New ‘Star Trek’ Filmmakers Inspired By TNG

The new Star Trek film may be a return to TOS, but the creative team behind the film are also fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation. TrekMovie.com asked the producer and the writers of the film to each share a quick thought on the show.

Damon Lindelof – producer

We aspire to do for Trek what Next Generation did twenty years ago — reinvigorate a timeless franchise for a brand new audience.

See below for what Orci and Kurtzman had to say about TNG.

Alex Kurtzman – co-writer, executive producer

TNG had the most sophisticated science fiction television, which was always seamlessly and miraculously interwoven with true character stories.

Roberto Orci – co-writers, executive producer

It’s still, to this day, my favorite show on television, ever.  I discovered Trek through the Next Generation.

 

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I will resist the temptation this time….

Fortunately the producers are fans of both of the greatest Treks in my opinion, TOS and TNG!

In its heyday, it was simply the best show on TV. Lots of people said this, both in the US and Britain.

I still remember during the Clinton-Gore campaign, that many cars in California had a bumper sticker that read “Pickard-Riker… make it so!”

Great, now let’s see a movie with the hybrid flavor of City On The Edge Of Forever and Yesterday’s Enterprise. No stupid humor, just a good dramatic story. Yeah, that would be good!

Well they continue to say all the right things. Let’s see if that translates onto the big screen.

Vic

I think their quotes show a respect for Trek fans and at least some appreciation for how smart Trek truly is. NexGen is a fine intro to Trek. (Would you rather have them tune in for the first time and see “Way to Eden?” Yea, brother!)
I hope they stick to what I think I’m seeing here. If they write Kirk like Jason Bourne in the 23rd Century, you’ll wind up with Chronicles of Riddick. A few ‘smart’ moments in the script will make this Trek worth watching again and again.

I got to say that this is a classy move on the part of the new boys. I love the fact that these guys love Trek. And Mr. Orci…I know you lurk here. I swear but whenever I hear you talk I think that if you werent some big time Hollywood guy you would be living in your mom’s basement and probably running a website like this one!

(sorry anthony I am not implying you live in your mom’s basement….please dont ban me)

100 years from now “Way to Eden” will be vindicated as one of the most timeless and enduring outings for “Star Trek”.

**psych!**

Great! :)

It wouldn´t hurt to show some TNG characters at the beggining of the movie.
Spock is on the 24th century after all! Riker is a good call, easily recognizable, still not as expensive and momentuous as Picard, meaning…Picard wouldn´t be good as just a cameo, he deserves full length movies.

^Keep it simple, please. TOS as TOS.

10.

No.

Guys, please stick to the TOS era

also…
Great job on what u are doing to Star trek!!! :)

Spock in the 24th, and that should be ALL they touch in the TNG era!!

I think if it’s apt to put a TNG character in the film then it might be a good idea, obviously we don’t want a gratuitous and pointless cameo, but if it would fit the story; IE if older Spock needs to intereact with other characters then it might work… it might even help to pull in a few fans who aren’t so sold on TOS or a TOS re-cast.

…or if they need a USS Titan toy to complete the Happy Meal set.

#1 resistance is NOT futile!

TNG for me was the best Trek of the lot. A lot of great stories. And that is not to take anything away from TOS. I was around during the original broadcast.

My fav’s in order are: 1.TNG, 2.TOS, 3.VOY, 4.ENT, 5.DS9.

454 dtST

I know I’m a broken record and my english is not very good.

I hope the new cast have CHEMISTRY.

thats one of the reasons why TOS and TNG are wonderful. The bond that they have. The Friendship.Family ect.

Six Truths… no debate, no negotiation… just the truth…

1st Truth: I grew up on TOS in the sixties… It will always be the first, best and most endearing Star Trek to me.

2nd Truth: TNG, DS9, VOY & ENT are all part of an amazing, wonderful universe. Each of those parts have been exemplary at times and have missed the mark as well… just as TOS has.

3rd Truth: I’ve enjoyed them all for what they were and what they aspired to be… entertainment.

4th Truth: They were JUST entertainment!

5th Truth: To all the TOS isolationists… Ha! Read the f**king article!

6th Truth: The New York Mets are f**ked!

Truth is as truth does. TNG and TOS IMO were light years ahead of the other three.

The Cardinals ain’t so healthy either.

Let’s hope this turns out to be a great comeback and not a Superman Returns.

20 years ago, the Trek franchise was popular and didn’t need reinvigorating. TNG provided a forum to have weekly stories and to continue to ride the high Trek was on. It served the legacy well, but it’s not like TOS was floundering like Star Trek is as a whole today.

I find it funny that some cannot give credit where it’s due.

#22 – I agree with you what you say…….but exactly what Damon said was “reinvigorate a timeless franchise for a brand new audience.” Brand new audience being the key.
Maybe some big part of the passion has to do with watching it as a kid. I started out watching TOS as a 10 year old in 1972, and so TOS is my favorite;, I am very passionate about it. I tried to get hooked on TNG because I wanted to like it, but the same passion was just not there, maybe because I was an adult. Damon, Roberto and Alex probably watched TNG as 10 year olds (or something close to that), so that’s their favorite. Now its time to get get some fresh blood hooked on trek, and they are hoping this movie will do it (so do I – I want to get my 13 and 11 year old kids hooked. They make fun of me when I visit this web site.)
We need todays kids to like trek to keep the franchise going in the future.

24. Fully agree I got hooked on TNG as a kid. And I have enjoyed the other spinoffs, as well as TOS. But for me, TNG is my Trek, and the one I can relate. Although my fav Trek character is Leonard “Bones” McCoy, you can not beat….I’m a doctor, not a…….., and a big thank you to VOY for having the Doc say it.

But I get a feeling that there may one day be a return to the TNG era trek, from what the production staff has said I have got a gut feeling that they want to visit the 24th century as well.

TNG brought substantially better writing overall (some episodes excepted) to the Star Trek franchise, and pushed newer, fresher ideas backed by harder science (again, some cheesy technobabble notwithstanding) to the fore. And Picard is unquestionably the best captain — don’t even try to argue with me. For this, I applaud TNG heartily.

However, since this is a TOS-era movie, certain things absolutely must NOT bend toward the TNG-era. Spock must be SPOCK and Kirk must be KIRK, and their dynamic is more essential to Star Trek than any minute detail of canon. These two characters, particularly Kirk, embody a set of values that are peculiar to them, and the particular “flavor” of their personalities has already been mapped to a significant degree. In these highly critical regards, TNG has NOTING to say to the new TOS-era movie.

(correction) *NOTHING*

#18 While TOS is far from my favourite Trek I agree with everything you said all the series were great in their own ways :) good to finally see someone not trolling all over the other series.

Enterprise was made using the same modern “Trek” blueprint used to create Voyager, which used the formula used to create Ds9 which was a spin-off of the formula used by TNG. Everything on television that has come to pass as “Trek” in the past 20 years has been a slight tweak of TNG. That formula has grown very very tired after 20 years, and after a lackluster reception to that style of Trek in the movies and TV, it was, rightfully, retired by Paramount.

I don’t believe the studio or JJ Abrahms would, for one minute, risk everything by infusing, into Trek 08, anything remotely resembling TNG, the very template of all things that viewers have grown tired of in recent years, if not fully rejecting them.

They might surprise me, but I have no reason to believe we are getting more of the same o same o. Nimoy’s stamp of approval indicates that this movie, despite one of the writer’s preferences, deliveres a tale worthy of the TOS era. And make no mistake, the TOS era is NOTHING remotely similar to TNG. It’s like saying The Wild Wild West and Gunsmoke are similar. They are both westerns, and that is where the similarities end.

Trek 08 is a modern take on TOS. Keep the sensibilities of TNG out of it. Please.

im glad they like next gen ive been having a bad feeling that something will happend in the plot that will wipe out all the events of trek all of it including the first trek this will free them to do anything they want as it did not happend

I think it would be GREAT if they started fresh with NO concern of what has been established. Think of it as the Marvel Ulimates of Star Trek. It wouldn’t replace what we’ve seen for 40 years. It would be different and separate. This is the only way that they can reinvigorate the franchise. Otherwise they will forever be hemmed in by what’s already happened. How will the fans ever feel that the characters are in any danger when we already know the established future? I for one don’t want a Star Trek that just rehashes what has already been done.

Star Trek needs to either go into the unknown future or start over in a new past time line!

there making a TOS film, why Why is TNG being brought into it

If the TOS film inspired by TNG, this means… TMP!!!!! This movie has much from TOS, but many ideas are clearly from TNG.

P.S. Sorry me for my terrible English, i am a Russian… “Phasers weady”!!!

jonboc you are right about the other TNG spinoffs, if Berman had quit Trek then we wouldve had some freshness already.

33. Worry not russian fella! I´m brazilian. Plenty of trek for all earthlings. :O)

About the new movie, I hope they bring in “strange new worlds” on screen, and not the same tired old M-Class planets, (besides, i think it´s too confortable to imagine an Earth Like planet out there) and Astrounaut suits.

Even non hard core sci-fi movies, like “The Chronicles of Riddick”, has some cool planets to show, like “Crematoria” for example.

29. jonboc – September 28, 2007
“Enterprise was made using the same modern “Trek” blueprint used to create Voyager, which used the formula used to create Ds9 which was a spin-off of the formula used by TNG. Everything on television that has come to pass as “Trek” in the past 20 years has been a slight tweak of TNG. That formula has grown very very tired after 20 years, and after a lackluster reception to that style of Trek in the movies and TV, it was, rightfully, retired by Paramount.

I don’t believe the studio or JJ Abrahms would, for one minute, risk everything by infusing, into Trek 08, anything remotely resembling TNG, the very template of all things that viewers have grown tired of in recent years, if not fully rejecting them.

They might surprise me, but I have no reason to believe we are getting more of the same o same o. Nimoy’s stamp of approval indicates that this movie, despite one of the writer’s preferences, deliveres a tale worthy of the TOS era. And make no mistake, the TOS era is NOTHING remotely similar to TNG. It’s like saying The Wild Wild West and Gunsmoke are similar. They are both westerns, and that is where the similarities end.

Trek 08 is a modern take on TOS. Keep the sensibilities of TNG out of it. Please.”

Agreed.

#21 Let’s hope this turns out to be a great comeback and not a Superman Returns.
I disagree with you that SR wasn’t a great comeback(it was). Actually if Star Trek XI would be as good as SR it will be best Star Trek film since TMP and TWOK.
It seems everyone forget what was the alternative the awful Nicolas Cage s Superman and Kevin Smith idea or Brett Ratner directing(we all know how bad X3 turn out to be).
Superman Returns has been well reviewed by most critics. It has been a “Certified Fresh” film on Rotten Tomatoes, with 77% overall approval from critics who put is same category as Superman the movie and Superman 2

Everyone’s reading far too much into the statements

TNG influences TOS? Timewarp? What ‘s the explanation? I need “solid” telemetry.

For those defending or bashing Superman Returns, let’s look at this example as one of the things for Trek 2008 should avoid.

Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane

I enjoyed SR, but this piece of crapicious casting, just kept throwing me out of the movie because she was in no way, nor did she embody anything resembling Lois Lane.

Casting is key. Spacey, fun, Routh, eeriely Reeves-like (at least to me), but Bosworth prevented this movie from being a good movie to being a great movie. If only the right woman had been chosen.

Since I was aware of her as an actress, the perfect Lois Lane for me has always been Courtney Cox Arquette. Of course, she was too old for Routh but they may have been able to pull it off. Bosworth sucked & not in a good way.

^ I never thought about her, but yeah, I could definitely see that.

Kate Bosworth was just missing that special something that Margot Kidder had, hell, even Teri Hatcher did a good job on Lois & Clark.

I hope they recast her.

Anyway, casting very important for Trek. I had to make this posting Trek relevant somehow.