Star Trek: Borg - Fan Collective... first details (1 Viewer)

[David Lambert]

I've heard about that episode but never seen it. I have little love for Voyager (and less for Enterprise), so I haven't seen all episodes (of either)...just the ones that supposedly stand out.

But yes, "Fubared" just about covers it!

I love TOS and TNG, like DS9 and parts of VOY, but there's much to criticize all up and down the length of the franchise, make no mistake about it. I am also honest enough with myself to admit that some of the problems come back to appeasing the fans. Doing that is like walking a fine line. That line may in fact be a phaser beam, ready to rip you to shreds if you waver too much to either side. It's got to be very difficult to be be behind the scenes of a Trek production, with expectations so high.

That's why I'm glad they're taking a break from Trek, and hopefully Berman and Braga move on completely because I think they exhausted the best part of their Trek creativity a long time ago. It's time to take a break, let things calm down, and find some fresh blood with fresh ideas that won't alienate the fan base but doesn't re-hash everything at the same time.

007's in the same boat. They are hitting the reset button and going back to Ian Fleming's first book, Casino Royale, as the source of the next film. Starting over, as it were.

Will future Trek start over, or trek forward? I'm content to wait a while to see. Right now, there's plenty of material to enjoy via DVD...especially when the cartoon comes out, bringing the last bit of ready-made material home for those to want it to enjoy.

These new "Best of" collections, coupled with the lower prices on season sets that are available in some ways (at least for now...I don't think anyone know yet whether these lower prices are permanent, but they probably are), will help spread the existing material to more Trek fans who either are less intense or less flush with cash. I'm glad that Paramount's doing these. I have several friends who will enjoy the Borg set in particular. It's a well-chosen set.

Well, of course it is. The fans chose it.

 

[JohnAP]

I might pick this up. Most of the star trek seasons contain a few more episodes than other shows, but if they want to turn new fans on to the franchise, the prices should be in line with other series. I've noticed prices on the earlier sets coming down a bit. Combine that with these theme sets and it looks like they're catching on.

I hope this does well so they bring out some other best of theme sets. I think I heard something about a Klingon set. So many options. Hell, they could do a set just about Temporal Anomalies.

 

[Carl Johnson]

ST:TNG is among my favorite shows and I would prefer to collect it in theme sets rather than by season. I don't have and likely won't be buying any of the ST season sets but I already have the Picard set and would be eager to add sets for the Borg, Riker, Data, Geordi, Worf, and maybe even Wesley, Troi and Deanna to my collection. They can keep Guinan and Dr Pulaski's sets though

 

[Joseph Bolus]

Star Trek: Time Travel will, indeed, be the next theme-based set to be released. Look for it on April 4th.

The episodes in the set have not been announced yet, but when we were voting on the set, here's a list of some of the episodes that were being considered:

From TOS: The City on the Edge of Forever, Tomorrow is Yesterday, All Our Yesterdays

From TNG: Yesterday's Enterprise, Time's Arrow (2-part episode)

From DS9: Trials and Tribble-ations, Past Tense (2-part ep), The Visitor, Little Green Men

From Voyager: Time and Again, Future's End (2-part), Year of Hell (2-part), Living Witness, Timeless

I'm sure there will be others as well ...

This could be another fantastic set of eps for the casual Trek fan ...

 

[PeterTHX]

I find most "fan" criticism of "Regeneration" is from people who NEVER ACTUALLY VIEWED THE EPISODE! It was a good show, and it neatly tied up the ends.

Regarding D. Lambert's post:
The producers at the time gave interviews with "Cinescape" magazine, notably Maurice Hurley & Ira Steven Behr (who was with TNG before leaving and coming back to DS9), said the writers strike threw the 2nd season into chaos. They had mapped out an arc where they basically find the Romulan Empire was destroyed by an unknown force, later revealed to be the Borg. But the abbreviated season, coupled with digging old scripts out to shoot in time for some kind of fall premiere deep-sixed that plan. Maurice Hurley then wrote "Q Who" to finally introduce the Borg to the TNG crew.

 

[Joseph Bolus]

Here's a great on-line review/analysis of Regeneration (Just keep in mind that it's full of spoilers!) :

http://www.st-hypertext.com/ent-2/regeneration.html

It's definitely one of the better Enterprise eps, but it does play fast and loose with continuity. Or ... You could simply think of it as a classic Time Paradox: The TNG crew knew nothing about the Borg until "Q Who" because the events in First Contact had not taken place yet. The events depicted in "Regeneration" are therefore in the new time line that evolved due to the events depicted in the movie.

 

[David Lambert]

PeterTHX, I have never been a fan of Cinescape magazine, so perhaps I just missed that interview. I find it strange that - in all these years since then - I have never heard those comments repeated elsewhere, but then life is after all stranger than fiction.

But speaking of strange fiction, I find it weird to think that they did all the "we are back" stuff with the Romulans in The Neutral Zone, but only with the intention of showing the Romulan Empire to be destroyed a short time later in the second season. I think the fans would have torn them a new one if they waited all the first season to be re-introduced to the Romulans, only to have them thrown away like an empty soda can soon thereafter. That would be "messing with the legend" of TOS, which fans have had little tolerance for (as we all know! ).

Going back to the "strange I never heard the comments made anywhere else" thing, it's really bizarre that this sort of impact from the 1988 Writer's Guild strike (which lasted May to August, IIRC) isn't mentioned in various production diaries around the 'net, like Memory Alpha's. Oh, the delay of the start of S2 was mentioned, and how the season debut ep "The Child" was borrowed from the aborted Star Trek Phase II television production (which became Star Trek: The Motion Picture instead). And diaries mention how budget problems resulting from the strike cut the season short at 22 episodes, with the final ep being the clip show "Shades of Gray". But no word there about the introduction of the Borg being screwed up.

 

[Will_B]

Regeneration was indeed one of the best Enterprise episodes, ever. As I recall the episode's first act didn't include any of the main Enterprise characters - a risky way to start an episode, but it worked very well. Any fan of First Contact needs to see this ep.

 

[PeterTHX]

Which was the intention of the surprise. One thing is that Rodenberry did not want the Romulans at all (he still had most of the control of the show at the time), this way he would be satisfied. Behr & Hurley thought it would shake up the TNG universe a bit and establish the Borg as a real bad-ass threat. The mystery of what happened to the Romulans would unfold bit by bit throughout the season, kind of a "C" story to whatever TNG stories were being told. Needless to say everyone involved was deeply disappointed this never came to be.

Later they basically did the same technique with the Dominion throughout season 2 of DS9. Laying bits and clues throughout the season and then revealing them in force for the season finale.

 

[MattSav]

This still isn't listed at Amazon (at least not that I can find.) I hope the set hasn't been delayed.

 

[Mike Graham]

I really, really hope they include TNG's finale, "All Good Things..." in this set.