Star Trek 2017 TV Series - Based in Canada & Weekly

Star Trek 2017 TV Series - Based in Canada & Weekly

A couple of new developments to comment on: when I first heard the series was going to be based in Canada (Toronto specifically), it didn't really register. I just thought 'Oh, okay, filmed in Canada,' but after thinking about it for a few days it dawned on me that this was quite a major step. The first 'Star Trek' not to be based at Paramount. Now, of course Paramount doesn't make the TV shows any more, it's CBS, and I'd never considered the logistics of this split in geographical terms, but it makes sense that they weren't going to be using the old soundstages where every modern Trek series was homed, maybe even where 'TOS' was shot, though I can't remember the exact details of that (I think those soundstages from the 60s would have been replaced). It hit me that a large slice of the history of Trek had been permanently sealed off, and that's quite sad in and of itself, though more for sentimental reasons. However, there are also practical issues with the new location, which is what I'm really curious to see the results of, and that is the distancing from the old pool of talented writers, production staff and guest stars that we took for granted for so many years of their tenure on modern Trek.

I'm wondering if people such as Michael and Denise Okuda, the backbones of Trek continuity, Doug Drexler, designer supreme, and other big names that were so essential to the smooth running of the machine that was Trek in the 90s, and even into the early 2000s, would be willing to up sticks and move to Toronto to ensure they were part of this new Trek into the unknown. Part of me thinks that of course they'd be willing, but time moves on, people get older, and it may be that Fuller, Meyer and the new gang in charge wanted it that way so they aren't tied to those from the old system who could well still be willing and able to jump in if it was closer to its original location. I hope this isn't the case, because I'd love those guiding hands there to keep things on track, and as much as it's a pleasure to see such a team of creatives from Trek's past heading up its future, the production side is almost as important in that regard. There's also the issue of the familiar troupe of Trek guest actors that developed across the four modern series', people such as Jeffrey Combs, Marc Alaimo, Andrew Robinson, Vaughn Armstrong and so many others that made their mark, in many cases in multiple roles. Again, I can see the desire to break free from the past, but I was hoping some familiar names would be guesting, even if not part of the main cast (though Tony Todd's supposed to be a part of it, so that gives me hope that the old names won't be forgotten).

If you're fascinated and drawn to every detail of something, then it's likely you'll also get concerned about those details. I'm not trying to blow this development out of proportion, it's really only a minor change to the way Trek was run before, so I'm certainly not worried about it. It's just that it does make me wonder. One thing that appears to be marking this series out as being more traditional than some might have been expecting is the news that, contrary to some opinion, it will be a weekly series. This means that it won't be a fling-it-all-out-there for people to binge on in as quick a time as they like, but will be released in the same way 'TOS' was back in the 60s: one episode per week. This may seem a backward step for a service that is supposed to be taking on the challenge of the modern era of viewing habits, since CBS All Access, the service Americans will have to use to watch it, is in earnest at becoming a competitor for the established streaming services. But I rather like that - there's still no word on how we in the UK will see our favourite franchise continue, whether it will be via the BBC (who became the go-to home of Trek throughout the 90s if you didn't have Sky), or Channel 4 (who hosted 'Enterprise,' though not, eventually, in a very good time slot, squashed into Sunday afternoons), or even Channel 5 (who sometimes pay out for big US shows such as 'Marvel Agents of SHIELD').

However it's broadcast, the weekly rollout leads me to suspect this will be in the upper region of total episodes, in line with 'SHIELD' and others, rather than going all out for super high production values a la 'Game of Thrones,' but fewer episodes. I prefer the former model, not just because it gives greater coverage year-round, but also because, though some complain about so-called 'filler' episodes, I've always enjoyed these as an alternative to the big episodes. If 'TNG' had been putting out only 10-13 episodes a season, would we have had 'Family' after 'Best of Both Worlds'? How many episodes of 'DS9' in which we learnt so much about the characters through their personal experiences as the focus of a story, would have been cut out if they were constricted by low episode numbers? I also feel that even if you condense a season to halve the old Trek's output (26, which sounds massive now), you'd probably still get some weaker episodes. But surely, if you love a series, a situation and its characters, you want to spend as much time there as possible? Whatever happens, we still know almost nothing about the premise (though early announcements pointed to a traditional ship-based exploration series), but little details like it being weekly lead me to suspect it will be fairly familiar, and I hope this is the case.

Anticipation Rating: ****