Phase Two

Equinox2003 · Post by **Equinox2003** » 2003-07-31 10:35pm

As many Trek fans know, in the late 70's There was talk of bringing
Star Trek back as a weekly TV series. Most of the TOS actors had
signed on, and the series was to be called Star Trek: Phase 2.
This plan was scrapped in favor of making TMP.
Trek fans, how do you think the Phase 2 series would have done?
Better than, same as, or worse than TOS?

Note: Nobody wants a bunch of Force wankers jacking this thread
telling us yet again how they made TMP because SW:ANH was a
huge hit. We all know that already. But if you have an opinion on
Phase 2, leave your comments.

Montcalm · Post by **Montcalm** » 2003-07-31 10:44pm

Personnaly i think that would have been the best choice,seeing the original gang plus some new members,and it would not have been preachy like what it became with TNG and this farce boobyprise.

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2003-07-31 10:49pm

First of all, the comment about "Force wankers" was unnecessary.

Second, it's hard to guess. I think without the proven success of the Trek movie franchise after WoK, and the staying power of TOS in syndication, Phase II would have been more likely to suffer the same fate as Battlestar Galactica--even with good ratings, it got cancelled. TNG survived a mostly lousy first season because it had a huge built in audience and the Powers That Be had precedent for believing it would succede. I honestly don't think that if TNG had debuted in the early '70s, it would have survived much past the second season. Phase II would not have been TNG, of course, but it would have had to earn more than its fair share in order to last. Such is the way of TV science fiction.

Equinox2003 · Post by **Equinox2003** » 2003-07-31 11:04pm

First of all, the comment about "Force wankers" was unnecessary.

On the contrary, it was quite needed. Just yesterday a Trek thread
was jacked by guys who rambled on about how they hated all things
Trek. Like we have not all heard that 20 bazillion times.
besides, I am not putting down all Wars fans. Most are good guys,
and I like Wars myself.

As for your comments on Phase 2, quite insightful, I personally
think that if given a steady time slot, (TOS was not given that)
I think it could have lasted maybe as long as the original (3 seasons)
We could have had interesting follow ups to aliens of the week seen
in TOS. I for one, would not have liked to see more of Harry Mud.
While not an alien, he was a two time pain in Kirks side, and I would
think we would probably have seen him again.

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2003-07-31 11:22pm

Lets just drop the "force wankers" comment and move back to the discussion, eh?

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2003-07-31 11:26pm

Equinox2003 wrote:We could have had interesting follow ups to aliens of the week seen
in TOS. I for one, would not have liked to see more of Harry Mud.
While not an alien, he was a two time pain in Kirks side, and I would
think we would probably have seen him again.

It would have been nice to see some follow-up on some of TOS's mysteries. Where did the Doomsday Machine come from, for example? Someone wrote a novel about that once, I think, and it was kinda cool. A return of the Doomsday Machine would have been totally badass. I would have liked to have seen the Gorn again, and more Romulans, and Klingons that were cunning and dangerous, not Space Vikings with rocks where their brains ought to be. TWOK would have been a hell of an end of season cliffhanger.

Frankly, TNG dropped the ball on a lot of the mysteries that were left open at the end of TOS (mysteries? Hell, it took us more than thirty years to see the THOLIANS again.)

Equinox2003 · Post by **Equinox2003** » 2003-08-01 02:20am

Good points. Seeing Kirk & co. back in the Mirror Universe would have
been cool to me.
TWOK would have been an awesome cliffhanger!
I also wonder whatever became of the Guardian of Forever.

paladin · Post by **paladin** » 2003-08-01 07:12pm

As many Trek fans know, in the late 70's There was talk of bringing
Star Trek back as a weekly TV series. Most of the TOS actors had
signed on, and the series was to be called Star Trek: Phase 2.
This plan was scrapped in favor of making TMP.

The deal for ST:P2 was scrapped because the network Paramount was trying to create did not come through.

However, I think the series would have worked if it capture the feeling of TOS. It would have been interesting to see Kirk in action again on the small screen every week.

Equinox2003 · Post by **Equinox2003** » 2003-08-01 10:11pm

The deal for ST:P2 was scrapped because the network Paramount was trying to create did not come through.

Not the case. In Leonard Nimoy's book "I am Spock" he says it was
the hit ANH that led Paramount execs to try Trek at the box office.

Frank Hipper · Post by **Frank Hipper** » 2003-08-01 10:23pm

I'm not especially enamored of the Enterprise they had designed for it. And it would have had to have been better than the first season of TNG, wouldn't it? When I see Mission to Farpoint these days I cringe. Hell, I cringed the night it debuted!

Jadeite · Post by **Jadeite** » 2003-08-02 01:01am

I'm not especially enamored of the Enterprise they had designed for it. And it would have had to have been better than the first season of TNG, wouldn't it? When I see Mission to Farpoint these days I cringe. Hell, I cringed the night it debuted!

They designed an Enterprise for Phase 2? Got any pics, or links?

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2003-08-02 01:19am

Its essentially the same as the TMP refit, although it has a rear torpedo launcher and the pylons are slightly different.

Solid Snake · Post by **Solid Snake** » 2003-08-02 01:47am

RedImperator wrote:
Equinox2003 wrote:We could have had interesting follow ups to aliens of the week seen
in TOS. I for one, would not have liked to see more of Harry Mud.
While not an alien, he was a two time pain in Kirks side, and I would
think we would probably have seen him again.
It would have been nice to see some follow-up on some of TOS's mysteries. Where did the Doomsday Machine come from, for example? Someone wrote a novel about that once, I think, and it was kinda cool. A return of the Doomsday Machine would have been totally badass. I would have liked to have seen the Gorn again, and more Romulans, and Klingons that were cunning and dangerous, not Space Vikings with rocks where their brains ought to be. TWOK would have been a hell of an end of season cliffhanger.

Frankly, TNG dropped the ball on a lot of the mysteries that were left open at the end of TOS (mysteries? Hell, it took us more than thirty years to see the THOLIANS again.)

1. The Doomsday Machine is an ancient Sith superweapon.

2. The TOS Klingons were exactly that.. The TNG -> Klingons fit that description.
3. I like it as a movie... Thank you..
4. We should go back in time and give Gene Roddenbury $600,000,000,000,000,000 dollars. We wouldnt be having this conversation right now.

Frank Hipper · Post by **Frank Hipper** » 2003-08-02 04:03am

Jadeite wrote:
I'm not especially enamored of the Enterprise they had designed for it. And it would have had to have been better than the first season of TNG, wouldn't it? When I see Mission to Farpoint these days I cringe. Hell, I cringed the night it debuted!
They designed an Enterprise for Phase 2? Got any pics, or links?

Check Graham Kenedy's info on it. The Gage class.

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2003-08-02 04:16am

I didn't know he had it listed.

*EDIT* Oh, that thing. That was an early study model IIRC. The final choice actually looked identical to the TMP refit to the casual onlooker.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2003-08-02 04:32am

I believe the neck might have been about half as tall as the movie version's as well...

Frank Hipper · Post by **Frank Hipper** » 2003-08-02 04:52am

I've seen an early movie poster that had your basic Constellation, with slab sided nacelles. Wonder what, if anything, it owed to the TV designs.

The K'T'inga was a more detailed version of Phase Two's Klingon ship, according to info at this site.

paladin · Post by **paladin** » 2003-08-02 09:01am

Equinox2003 wrote:
The deal for ST:P2 was scrapped because the network Paramount was trying to create did not come through.
Not the case. In Leonard Nimoy's book "I am Spock" he says it was
the hit ANH that led Paramount execs to try Trek at the box office.

Read Star Trek: Phase Two: The Lost Series. That gives the whole picture.