Newsgroup: it.fan.startrek
Titolo: Star Trek: Federation

Il telefilm mai realizzato, di Brian Singer. Le premesse non mi sembrano il
massimo, ma Singer è garanzia di serietà.
http://trekmovie.com/2011/04/16/exclusive-details-excerpts-from-star-trek-federation-series-proposal/
On Thursday TrekMovie revealed the exclusive True Story Behind The Bryan
Singer ‘Pitch’ of “Star Trek: Federation.” As promised TrekMovie now
reveals exclusive details on the "Federation" series proposal, describing
the universe, the characters, the new USS Enterprise and more. .
 
EXCLUSIVE LOOK AT "Star Trek: Federation"
On Thursday TrekMovie reported the true story of the supposed pitch of a
Star Trek TV series from director Bryan Singer. We revealed that there was
indeed a "Star Trek: Federation" series proposal written at the behest of
Bryan Singer as a possible pitch for his Bad Hat Harry production company.
However, while Singer and screenwriter Chris   McQuarrie were at the
inception of the project at a Sushi dinner in late 2005, the actual 25-page
long document was written by Robert Meyer Burnett (also at that dinner)
along with Geoffrey Thorne. And after JJ Abrams signed on to produce a new
Star Trek movie in early 2006, the “Federation” project was shelved along
with the first (and only) draft of the series proposal.
While it never was actually pitched to CBS or Paramount, the "Star Trek:
Federation" series proposal still makes an interesting read. Today
TrekMovie reveals (and analyzes) "Star Trek: Federation" another Trek not
taken.
Logo for "Star Trek: Federation" designed by Mike Okuda
The approach — Something old and something new
The 2006 "Star Trek: Federation" series proposal starts with a forward
outlining how the creative team of Bryan Singer, Ralph McQuarrie and Robert
Meyer Burnett planned to make Star Trek on TV competitive again. Their
solution was two pronged: Firstly acknowledge that "television storytelling
had evolved" away from the five-act story structure of Star Trek with shows
like The West Wing, Lost, The X-Files, Desperate Housewives and Battlestar
Galactica taking on "more complex serialized stories." Secondly they
planned to return Star Trek to its roots of telling "compelling stories
about our world today" instead of just telling stories more about the Trek
universe itself. The "Federation" solution was laid out thusly:
    Let STAR TREK breathe. Let it return to the marketplace in the hands of
people willing to write the sort of stories that confront and entertain
today’s audiences. Let’s grapple again with the issues of the day- issues
of diversity, government power, gender frictions, a controversial war on
foreign soil, and a host of other things. Embrace modern television
storytelling techniques. Most importantly, as with the original STAR TREK
and THE NEXT GENERATION audiences must recognize the world they live in
today in the far-flung future, then take the show’s concepts and lessons
with them back into their everyday lives.
However, unlike the 2004 "re-boot the Star Trek universe" pitch from Bryce
Zabel (Dark Skies) and J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5), The "Star Trek"
Federation" team proposes to "not start from scratch", as noted in the
forward:
    The great strength of STAR TREK is the very Universe in which it’s set.
The Characters. The Starships. The Aliens. The stories.
    Gene Roddenberry himself provided the perfect example how to create a
wildly successfully new STAR TREK series…
    Acknowledge what’s come before, but then set your stage far enough in
the STAR TREK future when everything old is new again.
    Turn the STAR TREK Universe upside down. Shake vigorously.
The Universe — A Federation in trouble
The way the team proposed shaking up that universe was to move the action
to the year 3000 with a different United Federation of Planets. In
"Federation" the UFP is still espoused to be the a civilization of alien
races united in respect living in a "Golden Age of Peace", but not all is
well, as noted in the proposal document:
    Utopia as a goal is like the fire in a nuclear engine. Utopia in
practice is stagnation; it’s dry rot; eventually it’s death. Which is
precisely where we find the United Federation of Planets a few centuries
after the last Age of Discovery.
Here are some key changes in the Star Trek universe six centuries after
Picard.
    Earth’s Humans have become "fat and happy" but this has led to
complacency where humans are "giving up exploration for incremental
colonization and focusing more on the rightness of their own cultural view
over all others"
    Many younger members of the UFP have left, eschewing this
"human-centric" Federation
    Vulcans have been disengaging from the Federation and have reunified
with the Romulans, spending most of the last 3 centuries focused on
creating a new "joined society" overseen by two "quasi-religious clerics
who rule according to logic and what is best for their unified peoples,
combining Romulan Machiavellian politics with Vulcan logic.
    Bajorans have withdrawn from the Federation to become insular in order
to focus on their religion and communing with the Prophets. Bajor is now
"like a planet sized Tibet", handing over all temporal concerns to the
Ferengi
    The Klingons have undergone a "massive reformation" moving away from
their Viking-like brawling to become a "civilization of warrior mystics"
akin to the Tang Dynasty), now flying "sleek" and "serene" ships and while
they maintain diplomacy with the Federation they have returned to expanding
the Empire via conquest
    The Cardassians have transformed into a "society of artists and
philosophers" who now "walk the path" and are now dedicated to a philosophy
with "the view of the galaxy as a place created solely to test the
faithful."
    The Ferengi are no longer a "joke" but have become "quite powerful".
Equality for females (including a female Nagus) is "the only concession
they have made to progress" and with "the Greater Federation’s cashless
society as a restriction, the Ferengi Alliance is now able to shine in its
full capitalist glory." The Ferengi are also making big bucks marketing the
Bajoran religion around the galaxy, including pilgrimages to the Bajoran
Wormhole.    
    Starfleet has been reduced to a "mere peace-keeping force" protecting
fringe worlds from aliens and from fighting each other, with starships are
old and spread out too thin
Entering into this troubled Federation is a new "powerful" and "ruthless"
enemy called "The Scourge" who confronted the Federation ship USS Sojourner
at what became a key pivot point. The ship along with two colonies are lost
and the sole survivor will become a key player in the future of the
Federation. From the document:
    Lieutenant Commander Alexander Kirk is the only survivor of the
“Sojourner Incident,” as it’s come to be known in the press. And he has no
clear memory of the events themselves. Attempts to “help” him remember
cause him to become irrational and violent. All he has is images of carnage
and death and a hidden malevolent presence lurking behind it all. When
called before his superiors, he paints a picture of the enemy that is
scarcely believed and which, if true, might tip the already fracturing
Federation Alliance into true collapse.
This incident leads Vulcan, Bajor, Betazed and other members to pull out of
the Federation leaving it with just twenty systems and surrounded by the
Klingons, Ferengi, Cardassians, etc. Kirk is also drummed out of the
service.
The Mission — A New Enterprise & Crew
All of this turmoil is just the backdrop to the series itself. A motivated
admiral commissions a new USS Enterprise to be built, the first
"Enterprise" in over 300 years. Publically the mission is a traditional
return to the era of exploration and discovery, but the true mission is to
find the truth behind "The Scourge" and to save the Federation (hence the
title of the proposed series).
The document includes a partial list of the crew (of around 400) of the new
Enterprise, giving the show its main characters:
    Captain Alden Montgomery: Human and the "perfect Starfleet officer" who
is "The Captain America of the Federation" but who unfortunately gets
killed off early on, leaving room for…
    Commander Alexander Kirk: (X-O and 3rd in command) Reinstated for the
new mission Kirk is described as having a "checked past" with an
"aggressive manner" who is thrust into leading the mission after Montgomery
and first officer get killed and is able to deal with it well, but is
"total crap at PR aspects of job." He alone (even though he doesn’t
understand it) "possesses information vital to Enterprise’s true mission."
    Lt. Cmdr. Chel Forlaan (Security Chief): A female Ektosi (a feline
species) who has "cat-like" grace, temper and insight with natural
hand-to-hand combat capabilities akin to Jem Hadar or Klingon. Joined
Starfleet for the "fun", posesses a "mercurial nature" which initially
makes her ill-suited to security chief. Biggest flaw is "intense curiosity
which sometimes overpowers her." (get it? she’s a cat!)
    Lt. Cmdr. Sergei Kenyatta (Com & Political Officer): A genetically
enhanced human "Alpha" from Proxima Centauri, with a perfect physique along
with mental enhancements. Described as gifted in math, linguistics,
technology, and diplomacy, yet struggles with personal relationships.
    The 76th Distillation of Blue (aka Diz) (Chief Engineer) a member of a
gaseous species from the gas giant Penumbra who use "motion suits" to
interact with the rest of the "solid" universe. For the show Diz would look
like "a slender male humanoid" in the suit, but he can also appear in his
gasous state or even change to a solid or a liquid, but he is "not a shape
shifter." Described as a fantastic engineer who is more at home with
machines than with other people.
    Dr. Felicity Chen: A cybernetically enhanced physician based on (now
safely evolved) Borg technology. Many medical instruments are built into
her, so no need for tricorder. She can use her "nanospines" to heal
injuries, but there is a personal cost to her. She still has to wrestle
with her own humanity
    M.A.J.E.L.: The sentient Enterprise computer (Multitronic Architecture
Junction/Interactive Energetic Library) that runs the ship and his a
personality of her own, including emotions.
    Admiral Nelscott: Female Starfleet admiral who saw the threat of The
Scourge and bucked the system to get the Enterprise project launched. Not
on board the ship, but issuing orders from Starfleet HQ.
The character descriptions also describe various tensions, loyalties and
connections between the main characters, so this series does not need to
always look externally to see conflict and drama. 
The document also has an Appendix dedicated to the technology of the new
USS Enterprise. The ship is described as not being too big "something
bigger than Voyager, but nowhere near the size of The Battlestar
Galactica". The ship would include some new features, such as:
    The Central Core: an open shaft at the center of the saucer where all
corridors intersect in an open area, which would act like a "town square"
for the ship
    Mobile Mission Modules: standard habitats which can be customized for
various missions about the size of a bus
    Landing Envelope: Force-field projector that can shoot down to a planet
giving landing parties an atmosphere even on hostile planets (apparently
originally conceived for TNG).
    Singularity Engine: Enterprise powered by microscopic black hole (like
TNG Romulan ships)
    Cloaking Device: Document suggests this might be a possibility and
could help with covert mission stories, but makes telling combat stories
difficult
The document also suggests that the production could use "virtual sets" or
CGI to create some of the larger environments such as the Hanger Deck,
Shuttle Launch Control, Central Core, Botanical Gardens, etc.
The Pilot(s) — Four episode arc to start "Federation"
The "Star Trek: Federation" series proposal concludes with 1-2 page
descriptions of the first four action-packed episodes, which constitute a
sort of pilot for the series.
1. The Widening Gyre: Alden Montgomery encounters another planet where the
inhabitants have destroyed themselves in an ‘orgy of violence’. Admiral
Nelscott orders him to put together his crew for the fast-tracked
Enterprise project, leading Montgomery on an origin story recruiting
mission picking up various staff, including Kirk who is no longer in
Starfleet and doesn’t want to join, but is the only person who has dealt
with The Scourge (forcing Montgomery to "Shanghai" Kirk). 
2. The Blood-Dimmed Tide: Kirk and Dr. Chen explore a found small alien
obelisk and deal with the crew of the Enterprise who have become victims of
the violent "Scourge", including the Captain.
3. Mere Anarchy: The Enterprise chases a larger alien obelisk through
space, eventually leading them into hostile Klingon space.
4. The Ceremony of Innocence: Kirk, now trapped in the obelisk with some
Klingons, gets to the bottom of the mystery only to find out the Obelisks
are tied to the Preservers (from TNG) who had seeded the galaxy with the
building blocks of humanoid DNA.
The document concludes with this:
    So, the riddle of the Sojourner Incident is solved and the threat of
the obelisks is removed (apparently) but at great cost. Frictions between
the Federation and the Klingons have never been worse. The internal
fissures are growing wider based largely on Enterprise’s secret mission and
Admiral Nelscott’s lies to cover up that mission with the council. And, of
course, lots and lots of people died.
    What’s next for the survivors of these events? Tune in next week, folks.
 
My Thoughts
The "Star Trek: Federation" proposal is very interesting and has some
promising ideas, especially for a first draft. The notion that a new Star
Trek TV series needs to break out of the traditional storytelling structure
that worked for TNG in the early 90s but was becoming increasingly passé by
the time of Enterprise was spot on. It is also true that a return to the
origins of Star Trek with telling allegorical stories in a science fiction
setting is welcome. Both of these are important in bringing in new viewers.
I am also impressed with how the proposal shows nods to hard science
fiction. Burnett says that they were heavily influenced by literary sci-fi
including Dan Simmon’s "Hyperion Cantos," Stephen Baxter’s "Manifold"
trilogy and Isaac Asimov’s "Foundation" series.
The approach of moving to a declining Federation in the year 3000 seems to
be another attempt to rightfully move away from the perfect (and
conflict-less) world of the Federation’s 24th century. Brannon Braga and
Rick Berman tried this with Enterprise, but in the end their 22nd century
universe and storytelling techniques were not different enough. This
troubled future Federation approach is also the one taken by Dave Rossi in
2006 with his animated series "Star Trek: Final Frontier".
Creators of any new Trek show post-Voyager & Enterprise were faced with the
choice, if you want to change things you need to move the action to a
distant century or move into an entirely new (alternate timeline or
rebooted) universe. I worry that with the universe described "Federation",
the show could become unrecognizable. While holding on to the canon of the
Star Trek universe, this radical jump could run the risk of losing the
essence of Star Trek.
The characters outlined for the show seem to each have a few interesting
things to work with for creating drama, both in their strengths and in
their flaws. And I agree with the approach for tension and conflict within
the crew, something Star Trek avoided after the original series. I am sure
subsequent drafts would have polished some of the edges as well. But again
I wonder, if you want a different Star Trek show starring a Kirk, why not
just reboot it (re-timeline it) instead of creating a 30th century Kirk. Is
staying in the same universe worth it?
I do believe that Star Trek is at its best on TV, a medium that allows for
more complex storytelling and character development. I also believe that
eventually CBS will start considering a new Star Trek TV series, likely
after Paramount has made three JJ Abrams Star Trek movies. The best thing
about the "Star Trek: Federation" approach is that it embraces Star Trek
with a love for what has worked, but also sees that in the 21st century you
need to do something different to make Star Trek work again on TV. I may
not agree with every choice made, but I also don’t think there is a single
"right answer" to how to make a new Star Trek TV show. And with a strong
creative team, I think "Star Trek: Federation" could have been an
interesting ride. 
-- 
Jolan Tru
Filippo "Hytok" Simone
http://perestroika.iobloggo.com/

Il 17/04/2011 11:06, Hytok ha scritto:
[super mega cuttone]
Sembra interessante...
Non mi è chiaro se è un progetto che stanno ancora studiando oppure è 
stato abbandonato.
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