Could Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman Re-Animate Star Trek?

While many franchises have TV animated series, Star Trek hasn’t gone down that road since the 1970s. Now with Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman seeing success with their animated Transformers series, TrekMovie asked Orci if they might do the same with Trek. His reply on Twitter has launched a lot of speculation. Details below.

 

Could Orci & Kurtzman animate Trek like they have Transformers?

Star Trek writer/producers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman followed up their work writing two Transformers feature films by producing the new animated series Transformers Prime on Hub (see below for a clip from this weekend’s episode). The computer-generated series has been well received and this week it garnered six daytime Emmy nominations.  And now the success of this series has led to some talk about doing a similar show for Star Trek.


This week’s promo for "Transformers Prime" (produced by Star Trek’s Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman)

Earlier this morning I sent Roberto Orci a tweet (via @trekmovie) congratulating him and Alex on the six nominations for Transformers Prime. I then followed that up with a suggestion about Star Trek, and Orci replied with an interesting little bit of info:

This exchange has been picked up by a few sites today as news that there is (or possibly is) an animated Star Trek series in development. While it would be great if that were true, at this point it is only something that has been talked about by Orci and Kurtzman. As of now, as far as TrekMovie sources can tell, there is no work being done or planning for a new animated Star Trek series.

However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t a good idea. An animated series is much less expensive than a new live-action series, but can still allow for interesting stories to be developed, including stories that bridge films. An animated show is also a great way to maintain interest in a franchise and especially to help attract new younger fans. Many popular franchises have current animated series in addition to Transformers. The superhero franchises (Batman, Superman, Spider-man) have had animated series for decades, but there are also recent entries from Star Wars and even a Tron animated series in development.

And of course as Orci and Kurtzman have successfully done it with Transformers, they are the natural choice to do it again with Star Trek, assuming Paramount and CBS and Hub (or another network) all want to do it. Hopefully it will happen, but for now it is just a notion.

Until then, we still have the 1970s Star Trek: The Animated Series, which is available on DVD and for free streaming on CBS.com. To give you a taste, check out this cool Star Trek TAS/Star Trek 2009 trailer mashup (by NEO f/x).

Poll: Animated Star Trek?

What do you think, is a new animated Trek series a good idea?

[poll=655]

 

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I’d watch that. In the era of Clone Wars style animation, it would be all shades of awesome!

That Transformers cartoon is really good. I’d be in favor of such a thing for Star Trek.

I’d watch that too, it could be good with Orci & Kurtzman and tie to the new films! weekly Star Trek on tv !! Animated, live-action, I’ll take both please :D

Yes, please animate Star Trek again! I’d watch it every week!

But please, don’t use that crappy, jerky animation they always use on Cartoon Network. If that’s the case, no thanks.

as long as you do that Doctor Who cross-over

I just recently started watching TAS on Hulu and I must say, it is actually quite good. The stories are just as good as the live action TOS.

Great way to endear these characters, that they have faithfully re-ignited, to kids, who really are the future of the franchise. And if the characters from the movie are off limits…which would be stupid, as they are the characters instantly recognized by kids who loved the movie and it would have instant appeal…the other obvious choice is the early adventures of another Kirk aboard the Kelvin…another crew instantly recognizable by fans of the movie, young and old alike. Even the early adventures of Pike would work, thanks to his exposure in the film. Hope it moves from discussion to production!

I’d love it but they’d have to have the actors. It would be pointless w/o their voices. TAS was good because it *was* them. LOL

@Jonboc good ideas for other series but I can’t see this working outside the context of the movie characters. Hopefully they’ll go that route or not bother. I’d also like to see the same quality to the animation in that when you watch TAS, the character mannerisms and facial movements are all there.

I’d watch a new animated Star Trek series just because it would be the only new Trek on TV. I’d rather they put their efforts into getting another live action show up and running. For goodness sake, make a Starfleet Academy series already!

I would see it in a hartbeat. My Tivo would be all over recording it.

Heh, I recognized Jeffrey Combs’ voice right away in that trailer. :)

“This is clearly a pink-skin signature, and it’s moving fast!”

You need one more option:

“No, give me a live action series” A man can dream, right?

Yes – want it! … for sure … I like this idea!…. :-) :-)

I don’t know why we haven’t seen a fan re-make of the animated series. I would of figured by now either with CG or even flash someone taking the original audio tracks from the show and just re-doing the visuals to give the characters a little more life and movement

I’d be up for it, but they’d have to find a good style to go with.. it has to be something that can appeal to fans both young and old, as well as draw in new people to the franchise. :)

I loved Star Trek: The Animated Series. While it had very 70’s-style animation, the stories were pure Trek. With animation, you don’t have to worry about getting original actors to be able to bring in their characters, and you can do really cool stuff with aliens that would be too expensive with live action. I also have loved the Clone Wars and the animation has really improved in the past year.

Please no. Star Trek deserves better than an animated series, and better than Orci/Kurtzman.

I’d wish they animate Star Trek: Countdown as a direct-2-DVD.

It’s been WAY too long since there has been an animated Star Trek.

Bring it on.

Yes!

Oh Jan, stop being so melodramatic (pretty please) :-))

It wouldn’t derail all those other non-existent Trek-to-TV plans, so, hey, why not? I’ll take Trek where I can get it, and this sounds like it could be great!

Computer animated Trek on my TV? Sounds amazing, as long as it’s in the right hands, which it appears it would be!

Oh how I wish Adult Swim would give the original Star Trek animated series the “Sealab 2021” treatment!!! LOOOONG overdue.

I mean… you KNOW Shatner would jump right on board for TrekLab 2021… give himself the Hank Murphy treatment…. this totally HAS to happen.

Bring it!!!

I would love to see this. Please, do it people, and do it right, not as a kid show.

I am 35 years old, and I’ll watch every episode!!!

Oh, and set it in the right universe and timeline, please. Too much to ask for there, i suppose.

oh for the love of god no

I’m with Jorge. Not for me. Just don’t do it.

Warner Bros. does a great job with the animated features of SUPERMAN and BATMAN, which do not devalue in any way the NOLAN films or SMALLVILLE or the live-action SUPERMAN films. There just part of the entertainment offerings of those iconic characters. Why not the same for STAR TREK?

I vote yes.

They should have done new animated shows decades ago. This is such a simple ideal, I really do not understand why Paramount just doesn’t go through with it.

If it keeps the basic mindset of the previous Trek series (morality plays set in space), then, YES, by all means do it!

As for the visuals, the style used in the Tron series looks promising:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Sakyg8srKU

Of course a Trek series would look very different, but it is interesting to see a combination of traditional 2D animation combined with 3D CGI.

Do it do it do it! ;)

No. An animated series seems like a half measure for what we all really want, a new, bona fide TV series. Give me the real thing, please.

Correction: “it is interesting to see a combination of traditional 2D animation with 3D CGI.”

Darn typos.

Half measure or not, I’ll pretty much take whatever they’ll dish out at this point. Getting Paramount and CBS to actually do something with Trek nowadays is like pulling Klingon teeth.

Sorry, not interested. Wait five more years (two more movies, assuming the next movie is actually done by then) and then do a proper Trek TV relaunch.

GREAT frakkin idea! It’s about time something like this happens. Star Trek is stagnant compared to other franchises, but it has so much more potential.

I would like to see it done with some stylish animation like Lucas used for the first Clone Wars cartoon rather than CGI. Something unique looking.

Yes yes yes.

NO CARTOONS. Please, do it live- Kelvin adventures at least.

I would like to see it done in the style as the recently animated episode of Fringe. High end animation . Not geared towards kids like the one from the early 70’s.

No way it would get the budget clone wars has methinks..

I think this is a great idea and I would love it if they considered it canon for the new universe.

It’s absolutely necessary. Most fans are in favor of a new animated series. Maybe a Kelvin series. A bridge between the “Enterprise” era and the TOS era. Done with animation similar to that of “The Clone Wars”.

But somehow I don’t think Les Moonves would be interested.

DAMN CBS!!

Go for it, Orci & Kurtzman, go!