Posted in: Movies, Netflix, Opinion, Paramount+, Star Trek, TV, TV | Tagged: anton yelchin, chris pine, john cho, Karl Urban, netflix, opinion, paramount, simon pegg, star trek, william shatner, zachary quinto, zoe saldana

Star Trek: "Kelvin Films" Better as Rebooted TV/Streaming Series?

It's the 15th anniversary of the 2009 Star Trek reboot - but with the cinematic uncertainty, would it have worked better as a TV series?

It's hard to believe it's been 15 years since the 2009 Star Trek soft reboot that introduced a new generation to the franchise and the Kelvin universe timeline, thanks to J.J. Abrams. As much of the world has changed since 1966, the premiere of The Original Series on NBC, both Paramount and Abrams felt for continuity's sake to steer the narrative to an alternate universe to a clean slate with a younger cast taking on the same roles. The compromise that TOS star Leonard Nimoy and his presence as Spock Prime would lend credibility to the new cast and represent a passing of the torch, but with Star Trek a television staple again on Paramount+, could the Kelvin universe been more sustainable had they tried their hand on TV rather than wait until 2017 for Discovery? Let's examine the films' narrative and how they could have benefited from a full TV season instead.

Could Star Trek Have Worked as a Netflix or Cable Series Early On?

It's obvious that by the time Star Trek: Enterprise was canceled in 2005, Paramount sensed fans were suffering from franchise fatigue as the UPN series didn't last the typical seven seasons set by The Next Generation, ending after four. Generally, as one Trek series was running, another would be in development as the main series charts a path towards the end as was the case from TNG to Deep Space Nine to Voyager to Enterprise. Unfortunately, creative challenges and ratings provided an uphill battle not even Enterprise could overcome. As another film was inching into the works, Netflix was developing their streaming platform that would eventually become an empire, evolving from their mail-in physical media platform to streaming in January 2007.

Long before Prodigy would now become its exclusive home, Paramount could have done the same with the Star Trek reboot. Cable would have also become a viable option for the franchise as Paramount regularly sold programming to various platforms and has been a hit in reruns. I could see a new Star Trek working on TNT, SYFY, USA, or FX. The success of TNG was built originally on syndication, so stepping down from broadcast television was anything but a downgrade considering the powerhouse programming going on at the time, like AMC's Breaking Bad, HBO's The Sopranos, FX's The Shield, and so on.

While fans and critics alike warmed to the 2009 reboot, the 2013 and 2016 sequels in Into Darkness and Beyond are considerably more of a mixed bag. Not to mention the profitability of such a sci-fi franchise has a discernable ceiling where stars like Simon Pegg (Kelvin Scotty) and TOS star William Shatner admit it's harder to turn a profit on a Star Trek film because it's harder to transcend beyond its loyal base compared to when the six TOS films ran from 1979-1991 as budgets were far more modest then. Even when the 2009 film made the franchise relevant again, there wasn't an attempt to capitalize on its success by putting another series on TV. After Beyond, it felt like another franchise reboot when Discovery premiered as the flagship series for Paramount+ rather than riding the wave of momentum.

Whether Kelvin Star Trek IV is still up in the air, but expanding the three films could have told far more layered stories beyond the time constraints regardless if it's a 20+episode season on broadcast or cable or a 10-episode season on a streamer. One example would be meaningful exposition for Spock Prime. One pitched scene in the 2009 film included a Shatner cameo, but why stop there when you could have had any combination of TOS or TNG characters that could have explored the crisis on Romulus and his ties there? The TNG two-parter "Reunification" provided the foundation for the narrative Abrams could have built in an episode that Nimoy could have benefitted from.

For season two, Star Trek Into Darkness, rather than just focusing on Benedict Cumberbatch's Khan, we could have seen another incarnation of Marla McGivers and have another chance at the love that never developed we never saw beyond the TOS episode "Space Seed" and alluded to in 1982's The Wrath of Khan or better yet, expand on other augment characters. Beyond could easily fit as another season of Discovery. It's been eight years since Beyond, and the cast in Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, John Cho, Zoe Saldana, and Pegg, whom you can't call "young" anymore, are far more expensive than they were originally cast, not to mention the 400 lb gorilla in the room of trying to write off the late Anton Yelchin. The cinematic franchise should retire with that cast if they finally get to the "last" one.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!