A Ray of Hope for Trek Fans

It's the "Latest from JMS" thread...look me up over there.

Also look for "they guessed the acronym"

Actually, I've been reading along and just keeping quiet. Like many others before me, I long since gave up trying to predict JMS's ways. Hell, even after watching B5 for (I think now, iirc) the 4th time through, I'm *still* in awe of his ability to throw in right angles to the story that are just as straight-forward and logical in hindsight as they are unpredictable in foresight.

Although I still favor That Mean ol' Strazynski myself

--mcn

Again, I'm in complete agreement with you. That's what I was trying to get those folks to do...to stop thinking in a box and look big...look at the massive numbers of possibilities for this next project, whatever it is. I tried to get them to think the way JMS will on this thing. As you said, he never goes where you think he will and takes great pleasure in surprising us and doing his best to tell the biggest and best story.

OH well, they don't get it, unfortunately. That's what I love about JMS...it sends my mind reeling thinking of the ideas and directions he might take....yet they're all stuck in teep land and talking about what THEY want to see...which is rarely what JMS will give.

We'll see...but I have this little feeling that even if I'm not right on some of my own speculations (which is fine, I'm just tossing ideas), that I will perhaps be right enough to be able to say...see...no one listen to Zathras.

What you have to go through to get people to open their minds and think in different ways and directions....WHEW! JMS has is work cut out for him...so do I for that matter...given that I'm a writer and filmmaker, too.

LOL...."It's a madhouse! A madhouse!"

Well, ratings challenged or not, it's back for one more season (Did any of us really think it wouldn't be)

From SciFi Wire:

UPN: Enterprise Lives
UPN renewed its ratings-challenged Star Trek: Enterprise for a fourth season, though it's likely to move to Fridays from Wednesdays next season, Variety reported. UPN is expected to make the formal announcement as part of its prime-time schedule in its "upfront" presentation to advertisers on May 20.
The fate of Enterprise, the last remaining active enterprise in the once-robust Trek franchise, has been in doubt all year, as ratings have stagnated despite what was regarded as a creative turnaround in the show's storylines. A season-long arc, focused on the Xindi alien threat to Earth, resolves in the third-season finale, "Countdown," which airs at 8 p.m. ET/PT on May 19.

So they want to go against SciFi Friday, huh?


If Andromeda gets renewed, that would means it's Gene against Gene. Is is me, or is UPN's strategy to place Enterprise in a timeslot against a show that anybody interested in it would rather be watching?

What you have to go through to get people to open their minds and think in different ways and directions....WHEW! JMS has is work cut out for him...so do I for that matter...given that I'm a writer and filmmaker, too.

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I have answered this one before.

Do not talk about the Babylon 5 film, talk about the second Babylon 5 film.

The second Babylon 5 film will either be Part 2 of the Telepath War trilogy or will veer off on its own path.

Possible paths:
Sheridan and Delenn play West Wing in Space.
Lyta dies, is cloned and creates a home world for telepaths.
G'Kar continues to explore the Galaxy.
Number One runs the Rangers as secret agents.
Garibaldi does Dallas or The Power Game.
Lochley suffers the alien ambassadors and Excalibur's Captain.
Captain Ivanova invades a planet.
Mollari gets drunk whilst misruling Centauri Prime.
Dr Franklin cures AIDS err the Drahk virus.

c/3/2/

Do not talk about the Babylon 5 film, talk about the second Babylon 5 film.

The second Babylon 5 film will either be Part 3 of the Telepath War trilogy or will veer off on its own path.

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Huh??? The second film will be part 3 of a Trilogy? How's that work? Where would part 2 be?

So they want to go against SciFi Friday, huh?


If Andromeda gets renewed, that would means it's Gene against Gene. Is is me, or is UPN's strategy to place Enterprise in a timeslot against a show that anybody interested in it would rather be watching?

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Actually, moving it there is the first and best way to kill it once and for all. They want 100 eps, that's all. I will be surprised if it survives the full season.

Many have stated that they don't think JMS would be offered Trek to "take over" but to simply write for it. I can see that scenario, but I don't see JMS writing one word as long as B&B are still in charge.

Besides, I can see JMS taking over Trek. Sorry if people have trouble picturing this, but I don't. I can clearly see JMS taking the reigns. I'm not saying he would run it like he did B5, but I can see him taking over the head honcho's office and helming Trek. It might be the best answer to saving Trek.

CE

Do not talk about the Babylon 5 film, talk about the second Babylon 5 film.

The second Babylon 5 film will either be Part 3 of the Telepath War trilogy or will veer off on its own path.

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Huh??? The second film will be part 3 of a Trilogy? How's that work? Where would part 2 be?

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Opps!.

Budget cuts.

CE: do you think the Trek franchise would ever give him the control he'd want?

Depends...they have given RB and enormous amount of autonomy over the last 15 years over Trek. And look what he's done with that.

Why not give JMS the same amount of control? Besides, I'm not saying he would have absolute power, but would be the master at the helm. I don't see him doing with Trek what he did with B5...writing himself and producing himself to near death.

I see JMS coming in as a visionary to direct its course and oversee...perhaps write a few eps to kick-start things, but not to do it all like he did with B5.

He would help bring in good writers, create at the least a 50% arc, and then direct its course. I can see JMS accepting that...and Paramount offering it. Let us not forget JMS is a Trek fan and is not at all happy with the direction Trek has taken over the last 15 or so years. He did after all originally envison B5 set in the Trek Universe...it's only because it was stolen by Berman and Co. that he ended up re-envisioning it and struggling for many years to make B5 on his own terms.

Yes, I think at heart JMS loves Trek, hates what's been done to it, and would relish and jump at the chance to help save it.

Call it intuition.

CE

He did after all originally envison B5 set in the Trek Universe....

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This is the first time I have ever heard this.

Me too.

Me three.


I could have sworn I remember reading a post to JMS where someone asked if he would ever take over Trek.

I don't remember his exact response, but it was something to the effect of...

"I can't work with kid gloves on."


I don't think he would take Trek on.

I knew he pithced B5 to Paramount, but did he pitch it as a Trek series?

I knew he pithced B5 to Paramount, but did he pitch it as a Trek series?

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The alien races do not fit - none are Vulcans etc in disguise. The Vorlons were in the initial pitch.

Interesting idea, with a lot of fixing the Vulcans could have become Minbari, Narn-centauri conflict = Cardassian and Bajoran???

Very very loose comparison. I know JMS pitched to Paramount, but having seen the early b5 ideas on the web i can't see where it really would have fitted into the Trek universe.
But it is strange to imagine what might have been....

With regards to the Threads origninal topic for a moment, are the sticking with Berman and Braga as the production team? CE, you mentioned somthing on this in another thread in the B5 forums....

Interesting idea, with a lot of fixing the Vulcans could have become Minbari, Narn-centauri conflict = Cardassian and Bajoran???

Very very loose comparison. I know JMS pitched to Paramount, but having seen the early b5 ideas on the web i can't see where it really would have fitted into the Trek universe.
But it is strange to imagine what might have been....

With regards to the Threads origninal topic for a moment, are the sticking with Berman and Braga as the production team? CE, you mentioned somthing on this in another thread in the B5 forums....

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Sorry, the Trek universe thing was a brain fart, but he did pitch it to Paramount yes, and I believe (someone correct me if I'm wrong) to TPTB in the Trek offices). Oh, and loose comparision? Are you watching DS9 with blinders on? Clearly stolen...sorry.

As far as I know, ENTERPRISE is still under the control of B&B

Though last night's ep of ENT. (which is the first I've seen since about 5 eps into this season) was cool looking...I was still able to pick up with little need for back knowledge and for the most part the characters were still the same. So some action and such has happened but not enough for me to feel lost and no character arcs to speak of really. Except maybe T'Pol but that's just an excuse to not have to write her as a Vulcan...I call that lazy. Besides, if this were happening to her, she would be reacting much more Vulcan-like than she is about it.

And someone in another thread made the comment about how T'Pol's mention of joining Starfleet when they get back was a good thing and the next logical step for her character. BLAH! She can't, since if she does (like the rest of this Xindi thing) it will totally blow continuity, since it is clearly stated repeatedly during Kirk's time that Spock was the first Vulcan to join Starfleet. (Or are we now to believe that it's Kirk's period that didn't happen?)

Nope, as usual there appears to be no consequences to Trek, ever. That great "reset button" is poised to be pushed again and in a big way this time. In order to explain how we've never heard of any of these events, and given that there's yet more future conspiracy and time travel crap going on, my prediction is that in the end it will never have happened, and the mighty Trek "reset button" will have been pushed in the biggest way ever, to wipe out an entire season.

How many times is Trek going to pull this? Braga loves doing it, he's done it at least two times, starting with "Yesterday's Enterprise" where it was a cool original idea. Now it's been overused and it tends to piss off fans.

If they are able to explain why we've never heard of any of these events in future Trek without using the time travel, oops it never happened routine, I'll be impressed (as long as they do it in a way that I can believe and don't find lame and stupid -- good luck!). Personally, I don't think Berman and Co. have enough imagination to pull it off. They've already dumped on the time-line repeatedly and practically destroyed it with ENTERPRISE.

Either they'll just leave it alone and not care that it blows continuity to hell, or they'll make it so that it never happened. What's the point to a story that never happened? No consequences storytelling is lame and unimaginative.

As for JMS working in Trek...Hey, I'm not the one who made the comment the he couldn't talk about it...that was the Great Maker, himself.

I'm only speculating and stating what I would like to see. Out of a handful of people, JMS is at the top of that list of people who I believe has the talent and vision to save Trek.

CE

She can't, since if she does (like the rest of this Xindi thing) it will totally blow continuity, since it is clearly stated repeatedly during Kirk's time that Spock was the first Vulcan to join Starfleet.

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Could you please cite episodes of TOS in which it is stated that Spock was the first Vulcan in Starfleet because I can't remember?