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6/21/07

Regarding the latest Star Trek XI rumor

There's nothing we can say that hasn't already been said best by Anthony Pascale at Trekmovie.com:

There is a new rumor from the Gossip page of the NY Post stating that William Shatner is upset that Leonard Nimoy has been offered a cameo in the the new Star Trek film and he has not. Last week we reported on the Shatnervision segment where the Shat said he had not heard anything from Paramount and ‘it made him sad’. It is possible the NYP has convoluted that into Shatner being ‘furious.’ The report is denied by Shatner’s manager Larry Thompson and his office tells TrekMovie.com they have nothing else to say on it. No comment is available from Paramount either. The notion that Shatner has not been cast or even contacted but they are casting Nimoy doesn’t seem likely and cannot be confirmed. It is also worth noting that both actors have said they were not interested in unsubstantial ‘cameos.’ For now it is just another one of those rumors (remember the one about Tom Cruise playing Spock). If we hear anything more we will provide an update.

We agree with Anthony that this rumor is unlikely. It's far more likely that the movie would feature both actors, or neither actor.

This rumor could have been created just to stir things up in order to get some official clues about the film, because things have been silent for months.

2/10/07

VIDEO: Shatner talks about Kirk's death in Star Trek: Generations

View the video HERE.

1/11/07

Shatner talks Star Trek XI with SCI FI Wire

Excerpt from SCI FI Wire:

William Shatner revealed to SCI FI Wire that the upcoming 11th Star Trek movie will indeed, as rumored, deal with the early years of Capt. James T. Kirk and Spock—and that he will definitely appear in the movie if director J.J. Abrams can find a place to use him. Shatner, who originated the role of Kirk in the original Trek series and several subsequent films, said in an interview that he was invited to meet with Abrams (Mission: Impossible III), who is also co-writing the movie.

"I met with J.J., and they told me they would like me to be part of their film, but they have to write the role," Shatner said in an interview promoting his new SCI FI Channel film, Alien Fire.

As for the many rumors concerning the sequel's story, Shatner said that Abrams will explore Kirk and Spock during their Starfleet Academy years. "Yes, we know the story is based on young Kirk," Shatner said. Up until now, everyone connected with the film has maintained strict silence about the storyline, though rumors have run rampant that they concern Kirk and Spock's first missions.

As for Shatner's place in that storyline? "They need to figure out how to put the dead captain in with the young captain," he said. "It's a very complex, technical problem of how to write the character in, and I'm not sure how they will solve it." It sounds as if Shatner may play an older version of Kirk.

You can read the full SCI FI Wire article HERE.

Keep in mind that SCI FI Wire is only speculating as far as Shatner playing an older version of Kirk. Now that the script is complete, hopefully some storyline details regarding Shatner's involvement as Kirk will leak out in weeks to come.

1/4/07

Shatner discusses Star Trek XI in IGN Interview

The following is an excerpt from Shatner's recent interview with IGN. Not much new, but interesting to hear:

IGN: JJ Abrams is working on the new Star Trek film, which is reportedly about a young Kirk and Spock. How do you feel about possibly watching someone else play that character?

Shatner: Well, it's going to happen. It's not so much the character. You know, it's that old adage about, "Get me a young Shatner." I'm at the "Get me a young Shatner" moment.

IGN: Have you spoken to JJ Abrams about the project?

Shatner: Actually, I did, and they're working very hard on a story. They seem to be going in the direction of putting in [Leonard] Nimoy and myself. But in order to do that, it's a difficult story to write. So they're in the midst of wrestling with all of that.

IGN: So they're looking to put the two of you in, in a framing device, or in some way?

Shatner: I'm not sure what they're going to do. But in order to entice Leonard and myself into the movie, it has to be meaningful in some way, so I don't know what they're gonna do.

Full interview is HERE.

11/14/06

Shatner confirms: Abrams wants Shatner and Nimoy in Star Trek XI

Community Leader of The Omega Sector BBS and Director of Public Relations of TrekCore.com sent the following convention report to TrekWeb :

This past weekend, I was at the Creation convention in Secacus, NJ (NYC area) and on Sunday, William Shatner was the guest, and he said that "J.J. [Abrams] is committed" (as in determined) "to having Leonard [Nimoy] and I, Leonard and me, in the film." in response to fan questions about Star Trek XI, though he isn't sure how it will be done, or even what role they would play, wondering if they would be Kirk and Spock as Academy Instructors, or something else.

"It's easy for Leonard, because Spock's alive. But I'm dead." he said, speaking of his character Captain James T. Kirk. He also quashed the Matt Damon as Captain Kirk rumor - the idea was booed by the audience - and said that "I think they're going to go with unknowns," as to any potential casting or recasting of Kirk & Spock. Audience reaction to the idea of a recast was fairly tepid, but between Matt Damon and unknowns in a recast, unknowns received applause. Shatner and Nimoy reprising Kirk and Spock was cheered, of course. Bill also dated his conversation with Abrams as having taken place, "about three weeks ago."

Okay, after being very cautious... it's safe to say that NOW things are finally getting interesting.

If Shatner appears in Star Trek XI, the question is... will he be Kirk? Will he be a post-Generations Kirk? And if so, how will they deal with his death? If not, how will they deal with his age?

11/13/06

Shatner discusses Star Trek XI and Kirk's Death

Via Trekweb:

Star Trek star William Shatner revealed more about his recent meeting with Star Trek XI producer J.J. Abrams at a fan convention in Springfield, Massachusetts on Saturday night (Nov. 11). He was talking about the film Generations when he made this comment:

"I had a talk with J.J. Abrams a while ago and they were writing a new script – and we are all hoping it will be wonderful." Shatner told the audience "And he said, they were going to get the Kirk and Spock characters in there. And I said, 'How will you do that, I'm dead.' (laughter). I said, 'That's a problem.' So, they are wrestling with that death, OK."

Keep in mind that Abrams could've been referring to the "young" Kirk and Spock characters, and Shatner's comments are just tongue-in-cheek. But this info is good to know!

Many thanks to Ray Kelly and Gustavo Leao for the heads-up!

10/6/06

Shatner's DirecTV Commercial

Several people have asked us about the new DirecTV commercial involving William Shatner playing Kirk. It's a digital combination of newly-filmed footage and footage from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.

It's finally on YouTube, you can view it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voILEz4iD_8

And yes, that final shot of Kirk in the turbolift is completely new... no digital trickery. Any doubts of Shatner being able to play Kirk again, are easily put to rest by this commercial.

If we find a higher-quality version, we'll update the link!

8/29/06

Paramount Head Producer of Star Trek XI wants Shatner and Nimoy's involvement.

Excerpt from The Toronto Sun:

Nimoy: "The head of production at Paramount called my agency to tell them about this project and they are aware of Bill's and my contribution to the franchise, and they'd like us to know they might want some involvement. It was all very, very general... They might possibly want Bill and I to set up the story as a flashback. But that's just conjecture on my part."

While it's fairly clear that Paramount will be recasting the parts, the idea of Mr. Shatner and Mr. Nimoy reprising their roles in a "flash-forward" form certainly would be welcome by our campaign. The key though is the story.

We hope that Paramount uses the opportunity not just to cast them, but to do some sort of parallel story that results in the return of Kirk, post-Generations. What we hadn't counted on before was the idea of Leonard Nimoy being a part of it.

These are two legendary actors who have perfected legendary roles, and if they are truly serious about recasting, the idea of having the older Kirk and Spock in a parallel storyline would certainly go a long way toward fan acceptance.

Generations still exists. You KNOW how Kirk dies. That's terrible. Our campaign has always stressed that the real problem was that Kirk didn't ride off into the sunset. It even hurts the pre-Generations Kirk stuff because you know that the character is destined to have a horribly written death, which is as far from good Star Trek as it gets.

It seems inevitable that Trek XI will bring back Kirk. The only question is will they do something about Generations? It's very possible.They can have the best of all worlds. Shatner, as Kirk, will put more butts in the seats. No one can deny that.

Shatner as older James T. Kirk, and another actor as a younger Kirk. Do that, and they have a goldmine. And everyone wins. Do something else, and they'll make less.

Regardless, if Shatner returns as Kirk in Star Trek XI, even as a cameo for a flash-forward, it would HAVE to be a post-Generations Kirk, as Shatner's age would clearly show he is much older than the Kirk in Generations.

So, could Star Trek XI be the movie that finally brings back Kirk? Let's hope so!

The full Nimoy article can be found HERE.

4/26/06

Update on JJ Abrams Star Trek XI Project

From Empire Online:

Fans around the world whooped for joy last week at news that the Star Trek franchise was being resuscitated with M:I:3 director JJ Abrams at the helm. News that it would adopt the long-mooted concept of Kirk and Spock's youthful adventures at Starfleet Academy provoked a more mixed reaction. Those who thought such a move sacrilege can rest easy though because, as Empire discovered in an interview today with Abrams himself, the story is nothing of the sort.

"The whole thing was reported entirely without our cooperation," says the director with a hint of regret. "People learned that I was producing a Star Trek film, that I had an option to direct it, they hear rumours of what the thing was going to be and ran with a story that is not entirely accurate."

But the million dollar question is, what will it be about? Unsurprisingly, Abrams isn't saying ("We've made a pact not to discuss any specifics") but the Lost creator is a confirmed Original Series fan so don't be surprised if his take on the series does indeed take place around the era of Kirk and co, or if some of the established characters do make a reappearance. "Those characters are so spectacular. I just think that… you know, they could live again."

4/21/06

Star Trek XI May Feature Young Kirk and Spock

Excerpts from the current Bring Back Kirk newsletter, written by Marc C.:

According to Trekweb.com, and Variety, the next Star Trek feature film, scheduled for 2008, will feature Kirk and Spock. The bad news is that it will younger versions of the characters, set in the academy days.

It sounds similar to the idea Harve Bennett came up with in the early 1990s. The information basically states first that JJ Abrams, creator of Lost, is going to produce and direct the project.

Abrams is currently doing Mission Impossible III. He has done some very good work, with the aforementioned Lost, and Alias. But he is also responsible for an abandoned Superman script that from what I had read, did not capture the spirit of that character.

While I would consider it exciting that Paramount finally realizes that Kirk and Spock are the keys to keeping the franchise going, we need to get the message across that Captain Kirk's death in Generations really crimps the franchise.

Perhaps Mr. Abrams can be convinced to revisit Generations in his film, even if we get a cameo by Mr. Shatner that implies that Kirk did indeed return after Generations.

If Kirk is indeed the future of the franchise, then Paramount should hopefully realize that the character's meaningless death in Generations should be fixed. Give the character a future.

1/19/06

Stewart on ITV

Article by Jason Turner and Gustavo Leao, featured on Trekweb:

STAR TREK THE NEXT GENERATION star Patrick Stewart has just been interviewed in a prelude to the UK premiere of his new show ELEVENTH HOUR. He was again questioned about the rumours of a new TNG film. He was tight lipped but did say there was "great interest" in getting the TNG cast together again as well as including characters from the other series. Stewart reveals, "It has been raised. Apparently there's interest in bringing THE NEXT GENERATION cast together with actors from different STAR TREK series."
Then they asked him if this meant Captain James T. Kirk would return, and he replied that he hoped so because William Shatner was a good friend. "I would love that. I'm very fond of William Shatner." he said.

Remember, this could just be wishful thinking on Stewart's part, but it's good to hear him say it.

12/13/05

The CanMag.com Rumor

The following excerpt is from an anonymous source called "milo," submitted to CanMag.com in reference to the next Star Trek film:

"The current script – I ASSUME ‘ONE’ OF MANY - apparently has events set in what is called a “Mirror” Universe. It will enable Trek actors past and present to play roles, including William Shatner. Apparently Shatner was in talks to do a guest role on Enterprise, but it didn’t work out. Why? Apparently he wanted a) more money b) would rather do Trek films. Solution? The ideas for the episode of the 'Enterprise' episode he was going to do will now be incorporated into a movie. Yep, Captain kirk’s back - SOMEHOW. The actress wasn’t unsure of her involvement or her show’s cast’s involvement but said she 'thinks' it’ll be Shatner, Captain Picard and maybe Archer."

The full article can be found HERE.

We feel this rumor is very unlikely. But (as always) when a rumor of Kirk's return appears, it spreads like wildfire. So we felt it was necessary to acknowledge it. We personally feel it's bogus. So please take this rumor with a grain of salt.

11/09/05

Shatner Reveals Possible TREK series storyline.

Excerpts from Trekweb:

William Shatner was a great sport about playing improv on The Tony Danza Show this past Monday[...] Danza boldly went where no talk-show host had queried William Shatner before: "What's going to happen with STAR TREK?"

"I'm writing a couple of books on the adolescent Captain Kirk-Spock thing," replied Shatner, "as an idea for CBS, [or] whatever station is going to... Paramount, to use as the next series of STAR TREK."

Full article is HERE.

Special thanks to Gustavo Leao at Trekweb for the heads-up!

8/29/05

Braga Speaks on Kirk's Death

Excerpts from an interview with Brannon Braga at TheFandom.com, in an article from Trekweb:

Regarding the death of Captain Kirk, which he co-wrote with Ron Moore for STAR TREK GENERATIONS, he said "In retrospect you wonder if it was exactly the way, was it done right? Was it as effective as it should have been? Captain Kirk died on a bridge. Should he have died on the bridge of his starship? There is a lot of stuff that I personally, I can't speak for the other gentlemen involved, I personally would love to go back in time, like a STAR TREK episode, and redo some stuff."

We couldn't agree more.

7/24/05

Star Trek XI Rumors - Could Feature TOS Characters?

From Gustavo Leao at Trekweb:

Several rumors about the STAR TREK XI prequel movie have appeared today on the net, rumors that TrekWeb has been unable to officially confirm or deny.

According to the latest issue of STAR TREK Magazine, just out in the UK, Paramount bosses have hinted that the prequel may be filmed in Australia, according to a claim made by the Premier of South Australia, Mike Rann, when he opened the Australian Star Trek convention, Terra Nova, back in April
.
"Mr Rann had been with Paramount Pictures executives at a dinner in Adelaide the day before our convention," Stuart Blair, President of the United Federation of Planets Fan Club of South Australia told Star Trek Magazine. Although that meeting was primarily about Paramount's upcoming film of Edgar Rice Burroughs' PRINCESS OF MARS, Paramount execs apparently also revealed they were also considering shooting the next STAR TREK film in Australia.

STAR TREK Magazine reader Carol Dale, who was at the event says the Premier also revealed some of the next film's plot.

"STAR TREK XI will be set in the very near future," Carol reports. "2010 to be exact. A time when the Earth has been almost destroyed by nuclear war, when our saviours from the future arrive."

"The story is to be set over two movies," Carol continued. "As to who will star nothing was said, but it was inferred that Spock was a must. But if they are bringing help from the future it leaves it open to star any and all of the STAR TREK casts from all the shows."

To read the full article, get the latest issue of STAR TREK Magazine at your local newstand.

This information is preliminary, of course, and entirely rumor.

What's interesting about this rumor, is that it could coincide with the February rumors that Shatner was approached to appear in Star Trek XI. Don't take these rumors too seriously right now, but keep them in mind!

7/24/05

Article - BOLDLY GONE: Shatner's Latest Trek

A great article written by Jim Smith at Shiny Shelf:

BOLDLY GONE: Shatner's Last Trek

We live, as anyone with the slightest grasp on pop culture knows, in an era of Shatner renaissance. He has a new album out (one that everybody likes) his charitable work is finally being recognised and he has been awarded two of American television’s most prestigious acting awards. More importantly these gongs (an Emmy and a Golden Globe) haven’t been given out for long service or recognition of the man’s status as an icon, they’ve been presented for his new ongoing role in ’Boston Legal’ (nee ‘The Practice’). They’re awards that recognise not just the talent and longevity of the man but also his renewed prominence and a singular, distinctive performance of wit and verve.

One of the big geek-stories of the first quarter of this year was the head-popping possibility that the Shatner renaissance would be allowed to collide with the creative renaissance over on ‘Star Trek: Enterprise’ that it had coincidentally occured at the same time. Shatner was keen to work on the show, having come up with a plot for an episode that he would like to appear in (Shatner has written several novels about Kirk in recent years). We could, we believed, have been looking at the holy grail of ‘Star Trek’ – the return of Captain Kirk (he was killed off, movingly but unspectacularly, in the seventh theatrical ‘Trek’ movie ‘Generations’). The idea had such prominence that there were reports of a promo shown to programme buyers making reference to it and it was known that the concept had got beyond discussions and into negotiations. These subsequently fell apart over issues related to money (i.e. Paramount are mean).

‘Enterprise' showrunner Manny Coto recently announced to a convention audience what the prospective plots for the ‘Kirk’ episodes were. Yes, that’s ‘plots’ as there was more than one idea on the table. One would have seen Shatner playing a time-travelling Mirror Kirk (the evil doppelganger he played in all time greatest ‘Trek’ episode ‘Mirror, Mirror’ and has written about in his novels since) who escapes from a prison planet and tries to return to his own reality, clashing with Scott Bakula’s noble Jonathan Archer in the process. The other (devised by ‘Enterprise’ staffer Mike Sussman) would have seen Shatner play the NX-01’s Chef, who would turn out to be an ancestor of Kirk’s. Chef would find himself called upon to impersonate the future legend in a time-travelling comedy plot involving the Temporal Cold War and the enigmatic Crewman Daniels.

Unlike some I actually think both of these would have made fine episodes – there’s a great farce behind Sussman’s notion and the idea of Bakula teaching Shatner how to be the Captain of the Enterprise is appealingly incongrous. Looking at the other notion, viewers of 'Classic Trek' will know that Shatner can do evil as well as he does great screen heroism and the idea of him as a maniacal villain facing off against Bakula's intense explorer/hero is enticing. Both men are great TV stars and it would have been an engaging contest.

However both ideas, while radically different to one another, have one basic thing in common. They both sidestep the actual return of the hero of the original 'Star Trek', Captain James Tiberius Kirk, opting instead in favour of a substitute/avatar. The problem is that a simple return is basically what most people tuning in (even those who haven’t seen, or don’t know of, ‘Generations’) would have expected to see.

While an evil-Kirk centred mirror universe two parter would have been (based on the evidence of the brilliant production afforded ‘In a Mirror, Darkly’) an inevitable delight, it’s hard to shift the notion that it would have been a missed opportunity. The idea of Shatner as evil-Kirk (or comedy Kirk) is compelling, but it’s not as compelling as the idea of the return of the real thing. (An enticing possibility, though, is a potential twist where the real Kirk would have turned up to trounce his evil doppelganger at the story’s conclusion). What we have in the real world is a frustratingly missed open goal. Had the alternative ‘In a Mirror, Darkly’ been made then we’d have been looking at pretty much the same thing.

The death of ‘Modern Trek’ means that the property needs a re-launch. There’s now a second opportunity to collide the Shatner renaissance with the role that made him a star. The most plausible, and most likely to succeed, relaunch for ‘Trek’ would be one that tapped in, as firmly as possible, to the goodwill extended by such a large percentage of viewers to the original, classic, proper ‘Star Trek’ of the 1960s.

With DeForest Kelley and Gene Roddenberry sadly gone and Leonard Nimoy firmly retired there’s really only one sensible option, especially when the wrongs of the end of ‘Generations’ are still there to be righted. “ ‘Star Trek – The Return of Captain Kirk’ your Monday night original movie here on SpikeTV”. You know it. It’s the only way. Are you listening Paramount?

You should be.

The original URL can be found here:
http://www.shinyshelf.co.uk/article/3/st/1012

7/21/05

James Doohan, 1920-2005

A sad time for Trek fans, as James Doohan passed away Wednesday morning of complications from pneumonia and Alzheimer's disease. He was 85.

Doohan, world famous for his role on the original Star Trek television series as the miracle-working Scottish Engineer "Scotty" on the USS Enterprise, died at his home in Redmond, Washington at the side of his wife Wende and his agent Steve Stevens Sr, who was also his friend.

William Shatner stated today, "A long and storied career is over... My condolences go out to his family."

Last year, Doohan received his star on the Walk of Fame.

Per Doohan's request, he is to be cremated and his ashes sent into space by the same Houston-based aerospace company that shot the remains of Gene Roddenberry into orbit following the Star Trek creator's death in 1991. This will happen on a Falcon 1 rocket launching later this year.

'Nobody embraced the fans like James did. He loved the fans, and they loved him. And he felt that he needed to give back what he got,' E! Online quoted Steve Stevens Sr as saying.

Doohan is survived by seven children, the youngest of whom was born in 2000, and wife Wende.

Goodbye, Mr. Doohan, and thank you for all you have contributed to Star Trek and beyond.

5/15/05

As The Franchise Rests

Don't fear, fellow fans. As there are no current plans of a new Star Trek series or feature film, we are also resting as we wait for news of the direction of the franchise. When there is news relevant to the cause, we will make you aware of it!

3/17/05

Convention Report - Shatner's cameo on ENT would NOT have been Kirk

The Sunday portion of Creation Entertainment's Grand Slam XIII convention was summarized at StarTrek.com. At this convention, the following was revealed regarding the plans to have Shatner appear on Star Trek: Enterprise:

The convention-goers were treated to a sneak preview of the upcoming mirror-universe two-parter, "In a Mirror, Darkly," which airs April 22 and 29. Before they showed clips, though, the writers explained the long history of the concept. "We had talked about doing a mirror universe episode ever since we got into Season Four," Coto began. "But then we had the possibility of getting William Shatner. Coincidentally, the Reeves-Stevens [who have worked with Shatner on several Trek novels] were a pair of writers whom I desperately wanted to bring on the show. And they, it turned out, had an idea for a mirror universe two-parter which would feature the return of William Shatner."

At past conventions, Shatner has spoken about a story concept which he himself pitched that was well received. But Paramount and Shatner failed to reach agreement so, as we know, Shatner wouldn't be making a guest appearance on Enterprise. However, the Reeves-Stevens couple (affectionately called "the Bynars" by their fellow writers) were now able to reveal what that pitch was.

"The idea was that the Tantalus Field was not a disintegrator, it was a humane way of dealing with prisoners, by sending them back in time to a sealed penal colony," Garfield Reeves-Stevens explained. "Enterprise NX-01 comes upon the colony — and Tiberius [mirror-Kirk] is there. Tiberius thinks, 'Finally, a ship with a transporter — I can get back to my own universe, my own time.' He basically goes on the NX-01, gets to the transporter, sets it to go back to the mirror universe — the mirror universe doesn't exist." "It hasn't been created yet," Judith elaborated. Garfield continued: "So Tiberius and Archer work together to figure out where the division point is between the universes, what point that one split off into the other. And as it turns out, Tiberius and Archer together are responsible for the creation of the mirror universe."

Coto recounted that Shatner pitched the idea to him, Brannon Braga and Rick Berman over lunch. They loved it, but Berman pitched an alternative concept, which was actually devised by Mike Sussman.

So Sussman explained that: "Shatner was going to be 'Chef' — an ancestor of Kirk. We would find out that at some point in the future the real Kirk got into trouble, got taken out of history. And Daniels would show up, he would grab Archer, he would grab Chef — who of course looked like William Shatner — and say, 'You have to go to the future and impersonate Captain Kirk in some important ceremony.' That was the setup."

"We pitched this to Shatner and there was a long silence," Coto continued. Well, since negotiations fell through, there would be no Kirk story, but they still wanted to do a mirror-universe two-parter. "We started bandying about ideas, trying to figure out a way to get our characters into the mirror universe, because as you all know in the Original Series the mirror universe was pretty much a first-contact situation. What do we do about that? We came up with a concept of doing the story solely in the mirror universe. As if you're watching a Star Trek: Enterprise episode coming straight from the mirror universe, including a whole new title sequence. And there's very little interaction with our regular universe.

So it appears that Shatner would not have appeared as James T. Kirk, in spite of what some of The Powers That Be have said in the past.

The Chef idea is, in our opinion, foolish. And although the episode itself would have spiked ratings, the subsequent episodes' ratings would have plummeted down further after seeing such an atrocity. However, it's likely that the Chef idea was merely Sussman joking around.

The Reeve-Stevens' Tiberius idea was much better, and in some ways implies that the Reeve-Stevens/Shatner novels actually happened. Which, in turn, would imply that Kirk is alive in the 24th Century.

But unfortunately that wouldn't have been good enough. The problem of Kirk's death still wouldn't have been addressed directly in canon, and thus wouldn't resolve the issue.

If the Tiberius episode had been made, the ratings would have been very good, and probably even would have held on for a couple of more episodes. But they would have eventually tapered off again. Only Kirk himself would have gotten the real ratings.

So don't fret over the loss of Shatner's cameo on Enterprise. Kirk wouldn't have returned. We actually dodged a bullet on this one.

2/21/05

RUMOR - Shatner asked to appear in new Trek movie?

SciFi Universe offers this rumor:

A UK fan told Sci-Fi Universe Sky News reported Paramount has asked William Shatner to appear on the upcoming Star Trek movie, currently entitled as The Untitled Star Trek Prequel.

The Sky News' Entertainment reporter said on Monday he has spoken to William Shatner and Paramount approached him about an appearance on the upcoming Star Trek movie. The reporter could not confirm if he accepted the offer.

Please note, the Sky News report has not yet been confirmed by any official source and should be treated as a rumor until then.

Full article is HERE.

2/2/05

Star Trek: Enterprise Cancelled

Here is the official press release from UPN:

"STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE" TO END ITS CURRENT VOYAGE ON UPN IN MAY

UPN and Paramount Network Television have jointly announced that this will be the final season of STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE on UPN. The series finale will air on Friday, May 13, 2005.

"Star Trek has been an important part of UPN's history, and ENTERPRISE has carried on the tradition of its predecessors with great distinction," said Dawn Ostroff, President, Entertainment, UPN. "We'd like to thank Rick Berman, Brannon Braga and an incredibly talented cast for creating an engaging, new dimension to the Star Trek universe on UPN, and we look forward to working with them, and our partners at Paramount Network Television, on a send-off that salutes its contributions to The Network and satisfies its loyal viewers."

David Stapf, President of Paramount Network Television, said, "The creators, stars and crew of STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE ambitiously and proudly upheld the fine traditions of the STAR TREK franchise. We are grateful for their contributions to the legacy of TREK and commend them on completing nearly 100 exciting, dramatic and visually stunning episodes. All of us at Paramount warmly bid goodbye to ENTERPRISE, and we all look forward to a new chapter of this enduring franchise in the future."

A prequel to the original "Star Trek" series, STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE premiered on UPN on Sept. 26, 2001, and aired for its first three seasons on Wednesdays (8:00-9:00PM, ET/PT). On Oct. 8, 2004, STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE moved into its current time on Fridays (8:00-9:00PM, ET/PT). Through its four-year run, STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE produced a total of 98 episodes and earned four Emmy Awards.

In January, Paramount Domestic Television sold the rebroadcasts of STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE into off-network syndication in over 90% of the country, including 49 of the 50 top markets, and is set for debut in Fall 2005.

The series stars Scott Bakula as Capt. Jonathan Archer, John Billingsley as Dr. Phlox, Jolene Blalock as the Vulcan Sub Commander T'Pol, Dominic Keating as Lt. Malcolm Reed, Anthony Montgomery as Ensign Travis Mayweather, Linda Park as Ensign Hoshi Sato and Connor Trinneer as Chief Engineer Charles "Trip" Tucker III.

Rick Berman and Brannon Braga are the creators and executive producers of the series. STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE is a Paramount Network Television production.

The official site link is HERE.

Farewell, Enterprise.  You had a strong final season thanks to Manny Coto and Reeve-Stevens.

It looks like Kirk won't be coming back on ENT. 

Which is a shame, because if he had, we probably wouldn't be giving you this bad news right now.

Don't dispair, fans.  We'll all continue to fight the good fight!

1/21/05

Shatner on Enterprise - Still in discussion

In the latest Star Trek Magazine of the UK, Enterprise producer Rick Berman had this to say regarding Shatner's possible appearance on Enterprise:

Berman: "It's still in discussion. It's totally out of our hands. It's something that's happening between agents and attorneys. I'm not very optimistic, but it's not totally dead. Someone joked to me that I should talk to Rene Auberjonois [co-star of Shatner's TV series Boston Legal] into talking Shatner into coming onto the show."

Please note that we don't know how old this information is, and could be outdated.

1/20/05

Shatner on Enterprise - Apparently not this season.

It appears William Shatner's last statements with IESB were correct.  "Not this season, more likely next season" is the message currently emanating from the higher ups in camp Star Trek. While no concrete information is known that William Shatner is locked with Enterprise (in fact mostly denials plague the various news sources), it is speculated that should Enterprise go a fifth season, that a Captain Kirk appearance could not only be a major selling point for a possible renewal; but could kick start the fifth season off with a ratings bang. Of course this is conjuncture at this time.

So where does this leave us? Just like last year, we encourage any and all fans to actively participate in the activites over at SaveEnterprise.com, as I'm sure there will be major work to be done in the next few months.

12/11/04

Manny Coto: "Cool Idea" planned for Kirk on Enterprise

Star Trek: Enterprise producer Manny Coto was interviewed in the latest issue of TV Zone Magazine.  In it, he states:

"There's still a question of whether or not the Kirk thing will happen. If it does, though, the episode will be written by Judith and Gar Reeves-Stevens, who've joined us this season as story editors. I don't want to give any spoilers away, but, trust me, it's a really cool idea."

12/04/04

Shatner on Enterprise - New information from IESB

The IESB website was able to ask William Shatner about his possible appearance on Star Trek: Enterprise at the VH-1 Big in 04.

According to the video footage, after being asked if he is going to appear on Star Trek: Enterprise, Shatner acted evasive, then answered that he didn't know.  He then said that he felt it was too late for him to appear on this season, but if they go another season, then maybe he would be on.


11/29/04

Manny Coto: Shatner is not asking for too much money.  "Optimistic" about Shatner appearance.

In more excerpts from the latest issue of the UK Star Trek Magazine provided by Gustavo Leao at Trekweb.com, Star Trek: Enterprise producer Manny Coto stated that although Paramount and Shatner have been "at odds" over money in regards to a guest appearance on Enterprise, "It's not the case that Shatner has asked for too much money or that Paramount doesn't want to pay it - Paramount had their number, which was a good amount as well. So it's just a case of finding the middle point. I'm still optimistic it will happen."

Although this information may be old by now, it's good to know that Shatner's price wasn't unreasonable. 

To quote TV Guide regarding the possible Shatner appearance:

"Note to UPN: Don't cheap out on this one."

11/25/04

Berman talks Shatner negotiations - Star Trek Magazine

In the latest issue of the UK Star Trek Magazine, Star Trek producer Rick Berman said of Shatner's possible appearance on Star Trek: Enterprise, "It's really hard to tell. It's a great idea and it's something he would like to do and something we would like to do. And it's caught up in financial negotiations, which I can happily say I'm not involved with."

Remember that this information by Berman is probably old compared to Shatner's statements made on 11/17/04.

11/17/04

William Shatner says the chances of Kirk's return on Enterprise are "Fair."
- Plus update regarding USA Today.

On William Shatner's official website today, Shatner answers a few questions posted to him by fans.  This is the important one:

QUESTION: Thecaptain, Flint, and DarthDavid all ask: What do you think the chances are of seeing Kirk back in the next movie (if there is one) or on “Enterprise?”

WILLIAM SHATNER ANSWERS: I think the chances are fair, at least as far as “Enterprise” is concerned. I’d certainly be willing to entertain the idea.

As we expected, Shatner is still teasing us.  He won't give a definite answer yet.

BUT, this answer is very different from Shatner's jokey answer back in August, where he stated that The Powers That Be "stopped calling" due to money. Shatner said something similar in a November 17th article in USA Today HERE.  Shatner's only quote in USA TODAY on the subject was that when he mentioned money, "they gasped. I haven't heard back."  Most likely, you will see Trek news sites with a big headline saying that it's unlikely to see Shatner on Enterprise, but keep in mind that the word UNLIKELY was used by USA TODAY, not Shatner. It is not a quote.  And for all we know, the USA TODAY interview was conducted a month ago. Or it could have been done yesterday. There's no way of knowing because it's not in the article.

This new answer from Shatner's website, where Shatner refers to the chances of Kirk's appearance on Enterprise being "fair," falls more in line with the recent buzz that negotiations are complete, or nearly complete.  Shatner may be holding off until he finally signs on the dotted line, or the news is released "officially."

We feel it's a safe guess that Kirk's appearance on Star Trek: Enterprise is going to happen, unless the show gets cancelled first.

11/10/04

Next Week - Shatner answers the Enterprise appearance question

The November 10th edition of William Shatner's official newsletter states that next week Shatner will answer the question of whether or not he is going to appear on Star Trek: Enterprise. 

Is it the answer we're hoping for?

Be prepared, as sometimes Shatner can be vague and jokey with his answers.  So his answer may still be ambiguous.

11/01/04

Bring Back Kirk trailer novelization - "Echoes of Destiny"

A few months back, we released the second official Bring Back Kirk trailer. This trailer was a success and got a lot of attention for the Bring Back Kirk campaign.

Well, one person, who has professional Star Trek experience, decided to help our cause by turning our trailer into a novelization. This person has taken the trailer, expanded the storyline, and divided the story into two parts.

Part One will deal with the whole storyline involving Kirk's retrieval by Spock from the nexus, and Starfleet's role in accomplishing it. Part Two will involve that big battle.

Basically, thanks to this incredible though anonymous author, we will be able to treat Star Trek fans to a free Star Trek novel, based on our trailer. Part one is available at the link below. Again, this will only be about half the story.

Echoes of Destiny - Part One


10/06/04

Shatner on Enterprise - Negotiations still on!

At the Philidelphia Creation Salute to Star Trek and Sci Fi Media Convention on Sunday, October 3, William Shatner said that he was still in negotiations in regards to a possible appearance on Enterprise.

So any news you have heard recently of negotiations ending, just remember that all people that are the actual Powers That Be (such as Rick Berman, Brannon Braga, and Manny Coto), have stated nothing of the sort. And we now have a VERY recent statement from William Shatner himself, confirming that negotiations are still continuing.

10/04/04

Shatner on Enterprise - "Alternate Reality" involving Kirk?

In a recent interview with TV Guide, Enterprise producer Rick Berman stated that should a deal be made with William Shatner, Berman says that the TOS star would play "an incarnation of Captain Kirk, in a sense. It would have to do with an alternate reality."

What does this mean?  We're not sure yet.  Could this be some kind of "alternate" Kirk?  If this is true, it's not good news.  We want "our" Kirk, not some other character that looks like Kirk.

Is this Tiberius, the former emperor of the mirror universe? If so, they could end up making the Shatner novels canon. That would effectively bring Kirk back.

Is this a Kirk that lived the same life, but survived his encounter on Veridian III? If so, then it's arguable that all Trek since Generations could take place in THAT universe.

Could this be a Kirk that was retrieved from the Nexus?  There could be infinite Kirks there, since time has no meaning in the Nexus.  If so, this could also work, since every Kirk in that Nexus is equal to the Kirk that left the Nexus in Generations.

But if this is just another character, an alternate reality incarnation of a Kirk... then it will be a waste of time and a disappointment. 

Coto has stated it will NOT be "an incarnation of a Kirk."  This recent quote by Berman seems to contradict that.  But it is possible that it will be the REAL Kirk, but the story involving Kirk deals with an alternate universe.

As we've always stated: Don't give up hope, but don't start celebrating yet!

10/01/04

Shatner on Enterprise: RUMOR - Negotiations (nearly) complete?

From Moviehole.net:

There might be good news on the way for "Trek" fans after all. Rumour has it that Paramount and Bill Shatner might have reached - or are nearing reaching - a deal, according to a Moviehole insider.

"The ongoing negotiations between Paramount, makers of TV's Enterprise and William Shatner, are apparently now going very well and we can expect an announcement pretty soon on Shatner's reprisal of Captain James T.Kirk for an unspecified number of Enterprise episodes for 2005", we're told.

The actor was holding out for a little more money and apparently "looks like getting what he wants".

Paramount reportedly wanted to bring in the actor to spice up ratings - and has had to dig deep to see that that happens.

Don't pop the champagne corks just yet.  This is still only rumor.  Cross your fingers!

9/29/04

Braga Confirmation: If they get Shatner, Shatner WILL play Kirk

Enterprise producer Brannon Braga has now left no room for doubt as to whether Shatner would play Kirk or not:

http://www.brannonbraga.com/2004_october.htm
 
The key quote being:
"We want to get into a lot of concepts and characters and villains that have been part of Star Trek over the years, but that haven't been explored yet or haven't been revisited in some way. The Eugenics War, from the time of Khan (Ricardo Montalban), is an example. And if by some miracle it works out with William Shatner, bringing Kirk on to the show will be another instance."
 
No questions of wording here.  

Braga has stated Shatner will play KIRK. Not "a Kirk" or "an incarnation of a Kirk."

Case closed on that issue.  All we need to be concerned about now is whether negotiations work out.


9/27/04

Bring Back Kirk Campaign interview with StarTrekFans.net.

On September 26th, Bring Back Kirk Campaign officials Jason Turner and Marc C were invited to a chatroom Q&A session with StarTrekFans.net in regards to the recent buzz on Shatner's possible appearance on Enterprise.  You can read the transcript HERE!

9/27/04

Bring Back Kirk Campaign Radio interview

Recently the Bring Back Kirk Campaign had a radio interview with Radio SciFi.  You can hear the ZIPped audio from this 14 minute interview, in WMA format, HERE!


9/22/04

Shatner on Enterprise - Kirk episode may involve idea from Original Series

Excerpt from a Trekweb article by Gustavo Leao:

The latest issue of Star Trek Magazine, just out in the UK, features an exclusive interview with Producer Rick Berman, in which he gives more insight into the upcoming fourth season of Star Trek: Enterprise.

Berman said that elements of the Original Series will be incorporate into the storylines in the fourth season. "Manny is very interested in touching upon those things. And Brannon [Braga] and I are all for it," he says "A classic example is the connection to the Eugenics Wars we're going to be doing. The idea that Bill Shatner has, which will be developed if and when we can structure something to bring him to the show, harks back to an idea that comes from the original series. As ENTERPRISE gets closer in time to the era of Kirk and Spock (Leonard Nimoy) we are going to want to touch more and more on things that the fans know will be happening during that era. Manny is interested in bringing back some species that were introduced in the original series. And I'm all for it."

What's most interesting about these comments, is Berman's "if and when."

9/14/04

Clarification of Coto's Star Trek Communicator quotes

It has come to our attention that a website has posted Coto's quotes from the October Star Trek Communicator article that was also shown on this news page on 9/11/04. 

It appears some people are misinterpreting Coto's statement of Shatner not playing "a Kirk" as not playing James T. Kirk.

This is very incorrect.  Rick Berman has stated that Shatner would be playing "a Kirk" and that he would NOT be playing "another character."

Although Berman's statement made it clear that Shatner would NOT be playing a non-Kirk character, his statement left open the question of what Berman meant by Shatner playing "a Kirk."  It left some fans wondering if Shatner would be playing a Mirror Universe Kirk, etc.

In Coto's Communicator interview, Coto was merely addressing this issue and stated that Shatner would not be playing "a Kirk."  This does NOT mean Shatner won't be playing James T. Kirk.  It merely means Shatner won't be playing some OTHER kind of Kirk.

Unfortunately, the website's confusing headline and its write-up of what Coto said, was a sloppy interpretation of Coto's words. Coto never said Shatner wouldn't be playing James T. Kirk. Coto's interview was worded VERY carefully. 

9/11/04

Shatner would indeed be James T. Kirk on Enterprise.  Could be a 3-parter.

Enterprise producer Manny Coto has stated in the October issue of Star Trek: Communicator that if William Shatner does appear on Enterprise, he won't be playing "another character," and that Shatner won't be playing "a Kirk" or "an ancestor of Kirk."  Coto also stated that the episode could likely be a 3-parter.

Apparently if all goes well with negotiations and Shatner appears on Enterprise, he will be playing James T. Kirk.

Please keep in mind, nobody as yet has stated that negotiations are finalized.

8/18/04

Coto confirms: Negotiations still on!  Reeves-Stevens would write Kirk script!

In an excellent interview with Trekweb, Enterprise executive producer and writer Manny Coto reveals much good news:

TW: Which scripts have [Judith and Gar Reeves-Stevens] written or will be writing?

MC: Judy and Gar haven’t written any yet, they probably will be writing one of the scripts on the Vulcan arc. Not probably, I’d say definitely going to write one of the scripts on the Vulcan arc, which we’re working on now. Alan has written episode two of the Soong arc “CS-12.”

TW: Will the Reeves-Stevenes write the possible William Shatner story?

MC: If the Shatner episode comes to fruition, which I’m hoping, yes they will write the Shatner episode(s).

By the way I should say that the Reeves-Stevens and the Shatner connection was actually completely coincidental. I wanted to bring on the Reeves-Stevens before we even knew Shatner was going to do the season. It was a strange thing, when I brought them in to meet with them they told me that Bill had this idea for the series and I said “oh really,” and I called Rick Berman and said “have you heard about this? Let’s move!” It was a strange coincidence but oddly enough worked out that way.

TW: What exactly is their position and role so far?

MC: They are executive story editors. They’re in the room, we’re all in the room tossing out ideas, and they have already submitted some great ideas for story arcs that I want to do later in the year.

TW: And what is the status of the Shatner situation? Are they actively working with him?

MC: They’re actively talking with him. They’re going back and forth with numbers, I know it’s a tough negotiation. I couldn’t tell you whether it’s going to work out or not, I’m hoping that it will. I know that there is interest from UPN and Paramount, they really want to try and make it work, but it’s a tough negotiation. It [would be] later in the year.

8/17/04

Shatner on Enterprise: Negotiations NOT dead.

William Shatner recently made comments last Thursday on a message board that "Paramount and I have had one discussion about my appearing on ENTERPRISE.  I mentioned money and they stopped calling."

We just wanted to reassure everyone that negotiations are NOT dead. 

We have this from many sources, including one very reliable one.

We here at the Bring Back Kirk Campaign have always been cautious as far as rumors go.  We don't ever want to get people's hopes up only to have them taken away.  If something is merely a rumor, we say so.  And we won't even talk about rumors unless they are likely.

Rest assured: This is not hype on our part. 

Negotiations with Shatner are definitely still happening.

8/14/04

Bring Back Kirk Campaign on TV today!

Some breaking news! 

The Bring Back Kirk Campaign will be featured on the TECH NOW program on NBC 11 in San Francisco today (Saturday August 14th) at  6:30 pm PT.

Unfortunately, none of the officials are in this area.

If anyone in the SF/OAK area who gets NBC11 watches the show, please e-mail us at Officials@bringbackkirk.com.

We'd love to get a report on how it went! If it could be taped, even better!

8/13/04

"Kirk on Enterprise" rumors building momentum!

Apparently the news of the test ad regarding Kirk appearing on Enterprise has made it to Good Morning America!

Also, The Boston Herald, and Fox News!

This just goes to show, when KIRK is involved, even if it's just a test ad, it hits big!

Not that this was any surprise to us, of course.

8/10/04

"Kirk on Enterprise" test advertisement confirmed!

The latest story to crawl out of the rumour woodwork is that a UPN Trailer promoting William Shatner as Captain Kirk was circulated at the CBS Television City Research Center in Las Vegas last week.

"Lt Barclay", a Trekweb visitor, posted a report in the Trekweb forums from a focus group he took part in:

"While visiting Las Vegas last week, I went to MGM Grand's CBS Television City Research Center. They had us preview an episode of John Goodman's new series, Center of the Universe, starting in the Fall. During the show, a few UPN commercials were shown, including one for Enterprise. During the commercial they showed scenes from season 3. After these scenes were shown, a Star Trek symbol flying through space was displayed with writing above it corresponding to what the narrator was saying (this is not exact, but similar to what the narrator said):

'Join us this fall for a 2-episode special as William Shatner returns to the Star Trek universe, as James T. Kirk.' "

The Bring Back Kirk Campaign waited a little while before printing this information, because we didn't want to do fans a disservice by printing unfounded rumors. Many suspected this as being bogus because of what we know so far of Enterprise’s fourth season -- airing in October. And already knowing the first spread of episodes, there is no way Shatner could be back in the Fall.

Since the reports proliferated on the internet, and Paramount have refused to comment, we can now confirm that through our own reliable sources, this test advertisement IS indeed genuine, and actually took place. No doubt about this, the trailer WAS shown before a focus group and the guy posting at Trekweb was not spreading falsehoods.

As for the part about "the Fall", from what we know now, we suspect that they mean to get in the viewers straight away, even though the appearance may be later in the season, to take advantage of the special casting of Shatner.

It wasn’t a genuine advert (at least not yet), so the "two part" element should be taken with a grain of salt. But it’s very clear that not only does Paramount want to test the general audience's reaction to William Shatner’s return; but his return as Captain James T Kirk is an important part of it.

What is not clear is the actual purpose of the ad survery.  But what we do know, is that Paramount is serious about this idea, and it’s not an idea whithering away as a backburner on some writer’s whiteboard.

Will Paramount ever admit to the advert tests? Doubtful. Will we ever know the results? Also very doubtful.

So when we will know more? The timescale is anyone’s guess. We could hear anything as soon as someone lets something slip at a convention (the farewell Jimmy Doohan con is in a couple of weeks in Hollywood), or it could be as long as next year, promoting a late season guest appearance should all parties reach an agreement.

Something’s cooking, folks. and the more we smell the goods, the more it’s looking like it could be the meal we ordered. The addition of the Reeves-Stevens as story editors, certainly increases the likelihood of Kirk’s return. But don’t get your hopes too high. The reality of the television business, is that at any time this could be torn away from happening. But keep the faith. It’s about time fate conspired to get us our Captain back. Is it a matter of "if" or more a matter of "when"? One thing’s for sure, we WILL know for certain very soon.

Excerpted from the Bring Back Kirk Newsletter, original article by BBK Official Jason Turner.

7/28/04

Bakula speaks of Shatner's possible appearance on Enterprise

Concerning reports that William Shatner could guest star on Enterprise this season, Bakula sees the possibility as "amazing" but also "daunting." "You know, I've been such a huge fan of his for so many years, and to have him be on a bridge again, on our bridge in particular, would be mind-boggling."

Special thanks to Gustavo Leao at Trekweb.com for the heads-up!