The TREK XI Report: Trek XI to be Kirk's 1st Time as Captain of Enterprise?

Trek XI to be Kirk's 1st Time as Captain of Enterprise?
Sunday, August 06, 2006

[Rumor Alert] [Trek XI Report Exclusive]

Trekkies want to know: when and where exactly is Star Trek XI going to be set? The teaser poster and the few comments from the film's creators have led us to expect a prequel to Original Series, but that leaves a lot of room. Much of the speculation to date has focused on the rumor of a 'Cadet Kirk' and an Academy setting. When the Matt Damon as Kirk rumor surfaced many scratched their heads tyring to put the two rumors together (eg: a mid 30s actor playing a cadet) . Well the Trek XI Report might be able to clear that up with a little tip from a trustworthy insider who reports:

Star Trek XI will feature the first voyage of Kirk as captain of the Enterprise.

This report makes the Matt Damon report make a lot more sense (he is about the same age as Shatner was during the Original Series). This could also fit within Star Trek history since Kirk's first mission on the Enterprise was never depicted on either the Original Series or in any of the 7 movies with the Kirk character.

Recasting the whole crew and bringing back the Enterprise?
To date much of the speculation about Star Trek XI has focused on just the return of Kirk and Spock, and possibly some adventures before their time on the Original Series. If this tip is accurate (and taking into account the statements from JJ Abrams about honoring Trek canon), then you may conclude that we are going to see recastings of the entire crew of the Original Series (Spock, Uhura, Scotty, Mc Coy and Sulu). Astute Trekkies will note that Chekov didn't join the series until it's second season; then again Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan ignored this bit of canon. In addition that means we will be seeing the original USS Enterprise again (NCC 1701 ...not A, B, C, D,or E ), not seen on screen since it was destroyed in Star Trek III: the Search for Spock. Sounds like they have a lot of work cut out for them...we wish them luck.

[UPDATE: Even more astute Trekkies point out that it isnt even clear if Uhura or McCoy were on board the USS Enterprise at the beginning of it's five year mission. They did not appear in the series pilot 'Where No Man Has Gone Before' (which actually was the 3rd episode to air)]

More info on Kirk's history at Memory Alpha

posted by Tony P @ 3:31 PM,

45 Comments:

At 4:55 PM, Anonymous said...: One also has to wonder if they will disregard things such as the gooseneck viewscreens, different uniform colors and other things that were unique from the Where No Man Has Gone Before pilot.

I really hope this rumor takes some of the steam away from the academy rumor which has been running wild.
At 6:01 PM, Tony P said...: I have never bought into the Academy rumor myself, and even the original report said it was Kirk and Spock 'at the academy and their first adventures in space' To which Abrams said 'is not entirely accurate'

So the notion of a whole movie taking place at the academy never seemed to even be a possibility, yet so many thought that is what STXI would be (possibly because that was an idea put forward by Harve Bennet over a decade ago)

I am surprised about the film taking place with 'captain' kirk and on the Enterprise. I had always thought STXI would be like Star Wars Episode III, where Kirk becoming Captain of the Enterprise was like the journey of Anakin becoming Darth Vader (eg: something that culminates at the end, but where the film focuses on the journey). That is a story I would like to see. I think there are more pitfalls with doing the whole TOS remake essentially (recastings, new ship, etc) but JJA is talented so I am still hopeful
At 8:01 PM, Anonymous said...: If they center on the the characters first then add to it like frosting to a well defined and made cake then we all have something to look forward to.
BUT....if they neglect the characters and the story and folow their regular route with just different actors then they just better forget it and save their money.
At 9:59 PM, Anonymous said...: And what about TOS episode "Where No Man Has Left Before" with only Kirk and Spock from standard TOS crew?
At 11:25 PM, Anonymous said...: To satisfy us "canon nazis" it would have to look more like the The Cage & Where No Man Has Gone Before than the production series. That would mean colored knit colors on the uniforms and gold, blue, and salmon instead of red. And no McCoy, Uhura, or Chekov.
At 10:31 AM, Anonymous said...: I hope so that we would see Christopher Pike and Rober April. And, what about Ray Liotta in the role of Pike?
At 10:39 AM, Anonymous said...: Re the 'canon nazi' comment - You could just assume Uhura & McCoy where on extended leave and as for the uniforms they where being washed ;)

I don't care for the continuity aspect THAT much, it would make no sense for me for them to ignore uniforms used in 78 episodes for the sake of that one episode. I respect people who wish for continuity to be preserved to that extent, but after 40 years and hundreds of episodes you just can't do it.

As for it being on the Enterprise with Capt JTK then I would prefer that to an academy idea, I always thought if they intended to recast Kirk then they may as well recast CAPTAIN KIRK instead of Cadet Kirk.
At 5:29 PM, Anonymous said...: If they go with the style of THE CAGE (ship, sets, props, color scheme, uniforms, etc.) and get real actors (not Matt Damon), as a first generation Star Trek fan who went to conventions in the early '70s, I'll be satisfied.

(At least they're not using the dreadful Zabel & Strazynski concept. Do I hear an "Amen"?)
At 7:55 PM, Anonymous said...: Why are they doing this? It doesn't make any sense. I do hate prequels they always balls up the detail and their is no sense of danger because you know the character suvive for the REAL series/films. It's like watching Titanic you know it's gonna sink but this is worst Enterprise is Safe because is doesn't get destroyed till ST:III.

It's not like Star Wars where there is a important story to be told about Kirk's origins either.

I'm astounded by this project did they not learn from the problems they had with ENT?

I Fear for the franchise I really do.
At 9:49 PM, Anonymous said...: I think that Paramount should make a DS9 movie (with, crossover from TNG and VOY), not this.

Or ENT movien set in the time of Romulan Wars.
At 11:31 PM, Anonymous said...: What was the Zabel & Strazynski concept? I had heard Strazinski was interested in doing Trek, but I never heard any ideas.
At 2:58 AM, Anonymous said...: Google Zabel's site/blog and you can read it.
At 9:16 AM, Anonymous said...: Zabel & Strazynski intend to reimagined TOS (like Battlestar Galactica).

It would be disaster.
At 9:38 AM, Anonymous said...: I like to think of myself as a big Star Trek and am looking forward to seeing a new Trek film, but I have to agree with the Anonymous post (7:55PM). Doing a prequel (ie, Enterprise) is really not the way to go with the franchise. Star Trek has always been more about "going to where no one has gone before" not "to where we have already been." Why not do a story about DS9? There's so much more that could be told there. Or a movie about the USS Titan, with Riker at the helm and the adventures they take on. We hoped that the lesson was learned with the disappointment of Enterprise, but it appears it hasn't. I remain cautiously optimistic that Abrams will be successful with this but shudder to think what will happen to the franchise if this movie bombs.
At 9:42 AM, Anonymous said...: ST XI ideal cast:

1. James Kirk - Kiefer Shuterland
2. Spock - Goran Visnjić
3. Christopher Pike - Ray Liotta
4. Rober April - Robert Foxworth
5. Kirkov djed - Shatner :D
6. Scotty - David Hellwet, maybe? :D
At 9:44 AM, Anonymous said...: djed - grandpa in Croatina.

Sorry, ppls. ;)
At 9:49 AM, Anonymous said...: I find the idea intriguing. I don't care TOO much about canon, because I know that most people don't know 100% of the details, so for storytelling purposes there is a lot they can- and probably should take liberties with. ie, uniforms, and exact character whereabouts.

I would prefer a DS9 movie, something dealing with the Federation's recovery from the Dominion war... or Odo, or Sisko's return or something like that, which is what Star Trek X should have been... but I understand the studio's desire to do Kirk and Spock to try and get the fans back.

I see potential.
At 11:22 AM, Anonymous said...: While I'm encouraged by the reports that JJA will honor the canon of Star Trek, I would prefer that they would not recast the characters of Kirk, Spock, or the other principal cast membets of TOS. I wish they would devote the story to either Captain April or Captain Pike. I agree with the earlier comments of using Ray Liotta for Pike. JJA has stated he and the other writers want to have a very dynamic story for this movie. I'm afraid if they recast the main characters, that will be the main focus of the media and the story will get lost in the process. We'll have to listen to countless inetrviews of the new cast having to compare their performance to their predecessors. People might go to the movie only for the gimmick of seeing who's playing Kirk or Spock.
At 2:16 PM, Anonymous said...: There will only be one Captain James Tiberius Kirk, and that is William Shatner, overacting and hair piece and all.

His first adventure can indeed be found in Vonda N. Mcintyres' excellent book, " Enterprise, the First Adventure ". The quote from Gene Roddenberry on the back says it all." I heartily recommend Enterprise The First Adventure as a most creative and enjoyable tale of Star Trek's beginning..."

The major problem with Enterprise was the total lack of cohesion with any of the novels, which screwed up the time line. If you want one example, read John M. Fords' book " Final Reflection ".
He give a workable solution to the Klingon ridges/no ridges problem.
Instead, we fans were treated to the most kindergarten explanation ever. I am worried about the Star Trek franchise, and hate to see Gene Roddenberries vision destroyed by people trying t oturn a quick buck. I would like to see the franchise rest for a few more years, enjoy the fine work that has been done, and wait. The time will come when society will be ready for a fresh vision of the future, but not now. Give it time and scrap this project. This has been sermonet, for more rantings and ravings of a frustrated fan, check my blog.
At 3:26 PM, Anonymous said...: I actually thought the Zabel/Strazcynski idea was pretty nifty, altho I'm equally excited about this film, too. Bear in mind that the Zabel idea came about when ENT was dying, and there was no hope for anything new at all.. Any new idea was better than nothing.
At 5:02 PM, Anonymous said...: I really hope that the creative group does not listen to a single idea or suggestion from any of the fans of Star Trek. Many of these ideas contributed to Trek's demise in the first place. I hope that they just go out and do the type of movie they want. Most fans put to many constrictions on what they want to see and then won der why everything seems stale. Besides anyone who listens to a crowd while trying to make something new and fresh will always fail.

Best of luck and stay off the websites...
At 6:47 PM, Anonymous said...: Based on the poster and the insider's comment, I think STIX might be about the beginning of the Enterprise's 5-Year Mission. The third episode produced (albeit not the third to air), "The Corbomite Maneuver", is the first to have Kirk's voiceover during the opening credits, so the 5-Year Mission began some time between "Where No Man Has Gone Before" and this episode. It also happens to be the first episode (produced) with McCoy, Uhura, and Rand. If STIX were indeed to be about the beginning of the 5-Year Mission, it could show Kirk, Spock, Scott, and Sulu wearing the uniforms of the 5-Year Mission already on board an Enterprise refit for the mission; and McCoy, Uhura, Rand, and maybe even Chekov (if Khan's statement in STII is taken advantage of) also wearing the said uniforms, joining the crew.

In any case, I too think that Ray Liotta should be cast as Pike. In fact, I always thought that if any more episodes or movies with Pike were made, Liotta should portray him.
At 8:06 PM, Anonymous said...: Matt Damon as Captain Kirk? NO WAY!!!!
At 10:34 PM, Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
At 10:36 PM, Anonymous said...: I'm all for a "First Mission" movie. If it takes place after Where No Man... we won't get the hand-off from Chris Pike to James Kirk. I'd really enjoy seeing Chris Pike again.
Ray Liotta is a good actor and the spitting image of Jeffrey Hunter - he'd be great.
At 1:00 AM, Anonymous said...: The Original Series would look really cheesy on the big screen. And if they changed the appearance to suit our current taste, there would be another case of not honoring the canon. Better go for the movies' era. There's plenty of room between Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (some 14 years). So cast George Clooney as Kirk, Jeff Goldblum or John Cusack as Spock, and, most importantly, write it right. Then you'll have a winner.
At 9:05 AM, Anonymous said...: I'm just joking on Hellwet. ;)

Considering Goran Visnjic: He is a huge fan of the show Stargate SG-1, and he almost took a part of one System Lord.
At 9:28 AM, Anonymous said...: Star Trek XI: Kahless the Unforgetable - true story

Cast:
Kahless - Arnold Schwarzeneggger
Molor - Sly Stallone

Premise: In time of glorious battles, remebmered in the songs, when the Khaless the Unforgetable slew evil Molor using bat'leth forged from his own hair, an river Skraal was red from blood of the enemies.

Tagline:
Kahless: I'll be back!
At 9:44 AM, Anonymous said...: And ind role of Lursa: Lucy Lawless, obviously. ;)
At 2:36 PM, Anonymous said...: If Star Trek Xi truly is a story about the very first voyage of Kirk's Enterprise, then the "franchise" is making a very smart move! I’m actually hopeful about this movie now. This kind of story appeals to me way more then the idea of a college-era Trek. My hope, as someone who writes about this stuff, is that parts of the story will relate to today’s new space tourism era. The excitement of going somewhere that we’ve never been is what attracts us to sci-fi and to space!
My two cents,
Laura S. Woodmansee
At 6:13 PM, Anonymous said...: What would be outrageously cool of course is if they would make a feature film with the Pike crew ... THAT would be cool!
At 10:47 AM, Anonymous said...: ...the Original Series (Spock, Ohura, Scotty, Mc Coy and Sulu)...

In Trekkie tradition, allow me to nitpick about how this blog repeatedly misspells "Uhura."

Ditto for "Erik Jendresen."

;)
At 11:29 AM, Anonymous said...: Yes, a Pike film would be very cool, and probably the only ST film I'd pay to see. I love THE CAGE and saw The Bird's own black & white workprint in his presence over 35 years ago, but a Pike film wouldn't sell tickets.

I have learned the hard way that film is a business, and art and entertainment only as an afterthought. That is how the studios think and work, they are paying the bills and making the movies, and your job is to give them a good return on their investment.

Reality: The TNG actors are now too old to play planet-hopping space opera heroes. As for DS9, Voy or Ent, forget it. They won't sell tickets either, except at a fan convention.

Think: how many actors have been Sherlock Holmes in movies and on TV? Why should it be any different with the ST characters?

Going back to GR's original concept and casting from scratch is not only smart, but the only sane and sensible way to go. Let's just hope Matt Damon is not involved, unless as a quickly-dispatched red shirt.

PS to young JJ: read THE MAKING OF STAR TREK from 1968, and let that be your guide.
At 12:22 PM, Tony P said...: well thanks for the nitpicks...such things dont come up on the spell check I really should hire a proof reader(or perhaps hire someone but me), the position is yours of you want it TRexx...the pay is bad, the hours are horrible, there are no benefits, but I do have a lovely location in Venice Beach.
At 8:34 PM, Anonymous said...: Cmon, man - the NCC-1701-A was destroyed in Search For Spock, not the original NCC-1701 from the TV show.
At 7:09 AM, Tony P said...: actually the ship destroyed was the original Enterprise. Although starting in ST: TMP it is referred to as the 'refit'Enterprise, it is the same designation (NCC 1701). The 'A' which looked identical to the refit was introduced at the end of STIV and was the ship used in V and VI. The 'B' Was introduced in the next film, Star Trek Generations.
At 9:03 AM, Anonymous said...: A Pike film in the vein of The Cage - which is itself an homage to the classic Forbidden Planet and the pulp sf tradition - would be my greatest trekkie dream. I haven't mentioned it until now because I don't think there is a chance in StoVoKor Paramount will make a Pike movie.

But if we did see Pike in XI, Ray Liotta would be my choice hands down.
At 3:26 PM, Anonymous said...: Alot of you have made some good points and have some cool ideas. I used to think continuity was very important. As long as it doesn't get in the way of the story then great! As far as having new blood portray beloved characters I'm not apposed. They don't have to try and imitate them just try to keep the "feel" of the characters alive. A recent good example of this is Brandon Routh as Superman. Need more convincing? Alright then how about James Bond. People argue as to which is the best. Truth is that everybody is right. They wouldn't keep making 007 movies if people didn't go see them. Same goes for Trek. I think they can pull off a modern version of TOS. Perhaps they should go for unknowns though. You could sprinkle in a couple of good established actors to help draw in new fans. Several of you suggest Ray Liotta as Captain Pike. That's not a bad idea. Here's one for ya. How about Gary Sinise as Dr. McCoy?

I'd like to see them get a good composer for the score. Someone like the late Jerry Goldsmith. The special effects shouldn't be a big deal. As good or bad as the last couple of Trek movies were they did have great SPFX. Remember DS9's "Trial and Tribulations?" NCC-1701 never looked better. Seeing the 'ol gal with modern effects gave me chills the first time I saw it.

If Abrhams and his co-writers are big fans the way they say they are then I have hope for this movie. Alot of the better Superhero movies have been made by comic book fans. i.e. Spider-Man, X-Men, Batman Begins, etc. The studios don't just want fans to see these movies they want them to see them more than once. Perhaps Paramount has realized this as well.

One last thought. This movie will not be the first time Paramount has "returned to the well" for Trek. That's all TNG was. Why didn't DS9 or Voyager take place in different time periods. The answer is easy. They could do endless crossover stories with characters from other shows without making them really old or young. Adding Worf to the cast of DS9 was just a way to bring in TNG fans like myself into the show.
At 4:53 AM, Anonymous said...: Hey guys a thought occured to me. If it's true that Trek XI will be about Kirk's first mission on the Enterprise along with most if not all of the origianl crew members would it be wrong to consider the parts colorblind? By that I mean why couldn't a black man play Kirk. What if Spock was played by an Indian. Uhura played by a Vietmanese? For that matter why can't Uhura be played by a man or Kirk a woman. Would Jews be angry if Spock was played by a non-Jew? George Takei has gone on record many times saying that he took the role of Sulu because he felt it broke the stereotype of Asians in televison/movies. If another Asian actor took the role would they be taking a step back towards that stereotype.

We all know that Roddenberry tried to tell us that race and gender do not matter. Fair enough. However, if Trek fans can only see a white actor playing Kirk or a black woman playing Uhura does that make us racist/sexist? Would Roddenberry be turning over in his grave if he found out that we are not thinking outside the box? Roddenberry said that Star Trek was about moving forward. Did he mean chronologically or was he saying we need to move forward in our way of thinking?

waddaya think?
At 9:00 PM, Anonymous said...: everyone seems to be concerned with that the look of the new movie be consistent with the look of the original series and who says there has to be that way.. Enterprise was a prequal to TOS and it looks far superior in production values so make a good movie with a good story and it can be a pre TOS but still look updated.. an example would be the modern incarnation of batman and superman motion pictures as compared to the original cheesy tv.. update the look not the technology, good story telling.. that's what will determine the success of the movie, recast, go ahead, it's been done before..
At 11:51 PM, Anonymous said...: I think Gary Sinise as Dr. McCoy is a great idea. How about this? Heath Ledger as Mr. Spock - he can look really stoic, although he's a bit young. Beyonce Knowles as Lt. Uhura. Either Michelle Williams, Kirsten Dunst, Elisha Cuthbert, or Elizabeth Banks as Yeoman Rand. And John Cho as Mr. Sulu, although he looks goofy.
At 7:31 PM, Anonymous said...: At any rate, the last few movies when they were originally announced, a lot of people thought of the "Academy Days" storyline. That however, might make a better mini-series, as the book has already been written. Rather good one too, though I haven't read it since the late 80's.
At 5:04 PM, Anonymous said...: I would be very disappointed to see a movie done with Captain Kirk. Not that they are considered canon, but there are many novels focusing on the 5-year mission (including Kirk's first mission), plus a couple books set at the Academy and before. I would hate to see a another canon source overrule previously established info like Star Trek: First Contact and the Enterprise series did, even if the info is just from the novels (which I personally consider canon).
At 7:23 PM, Layman said...: This blog has been great. I've enjoyed reading all the posts. As a log time ST fan (from the early 70's when I became old enough to watch the first-run re-runs) I think a movie about the Enterprise NCC-1701 pre-TOS is pretty cool. There is still a lot of fertile ground for a good story.

If that becomes the basic premise of the movie, I would like to see some detail about how Kirk became captain, how he inherited the Enterprise, etc. How the crew is assembled, etc. But, I resist the idea of looking to the novels and books for inspiration - ie: Enterprise. Because so many of the novels overlap or contradict one another, it would be impractical to use them. Besides, Kirk & Co. would have to live for centuries to have time for all their print & screen adventures!

I am a BIG fan of the first spaceflight chronology (1979). As an Aerospace Engineer and published writer, I am stil impressed by it's attention to detail and great logs. It was so incredibly well done, but it's timeline was overlooked by the movies and subsequent books. I even shelved a novel idea of my own about the first human voyage to Alpha Centauri after about a chapter or so. So it goes...

So, let's move on and try something new...and old. Let's not get too hung up on who plays whom, and if the ship looks exactly right. I would just like to see them make a movie again that doesn't suck (V, IX, X).

With all due respect to marvel2112, however, don't mess with the characters race, gender or ethnicity. It's not WRONG for Kirk to be white, or Sulu to be Asian. That's who they were/are/will be. The best way to honot GR's vision is not to change it, but add to it. After all, there's plenty of room for a more diverse TOS crew in a feature film.
At 4:10 PM, Kyle said...: Personally, I think there's too much fuss over "cannon". I mean, you do have to take it into account...but the novels? There is no way they can ever be cannon because they are so varied.

Anyway, it really is too bad that there won't be a DS9 movie (I agree, it didn't get enough ratings to make it happen). It seems to me that Paramount is trying to do what Superman Returns and Batman Begins did for their franchises. It is much easier for the studio to put their money into established, popular characters than "risk" the money on new or (in their eyes) less popular characters. I don't have a problem with prequels, but the thing is so many of them have just been poorly written (Seasons 2,3 and yes 4 of Enterprise, Star Wars I, II, and III)--and I'm saying poorly written in terms of characters, not cannon. But if this is actually done well that will be a good thing. But DS9 was so great....and it was left with so many more stories to tell, Sisko returning, Kira commanding the station, Worf, O'Brian, Odo. They'd need Ira Steven Behr to come back to do it, and I think he knows that'll never happen.

Trek XI to be Kirk's 1st Time as Captain of Enterprise? Sunday, August 06, 2006

45 Comments:

Trek XI to be Kirk's 1st Time as Captain of Enterprise?
Sunday, August 06, 2006