When Paramount was up for sale, everything was on pause., Now things are a little different with new owners, a shake up and a new future ahead. Since the merger everyone with a keyboard has had their idea of what could come next in the Star Trek Universe to tempt Skydance into the next part of the legacy. So we figured…. why not look at a list of ideas too?
The Archers
Someone’s getting their PR out there along with their pitch as the Archer idea seems to have been picked up everywhere with fans who once decried Enterprise clamouring for more Archer! Though Archer’s story ended on Enterprise with the formal formation of the Federation, the history of the shows that came after confirmed the ‘beta canon’ of his next adventures as President of the Federation.
With Enterprise ending on a bit of a sour note thanks to it’s final episode being framed as a Next Generation holodeck adventure, even people who didn’t like the prequel series weren’t satisfied at the maddening decision to make their finale a Riker filler episode and feel they deserved more. The idea for the Archer series is that more; taking the Enterprise away and having Archer help set the tone for the United Federation of Planets and show us how those four nations came together to form the iconic coalition that will last for centuries.
If Star Trek aims to expand into new idea and directions beyond a captain and a crew; bringing a little West Wing to the Universe isn’t the worst idea.
The Kelvins…
One of the problems with Star Trek is that we always know whats coming next. Two of the first shows in the new era were prequels. Even in Picard, we knew the day would be saved as – aside form it being a horrible ending if it doesn’t – Discovery’s shown us the far future and Academy will fill in some blanks. So with Paramount’s productions all under one roof, why not take advantage of the Kelvin Timeline? It’s an open book where anything can happen. A point hammered home with the destruction of Vulcan. With the third Kelvin timeline film nine years behind us, and an acknowledgement that the Prime timeline eventually learn it exists by the 32nd century, it could be fun to reinject some surprises into the 23rd century era.
Starfleet Mobile Allied Surgical Hospital
It could be because I’ve read through Ryan Thomas Riddle’s spec script idea, or it could be because I’ve recently binge watched six seasons of MASH lately. But every time we’ve seen a glimpse of a combat hospital in Star Trek, the idea has been fascinating. Deep Space Nine let us see through the eyes of Jake Sisko as doctors found humour under pressure while soldiers so far from Starfleet ideals struggled under the weight of their mission. Meanwhile on Strange New Worlds, we saw that thin line between idealism and fighting to survive by any means blurred.
Star Trek has often found it’s own subtle response to social conflict. It might be a little too on the nose to have Starfleet doctors spreading hope and idealism while the world burns around them in this political world, but it’d certainly make for a unique and compelling story that would fit into one of the many conflicts in the Star Trek Universe.
Year One
During it’s initial launch and promotional push, Strange New Worlds producer Akiva Goldsman made an off hand comment about how much fun it would be to ride out the show so long that it hands over or runs into the Original Series, having Pike pass the baton to Kirk leading us Where No Man Has Gone Before.
It was a fun thought and it seems to have been one that stuck in his head as now Captain Pike’s term at the helm is coming to an end with the announcement that the fifth season of the show will be it’s last, Goldsman has continued to drop the idea of pitching a sequel to the prequel that will exist in the TOS era with Paul Wesley taking on William Shatner’s role running alongside the original episodes.
It’s one of those ideas that could be fun in one way, especially with the original series characters working well together under their new faces, but at the same time has the potential to be horrifically awful as we re-tread another return to the same era that feels like it’s already been milked for all it’s worth. The new cast have been great, but it’s time to leave that era alone and boldly go forwards.
Legacy, of course.
Star Trek has had it’s Discoverys, Defiants and Voyagers, but it’s heart is always with the Enterprise. After three seasons of rediscovering Jean Luc Picard, or rather Picard rediscovering himself, the show ended with a new beginning as a new Enterprise was crowned with a Borg at the helm. Following the final fight with the Borg Queen, Seven of Nine stepped into the centre seat and gave the order to take the Enterprise-G into it’s first mission.
But after setting the stage for a new next generation of Starfleets finest we learned yet again that all good things come to an end…
The final season of Picard wasn’t just a send off, it was the origin story for the new Enterprise. Finally finding her place in the world, Seven of Nine had overcome the guilt of her past and her heritage and with the support and respect of the crew, was charged with taking command of an intriguing bunch. With Raffi Muskater as her first officer, Jack Crusher her special advisor, and Crash LaForge at the helm, the legacy crew had plenty of room to tell new stories and bring in new faces to guide a jaded Starfleet back towards adventure and exploration.
That send off was more than two years ago at a time when Paramount was in cost saving mode ahead of finding a buyer. Now they have new owners thanks to a merger with Skydance, the Star Trek division is looking for it’s next grand voyage. So why come up with a new idea when producer Terry Matalas has already given this story it’s first chapter?
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