Star Trek 2017 TV Series - 13 Episode Arc, etc

Star Trek 2017 TV Series - 13 Episode Arc, etc

A lot has happened since I last put thought to digital column space, partly because I was waiting for something more substantial to grip onto, and partly because Fuller and company have remained fairly tightlipped on the details, probably waiting until the fourteenth film has had its time in the spotlight (unless they're hoping to upstage their filmic contemporary in its moment of attention?). Instead, a flurry of fascinating snippets have fluttered down the internet's wind tunnel, and since it's getting hard to keep track of, it's time to recap for my satisfaction, and to gauge where the series currently resides sitting in my estimation.

We've had an actual teaser trailer, further announcements on the writing team, and some actual comments from Bryan Fuller, though more confirming what the internet got wrong than positive facts. Let's start with the trailer: it's only a teaser, some effects thrown together which apparently hold clues to the series' content, but it could just as easily be an early indication of what the opening credits might look like. I can't say it dismayed me, dooming the series to the fast-paced, brain-empty experience I associate with both the Abramsverse films and the mainstream success of modern 'Dr. Who,' both of which fall flat in general, for me (the effects very much in the vein of those productions' effects). At the same time, neither did it fill me with fresh hope and renewed excitement for the potential of this still-untitled sixth TV 'Star Trek.' It wasn't the kind of fascinating propaganda that had me poring over each frame, but it did suggest the destruction of Praxis, though following more recent comments from Fuller, perhaps that wasn't the intention. Most notable was the slogan about new heroes, villains, crews… So it appears this will be much more about the Starfleet as opposed to one ship, or one lonely station, that was the tradition of every other series. Again, this could be a good thing if it means more recurring characters and a wider scope - I had wondered if being out exploring in a ship, episode to episode, was likely to provide the depth and detail a modern audience demands, perhaps one reason 'Enterprise' failed: lack of momentum and strong purpose.

A word must be said about the logo. I really hope upon hope that this is merely a placeholder for the eventual art, because it sure is ugly! I have some training in graphic design, and I find it hard to believe that shoving some textures on a futuristic, but aesthetically unappealing font, with a 3D effect that apes the current films, and sticking a cloven chevron behind (is that a clue as to the nature of the Federation at this time: split?), is anything more than something to get people talking, because I don't see any other merits! I also hope that the series will have its own identity, with a unique title (preferably with 'Star Trek' part of it), and logo to match, and I'm sure it will. It just seems strange in this modern day of fast, reliable design, and the relative ease of crafting the most apposite identity for your marketing, that such a monstrosity was considered a wise choice to herald the biggest futuristic franchise ever created. Perhaps it's just my artistic hackles that have been raised, and it's far from the worst logo I've ever seen, and indeed, I'm sure I could learn to live with such a style, but hopefully I won't have to.

The hope is that the quality of the writing will override all possible concerns: clearly they'd gone all out to appeal to the loyal viewers with Nicholas Meyer, Bryan Fuller and the Roddenberry name, and now we've heard Trek author Kirsten Beyer, and 24th Century Trek veteran, Joe Menosky have been added to the roster in a pleasing display that continues to garnish the writers' room. I have to admit that I've only read one of Beyer's books ('Unworthy'), and found it perfectly acceptable - I planned to get into the 'Voyager' continuation novels after that, but never got round to it, but although I wasn't enthusiastically excited by her literary contribution, it's amazing that someone who is clearly so well invested in Trek history, style and all related ephemera, should have been drafted for the series, and again, shows a pleasing understanding of the kind of people we want to see involved. Even more in Menosky's case, since he's written so many great 'TNG,' 'DS9' and 'Voyager' episodes in his time - most famous for pairing with Brannon Braga on many of the classic 'Voyager' two-parters (such as 'Scorpion,' 'Year of Hell' and 'Dark Frontier'), but also smaller episodes more notable for their inventiveness and imagination ('Darmok,' 'Dramatis Personae,' 'Distant Voices' and 'Time's Orphan'). Maybe he wasn't the first name that sprang to mind when the possibility of hiring previous contributors became a reality, but he'd certainly have been among the second in mind, so that can only be a good thing. Also, it adds grist to the belief this is going to be recognisable as Trek, both Prime, and, potentially, 24th Century Trek.

The setting and time of the series remains the biggest question, and it doesn't necessarily follow that the writer's were chosen because of that - if you look at it we have creatives from almost every era of Trek, from the previous two Abramsverse films, the 24th Century, and the 'TOS'-era films of the eighties and early nineties. One thing that we won't be seeing is an anthology, as Fuller has come right out and pronounced that rumour inaccurate. Which is a shame, as it led to much imagining of the possible return to previous times and locations, as well as filling in eras we know little about. On the other hand, he also denied that the setting was to be between 'Star Trek VI' and 'TNG,' which had been sounding pretty much a done deal. An anthology was hard to believe, if only for the costs of creating whole new standing sets for each new season, and finding it hard to retain momentum if characters or setting won an audience over. It would have been great to have seen something in the Dominion War, or post-'Nemesis,' but who knows, maybe the series will be set in one of these periods anyway? And there's always time travel. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a Temporal Investigators or Temporal Cold War element somewhere in the mix.

There's even the possibility of existing characters returning, as Fuller has definitively stated that will happen eventually. Mind you, they were talking about bringing in Q and Picard when 'Enterprise' was about to arrive ('some time in Season 2, and maybe we'll get Patrick Stewart to direct an episode…'), neither of which came close to happening, so we should take things with that little bit of seasoning. I'm feeling more cautious now, however, after the anthology and a first season post-Trek VI seemed so certain to be confirmed. Also, once bitten: with the practically sacrilegious recasting of the 'TOS' characters for the new films, something that had been almost unheard of, well against the rules of how Trek operated, and one big reason why it had always been so fantastic to see a character again since it meant seeing the actor again, too, we don't know if he means character and actor, or just character - this could still turn out to be the Abramsverse, or a third, unwanted, universe, but I hope not, and I still think it will be Prime.

So not really enough to move my anticipation strongly up or down, although the news that only thirteen episodes will make up the first season, does concern me a little. I've always loved the fact that you could immerse yourself in the universe, that you had set character-based episodes between what arcs there were, and the mythology. Instead, we're getting one story, a thirteen-part arc, and I've never felt the completely serialised Treks have worked as well as semi-serialised, with experiments such as 'Enterprise' Season 3, and (to a lesser extent), 'DS9' Season 6's six-parter, or 7's ten-parter, which had some truly great stuff, but weren't always served best by the nature of complete focus on continuous plots. I'd hoped from the announcement of it being a weekly series rather than dropping all episodes simultaneously, that it meant a greater likelihood of the traditional twenty-plus episodes, but we must remember that the series is debuting in January, the same as 'DS9' and 'Voyager' did back in 1993 and 1995, respectively, with shorter seasons as a consequence (twenty episodes, and sixteen), so we could still see longer seasons in future.

Until we get the real juicy facts that will reveal what we want to hear most of all: setting, casting, the time period, we remain in the dark, and a delicious time of speculation remains for a little while longer. Does multiple crews mean we will see Captain Worf after all? And Captain Riker (or should that be Troi?), on the Titan? The Enterprise-J? Captain Nog? At the moment the possibilities are endless, and in fact, unless they decide Prime is past its prime, anything is possible in the long run. I don't want January to come quickly, I'm enjoying the guessing and theorising, the conjecture and supposition!

Anticipation Rating: ****