# Is the world ready for another Star Trek franchise? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 8, 2012, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-world-ready-for-another-star-trek-franchise/608835 "2012-01-08T17:42:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-world-ready-for-another-star-trek-franchise/608835/41 "2012-01-09T20:05:16Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > I like the idea of the Federation being “broken.” At the end of TNG and DS9, the Federation is the undisputed King of the Galaxy. They are at the top of the mountain, both technology-wise and militarily. (Yes, Starfleet is the military. Sorry, Gene, but let’s just flush that ridiculous bit of nonsense down the toilet and get on with our lives.) In order for any interesting conflicts to happen in the future, we need to posit a scenario in which some other, even-more powerful civilization (perhaps from the Beta Quadrant?) has come in, kicked the Federation’s ass in a major war, and forced them to weaken Starfleet so it’s now little more than a police force. (Basically, what the Allies did to Germany and Japan after WW2.) > > It would be more like TOS in its feel: the Enterprise is usually not the toughest ship around, and any battles would raise the very real possibility of losing the ship. It’s interesting because without any specific spoilers, the current story line in the novels is very close to this. As far as whether Starfleet is military, I would say they (obviously) use an organizational structure based on military structure and do serve as the Federation’s military but unlike our military, that is only one of its functions, the others being science and exploration with all being of equal importance. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-world-ready-for-another-star-trek-franchise/608835/42 "2012-01-09T20:21:51Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > As far as whether Starfleet is military, I would say they (obviously) use an organizational structure based on military structure and do serve as the Federation’s military but unlike our military, that is only one of its functions, the others being science and exploration with all being of equal importance. Well said. Hope I quoted the right post… ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-world-ready-for-another-star-trek-franchise/608835/43 "2012-01-09T20:28:38Z")
They were discussing a series featuring Captain Sulu about twelve years ago. It would have been a great idea imho. Fans got really excited and then the whole idea collapsed. Not sure if George Takei demanded too much money or why it didn’t work out. Its probably too late now. George Takei is really showing his age. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-world-ready-for-another-star-trek-franchise/608835/44 "2012-01-09T20:50:53Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > They were discussing a series featuring Captain Sulu about twelve years ago. It would have been a great idea imho. Fans got really excited and then the whole idea collapsed. I don’t recall any serious efforts along those lines, though I did suggest such a show on this board [almost ten years ago, no doubt influenced by then-active rumours.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=2364999) That whole thread is actually pretty funny, and it’s just one of numerous similar threads about what (if anything) the future of _Trek_ should be: [All Trek, All the Time](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=166154) [Good Ideas for Star Trek Series That Don’t Suck](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=172191) [A (possible) 6th Trek series…](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=198846) [What should the next incarnation of Trek be?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=316596) [Is the Star Trek universe pretty much put to bed at this point?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=386578) [You know who should write for the next Star Trek series?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=403066) And those are just the ones where I was pushing for a Sulu/Excelsior show. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-world-ready-for-another-star-trek-franchise/608835/45 "2012-01-09T21:14:34Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > It’s interesting because without any specific spoilers, the current story line in the novels is very close to this. > > As far as whether Starfleet is military, I would say they (obviously) use an organizational structure based on military structure and do serve as the Federation’s military but unlike our military, that is only one of its functions, the others being science and exploration with all being of equal importance. Roddenberry pretty explicitly used the Hornblower etc. books as a model for TOS. British was ships - like the Beagle, did science also. In TOS the Enterprise was frequently out of effective communication range of Star Fleet, forcing Kirk to make decisions on his own. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-world-ready-for-another-star-trek-franchise/608835/46 "2012-01-09T21:14:51Z")
no fucking time travel!!! ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-world-ready-for-another-star-trek-franchise/608835/47 "2012-01-09T21:20:49Z")
IIRC there was a Voyager episode that briefly showed Capt Sulu and his crew. That sparked the rumors of a new show. Sulu looked really good in the Capt’s chair. > [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > I don’t recall any serious efforts along those lines, though I did suggest such a show on this board [almost ten years ago, no doubt influenced by then-active rumours.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=2364999) > > That whole thread is actually pretty funny, and it’s just one of numerous similar threads about what (if anything) the future of _Trek_ should be: > > [All Trek, All the Time](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=166154) > > [Good Ideas for Star Trek Series That Don’t Suck](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=172191) > > [A (possible) 6th Trek series…](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=198846) > > [What should the next incarnation of Trek be?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=316596) > > [Is the Star Trek universe pretty much put to bed at this point?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=386578) > > [You know who should write for the next Star Trek series?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=403066) > > And those are just the ones where I was pushing for a Sulu/Excelsior show. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-world-ready-for-another-star-trek-franchise/608835/48 "2012-01-09T21:22:38Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Well, I’ve no problem with the moments TOS had where McCoy tell Kirk something like “Remember, in addition to being a captain, you’re also a diplomat,” pointing out to Kirk that more thoughtful less violent solutions were possible, but Kirk never forgot that he _was_ a captain, with the attendant responsibilities. Picard seemed to hold that role is disdain, and the corresponding sentiment was Worf proposing some violent solution (in effect, telling Picard "in addition to being a diplomat, _you’re also a captain_) and being overruled every single time. And Dorothy Fontana, at the end of **Errand of Mercy** rubs Kirks nose in his love of battle, made even more effective by him realizing that he was teaming up with the Klingons. Now that was a brilliant piece of writing. > [@](#): > > Compared to TNG, which was patronizing, simplistic and preachy? In fact, I have the strong impression (though I’d have to go through all the episodes to be sure) that TNG’s batting average of pulling contrived happy endings out of its ass was way higher. What’s the TNG equivalent of TOS’s “A Private Little War” (Hill people v. Village people, where the “solution” was a violent status quo), for example? If anything, TOS strikes me as the more mature series with far fewer moments of condescension toward its audience. One of the more mature treatments of Vietnam on American TV during the war. At the end of **Arena** the advanced aliens tell Kirk that humans have promise, which he abashedly reports back to Spock. If Picard were in that situation he’s probably be lecturing the alien on how morally superior the Federation was. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-world-ready-for-another-star-trek-franchise/608835/49 "2012-01-09T21:35:04Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > IIRC there was a Voyager episode that briefly showed Capt Sulu and his crew. That sparked the rumors of a new show. Sulu looked really good in the Capt’s chair. He unfortunately tried to sound like [Toshiro Mifune.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYbi7gKKvOo) ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-world-ready-for-another-star-trek-franchise/608835/50 "2012-01-09T21:38:07Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > At the end of **Arena** the advanced aliens tell Kirk that humans have promise, which he abashedly reports back to Spock. If Picard were in that situation he’s probably be lecturing the alien on how morally superior the Federation was. Well, Picard might admit that humans _were once_ savages, back in the, y’know, 20th century. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-world-ready-for-another-star-trek-franchise/608835/51 "2012-01-09T21:45:54Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Well, Picard might admit that humans _were once_ savages, back in the, y’know, 20th century. Which reminds me of something else that I’d like to see less of in any future iteration – gratuitous references to contemporary culture – such as Sisko’s obsession with 20th century baseball or sci-fi or Picard (or was it Data?) and Sherlock Holmes or Janeway and … whatever the hell that was, Wuthering Heights or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-world-ready-for-another-star-trek-franchise/608835/52 "2012-01-09T22:07:56Z")
Well, it wouldn’t be so bad (and might actually be entertaining) if their pop-culture interpretation of 20th/21st-century life was riddled with inaccuracies and anachronisms, casually dropped here and there without reflection, until one character objects: “Y’know, I actually did some reading and Bruce Lee was _not_ the Hulk. It was Bruce _Banner_, and _Ang_ Lee directed a film adaptation that-” “Geez, who cares? Get a life, willya?” ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-world-ready-for-another-star-trek-franchise/608835/53 "2012-01-10T02:50:02Z")
I think they could do another series similar to DS9. Have a starship patrolling a volatile area of space. The missions would involve trying to keep the peace and prevent one race from dominating the entire area. Similar to DS9 trying to keep the Cardassians from taking over their region of space. I always thought DS9 did make a mistake by allowing the Founders and Dominion story to fully take over the series. I think a new series would be more successful if they kept a balance between exploration and the patrolling of a region of space. You could have a large Enterprise starship and then a smaller class ship that could leave on short exploration trips. DS9 abandoned the Cardassian/Bajorian story for the Dominion story. Which I think was another mistake. The Bajorians were a conquered people that had been enslaved for generations. There was a lot of rich story to tell as they slowly rebuilt their world’s society. Its a shame that story was abandoned for the Founders and Dominion war. The longer continuing story form really hasn’t been over used in Trek. I’d love to see them try it again. DS9 is easily my second most favorite Trek series. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-world-ready-for-another-star-trek-franchise/608835/54 "2012-01-10T03:56:06Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > The longer continuing story form really hasn’t been over used in Trek. I’d love to see them try it again. DS9 is easily my second most favorite Trek series. With that in mind, who was Maquis guy who tricked Sisko into rescuing his people? They ripped of [The Sand Pebbles](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060934/) for that episode. I’d love for them to have a Maquis crew do a Firefly. There would be good and bad Federation Captains for them to deal with, and all sorts of interesting situations doing jobs for Klingons, Ferengi, Telerites and Andorians. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-world-ready-for-another-star-trek-franchise/608835/55 "2012-01-10T06:01:47Z")
What exactly is the point of another Star Trek, this time Darker! Edgier! And in Space! If you don’t like the things that made Star Trek Star Trek, then why would you want a Star Trek that wasn’t Star Trek? Like you want a hamburger but no gluten so change the bun to sticky rice, change the gross beef patty to healthful tuna, and the disgusting pickles and onions to delightful toasted seaweed. What you’ve got there isn’t a hamburger, it’s a tuna roll. There’s no point in ressurecting Star Trek unless you want to ressurect Star Trek. If you want something else, there are dozens of other shows ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-world-ready-for-another-star-trek-franchise/608835/56 "2012-01-10T07:19:13Z")
Well, there were enough moments in _Star Trek_ that were pretty dark, so it’s not fair to say that darkness is un-Treklike. I’d like more “Private Little Wars” and fewer Neelixes. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-world-ready-for-another-star-trek-franchise/608835/57 "2012-01-10T10:58:16Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > What exactly is the point of another Star Trek, this time Darker! Edgier! And in Space! > > If you don’t like the things that made Star Trek Star Trek, then why would you want a Star Trek that wasn’t Star Trek? Like you want a hamburger but no gluten so change the bun to sticky rice, change the gross beef patty to healthful tuna, and the disgusting pickles and onions to delightful toasted seaweed. > > What you’ve got there isn’t a hamburger, it’s a tuna roll. > > There’s no point in ressurecting Star Trek unless you want to ressurect Star Trek. If you want something else, there are dozens of other shows As I said earlier, for me making it “Star Trek” is merely about placing it in the Star Trek Universe. For me, DS9 was far and away the best Trek and for a large part of it it was entirely different to all four other series, as they were based around a single craft exploring space. Saying Star Trek is really only about a few ideas and a certain feel is, well, somewhat limiting and, IMHO, creatively bankrupt. What you are really saying is that you want more TOS or TNG. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-world-ready-for-another-star-trek-franchise/608835/59 "2012-01-10T12:50:49Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > no fucking time travel!!! This. And don’t spend half the show in the holodeck reenacting some character’s Leonardo daVinci fantasy. If I wanted to seeRobin Hood I wouldn’t have turned on Star Trek. Hated that magical Q character too. He was just a big walking reset button. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-world-ready-for-another-star-trek-franchise/608835/60 "2012-01-10T15:30:42Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > Hated that magical Q character too. He was just a big walking reset button. Didn’t he appear on _Voyager_, like, four times? He could have sent them home with a shrug - was there ever a reason given why he didn’t offer or they didn’t ask, even after he owed them a favour at the end of that Godawful _North and South_ episode? ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-world-ready-for-another-star-trek-franchise/608835/61 "2012-01-10T17:58:39Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > It’s interesting because without any specific spoilers, the current story line in the novels is very close to this. Wow. I’ve never read any of the novels. I guess great minds think alike. 😃 > [@Chimera](#): > > no fucking time travel!!! Amen. In fact, I’d write it into my series that the Q did something recently that has made time travel impossible. Even for the Q themselves. There is simply no possible way for time travel to occur any more. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-world-ready-for-another-star-trek-franchise/608835.md?page=2)