Historien om Star Trek : fra da til nu

Los Angeles - Our scanners are picking up strong signs of life on the ol' final frontier. Paramount Television has asked Canton native Brannon Braga to turn up the heat on development of a fifth "Star Trek" series, a vehicle that could be ready for takeoff in fall 2001.

With industry insiders and science fiction fans debating whether the "Star Trek" cash cow has been milked dry, Paramount has chosen to make a generous display of it's belief in the fabled franchise and Braga. The writer/producer has been signed to a three-year, "high-seven-figure" contract.

His duties will include being at the helm of the next "Trek" series. The deal was touted by a front-page story in the industry newspaper Variety.

"You wouldn't believe how many calls I've gotten from people asking for a date or asking me to loan them money," joked Braga, a 1983 graduate of Canton McKinley High School. "It's certainly the biggest deal I've ever signed - the most lucrative and highest-profile. When I started here at Paramount 10 years ago, I was an intern. If you had told me then that I would be creating the next phase in the franchise, I would have obviously thought you were crazy. Back then, I hardly knew what Star Trek was."

He's not kidding. A horror fan in high school, Braga rarely watched an episode of the endlessly rerun original series with William Shatner as the "enterprising" Capt. Kirk.

Braga learned fast, however, getting up to warp speed in the "Star Trek" universe soon after moving to Hollywood. Over the last 10 years he has established himself as the most prolific "Trek" writer in TV history.

A pop-culture phenomenon, the first series (NBC, 1966-69) spawned a '70s animated version, dozens of paperback novels, countless fan conventions, a galaxy of Internet sites, millions in merchandising, nine movies and starting in 1987, three spinoff "Star Trek" shows: "The Next Generation", "Deep Space Nine" and "Voyager".

Beginning as an intern on "The Next Generation", Braga has boldly gone where no "Trek" writer has gone before. He has authored more than 75 series episodes and co-written two of the movies, "Star Trek: Generations" (1994) and "Star Trek: First Contact" (1996). He is currently the executive producer on UPN's "Star Trek: Voyager", which sails into it's sixth and final season this fall (on WUAB Channel 43 in Northeast Ohio).

As lucrative as "Star Trek" has been for Paramount, the future of the futuristic franchise has been in doubt. Even some devoted fans have wondered if the starship might be running out of gas. "There's unquestionably going to be a lot of scrutiny here," said Braga, who co-wrote the summer blockbuster "Mission: Impossible 2." Will they welcome a new show with open arms? Or will they fold those arms and say, Prove it?"

Braga, who will create the new series with longtime "Star Trek" executive producer Rick Berman, expects both reactions.

"Now the pressure is on to deliver something that has a different feeling and a different concept," he said, "so the fans aren't getting the same old things again. But, at the core, the concept has to be pure Star Trek. It has to be Starfleet. And it has to be true to [creator] Gene Roddenberry's original vision. The challenge is to stay true to the Star Trek spirit while creating characters people care about."

Although Braga and Berman have decided on a concept for the new series, they are not at liberty to discuss specifics.

"That wouldn't be good business at this point," said Braga, whose Paramount deal also allows him to develop and produce non-"Star Trek" series. "And, creatively, I don't want to jinx it by giving away too much. But the idea has taken shape. Things have solidified."

Exactly where and when the next "Trek" will appear remains in question. Braga is aiming for fall 2001, but Paramount isn't certain about the series TV destination - UPN, another network, syndication or cable.

"That part of it is out of our hands," Braga said. "We just have to make it good."