Is Star Trek Really Dead?

By ALAN STANLEY BLAIR

Source: SyFy PortalJun-14-2007

Space … the final frontier … .

There was once a time when these words carried so much weight that they would have people humming the opening notes to the Star Trek theme with utter delight.

But no more. After five spin-offs and a collection of movies, Star Trek came to an end with the cancellation of "Enterprise." And for all intents and purposes, it looked like the franchise was going to stay confined to the realm of re-runs and digitally re-mastered DVD releases where it belonged.

That is until good old J.J. Abrams arrived on the scene, announcing that not only was their still a pulse in the aging science-fiction giant, but also that it would be back for another big screen outing with himself behind the director's seat. The very announcement that Star Trek would be back gave Trek fanboys everywhere goosebumps, giving them another reason to separate their fingers and utter the words, "Live long and prosper."

Now here is a controversial thought -- wouldn't it be better if he left the franchise to die with whatever dignity it has left? Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed watching the series as much as the next Trekker and "Deep Space Nine" still ranks highly among my favorite science-fiction series of all time, however with "Voyager" being the mixed bag as it was and "Enterprise" struggling just to maintain its audience, does the world really need another Star Trek outing? Wouldn’t the capital being sunk into the movie project be better spent in the pockets of Joss Whedon, continuing the infinitely cooler tales of Malcolm Reynolds and his intrepid crew aboard the Serenity? Because let's face it, in just 15 episodes, "Firefly" had 10 times the entertainment value of all five Star Trek series combined.

This idea has a particular appeal especially considering the overall premise of the feature -- Capt. Kirk at school. The series is going to be dropped down to Earth to the point where we might be seeing a little bit of melodrama among the classes as the legendary starship captain struggles to maintain his grades at Starfleet Academy whilst simultaneously facing off against the Klingons or some other alien threat.

One thing to remember, though, is that Abrams is a very talented and creative man with popular credits behind his name such as "Alias" and "Lost." Just last year, he pulled a rabbit out of a hat when he took the reins for the third installment in the Mission Impossible movie series. With 'MI:3," not only did he bring more style, savvy and thrills to that one film than the other two combined, but he was also able to bring a more compassionate and intimate side to the Ethan Hunt character than his predecessors. And that was a good thing.

So if anyone is going to bring back Star Trek for a new age, it’s Abrams. And he should do especially well in today's climate where re-makes and re-imaginations are the in-thing. "Battlestar Galactica," although ending next season, is perhaps one of the most innovative series ever created, and it certainly has re-defined the way sci-fi stories should be told as far as the SciFi Channel is concerned. If it wasn’t for that show, we may not have "Flash Gordon" and "Bionic Woman" to look forward to this year.

So maybe there is some room for another Star Trek, and maybe Abrams can re-invent the wheel.