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Star Trek XI: Romulan Wars?

Tycoon Guy writes "TrekToday reports that the next Star Trek movie will deal with the war between Earth and the Romulans that led to the founding of the Federation. According to Rick Berman, the film will be 'set before the time of Kirk, but will not be connected with Enterprise.' So how will they make this fit with the Classic Trek episode Balance of Terror, in which we learned that no human ever saw the face of a Romulan during the Romulan Wars?"

20 of 753 comments (clear)

  1. Kill all the crew... by grub · · Score: 5, Interesting


    So how will they make this fit with the Classic Trek episode Balance of Terror, in which we learned that no human ever saw the face of a Romulan during the Romulan Wars?"

    Perhaps no human that saw a Romulan made it back to Federation space to report the fact?

    --
    Trolling is a art,
    1. Re:Kill all the crew... by NanoGator · · Score: 4, Interesting

      "So how will they make this fit with the Classic Trek episode Balance of Terror, in which we learned that no human ever saw the face of a Romulan during the Romulan Wars?"

      You mean besides the damage done to the time-line by not only the Enterprise E in First Contact, but the temporal cold war where a race of people have intentionally mucked with Earth's time line to get us all wiped out? Well that's a tough one, I don't see how they could wriggle out of that.

      --
      "Derp de derp."
    2. Re:Kill all the crew... by Marxist+Hacker+42 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Actually, the temporal cold war was part of the original series- Remember the Mirror Universe? There's suggestions in some of the books that it started about the same time Lake Sloan on Alpha Centauri III changed it's name to Lake Riker- thus the incursion in First Contact created the new timeline Enterprise is in, the shadowy figure the Suliban are following is likely Emperor Tiberius Kirk or somebody from his government, and the people from the thirtyeth century are trying to head off the mirror universe before it causes too much damage.

      Along the way we also have the Sphere Builders the Xendi were fighting (read the New Voyages books for more info on this one) and now this new movie.

      But back to the original thread- Balance of Terror's claim of a lack of information about the Romulans can be explained one of three ways:
      1. This is the original timeline not in the mirror universe, so without Suliban interferance the Federation didn't even meet up with the Romulans until the war.
      2. This is the mirror universe- so due to Suliban interferance in the timeline, the Romulans gained a whole new set of technolgies- including cloaking technology- that allowed for the creation of the minefield seen in that Enterprise episode that I can't remember the name of right now, and therefore this movie will use Enterprise-style cloaking beacons to defeat cloaking, changing the entire nature of the Romulan War.
      3. Due to use of Nukes, nobody in the Romulan war actually ever sees a Romulan- at least, not without getting a lethal dose of radiation, as insinuated in Balance of Terror.

      --
      SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
    3. Re:Kill all the crew... by Starsmore · · Score: 4, Interesting
      The only bit of Shatner's writing that works for Star Trek (the whole 'Kirk survives Generations, saves the galaxy another ten times' series) is that the events in First Contact are what triggered the split timeline, leading to the Mirror Universe (as seen in 'Mirror Mirror' and a dozen or so DS9 episodes).

      He explains it that humanity, realizing that big bad guys exist (because of the Borg), become more militaristic, leading to the formation of the Terran Empire, instead of the Federation.

      Doesn't explain Enterprise, but most Trekkies ignore it anyway. :)

      --
      "If Common Sense was so common, it wouldn't be such a valued trait."
    4. Re:Kill all the crew... by Cpt_Kirks · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Close, very close.

      Actually, Enterprise takes place in *ANOTHER* timeline (non-TOS and non-mirror). In this timeline, the borg attacked earth (ala "First Contact"), but the Temporal Cold War and Xindi attack caused a butterfly effect.

      Since neither of these events happened in the TOS timeline, BB and company have a pretty much clean slate to work with. All canon events are now moot.

      Anything can happen, like alien Nazis...

    5. Re:Kill all the crew... by Kethinov · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Your comment is nicely worded but I don't agree. It seems that the norm on Slashdot is to bash the shit out of modern Star Trek and Star Wars prequels for some reason. Take it from a fan since the TNG days: DS9 was great, Voyager was great, and Enterprise is great. And all that was made before I started watching was great. I'm not the only fan who feels this way. Perhaps I am on Slashdot though.

      I've seen every episode of Star Trek and every Trek movie ever made and they all more or less capture the spirit that the show was founded on. I really wish people on Slashdot would give this Trek and Star Wars bashing a rest. I don't agree with all the decisions TPTB have made, but Trek is still good quality intelegent television in a word where mindless reality shows dominate the ratings.

      --
      You're right, I wouldn't steal a car. But if it were possible, I sure as hell would download one!
  2. Easy by belg4mit · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Just make sure whomever does, dies. Sheesh.

    --
    Were that I say, pancakes?
  3. Berman, future, past, and stealing ideas. by numbski · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Heh, further proof thatBerman couldn't get an original idea to save his life.

    Okay, so it's not EXACTLY the same, but dang, how close can a guy get? Anyway, sounds to me like this would be better 'experimented' as a TV miniseries, as you're going to have to introduce characters, do character development, plot development, and plot resolution all in a single flick. In a miniseries, you'd have more screen time to work with, and wouldn't have to rush through it all.

    Oh wait, this is Berman we're talking about. Then again, we'd be bashing him if this were announced as a miniseries talking about how much it's going to suck. :\

    My personal feeling is that until they return to the TNG timeline, come up with a believable story plot, and give the Berman team a rest, things aren't going to get better. Perhaps dropping the franchise altogether is the answer, but not so long as the cash flows is that going to happen.

    I know! Captain B-4 of the Starship Enterprise-F! :P Always remember to keep a reliable backup of your Data. ;)

    --

    Karma: Chameleon (mostly due to the fact that you come and go).

    1. Re:Berman, future, past, and stealing ideas. by B3ryllium · · Score: 5, Interesting

      My opinion is that Joss Whedon is what B&B can never be; a quality writer who cares about the material.

      That's why I plan to eschew Star Trek movies in favour of Serentity, due out in 2005. :)

    2. Re:Berman, future, past, and stealing ideas. by Jerf · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Hey, all you nerds! Even if Firefly wasn't your cup of tea, let's help Serenity kick Star Trek's ass at the box office. It would be good for everyone... most especially Star Trek, which needs all of us to stop shoveling our money over for crap so that there is an incentive to stop making that crap.

  4. 'Secret history'? by Mordant · · Score: 4, Interesting

    One way to handle this would be to work the plot out so that Romulans are actually seen by Terrans and/or allies, but that those who see them are either a) all killed or b) that it's all hushed up (I like this latter option, as there are all kinds of cool foreshadowin things which could be done).

    1. Re:'Secret history'? by mfh · · Score: 3, Interesting

      > One way to handle this would be to work the plot out so that Romulans are actually seen by Terrans and/or allies, but that those who see them are either a) all killed or b) that it's all hushed up (I like this latter option, as there are all kinds of cool foreshadowin things which could be done).

      For me, I think it comes down to motive. Why would a government want to include in history the fact that Romulans were never seen by a human? Let's face it, they look an awful lot like the Vulcans, and in fact are related to them. You remember how racist TOS was when it came to Klingons? Maybe the higher ups were afraid that people, captains, would want to turn against the Vulcans if they ever knew what Romulans looked like.

      I think it'd be easy for this information to be marked classified, and be done with it. If anyone ever saw a Romulan, they were usually about to die anyway, or be hauled off to Remus to do dillithium mining...

      The thing I always wanted to see from Trek, that likely wouldn't ever happen, is a series about Roumulus. Just follow Captain Sula around on all her truly dark and mysterious missions. That'd actually be too dark for prime time, but the Sopranos has shown that even the darkest series can work and be huge success stories.

      I would love to see Roumulans in a series about Romulans. Wouldn't it rock? Show it from their side of things, with their dark and mysterious logic. It'd be cool as hell.

      --
      The dangers of knowledge trigger emotional distress in human beings.
  5. It won't, of course. by foxtrot · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Rick Berman obviously never saw any classic Trek, so anything that happened there never really happened in the Bermanverse. :)

    Slightly more seriously, I'm glad to see uncharted ground. With the removal of Brannon Braga as "show runner" on Enterprise (replaced with Manny Coto), it may well step up a notch. If he brings in someone else to handle the Romulan movie, not an unreasonable thing to do for a completely new aspect of Trek, it may be done well. (Is it possible that this was the treatment Joe Straczynski and... uh, whassisface from Dark Skies? turned in?)

    After all, remember, Berman was in charge even through the hey-day of TNG and early DS9. Berman's problem may not be that he doesn't know decent science fiction from a hole in the ground; it may be that he can't seem to hire people who know decent science fiction from a hole in the ground...

    -JDF

  6. Give Straczynski a chance!! by October_30th · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Straczynski of the B5-fame has expressed his interest in getting involved with Star Trek.

    Why don't they just give B&B something else to do and give JMS free hands like Warner Bros did with B5.

    --
    The owls are not what they seem
  7. Film the movie like Das Boot by EvilTwinSkippy · · Score: 5, Interesting
    In the original theatrical release of Das Boot, you never saw outside the craft. You lived the clasterphobic terror of WWII submarine warfare.

    (Of course the director's cut went off and added a whole bunch of cheasy plastic model in a green tank of water shots. Bastards.)

    Frankly, you don't really need to see the face of your enemy in a space battle. They are a blinking set of lights a few kilometers away. It's just a question of turning that blinking set of lights into a fireball before they turn you into one.

    --
    "Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival."
    --Dr.W.Edwards Deming
  8. Humans will get to see Romulans by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Star Trek TOS got it wrong. They had the official story. In reality, humans will see Romulans a couple of times during the war. The Vulcans will engineer a cover-up, destroying records and doctoring memories with mind-melds.

  9. Where's my DS9? by Dark-Helmet · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Alright, so it's offtopic and I'm sure there's probally already a hundred posts about it below my threshold, but what about DS9? I'm not much one for prequels or even the TNG timeline. TNG was really "white bread" with it being extremely predictable episodes with flat (but sometimes lovable) characters resolving the given situation inside the episode to make for good syndication material. Oh, and throw in some Borg/combat oriented episodes towards for the season premiers and finales to try to hook people in and resolve it like any other syndicated episode afterwards.

    Anyway, enough of my dorky rant, here's what they should be doing:

    1.) Screw alternate time lines and particles and such. Don't even mention the possibility of it. Sure, it'd kinda annoy Star Trek dorks like me who have kept up with multiple series and like to compare them (god knows what Voyager did, haven't seen much of it myself) but if you just plug your ears and say lalala then it'll be okay. I promise!

    2.) Go back to DS9 era and explore what happened there. All three major powers (fed, klingons, romulans) of the Alpha quadrant are recovering from a long and costly war from a powerful adversary that was basically the anti-federation from the Gama quadrant. I'd love to see how the Dominion would deal with the aftermath considering it comprised of a variety of genetically engineered races to fulfill specific jobs. Now that their founder "gods" have been defeated, will that shake the Dominion to the core? If so, what happens?

    Hell, Sisko is still living in the Wormhole and with the Prophets, can we give him a resolution? I'm sure he'd come back and be part of the main story.

    3.) Don't involve Berman/Braga in the creative aspect. They're okay producers just bring back the DS9 writing team and people like Ira Steven Behr.

    4.) No fucking cameos. I'm sick of TNG cameos and the feeling that it needs to be done to somehow validate the series. Take a goddamn risk every once in a while. DS9 did it and it was succesful in a lot of regards. It didn't get the same ratings as TNG, but considering it was overlapping with Voyager and TNG towards the beggining its no suprise. I'd love to see a relaunch of this series after Enterprise is put to rest.

  10. Re:Kill Berman. Then put the franchise in stasis. by Toddlerbob · · Score: 3, Interesting
    On June 17 of this year, JMS (Joe Straczynski) the author of Babylon 5, posted the following on the newsgroup rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated:

    Amusingly enough, on the Trek front, Bryce Zabel (the creator of Dark Skies) and I got together and wrote a treatment earlier this year that specified how to save ST and develop a series that would restore the series in a big way. I actually think it could be a hell of a show. Whether that ever goes anywhere with Paramount, who knows?

    I, for one, would love to see him take over Trek and make it an interesting show again. He also mentioned that he was offered a job as executive producer on Enterprise, but turned it down, I believe it was because he didn't want to exec. for a show that's really not his, creatively. However, my memory is fuzzy on that point.

  11. There IS a pre-quel novel that covers this by LineGrunt · · Score: 3, Interesting

    But for the life of me I can't remember the name/author...

    The general premise is that an earlier prototype of the Constitution class is on a maiden voyage (or something) and encounters the Romulans.

    Some of the book IS from the Romulan standpoint. There is a mutiney on the Romulan ship and the Romulan captain (who is the honorable elder statesman-type) defects. The Romulan (evil) second in command presses an attack on the Federation ship.

    The Federation captain learns from the Romulan captain that the Romulans have broken ALL of the Federation codes, so the Federation captain uses a ruse... PRETENDING that the Federation has invented a cloaking device and that there are other cloaked ships waiting for a general attack.

    The visible ship (our heros) has a "cloaking unit that has failed" and radios home in "theoretically unbreakable" code (that they know that the Romulans will intercept) that they (our heros) have compromised the general attack and to call it off.

    The Romulans KNOWING that there are additional Federation ships about (after all it came across in high priority code) break off their attack on our heros.

    So at the end of the book the Federation undergoes a crash program to improve their codes, while the Romulans break their balls trying to discover the "cloaking device" because "obviously the Federation can do it, why can't we..."

    It was a REALLY good read. Too bad I can't remember the title...

    Help? Older slashdotters?

    Line Grunt.

  12. Re:Uh.... by cozziewozzie · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Actually, Romulan redshirts (or their low-rank equivalent) wore shiny helmets in the TOS timeline. If hand-to-hand combat happens, the humans won't necessarily see any of the distinguishing features (like Vulcan-like pointy ears, for example :))

    On the other hand, Star Trek X pissed on the Romulan canon so badly that I have given up any hope of the proud race of Romulans ever being represented in their full TOS-era glory again.

    I believe that they will turn Romulans into some kind of Al-Qaeda terrorist organisation which kills civilisations for fun, hey that brings in money these days :-(