BringBackKirk.com chat transcript with StarTrekFans.net
Sunday, April 4th, 2004:
NOTE: BBK representatives are BBKUS (Marc C)
and Tommy_Boyd (Jason Turner).
Chat moderators are
master_q and Alterego.
Transcript
has been edited slightly for clarification purposes.
master_q : Let's welcome bbkus & Tommy Boyd! They represent the Bring
Back Kirk (bbk)
group. We are in the chat room to 'interview' them..... to
hear *their* opinions and *their* views. So
let's welcome them aboard
StarTrekFans.net!
Indy : welcome!!!
Tommy_Boyd : Thank you
BBKUS : I just want to say it's a pleasure to be invited.
MrLokiWolfe : welcome
Tommy_Boyd : great to be here
scaleman : hello
master_q : First I'm going ask some general questions to our guests. After
that all of you are free
to ask them a few questions you may have....
Thanks!
BBKUS : Sounds good.
Alterego : All guests are asked to now become silent while MQ holds an
interview, chat in PM if
necessary.
master_q : How exactly do you guys want to bring back Kirk? (A full featured
movie, brand
new series, guest appearances on ent, ....)
BBKUS : We're very open minded on this subject. Basically, our goal is to see
Kirk have a
happy ending after Generations
Tommy_Boyd : Right now our main emphasis is Enterprise. It's the most
practical avenue, but
we don't object to any of the mentioned.
BBKUS : The key to us is getting the character a canonical happy ending. So a
movie, TV
movie, guest on Enterprise, or any format that is canon is what we
want
master_q : A reasonable question would have to be --- Why bring back
Kirk?.......... What
caused all of you to start bbk?
BBKUS : It should be noted that earlier this week, William Shatner mentioned
that he has an
idea to bring Kirk on Enterprise
BBKUS : Captain Kirk is not about death. Neither was tos. The character
should end on a
happy note--looking for that next adventure
master_q : I see
Tommy_Boyd : I think we all came in at different times and for different
reasons. But most of us
were pretty appalled with Generations and wanted to
get the character back with a bit more dignity.
BBKUS : hhad ST6 been the finale, that would have been perfect, but the idea
that Captain
Kirk was splatted on a few mountains in a death that was
meaningless to the plot is just awful
master_q : Yeah, recently William Shatner has said that he has "written a
scenario" that may
actually bring back Kirk. That must be very exciting news
for all of you at bbk!
master_q : If all of you remember in the Star Trek IV Collectors DVD Edition
- in the audio
commentary ---- Shatner mentioned that he wishes that they
did more Star Trek movies.
BBKUS : No doubt. We just want Paramount to listen. BBK has a pretty strong
number of fans
behind it.
Tommy_Boyd : Definitely. It really is out of our hands as to the politics
involved. Having Mr
Shatner get to the negotiating table and pitching an
idea is really the next best step.
master_q : Some people argue that William Shatner is too old to play to play
Kirk. Is that a
reasonable argument or no?
BBKUS : And he should. It's a waste of an excellent resource not to take
advantage of Mr.
Shatner. I've found that most of the TOS actors simply want
to be asked, and would love to return if the
script is right.
Tommy_Boyd : YYes, he and Nimoy both agreed on that.
BBKUS : David Gerrold said it best. As long as he is willing and able to get
out of bed, he
should be allowed to play the part. John Glenn was shot into
space on the shuttle at the age of 76. Mr.
Shatner is younger, and Glenn did
it in the real world.
Tommy_Boyd : It depends on whether or not anyone can be too old to play a
character. He'd
just be Kirk but aged 73 now.
master_q : Yeah I agree with that
master_q : A confusion a few people seem to have is during the trailer and
what it may
represent. Is the trailer meant to show an actual storyline in
which BBK would like to see in action?
BBKUS : No one is expecting the flying drop kick or double fisted punch. But
the Kirk of twok
or Balance of Terror can work. And I've seen Mr. Shatner in
Spplat Attack, his paintball dvd. The man
at 70 has more energy than people
half his age
master_q : ....... Some people seem to think that the second official trailer
suggests that the BBK
group wants to combine all five series into one
project with the return of Kirk. Is that true?
BBKUS : No. The trailer is simply meant to show how exciting Kirk's return
could be. It shows
that Kirk fits in to the modern era. It's meant to show
possibilities
master_q : What can people do if they want to support your guys’ group and
want to bring back
Kirk?
Tommy_Boyd : Storyline, definitely not. We deliberately took a story that we
knew they
couldn't and wouldn't do. The narrative was merely to show the
possibilities. You'd never see all that
happen on Trek, but seeing Kirk
appear on Archer's bridge for example is doable.
BBKUS : Star Trek is one big universe. Mr. Shatner has had a lot of success
with the crossover
material. Inevitably, his return would be a crossover of
sorts, either in cinema or Enterprise.
master_q : Ok --- I'm glad we cleared that up for the people that were confused about that
BBKUS : Well, first, check out www.bringbackkirk.com. There, you will
see addresses for fans
to write to Paramount. You will also see we have both
a newsletter and a discussionlist for people to
follow what we're doing.
BBKUS : The key is to just keep hounding Paramount with letters.
Tommy_Boyd : We have an official newsletter at the site www.bringbackkirk.com and
everything
we do and are about to do is available immediately for our subscribers.
master_q : Referring to the second official trailer..... in basic terms how
did you guys go about
creating it? It is an impressive trailer. It probably
took a lot of work.
BBKUS : Talk it up as well. You can see Mr. Shatner wants back in, and Star
Trek could
certainly use the ratings boost that Kirk's return would
inevitably provide.
BBKUS : I'll let Jason handle that one--he's one of the fab 3.
Tommy_Boyd : Thank you. It was a labour of love and a lot of sweat. We knew
we'd come a
long way since we did the first trailer and we knew we could
offer something different and better. That it
nearly killed us is nothing
compared to the great emails and feedback.
BBKUS : I'll just add that what I found impressive was that three people,
with a budget of
$0.00, did this. None of them met, and each one is from a
separate country. usa, UK, and Netherlands.
If they could do this, imagine
what Paramount could do.
master_q : It is impressive and from my view point I support what all of you are doing
Tommy_Boyd : Well to be truthful there was a wine budget. But it wasn't
Chatteux Picard. We
have to wait a few centuries for that :)
BBKUS : Trials and Tribbleations scored a rating of 7.7. No Trek episode has
done as well
since. That episode did 35% higher than the average DS9 episode
that year. Imagine what the real
return of Kirk on Enterprise would do for
that show.
Tommy_Boyd : Thank you very much.
BBKUS : We appreciate all the support.
master_q : But do you think that will still hold true today?
BBKUS : Absolutely.
master_q : Why?
Tommy_Boyd : I think people are more into nostalgia and heroes as much as
ever. Christopher
Reeve for example knocked up the highest rating for
Smallville ever. People love these guys.
BBKUS : Just last November, the highest rated Sweeps show was Andy Griffith
standing
around talking with Ron Howard and Don Knotts. Christopher Reeve's
stint on Smallville was that
show's highest rated episode
BBKUS : People love this stuff.
BBKUS : Look at all the buzz our trailer got. Imagine what the real thing
would do, with Mr.
Shatner promoting it. Enterprise would get much needed
press.
BBKUS : That leads to ratings.
Tommy_Boyd : Also bear in mind that William Shatner is doing his third
successful Kirk trilogy,
set after Generations.
BBKUS : Ratings leads to higher advertising rates.
master_q : That is true
BBKUS : Jason is right. The Shatnerverse books are among Pocket's
bestsellers. THE return
was one of the best selling books ever.
Tommy_Boyd : Ratings aren't really what animates our campaign, but it could
be a bi-product if
people tune in to see Kirk and also see what a great show
they're missing.
BBKUS : More important, if Enterprise truly has 12 episodes with 12 on the
bubble, the ratings
from using 2 of those episodes for a Kirk return would
go a long way to convincing UPN to renew the
show for a full year.
BBKUS : Kirk's return would be the opposite of the Kobayashi Maru. It would
be the no-lose
scenario. Fans win because they get Kirk back. Trek wins
because one of its greatest characters
returns. UPN wins because of ratings.
master_q : So all of you do think that bringing back Kirk would reenergize Star Trek
Tommy_Boyd : And don't forget the merchandising :D
BBKUS : If done right, the character could return to other eras as well.
BBKUS : Absolutely. Like the character or not, he gets your attention. Even
those against the
campaign will watch. Again, everyone wins.
Tommy_Boyd : Plus Bill is getting back into episodic television to great
reviews. He's definitely
in a position to pull this off.
master_q : If anyone has any questions for are guests then ask
away...........
BBKUS : TOS hasn't been used for real in 10 years. The return of Kirk would
be a major shot
in the arm.
Alterego : I reccomend we have questions from the STF members in alpha.
order. Question
from Data?
Tommy_Boyd : Cool. Hi Data
BBKUS : All we ask is one at a time. Makes it easier.
Data : I am curious about the happy ending idea.
BBKUS : Well, the idea is that Kirk is not a character you need to see die.
See ST6 for an
example. The endings of Avenger and Preserver were also
great.
BBKUS : There are characters that are just a part of our culture. You don't
kill them. Batman,
Bond, etc.
kirk1701 : Could you explain the battle scene in the BBK Trailer?
Data : How positive would the happy ending be do you think
Tommy_Boyd : Certainly Kirk is about dealing with tragedy and impossible
odds. But he's
always found optimism out of those crisis. They kind of
forgot that when scripting his end.
BBKUS : Captain Kirk's death not only was utterly awful, it meant nothing to
the plot. If you
think about it, had they lost, they would have just gone
back into the nexus and tried again. Plus, why
not just come out of the
nexus a few minutes earlier and slap the cuffs on Soran?
Tommy_Boyd : Battle scene, sure what would you like to know
BBKUS : Kirk was not about death--he was about cheating it. The character still sells.
kirk1701 : Did Archer go into Kirk's era?
Data : of course anything could happen with the Nexus
Tommy_Boyd : Yes, he was in a scene set in Astro Metrics on Voyager. He
helped Kirk and
Chakotay detect the Suliban base.
BBKUS : The nexus was an open enough plot device that anything could happen
with it. Though
even that isn't necessary to use to bring back KIrk. We
believe the writers can do it.
Tommy_Boyd : The Nexus is a loophole in that any time or place can be visited
by any traveller
in there.
Alterego : Fleet captain?
master_q : Does anyone else have a question?
Fleet_Captain_Rick_Alverado : Would you support Shatner's Star Trek novels
being made
canon as a way of bringing back Kirk?
MrLokiWolfe : i do
scaleman : i do
BBKUS : Absolutely. We would welcome that.
BBKUS : I love those books--read all of them.
scaleman : The Return as a movie would be great :)
Data : which would you chose first
Alterego : Wait till your name is called.
Tommy_Boyd : Yes, especially a nice nod in an episode or future movie.
Data : sorry
BBKUS : Plus, using those books allows for the use of the character without
using too much
time in explaining the return.
Tommy_Boyd : The chicken or the egg? Didn't Q answer that for us ? :)
scaleman : emm, tying V'Ger with the borg was a neat idea in that book, don't you think?
Alterego : Indy?
Indy : My question has already been answered, but do you know if any of those
books have
been pitched as an idea for a movie?
Indy : The Shatner books, I mean
Tommy_Boyd : V'Ger and the Borg, yes it was a nice idea. They tend to tie a
lot of loose
threads up in the Shatnerverse novels.
BBKUS : yes. Shatner originally pitched the Return on the set of Generations.
BBKUS : When Berman declined, the books were born.
Indy : And it was rejected?
BBKUS : Unfortunately, yes.
Indy : ok, thanks
Alterego : Kirk1701?
BBKUS : However, there is still hope for Kirk's return, via Enterprise or any way.
scaleman : why didn't sulu make an appearance?
BBKUS : Nothing in the canon has Sulu in the 24th century. That's really the only reason.
Captain_Jean-Luc_Picard : I thought that was for the "submit a question" part. Sorry...
kirk1701 : Talk more about the trailer....plot stills seems confusing to me alittle
Tommy_Boyd : Sulu, good question. It really had to do with too much convenience if he was.
MrLokiWolfe : doesnt bringing him back risk making it a parody off it all
BBKUS : Plenty of Trek characters have died and stayed dead. But Kirk should
not be one of them.
His character needs to end on an optimistic note.
BBKUS : On the contrary, bringing him back would reinvigorate the franchise. Just look at the excitement from the trailer.
master_q : Yeah I think that's a more then reasonable question
MrLokiWolfe : But he died doing what he was best at, saving people
Tommy_Boyd : Incidentally Kirk was the only Trek main character killed
without a happy ending.
Tasha Yar got a second go. Jadzia lives on in Ezri.
BBKUS : Not really. Kirk died for no reason at all. They could have just left
the nexus a few minutes
earlier and slapped the cuffs on Soran
MrLokiWolfe : i felt that kirk showing he was at peace with his death was a happy ending
BBKUS : Plenty of Trek characters have died and stayed dead. But Kirk should
not be one of
them. His character needs to end on an optimistic note.
BBKUS : On the contrary, bringing him back would reinvigorate the franchise.
Just look at the
excitement from the trailer.
Tommy_Boyd : Incidentally Kirk was the only Trek main character killed
without a happy
ending. Tasha Yar got a second go. Jadzia lives on in Ezri.
scaleman : perhaps a "return" to the signing off scene from star trek 6 is in order? ;)
Alterego : These are not questions...
BBKUS : Kirk is always about the next adventure. Plus, if Mr. Shatner wants
back in, that's big.
He deserves his finale.
Tommy_Boyd : Actually if you read Shatner's movie memories the inspiration
for that final scene
was that Kirk had scene the next adventure. He knew it
wasn't it :)
Indy : agreed
BBKUS : Again, if Mr. Shatner was satisfied, he wouldn't have written so many
books. Nor
would he be interested in resurrecting the character on
Enterprise.
master_q : That is a good point
Tommy_Boyd : Also it wasn't just the fans that hated the ending. Nimoy and
Takei have both
said publically that it stunk. Writers for the original
series have emailed us and agreed that it wasn't
honourable and didn't do
justice to the character that they wrote for.
scaleman : how about making kirk "shadow man", or would that be too cliche?
BBKUS : Star Trek is always about possibilities. Captain Kirk does not want
to die. Never did.
He's a hero.
BBKUS : There are only 3 things that could make the Kirk situation worse than
it currently is. 1.
Kill him again. 2. Not have him be the real Kirk. 3.
Make him evil
Tommy_Boyd : I think making Kirk future guy would have been a great idea if
it was the mirror
counterpart, but it wouldn't be new because the fans have
tossed it around for years now :)
BBKUS : So having Kirk be future guy is just not the right thing to do.
BBKUS : But if Future Guy was indeed Tiberius, then you would need Captain
Kirk back to
stop him.
Tommy_Boyd : Having Khan future guy would be cool though. Especially if the
genesis wave
recreated him like it did Spock.
master_q : That would be cool
BBKUS : The key is fixing Generations. No clone, mirror double, evil twin,
second death,
hologram, or any other version that isn't post Generations
would work
Tommy_Boyd : Who knows Khan and the Reliant might still have
been out there... And Khan
would be about the right age in the 24th century
Personally, I would love to see Mike Sussman have a
crack at Kirk's return.
He's shown interest in a prior interview, and he is a known TOS fan
kor37 : Would you be opposed to a younger actor playing the Kirk of the TV
series era for
some guest shot on Enterprise or in a movie?
Tommy_Boyd : He's also written some of the best Enterprise and later Voyager episodes.
scaleman : seeing as how fan made series are going, is it possible that kirk
could be revived on
one of those and be canon?
BBKUS : Before a younger actor can be cast, the key would be to have Shatner
get his swan
song. And I think Mr. Shatner should be involved in casting a
replacement. Necessary to legitimatize it.
BBKUS : Scaleman, that's up to Paramount.
kor37 : good point
Tommy_Boyd : A younger actor would be fine if they were doing the Academy
years and
Shatner and Nimoy had cameos as their future selfs. But I don't
see the profitablility unless you're using
Collin Farrell etc lol
Alterego : Space tigger?
Tommy_Boyd : Unfortunately Paramount view all stories by the fans, and indeed
most novels by
Trek writers non-canon.
JulianBashir-Fa : How would you bring Kirk back exactly? What general ideal of the story be?
spacetigger : My questions have been answered..But has Paramount been
approached with any
of this?
BBKUS : Imagine Paramount's point of view--they have to worry about their product.
Tommy_Boyd : I suppose that's a blessing too. I've read fanfics were Kirk and
Spock had to
make love because Spock was on ponn farr. Each to their own but
that's not the characters I remember
lol
Indy : oh my
BBKUS : To come up with specific storylines is something that should be left
to the writers. We
provided one scenario in the trailer, while Mr. Shatner
showed how it could work in print. Both have
been successful
BBKUS : As for Paramount being approached, they've received plenty of mail on
it. ST
Communicator once said Kirk's return was a major subject that they
get constant letters on.
Tommy_Boyd : Me personally, I would have Kirk show up in Archer's time, and
have Archer
not trust Kirk. For the first time in his career, Kirk would
have to prove himself to people who've never
heard of him. It would be about
trust, galactic consequences and T'Pol :)
Alterego : cj-lp?
master_q : Yeah, you guys have something on your website on this, correct?
Captain_Jean-Luc_Picard : Yes
BBKUS : We do. I urge people to explore http://www.bringbackkirk.com thoroughly.
We even
interviewed David Gerrold.
Captain_Jean-Luc_Picard : Ack, chat thing wouldn't work... K, here's my question.
Alterego : You're next Captain.
Captain_Jean-Luc_Picard : If Captain Kirk is brought back... Would we see him
in a new TV
show, movie, book series, recast by a younger actor, or
something else? In other words, I'm asking
"why" we would see Captain Kirk.
Would he command the Enterprise-F or something?
BBKUS : Scott Bakula has mentioned it would be cool to have Kirk show up.
Berman has
shown an open mind. Braga once admitted at a convention killing
Kirk is a mistake. Sussman would
love to see it happen.
BBKUS : There are many possibilities for Kirk's return. Right now, we want to
see Kirk, post
Generations. That's the key. Recasting wouldn't do that yet.
BBKUS : Kirk would come back for one adventure or two. It's not about
re-centering the
franchise on the character or Mr. Shatner.
BBKUS : It's about giving the character a happy ending that he deserves.
Tommy_Boyd : I don't think Kirk's comeback would have to have him in a
central role. He'd be
either guesting in someone elses era or kickstarting a
new era. I think he can be used kind of like
Admiral Ross in ds9, as an
experienced Starfleet advisor/commander capacity
master_q : Everyone have their chance to ask a question?
Tommy_Boyd : I'd have him as a recurring guest hero in Enterprise.
kirk1701 : It would be even better if Shadow Man was someone from Kirk's
past, so it's more
personal for him to come back
BBKUS : There are many possibilities. Kirk's involvement should be a function
of Mr. Shatner's
interest. He's a busy man with the new show next year and
Miss Congeniality 2. Whatever he wants
should be what happens.
BBKUS : I agree with Jason on that.
scaleman : having watched your trailer, you have sisko return from being with
the prophets,
could they somehow bring kirk back?
Tommy_Boyd : Certainly tying Kirk into the cold war time would be great.
They'd have to make
sure though that Kirk was just an aid for Archer, and
didn't take over Archer's mission. I'd like to see
conflict between the two
characters. They're both great actors.
MrLokiWolfe : i would like to ask a question
BBKUS : The key that people should understand is that it's not about just
tos. Star Trek is one
big universe. It's time to re-include tos. Mr. Shatner
did that in his books, and had enormous success.
Alterego : Time for two more questions...
Tommy_Boyd : The prophets, definitely. There are so many ways Kirk can
return, that's the no-
brainer part. What I'd like to know is what Shatner
has in mind when he pitches to the staff, hopefully
soon.
master_q : Me 2
BBKUS : We definitely want Enterprise renewed because it leads to the
possibility of a Kirk
appearance. We'd all win
Tommy_Boyd : And my colleague loves the decon scenes
Alterego : Wolfe?
MrLokiWolfe : arent you concerned that it would be viewed as only a marketing
ploy, and
having kirk return even if for only a proper death could hurt the
characters dignity
scaleman : maybe they could have shadow guy be shatner himself, not kirk,
having ended up as
shadow guy because we got tired of his priceline
commercials :D
BBKUS : There is no such thing as a proper death. Killing him again would
only make the
situation worse. As for a marketing ploy, it doesn't matter.
Let them market.
master_q : Again I want to thank bbkus & Tommy Boyd for coming. It has
been fun. I hope in
the future all of you will come back for an update on
how the BBK is doing and the progress of your
goal.
Tommy_Boyd : I think they key is his dignity was betrayed in the final scenes
in Generations,
and a lot of people have turned off feeling betrayed as TOS
fans themselves. Kirk's dignity has always
been in the characters ability to
change the rules
BBKUS : But the bottom line is that marketing is based on fan demand, and
that's what the
return of Kirk has.
master_q : Do any of you have any final thoughts, bbkus & Tommy?
BBKUS : Kirk has always overcome the odds. Generations should be no
different. The
character deserves to ride into the sunset. Mr. Shatner
obviously wants it, and we will never stop
fighting for it until the goal is
achieved.
Tommy_Boyd : Thanks Master Q, it's been a great chat and very welcoming and
friendly. I'm
genuinely pleased at the intelligence of the questions. Thanks
for the great questions guys :)
master_q : Thanks again. We will see you out there!
scaleman : your welcome
BBKUS : http://www.bringbackkirk.com/subscribe.html
That's our newsletter. We hope people
sign up
master_q : I will
MrLokiWolfe : take care and good luck with kirks return
BBKUS : Thanks a lot for having us. We'd love to do this again.
Indy : Thanks!!
spacetigger : Thanks for chatting with us..
MrLokiWolfe : i mean that
Indy : Good luck!!
Tommy_Boyd : Definitely. If anyone has any more questions they can definitely
get in touch with
us via the site
spacetigger : Good Luck
Tommy_Boyd : Thanks!
BBKUS : Anytime. Officials@bringbackkirk.com is a way to reach us
master_q : Thanks again for coming. We will post the transcript on the website.
kirk1701 : Thanks!!!
Alterego : I too want to say thanks to the guests and thanks to the members
for asking great
questions and helping to make this a smooth meeting.
BBKUS : Have a great rest of the weekend.
drwho42 : *wanders the ceiling*
Indy : Master_q, are you going to post the transcript?
master_q : Yes
Tommy_Boyd : Yes, see you all out there!
scaleman : emm, transcript, hehe
MrLokiWolfe : feel free tommy and bbkus to come in to chat anytime
MrLokiWolfe : even for fun
Unadopted_Angelic : I wish you guys all the best
Fleet_Captain_Rick_Alverado : is there a way I can watch the Bring Back Kirk
Trailer online
without having to download it?
Tommy_Boyd : I will do thanks.
Tommy_Boyd : Thank you everyone.
drwho42 : yw
BBKUS : I don't think that's possible, though there are low, medium and high quality versions.
BBKUS : bbk.darthdavid.com is a direct link.
Tommy_Boyd : I think in time we'll put low quality streams online
master_q : Bye. Thanks again! :)
BBKUS : You wouldn't want to watch it that way anyway. It would be choppy.
BBKUS : Anyway, I must get going. Have a good day.
drwho42 : thanx
Tommy_Boyd : See ya and thanks again *waves*