Star Trek due for a rebirth of twins in new TV series.

Word has leaked out of the studio that the next Star Trek TV series set to replace Voyager will indeed be a prequel that will focus on the birth of the Federation.

"The biggest challenge," our inside source - one of the concept scripters - noted, "will be to come up with a unique look, feel and direction for the show without harking back too much to the sets of the original series with Kirk and Spock."

"What we don't want to do is resurrect the 1960s lycra cling-film miniskirt look for the uniforms and have big twiddly knobs on the consoles. I mean, for crike's sake, in the original Trek Scotty was referring to 21st century space craft with transistors. How likely is that? We don't want to create Austin Powers in space."

"We know that the very early 22nd century is going to have hologram displays and control consoles as least as modern as we have today, our task is to try to reflect that in a way that doesn't appear more advanced than the sets we've already seen in Voyager and DS9"

"One possibility we're exploring is to have the early craft, technology and sets looking quite alien. We could get away with this because we already know that the post-holocaust Earth was jump started back on the road to civilization by the chance meeting with a Vulcan science vessel (as shown in Star Trek First Contact)."

"The premise would be that the Vulcan version of the Peace Corps - which would include a few other benevolent alien races the Vulcans are already in contact with - have helped us rebuild Earth, and that as a species, mankind is so grateful for its second chance, that it vows to reciprocate this spirit throughout the stars.

"It is in this spirit that the nascent Federation is formed. Humanity has seen its own darkside and vowed to leave it in the nuclear dust forever for far nobler values."

Of course, we can also look forward to the return of the Klingons as pure bad guys for this series.

Our source told us: "We're hot for the Klingons to return. We'll have to reconcile the species as shown in the original Trek and the later TV series. I suspect we'll go for the full make-up version, rather than the silver paint and Fu Manchu mustache variant though. There's going to be clever little surprise about the race however, which the fans are going to go mad for. Trust me."

The big news is that not only is the prequel version going to get launched as a Voyager replacement, but that a more modern version is going to be given the greenlight soon after.

"I don't know a lot about the other Trek series," our source told us. "They've kept the two creative teams compartmentalized on purpose. "But I do know they want two series in play at the same time, and in the other series, they're keen to have an environment where the stars they've built up in DS9 and Voyager have a chance to appear, especially Seven of Nine."

"One of the final episode ideas for our premiere series is a time travel crossover, and the 'far future' cast members we were briefed to expect to land in the 22nd century will surprise a lot of the audience, I suspect."

More news on these two exciting new series as we get it (subscribe below to our monthly e-mail newsletter to keep informed).

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Jorn Marsh. 01/01/2001
I feel that going back in time for the new series is a big mistake. It is - literally - history. Nobody is interested in the past Trek universe. Move it forward, guys, move it forward.

Raphael Minder. 01/01/2001
I heard a rumour that the second, more modern, series (mentioned in this article) is going to feature a star ship called the USS Merlin. The rumor said it was going to be the largest Federation star ship yet.

Avi Shrimsley. 01/01/2001
I heard that rumor too, but I think they might have changed their mind - about the ship name only - since it was leaked.

Gareth Dart. 02/01/2001
Nobody interested in Trek history? Au contraire, Mr. Marsh, I think this is one of the better spin off ideas I've heard. Hopefully it'll bring a sense of completeness to the series and resolve some of the more glaring inconsistencies between new and old Trek.

Steve Parady. 02/01/2001
Again, Paramount ignores the fan's preference for a series based on Captain Sulu and the Excelsior. Their attitude seems to be "Star Trek is our baby, the hell with what the fans want."

WorldMaker. 02/01/2001
USS Merlin does sound too much like an internal codename more than an actual ship name... Most of the ship names are generally NASA-based (in homage to the fact that NASA named one "Enterprise" for obvious reasons). I think it would be cool to use USS Endeavor (sp?) as the name of a major ship.

Jim Nielsen. 02/01/2001
I think that Rick Berman is an idiot. Nobody wants a "touchy-feely" trek. They want the powerful sci-fi of the early treks. A show based on the Excelsior with major battles and sfx would be the way to go. This would make fans happy and pad the shows pockets!

Chris Taylor. 02/01/2001
I am very tempted to plead for the Trek "powers that be" to keep the show moving foward, not backwards. With the exception of the New Generation crew, all the other Trek crews tend to fade away into memory, leaving the viewer wondering how their doing. But again, every time I begin to pre-criticize the trek powers that be, Im normally pleased with their final results (example: I thought having a pro wrestler on Voyager was a bad idea, yet when I saw the episode, it was entertaining. I certainly hope that if they do end up with a pre-Federation show, they also get that newer, post-Voyager/DS9 show off the ground in short order (if there is, indeed one). That way, everyone will be happy! I got my bags packed, and am ready to cruise with either or both of them! BRING 'EM ON!!!!

Michael Texas. 15/01/2001
I admit the idea of a 'throwback' Star Trek has great appeal. A newer show is equally interesting to me as well. I was wondering what Paramount was going to do when Voyager goes off the air.

Martin Pratt. 01/02/2001
BAD IDEA, this throwback series business. The series needs to go FORWARD. In MY opinion, Berman et al f----- up BIG TIME in doing Voyager the way they did it. From the start, I'd thought that they'd go into the GAMMA Quadrant and run into the Dominion's back yard. Now THAT would have been GOOD.