Rod Roddenberry Has Concerns About 'Star Trek XI'

[Vic 17]

Though happy with Abrams, Quinto, he believes Paramount has rushed to decision to make prequel film.

 

 

By Michelle

September 12, 2007 - 9:04 PM

 

Eugene Roddenberry Jr. is concerned that Paramount is rushing ahead with an eleventh Star Trek film and worries that "it's always tricky to do a prequel."

 

Sci Fi Pulse posted Roddenberry's comments from his latest podcast, in which the son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry said that he "kind of wanted to share my point of view on that so more than one person hears it. Basically the deal is that I actually have nothing to do with any of the Star Trek movies."

 

Roddenberry explained that Paramount has had complete control both financially and creatively of the franchise since his father died. Gene Roddenberry had sold the financial rights to the franchise in the 1980s, yet remained an executive producer on The Next Generation. "I would have kept Enterprise on for a couple more seasons because it was doing better," Roddenberry said. "But then after that was over I probably would have let the franchise rest for 5, 10 and maybe even 15 years because there’s enough Star Trek in circulation to go round and round."

 

Roddenberry added that he had met new executive producer and director J.J. Abrams and "he seems like a great writer...from what I hear when I talk to people, he’s got the mind to write Star Trek. He knows Star Trek he’s a fan."

 

However, Roddenberry worries that the new film, like Enterprise, will run into problems with continuity. "It's always tough when you go against pre–established things," he said. "I'd prefer them, when I say them I mean Paramount and everyone to wait a few years. I’m hesitant on the prequel." Roddenberry added that he had not read a script, which he believes is because he tends to speak his mind and "the fans have given my family a lot of clout and I think that to some degree has given me a lot of clout. So I think that a lot of people respect what I say to a degree and if I didn’t have anything good to say about it I think they'd be scared."

 

The casting of "the guy they’ve got to play Spock, Sylar from Heroes" aka Zachary Quinto does please Roddenberry: "I think he will be a great Spock...and he seems like a really cool guy." Roddenberry closed by saying that he is excited and looking forward to the movie despite his reservations.

 

The original transcript is at Sci Fi Pulse.

 

http://www.trektoday.com/news/120907_01.shtml

[Lady Britannia 0]

He's notable only for his surname. He has no "clout" and I don't see what he has done to gain the "respect" of anyone, minus some deluded Trek fans who laughably worship and deify Gene Roddenberry. If he didn't have anything "good" to say about it, it would make no difference to me.

[TripLives 0]

A lot of that sounds like the same things other people have already said about the new movie. Rod's opinion doesn't make much difference the way I see things, especially since he has nothing to do with it.

[Lady Britannia 0]

By his own admission he hasn't read the script, so I'm not certain what his problem is exactly. His comment regarding Enterprise is odd too. He claims Enterprise was "doing better" but it certainly wasn't in the ratings. He's quite correct that it is "tricky" to do a prequel. If you handle it properly, it can work. If you handle it like Rick Berman and Brannon Braga handled Enterprise, then it won't work. In terms of continuity, no problem will be encountered as long as the producers of Star Trek XI are honest with the audience. If they tell people that the new movie will not be entirely held rigidly to previously established canon, then the audience will know what to expect going into the movie. That way, the audience cannot complain about canon issues.

[headborg 1]

By his own admission he hasn't read the script, so I'm not certain what his problem is exactly. His comment regarding Enterprise is odd too. He claims Enterprise was "doing better" but it certainly wasn't in the ratings. He's quite correct that it is "tricky" to do a prequel. If you handle it properly, it can work. If you handle it like Rick Berman and Brannon Braga handled Enterprise, then it won't work. In terms of continuity, no problem will be encountered as long as the producers of Star Trek XI are honest with the audience. If they tell people that the new movie will not be entirely held rigidly to previously established canon, then the audience will know what to expect going into the movie. That way, the audience cannot complain about canon issues.

 

 

I agree, Roddenberry Jr has no real "clout" other than his name which is worshiped by many. I believe he was just attempting to politically distance himself and the Roddenberry Family Name from what he sees as just another case of Corporate Greed Milking a great trade mark franchise. He also wants to set the record straight and remind us that....Dad sold the rights and control of Star Trek to Paramount. B & B were doing a fine job of moving the franchise and the continuity FORWARD...the problem they had was they had little respect for TOS and "what made Star Trek" and little respect for the creativity of writers like DC Fontana and other TOS

writers...and this is #1 important when creating a prequel which is pre-TOS. Especially involving a cult following

like Star Trek.....if this new movie is slightly off canon then it's ......HERESY!

Enterprise was beginning to work great as soon as B & B got out of the way and let Manny Cotto bring to screen the 4th season...which IMO was beginning to bring fans what they had been expecting all along....story lines which were (1)interesting & (2) related to TOS (and not ignore it). Enterprise also as a prequel made other mistakes which many fans considered breaking with continuity....like better more advanced technology at

a point in time where is shouldn't have been. I don't recall the NX Enterprise transporter scrambling the molecules of a single crewman....let alone failing at critical times.

 

Now imagine how the die hard fans would be screaming when the Movie hits the theaters and Enterprise NCC-1701 under command of Chris Pike is shown having a vertical warp core? food replicators? MarkV torpedos? comm badges? little bitty hand held tri-corders? a holodeck?

There are many ways Paramount could screw up this movie...besides just a bad script.

Tom Cruise as Chris Pike????

Edited September 14, 2007 by headborg

[Kor37 9]

I can forgive continuity or canon errors in lieu of a good script.

[MrPsychic 1]

It sounds like he's just throwing a temper tantrum because they didn't ask him to watch over it. Just cause his last name is Roddenbery doesn't mean he's some sort of "God" in terms of Star Trek.

[Kor37 9]

It sounds like he's just throwing a temper tantrum because they didn't ask him to watch over it. Just cause his last name is Roddenbery doesn't mean he's some sort of "God" in terms of Star Trek.

I seriously doubt thats the case. Roddenberry, Jr. has never been involved with any of the movies or TV series and his father hadn't been involved since the early years of TNG so why would he worry about it just now? Some people value his opinion , I guess , and thats why he posts a blog.