Fans Hope Suns Can Rise Again on 'Star Trek'

[Book Lover]

http://nytimes.com/2004/08/31/arts/television/31trek.html

Over the weekend Mr. Nimoy joined others from the cast of the original "Star Trek" television series at a fan convention here organized by Planet Xpo to honor James Doohan, who played Scotty, the Enterprise engineer, in his last convention appearance. Mr. Doohan, who is to receive his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Tuesday, is showing signs of Alzheimer's disease, a family spokesman said. So with the exception of DeForest Kelley, who played Dr. Leonard McCoy and died in 1999, the Enterprise crew gathered one last time on Sunday.

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Even Mr. Nimoy sees cause for concern. He likens the current situation to the period after the first "Star Trek" feature film, when "I felt that 'Star Trek' was like a beached whale," he said. "I think something similar is happening now. 'Star Trek' is in this stranded situation. The ideas that were propelling it have run dry."

Some people suggest the problem is audience fatigue. Some say it is creative exhaustion. One solution to both, several actors, writers, producers and directors of past "Star Trek" incarnations say, may be to stop making new "Star Trek" stories for a while.

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"Movies cost so much to make that apparently the only thing that strikes the studios as worth doing is franchise-related," said Nicholas Meyer, who directed "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" and "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country." "Whether it's other movies, comic books, video games, it doesn't matter, as long as there is some presale. Which is not to say they can't turn out a good movie. A lot of good things are done for the wrong reasons."