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  1. #1
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    kung fu star trek people

    "kung fu star trek people" ... just wanted to say that's probably the funniest thing i read today.

    thank you
    Kung Fu is good for you.

  2. #2
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    soo glad to hear you say that !

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    C'mon, the two go hand in hand.
    Embrace your enemy, for he is not - he is just confused.
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  4. #4
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    Slightly OT

    ...that is assuming OT even makes any sense with this thread.

    There's a vid too.
    Chinese tycoon reveals plan behind 'Star Trek HQ'
    Eunice Yoon | See Kit Tang
    Monday, 15 Jun 2015 | 1:51 AM ETCNBC.com

    China is no stranger to skyscrapers of unusual architectural design and while some of the country's ambitious architectures have drawn flak from locals and authorities, this building is making headlines for a different reason.

    Costing a staggering $160 million to construct, the massive replica of The Enterprise – the ship in which characters from cult sci-fi series Star Trek explored new worlds - is the brainchild of Liu Dejian, founder of mainland online gaming firm NetDragon Websoft.

    But the flashy structure, located in the Chinese province of Fujian, is more than just a tribute to the tycoon's favorite entertainment.

    In an interview with CNBC, the 43-year-old Liu revealed that he hoped the design of the company's new headquarters would encourage employees to live up to Star Trek's adventure-seeking spirit as his Hong Kong-listed company ventured into uncharted territories such as online education and robots.


    STR | AFP | Getty Images
    This photo shows the NetDragon Websoft headquarters building with the iconic circular contours and tubular features of the USS Enterprise, from U.S. television and film series "Star Trek", in Fuzhou, China.

    A self-confessed "uber-Trekkie", Liu became a fan of the show during his days as a student at the University of Kansas. Since then, the sci-fi series has evolved for him from an interest into a "way of understanding life," Liu told CNBC.

    "I love the idea that space is the final frontier and people want to go there and do something new. It has sort of become my way of understanding life… Star Trek was a very important teacher to me," the entrepreneur said, adding that he draws inspiration from his favorite character Captain Picard in becoming someone who "figures out the right thing [to do] and stick to it ". Captain Jean-Luc Picard takes the helm at the USS Enterprise-D and the Enterprise-E in the fictional series and is one of Star Trek's most well-known characters.

    NetDragon Websoft, founded in 1999, was ranked third in Forbes Asia's "Best under a Billion" - a ranking of Asia Pacific's top 200 high-performing companies with revenue under $1 billion - this year.

    "In my line of business, sometimes you have to make crazy decisions, unlike other businesses where you can adopt the normal plan approach," Liu said. "The most important thing is to think ahead, figure what is the right thing to do and try to accomplish things [that are] seemingly impossible."

    The ambitious headquarters took four years to complete and features automatic sliding gates between each working space, space pod-style bathrooms, as well as a life-sized Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton replica. According to the company, the structure is the only officially-licensed Star Trek replica in the world after Liu bought the copyright for the USS Enterprise from U.S. broadcaster CBS.


    Eunice Yoon | CNBC
    Inside NetDragon Websoft's headquarters located in Fujian, China.


    Eunice Yoon | CNBC
    A life-size replica of a Star Wars X-wing fighter jet stands outside the headquarters of NetDragon Websoft in Fuzhou, China.
    Gene Ching
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  5. #5
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    Boldly going again in 2017

    I want to see a Klingon-based series, one that follows a Klingon ship with a Klingon crew. It could be called Worf's World.



    New Star Trek Series Premieres January 2017
    By StarTrek.com Staff - November 02, 2015

    CBS Television Studios announced today it will launch a totally new Star Trek television series in January 2017. The new series will blast off with a special preview broadcast on the CBS Television Network. The premiere episode and all subsequent first-run episodes will then be available exclusively in the United States on CBS All Access, the Network’s digital subscription video on demand and live streaming service.

    The next chapter of the Star Trek franchise will also be distributed concurrently for television and multiple platforms around the world by CBS Studios International.

    The new program will be the first original series developed specifically for U.S. audiences for CBS All Access, a cross-platform streaming service that brings viewers thousands of episodes from CBS’s current and past seasons on demand, plus the ability to stream their local CBS Television station live for $5.99 per month. CBS All Access already offers every episode of all previous Star Trek television series.

    The brand-new Star Trek will introduce new characters seeking imaginative new worlds and new civilizations, while exploring the dramatic contemporary themes that have been a signature of the franchise since its inception in 1966.

    Alex Kurtzman will serve as executive producer for the new Star Trek TV series. Kurtzman co-wrote and produced the blockbuster films Star Trek (2009) with Roberto Orci, and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) with Orci and Damon Lindelof. Both films were produced and directed by J.J. Abrams.

    The new series will be produced by CBS Television Studios in association with Kurtzman’s Secret Hideout. Kurtzman and Heather Kadin will serve as executive producers. Kurtzman is also an executive producer for the hit CBS television series Scorpion and Limitless, along with Kadin and Orci, and for Hawaii Five-0 with Orci.

    Star Trek, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2016, is one of the most successful entertainment franchises of all time. The original Star Trek spawned a dozen feature films and five successful television series. Almost half a century later, the Star Trek television series are licensed on a variety of different platforms in more than 190 countries, and the franchise still generates more than a billion social media impressions every month.

    Born from the mind of Gene Roddenberry, the original Star Trek series debuted on Sept. 8, 1966 and aired for three seasons – a short run that belied the influence it would have for generations. The series also broke new ground in storytelling and cultural mores, providing a progressive look at topics including race relations, global politics and the environment.

    “There is no better time to give Star Trek fans a new series than on the heels of the original show’s 50th anniversary celebration,” said David Stapf, President, CBS Television Studios. “Everyone here has great respect for this storied franchise, and we’re excited to launch its next television chapter in the creative mind and skilled hands of Alex Kurtzman, someone who knows this world and its audience intimately.”

    “This new series will premiere to the national CBS audience, then boldly go where no first-run Star Trek series has gone before – directly to its millions of fans through CBS All Access,” said Marc DeBevoise, Executive Vice President/General Manager – CBS Digital Media. “We’ve experienced terrific growth for CBS All Access, expanding the service across affiliates and devices in a very short time. We now have an incredible opportunity to accelerate this growth with the iconic Star Trek, and its devoted and passionate fan base, as our first original series.”

    “Every day, an episode of the Star Trek franchise is seen in almost every country in the world,” said Armando Nuñez, President and CEO, CBS Global Distribution Group. “We can’t wait to introduce Star Trek's next voyage on television to its vast global fan base.”

    CBS All Access offers its customers more than 7,500 episodes from the current television season, previous seasons and classic shows on demand nationwide, as well as the ability to stream local CBS stations live in more than 110 markets. Subscribers can use the service online and across devices via CBS.com, the CBS App for iOS, Android and Windows 10, as well as on connected devices such as Apple TV, Android TV, Chromecast, Roku players and Roku TV, with more connected devices to come.

    The new television series is not related to the upcoming feature film Star Trek Beyond which is scheduled to be distributed by Paramount Pictures in summer 2016.
    Gene Ching
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  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by GeneChing View Post
    I want to see a Klingon-based series, one that follows a Klingon ship with a Klingon crew.
    Klingon series would be most glorious.

  7. #7
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    Worf's World FTW!

    As soon as I get my royalty checks, I'm taking you all out for nachos.



    Michael Dorn Confirms He’s Working on a ‘Star Trek: Captain Worf’ TV Series [UPDATED]
    By Sandy Schaefer 09.03.2012

    [UPDATE: As of May 2015, Michael Dorn is still trying to make Star Trek: Captain Worf a reality.]



    Geek favorites Bryan Fuller and Bryan Singer have been forthcoming about their hopes for bringing Star Trek back to the small screen, after the release of J.J. Abrams’ elusive sequel to his Trek movie reboot next summer. However, it turns out those two aren’t the only ones with big dreams about a new TV series set in that sci-fi universe – Michael Dorn is also taking steps to reprise his signature Trek role on a spinoff, tentatively titled Star Trek: Captain Worf.

    Worf, Son of Mogh, of course, is the first Klingon main character on a Star Trek TV series. He appeared on The Next Generation throughout its seven-season run, then became a Deep Space Nine regular for its last four seasons. Dorn portrayed Worf in all four Next Generation films; in addition, he played Worf’s grandfather, Colonel Worf, in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.

    Rumors and reports about a prospective Worf spinoff began circulating earlier this year – which, perhaps not-so-coincidentally, marks the 25th anniversary of The Next Generation. Trek News caught up with recently with Dorn, who gave them the following exclusive “scoop” on the project:

    “I had come up with the idea because I love [Worf] and I think he’s a character that hasn’t been fully developed and hasn’t been fully realized. Once I started thinking about it, it became obvious to me that I wanted to at least put it out there, which I have, and the response has been pretty amazing. We’ve been contacted by different individuals–I can’t say who and all that–about wanting to come on board and be part of this. “

    Deep Space Nine concluded with Worf being made Federation ambassador to the Klingon homeworld, Qo’noS. An official prequel comic book to Abrams’ Trek reboot featured Worf as a Klingon Empire General, who battles the Romulan Captain Nero (Eric Bana, in Abrams’ film). Worf sustained life-threatening injuries during the encounter, but it was indicated he was still alive by the story’s conclusion.

    However, the overlap between events on DS9 and the Star Trek film continuity has always been kind of fuzzy; hence, it stands to reason that could also hold true for a Worf spinoff and the post-reboot movies. Dorn’s in the same boat of uncertainty as Fuller and Singer, when it comes to how his plans are affected by Abrams’ films – as he put it, “there’s all the political stuff going on with the new movies with J.J. Abrams and Paramount and all that stuff, which I have no clue about and what it all entails, but that’s where it is right now.”



    The in-progress subtitle Captain Worf is open to interpretation, as far as indications for when, exactly, the TV series could take place. Such a Star Trek spinoff would, for certain, retain the ensemble format of its predecessors to some degree – with a focus on the adventures of Worf and a new group of space explorers. Morever, Dorn says the show isn’t so much a pipe dream as one might think (at first):

    “Interestingly enough it has gotten traction. I was very surprised, I was on a movie not too long ago, where one of the producers was basically lobbying to be part of it. He was like “Michael, I’d love to write it, if you haven’t.” So at this point, my agents and my manager are looking at all the avenues and trying to figure out which is the best one. My agent and manager have been in the business for awhile, so they’re very savvy about where to start and how to get it going. Like I said, in this business you never know and I’ve been through pitching things and I never want to do that again [laughs]. It’s pretty brutal, but definitely I think once again, if Paramount or CBS or anybody thinks this is a viable thing, they’ll jump on it.”

    Worf’s Klingon manner and instincts often put him at odds with his fellow officers on The Next Generation, as hilariously highlighted in this 15-minute compilation video; still, there were a few episodes on DS9 that explored Worf’s personal sense of duty and honor beyond the surface level. Nonetheless, there does remain room for further development of the character – even given the substantial amount of backstory already in place for Worf.

    However, as Dorn mentions above, the Star Trek: Captain Worf television series is far from getting an official greenlight right now. Nevertheless, we will keep you up-to-date on the situation as more information is released (or Dorn continues to talk about it).
    Gene Ching
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    Kirk FU!

    Captain Kirk’s 10 Best Fighting Moves, in GIF Form


    Take this, Ensign Whatsyername!

    Long ago, in a galaxy fa– wait, that’s not it. Long ago, in internet terms, like two years ago, WatchMojo.com made a video about the fighting style of Star Trek‘s Captain Kirk — played, of course, by William Shatner. It’s over six minutes long and if you have the time for such a thing, you can watch it at the bottom of this page.

    Or you can just zip through Shatner’s moves as convenient, if cryptic, animated GIFs.




    continued next post
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    Continued from previous post








    Quote Originally Posted by David Jamieson View Post
    "kung fu star trek people" ... just wanted to say that's probably the funniest thing i read today.

    thank you
    This is a remarkably fruitful thread. Well played, DJ!
    Gene Ching
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    Asimil8

    Manitoba insurance revokes Star Trek fan’s licence plate, says message is offensive
    Manitoba Public Insurance asked a Star Trek fan to “surrender” his licence plate after complaints its message — ASIMIL8 — is offensive to indigenous people.


    The Borg Queen (Susanna Thompson) in an episode of "Star Trek: Voyager." Manitoba insurance revoked a Star Trek fan’s licence plate after complaints its message is offensive. (RON TOM)

    By The Canadian Press
    Fri., April 28, 2017

    WINNIPEG—Manitoba Public Insurance has revoked a Star Trek fan’s personalized licence plate after receiving complaints that its message — ASIMIL8 — is offensive to indigenous people.

    Nick Troller has been driving around with the plate for two years.

    It’s held within a Star Trek licence frame that also bears the quotes, “We are the Borg,” and “Resistance is Futile.”

    Troller tells CTV Winnipeg that on his favourite show, an enemy race of aliens called the Borg travel through the galaxy trying to assimilate other cultures into their own.

    Read more:Nova Scotia takes away Lorne Grabher’s personalized licence plate

    He says he thought the plate was funny and notes strangers and other Trek fans have complimented him and asked to take photos with the plate.

    But Troller got a phone call Wednesday from a staff member at Manitoba Public Insurance who told him two people had complained that the word “assimilate” is offensive to indigenous people.

    He also received a letter from MPI on Thursday demanding he “surrender” the plate immediately, telling him he can either get a new plate or a refund on the $100 charge.

    “But that’s not the point,” says Troller. “We’ve become way too sensitive. You can’t say anything anymore to anybody.”

    Ry Moran, from the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, insists the word “assimilate” is too offensive to be on a licence plate.

    “For basically the entirety of this country’s history, indigenous peoples have been forcibly assimilated through really extremely destructive means and ways,” he says.

    “Words like that, meant or not, have an actual impact on many people.”

    MPI’s policy states that “plates cannot contain a slogan that could be considered offensive.” MPI says it takes such complaints “very seriously” and will investigate why the plate was approved in the first place.

    Licence plates are property of the Crown and there is no appeal process.

    Troller’s situation is reminiscent of a controversy in Nova Scotia, where a man named Lorne Grabher’s personalized GRABHER plate was revoked after a complaint that it was offensive to women.

    The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms said earlier this month that it plans to sue the Nova Scotia government over the revocation, which it sees as an infringement on freedom of expression.

    The JCCF’s John Carpay said the GRABHER licence plate revocation is part of a wider trend in Canadian society.

    “Canadians are becoming increasingly less tolerant of free expression,” he said. “You have more and more people who believe that they have a legal right to go through life without seeing or without hearing things they find to be offensive.”
    Female Borgs are kinda hot. Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine. Alice Krieg as the Borg queen. I rest my case.
    Gene Ching
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    Tarantino!

    Quentin Tarantino Hatches ‘Star Trek’ Movie Idea; Paramount, JJ Abrams To Assemble Writers Room

    by Mike Fleming Jr
    December 4, 2017 5:03pm


    REX/Shutterstock

    EXCLUSIVE: Already busy prepping to direct the film he just set up at Sony Pictures, Quentin Tarantino is also planning to boldly go where he has not gone before. Sources said that Tarantino has come up with a great idea for a Star Trek movie at Paramount. After sharing his idea with JJ Abrams (who himself is busy prepping Star Wars Episode IX), I’ve heard the plan is to assemble a writers room of scribes who’ll hear Tarantino’s take and begin to put together a movie. If it all works out, Tarantino might direct it, with Abrams producing.


    JJ Abrams
    REX/Shutterstock

    While Tarantino has always come up with his own original films, many have wondered what he might do if he took the reins of an existing franchise. He has only done that on television, twice directing episodes of CSI and once an episode of ER. He has spoken about the appeal of taking on one of the James Bond movies, but the hard part of something like that is getting the rights holders to give him a wide creative swath that comes along with a final cut auteur like Tarantino. This would give a remarkable boost to the venerable franchise for Paramount, which is looking to build them under studio chief Jim Gianopulos.

    As Deadline revealed last month, Tarantino agreed to make his next film for Sony Pictures. The untitled film is an ensemble that deals with a period in Los Angeles around the time of the Manson murder spree around 1969. He has asked Margot Robbie to play Sharon Tate, and has been discussing two great male lead roles with Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, though he hasn’t yet set final casting. Release date is August 9, 2019. That is the 50th anniversary of the death of Sharon Tate, but the description of the picture as a Manson Family pic isn’t really accurate, kind of like describing Inglorious Basterds as a movie about Hitler.

    Paramount declined comment, and attempts to reach Tarantino’s camp were unavailing. Stay tuned.
    Tarantino would be amusing, but I'd rather see David Leitch take the con.
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    Hold the phone... is this really gaining traction?

    DECEMBER 08, 2017 8:06am PT by Alex Ritman
    Patrick Stewart Might Reprise Jean-Luc Picard Role if Tarantino Directs 'Star Trek'
    The actor said he'd "embrace" an opportunity to return as the USS Enterprise's legendary captain should Tarantino's newly revealed project come together.


    Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SCAD
    Patrick Stewart

    The actor said he'd "embrace" an opportunity to return as the USS Enterprise's legendary captain should Tarantino's newly revealed project come together.

    Could Star Trek fans see a return of one of its most famous faces?

    Following the news that Quentin Tarantino was working on a new idea for the franchise alongside J.J. Abrams, with plans to direct, Patrick Stewart has thrown an unlikely hat back into the intergalactic ring.

    "People are always saying to me, 'Will you be Jean-Luc Picard again?' And I cannot think that would be possible, but there are ways in which something like that might come about," the iconic actor told The Hollywood Reporter, speaking from the sidelines of the Dubai International Film Festival, where he received an honorary award.

    "But one of my dreams is to work with Tarantino. I admire his work so much, and to be in a Tarantino film would give me so much satisfaction. So, if he is going to direct something to do with Star Trek and there was the possibility of dear old Jean-Luc showing up again and doing that for Mr Tarantino, I would embrace it."

    Stewart said one thing was sure about a Tarantino-directed Star Trek installment: it would be gripping.

    "The one thing that characterizes all of his movies is that frame by frame, it always challenges, always demands your attention, always demands a very kind of open and generous response to what he does," he said. "I also love his sense of humor as a filmmaker. So yes, he would be my first choice."
    Coincidentally, this just popped up on one of my social network feeds:
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    James T. Kirk Straight Bourbon





    Among Starfleet’s legendary space explorers, it is Admiral James T. Kirk who most embodies the spirit of bold adventure.

    Born in the great state of Iowa on planet Earth in 2233, Kirk spent part of his youth on planet Tarsus IV, where he narrowly escaped death at the hand of the infamous Kodos the Executioner. Admitted to Starfleet Academy in 2250, Kirk was the only cadet to beat the infamous “Kobayashi Maru” test of character. As an ensign, he served on the Starship Republic, and his first posting after graduation in 2254 was aboard the U.S.S. Farragut.

    James Kirk took command of the Starship Enterprise in 2264 on a five-year voyage of deep-space exploration that made him a legend. During that time, he led one of the first missions beyond our galaxy, he averted a new war with the Romulan Empire, and he literally saved Earth history by going back in time to undo a temporal accident.

    Intensely loyal to his crew, Kirk did not hesitate to risk his career to rescue Spock, his first officer and friend, who was believed dead on the Genesis Planet. In one of Kirk’s most celebrated missions, he defied Starfleet Command to commandeer a stolen Klingon ship to prevent an ecological catastrophe from devastating his home world. Kirk entered a temporal anomaly in 2293 while helping to save the Starship Enterprise-B on its maiden voyage. He emerged in the year 2371, where he was killed while protecting the inhabitants of the Veridian system. He is buried on a mountaintop on Veridian III.

    Kirk explored strange, new worlds, led humanitarian missions, and brought peace to planets in conflict. He made first contact with new life and new civilizations, pushing outward the frontiers of knowledge as he explored boldly, where none had gone before. He represented humanity at its best, doing the things that humans do best.

    James T. Kirk Straight Bourbon celebrates his bold spirit of adventure.
    Should be brandy.

    Saurian brandy.

    That was Kirk's drink of choice.

    THREADS:
    Let's talk Whisky!
    kung fu star trek people
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    2018 Governors Award

    AUGUST 30, 2018 8:00am PT by Michael O'Connell
    'Star Trek' Gets 2018 Governors Award From TV Academy


    Photofest

    The franchise has produced more than 700 episodes of television.

    The original Star Trek may have never taken home an Emmy, but the entire franchise is nabbing a big kudos from The Television Academy. It's the recipient of the 2018 Governors Award.

    The prize, picked by the academy board of governors, will be presented to CBS Television Studios during the Sept. 8 Creative Arts ceremony. CBS has been the longtime shepherd of the sprawling franchise, one that's spanned 50 years on television across multiple series, 700 episodes and 13 motion pictures. (And while the original Star Trek may not have ever one an Emmy, the franchise has taken 30.)

    "Star Trek is the first television program I can remember watching as a child, and has always been ahead of its time," said Governors Award Committee chair Mark Spatny. "Not only have all the franchises promoted inclusiveness and acceptance of all people, and inspired creative thought about space exploration and our future, but the technical innovations sparked by the franchise are incredibly significant to the evolution of television production, and also to the communication and computer tools we use in our daily life. We are honored to present this award to a franchise that has made such a lasting contribution to both television and our society.”

    Star Trek has spent few moments outside the cultural conscious since Gene Roddenberry premiered the original in 1966. A string of successful rebooted films, with at least another still on deck, helped stir CBS into rebooting the TV franchise for streaming service All Access. Star Trek Discovery premiered last year.

    “For over 50 years, Star Trek has captivated and connected fans from around the world. What the series always brilliantly illustrated is that, despite our greatest differences, we as people are more alike than we realize, and coming together in hopes of a better tomorrow is not just a possibility, but a necessity,” said David Stapf, president of CBS Television Studios. “The impact of Star Trek is far-reaching, and has inspired not only countless individuals, but great advancements in technology, science, health care, space exploration and more. We are so grateful to the brilliant minds and talented individuals, both in front of and behind the camera, who boldly tell stories that stand the test of time. Thank you to the Television Academy for honoring the historic Star Trek legacy and to everyone who has contributed to its success.”
    Still boldly going...
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    Boldly going...

    Q&A
    The Star Trek TV Universe is CBS All Access’ Secret Weapon. Will It Keep Expanding Infinitely?
    Talking to Star Trek showrunner Alex Kurtzman and CBS All Access' Julie McNamara about the franchise's streaming future.
    BY JOY PRESS
    NOVEMBER 29, 2019


    Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes in the forthcoming CBS All Access series Picard.TRAE PATTON/CBS ALL ACCESS

    As genre franchises go, Star Trek has one of the longest legacies. With CBS preparing to merge with Viacom, a move that will unite the movies and TV series under the same roof via Paramount, some have suggested that it could become a new Marvel Universe for the conglomerate. Right now, there are two separate movies reportedly in the works from Noah Hawley and Quentin Tarantino. Meanwhile, the Star Trek television universe, overseen by Alex Kurtzman, serves as the centerpiece of the originals slate at CBS All Access, the network’s streaming platform.

    Unlike Netflix and Amazon, which whip out fresh series at a head-turning rate, CBS All Access has moved slowly, debuting a small number of original programs each year, including The Good Wife’s sterling spin-off The Good Fight, Jordan Peele’s Twilight Zone reboot and the glossy Marc Cherry drama Women Who Kill. But the Trek-verse has been the streamer’s secret weapon ever since the 2017 launch of Star Trek: Discovery. It kept doubling down on the bet with short-form series Star Trek: Short Treks and Picard (premiering in January, starring Patrick Stewart), and several more in the works like the animated Star Trek: Lower Decks and Section 31, a series that has Michelle Yeoh reprising her character from Discovery.

    “We're in the middle of a merger, and there are a lot of assets that this joint company has that I don't know entirely how that will [come] together,” Julie McNamara, CBS All Access executive vice president of original content, told me last month. “I know that streaming and CBS All Access specifically are a huge priority for the company,” she said. As are originals. “The people who come for originals are by far the stickiest subscribers.... For something like the Star Trek universe, we are putting a ton of resources toward it and we're using serialized storytelling [so] that show is sort of premium version in that universe.” We were talking during the Women in Entertainment Summit in Los Angeles, where she and Kurtzman spoke to me about CBS All Access plans for Star Trek as well as Kurtzman’s other upcoming projects for the platform, like his political miniseries about James Comey, based on the FBI director’s memoir and starring Jeff Daniels and his adaptation of The Man Who Fell to Earth, which he will make with Jenny Lumet.

    Vanity Fair: Tell me about the development process of Picard. Did the fact that you were creating it for CBS All Access change how you conceived of it?

    Kurtzman: Julie and I were very excited about the idea of bringing Patrick back. But... he did not want to come back. He said he was never going to play that part again. So we entered into that knowing Patrick is going to have a major, major voice in whatever this becomes if we're going to get him to say yes. He doesn't want to repeat what he's done already, which was by the way, the best bar he could have put forward. The show is inspired by Next Gen, and it's written by people who grew up loving it but it is very much not Next Gen. It feels like a modern adult drama in the world of Star Trek, which has not actually really happened before. It's also singularly about a man in his emeritus years and there are very few franchises that would allow you to have an almost 80 year old lead and tell his story.

    It's not like we ever had conversations where All Access said, "Look, we really want it to be this or we really want it to be that." If anything, I think we were coming to them and saying, "Here's what's emerging from the room," and trying to give them real time assessments as the story was breaking. It didn't follow a particularly traditional development process either. Usually there's an outline and then there's everybody reads it and they give notes. We didn't go through that either and I think that was a testament to the trust that Julie gave us.

    The writers' room for Picard has Patrick Stewart as well as novelists Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman. It must’ve been an interesting room.

    Kurtzman: Yes, it was a lot of very strong voices. But the thing that was great about it was that everybody wanted the same thing. So those voices formed a wonderful chorus as opposed to pulling in a bunch of different directions. And everybody has a different superpower in that room, which is exciting, you know what I mean? Because you're like, "OK, what are you going to bring?”

    What was Patrick Stewart arguing for?

    Kurtzman: Nothing that felt familiar. His constant refrain was: I don't want to do what I've already done. Obviously it's not a secret that the Borg were involved, and his first instinct was not to do the Borg. He was like, "I did that story. I don't want to do that story." And we couldn't just say, "Yeah, but we loved you in it so much, we just want to do that again." And what ended up emerging was actually as a result of that back and forth, a very unique and very different Borg story. Definitely not one that you could have told in Next Generation. And certainly not what I think anyone's expecting.

    Star Trek: Discovery stars a number of women of color. Can you tell me about the conversation behind that?

    McNamara: We certainly feel that it's important to reflect the culture on our service. And that's not just altruistic, although it is a good and important thing. It's also good business. You really want to reach people in a way that feels specific in terms of characters and story telling.

    Kurtzman: About three years ago when, when CBS asked me to consider doing another Star Trek, my first instinct was: it's got to be a woman and it's got to be a woman of color. I'm not interested in having another male captain. We made that very clear and a condition of our involvement and Julie was immediately supportive of it. And one thing I remember very clearly was that we were still casting the morning Trump was elected and somehow in the casting conversation this question came up like, okay, do we have to reconsider this? And we doubled down and said, this is exactly why we have to do this right now. And for me personally, I have a harder time writing men—that's the truth. I don't know why. It's always been the case.
    continued next post
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
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