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Berman Not Part Of Trek 11

Longtime Star Trek writer and producer Rick Berman, who joined the franchise at the feet of creator Gene Roddenberry, will not be involved in the proposed 11th Trek film, to be directed by Mission: Impossible III helmer J.J. Abrams, SCI FI Wire has learned.

A Paramount spokesperson confirmed that Berman—who started with Trek under Roddenberry in 1987 as a writer and producer on TV's Star Trek: The Next Generation—would not take part in Abrams' film. "J.J. is also a producer, and Rick Berman is not involved in any way," the representative confirmed over the weekend.

It will mark the first time that a Trek project has not had Berman's creative input in more than 18 years. Berman produced and co-wrote the last four films and co-created the TV series Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine; he also wrote, contributed story ideas to or produced all Trek incarnations since the original series. Berman's last film, Star Trek: Nemesis, tanked at the box office, and Berman's last series, Enterprise, was canceled by UPN after only four seasons because of poor ratings.

The new Trek film will be written by Abrams and his M:I III writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, who worked with Abrams on the Alias series. The new Trek film will reportedly go back to the first meeting of James T. Kirk and Spock at Starfleet Academy and deal with their first missions into space. Orci and Kurtzman previously wrote for TV's Xena: Warrior Princess and co-wrote the films The Legend of Zorro, The Island and the upcoming Transformers: The Movie.

Berman has previously said he wasn't sure about the future of the Star Trek franchise, but always hoped to revive and be involved in the franchise somehow. —Mike Szymanski

It's nice to see that Berman won't have a hand in it.

....but...look at the writers, gang. Writers from Xena: Warrior Princess, The Legend of Zorro, and THE ISLAND?!

What little hope I had from the last bit of news has now faded. I will officially boycott this movie henceforth, and I hope all of my fellow Trekkies do the same.

....but...look at the writers, gang. Writers from Xena: Warrior Princess, The Legend of Zorro, and THE ISLAND?!

:eek:

Wha-wha-wha-what? WHAT!?

*gags*






Wow, it only took 'em 18 years to figure out what was wrong with Star Trek?



Too bad they'll just fuck it up all the more. Way to beat that dead horse there, Paramount.

:eek:

Wha-wha-wha-what? WHAT!?
Yes. They also worked on Alias, which is a rather crappy show at best.

Berman has already done the damage. The studios will never allow anything risky or inventive, because of Berman's influence.

Berman has already done the damage. The studios will never allow anything risky or inventive, because of Berman's influence.
In other words:

"Hey, action packed movies with little plot and lots of sex get a lot of money, right?"

"Yeah, so let's make this Trek movie all about that!"

"We can piss off hardcore fans that care about canon too!"

"Alright!"

*execs high five*

I'd heard at the time, that Roddenberry had wanted Nimoy to replace him, but Paramount had pushed Berman - whose own star had risen in the 80s as one of the producers of Miami Vice - and Leonard decided it wasn't going to be fun, so he didn't make a stink when Berman mounted the throne.

I'd heard at the time, that Roddenberry had wanted Nimoy to replace him, but Paramount had pushed Berman - whose own star had risen in the 80s as one of the producers of Miami Vice - and Leonard decided it wasn't going to be fun, so he didn't make a stink when Berman mounted the throne.
Really. For shame. Nimoy would have been nice, though I personally would have preferred Michael Piller. Now there's a man who truly knew Trek. Pity he died earlier this year. :(

Yes. They also worked on Alias, which is a rather crappy show at best.

Set phasers to "smoke a motherfucker", gentlemen, we're going studio-exec hunting.

Set phasers to "smoke a motherfucker", gentlemen, we're going studio-exec hunting.
Oh, I wish. Alas, we'd get maybe five feet into the Paramount lot before being gunned down by security.

So we'll just have to boycott it. That's really all there is to it.

They should catch Ron Moore during a break in Battlestar Galactica. The times I've actually liked Star Trek, he was involved. I haven't seen the last two (maybe three) Star Trek movies. Ever since Babylon 5 it's not been enough for Star Trek to just be Star Trek, it also had to be good. (though even the ones that are often dogged had some good parts to them that I've liked.)

They should catch Ron Moore during a break in Battlestar Galactica. The times I've actually liked Star Trek, he was involved. I haven't seen the last two (maybe three) Star Trek movies. Ever since Babylon 5 it's not been enough for Star Trek to just be Star Trek, it also had to be good. (though even the ones that are often dogged had some good parts to them that I've liked.)
They should do a lot of things. Hiring decent writers, for one. Consulting Trek peeps. But they're not going to do any of that because they just don't care.

I do find myself wondering what it would have been like if Nimoy had decided to jockey himself into Roddenberry's role instead of opting to bow out? I recall a short-list of sequel-program ideas that were under consideration immediately prior to Gene's death... should I mention them, or is this getting too far wide of the topic?

I do find myself wondering what it would have been like if Nimoy had decided to jockey himself into Roddenberry's role instead of opting to bow out? I recall a short-list of sequel-program ideas that were under consideration immediately prior to Gene's death... should I mention them, or is this getting too far wide of the topic?
Go ahead. I don't think many people will care about the actual news.

I do find myself wondering what it would have been like if Nimoy had decided to jockey himself into Roddenberry's role instead of opting to bow out? I recall a short-list of sequel-program ideas that were under consideration immediately prior to Gene's death... should I mention them, or is this getting too far wide of the topic?
Do tell, I want to see what Star Trek could have been...

They're really dragging it through the mud with this unfortunate news. *sets phaser on maximum*

The top picks for projected sequel-programs (circa 1991, prior to any sequel-programs for ST:TNG being developed) were (names given obviously not necessarily intended as series names):

1) Battlecruiser Vengeance, a more-or-less all-Klingon show, with some cheeky role-reversal tributes to TOS thrown in for good measure.

2) Starfleet Academy, a '90210'-type teen soap set in (you guessed it) Starfleet Academy in San Francisco.

3a.) Excelsior, starring George Takei, picking up where the movies left off, filling in the bits before TNG,or...
3b) Excelsior, starring George Takei - who must captain his lost ship for many years back to Earth after being flung across the Galaxy in a freak mishap (yes, the idea for Voyager went that far back)

4) Deep Space Nine. It turned out as I recall it was summed up to be - a place where the stories would come to call, instead of characters seeking them out.

5) The Lwaxana Troi Show, a Trek-themed comedic drama set in the Federation Universe, in a half-hour format, starring Majel Barret. I kid you not.

6) a long-shot Listening-Post Morska, Klingon-themed situation comedy spin-off from Star Trek VI.

7) equally long-shot Worlds of the Federation, a 'National Geographic'-styled sci-fi "documentary" series on highlighted Federation and non-Federation species and their biomes.




Okay, I feel pretty frickin' geeky right about now...

I do find myself wondering what it would have been like if Nimoy had decided to jockey himself into Roddenberry's role instead of opting to bow out? I recall a short-list of sequel-program ideas that were under consideration immediately prior to Gene's death... should I mention them, or is this getting too far wide of the topic?

I keep on hoping they'll suddenly scrap the script and get Joss Wheadon or someone to write a new one.

6) a long-shot Listening-Post Morska, Klingon-themed situation comedy spin-off from Star Trek VI.

I don't know why, but I find that oddly funny...in the good way.

The top picks for projected sequel-programs (circa 1991, prior to any sequel-programs for ST:TNG being developed) were (names given obviously not necessarily intended as series names):

1) Battlecruiser Vengeance, a more-or-less all-Klingon show, with some cheeky role-reversal tributes to TOS thrown in for good measure.

2) Starfleet Academy, a '90210'-type teen soap set in (you guessed it) Starfleet Academy in San Francisco.

3a.) Excelsior, starring George Takei, picking up where the movies left off, filling in the bits before TNG,or...
3b) Excelsior, starring George Takei - who must captain his lost ship for many years back to Earth after being flung across the Galaxy in a freak mishap (yes, the idea for Voyager went that far back)

4) Deep Space Nine. It turned out as I recall it was summed up to be - a place where the stories would come to call, instead of characters seeking them out.

5) The Lwaxana Troi Show, a Trek-themed comedic drama set in the Federation Universe, in a half-hour format, starring Majel Barret. I kid you not.

6) a long-shot Listening-Post Morska, Klingon-themed situation comedy spin-off from Star Trek VI.

7) equally long-shot Worlds of the Federation, a 'National Geographic'-styled sci-fi "documentary" series on highlighted Federation and non-Federation species and their biomes.




Okay, I feel pretty frickin' geeky right about now...

The only ones that sound even mildly good are the Excelsior ones and DS9.

I lost interest in the "franchise" right after TNG. Mainly because Babylon 5 was intelligent, hard nosed science fiction that simply blew DS9 clean out of the water.

I also began to resent the "Cattle with wallets" attitude that Paramount exhibited.

2) Starfleet Academy, a '90210'-type teen soap set in (you guessed it) Starfleet Academy in San Francisco.
What's Tori Spelling and Neve Campbell up to these da-oh. Neve mind.


3b) Excelsior, starring George Takei - who must captain his lost ship for many years back to Earth after being flung across the Galaxy in a freak mishap (yes, the idea for Voyager went that far back):eek:

5) The Lwaxana Troi Show, a Trek-themed comedic drama set in the Federation Universe, in a half-hour format, starring Majel Barret. I kid you not.
Ah, a lot of mud baths and sex with aliens. Who's in her party of friends, Lieutenant Valeris?

6) a long-shot Listening-Post Morska, Klingon-themed situation comedy spin-off from Star Trek VI.
THAT one has potential. Kind of like Clerks with a smidge of Yakov Smirnov.

7) equally long-shot Worlds of the Federation, a 'National Geographic'-styled sci-fi "documentary" series on highlighted Federation and non-Federation species and their biomes.I actually would have watched all of them, but i think this particular one would have required some particular talent for ingenuity. A lot of work but a lot of potential.

I keep on hoping they'll suddenly scrap the script and get Joss Wheadon or someone to write a new one.
:eek:
Let that fella keep his laurels. Although i agree Whedon could whip arse, he still probably should keep a healthy distance. Or, if anything, stick to writing theme songs :D

The top picks for projected sequel-programs (circa 1991, prior to any sequel-programs for ST:TNG being developed) were (names given obviously not necessarily intended as series names):

1) Battlecruiser Vengeance, a more-or-less all-Klingon show, with some cheeky role-reversal tributes to TOS thrown in for good measure.

2) Starfleet Academy, a '90210'-type teen soap set in (you guessed it) Starfleet Academy in San Francisco.

3a.) Excelsior, starring George Takei, picking up where the movies left off, filling in the bits before TNG,or...
3b) Excelsior, starring George Takei - who must captain his lost ship for many years back to Earth after being flung across the Galaxy in a freak mishap (yes, the idea for Voyager went that far back)

4) Deep Space Nine. It turned out as I recall it was summed up to be - a place where the stories would come to call, instead of characters seeking them out.

5) The Lwaxana Troi Show, a Trek-themed comedic drama set in the Federation Universe, in a half-hour format, starring Majel Barret. I kid you not.

6) a long-shot Listening-Post Morska, Klingon-themed situation comedy spin-off from Star Trek VI.

7) equally long-shot Worlds of the Federation, a 'National Geographic'-styled sci-fi "documentary" series on highlighted Federation and non-Federation species and their biomes.




Okay, I feel pretty frickin' geeky right about now...

All hail Dobbsworld, King Of The Geeks. You may pick up your plastic pocket protector with the Federation symbol emblazoned in gold leaf on the front flap at reception, and thank you for visiting WorldCon.

All hail Dobbsworld, King Of The Geeks. You may pick up your plastic pocket protector with the Federation symbol emblazoned in gold leaf on the front flap at reception, and thank you for visiting WorldCon.
Speaking of geeks, don't you have a speaking engagement on a current thread other than this one? ;)

What little hope I had from the last bit of news has now faded. I will officially boycott this movie henceforth, and I hope all of my fellow Trekkies do the same.

I already boycotted Enterprise, and I have no intentions of seeing this movie.

Roddenberry always said that Trek is about looking ahead...the very thought of a prequel, on TV or on film, is utterly fucking ridiculous.

I'll likely have to wait until I'm 50 to get a new show...set in the 29th century, where the Klingons are part of the UFP, the Romulans and Feds have set aside differences to deal with those pesky Breen, and the Borg and the Dominion are at war (yes, I've been planning :D)

I also began to resent the "Cattle with wallets" attitude that Paramount exhibited.

And at risk of going on an off-topic tangent: Welcome- sadly- to the world of how virtually every corporate and managerial entity in today's marketplace of increasing greed and diminishing intelligence treats "the herd."

Isn't this how most large companies/studioes/institutions view people? As money-burdened idiots clamouring for instant gratification, however self-destructive? Consider the quality of merchandise nowadays: clothes and computers and cars that fall apart without *constant* and costly maintenance. Warranties as a matter of course, because your new purchase is actually expected to fail, whether within 30 days or 1 year or however long. Consider the costs associated with products and how they're distributed. "Sales" on "limited supplies" to encourage you to impulse-purchase items whose production costs are small fractions of their sale prices. Or "entertainment" media-- $25 CDs with one or two good (read "catchy") songs bundled with 12 or 16 sub-standard tracks (essentially charging you $12 for each song you enjoy) and threats of litigation when you try to undermine the distribution monopoly. Movies with pathetic writing that you're charged $12 to see, and when audiences decline the studios and theatres respond by producing worse movies (or at least more bad movies, fewer good ones) and raising ticket prices, and inserting audience-aggrevating commercials and chastisements for "piracy."

What's more, are we not to blame for allowing it to continue? For letting them get away with it? For facilitating their exploitation of us? We keep buying *junk* and taking "oh well, so sorry" when the junk fails. We keep paying the overpriced bills for goods that are no good and for services that aren't serving us. I paid- charges and taxes and other assorted BS- $700 for a cellphone that always had questionable reception (and $50 a month for this so-called 'service') and after a year and a half virtually stopped working altogether. Taken to a company technical service 'professional' who looked at it like he'd never seen one before, I was told I could pay an exorbitant amount to send it "away" for repair, or sign another 2- to 3-year contract and get a hardware "upgrade." And we're socially conditioned to be so placid that I'm "poo-poo'ed" by people for being "too angry" about it. I haven't hit, or even verbally abused, a representative of the company (though I've thought about it), haven't vandalised or burned their facilities down (though I've *really* thought about it) and yet I'm supposed to smile witlessly and accept full responsibility. Well I am partly responsible, for my purchasing choices, but part of the responsibility must *surely* lie with any company that would sell merchandise that fails in 18 months of normal use. How can the civilisation that put people on the moon not build a reliable cell phone???

To bring this rant back to some semblance of the topic, bad TV and movies are just another symptom of the same disorder. The consumer is viewed as stupid, receptive, and complancent, willing to shell out for sub-standard products, and however offensive we find it when that perception becomes obvious (as through *blatant* offerings of unadulterated crap), we continue to encourage it by perpetually buying, by shuffling into overpriced theatres and stores (even the discounters, even for "sales") and not asking enough questions, by not raising voices in anger or protest. We keep our heads down, we quietly throw out the junk and replacing it with more of the same instead of visibly piling it in "town square" for others to see and share in our dissatisfaction. We forgive producers and executives for "trying their best" and give them chance after chance instead of stringing them up and using them as pinatas.

The moral of the story... seems to be that Trek fans should lynch Rick Berman and burn down Paramount Studios? Of course I couldn't say that because it could lead to litigation. Alas, if speech really were free, there are all manner of things we could say. :-P

That is the absolute truth. Brilliant!

I remember hearing about the Excelsior one, but the others aren't familiar. A shame. I think the Excelsior version of Voyager might have been better than the actual Voyager, though we wouldn't have the Doctor.

Delator: True, true...yet I no longer have hope for that. Not after what's already happened.

I think it'd be interesting to see a race besides Humans as the focal for a series for once. Berman did such a horrid job on Trek it's dissappointing, I'm just glad old Lucas screwed the pooch on the new Star Wars movies or we'd have those nerds telling us how superior they are. And we might have to agree.

I think it'd be interesting to see a race besides Humans as the focal for a series for once. Berman did such a horrid job on Trek it's dissappointing, I'm just glad old Lucas screwed the pooch on the new Star Wars movies or we'd have those nerds telling us how superior they are. And we might have to agree.
It doesn't stop them from doing it anyway. Use Google to look up Star Trek vs. Star Wars sites. The debate rages on, as it probably will for centuries.

Yeah I know. Everyone with a brain knows Picard could kick Vader's pansy ass without spilling his tea though.

Yeah I know. Everyone with a brain knows Picard could kick Vader's pansy ass without spilling his tea though.
..let us not become more geeky than we already have here.

And at risk of going on an off-topic tangent: Welcome- sadly- to the world of how virtually every corporate and managerial entity in today's marketplace of increasing greed and diminishing intelligence treats "the herd."

Isn't this how most large companies/studioes/institutions view people? As money-burdened idiots clamouring for instant gratification, however self-destructive? Consider the quality of merchandise nowadays: clothes and computers and cars that fall apart without *constant* and costly maintenance. Warranties as a matter of course, because your new purchase is actually expected to fail, whether within 30 days or 1 year or however long. Consider the costs associated with products and how they're distributed. "Sales" on "limited supplies" to encourage you to impulse-purchase items whose production costs are small fractions of their sale prices. Or "entertainment" media-- $25 CDs with one or two good (read "catchy") songs bundled with 12 or 16 sub-standard tracks (essentially charging you $12 for each song you enjoy) and threats of litigation when you try to undermine the distribution monopoly. Movies with pathetic writing that you're charged $12 to see, and when audiences decline the studios and theatres respond by producing worse movies (or at least more bad movies, fewer good ones) and raising ticket prices, and inserting audience-aggrevating commercials and chastisements for "piracy."

What's more, are we not to blame for allowing it to continue? For letting them get away with it? For facilitating their exploitation of us? We keep buying *junk* and taking "oh well, so sorry" when the junk fails. We keep paying the overpriced bills for goods that are no good and for services that aren't serving us. I paid- charges and taxes and other assorted BS- $700 for a cellphone that always had questionable reception (and $50 a month for this so-called 'service') and after a year and a half virtually stopped working altogether. Taken to a company technical service 'professional' who looked at it like he'd never seen one before, I was told I could pay an exorbitant amount to send it "away" for repair, or sign another 2- to 3-year contract and get a hardware "upgrade." And we're socially conditioned to be so placid that I'm "poo-poo'ed" by people for being "too angry" about it. I haven't hit, or even verbally abused, a representative of the company (though I've thought about it), haven't vandalised or burned their facilities down (though I've *really* thought about it) and yet I'm supposed to smile witlessly and accept full responsibility. Well I am partly responsible, for my purchasing choices, but part of the responsibility must *surely* lie with any company that would sell merchandise that fails in 18 months of normal use. How can the civilisation that put people on the moon not build a reliable cell phone???

To bring this rant back to some semblance of the topic, bad TV and movies are just another symptom of the same disorder. The consumer is viewed as stupid, receptive, and complancent, willing to shell out for sub-standard products, and however offensive we find it when that perception becomes obvious (as through *blatant* offerings of unadulterated crap), we continue to encourage it by perpetually buying, by shuffling into overpriced theatres and stores (even the discounters, even for "sales") and not asking enough questions, by not raising voices in anger or protest. We keep our heads down, we quietly throw out the junk and replacing it with more of the same instead of visibly piling it in "town square" for others to see and share in our dissatisfaction. We forgive producers and executives for "trying their best" and give them chance after chance instead of stringing them up and using them as pinatas.

The moral of the story... seems to be that Trek fans should lynch Rick Berman and burn down Paramount Studios? Of course I couldn't say that because it could lead to litigation. Alas, if speech really were free, there are all manner of things we could say. :-P

Utterly brilliant rant.

Planned obsolescence is nothing new, the attitude however, that quality is inferior to quality is.

When I pay tens of thousands of dollars for a new car I expect, if I follow the maintanence schedule to get 125,000 miles before I should even think of trading my car. But, in Europe it is much more common to hear of and see automobiles that make 500,000 miles. So why am I expected to burden myself after a six-year car note at an unholy APR immediately with another six-year obligation? Because consumer advocates no longer really exist, they are a figment of our imagination. Because the constant dumbing down of American society is creating a larger gulf between the haves and the have-nots. Because 18 families have 185 BILLION dollars in wealth and don't want to pay taxes on anything?

It all boils down to education and the lack thereof. On the list of the 19 industrialized, major nations, the United States is DEAD LAST in education up to the graduation from high school. Horrid, eh?

We are busily creating a consumerist sub-class in this country that has NO FISCAL SENSE or DISCIPLINE. We do not punish corporations for their shoddy merchandise. Everyone would rather know about the intimate personal details of Britney Spears or who is going to get fired on the Apprentice rather than educating ourselves and continuing to educate ourselves.

The United States is the modern day Romans and when we fall, we will fall hard.