Sit Rep

I've sent "The Automatic Pen" out to Analog today.

Hopefully, Stanley Schmidt will like a 21st century Mark Twain type tall tale about a country hick genius who builds a wormhole to meet aliens who can fix his automatic pen.

I'm continuing to eke out an SF script rewrite. It's like pulling teeth, but I halfway get the feeling I'm onto something.

Hailing freqs closed.

Trek XI Script Is Done

Sy Fy Portal has recently reported that the writing duo of Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orchi have finished the Trek XI script. This film will dramatize Kirk's earliest missions.

Those who've read my other posts on this subject are aware that I feel it's a mistake to reinvent Kirk and the rest of the original series gang rather than to press ahead with new characters in a new century.

Also, I'm skeptical of director JJ Abrams. When I review his work to date, he starts out with some interesting premises, then jumps to another project rather than stays to develop what he started and take it to another level.

Alias fizzled after the first two seasons and I feel that Lost is losing it. Six Degrees and What About Brian both got cancelled.

And if this one Trek film turns out to be half-way decent, what will Paramount do with the franchise? Rehash Kirk's adventures?

IMHO, Star Trek, unlike Batman, James Bond and other franchises is about the future, which offers a wider tapestry for stories than franchises, which are set in the present.

I'll be curious to see how the films turns out when it's released in Christmas 2008.

Abrams May Not Direct Trek XI

A few days ago, SyFy Portal reported that Abrams may jump from Trek XI to direct an adaptation of Stephen King's "Dark Tower" horror series.

The Trek XI production has been the most circus-like of all films to date.

When Abrams was brought on, he at first denied that it would be about TOS. Then he and his collaborators said Kirk deserves to live again and they can't believe they're the ones hired to do the film.

Then Abrams said he may not be the right person to direct depending on the script--which he and his collaborators are hyping as being stellar. I seem to recall that was the early word on "Nemesis" too.

And then Abrams "confirms" that he'll direct the film after getting a nice contract. Didn't he already have one when he was brought on in the first place?

Now Abrams may bolt Trek XI for Stephen King's latest horror story adaptation.

If Abrams loves Trek so much, I can't help but wonder why he won't commit to it?

Why is he always jumping from one project to another, neither here nor there? The best Hollywood producers/directors stick with their projects from beginning to end: Ron Moore, Joss Whedon, Steven Spielberg, etc.

I felt from the beginning that a reinvented TOS film is the wrong direction for Trek long term and that Abrams is the wrong person to helm it for a variety of reasons.

But as long as Abrams' Bad Robot production company is on the job, it'll likely go ahead with the young Kirk and Spock story. Abrams may just delegate someone else to do it (like he did with "Alias" and "Lost"), while he plays with Stephen King's brain child--until something else catches his attention span for a few months.

I'll be curious to see if Trek XI will stay on its schedule.

I'm sad to see Trek in such a rudderless state of limbo nowadays.

Reinvent Trek or Go into the Next Century?

I recently came across an article on SyFy Portal in which "Trouble with Tribbles" TOS episode scribe and TNG contributor David Gerrold said he believes that the classic series (TOS) has to be rebooted in order to get
back that old Star Trek feeling.

There have been some great reinventions like "Battlestar Galactica" (BSG), "Batman Begins," and "Casino Royale."

I believe, though, that Trek is one franchise with the elasticity and depth that allows people to explore Trek's essence with new characters and storylines as opposed to rebooting the same cast of characters every ten years.

IMHO, BSG doesn't quite fall in that same category because the original was around for only two years, leaving a lot of new territory for Ron Moore and company to explore. Also the premise of BSG is based on the last remnants of humanity fighting off extinction and finding Earth. Either they fail and the show ends or they succeed and the show ends.

Also, for those who're familiar with the subject, I'd liken Trek a little bit to the US Constitution in that the Constitution has been adapted from how the Founding Fathers first conceived it to be made relevant to following generations of Americans.

I favor new characters and storylines for new generations of Trek fans rather than new incarnations of overly familiar characters and their situations. Every chapter of a saga has a beginning, middle, and end. I feel it's best to move on into new territory rather than tweak series canon.

If someone good like Ron Moore, Bryan Singer, or Michael Stracyznski were to do a reinvention, I could see it being "interesting." Who can argue with what Ron Moore and his crew have done with BSG? As those who may recall my earlier posts on the subject, I highly doubt that Abrams will do justice to a young Kirk story in the upcoming (if it's ever made) Trek XI.

BERMAN SAYS IT ISN'T HIS FAULT

SyFy Portal reports that Rick Berman, among other things, says UPN didn't help the "Enterprise" (ENT) series stay on the air.

He blames UPN for shifting from dramas to reality shows that cater to young women like "Beauty and the Geek" and "America's Top Model."

I'd say UPN's change in priorities didn't help, but if he and Brannon Braga had produced episodes that relied on character, dialogue, new plots, etc. rather than had the actors slather ointment on each other in their underwear, give neural pressure therapy while half-dressed, recycled old Trek stories, etc. to get ratings, ENT could've gone a full seven years like its predecessor series.

What studio would say "no" to making money?

Paramount's trying to revive the franchise after all with a young Kirk
story for Trek XI that I suspect will be a one-off at best. After seeing how "Alias" got canceled and "Lost" really begin to lose it in the current third season, I can't say I've got a lot of confidence in anything with JJ Abrams' name attached to it. Too bad Paramount passed on Bryan Singer ("X Men 1 & 2"; "Superman Returns") and a Romulan War prequel trilogy pitched by Eric Jendreson ("Band of Brothers") to settle on Abrams. I wonder if the current Paramount studio heads'll try recasting Picard and gang next?

It seems to me that with some financial sense, ENT could've been continued on cable with a reduced budget. Who's complaining about the SG1, Atlantis, and Battlestar Galactica production quality?

Boris