WASHINGTON — In the galaxy of Star Trek fans, there is nothing that draws more speculation than a possible television series reboot. And so it happens, the Trekkie rumor mill is on warp speed with the news that two pilot ideas may be competing for the opportunity.
The geek pop webzine The Nerdist reported on Friday that two ideas for a new Star Trek television series — the first since Star Trek: Enterprise was canceled in 2005 — have been circulating for some time but were more or less shelved after the J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie franchise took off. A new film Star Trek 3, will hit theaters this July.
The original Star Trek ran from 1966 to 1969, starring William Shatner as Captain Kirk and Leonard Nemoy, who died in March, as Mr. Spock. This short-lived but wildly popular show launched a now legendary cross-generational fandom and cultural phenomenon, as well as several movies and popular TV spin offs, including the 90’s-era Star Trek: The Next Generation.
According to The Nerdist, the first pitch for a new series was developed by Babylon 5 (another spinoff) creator and comics writing legend J. Michael Straczynski and Dark Skies’ Bryce Zabel. This one would bring back the original Kirk/Spock/McCoy characters. The pitch can be read in full, here.
The other one is from novelist Geoffrey Thorne, X-Men’s Bryan Singer, Free Enterprise director Rob Burnett, and Usual Suspects writer Christopher McQuarrie, and called Star Trek: Federation. It is set far into the future of the United Federation of Planets, or “The Federation,” generations ahead of our favorite characters. Details of that pitch can be found here, and more to read at The Nerdist.
