10 TV Series That Wanted To Be Star Trek
They say imitation is the highest form of flattery - Star Trek must have been VERY flattered here.
Transcript
00:00 If imitation is the highest form of flattery, then you can bet your backside that Star Trek
00:04 must have been very flattered when these series made it to air. I'm Sean Ferrick for Trek Culture,
00:10 and here are 10 TV series that wanted to be Star Trek.
00:14 Number 10. Space Precinct. Space Precinct was a Gerry Anderson production from the early 90s.
00:20 Anderson had made previous series like Space 1999, Captain Scarlet, Stingray, and Thunderbirds.
00:25 This, however, was a live-action sci-fi mixed with a police procedural. Anderson had created
00:30 shows in the past that were primarily targeted at a younger audience, which is where the problems
00:34 began for Space Precinct. Despite the outlandish makeup and prosthetics, which were nothing short
00:38 of impressive, the show aimed at dealing with adult-oriented storylines. Taking its cue from
00:43 Star Trek, it tried to paint a fantastical future with as much realism as it could,
00:47 thoroughly confusing the networks. It then suffered the fate of Star Trek The Original
00:51 Series' third season. Unsure how to market the show, the networks scheduled it to air either
00:56 late at night or early in the morning. This led to low viewership, which in turn led to the show's
01:01 cancellation after just one season. Number 9. Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.
01:07 Glen A. Larson, in his first appearance on this list, created Buck Rogers in the 25th Century,
01:12 which revolved around the central character of Buck dealing with being both out of time and
01:17 fighting extraterrestrial threats to Earth. Originally, it was a standalone film, though
01:21 this was re-edited as a backdoor pilot once the studio decided to push ahead with the series.
01:26 It received two seasons' worth of stories, with the second of these being the more heavily Star
01:30 Trek-influenced one. The first season had Buck located primarily on Earth, working as an unofficial
01:35 agent for the Federation's security. The show also featured space travel via Stargates, though it was
01:40 also referred to as warp travel. In the second season, Buck was now leading a crew aboard the
01:45 Searcher. The ship's mission was to seek out the lost colonies of mankind, an idea that Larson had
01:50 already used in Battlestar Galactica. It was this year that the Star Trek ideas really sunk in.
01:55 Buck was modelled closely on James T. Kirk, with his crewmate Hawk serving as Mr. Spock.
02:00 The show was cancelled due to lower ratings, difficulties with the main actor, and rising costs.
02:04 Number 8. Sliders. Sliders debuted in 1995, ran for five years, and was mostly successful for its
02:12 lifetime. Several Trek stars would appear, including John Rhys-Davies and Jerry O'Connell,
02:17 two of the leads from the very beginning. The show explored the nature of parallel worlds,
02:21 moving from week to week attempting to get to a home they feel is lost. There are very obvious
02:25 shades of Star Trek Voyager in the premise; Voyager 2 was lost in a far-flung part of the galaxy,
02:30 trying each week to get home. Though Sliders has probably more in common with Scott Bakula and Dean
02:35 Stockwell's quantum leap than anything else, the Trek connections are present. In addition to this,
02:39 the show was in part developed by Tracy Torme, who had worked on Star Trek The Next Generation
02:44 as a scriptwriter. According to Rhys-Davies, the show began as an exceptional premise that
02:48 explored the nature of reality not unlike the human condition that was so frequently explored
02:52 in Star Trek. However, the show's cancellation by Fox after its third season and subsequent
02:57 acquisition by the SyFy network resulted in a more action-oriented show which he felt ruined
03:02 the potential that it had. The show was finally cancelled for a second time at the end of the
03:06 fifth season with an unresolved cliffhanger. 7. SeaQuest DSV
03:12 SeaQuest DSV arrived in 1993 airing on NBC. It focused on the submersible vehicle SeaQuest,
03:18 which had been designed and built by its captain, Nathan Bridger, who was played by movie star Roy
03:22 Schyder. The first season, though set in the near future, was almost as educational as it was
03:27 entertaining, opting to deal with real-world scientific issues. When the second season
03:31 returned, Schyder was deeply frustrated to find that the network opted to move the show into a
03:36 more science-fiction direction. Aliens were introduced to the storylines, including the
03:40 finale which saw the vessel abducted and brought into the future. Schyder was publicly vocal about
03:45 his displeasure, which prompted the showrunners to release scathing responses. Though the show
03:49 attempted to skew toward a straight darker tone, much like the then-airing Star Trek Deep Space
03:54 Nine, Schyder asked to be released from his contract due to, as he called it, the show's
03:59 attempt at becoming a fourth-generation Star Trek, leaving the show as a sort of 21 Jump Street meets
04:04 Star Trek. He was replaced with Michael Ironside for the third season, but failing ratings resulted
04:10 in the show's cancellation. 6. Stargate SG-1
04:14 I love Stargate SG-1. It was brilliant, and everyone should love it. Go and rewatch it now.
04:20 Stargate SG-1, the first spin-off from the 1994 film, is at times one of the most loving tributes
04:25 to Star Trek that that series has ever received. SG-1 famously lampoons itself on occasion,
04:31 being self-aware enough to make reference to that other franchise that it takes so much
04:35 inspiration from. This is evident in the number of references that Jack O'Neill makes to Trek
04:40 through the years. One of the funnier references was his request to name the new Earth starship
04:44 the Enterprise, only to be slapped back by Samantha Carter. This, however, is nothing
04:48 compared to the tribute shown in the 200th episode, aptly named 200. An episode that deals
04:54 with a series of vignettes, one part is Mitchell, Carter, Teal, and Jackson on board the Odyssey,
04:58 portraying over-the-top caricatures of William Shatner, James Dooan, and the rest of the original
05:02 series cast. For a show that made so many knowing nods through its runtime, this was one of the
05:06 funniest scenes in the franchise, offering that chance for long-term Trekkies to laugh at
05:11 themselves as well. The two further spin-off series were less Star Trek-related, but still
05:15 managed to throw in the odd transporter jokes from time to time. 5. Battlestar Galactica
05:21 Battlestar Galactica owes more than a passing debt to both Star Trek and Star Wars. Coming in
05:26 the 70s, it borrows heavily from both, though the apocalyptic setting was its own individual
05:30 contribution to the drama. The series, opening with the destruction of most of mankind, is a
05:35 parable about the dangers of over-reliance on technology. This is seemingly at odds with
05:39 Roddenberry's vision. However, it stars Lorne Green as Commander Adama, a no-nonsense leader
05:43 from whom all the crew draw their strength. There are clear hints of James T. Kirk in the character,
05:48 coming on the heels of both the original series and the animated series. The series is deeply
05:52 rooted in the 70s aesthetic, so in a way it also served as something of an inspiration for Star
05:56 Trek the Motion Picture, though the effects available for a TV budget were, to put it mildly,
06:01 lacking. The ambition was greater than the execution. Having said that, Battlestar Galactica
06:05 is far from a failed copy of Star Trek. The idea behind the show, drawn from Glen A. Larson's own
06:11 religious upbringing, would go on to inspire Trekk writer Ronald D. Moore to reboot the
06:15 franchise in 2003. The result was one of the greatest television series of recent years,
06:20 offering a grim look at humanity from the inside out.
06:23 4. Earth – Final Conflict
06:26 Earth – Final Conflict is, in fact, a Gene Roddenberry original, though the creator died
06:31 years before the show would ever see the light of day. He had, however, been approached years
06:35 previously to develop the project which was then known as Battleground Earth. The success of the
06:40 Star Trek films and the then-upcoming Next Generation made Roddenberry too busy to work
06:44 on it. Majel Barrett retained the notes to the show and it was from these that Earth – Final
06:49 Conflict was born. The show opens three years after the arrival of the Talon to Earth. This
06:54 seemingly benevolent race has brought technological advancements to humanity,
06:57 though a sinister plot lies behind their kindness. The Talon are the dark side of the Vulcans. The
07:02 Vulcans arrived on Earth bringing technological advancements, though they were far less sinister
07:06 than the Talon. They were simply prickly, while the Talon were pricks. The series then morphed
07:11 into an alternate version of the Cardassian occupation of Bajor, with frequently appearing
07:15 Resistance cells attempting to take the Talon down. Various other alien races appeared throughout the
07:20 show, with many aiding and others collaborating with the Talon themselves. The show was well
07:24 received and its success led to the creation of the next entry on this list.
07:28 3. Andromeda Andromeda was another idea from Roddenberry's
07:33 vault that was given life in the 90s. Majel Barrett produced the show with former Deep Space
07:37 Nine writer Robert Hewitt Wolfe serving as showrunner. It centred around Captain Dylan
07:41 Hunt and his ship, the Andromeda Ascendant. The premise for the show saw a huge commonwealth of
07:46 worlds spread across three galaxies. The parallels to the Federation are obvious here, though Andromeda
07:51 took a darker turn. In the pilot, Hunt winds up on the edge of a black hole where he and his ship
07:56 are frozen in time, when he is saved by the crew of the Eureka Maru 300 years have passed. The crew
08:01 agrees to serve under him, much like the Maquis in Star Trek Voyager. The show then becomes a mix
08:06 of episodes of the week, like the original series and The Next Generation, with overarching plot
08:10 lines that ran throughout the show, like Deep Space Nine. In the second season, Hewitt Wolfe
08:14 was released from his contract, later explaining that his refusal to make the show more Hunt-centric
08:19 led to his firing. The show was an obvious inspiration for Firefly that followed, while
08:24 itself being inspired by the Trek that had come before.
08:26 2. Babylon 5 Don't come at me. This entry may ruffle some
08:33 feathers and for good reason. There has been a long-standing rivalry between the Babylon 5 and
08:39 Star Trek fandoms. Each side accuses the other of plagiarism, though there is in fact little
08:44 evidence to support it. However, the similarities between Babylon 5 and Star Trek Deep Space Nine
08:49 cannot be overlooked. In many ways, Babylon 5 is both classic Trek, new aliens every week,
08:55 an overarching threat of interstellar war, silly hairstyles, and something quite bold and different.
09:00 The setting of the station, like Deep Space Nine, allowed the series to tell serialised stories,
09:05 dealing with the consequences of character actions while still moving the story forward.
09:09 Though the beginning of the show was fraught with issues and accusations, the two franchises
09:13 eventually warmed to each other. Actors were shared between them, serving as olive branches
09:17 not just to the showrunners, but to the two fandoms who were at times ready to go to war
09:21 with each other. An excuse to see Walter Koenig in that… interesting hairpiece is a treat,
09:27 let's be honest.
09:28 Number 1 – The Orville
09:30 You knew this one was coming. The Orville is creator Seth MacFarlane's long-gestating love
09:35 letter to Star Trek. To say that it's inspired by the franchise is the understatement of the century.
09:40 MacFarlane time and again has been vocal about his love for Gene Roddenberry's long-running saga.
09:44 The Orville came at a time when Star Trek was continuing to get darker. In many ways,
09:48 it's the antithesis of Star Trek Discovery, and a more slapstick comedy version of the
09:52 Next Generation, from which it took many markers and directions. While the comedy aspect is quite
09:56 different from what one might see on the Enterprise, the show is meticulous in how
10:00 it presents this brighter future. It relies heavily on its ensemble cast, something that
10:04 Star Trek is at its best when it manages. The interpersonal relationships offer future strife,
10:08 which was against Roddenberry's hope for the future, though in line with just about every
10:11 writer on Trek. The visuals are a callback to the actual models of the 80s and 90s without relying
10:17 too heavily on CGI. Its episodic nature is straight off the classic Star Trek playbook.
10:22 The series is considered by many, like Galaxy Quest and the Movie Universe, to be an unofficial
10:27 entry in Trek canon, quite a feat coming from a self-confessed fanboy who just wanted to see
10:32 a brighter future. That's everything now for this list. If you disagree with any of the entries,
10:37 let me know. And if you have any suggestions for any entries, let me know as well. I'm genuinely
10:42 really interested to know. You can catch us over on Twitter @TrekCulture. You can catch myself
10:47 @SeanFerric on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. Now, until I'm talking to you again, please look
10:52 after yourself. Please be kind to yourself. Look after your friends and family, and to my friends
10:56 in the Ukraine especially, please stay safe, stay warm, and know that we're thinking of you.
11:02 Live long and prosper, everyone.