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Title: Ent Set To Be Cancelled ?


Crichton Kicks - January 18, 2005 06:46 PM (GMT)
QUOTE
British science fiction magazine SFX today became the very first source this season to report that Star Trek: Enterprise is about to be cancelled.


SFX is reporting that Star Trek: Enterprise is on the brink of cancellation, with long-time staffers set to be laid off within a few weeks. "Our longstanding insider on the Paramount set, Trekspy, will soon be Trekspy no more - since they're being laid off in the first week of March. Due to the nature of Trekspy's role, this suggests that principal photography on the sound stages will finish at around the same time," said the article.

TrekSpy added that only three or four episodes would be filmed following the completion of "Divergence," bringing the season to a total of no more than 20 episodes. Enterprise was originally scheduled to run 22 episodes this season. A firm decision about the show's future may not be announced by UPN or Paramount until the up-front presentation in May.

Although SFX has never revealed the identity of Trekspy, he or she has been one of the longest-running sources of Trek plot spoilers and even set photos. Over the past few years of Enterprise, it was through Trekspy that SFX was able to report exclusive plot information about episodes such as "A Night In Sickbay" (story) and "The Cogenitor" (story). Going even further back to 2001, Trekspy was the first to reveal that Ethan Phillips (Neelix) would leave the Star Trek: Voyager cast in the episode "Homestead," then still known as "Destiny" (story).

However, even though Trekspy may have been right in the past, this does not necessarily mean he or she is right in this case. It may be that only Trekspy is being laid off, and either misinterpreted Paramount's action or simply developed a grudge against the studio. Until Paramount and UPN make official announcements about the future of Enterprise, all statements about this should be treated as speculation.

ken1701e - January 18, 2005 06:52 PM (GMT)
would hardly be a suprise if it was true but i hope it is not.

black tie ready to wear in mouring for a month if it is!!!

Crichton Kicks - January 18, 2005 08:31 PM (GMT)
QUOTE (ken1701e @ Jan 18 2005, 06:52 PM)
would hardly be a suprise if it was true but i hope it is not.

black tie ready to wear in mouring for a month if it is!!!

I don't much care either way to be honest. The sooner it's over, the sooner the franchise can lie fallow, the sooner we can get back to decent Trek.

ken1701e - January 18, 2005 08:58 PM (GMT)
QUOTE (Angel @ Jan 18 2005, 10:31 PM)
QUOTE (ken1701e @ Jan 18 2005, 06:52 PM)
would hardly be a suprise if it was true but i hope it is not.

black tie ready to wear in mouring for a month if it is!!!

I don't much care either way to be honest. The sooner it's over, the sooner the franchise can lie fallow, the sooner we can get back to decent Trek.

but i have got visions that the gap before the next series might be the same as between classic trek and next gen and I dont want to wait that long!!!!!

Look how long we have been forced to wait for the return of DR WHO!!!!

Crichton Kicks - January 18, 2005 10:35 PM (GMT)
QUOTE (ken1701e @ Jan 18 2005, 08:58 PM)
QUOTE (Angel @ Jan 18 2005, 10:31 PM)
QUOTE (ken1701e @ Jan 18 2005, 06:52 PM)
would hardly be a suprise if it was true but i hope it is not.

black tie ready to wear in mouring for a month if it is!!!

I don't much care either way to be honest. The sooner it's over, the sooner the franchise can lie fallow, the sooner we can get back to decent Trek.

but i have got visions that the gap before the next series might be the same as between classic trek and next gen and I dont want to wait that long!!!!!

Look how long we have been forced to wait for the return of DR WHO!!!!

Paramount won't let it go for that long Ken. The franchise is worn out at the moment, it needs to recharge it's batteries and discover how to be innovative again.

Bakhesh - January 19, 2005 09:29 AM (GMT)
I can see Paramount retiring the franchise, but then some other tv station coming in to buy the rights. I can imagine someone like Sci-fi would love to get there hands on the franchise (Didn't they snap up stargate when showtime couldn't be bothered anymore?). There does seem to be a bit of horsetrading between the american TV networks these days.

They could then do there own trek series at a lower budget, with less expectation of the ratings.

Only question is, would paramout let it go?

LoobiLou - January 19, 2005 01:01 PM (GMT)
QUOTE
Moonves: A Break Good For Trek?

Leslie Moonves—co-president and co-chief operating officer of Viacom, the parent company of CBS, UPN and Paramount—told SCI FI Wire that it may be time for Star Trek to take a break, though he added that no decision has been made on the future of UPN's ratings-challenged Star Trek: Enterprise. Speaking in an interview at the CBS/UPN winter press tour in West Hollywood, Calif., Moonves said: "It's hard to say right now. The ratings aren't great. It may be a franchise that should be rested a year or two. I know the diehards are not in favor of that, but I think if we rested a year or two, it might be a better thing. But we'll see what happens the rest of the year."

Persistent rumors say the show is on its last legs, that UPN has cut its season order from Paramount, which produces the show, and that star Scott Bakula (Capt. Jonathan Archer) is ready to quit. All untrue, cast members told SCI FI Wire. "I'll be disappointed if we wrap up this year," Bakula said in a separate interview. "I'd hate to see it end this year. … We're waiting to hear. It's a funny place to be in. I love the crew. I love the cast. The w**k situation has been tremendous. We're doing creative w**k, still, I think. And I know we have a lot of fans out there. So … as a television gig would go, it's a great, wonderful gig. And I'm loving it. So I will be disappointed. But we'll see. It ain't over until it's over."

Bakula and other cast members told SCI FI Wire that they expect, if UPN decides to cancel the show, the network will give producers enough notice so that they can write a finale to the series. But as the writers are currently writing the 21st of 22 season episodes now, that notice would have to come in short order. "We've got to know soon," Bakula said. "So I don't know. They're not under any obligation to let us know. They can do whatever they want to do, and they may. … We don't call those shots."

Even so, Bakula said, "The indication was [and] has been often that this would be our last season. But then … we were told we were going to get an early indication of that so we could wrap the show up in a nice way. And here we are, it's the end of January, and I know that they've broken stories through the 21st [episode]." Enterprise wraps production in March; an announcement about cancellation could be delayed as late as May.

Moonves said that a final decision will depend on how Enterprise performs in the ratings for the rest of the season, which will include new episodes exploring the "mirror universe" introduced in the original Star Trek series and a two-episode arc explaining why Klingons went from smooth foreheads to bumpy ones. How well would the show have to perform to be renewed? "I don't make predictions on what level," Moonves said. "It depends on what development is and what the rest of the schedule is like." But, he added, "I think the show this year has been much better [creatively] than last year. I like the changes that have been made. ... [As for the ratings,] when you're dealing with UPN, you're dealing with different expectation levels." Star Trek: Enterprise airs Fridays at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

Crichton Kicks - January 19, 2005 06:55 PM (GMT)
QUOTE (Bakhesh @ Jan 19 2005, 09:29 AM)
I can see Paramount retiring the franchise, but then some other tv station coming in to buy the rights. I can imagine someone like Sci-fi would love to get there hands on the franchise (Didn't they snap up stargate when showtime couldn't be bothered anymore?). There does seem to be a bit of horsetrading between the american TV networks these days.

They could then do there own trek series at a lower budget, with less expectation of the ratings.

Only question is, would paramout let it go?

There's practically no chance of Paramount ever relinquishing control of the Trek franchise. It's too much of a money-spinner for them, even by today's delapidated standards.

More likely would be a move away from UPN and network television and perhaps a return to syndication.

The only thing going against that is the fact that the syndication market's changed so drastically since Trek left for UPN.

Crichton Kicks - January 19, 2005 06:59 PM (GMT)
Re Rob's article;

If the writers have any sense whatsoever they'd write the final episode as a series finale if word doesn't come down from UPN in time. Take the decision out of their hands.

Im_Here - January 30, 2005 01:29 AM (GMT)
True, it would be better for them to kill it off before UPN get the chance.

I think paramount wil never let Start trek go, too much money to be made, thats the thing with star trek, its endless, you can start anywhere in the timeline and do what you want because if the storylines and gripping and you pull in the viewers noone will ever question it.

Mr B

Bakhesh - January 30, 2005 02:02 AM (GMT)
QUOTE (Mr Brightside @ Jan 30 2005, 01:29 AM)
I think paramount wil never let Start trek go, too much money to be made, thats the thing with star trek, its endless, you can start anywhere in the timeline and do what you want because if the storylines and gripping and you pull in the viewers noone will ever question it.

I think that Enterprise pretty much proves that wrong. Not that there isn't still money to be made out of the franchise. Its just that they can't just plonk a crew in a new part of the timeline, and expect people to still watch it. Paramount seem to be reluctant to develop the franchise, and just expect it to deliver ratings with no effort. How long before they realise this won't w**k?

P.S. welcome to the boards Mr B :D

Crichton Kicks - January 30, 2005 10:15 AM (GMT)
As far as televised Trek goes, it's in a bit of a hole. The thing to bear in mind is that although Paramount own the franchise, it's UPN that broadcasts it. The two are completely separate entities. That being the case it's no longer a matter of them airing Trek regardless of numbers.

UPN carried Trek Voyager onwards, before that it was a syndicated show. There are very few shows these days made and sold directly into syndication. A*dromeda is one of those, and that ends this year (at last !!).

So, Trek is in a bind. UPN have lost confidence in it, no other network would touch it, and syndication's no longer an option. It looks fairly bleak :(

Im_Here - January 30, 2005 11:26 AM (GMT)
Looks like once enterprise has finished star trek is lost in space, maybe another company from another country may buy the franchise and bring it back to what it was, pramount have done a good job of advertising the trek brand over the world but if they are keeping it, its time to pull out all the stops and get it back to what it was, get to the root of the problem and fix it from the inside out, no new series straight away will w**k they need to get rid of the dead wood and get new writers producers and actors, if they dont act now, the franchise will either cease to exist or be sold of to a small company with a small budget!!! :fear:

Crichton Kicks - January 30, 2005 12:14 PM (GMT)
The problem's that there's been too much Trek now. It's been non-stop for nearly 20 years. That's not good for any franchise. Give it the break, let it freshen itself up, bring in some new talent and take things from there in 4 or 5 years time.

Im_Here - January 30, 2005 12:17 PM (GMT)
ill agree with you on that, a break is what trek needs now!!!

Mr B - beam me up!!! :wox:

Crichton Kicks - January 30, 2005 12:26 PM (GMT)
QUOTE (Mr Brightside @ Jan 30 2005, 12:17 PM)
ill agree with you on that, a break is what trek needs now!!!

Mr B - beam me up!!! :wox:

A shame they can't just beam Berman/Braga up. Or at the very least push them out of the nearest airlock :lol:

Im_Here - January 30, 2005 12:27 PM (GMT)
LOL, throw them to the ferengi, tell them their valuable!!! :D :D




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