Nov 23 | Chuckreturns to NBC with a special two-hour show on Sunday, Jan 10, 2010, before returning to its regular time slot, Mondays at 8pm on the following night. It's return to prime time television can be attributed to a successful fan renewnal campaign last year. CHUCK is a one-hour, action-comedy series that follows Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi, "Less Than Perfect") -- a computer geek who is catapulted into a new career as the government's most vital secret agent. This upcoming season will include some special guest stars, including Brandon Routh of "Superman Returns" who will play CIA agent Daniel Shaw in an episode, and the addition of SUBWAY restaurant as a major advertiser to the show. Chuck averaged a 4.0/6 rating last season, about eight percent better than the recently cancelled "Trauma". Ratings-challenged Heroes moves back an hour when Chuck returns on Monday nights. STAR TREK VOYAGER's Robert Duncan McNeill serves Chuckas a supervising producer and director.
Nov 17 | Originally hired as co-executive producer to help with the second half of the show's first season, Kevin Murphy has now taken the reins of Caprica, the Battlestar Galactica prequel on Syfy, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He now serves as an executive producer along with Ronald D. Moore, David Eick and Jane Espenson and oversees the day-to-day functions of the show.
Nov 12 | Star Trek star Zachary Quinto is loosely attached to star in the romantic dramedy Whirligig, reports Risky Business.Quinto would play the lead role in the independent Canadian film, which is aiming to shoot early next year. The movie centers on a man who, in a misguided attempt to woo an older woman, befriends the woman's adopted son.Chaz Thorne is directing the pic, based on a screenplay by Michael Amo, creator of the Canadian supernatural series "The Listener."
Nov 11 | The CNS Foundation, is hosting an on-line charity auction at www.charitybuzz.com. One of the items they are auctioning is a signed movie poster of the new Star Trek movie which has all the cast members and writers. The president of our organization is Carol Abrams, JJ's mother, and she arranged for the donation from Bad Robot Production Company. J.J. Abrams is also a major donor to their organization. The funds raised will go to help find a cure to neurological disorders in children. The auction link is here.
Nov 10 | Candice Bergen, Charles Lisanby, Don Pardo, Gene Roddenberry, Tom and Dick Smothers and Bob Stewart have been selected as the next inductees into the Television Academy's Hall of Fame. They will be honored at a Jan. 20 ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hotel. "This year's inductees have challenged and shaped popular culture, changed television for the better and entertained us royally while doing so," TV Academy Chairman-CEO John Shaffner said. More info at the Hollywood Reporter
The new Bring Back Kirk trailer made its debut online today, William Shatner's birthday. The ambitious 9-minute trailer features impressive fan-made CGI effects, and appearances from character and ships from all five STAR TREK series, from ENTERPRISE's 'Captain Archer' to VOYAGER's 'Admiral Janeway'. Here is a brief synopsis of the trailer: With the backing of the Federation, and a newly refitted Enterprise A, 'Ambassador Spock' successfully rescues his friend and former Captain, the legendary 'James T Kirk'. Soon after, Federation worlds including Earth and Vulcan,are attacked, forcing Kirk and crew to embark on a special mission which will unite three centuries of Starship legends, in a battle to save the Star Trek universe.
TrekWeb caught up with the trailer's production team - Jason Turner, Jay B. and Will Jaspers - to get the scoop on the making of the trailer and the BBK campaign.
TREKWEB : Guys, can you introduce yourselves and your role at the Bring Back Kirk campaign.
JAY: I'm Jay from the United States, current webmaster of BringBackKirk.com and editor of the new trailer.
JASON: I'm Jason from England, one of two CGI artists for the new trailer, and the UK representative of our campaign.
WIL: I'm Wil from the Netherlands, one of the CGI artists, mostly responsible for building the interior meshes and characters.
TREKWEB: How was the new trailer conceived, from concept to the finished product? How much time did it take?
JAY: We began work on the new trailer approximately two years ago. However, it was reworked from scratch several times. A few conventions have shown exclusive versions of custom-made Bring Back Kirk trailers that are totally different from the version we are now releasing online. We knew from the enthusiastic response to our test footage at these events, that we were on to something very special, that all fans could enjoy.
JASON: It's pretty much been an ongoing project since Wil joined the team. He emailed us out of the blue with a very ambitious but slick video promoting William Shatner's "The Return". From then on his contributions to the CGI enabled us to do things we couldn't have accomplished before, and so began the construction of a more character-oriented production.
WIL: It was really a case of experimenting until we were all happy with what we had. We knew we had to bring Kirk back, and we wanted Spock to do this. We knew we wanted at least one character from each Star Trek series. And we knew we wanted some exciting action sequences.The key was coming up with a story that would believably weave all these elements together,and tie them into one main narrative.
TREKWEB: The CGI effects are really impressive,especially the new scenes with Kirk,Ambassador Spock,Scotty and McCoy in TNG-style uniforms. How was that footage produced?
JASON: Obviously we don't have the technology or the resources of ILM or Digital Domain, and we're doing this in our spare time on home computers with no budget, so this isn't going to be award winning CGI. But it didn't stop us from being ambitious. As an experiment that turned out well, I created a mesh of the head of Commander Tuvok to go with Wil's TNG uniform. The CGI Tuvok features in several Voyager shuttle scenes, and allowed us to add that extra sense of realism when we peer through the shuttle windows and out of them from the inside.
WIL: Everything you see, uniforms and surroundings are made up in 3D models. This way you can move your camera in any given direction. A cut-out of the persons head is made from video footage, allowing us to counteract the original camera or character movement. Now you can move your camera slightly to give it the effect as if there is really a person talking or moving. It is like a coin, take the head side and rotate it slightly, you can rotate it without a major distortion until you reach a certain point, and you have to do the same with your camera. Having all the rest in 3D will give you the right result.
TREWKEB: You have included in the trailer ships and characters from all the Trek series, including Enterprise and Voyager. Why?
JAY: This was our way of showing that the possibilities of bringing Kirk back are endless. So we developed a storyline that would reach out to several shows and centuries. Star Trek is a vast universe now, and we want to show how exciting it would be to see Kirk interact with characters from other shows. We also felt that if we were going to have crossover material, we didn't want to neglect ANY of the various Trek shows from the trailer. We wanted this trailer to be something all Trek fans could enjoy.
JASON: Our film is about showing possibilities. Enterprise is currently the only Trek in production. Realistically, Kirk's return can be done there in the most cost effective way. That's why we show Kirk meeting Archer. When last we saw him, Sisko was in the wormhole and said that he would be back one day. A devastating attack might give him incentive to return. He was instrumental in the Dominion War, and is one of Starfleet's finest. So let's have a fleet--with The Enterprise A, the Enterprise E, Voyager, Defiant, and Titan, which is a first for Star Trek.
WIL: We believe that one of the reasons Mr. Shatner's post-Generations Kirk books are so successful is that they reach out to fans of all of the Trek series. It's not just about the original series. All 5 shows have made their mark on Trek lore, and we wish to capitalize on that by reaching out to fans of all the series', just like Mr. Shatner did. To do this project justice, at least one of the TOS sequels will need to be used.
TREKWEB: Some of the scenes, like Spock at Veridian III and the McCoy hologram, are reminiscent of Shatner's highly successful Trek novels. Did you use those novels as inspiration for the trailer?
JAY: We drew inspiration from the novels, our own ideas, and we had a contest where many Trek fans submitted their own ideas, as well. In fact the winning idea for our contest resulted in the meeting of Kirk and Archer. One fan submitted the idea of using the Guardian, and another the idea of Kirk appearing on Archer's bridge out of nowhere. We cross-pollinated the two ideas, and the result is one of the better sequences in the trailer. Ultimately, many elements were integrated into this version.
JASON: We draw some inspiration from William Shatner's works, as his books provide some very good Star Trek stories, however, given the constraints of not actually having a script or the actors, filming The Return was impossible. Those books, and the sales success they achieved, are proof that Kirk's return is viable, still sells, and that Kirk can function very well in the current Trek era. And of course the main narrative was inspired by the ongoing story arc on Star Trek: Enterprise.
WIL: We start with Spock at Veridian III because it is a logical place to start. When last we saw Spock, he was on Romulus. We presume that once the Federation and Romulans formed their Dominion War alliance, Spock would find it logical to return to the Federation to continue his unification efforts. Upon his return, he felt a certain need to visit Kirk's grave on Veridian III, and that's where the trailer picks up. As for McCoy, it only seems natural that an EMH on Kirk's ship would be of McCoy. It's as much a homage to Mr. Kelley as it is one to Mr. Shatner's books.
TREKWEB: The trailer will be screened at conventions in the U.S, Europe and other countries?
JAY: Definitely. Like the first trailer, this one will be shown at many conventions throughout the world. We're grateful to the fans that have volunteered to support the cause by making the effort to show the trailer
at these conventions. We're literally overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of campaign supporters and humbled by the generosity of convention committees.
JASON: As Jay mentioned earlier, various versions of the trailer have made it to conventions in the UK, the United States, and Brazil, with positive response. Consequently people have come to us asking if they can show it, and arranging for it to be shown by approaching the conventions on their own initiative. Amazingly, a lot of the material shown at cons last year, is now some of our most embarrassing test-footage that will never be released online for anything other than a laugh.
WIL: The finished version will get its premiere in Brazil next month. Several UK and US events have expressed interest in showing the trailer this year. If anyone out there is running a convention and would be interested in showing our trailer, we can provide it to them in any suitable format (DVD, VHS, VCD, AVI etc) to anywhere in the world.
TREKWEB: Rick Berman has said in recent interviews that he would love to see Bill Shatner guest-starring in an future episode of Enterprise. How do you feel about that?
JAY: I personally would love to see Shatner on any of the Star Trek spin-offs. But if they're going to do it, they should do it with Shatner playing the role of Kirk. As we are fond of saying, *anyone* can play Kirk's ancestor, but only William Shatner can play James T. Kirk. The purpose of the campaign is to have Kirk back one last time to undo his death in Generations, and not kill him off again. Kirk deserves a happy ending, and a Kirk return on Enterprise can finally give a lot of fans that optimistic ending that Star Trek became known for.
JASON: I'd love to see it, but for Paramount, the choice is clear. It's about money. And Kirk's return is about as sure a thing as they can get. What was the highest rated show in November 2003 Sweeps? Andy Griffith sitting around in a recreated Mayberry set talking with Don Knotts, Jim Nabors and Ron Howard. Enterprise's chief competition is Smallville. Its highest rated show was when they got Christopher Reeve to guest. When DS9 did Trials and Tribbleations, the rating was a 7.7. No Trek show, not even Broken Bow, has matched that rating since. William Shatner as Captain Kirk can generate that audience. It's our goal to see that happen. But that's not the reason I'd like to see Kirk on Enterprise; it's a by-product of what could be the greatest science fiction return of the small screen.
WIL: It would be a cheat to have William Shatner come back to the franchise after 10 years, and not play Kirk. Good writing can easily solve the difference in eras. Additionally, Rick Berman isn't the only person who has spoken positively of William Shatner appearing on Enterprise. Mr. Shatner has been open-minded about the idea. Scott Bakula has been quoted as saying he wanted Captain Kirk to show up. Brannon Braga once admitted that killing Kirk was a mistake. Mike Sussman has said that he would love to see it. And Mr Sussman certainly has proved he can not only write great Star Trek, but he has all sorts of nods and tributes to the original series laced inside his episodes.
TREKWEB: It has been 10 years since Shatner played James T. Kirk in Star Trek Generations. Some fans feel that he and Nimoy are too old to play their parts. How to you answer to that criticism?
JAY: Shatner is no older than actors like Sean Connery, Clint Eastwood, or Gene Hackman. We aren't asking for the character to do things that are physically impossible. Nor are we asking for a new TV series centering on the character. We're asking for one last adventure. It doesn't matter if it's an appearance on a TV episode, a TV Movie, or a theatrical film. We just want Kirk back one last time. Age is irrelevant.
JASON: Recently, we interviewed David Gerrold. He was asked the same question. His response was perfect, "As long as Shatner can get out of bed (or into it, for that matter), he'll always be Captain Kirk." Fact is, as we have seen from the recent Priceline commercials, neither man is exactly in a walker or ready for the old age home. William Shatner keeps a more active schedule than many people half his age. People have a hard time keeping up with him. We're not looking to see Kirk do the flying dropkick or wrestle with a Gorn. But the Kirk of Balance of Terror or Wrath of Khan is very doable. Incidentally he can be seen on two recent Spplat Attack DVDs outsmarting people twice as young as him. And that's Shatner running around with a gun for real.
WIL: Seeing Mr. Shatner as Captain Kirk is very realistic given that people in the Trek universe have such long life spans. Plus, in the real world, John Glenn was sent up in a space shuttle at age 76. Mr. Shatner is a young man compared to John Glenn. He can do it, and Paramount would be smart to take advantage. I would add that Mr. Shatner is constantly in work on the television and movie circuit.
TREKWEB: What's next for the Bring Back Kirk campaign?
JAY: Right now we are concentrating on distribution of the trailer to various conventions, in addition to our regular efforts of getting our voices heard by The Powers That Be. We're also working on a few surprises for 2004. We haven't quit, and won't quit until there is a resolution. Never underestimate the devotion of Star Trek fans.Captain Kirk's death was the biggest plot mistake in Trek history. It can easily be reversed.
JASON: The trailer is our main focus at the moment, and is proving to be overwhelmingly popular offline. We're hoping we can cope with the online demand. Currently, we are looking to see Kirk return on Enterprise. If Enterprise gets cancelled, then we will lobby for a TV movie. William Shatner wants the chance. Paramount needs to get to the negotiating table, and it is our goal to see this through. We believe in the possibilities.
WIL: The Bring Back Kirk campaign extends far beyond us. People generally seem to want to see this happen. Recently, a group of fans called New Voyages actually filmed an episode recasting TOS. That episode was a phenomenal success. I might add that they too implied that there was a post-Generations future for Kirk. But at the moment, we're just going to see how well the trailer goes down with the fan community.
TREKWEB: Thank you for you answers and good luck with the new trailer.
JASON: Thank you for the interview. We appreciate you taking the time to talk to us. And we hope everyone gets a chance to see the trailer and enjoys the production. Any and all feedback can be sent to us at: officials@bringbackkirk.com
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