In addition to all the big reveals today at San Diego Comic-Con, there was one more surprise. Star Trek may be getting its first live-action comedy series.
Newsome and Simien developing workplace comedy for Trek
Today’s Star Trek Universe panel was moderated by Justin Simien, writer-director of Dear White People and director of The Haunted Mansion. Simien turns out to be a big fan, especially of The Next Generation, but that wasn’t the only reason he was at San Diego Comic-Con for Trek. As the Lower Decks section of the panel was wrapping up, Simien pointed to cast member Tawny Newsome (Mariner) and announced,”Tawny And I are pregnant… with a Star Trek show.” The pair gave cryptic clues about the the series they are developing with talk of 25th century shenanigans, odd couple pairings… at one point, Justin just shouted “vibes” to get fans excited.
After this sort of mock pitch, Alex Kurtzman, who heads up Star Trek TV for Paramount, said “How about we just call it Star Trek’s first live-action comedy.” Kurtzman also said he has become impressed with Newsome’s work as a writer on Starfleet Academy, calling her a “stone cold assassin of a writer.” While some in the audience weren’t sure what to make of this moment, TrekMovie has confirmed with Paramount+ that this is a real show in development. Here is the official logline for the series:
Federation outsiders serving a gleaming resort planet find out their day-to-day exploits are being broadcast to the entire quadrant.
You can see Simien moderating during the Lower Decks portion of the Star Trek Universe panel below…
After the panel, Newsome and Simien sped away on jet skis. [NOTE, this did not happen. It’s just something they wanted us to say, even though Hall H cannot accommodate jet skis.]
According to Paramount, the show has Kurtzman, Simien, and Newsome as writers and executive producers with Aaron Baiers, Rod Roddenberry, and Trevor Roth as executive producers. CBS Studios is developing the show for Paramount+ with hopes for a series pickup. Sources for The Hollywood Reporter say the show has “workplace comedy tones” along the lines of The Office or Parks and Recreation.
Star Trek: Lower Decks already broke a barrier as the first animated adult comedy for the franchise, and will wrap up its fifth season starting in October. So maybe there is room for a live-action workplace comedy as well.
More Star Trek SDCC 2024
Check out our SDCC category for more from the Star Trek Universe panel, including announcements and reveals from Strange New Worlds, Lower Decks, Starfleet Academy, and Section 31. And we will have more coverage of what was said at the panel later this weekend.
Keep up with news about the Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com.
Well, that sure as shit was not on my Star Trek production bingo card.
Generally not my favorite subgenre, this. But since it’s 25th-century, it’ll presumably be early 25th-century, in which case… I guess a revolving door of TNG-era alumni can waltz in, waltz out, whatever. Kind of a neat… silver lining?
Though I suppose labeling it a silver lining when we don’t know much at all yet is a stretch. I’ll keep tabs and all. I’ll tune in. It’s just not, uh, hm.
Hm.
Gotta love modern day Trek fans, only interested in something if legacy characters show up.
Interesting.
If this was before we got LDS I would’ve been very very skeptical about this, but now I’m quite fascinated and intrigued over the idea.
A 25th century live action comedy sounds fun. And I love the setting ISN’T on a starship, another big plus.
And I can only imagine all the cameos we are going to get on this thing lol. If they ever bring Sisko back THIS is the time to do it people! 😄
True! I will say I would never have put Star Trek and Big Brother in the same sentence but not surprised Paramount etc. thought it would actually be good.
Lol yeah. And this could be an absolute dumpster fire of course. But that’s how I originally felt over LDS and was happily surprised over that show. I still think it and Prodigy has the most heart in the franchise right now.
But I can’t blame people for being skeptical, especially if you’re not a LDS fan. But it’s shocking how many love that show here so it could be a hit.
It might be the Federation doing the broadcasting tho. If this is a pleasure planet like Risa then is it not necessarily governed by them and everyone is welcome including Ferengi and even Orions.
Ya know even though this kind of thing isn’t normaly me, I am kinda liking this. Picard made the 25th century Federation seem so dark and gloomy and hopeless. I would very much welcome some smiles and laughter into that era.
Yeah true. That’s why I like LDS because it too took place after a pretty dark time at the end of the Dominion War but it focused on the optimistic side of Star Trek again.
If this does the same, I’m all in.
Yep exactly, LDS showed us a happy federatin with Voyager museums and O’Brien statues and kids learning and having fun on Starhips that basically said, hey, maybe life doesn’t suck for everyone lol
Koala bears, too
Second only to Pandas!
This is not what fans want! I’m very disappointed in this news. Star Trek is not meant to be a comedy show. Lower Decks worked cause it was animation. This is just stupid. I have lost all respect for the people in charge of Trek now. They were doing so well now this after Starfleet academy YA series announcement. If 5 seasons is there new standard we only have 2 seasons left of Strange New Worlds. Then we’ll be left we two shows not geared for adult Star Trek fans. I don’t understand these choices.
Oh boy. Did you get off the wrong side of the bed this morning?
“I have lost all respect for the people in charge of Trek now.”
That’s a bit over-the-top.
I definitely get the skepticism and it’s risky. But that’s also why I like it because it IS risky. LDS took a huge risk and it paid off IMO.
But yeah I know people want a more traditional 25th century show like Legacy. I very much want that too but Star Trek is a big canvas and I’m happy to see them trying new things. They are trying to expand the format a little and take chances.
And I still think we will get something like Legacy in time but this will probably cost a third of that show lol.
Don’t presume to think you know what fans want. Speak for yourself.
gatekeeping. closed.
Yes. I want this. Time for trek to not take itself so seriously.
Did you not hate Lower Decks? Or is it the animation not the comedy you dislike?
Lower Decks is great. I’m glad they are ending it on a high note, but I’ve always wanted a live action Trek comedy. Something similar to that comedic short trek episode.
They have been doing that a lot already.
It hasn’t since 2009.
Seriously? Will they have a laugh track and be filmed in front of a live studio audience? They are really determined to water Star Trek down into just anything.
This must be a joke.
Okay
I would assume the show will have several jokes. And very few shows still have laugh tracks or live studio audiences.
To my mind doing bland shows that are more of the same would constitute “watering down.” I don’t think any of these shows fit that description. You could argue that having so many series can dilute the franchise. I’d argue that’s affected Star Wars, for instance.
They did say it will be a tone closer to The Office and Parks and Rec (absolutely love that one) so no laugh track at least.
But who is going to drop the Gagh chili all over the carpet? :-P
Lol!
ME!
Ha ha, before it’s dropped I would actually try that!
They need to set their own tone instead of emulating others. We shall see,
Agreed.
Well, when they said like the Office and Parks, I don’t think they mean filming a Risa fauxumentary. But more like since they don’t know they are being filmed they may just say random stuff and things like that. I don’t think there would be any 4th wall breaking for example but who knows.
IMO the best comedies do not have laugh tracks. I love Young Sheldon as much as BBT and it didn’t have one. The office. Parks and Rec… Etc…
That is an oldfashioned take on what a sitcom is. Very few comedies have live audiences or laugh tracks anymore.
Yes!
Tawny absolutely deserves this, and I can’t wait to see it.
Me too
Agreed!! She is becoming the Johnathan Frakes of this new era and truly love and adore Star Trek. I’m happy to see her working on SFA and now this show. And I wouldn’t be shocked she ends up playing a small recurring character on SFA as well.
Indeed. Tawny is a treasure.
I like her a lot. But personally this sounds like a horrible idea. What is the point of this meaningless crap in regards to Star Trek.
Why does she deserve this? Am I missing something? As far as I’m aware she hasn’t got a single screenwriting credit to her name before landing the SFA show, and now she is not only attached as a writer to this one but co-developing it? Don’t get me wrong, I love her as Mariner on LDS and she seems like a cool person and is popular amongst fans, but how and why has someone so inexperienced been given so much responsibility with the future of the franchise? She’s obviously a great opportunist, and I’m all for people trying new things, but surely there are more deserving people out there who are firstly and foremost screenwriters who have dedicated their entire careers to that? She might indeed be a great writer, who knows? But saying she deserves it is weird to me, and the many other messages here saying the same thing when we’ve had nothing to go on in terms of her abilities as a writer.
I don’t think Carroll O’Connor had any prior writing credits, but when IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT was in some kind of creative trouble, I believe he wound up becoming an ad-hoc story editor, then actually contributing (unlike other uncreative folk trying to shape creative ends, like GR’s lawyer Maizlich.)
As much as I might have hoped that they would be more open to outsider first-timers or veteran writers, that doesn’t seem to be the way things are going now (to the detriment of watchers, I think.) So I think we probably just need to see if she can deliver, assuming we even watch the show, before condemning her involvement on this level.
After being skeptical of Lower Decks and Prodigy when they were announced, and then having those become my 2nd favorite and favorite modern shows respectively, I’m all for any out-of-the-box ideas they have to flesh out this universe unique ways. And I’m thrilled that we’re getting yet another show with Tawny Newsome working behind the scenes.
I’m normally not a fan of sitcoms, which I consider a pretty low form of TV. However, Tawny is amazing so I’m going to hold out hope for this one. At least it sounds better than that horrible Section 31 trailer that just dropped.
I’ve never enjoyed an American sitcom even the so called ‘classics’. The ones we have in the UK, especially the older ones, are second to none.
I gotta admit this is true. The American Office (which I love BTW) is still not as good as the original in the UK. I think in the US this is the same only issue of money getting in the way of quality and WAY too many hands in the pot.
It’s weird but while I am a huge fan of most things British (especially the films that exhibit what I think of as British craftsmanship, like THE WILD GEESE and the early/mid Bonds), I honestly don’t find their sitcoms very funny at all. Not that big a fan of US ones either, but I do love US THE OFFICE, while I couldn’t get through the UK one, and PARKS & REC (though I tend to skip season 1 when rewatching.)
I really REALLY just wish all these shows would back off the self-conscious camera movement. I remember seeing a MODERN FAMILY where somebody has to get into the attic and somehow the invisible crew precedes them and has a camera up there watching them crawl in the window; this utterly exploded the concept for me, invalidating the whole approach and contributing to my giving up on the series altogether.
Agreed, American sitcoms, with their laugh-every-five-seconds schtick I find cringeworty most of the time (escpecially when your mind starts focussing on those laughs), but BBC classics like Are you being served, ‘Allo ‘Allo and AbFab are exceptional. Maybe the one American exception that IS really good, is Golden Girls.
Glad to see that Paramount is allocating its limited resources wisely.
Right? It’s super infuriating.
I’d imagine that a comedy set on a resort planet would be a lot cheaper to make than Legacy (which would presumably be a conventional ship-based show with new settings every week). So limited resources may be exactly what this reflects.
Plus, it’s not commissioned yet. It’s just in development. Not everything that goes into development gets made. Remember Nick Meyers’ Khan/Ceti Alpha V series?
Yeah I think it will probably be like SFA and not as much exploration based but more planet based stuff. We’ll probably still see space here and there but it won’t be the priority like a Legacy show would.
Now IF this is true, then we are seeing how a lean Paramount is trying to slim budgets with two shows and one movie (the Starfleet movie) all reported to be more planet based stories.
Ah so more comedy but no Legacy? What a joke of a situation this franchise is in. The people in charge should bow their heads in shame.
Sigh. Again with the over-the-top Legacy complaints.
Folks, Legacy was NEVER on the table. CBS has made that clear.
Who cares? This is not the way forward, with more bloody comedy.
I dunno that this is exactly true. Kurtzman is on the record saying something to the vein of “we hear you” which is pretty much exactly what he said when we wanted a Pike show and then we got it. OBV this is a very different time now and I have no belief Legacy will happy but I don’t think P+ is saying out of the question either.
In the Star Trek Variety article it was stated specifically Kurtzman is mulling over a Picard/Legacy movie follow up at the very least.
So it IS on the table. We simply don’t know how serious or how far along it is yet.
I remember that and if true clearly Section 31 will be a gauge on whether or not they want to do it.
Depending on how Section 31 works out, maybe a Legacy one-shot streamed movie is a more likely possibility. Pure speculation on my part.
Deciding that one doesn’t like a new type of Trek show before it’s even been made goes against the spirit of infinite diversity in infinite combinations. The galaxy is a big place and there is room in it for everything that already fits on planet Earth.
Come on man, enough of the superlatives. Don’t be a Trek Karen.
The franchise is dead. At this point, the intelligence and philosophy of Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek has been replaced with gimmicks, juvenile storytelling, and loud colorful noise.
If anyone wanted to see a prime example of why Paramount+ has lost $3 billion dollars over the last two years, it’s this sort of decision making which shows a complete lack of understanding for what the audience for their legacy IP wants and will pay for that explains it perfectly.
I used to be apprehensive about the possibility of Star Trek being sold off to another studio. Not so much now.
Yes, just like Disney.
Young minds, fresh ideas, be tolerent..
Exactly!
immature (yet aging) minds, bizarre and often ridiculous ideas, be utterly intolerant!
I’d say yet another prequel movie about the birth of the federation that we absolutely do not need is a much bigger reason. They are scheduling not one but two Kelvin movies in the pipeline when the Kelvin era is pretty much gone. They should focus on Trek on TV and bring it back to the movies when it is really warranted.
Wouldn’t it have been nice if they actually presented something about these movies at Comic Con this weekend? At least the Prequel starfleet movie since apparently it has both a writer and a director now.
It tells you everything we need to know. 🙄
Ya it would have. Like TG always tells us, these movies aint happening till we hear people are on set. We’ve had way to omany “boy who cried wolf” at this point.
At some point it’s time to just shoot the kid and end it for good.
I found an old post of mine a few weeks ago back in July of 2022 saying I didn’t think the next movie was coming out in the next two years (it was scheduled for end of 2023 ha) if we heard nothing by the end of that year since it was dead silence for months.
Now here I am literally 2 years later saying the same fcking thing about yet a different movie since it’s been complete dead silence AGAIN!!!!!!
I hope when Skydance buys Paramount the first thing they do is fire whoever keeps putting out these ridiculous press releases and stunts.
But TG1701 seems to really enjoy making fun of it all with his mock interviews and parodies. I read and get a kick out of all of them lol.
HAHA I get a kick out of them too!
IF there is EVER going to be a Kelvin movie again, it will be because Skydance pushes the matter. They are pretty much the one variable that is different this time than the countless other times.
Think about how funny this is become. We have literally waiting for this so long we are having legit articles and discussions about how to address that the crew if so much older now when they were practically still kids in the last one. I mean LMFAO!
But… isn’t SNW already in this genre? They need another comedy?
This is the best they can come up with?
We could be getting Legacy, but Kurtzman just believes the IP can’t grow without categorizing it as something besides science fiction.
I dunno about that, I would say SNW and esp Prodigy are the epitome of SciFi
Sarcasm? I don’t watch Prodigy, so shouldn’t say equivocally. The first couple were so frenetic and overblown, just not my cup of tea. But there is very little sci fi in SNW. What is there is in between the so called “big swing” episodes. What is there is actually more science fantasy than sci-fi.
Prodigy? Absolutely yes. I mean for a show aimed at kids sometimes they have “science” on it that make my head hurt. SNW? In the first season I would absolutely say yes. In S2 it veered off a bit when they wanted to go rogue but still not since TNG has there been a show that fundamentally celecrated the core themes and ideas of TOS.
I mean come on, when an Alien virus makes you break into song? You are sqarely in Sci Fi territory!
I don’t agree about the science behind breaking into song. That’s not sci-fi, that’s technobabble to justify the writers’ indulgence.
Paramount pays Alex Kurtzman actual money. He receives a paycheck. I’m just wondering what the suits are thinking. I’m wondering what any of the higher ups are thinking. I feel like I’m being gaslit for wondering why nobody wants to make Star Trek anymore. There are so many ways it can be done well, and yet, nobody wants to. All of these announcements are completely baffling to me.
They are probably thinking they got 3 Top 10 streaming chart performers out of the live action side of things, have attracted multiple Academy Award winners and nominees to their shows, opened up the possibilities for animated successes, and have kept Star Trek consistently in the media for years with even its most divisive series having positive critical notices. After making 6 series and one tv movie in the span of 8 years, I seriously don’t think they’d pay reactions like this much mind. They may have to curb spending, but from theirs and other studios’ POV, Star Trek was very successfully revived.
What should they be thinking tho? Most of the suits have no idea what Star Trek actually is or how to make it. Kurtzman has 2 successful Trek movies and numerous Trek successful streaming shows under his belt. If you were in there position would you question him?
Tawny Newsome making a live action comedy for the 25th century, hey I’m board! Sounds like fun. And the planet sounds like similar to Risa. Maybe it is Risa???? Whatever I’m sure there will be orgies on that planet as well.
(PS Get the Doctor on this show too)
Heya! I’m totally thinking Risa but who knows it may be Experian Prime or somewhere else just to avoid writers fees (not that I think that is cool) but whatever it is this seems interesting to me so long as it’s not the Federation that is doing the streaming lol
I’m for this, I am, BUT if we’re getting a new live action show, why not legacy!?
For one thing, this sounds like it would be a lot cheaper to make than Legacy.
Honestly I love Jeri Ryan and would love to see her back on Trek. But how many concurrent shows do we need of Starfleet exploring (and defending) new worlds? SNW is already doing that. One thing that the Berman era got right is they made their shows just different enough. TNG was traditional Trek. DS9 was the first without a Starship or exploration (at first at least). Voyager was again another ship with another crew but set in an area of space that no one had ever seen sincd the days of Kirk. Enterprise was the first prequel (and honestly it should have ended the prequel stuff at that one).
A Legacy series absolutely would need a premise as different from Picard and SNW as DS9 and VOY were from TNG. As much as I want to catch up with TNG-VOY characters in the 25th century, it has to be more than even “Seven and co. race to stop existential threat to the Federation” and it can’t just be about exploring the galaxy. They’ve got to shake it up in a big way to differentiate the show, and that’s a tall order, especially if the other mandatory is bringing back more expensive legacy actors for even jsut guest spots.
Ya exactly. I think one of the reasons DS9 started and stayed different than the rest is because they wanted to be different from TOS and TNG exploring new worlds. They stayed put for the most part. They were in their version of a world war. They could get shady at times.
I would totally welcome something like that again in any form. It’s ok to be different from Star Trek but you still have to respect Star Trek and it’s past. Sometimes I think show runners think its just a binary issue.
I’m probably one of the few that is not feeling Legacy. It’s just more TREK going backward, and frankly, haven’t we had enough of that? This sounds wild for sure, but at least the makers are trying to be audacious, inventive and continuing the practice of shacking things up. However, after hearing this news, and watching the Section 31 trailer, I will say my fear is the producers might have gone too far the other way, and are risking alienating TREK fans even more.
I don’t mind a live-action Star Trek sitcom, to be honest, but I’m more hyped about season three of Prodigy, that of Strange New Worlds and the final season of Lower Decks. Likewise, Legacy.
Wow. That sounds horrible.
Sounds horrible.
Wait a tick.. Is this the Star Trek version of The Truman Show?
Kind of sounds like it. No matter how you feel about this show or a lot of the newer shows you have to give Kurtzman credit for taking these chances.
Maybe some people feel it’s all going a little too far but when they pay off like LDS did IMO it’s a good thing. But when they are more mixed like what Discovery feels like yeah it only brings more infighting and hate but I am glad they tried something different at the time and obviously plenty people did like it.
But I like seeing things pushed a little more. Star Trek needs it and it doesn’t have to be comfort food all tye time like SNW and I love that show.
I personally loved the Truman Show. I wouldn’t mind something like that happening in Trek. I just don’t want the Federation being the ones doing the streaming of the couple lol
Yeah it’s a big question mark why anyone would do that or care lol.
Maybe it’s aliens whose space probe stumbled on humans for the first time and became infatuated with them learning how they behave.
Reading the comments people seemed very mixed on it but if it’s good I think like LDS people can be won over.
Maybe the Ferengi. They had TV shows on the LDS episode on Ferenginar
But why would Ferengis do it unless there is a profit in it for them? But maybe there is for some reason.
LOL the Ferengi created their own subspace streaming service and in 5 years will need to sell to the Orion Syndicate :)
Well said.
Isn’t there a TV series where the astronauts are also on social media? Help me, I tried looking for it, but…
Is it an Apple TV show? Like For All Mankind or Constellation?
I won’t lie this isn’t exactly my cup of Earl Grey. I do try and stay open minded but I am too old for some of these ideas today and this is one of them.
However, I do like that it’s back in the 25th century again as that’s the period many fans want to return to. And it will be fun to see possible characters we haven’t seen yet like Dax, Tom and B’Elanna on vacation, Bashir and etc. That’s a positive at least. I get something like Legacy is probably top expensive to do right now but I just don’t know how I feel about a live action comedy in Star Trek.? I’ve never seen Lower Decks but I know many people here swears by it and I did enjoy the Lower Decks crossover with SNW.
Newsome does seem like a very sweet and talented young lady who loves Star Trek as much as we do, so I can’tfault her at all. She is speaking to a younger generation of StarTrek fans whose first introduction to Star Trek could be Lower Decks.
I think for us older fans who started with TOS like me and TNG later, it’s become a different world today.
So I won’t judge it until I hear more but I guess with the exception of Picard season 3 and now Prodigy Star Trek mostly ended in 2005 for me. I know shows like this, Lower Decks , Discovery or the Abrams reboot movies were made for newer and younger people in mind. So was Prodigy but I really enjoyed that one.
Maybe when I hear more it will win me over. At least its not another prequel or more stories back in the 23rd century only us elder fans cares about. We been there already, let’s keep going forward and not backwards for the newer generations.
Wow, it can be like THE LOVE BOAT in space!
The show takes place on a planet so it will not be Love Boat in space.
Many people are guessing Risa but it may be a new location.
At least you’re open minded about it, that’s all people can ask. But yeah I definitely understand for older fans it doesn’t gel as much. People love stuff like Trouble with Tribbles but they don’t want an entire show based around it either.
And I know to others shows like LDS are ‘making fun’ of Star Trek and bothers some people. I don’t see it that way personally but others do and it’s all subjective.
But I very much want serious Star Trek to stick around as well. One of the reasons I’m not a huge fan of the Kelvin movies is because they didn’t treat the characters serious enough IMO. It’s not all jokey but it felt like what you always say, everyone is still in college and not serious professionals. It works on a show like Lower Decks when you make it clear the Cerritos is a second rate ship doing low level missions; not when you are the flagship and involved in the most important missions in the fleet. So yeah I agree with that criticism.
But I do think you can just have comedic characters too, it’s just how you base a show or movie around them.
And we fully agree going forwards is ALWAYS a big plus for me and happy it will be based in the 25th century again. I personally still see that as the present day of Star Trek but others can disagree with that.
Oh and super happy how much you enjoyed Prodigy. Think I told you this before but season 2 of that show is now my favorite in all of modern Trek. Just loved it, so much fun, creative and yes lots of humor. ;)
Why can’t we just get Star Trek Legacy?
No…
$$$$
I’m sure we will get some form of it in time but this probably a much cheaper show.
And Kurtzman’s ego, I suspect. Matalas delivered season 3 for a fraction of the cost of season’s 1 and 2 and could deliver Legacy on a smaller budget.
Because they need to first figure out how to make it a comedy…
with muppets.
Absolutely not!!!!
Because Paramount’s philosophy is to give the audience what it doesn’t want. That way their subscriptions will increase.
This is, frankly, the least welcome news I could’ve heard this week – and that’s saying a lot considering the current events as of late. And I swear to GOD if someone tries to shut down this thread for “gatekeeping” – just no. I’m allowed to express my opinion, and I think this whole “let’s turn Trek into comedy schlock” angle is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Who do they think they’re trying to appeal to with this?
For those of you who enjoy Lower Decks – fine. I’m glad it’s working for you. But you can’t argue that it’s bringing in new fans – nay, it is literally laden with and built upon nostalgia and an intrinsic understanding that you actually *get* the references it’s making left and right. That’s the entire *concept* of the show – it’s a love letter to the Trek you already know and love. I guarantee you it is not minting new Star Trek fans because it’s “good” – it’s “good” to the fans who get it because they like Star Trek, not because it’s genuinely funny comedy. Strip away the references and it’s pretty much hauling garbage – or ought to be hauled away as garbage.
And that’s really what irks me about this – Star Trek has historically NOT worked as a comedy. Every time the writers try to inject comedy (save for a select few examples, like classic TOS episodes, Voyage Home), it comes off as utter cringe. See: Data in Generations. All of Insurrection. The jokes in Final Frontier. Star Trek is not “funny” and it shouldn’t aim to be funny. It doesn’t work when that’s what it’s trying to do. It works when it’s about ADULTS solving ISSUES with COMPETENCE. It isn’t some slapstick farce with stupid characters in situations way over their heads.
I am so, so over this repeated attempt by “the powers that be” at Secret Hideout trying to turn my beloved franchise built on intelligent, sincere storytelling into some unfunny joke. Star Trek is not a JOKE. And I’ll be damned if the powers that be at Trekmovie try to shut down this thread for gatekeeping for expressing my sincere opinion that this is the DUMBEST move the Star Trek franchise has made since… oh, I dunno, turning SNW into a singalong? JFC.
Well said sir.
Thank you. I’m about an inch away from saying I’m done with Star Trek.
TOS through ENT (plus Picard) was a good run. Everything else has been lackluster (although Discovery at least tried to be a serious show). There’s enough excellent Star Trek to come back for reruns.
Laddie, don’t you think you should…… not change a word. You’re spot on
Well said. Stop making spin-offs that no one wants. Make a new show in the vein of what Star Trek should be, i.e. episodic, starship based, and that actually feels like Star Trek.
How dare a franchise try to do something different! Who do they think they are? We as fans demand that nothing should ever change.
I kind of blame The Orville for quite a bit. When it came out, the Discovery haters made such a song and dance about how The Orville was actually “true Star Trek”…and I think the writers have gradually shifted NuTrek into a comedy style. SNW has far too much outright silliness and not enough meat and potatoes and I just can’t stomach the obnoxious, hyperactive style of humour and fanwankery in Lower Decks. I don’t know how much Tawny had to do with it, but Mariner is perhaps the most downright fucking annoying character in all of Trek. I rather wish Troi would show up to EJECT HER INTO SPACE!!! Now that I would tune in for.
So this news just confirms how out of step I am with general Trek fandom and what people seem to want and like these days. Like Star wars and Doctor Who, it’s become another of my previously loved franchises that’s just putting out endless content that I don’t care about one bit now.
i think I’ll just keep watching my old DVDs and accept I’m a grumpy old, or middle aged, fart.
Did you see the trailer for season three of SNW? You didn’t think that was… well… kinda funny?
No I don’t think it’s ‘the Orville’ so much as I think Kurtzman was serious when he said he wanted Star Trek to be different things for different audiences and wanted it to be in different tones and formats. Sure they probably looked at the Orville and that comedic shows in the Star Trek universe could work since my guess is 99% of people who watched it were fans and most seem to like it; but I don’t think they were trying to copy it either.
BUT I will say this, I do think two reasons why LDS got the reception it did was simply because A. Discovery and Picard was just TOO dire and almost depressing in many ways when they started and fans just wanted to have fun again. They did tone it down a lot with both shows in season 2 but I wouldn’t call them ‘care free’ either lol. And B. what people don’t give LDS enough credit for is that it was truly the first show since Enterprise that was just about exploration again. That’s a big reason why people liked the Orville too because it actually felt more like Star Trek than Discovery did because it was just going to a new planet and meeting aliens again; two things both Discovery and Picard simply didn’t do much at all.
I guess it’s hard to care about making first contact with the Mitokans and learning all about their breakthroughs in botany when you are worried about the galaxy being wiped out in a week. ;)
LDS just came at a time where people just wanted to get back to comfort food Star Trek again with stories like holodecks gone wrong or dealing with a spatial anomaly. Only in LDS case they just made a lot of inside jokes about it but that’s why it worked.
I think TPTB saw how receptive people were to it and when it was time to make SNW they went that direction as well. Not as broad obviously but more light and fun. Every time I watch a scene of SNW or LDS they both feels so bubbly and easy going. Nothing about Discovery felt bubbly lol. I used to actually feel stressed watching episodes in its first season. And yes both LDS and SNW are all about exploration. Again, that’s a BIG element for many fans out there, especially casual fans. They just want to turn on an episode, see our heroes beam to a planet and watch it go all wrong lol. That’s what Star Trek still is for most of the fandom and they FINALLY remembered that.
Now if you hate LDS because it just feels too silly or SNW has also become too jokey and lighthearted with Vulcans switching bodies or people suddenly singing on the bridge, fair enough. But I do think for most of the fanbase it works. SNW has an 8.3 on IMDB and LDS has a 7.8. In fact out of the new shows these are actually the two highest rated shows right now on both IMDB and RT. So it’s obviously working. Not for everyone but at least most people who do watch them. And also remember this, TOS the SNW/LDS crossover is the highest rated episode between both those shows. So it really worked and again they probably saw that and went ‘hmmm’. And btw, all of SNW comedic episodes are highly rated as well.
I know some people really seem to hate when I pull out these pesky polls but they seem to always back up everything I’m arguing lol. Crazy coincidence I guess.
So I can understand why they want to try out a live action comedy because it does seem to be working with LDS and SNW. Maybe there can be too much of it but I do think based on these shows fans are very receptive to it and why it got approved.
I totally disagree.
Have to disagree. I’m an old TREK fan, so I can’t speak to the latest batch of series, but I can say that the majority of comedies attempted on the TOS and DS9, worked very well. Not all, but the majority were pretty funny. I’m still laughing at the MAGNIFICENT FERENGI!!!, my all time laugh-out favorite!
Agreed. Maybe we are just the outliers but I loved most of the comedic episodes from TOS-ENT. There were definitely truly awful ones like the Voyager Fair Haven episodes or the one with Quark in a dress but for me most of them worked. I still laugh every time in a Fist Full of Datas when Data starts talking like a cowboy to Riker in Engineering (“Don’t worry commander we’ll have all this wrapped up just in time for supper”). It’s the comedic episodes that has made many of these characters endearing to fans for decades now.
Agreed with both of you. They certainly weren’t all winners, but there were a lot of good ones as well. And the original post mentioned Star Trek 5 for comedy, but ignores Star Trek 4 as one I’ve seen a lot of praise for.
A non-Starfleet Star Trek show? Interesting!
I suppose we could have followups on LDS, Prodigy, Picard…
If they are shoe-horning Star Trek into another genre then how is it Star Trek?
Star Trek can do comedy, but if comedy is doing Star Trek that is the wrong way round
Couldn’t agree more. The Orville fills this niche
You wonder why Paramount are ok’ing all these Q forsaken comedies, but they said no to Seth McFarlane’s pitch, which became The Orville. Yes TO has comedic tones but also far better writing than we have seen from the Kurtzman era staff. Crazy times.
Probably because people complained Discovery was too serious
Well it is tawny newsome… So I guess I will Like it. Maybe…. Propably. She is just a likeable person so far.
So they green light this, which we didn’t ask for….and not Legacy….which we have been asking for?
Typical.
Because the creators have to give us exactly what we want. How long do you think it takes for something like Legacy to get off the ground? I imagine something like this was given the green light because it won’t require a big budget and they might be able to get it off the ground quickly. Legacy might be in development already but is just in too early a stage for anything to be confirmed.
I don’t think they need your permission
Doesn’t sound at all like Star Trek Legacy.
This doesn’t even fit the axiom of giving the audience what it needs over what it wants. No one needs this…
Sure, why not. We are in the Gremlins 2 pitch meeting era of Star Trek.
Can the guys that do Prodigy just be put in charge of Star Trek. Or Prodigy season 3.
This sounds good actually.
For everyone who has issues with any of the new shows or ideas, remember that TOS, TAS, and the first six films encompassed virtually every genre. As far as I’m concerned, these new shows are inevitable manifestations of themes that have been present in Trek since the very beginning.
OMG. Just give us good Star Trek. Yuck.
Paramount said no to Seth McFarlane and Ron Moore. Paramount said yes to this. Too much of the devil’s baby powder? I’m baffled like a baffle plate about to go warp core breach
Paramount said no to Ron Moore? When did he want to come back post Voyager?
I was wondering the same. I just finished rewatching his excellent BSG remake and the whole time found myself wishing he was involved with Star Trek again.
He was under contract with Sony, I think, when Paramount brought him in to pitch. They wanted to green light it but Paramount wouldn’t buy out his Sony contract. So that was that. He went on to co-create/run For All Mankind on Apple. Great show. In many ways a real Trek prequel. Gritty bit aspirational, it’s just great! Not perfect, but great
Can you do a live action Star Trek comedy? Sure. Will it have broad appeal? Not beyond the fanbase. People who don’t watch Star Trek won’t really care. People who actually watch Star Trek will sample it but with the response ranging from indifference to disdain, this could be, at best, a modest success and that’s not going to be enough.
The bigger question is if this will even happen at all. With the recently announced merger (which is still not a sure thing), more layoffs and Paramount actively seeking a partner for Paramount+, resources may be allocated elsewhere once the deal closes.
I’m looking forward to Weekend at Boothby’s. Two Starfleet cadets pretend their deceased mentor is alive to avoid trouble with Section 31. It too is a comedy.
Workplace comedy? Why is it I have to think of “Powerless”? Hopefully, it’s going to be a lot better than that…
This sounds allot like a Lower Decks successor, and I’m here for it! I know Kurtzman is a bad name around here, but if he has proven one thing, genre experimentation has produced some surprisingly great Star Trek. I honestly have enough Star Trek reruns to last a lifetime, so everything else is just a cherry on top, go for it!
So essentially they might be making a pilot, nothing more at this point? It’s sort of unusual for Kurtzman to go public with something so not-yet-definite.
Spend this money on SNW……not more Trek.
They are only going to make 10 episodes of that show a season even if it’s the only Trek show around. It’s not the 60s or 90s anymore. And most of us want more Trek, not less of it.
Trust me, some of these guys want it to be the 60’s again.
The 60’s? As compared to 2024? YES please!
🤢🤮
They have to throw the dice to see what may work if they take the franchise in a different direction. They’re probably producing this one on the cheap.
Another comedy? What are they doing to Trek? I love Lower Decks, but but why don’t they just leave that on and develop either Legacy or how about something new? Section 31 looks more like John Wick then Trek. Then we have kids shows and comedies. It will be interesting to see if SNW ends at season 5. If so then us adult fans will have nothing new at all.
Fascinating.
A few years ago I would have been totally against this.
Today? I’m looking forward to it.
Lower Decks was written for comedy, and while it’s not perfect, I loved it.
Prodigy was written for kids, and it ended up being the best Trek writing I’ve seen in ages.
After all the poorly written darkness in Discovery and the first seasons of Picard, maybe a little light hearted fun that expands the world building of 25th century Trek is what we need.
Go get ’em, guys!
Even though I support this idea, it is funny how people keep saying a Legacy show shouldn’t get made because it will only attract older fans, but I don’t remotely see how this will attract anyone but old fans either?
We know nothing about it outside it’s vague premise but I think if it’s anything like LDS then it will be a lot of inside jokes, deep cut references and a lot of cameos to legacy characters. The fact it’s set in the 25th century is probably directly for that purpose unless it’s set 50 years after Picard or something (and I would be totally for that as well).
Now it can still be an innovative show and maybe why it was approved (why I like the idea…so far) but it’s more proof Paramount doesn’t care that much about trying to get new fans onboard like everyone seems to think it’s trying to. Prodigy is really the only true show made to get new fans and demographics on board and we know what happened with that. I will say Discovery did to a degree but that was when they were in the mindset it was going to be a ‘new’ Trek for a more contemporary audience today but everything was up and down with that show.
But I still see this show just grabbing the same people and 40+ year old fans whose been watching everything else. My only guess is why this over the Legacy show which would be 10 times more popular out of the gate is money of course. I suspect this got approved the same reason the Starfleet movie and SFA show got approved, it’s just a lot cheaper to make. But my guess only (and I don’t know if SFA is really that much cheaper anymore).
“Paramount doesn’t care that much about trying to get new fans onboard like everyone seems to think it’s trying to.’
Yesterday’s announcements would seem to back that up. Credit where credit is due for securing Holly Hunter for Starfleet Academy but they should have pursued talent in their late teens and early 20’s that was as immediately recognizable and established to at least pique the interest and curiosity of that demo.
Exactly. They say SFA is for ‘younger’ fans but the other irony is what you just said and that the big draw of the show so far are the older well established actors like Holly Hunter and Paul Giamatti with big notable Star Trek actors like Picardo of course, Notaro and Fehr. And all of these guys are well over fifty,
I’m sure the young adult actors they got are good but I don’t think just having random teenage characters is going to suddenly reach that demographic. That seems very naive but I guess we have to see how they market it. But I still think this show is going to pull in basically just older fans like they all do. I hope to be proven wrong.
As far as this show, again I’m baffled? All we hear day in and day out on boards like this is that Star Trek has to stop appeasing the same old fans and make Trek that will stand and appeal more to the next generation and that’s always the main argument against the Legacy show. Apparently it will only attract people whose been watching Trek from the mid-70s through the late 90s but will stop right there lol.
And then they announce this show. Again, maybe because it is different that’s the appeal. But I don’t get how a show that is described as a work place romantic comedy set in the 25th century is meant to have a broader appeal to a newer fanbase than a show aboard a starship set in the 25th century? At least that sounds like Star Trek whether you watch it or not. The former just sounds waaaay more niche and something only long time fans can remotely appreciate. Just as an example what if the new Harry Potter show was described as a work place romantic comedy? Is that something people new to Potter would ever care about or is it for the long time fans who already know the ins and outs of that universe and will get the joke straight away?
So I think we can agree, at least for now, this isn’t really meant to appeal to many besides most of the people here. And looking at the comments half of them are not even sure it’s for them either lol.
It just tells me Paramount is still selling most of these shows to the same people they have always been selling it to. It’s probably the reason why the Doctor is on SFA in the first place (but hey I’m not complaining. ;)).
The Doctor was a welcomed surprise!
Tawny Newsome is AMAZING!
Nobody asked for this. The same way nobody asked for an Academy show set in a timeline your fandom does not care about. Writers in all their Hubris get in these rooms and make creative decisions that kill franchises and if Trek is not careful it will slide down that same slippery slope that Star Wars is currently on. Star Wars is dying (Spock voice).
I do not have a problem with Tawney Newsome but let her go take her humor somewhere else. I don’t get why Star Trek Legacy and the 4th movie in the Kelvin Universe are not the priorities. Picard Season 3 was the blueprint going forward. Nostalgia that is respected and protected will win. JJ forgot that when he took over Star Wars. Is this show for the writers room or is it for the fans? When Bryan Fuller left Discovery Burnham became Martin-Green and the show deteriorated into an emotional sequence of mediocre stories and dumb Tig Nataro jokes.
Star Wars is drowning in irrelavence and Dr. Who is dying (Spock Voice). Star Trek should take full advantage of this moment and create a product that speaks to the fans who grew up on TNG/TOS etc. and the new fans who found it when it was in the Netflix top 10 like all the time before it went to Paramount Plus permanently. I just don’t get the tone deafness. Amazing what they can find money for.
Letting Terry Matalas walk and not investing in Legacy will be the downfall of this current incarnation of Trek. They better course correct. Again two of the largest sci-fi franchises that are not Trek are churning out trash and i mean trash. Trek is on the verge on being the third with these creative decisions that are driven by the egos of writers and not the love of fans.
I also find it interesting that the Lower Decks SDCC article has so few comments compared to the others.
I think Paramount might be overestimating the appeal for yet more comedy instead of new, recognizable and serious Star Trek for adults. I hope the merger causes ideas like this to be strongly reevaluated.
If they want to do more comedy, just do more seasons of Lower Decks. It’s cheaper to make than any live action show, Mike McMahan said he’d do as many seasons as they’d let him, and the fans already love it. I’m all for trying new things and I liked Those Old Scientists on SNW, but I don’t know if I’d want to see a Star Trek sitcom.