The Star Trek Reboot That Would Have Come Earlier than J.J. Abrams’ 2009 Film

We could obtain a fee on purchases produced from hyperlinks.

This story should start with a prologue. Method again in 1989, TV guru J. Michael Straczynski had introduced his thought for “Babylon 5” to Paramount, hoping the studio would produce it and switch it right into a full-blown sci-fi present. He introduced Paramount with a collection bible, character bios, paintings, and even 22 transient story concepts that he meant to write down for the present. The collection was set within the mid-Twenty third century aboard an area station that was situated in a impartial a part of house. Many aliens would move by way of, and the present’s foremost characters, a part of a peacekeeping military-like group, needed to sort out all of the pure intrigue of being in that place. Paramount turned down “Babylon 5,” however Straczynski ended up promoting his pitch to Warner Bros. just a few years later.

Commercial

In a suspicious piece of timing, although, Paramount introduced — solely two months after “Babylon 5” was introduced — that it will be producing “Star Trek: Deep House 9,” a collection that was additionally set aboard a numbered house station and that additionally noticed many aliens visiting a beleaguered outpost overseen by a peacekeeping military-like group. Straczynski has remarked (in a submit on his web site) that “Deep House 9” creators Rick Berman and Michael Piller possible did not see his “Babylon 5” supplies, however he suspected that a few of his concepts had been, nonetheless, used to develop that “Star Trek” TV present. The tensions between Straczynski and Paramount remained palpable for years.

This context is vital to know when speaking about “Star Trek: Re-Boot the Universe,” a proposed 14-page “Star Trek” therapy that Straczynski as soon as cobbled along with Bryce Zabel, the creator of the sci-fi collection “Darkish Skies.” In 2004, when “Star Trek: Enterprise” was on the air and the 2009 “Star Trek” reboot was only a glimmer in J.J.Abrams’ eye, Straczynski and Zabel idly hammered out their concepts.

Commercial

Weirdly, the eventual 2009 reboot additionally resembled Straczynski’s thought. Zabel talked about mentioned reboot in “The Fifty-12 months Mission: The Subsequent 25 Years: From The Subsequent Technology to J.J. Abrams,” edited by Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross.

“Star Trek: Re-Boot the Universe” was really the results of Straczynski and Zabel making an attempt to distract themselves from brainstorming for a joint TV collection they had been making known as “Cult.” It appears that evidently the pair had been idly discussing the “Star Trek” franchise and the place it was in 2004. The “Star Trek” property, it needs to be recalled, was in a fairly sorry state at the moment. It had solely simply skilled an enormous bomb with “Star Trek: Nemesis” and was about to expire the clock on “Star Trek: Enterprise,” the one “Star Trek” collection on the air. It regarded just like the franchise was finished for, and Zabel and Straczynski knew it. Thus, they figured the one method ahead for the property was a reboot. Acquainted characters might be retained, however the story needed to be began afresh. As Zabel recalled: 

Commercial

“We began speaking in regards to the state of the ‘Trek’ universe. […] Earlier than we might cease ourselves, we banged out a 14-page therapy […] I appear to recall having lunch at Artwork’s Deli and our dialog veering off into the ‘Trek’ scenario. The take we got here up with included utilizing the unique characters, however not as younger officers at Starfleet Academy.”

(Artwork’s Deli remains to be standing in Studio Metropolis, California, if you wish to go.)

However Zabel and Straczynski had been on to one thing. They knew that the adventures of a younger Captain Kirk, a younger Spock, and a younger Dr. McCoy could be the one strategy to seize audiences once more. One more unique collection with all-new characters would solely entice the eye of an already-dwindling viewers of Trekkies. The mainstream wanted to be re-introduced to the acquainted.

Commercial

Which, after all, is what Abrams did.

Zabel continued along with his concepts, noting that the brand new “Star Trek” movie would should be a reboot — that’s, a separate entity from the continuity that got here earlier than it. As he put it:

“We needed to do what they might do on this planet of comics: create a separate universe for all of the previous TV and movie ‘Trek’ continuity to be able to free ourselves creatively so we might embrace the great things, banish the dangerous, and take a look at some new issues. In our reboot we needed to start out over, use Kirk, Spock, and McCoy and others in a robust new origin story about what it was that bonded them in such sturdy friendship and present them off as you’d by no means seen them earlier than. It was, admittedly, fairly audacious.”

Commercial

It needs to be famous that Zabel and Straczynski by no means wrote a script, nor did they advance the undertaking past their 14-page therapy. They did, nevertheless, really feel it was adequate to pitch to Paramount. Sadly, they had been turned away on the door, as Abrams had overwhelmed them to the punch. It appears that evidently Abrams was already growing his “Star Trek” reboot when Staczynski and Zabel had been engaged on theirs. The truth that they had been each in regards to the younger Kirk and the early days of his relationships with Spock and McCoy gave the impression to be a whole coincidence.

So, whereas it would sound like that is one other case of Paramount doubtlessly lifting a few of J. Michael Straczynski’s concepts for a brand new “Star Trek” undertaking, it appears unlikely. Because of the “Deep House 9” debacle, although, some “Babylon 5” followers should still be suspicious.

Commercial

Extra not too long ago, “Star Trek” has revisited the “younger Kirk” thought once more due to his inclusion on “Star Trek: Unusual New Worlds,” a collection set just a few years earlier than the unique “Star Trek” TV present. Paul Wesley performs the brand new younger Kirk, whereas Ethan Peck performs the brand new younger Spock.