I found this of interest so I thought I would share and find out what others think?
The film franchise - is it at an end?
I think no, but it is going to change quite a bit
Author: AntonyF
What other franchise has 9 films under its belt and still has life in it? Not many. James Bond is still going strong and shows that a franchise can survive. However James Bond hasn’t stayed with the same actors, and neither should the Trek franchise. I know Trek well, and am usually quite good at predicting what’s to come. So here’s my take on what’s going to happen with the Star Trek film franchise. Most of it is personal opinion and not news, so don’t take it as the truth. Only time will tell in the end.
Trek films put on hold?
There were rumors that Paramount had put the new series and film projects on hold, but that seems to be nonsense. Firstly, Paramount doesn’t interfere with the Trek projects too much, and secondly the powers that be have become very blasé with Star Trek. As Voyager sickly trundles on and as the last film met with lacklustre sales, it just carries on. This is Star Trek, it will carry on. There’s no real danger of the plug being pulled. Okay, Insurrection didn’t do that well even though, in my opinion, it was one of the best Trek films. The biggest crime was that it was too soon after First Contact. They have learnt this, and the next film will be in the US cinemas in November 2001, or around then.
TNG comes to an end
This is the film where I think we’ll say our goodbyes to our TNG friends. Does this mean the film franchise is over? Oh no. Seven often uses "we are Borg" as a defense for everything, well the same works here: "this is Star Trek." So what comes after that? Well they could tie in the films with the new series, or they could use DS9 or VOY. I can’t comment on tying it in with the new series as it hasn’t been shown yet. But skipping to Voyager over Deep Space Nine would probably kill any last faith I have in Star Trek, for a variety of reasons. Voyager can’t hold its own on the small screen let alone the big screen. Plus it’s just the fairness of it, DS9 was around first. I’m sure there would be calls to put Seven of Nine in the movie... I can just see the movie posters now. But my jope is that DS9 takes its rightful place on the big screen. It will have had a rest by this point, and the show has a great cast and so much potential.
The other option is a mixed crew, not sure how they could turn out. Maybe bits of TNG, DS9 and VOY. I personally don’t like this idea. It will only give the chance for the producers to pick what they consider the best characters. Who can be most funny, who can be most violent, who can be best in a tight gray uniform. We’ll lose the variety of characters with their different qualities.
Why can’t TNG continue?
In my opinion TNG has had its time on the big screen, but that’s not the reason I think it’ll be TNG’s last. Quite simply, the cast don’t need to do any more or don’t want to. Here I run down the main stars, and where they stand. I’ve also put chances of returning for the tenth movie, and eleventh if there was one. It’s not certain that all the stars will return for the tenth movie... they’re not under contract to do so.
Patrick Stewart – Jean Luc Picard
Back for 10 – 90%
Back for 11 - 90%
Patrick has always been quite loyal to the franchise, and financially he has nothing to lose by doing the Trek films, where he picks up a substantial fee. Patrick was more involved with the creation of the last film, making his role an even more important one, and he’ll probably do the Trek films as long as they are there. However he’s not short of work, and he’s certainly in a good position to pick and choose.
Jonathan Frakes – Will Riker
Back for 10 – 95%
Back for 11 - 95%
Jonathan is one of Trek’s strongest supporters, and was the one of those who wanted TNG to continue for an 8th season on the small screen. Having directed the last two films as well as starring in them, has got Jonathan even more involved with the franchise. However, he is certainly busy with directing, and Roswell - the show he produces and directs - is set to be renewed for a second season. Expect to see him in the films for as long they are produced.
Brent Spiner – Data
Back for 10 – 85%
Back for 11 - 10%
Brent has certainly been vocal about Insurrection, and has said many times that he wanted to be killed-off. Brent cares about Data a lot, and doesn’t want to portray an old android. If it’s the last TNG film they don’t necessarily need to kill him off and risk upsetting the fans, it may just be better to leave it at that. Brent Spiner may be tempted into more if there was good development for Data, but don’t hold your breath. He’ll almost certainly want the next movie to be Data’s goodbye.
Michael Dorn – Worf
Back for 10 – 75%
Back for 11 - 30%
Star Trek’s longest serving cast member seems to have had enough. He was glad when TNG finished in a sense that he’d could be free of the makeup. However he would soon return to Star Trek. It took some persuasion, he initially said no. However Michael hadn’t had a lot of work, and after much persuasion he was in DS9 about a year later. Michael has now – after 11 years of makeup – had enough. He has also voiced his displeasure of his DS9 roll, and it wasn’t what he was promised when he signed up. So tired of makeup (who can blame him) and a bit disillusioned with the Trek franchise, he said he’d do one more if the role was right... but only if the role was right, and he wouldn’t rush into it. He was persuaded once before, we’ll have to see if he is again.
Levar Burton – Geordi La Forge
Back for 10 – 70%
Back for 11 - 10%
Although he doesn’t seem annoyed with his role, Levar doesn’t seem eager to jump back into his role of Geordi. He isn’t even sure if he’ll do the next film, he is, like Michael Dorn, going to wait and see what the role offers. If he did reprise his role, it would be unlikely that he would do another film as he feels that he’s done a lot with Geordi and wants to do new things.
Gates McFadden – Beverly Crusher
Back for 10 – 85%
Back for 11 - 80%
Gates certainly hasn’t had the biggest roles in the films, and you could forgive her for feeling underused. She has kept quite a low profile lately, but seems to enjoy her role in the Trek films. Gates was one of the supporters for TNG being taken off the air, and almost didn’t do a seventh season. This can be taken two ways: that she wanted TNG to go to the big screen, or the fact she wants to do different work. She’ll probably do the films while they are there.
Marina Sirtis– Deanna Troi
Back for 10 – 90%
Back for 11 - 90%
Marina, along with Jonathan Frakes, is a proud supporter of the TNG franchise. She’s not happy with her role in the sense that she misses being a counselor and, like Gates McFadden, hasn’t had the biggest of roles. However, being as loyal to Trek as she is, she’ll probably come back for more. She has, however, resigned herself to the fact that the next film will probably be it and the DS9 crew need to take over.
TNG crew summary
So in summary, the two cast members who will be the most likely not to come back are Michael Dorn and Levar Burton. Both important parts of the TNG cast, but not essential to the movies. Adding up my percentages, coming back for 10 gives a 590/700 score. Coming back for 11 gives a 405/700 score. It may be the best option to end with 10. It gets the crew together for the last time, solves Data’s aging problem, and can give the franchise a fresh breath of air. Plus, the TNG crew are pricing themselves out of the films. There comes a point when a film is too expensive to produce, one of the main reasons that TNG left the small screen.
Deep Space Nine to take to the big screen
This is my choice, and I surprise myself. I often said that I wish TNG was left on the small screen, it ended on a high note and it should have been left at that. So, I should be wanting DS9 to stay finished, but I admit I want more. And if there are going to be films, I’d rather them be with the DS9 cast. So they are the logical choice, and a choice that Rick Berman won’t rule out. Many of the cast are eager for more, including Armin Shimerman, Nana Visitor, Alexander Siddig and Nicole deBoer. Some of the cast aren’t confident though, just recently Rene Auberjonois said he didn’t think there would ever be a DS9 movie, and the sets were torn down. However, I don’t lose faith. TNG sets remained mostly intact for a while because the film followed on from the series. The DS9 sets have to come down to make way for another show, and to keep them in storage would be difficult. If a time comes, they’ll rebuild the sets. It would be unlikely that the sets would stay the same anyway, and would have been modified/rebuilt as necessary. A great amount of details I needed for a cinema screen, and like in Generations changes are often made to make the sets more suitable. So the sets being torn down are not an indication of the show being over. Plus, all the crew are alive (more or less) to make way for their return.
So that’s my take, and as I said - time will tell. My personal choice, and the fair choice, is for Deep Space Nine to take to the big screen for Star Trek: XI. Fingers crossed!
The film franchise - is it at an end?
I think no, but it is going to change quite a bit
Author: AntonyF
What other franchise has 9 films under its belt and still has life in it? Not many. James Bond is still going strong and shows that a franchise can survive. However James Bond hasn’t stayed with the same actors, and neither should the Trek franchise. I know Trek well, and am usually quite good at predicting what’s to come. So here’s my take on what’s going to happen with the Star Trek film franchise. Most of it is personal opinion and not news, so don’t take it as the truth. Only time will tell in the end.
Trek films put on hold?
There were rumors that Paramount had put the new series and film projects on hold, but that seems to be nonsense. Firstly, Paramount doesn’t interfere with the Trek projects too much, and secondly the powers that be have become very blasé with Star Trek. As Voyager sickly trundles on and as the last film met with lacklustre sales, it just carries on. This is Star Trek, it will carry on. There’s no real danger of the plug being pulled. Okay, Insurrection didn’t do that well even though, in my opinion, it was one of the best Trek films. The biggest crime was that it was too soon after First Contact. They have learnt this, and the next film will be in the US cinemas in November 2001, or around then.
TNG comes to an end
This is the film where I think we’ll say our goodbyes to our TNG friends. Does this mean the film franchise is over? Oh no. Seven often uses "we are Borg" as a defense for everything, well the same works here: "this is Star Trek." So what comes after that? Well they could tie in the films with the new series, or they could use DS9 or VOY. I can’t comment on tying it in with the new series as it hasn’t been shown yet. But skipping to Voyager over Deep Space Nine would probably kill any last faith I have in Star Trek, for a variety of reasons. Voyager can’t hold its own on the small screen let alone the big screen. Plus it’s just the fairness of it, DS9 was around first. I’m sure there would be calls to put Seven of Nine in the movie... I can just see the movie posters now. But my jope is that DS9 takes its rightful place on the big screen. It will have had a rest by this point, and the show has a great cast and so much potential.
The other option is a mixed crew, not sure how they could turn out. Maybe bits of TNG, DS9 and VOY. I personally don’t like this idea. It will only give the chance for the producers to pick what they consider the best characters. Who can be most funny, who can be most violent, who can be best in a tight gray uniform. We’ll lose the variety of characters with their different qualities.
Why can’t TNG continue?
In my opinion TNG has had its time on the big screen, but that’s not the reason I think it’ll be TNG’s last. Quite simply, the cast don’t need to do any more or don’t want to. Here I run down the main stars, and where they stand. I’ve also put chances of returning for the tenth movie, and eleventh if there was one. It’s not certain that all the stars will return for the tenth movie... they’re not under contract to do so.
Patrick Stewart – Jean Luc Picard
Back for 10 – 90%
Back for 11 - 90%
Patrick has always been quite loyal to the franchise, and financially he has nothing to lose by doing the Trek films, where he picks up a substantial fee. Patrick was more involved with the creation of the last film, making his role an even more important one, and he’ll probably do the Trek films as long as they are there. However he’s not short of work, and he’s certainly in a good position to pick and choose.
Jonathan Frakes – Will Riker
Back for 10 – 95%
Back for 11 - 95%
Jonathan is one of Trek’s strongest supporters, and was the one of those who wanted TNG to continue for an 8th season on the small screen. Having directed the last two films as well as starring in them, has got Jonathan even more involved with the franchise. However, he is certainly busy with directing, and Roswell - the show he produces and directs - is set to be renewed for a second season. Expect to see him in the films for as long they are produced.
Brent Spiner – Data
Back for 10 – 85%
Back for 11 - 10%
Brent has certainly been vocal about Insurrection, and has said many times that he wanted to be killed-off. Brent cares about Data a lot, and doesn’t want to portray an old android. If it’s the last TNG film they don’t necessarily need to kill him off and risk upsetting the fans, it may just be better to leave it at that. Brent Spiner may be tempted into more if there was good development for Data, but don’t hold your breath. He’ll almost certainly want the next movie to be Data’s goodbye.
Michael Dorn – Worf
Back for 10 – 75%
Back for 11 - 30%
Star Trek’s longest serving cast member seems to have had enough. He was glad when TNG finished in a sense that he’d could be free of the makeup. However he would soon return to Star Trek. It took some persuasion, he initially said no. However Michael hadn’t had a lot of work, and after much persuasion he was in DS9 about a year later. Michael has now – after 11 years of makeup – had enough. He has also voiced his displeasure of his DS9 roll, and it wasn’t what he was promised when he signed up. So tired of makeup (who can blame him) and a bit disillusioned with the Trek franchise, he said he’d do one more if the role was right... but only if the role was right, and he wouldn’t rush into it. He was persuaded once before, we’ll have to see if he is again.
Levar Burton – Geordi La Forge
Back for 10 – 70%
Back for 11 - 10%
Although he doesn’t seem annoyed with his role, Levar doesn’t seem eager to jump back into his role of Geordi. He isn’t even sure if he’ll do the next film, he is, like Michael Dorn, going to wait and see what the role offers. If he did reprise his role, it would be unlikely that he would do another film as he feels that he’s done a lot with Geordi and wants to do new things.
Gates McFadden – Beverly Crusher
Back for 10 – 85%
Back for 11 - 80%
Gates certainly hasn’t had the biggest roles in the films, and you could forgive her for feeling underused. She has kept quite a low profile lately, but seems to enjoy her role in the Trek films. Gates was one of the supporters for TNG being taken off the air, and almost didn’t do a seventh season. This can be taken two ways: that she wanted TNG to go to the big screen, or the fact she wants to do different work. She’ll probably do the films while they are there.
Marina Sirtis– Deanna Troi
Back for 10 – 90%
Back for 11 - 90%
Marina, along with Jonathan Frakes, is a proud supporter of the TNG franchise. She’s not happy with her role in the sense that she misses being a counselor and, like Gates McFadden, hasn’t had the biggest of roles. However, being as loyal to Trek as she is, she’ll probably come back for more. She has, however, resigned herself to the fact that the next film will probably be it and the DS9 crew need to take over.
TNG crew summary
So in summary, the two cast members who will be the most likely not to come back are Michael Dorn and Levar Burton. Both important parts of the TNG cast, but not essential to the movies. Adding up my percentages, coming back for 10 gives a 590/700 score. Coming back for 11 gives a 405/700 score. It may be the best option to end with 10. It gets the crew together for the last time, solves Data’s aging problem, and can give the franchise a fresh breath of air. Plus, the TNG crew are pricing themselves out of the films. There comes a point when a film is too expensive to produce, one of the main reasons that TNG left the small screen.
Deep Space Nine to take to the big screen
This is my choice, and I surprise myself. I often said that I wish TNG was left on the small screen, it ended on a high note and it should have been left at that. So, I should be wanting DS9 to stay finished, but I admit I want more. And if there are going to be films, I’d rather them be with the DS9 cast. So they are the logical choice, and a choice that Rick Berman won’t rule out. Many of the cast are eager for more, including Armin Shimerman, Nana Visitor, Alexander Siddig and Nicole deBoer. Some of the cast aren’t confident though, just recently Rene Auberjonois said he didn’t think there would ever be a DS9 movie, and the sets were torn down. However, I don’t lose faith. TNG sets remained mostly intact for a while because the film followed on from the series. The DS9 sets have to come down to make way for another show, and to keep them in storage would be difficult. If a time comes, they’ll rebuild the sets. It would be unlikely that the sets would stay the same anyway, and would have been modified/rebuilt as necessary. A great amount of details I needed for a cinema screen, and like in Generations changes are often made to make the sets more suitable. So the sets being torn down are not an indication of the show being over. Plus, all the crew are alive (more or less) to make way for their return.
So that’s my take, and as I said - time will tell. My personal choice, and the fair choice, is for Deep Space Nine to take to the big screen for Star Trek: XI. Fingers crossed!
