The Doctor and McCoy

TV Not really having had a chance to see Star Trek: Enterprise I can't really comment on whether the cancellation is a good or bad idea. SFX magazine's reviews have become increasingly positive though and I'm actually looking forward to the dvd release so that I can catch up. It does mean though, that there won't be a new season of any Trek series for the first time since 1987. That's a pretty good record. Can I suggest what will happen now?

Fans will have a protest and even produce a charity record featuring some of the stars called 'Doctor Phlox in Distress'. A rumour will be put about that the network's switchboards are going to be inundated with people calling to complain about the cancellation. Said network will hire in extra staff, but in reality only a few people will call.

The original Pocket Book novels will continue telling stories too broad and epic for television. There will run for about ten years and existing authors will be augmented by people who already worked on the television series and fans. There will increasing introduce more adult themes and horror elements. Fans will complain that they don't read like their beloved series and that the main characters have strayed too far from their tv origins.

Ten years later a pilot will be made for the new series. Although a lot of money will be spent, it'll run opposite the finale to a popular long running sitcom and no one will tune in. Fans will complain that it looks nothing like the show they love even though certain elements have been included almost as a fop. Someone will controversially kiss someone else.

Cashing in on the new film, Pocket Book's license is brought back in-house. Although the initial intention with the new books is the appeal to a younger audience, the books will eventually start looking more like they have all along with labarynthian plot arcs and multi-layered characterisation as most of the writers migrate over.

Within a few years a group of fans license the Star Trek concept and start producing monthly cd adventures featuring many of the original cast members. These will fit within the original continuity, although some cast members refuse to do them because they don't want to be typecast (disappointing fans). Listeners consider them to be a perfectly good subsitute for what went before and in some ways better.

Over the years, fans of the series have worked their way into various key positions in television. Out of nowhere in the fortieth anniversary year it's announced that one of the fans with a track record on tv has been given the job of reviving the series. It's taken fifteen years but the starships will fly again.

A well known celebrity wife and former pop star is cast in a key role. For once the hard core fanbase are impressed, but the moronic naysayers start criticising before they've seen anything ...

... etc ... etc ... etc ... I mean that's how it always happens isn't it?