Spockulations: Star Trek’s Latest Frontier
Not too long ago, AICN reported that Directors Bryan Fuller and Singer — conveniently, also named Bryan with a ‘y,’ — were considering pooling their resources in an attempt to sell CBS and Paramount on a new Star Trek series. Since both directors are currently busy with their reboot of The Munsters, and the Trek film franchise still in full swing, it might be a while before the project sees any momentum. So how would you want to see it? A new franchise in the Abramsverse? A return to the prime universe with the history we all know and love?
There really are endless possibilities, and while I’m sure there are pros and cons to each, one thing I’m certain of is that it’ll be watched. Our fellow fanboys at TrekMovie seem convinced such a project would be a risky investment for any studio, and while I don’t doubt that, I’m positive that Star Trek would continue to find its audience, making it, at the very least, a worthwhile one. Case and point; Enterprise. The show was hardly the fresh take they tried so hard to sell us on, but throughout its 4th season the ratings were on the rise, and it could easily be argued that the network pulled the plug too soon. Even Star Trek Voyager, which I’m still convinced was easily the worst series to date, found its audience of diehard fans who kept it on the air for seven straight years.
Perhaps the only concern I have is that Abrams’ Star Trek did too well. The film shattered expectations and the studio reaped some hefty profits as a result. I would hate for them to expect that of anyone else, let alone someone producing a television series with a fraction of the budget. Having set that bar might be what prevents a television series from staying on the air, and as Enterprise demonstrates, even a growing audience may not be enough to keep a series from the chopping block. Let’s just hope that if another television series were to air, that executives would be willing to give it a real chance.