Reports indicate that CBS may be working towards bringing a new Star Trek series to TV, marking the return of the iconic sci-fi franchise that largely folded after the 2005 finale of Star Trek: Enterprise .
When the last Star Trek series went off the air, several concepts were pitched for a continuation of the franchise, which had been on television continuously since the 1987 premiere of The Next Generation . Bryce Zabel ( Dark Skies ) and J. Michael Straczynski ( Babylon 5 ) pitched the idea of rebooting the original Star Trek , while producer Robert Burnett, X-Men director Bryan Singer, and Christopher McQuarrie advocated a series called Star Trek: Federation , to be set in the distant future.
Happy Near Miss Day! Take a look at some of Star Trek’s close shaves: http://t.co/dkE0BBJBmn #StarTrek #NearMissDay pic.twitter.com/tCXzCdpabU
— Star Trek (@StarTrek) March 23, 2015
According to Latino Review , some of the same names attached to Star Trek: Federation could be part of a proposed new series. They report that Singer has been mentioned as a possible executive producer for a new Star Trek series, to be facilitated through Bad Hat Harry productions. CBS is reportedly interested in having Singer develop the new Star Trek , a project that could possibly also involve Chris McQuarrie, who is rumored to still be interested. Burnett, meanwhile, has recently acted as a producer on the fan-funded project Star Trek: Axanar , according to Cinema Blend .
Use the nebula, but be ready for the consequences: http://t.co/ceA3igMFgS #StarTrek pic.twitter.com/yKZPvCxE44
— Star Trek (@StarTrek) March 23, 2015
Paramount is still moving ahead with a third film in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek reboot, scheduled for a 2016 release. As the Inquisitr previously reported, Idris Elba is in talks to join the production for an as-yet-unnamed villain role. Rumors have also circulated that Bryan Cranston could be joining the film and that both Cranston and Elba could be cast as Klingon characters, a species that has had little presence in the J.J. Abrams Star Trek universe .
So far, no official announcement has been made, and Singer, Burnett, McQuarrie haven’t officially committed to any Star Trek project at CBS. Fans are closely watching Star Trek: Axanar , however, to see what the franchise could potentially look like with a more limited budget. Some observers have noted that the project, which was preceded by the 20-minute-long Star Trek: Prelude To Axanar , can be used to demonstrate to CBS the ease of producing a new Star Trek series at a lower cost.
In any event, with CBS reportedly probing the possibility of a new series, it seems that Star Trek will be returning to TV, in one form or another, in the near future.
[Image via Momentum ]
