With STAR TREK BEYOND coming soon comes a similar split in how people talk about the franchise. There are those who are excited about the rebooted film series, and those who think the tone of the movies isn’t close enough to the property’s TV roots. Folks who miss seeing STAR TREK on TV, where they’re able to focus more on smaller stories that are more science fiction-heavy, more heady, and less blockbuster action movie-like, are very excited about the upcoming return to television.
Sitting squarely at the helm of this new voyage for STAR TREK is Bryan Fuller, who is best known for his reimagining of HANNIBAL on NBC, but who also worked on STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE and ENTERPRISE. Collider had a chance to chat with Fuller about his plans for the new TV series and, while CBS has essentially put a muzzle on him, he was able to reveal a few things.
Right off the bat, Fuller drops a bit of a tease for fans- who know, have studied, and will dissect- of STAR TREK‘s ships. The interviewer compares his getting this job to being akin to being given the keys to the Lamborghini. Fuller’s response?
“It’s interesting you say Lamborghini’ because we’re looking at a lot of race cars as inspiration for our starships. It’s wonderful. It’s surreal. I didn’t want to be a writer. I wanted to be a Star Trek writer, so to be able to craft a new iteration of the show with new characters and a whole new adventure and whole new way of telling stories that you haven’t been able to tell on Star Trek is honorable and it’s a dream come true. It’s hard to articulate that.”
It’s worth nothing that Fuller mentions telling stories that the series “hasn’t been able to tell” before. The interviewer picked up on this and asked about if the series would incorporate more progressive elements, now that it’s 2016 and things like gender and sexuality are no longer the taboo they once were.
“Absolutely. I think the progressive audience that loves Star Trek will be happy that we’re continuing that tradition.”
If there’s something that TV fans can agree on, it’s that seasons for network shows can often get a little long in the tooth. A great concept that can captivate you for a few weeks/months, can sometimes feel like it’s being stretched too far in order to hit a 22-episode season. When asked if the new STAR TREK would be 22 episodes, Fuller revealed that he’d worked out a streamlined, shortened season for the series- something aided by the fact that they’ll be on the CBS All Access streaming service. “Thirteen,” Fuller told Collider. And he added that all thirteen would focus on telling one cohesive story in installments.
When asked about what the network thinks of the series, here’s what Fuller said:
“When I first sat down with them, it was ‘Do you have a plan of what you want to do?‘ And they said, ‘No,’ and I said, ‘I have a plan,’ and we started talking. And it was wonderful to be working with Alex Kurtzman, who I have a tremendous amount of respect for, and who’s such an elegant storyteller and crafting a story with him that ties in so many elements of Star Trek that I think people will be really excited about because you can look at the original series and pick out episodes we’re using the DNA of and using the spirit of what Star Trek offers, both in terms of high-concept science fiction storytelling and really wonderful metaphors for the human condition.”
What’s interesting about that answer is that it reveals Fuller has worked alongside Kurtzman, who’ was writer/producer for the first two new STAR TREK films. It implies that there will definitely be some sort of synergy between Trek’s TV and movie worlds.
Considering this new STAR TREK will go into production in September, when can we expect actual details on the show’s plot, characters, timeline and other pertinent details?
“I imagine around Comic-Con. It’s interesting because normally I love talking about everything, and I’m sort of relieved I’ve been muzzled by CBS on it because I do less interviews, so I can spend more time writing, but I love talking about Star Trek and I love being involved in it, so I’ll be very excited to share when the muzzle comes off of me.”
In the chat, Fuller also said that they have yet to hire any directors or cast any actors just yet.
What do you think of these latest musings about STAR TREK‘s upcoming return to the small screen?
SOURCE: Collider
