# What next for the Star Trek universe? Or is it goodnight? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 25, 2004, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-next-for-the-star-trek-universe-or-is-it-goodnight/252158 "2004-06-25T07:37:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-next-for-the-star-trek-universe-or-is-it-goodnight/252158/1 "2004-06-25T07:37:02Z")
Pardon my ignorance (I don’t get to watch a lot of television these days), but does anyone know what, if anything, is in the pipeline for the Star Trek universe, or is _Enterprise_ going to be the last bash? ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-next-for-the-star-trek-universe-or-is-it-goodnight/252158/2 "2004-06-25T09:42:09Z")
The “Star Trek” universe needs a little break. This pipeline needs to be shut off for a couple of years at least. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-next-for-the-star-trek-universe-or-is-it-goodnight/252158/3 "2004-06-25T10:41:17Z")
There’s talk of an eleventh movie being produced that would be a prequel. Whether that means a \*TOS \* Era movie with Kirk at Starfleet Academy, a \*TNG \* film with Picard on the Stargazer, or, gods help us, an \*Enterprise \* movie (and I say this as a fan of _ENT_) is anyone’s guess though. Personally, I wish they’d give TNG at least one more movie to try to reclaim their tarnished reputation and then start making a couple DS9 movies. It’ll’ve been six or seven years since the series ended by then and should be enough time to think of something really special for the show if they’d actually do it but I doubt they will… Berman and Braga have sticks up their asses about DS9. Sigh. And tangentially, Manny Coto, the person responsible for some of the best ENT stories from S3 (which were just as good as any TNG or DS9 episode in some cases) should be taking over for Braga, the person generally held accountable for the putrid parts of ENT, in S4. That might help reinvigorate the series all by itself. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-next-for-the-star-trek-universe-or-is-it-goodnight/252158/4 "2004-06-25T11:23:18Z")
I’d like to see a Star Trek series done from the Romulan point of view. That’s a cool civilization — Vulcans with emotions and Klingon with brains — that has been woefully underdeveloped, in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-next-for-the-star-trek-universe-or-is-it-goodnight/252158/5 "2004-06-25T11:34:14Z")
While I am in complete agreement that the Rihannsu culture has been ignored too often in favor of other species, most notably the one-note Klingons, I’m not so sure I would want to see Star Trek from the point of view of one of its adversarial species. A series that extensively explores its culture by constant contact (like the Cardassians, Bajorans, Ferengi, and Dominion of DS9) is one thing but I guess in the end, I want some Earthers in the spotlight. By the way, if you really like the Romulans and don’t mind reading Trek fiction, I would suggest obtaining a copy of Diane Duane’s “The Romulan Way”. It’s as close to the idea you suggested as you’re going to get – a Starfleet op deep undercover on ch’Rihan, the homeworld of the Romulans. The Rihannsu two part series is supposed to be really good too although I’ve not yet read it. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-next-for-the-star-trek-universe-or-is-it-goodnight/252158/6 "2004-06-25T11:40:00Z")
Protest! Klingons have _brains._ What Romulans have is a willingness to engage in deceitful (deceptive?) cunning and dishonorable tactics. I want to see a Klingon movie from a Klingon POV. Star Trek 3: The Search For Spock was not enough. Though I agree that the Romulans haven’t been developed as much as core ST alien civilizations. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-next-for-the-star-trek-universe-or-is-it-goodnight/252158/7 "2004-06-25T11:40:54Z")
I’d like to see a new Star Trek: The Animated Series. [Maybe like THIS.](http://startrekanimated.com/tas_art_ihle.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-next-for-the-star-trek-universe-or-is-it-goodnight/252158/8 "2004-06-25T11:44:19Z")
I can see the appeal of that. The TNG actors reprise their roles via voices, we see even more special effects because animation isn’t bound by the same kinds of budget restrints as live action, and best of all, we don’t have to see Brent Spiner’s sagging face as Data. Woo-woo! ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-next-for-the-star-trek-universe-or-is-it-goodnight/252158/9 "2004-06-25T11:48:11Z")
Only if they don’t go the same route as the original Animated Series went and try to be somewhat plausible. People complain enough about the tattered and torn science of Trek as is… if you add in an animated series that **completely** ignores the laws of physics, you’ll never hear the end of it. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-next-for-the-star-trek-universe-or-is-it-goodnight/252158/10 "2004-06-25T12:01:30Z")
I agree that we need one more Next Generation movie. If only to have an excuse to kill B4 (easily the most ill-conceived and least-liked character in Trekdom). It might be fun if they brought back Lore to be the villain. We could say that his disassembled components were transferred to a lab somewhere before the Enterprise-D was destroyed. Eventually, he gets re-assembled (perhaps by Data’s “mother”?) and starts some kind of trouble that the Enterprise has to go solve. I’d end the movie with the Enterprise-E’s destruction, to bring a sense of closure to the Next Generation series. Most of the characters would survive, however, rescued by Riker and his new ship the Titan. > [@](#): > > if you add in an animated series that completely ignores the laws of physics, you’ll never hear the end of it. Yeah, and we all know how Star Trek always religiously obeys the laws of physics 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-next-for-the-star-trek-universe-or-is-it-goodnight/252158/11 "2004-06-25T12:38:00Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > I’d end the movie with the Enterprise-E’s destruction, to bring a sense of closure to the Next Generation series. Ugh. Once the original Enterprise was destroyed, and its flaming gutted husk went down in the dawn over the Genesis planet, pretty much every other ‘destructive ship’ sequence was a pale imitation. That scene was one of the Star Trek fanchise’s most cinematic moments and all others even remotely similar should be avoided. Another way to show closure: Starfleet breaks up the band. Everyone gets new shipping orders and new assignments. Data retires to teach at Oxford, Dr. Crusher is promoted a to science vessel, Geordi leads construction of a new fleet, Worf leaves Starfleet for a post as governor on a Klingon outpost. The crew ponies up for one last hoist of synthehol in Ten-Forward and Deanna confesses that she and Riker have been cheating all those years playing poker. Data’s emotion chip prompts him to respond in a killer robot rampage. Dr. Crusher finally finishes the sentence, "Jean-Luc, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you…"and Wesley drops by for a demigodlike visit, along with DS9s Benjamin Sisko and the blad-headed chick from the first movie. All are phasered on sight. ---
**Author:** ![Spudo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@Spudo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spudo)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-next-for-the-star-trek-universe-or-is-it-goodnight/252158/12 "2004-06-25T12:48:50Z")
I think a DS9 movie where Sisko comes back as some kind of Prophet-empowered religious warrior/mystic with a message of some kind of doom would be cool. If they made it about the conflict between Sisko the Starfleet Captain and Sisko the Prophet it could be really interesting. Plus if you make his message doom and gloomy enough you’d have an excuse for all the F/X space battles and stuff you want. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-next-for-the-star-trek-universe-or-is-it-goodnight/252158/13 "2004-06-25T13:04:58Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > Yeah, and we all know how Star Trek always religiously obeys the laws of physics 😛 Notice I bolded “completely”. There’s a world of difference between the science used on Trek, which is no worse than any other sci-fi show on the whole, and that of a cartoon. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-next-for-the-star-trek-universe-or-is-it-goodnight/252158/14 "2004-06-25T15:07:57Z")
I’d be interested in a non-Starfleet series, about explorers, scientists or freighters that were manned by civilians, but it would probably devolve down to Firefly with better lighting and a much bigger budget. Not that that would be a bad thing… Another possibility was a Starfleet Academy series, which somebody dubbed “Starfleet 90210…” That would probably suck pretty bad. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-next-for-the-star-trek-universe-or-is-it-goodnight/252158/15 "2004-06-25T15:20:55Z")
I dunno, man. I’ve seen that Academy thing mentioned before and it could be pretty good. And they could have story arcs where they go out on missions and such as a part of training. Could be good. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-next-for-the-star-trek-universe-or-is-it-goodnight/252158/16 "2004-06-25T16:00:12Z")
If they’re gonna do an animated series, they can’t forget that all animated series featuring previously-established characters **must** include the addition of a new child or talking animal sidekick. A Star Trek cartoon just won’t work without it. Even better, they could have Data (ignoring his death in the last movie, of course) build a “son”!!! Not a “fully-grown” android kid, like Lal, but an honest-to-goodness android boy. But one with a fully-functional positronic brain, of course, so that he would be capable of making witty wisecracks at appropriate moments, and be able to save the day in every episode. Wait, I just described Wesley Crusher, didn’t I? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-next-for-the-star-trek-universe-or-is-it-goodnight/252158/17 "2004-06-25T16:16:08Z")
J. Michael Strascysnky [pitched an idea to Paramount](http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-main.html?2004-06/21/10.00.tv) on saving the Star Trek franchise, but doesn’t look like anything’s definite yet. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-next-for-the-star-trek-universe-or-is-it-goodnight/252158/18 "2004-06-25T16:40:17Z")
> [@Jonathan Chance](#): > > I dunno, man. I’ve seen that Academy thing mentioned before and it could be pretty good. And they could have story arcs where they go out on missions and such as a part of training. Could be good. Sorry, Jon, but I’ve got to side with Ethilrist here. My instincts tell me that “Starfleet Academy” would quickly devolve into a high school drama. You’d get maybe one season before the Trek’s core audience tuned out _en masse._ ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-next-for-the-star-trek-universe-or-is-it-goodnight/252158/19 "2004-06-25T17:29:18Z")
> [@Phase42](#): > > Not a “fully-grown” android kid, like Lal, but an honest-to-goodness android boy. But one with a fully-functional positronic brain, of course, so that he would be capable of making witty wisecracks at appropriate moments, and be able to save the day in every episode. > > Wait, I just described Wesley Crusher, didn’t I? > > 😃 I thought you had a reference to a “fully functional brain” in there. ---
**Author:** ![elf6c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c57346/32.png) [@elf6c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elf6c)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2004, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-next-for-the-star-trek-universe-or-is-it-goodnight/252158/20 "2004-06-25T17:39:30Z")
> [@Knowed Out](#): > > J. Michael Strascysnky [pitched an idea to Paramount](http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-main.html?2004-06/21/10.00.tv) on saving the Star Trek franchise, but doesn’t look like anything’s definite yet. Yeah that and his career! After the last season of B5, and two failed spin-offs (that both deserved their quick deaths IMHO), he was stuck writing comic books. Fun I am sure, but hardly the place he thought he would end up. Given his break from TV, I bet he probably has lots of cool ideas banked in his head. Trek question: Did Braga getting power coinside with Trek getting crappy? As I noticed he didn’t seem to be invovled with TNG or DS9. Finally, I will broke no slander on the Klingons, they are a thousand times more interesting then the Romulans who seem to be very similar to the Cardassians (but with less bumps and less interesting characters and stories), and too much like the boring relatives- the Vulcans. I thought that Rikers time aboard the Klingon ship in TNG gave an interesting hint of what may be an interesting series. Place it around the time of their war with the Romulans (for the Romulan fans) and you have an interesting period and set of circumstances. IMHO, of course. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-next-for-the-star-trek-universe-or-is-it-goodnight/252158.md?page=2)