Star Trek 2017 TV Series - Delayed & Fuller Stepping Down

Star Trek 2017 TV Series - Delayed & Fuller Stepping Down

It's been mostly quiet on the 'Discovery' front in recent months, but we've had a couple of major changes that are worth discussing. One is the release date, the other is Bryan Fuller stepping back as showrunner. The former news isn't something to get worried about in my book. They've pushed back the debut of the series from January 2017, the month it had been set for ever since the first announcement that Trek was returning to TV (sort of), until May of that year, but to me this shows they're taking the time to do it right and not rushing it out as fast as they can. It also means I have a little longer to rewatch the old Treks in preparation! But seriously, we don't know whether it's because the writing needed more time, or if it a heavy visual affects schedule was to blame, or even if they were holding out for a specific actor for the lead role (or any of the other roles). Whatever the reasoning behind it, it just means a little more patience is required. It's a shame the series won't be following in the footsteps of both 'DS9' and 'Voyager,' which debuted in January 1993 and 1995, respectively, but it's already gone a far different route to the old Treks (online distribution; serialised format; only thirteen episodes; production base in Canada), so it's not the first change and hopefully it will be beneficial to the quality of the series.

The second piece of news is more concerning. The one thing Trek has been missing since Rick Berman stood down from 'Enterprise,' is an overarching guiding hand, just as Gene Roddenberry, Harve Bennett and Berman had been in their respective decades. This hasn't helped Trek in its long road back into production as it has fragmented the franchise, a result of the split between Paramount and CBS and the rights to TV and film Trek. JJ Abrams was the closest it had to a figure in overall authority but his attention was, and always has been, divided. There isn't enough Trek in production to warrant a large figure in the TV or film world taking it on as their permanent and sole focus, and that hasn't changed since the announcement of 'Discovery,' simply due to the short season planned. But if the series is a success who knows if Season 2 may garner an increased length? The status of the Kelvin Timeline films (or any Trek films), is currently in doubt after 'Star Trek Beyond' didn't meet expectations, either financially or critically, and perhaps the split in rights could even be healed and all Trek brought back into one stable?

Wishful thinking, perhaps, but the point is, Fuller looked to have become the hand on the tiller for the foreseeable future and it's hard to understand why he has stepped back just as the franchise has the potential for development and growth, money being pumped into it. I doubt we'll ever see another decade like the 90s' Golden Era with two series in production knocking out fifty-two episodes per year and a film every two years, but we could see multiple miniseries like 'Discovery' if it takes off. It sounded as if CBS weren't happy with the amount of focus he had on the series (which is more likely than that they had problems with his comments about reimagining species and technology which have set some people's Alert on Yellow, or even Red), since he has commitments to at least two other series'. I had already thought that it wasn't ideal for the main guy in charge to have his attention divided, as Trek needs maximum care at this delicate, fragile moment in its history. So perhaps it's a good thing? Those that are stepping into the breach will be fully focused on the series, as far as I know, and Fuller will still be able to have input, he just won't be running it. And perhaps if the first season is a success he'll be able to take over fully for Season 2. It's just that we still don't have one man and his vision to lead Trek, and that's what it needs.

It's not always good for a talented writer to be the guy at the top: look at Stephen Moffat and his era in charge of 'Dr. Who.' I've never been big on the modern series, but even I would concede that most of Moffat's episodes in the early years were the best, but he didn't guide the series in a way that I really enjoyed, and perhaps didn't have the same amount of time and freshness to devote to writing when he was leading. Maybe Fuller would be better as just one of the writers that contributes rather than the overarching authority, even though it's going to be his vision of pre-'TOS' that will be implemented. The bottom line is that we still don't have a clear Captain of the ship or Admiral of the Fleet, and perhaps while there remains a discord between the film and TV sections, Trek will never be fully united and going in the right direction. But I'm just glad we're getting more Trek and set in the Prime, the Real Timeline, at that, and there's no need for wailing and gnashing of teeth at this early juncture.

One final note: an unofficial list of characters has come out, and for me, the one that stands out is that there will be a Klingon Captain. This raises the issue of whether we'll see 'Augment' Klingons (the smooth-headed variety of 'TOS'), or the 'true' version, the bumpy-heads that everyone knows and loves. I'm just glad that, assuming this is indeed fact, that they aren't turning their backs on Trek's familiar races (they'd be fools to turn up their noses at the opportunity to use so many wonderful creations in new ways), and it's been too long since we've had a Klingon main character. In the absence of the 'Captain Worf' series that Michael Dorn was proposing, which he has sadly now abandoned since it's unlikely they'll want another series any time soon, let's hope they meet the amazing quality of writing and performing that Dorn embodied in one of the best characters ever created. One reason I wasn't as keen on a series set in the 23rd Century is that it's far less likely we'll run into the old actors returning as their characters, but I hope and believe we will see a few eventually. We just have to hope the series will get a good run.

Anticipation Rating: ***