though I'm sure how I feel about another Trek universe.
 

ivysaur12

Banned
There are legions of good TV (and film) writers who love Star Trek, but because of Paramount TV's general incompetence and the limbo the rights have been in for the past decade or so, it's been un-pitchable.

I get that people deserve their break. I do. There is something that feels so wrong that after holding on to the rights for a decade or so because of Paramount's general incompetence, they're going, okay! Bring in someone new and fresh!!! who will, realistically, have nothing to do with this series day-to-day.

I mean, fuck, I know a half dozen people off the top of my head who are high level TV writers who would actually kill a living human for this job. And one of them will end up getting brought on to shepherd this guy's vision that has a 75% chance of not actually working as a week-to-week series. If it goes. Which is probably won't!
 

Dram

Member
I'm really surprised they didn't launch a tv show spinoff of the reboot in 09, considering how popular it was.
 
Is this the same Michael Gummelt who works at Raven Software (and wrote the Voyager: Elite Force game)?

Edit: I checked the website, and yes, it is. Dude's been a huge Star Trek fan for years. Good for him!
 

Big-E

Member
With how hot Brian Fuller is now and how he started, Paramount is fucking stupid to not give him the job.
 
Paramount TV didn't actually exist again until about two years ago. They're also the worst.

The rights were in limbo as you said. They planned to do 09', have a TV show, do Khan, then see what happened. But could never get the rights to do a TV show even though the actors were on board.

Shame, would have LOVED to see it. But I'd love to see new Star Trek in general.
 

Kaladin

Member
Didn't Picard and the next generation crew already solve this mystery though? I seem to remember that episode.

Episode 146 : The Chase

They locate the final DNA fragment, which completes and runs the program. The program reconfigures the tricorder's emitter to project a holographic message. The recorded image of an alien humanoid (Salome Jens) is projected to the assembled company, and it explains that its race is responsible for the presence of life in the Alpha Quadrant. When the alien race first explored the Alpha and Beta Quadrants there had been no humanoid-based life other than themselves, and so they seeded various planets with their DNA to create a legacy of their existence after they had gone. The alien ends its message by saying that it hopes that the knowledge of a common origin will help produce peace.
 

Jackpot

Banned
It's rather fan-fictiony and seems to take too many cues from Enterprise.

Also which one of these is not like the others:

Civilizations - Milky Way

Vulcans
Klingons
Romulans
Ferengi
Andorians
Orions
Avunari Orions
Deltans
Xians
Transhumanists
Suvani
Muslims

http://www.startrekuncharted.com/milky-way.html

One has to wonder where they were in past series, and goes against the consistent portrayal that the Feds is mostly atheist/agnostic as Roddenberry said.

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_8145870.jpg


Also, no less than 4 "sexy female" alien races, complete with a fictional new one who are all-female. And the Xian seem like a Mary-Sue race.
 

ivysaur12

Banned
The rights were in limbo as you said. They planned to do 09', have a TV show, do Khan, then see what happened. But could never get the rights to do a TV show even though the actors were on board.

Shame, would have LOVED to see it. But I'd love to see new Star Trek in general.

Well, that's because Paramount TV was dissolved in 2006, sending the rights in limbo (did CBS have the rights? Maybe? Sure? Kind of? CBS got the rights to Girlfriend, NCIS, and Criminal Minds after Paramount went up in 2006), and it wasn't actually revived until 2013.

I'm not that intimately familiar with the details. I'm sure someone knows more. But in its modern incarnation, Paramount TV is a very shitty production company (as seen by whatever this move there doing is). I'd honestly be more okay with a CBS TV having the rights and selling it to a non-CBS provider.
 
I just want an alpha quadrant based, post TNG/DS9, weekly partially serialised show.

Explore philosophical concepts, via Alien worlds and holodeck malfunctions, with some building political intrigue via star fleet, and ratcheting tension between factions ala DS9.
 
A new USS Enterprise is built. It is the first ship to bear the name since the original Enterprise was destroyed in the Galactic War.

I'm fairly new to star trek (Most movies, almost done with TNG) but is he ignoring the other enterprises?
 
Just do a reboot TV series that doesn't involve the movie actors. They can make cameos or something as their schedules permit, but not be regulars. Have it on another Starship.

If you want to do a very "different" show, do a Section 31 show.
 
Meanwhile, Starbase A-1 is being built...

It sounds like they know what is at steak...and are taking appropriate countermeasures against any immediate sauces of danger in the Andromeda Galaxy. This all sounds delicious.

Also, please don't let it take place on a pre TNG class ship. I like rapid fire torpedoes and shit.
 
I'm fairly new to star trek (Most movies, almost done with TNG) but is he ignoring the other enterprises?

This line bothered me too. The original Enterprise? You mean Captain Kirk's ship? Is this the old timeline or new timeline? What does that mean for the Enterprises B-D? Without the sacrifice of the Enterprise-C, do the Federation and Klingons become allies? What does Picard become Captain of? Is this going to be the Enterprise-J that was teased about in Enterprise?
 
This line bothered me too. The original Enterprise? You mean Captain Kirk's ship? Is this the old timeline or new timeline? What does that mean for the Enterprises B-D? Without the sacrifice of the Enterprise-C, do the Federation and Klingons become allies? What does Picard become Captain of? Is this going to be the Enterprise-J that was teased about in Enterprise?

The original Enterprise has to be Archer's ship right.

Unless you want to get technical and keep it to the original USS Enterprise.
 

firehawk12

Subete no aware
I still don't know what channel a Star Trek tv show would air on even if this thing became real.

There's no way this lasts on a network, but it's also too big for cable.
 

ivysaur12

Banned
I still don't know what channel a Star Trek tv show would air on even if this thing became real.

There's no way this lasts on a network, but it's also too big for cable.

My thoughts as well. There's also no way that HBO buys it. Showtime? Maybe. Starz? More likely, but eh. And then your options are on streaming, which, like, unless Netflix buys it, are unlikely.

It would probably end up on a network and flame out fast.
 

firehawk12

Subete no aware
My thoughts as well. There's also no way that HBO buys it. Showtime? Maybe. Starz? More likely, but eh. And then your options are on streaming, which, like, unless Netflix buys it, are unlikely.

It would probably end up on a network and flame out fast.
I guess Netflix might buy it if they see millions of people streaming Star Trek or something...
In terms of corporate synergy, they could always go back home and try a low budget young cast show for the CW. lol

But yeah, they'd sell it to one of the networks and it'd bomb hard after a huge pilot and die after 1-2 seasons.
 

Kai Dracon

Writing a dinosaur space opera symphony
Well, one thing that does strike me is: at this point I think a Trek TV show might be best served by a non-destructive disconnect from prior TV shows. As in set in a far future, but not a new timeline. This will allow easter eggs for the true fans, but won't labor new viewers with sorting through Trek's various histories to jump in.

Trek TV was allowed to end messily and sit idle a bit too long for a direct and seamless continuation. The movies are popular but a television series wouldn't have the budget to portray their scale and level of action-oriented excitement week to week.
 
Trek TV was allowed to end messily and sit idle a bit too long for a direct and seamless continuation. The movies are popular but a television series wouldn't have the budget to portray their scale and level of action-oriented excitement week to week.

And nor should it. I love a bit of action in Trek but its main focus should be on exploration and thought provoking science fiction. You don't need a movie sized budget for that.
 

firehawk12

Subete no aware
Trek TV was allowed to end messily and sit idle a bit too long for a direct and seamless continuation. The movies are popular but a television series wouldn't have the budget to portray their scale and level of action-oriented excitement week to week.
If you're doing a Star Trek tv show where there are space battles every week, then you probably shouldn't be running a Trek show anyway.

(Although I'm sure Disney will want a Star Wars tv show on ABC in the next few years anyway, when the Marvel shine starts to wear off).
 

aliengmr

Member
I'm fairly new to star trek (Most movies, almost done with TNG) but is he ignoring the other enterprises?

I believe its referring to the latest model. 1701 A, B, C, D, E, etc. It sounds like wayyy after the TV shows and movies. A trekkie familiar with all the lore might know more.


I actually like the idea if the go Next Generation-y with it.

The Captain Riker series executive produced by Jonathan Frakes. Believe.

Frakes must be involved in whatever they do.
 

firehawk12

Subete no aware
I'm fairly new to star trek (Most movies, almost done with TNG) but is he ignoring the other enterprises?
In the book canon, the galaxy is devastated by a war with the Borg and then another war with a Romulan/Cardassian/Breen alliance.

That said, I assume that the pitch is just going to come up with another galaxy wide war that serves as an excuse to build a new Enterprise.


I believe its referring to the latest model. 1701 A, B, C, D, E, etc. It sounds like wayyy after the TV shows and movies. A trekkie familiar with all the lore might know more.


I actually like the idea if the go Next Generation-y with it.
In the canon of the franchise, they've shown the "Enterprise J" during a flash forward. Yes, Star Trek got stupid later on. lol
 

dukeoflegs

Member
I just watched Next Generation and what I really liked about the show was there was this Twilight Zone feeling to many of the episodes. Where as when I watched Enterprise it felt like a war show with battles on the ocean (WW2 stuff). DS9 felt like a drama when the main story arch episodes were happen and I haven't watched Voyager yet.
I just hope this show borrows the Twilight Zone feel from NG and throws in a good chunk of exploration.
 

firehawk12

Subete no aware
I just watched Next Generation and what I really liked about the show was there was this Twilight Zone feeling to many of the episodes. Where as when I watched Enterprise it felt like a war show with battles on the ocean (WW2 stuff). DS9 felt like a drama when the main story arch episodes were happen and I haven't watched Voyager yet.
I just hope this show borrows the Twilight Zone feel from NG and throws in a good chunk of exploration.
I don't know if you can do episodic science fiction in 2015 any more. People are still chasing after Lost, so everything needs a season long hook with stupid mysteries and backstabbing mysterious characters and what not.
 

davepoobond

you can't put a price on sparks
Wasn't there some sort of time traveling enterprise? Was that the J?


The continuity sounds weird to me, but I like the general idea of exploring a new galaxy and "expanding" the federation further. It could be a new "space race" as it were with the other major powers in the Milky Way and whatever major powers exist in Andromeda.



LOL
 

firehawk12

Subete no aware
Enterprise was involved in a time travel war, but that's about it. It's why there were alien Nazis on Earth during that one episode of the show.
(Yes, Star Trek really is stupid.)
 
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