Star Trek is one of the longest-running science fiction film franchises, arguably rivaled only by Doctor Who in terms of prolonged cultural impact. (I do not include Star Wars, because it is younger, and also more fantasy than sci-fi.) Trek’s original onscreen continuity—five television shows and ten films—lasted roughly four decades before running out of steam following the cancelation of
Enterprise in 2005. Of course, JJ Abrams’ 2009 film
Star Trek was a new beginning, and a do-over is currently underway.
We know that a third new-continuity film is in the works, and its director Roberto Orci has
confirmed that the crew of the starship Enterprise will finally have embarked on their legendary ‘Five Year Mission’ of exploration. That is certainly good to hear, but still leaves much to the imagination, so I have compiled a list of things that I feel that Star Trek should focus on and/or incorporate moving forward.
Many of these items have basis in the classic version(s) of the franchise, but in such cases I would advocate for a fresh spin that does not literally quote previous depictions or story lines. There is so much potential for new stories that such mimicry seems counter intuitive.
With that in mind…
Phase I: Things That Can Be Incorporated Right Now (i.e. Star Trek 3)
1. Exploration
This more or less explains itself, and plays into what Roberto Orci has already suggested about the coming film(s). The starship Enterprise, at least as conventionally portrayed in Star Trek, is first and foremost about the business of exploring space. Of course, diplomacy, rescue and aid, and occasionally combat are not out of the question, but those should be the exceptions, not the rule.
I would love to actually
see some of those strange, new worlds, new life and new civilizations. (Not to mention new story ideas.) The franchise has before it the opportunity to explore new territory, both literally and figuratively, and I very much hope that it does so.
It would be especially nice if the story for
Star Trek 3 incorporated some cutting-edge astrophysics or exobiological theories. Those sorts of things could provide a great foundation, on which can be based storylines that reflect the social and philosophical issues that we are dealing with right now, here on Earth.
And none of it need be boring, at all. A good screenplay should be able to include exploration, a clear theme and solid theoretical science
with the flashy action and snappy dialog that the recent films have perfected. It can all coexist.
2. More Character Development (Uhura, McCoy)
In
Star Trek and
Into Darkness, James Kirk and Spock have understandably received the lion’s share of the focus, with honorable mention going to Montgomery Scott. Moving forward, the franchise would do well to build the other primary crew members into more three-dimensional characters. It is not simply a matter of screen time. Rather, it is a matter of individualized storytelling.
It is pretty clear that in the new Star Trek, the third member of the “trinity” of main characters is Nyota Uhura as opposed to Leonard McCoy. That is just as well, since Zoe Saldana is a star and strong female roles are almost always in shorter supply than they should be. However, in spite of her screen time and prominent marketing presence, Uhura could still really use some true, focused character development. We know that she is a linguistic prodigy, but aside from that she has primarily served as foil to Kirk and Spock, with sexual tension being the driving factor in both cases. Saldana can certainly handle a deeper role, and the character absolutely deserves do have herself defined by more than simply her relationships with men.
(Also, it is of interest to read some
comments that Saldana made about role opportunities for female actors in science fiction.)
McCoy, for his part, has remained understated in portrayal so far, but Karl Urban has exhibited some terrific charm at moments--it has to be fun to channel the late DeForest Kelley—and any deep space exploration should provide an excellent opportunity to utilize the ship's doctor in a more significant capacity.
3. Complex, Weird Aliens (Visually/Thematically)
In the past, Star Trek aliens, particularly those characterized as relatable, speaking individual (as opposed to interstellar clouds, robots, etc.) were usually differentiated from humans by rather minimal facial makeup. Vulcans had pointed ears, slanted eyebrows and distinctive haircuts. Some early Klingons had even less going on. Given the budgetary constraints of television in the 1960s, colored skin or minimal prosthetics were the best that could be done.
But we are in a new era of Star Trek, one in which the production budgets are bigger than ever, and the visual effects technology—be it practical or digital—is more advanced than ever. It is time for some truly
alien aliens. The past two Star Trek films have featured very little advance in this area. Aside from the monstrous ‘hengrauggi’ creature on icy Delta Vega in the 2009 film, we have for the most part seen only typical Vulcans, a few dimly-lit Romulans, a single unmasked Klingon and the occasional Orion, Andorian or random other non-human Starfleet crewmember. This needs to change. We should absolutely have a crewmember who is truly interesting and different-looking visually. Even if not specifically crew-related, a significant story presence on the part of such non-humanity would make all the sense in the world.
4. Greater Kirk/Spock Maturity
Star Trek and
Into Darkness comprise a prequel duology. We have seen Kirk gradually warm to responsibility, develop some leadership skills, and come back from the dead. Spock has fought his emotions, losing as often as not, developed trust between himself and his human peers, and has had to come to terms with the destruction of his homeworld. These two men should, at this point, be ready to act the part of mature officers. We do not need any more storylines to develop them into functional adults. The stories from here on out should involve the application of knowledge and experiences to new problems, preferably ones that are external in source.
5. Redesigned Klingons
This point is decidedly subjective. Personally, I found the Klingon design in
Star Trek Into Darkness to be the most underwhelming visual element of the new era, so far. I was intrigued until the Klingon removed his helmet (which had an almost ‘steampunk Cylon’ look to it). Once the helmet was off, I was just disappointed. I would appreciate a design that is more rugged and striking, and less glossy and amphibian-like.
Would it be a problem to redesign the Klingon look, requiring an explanation? I would say no, as I am not concerned with evolving aesthetics in terms of continuity. However, it could easily be suggested or implied that the Klingon seen in
Into Darkness was an exceptional individual for some reason or another, not representative of the race as a whole.
Phase II: Things to Incorporate In Future Films
1. Romulan Mystique
We are still waiting for a great Romulan film.
Nemesis and the 2009 film each featured the Vulcans’ volatile cousins, but neither truly did them justice. The Romulans are craft and mystery to the Klingons’ assertive aggression, and unpredictable to the Vulcans’ stable logic. They have cloaking-device technology and ships designed to look like ominous birds. I’m sure that we will see Klingons and probably Borg as well, but in my mind, a full-on Romulan-based story could bring a dark elegance all its own.
2. The Excelsior
The U.S.S. Excelsior (“the great experiment”) was introduced in
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and figured into a few of the subsequent films. It was a test-model for an advanced transwarp drive, a newer concept than the Enterprise, and an interesting visual design. All of that is wonderful, but in my estimation, the Excelsior was never truly exploited for its awesome potential. In
The Search for Spock, the Excelsior was the victim of sabotage and was played more for humor than anything else. I am very hopeful about seeing it in the new films, though, because the character of Hikaru Sulu, who graduated to its command in the old films, already seems to be on track to a similar career trajectory this time around, judging from some of the scenes in
Into Darkness.
3. Dr. Soong: Eugenics/Robotics/Cybernetics
Dr. Noonien Soong is the creator of Data and his fellow androids. Soong’s ancestor, Arik Soong, also a doctor and active in the field of genetics, was alive during the time of James Kirk. While I belive that the character of Data was severely overused in the the
Next Generation films, the scientific research of the Soongs, which covers several interesting areas, would be a good plot point to introduce.
4. M’Ress
Lt. M’Ress is a character from
Star Trek: The Animated Series, more or less the same crew position as Uhura. She is a member of the Caitian species, basically cat-like humanoids. M’Ress would be a great character to introduce for multiple reasons. First, it would be great to have another prominent female crew-member. Second, it would as previously mentioned be great to have another alien in the mix. Third, I understand that in the animated series, there was a brief but humorous relationship between M’Ress and Montgomery Scott (Simon Pegg in the current version), which could provide a great source of levity.
(Note: the pair of ladies in bed with Kirk in
Star Trek Into Darkness are apparently supposed to be Caitians, but they lack fur and are distinguished mostly by some light makeup and their visual-effect tails. I submit that these new films cannot allow themselves to be so blandly unambitious in their interpretations of classic Star Trek species. If a person is not a human, it's more interesting for them to
really look the part, in my opinion.)
5. Genesis Device
This is the classic “big science thing” of the original film series, designed primarily by Dr. Carol Marcus (Alice Eve’s character from
Into Darkness) to efficiently terraform or convert lifeless planetoids into habitable environments. It’s a fascinating concept on those terms, and its use becomes a complex issue when viewed by some as a possible weapon, an engine of destruction as well as creation.
I am not a big fan of retreading past stories (see: “Khan”) but the Genesis Device is too good, and too essential to pass up. It is mere speculation on my part, but it occurs to me that the population of surviving Vulcans might find the device interesting, considering the loss of their homeworld. If nothing else, perhaps Alice Eve will get a chance to come back and give a more well-realized spin on Dr. Marcus.
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I did not include the Borg in this list, the primary reason being that they seem an obvious lock for future inclusion in the franchise. Just as with Bane to Batman, once this version of Star Trek approaches its inevitable epic climax as a film series, whether sooner or later, the Borg Collective is probably going to show up and state for the record that all will be assimilated.
Anyway, there is certainly plenty of source material waiting to be reinterpreted. I hope to see new, original storylines, but there is no denying that a familiar face is usually more than welcome. And in the case of Star Trek fandom, as with its comic book equivalent, even an obscure reference can be a big thrill.
Thoughts? Disagreements? More ideas?