Monday, Feb. 28, 2005 | 8:16 a.m.
It was a cold and wet recent February night when the K'Ehleyr Station group meeting was called to order. K'Ehleyr Station is a local "Star Trek" fan organization with 26 or so members. The group meets the last Tuesday of every month at a Henderson IHOP to discuss projects, offer support and, of course, talk "Trek."
Since the group's formation a decade ago, its beloved franchise has been in the midst of a renaissance, beginning in 1987 with "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and including three additional TV series and several more feature films.
These days, however, K'Ehleyr Station is drifting into unchartered territory: a world without any new "Trek" TV shows. UPN, which premiered "Enterprise" as part of its network debut and counted on the show to be its flagship series, is canceling the series after a four-year run. The final episode airs at 8 p.m. May 13 on KTUD Channel 25, Cox cable channel 14.
The demise of "Enterprise" also means an end to an 18-year streak of at least one first-run "Star Trek" series airing.
After making some announcements, including one for an upcoming chili cook-off -- featuring the wickedly spicy "Klingon Chili" for the daring -- K'Ehleyr Station's Executive Officer, Anita Treloar, addressed the cancellation of "Enterprise."
"Can we master a letter-writing campaign and contact other members of the fleet?" she asked the 10 members in attendance. "Would a petition help?"
Treloar is quickly informed by another member that several campaigns have begun and, at this point, the fate of "Enterprise" has been decided.
"Does Paramount have an allergy to making money?" she asked.
Later, Treloar compared the show's cancellation to "a stab in the heart."
"They've made plenty of money off us," the 58-year-old said. "I'm just on a moderate income and I have just about everything: ships, plates, pictures, plaques -- and I'm a very soft collector."
While some might laugh or even sneer at the "Star Trek" faithful, commonly known as Trekkers or Trekkies, Treloar said it's not obsession but devotion to the show that keeps her and other fans going.
"We love ('Star Trek')," she said. "It gives us hope for what the world can become, what we wish it will become -- a world of peace, free of crime, with cures for cancer, where the doc can give you a pill and you grow a new kidney.
"It's finding a new place, so our world can spread out and we can grow and meet other people."
Unfortunately for "Enterprise," many "Trek" fans weren't so devoted to the latest series. The series drew a weekly audience of about 6 million in its first season; roughly half that number have tuned in this season.
From the beginning, "Enterprise" had its critics. Chief among fan objections: the fact the show was a prequel, taking place 150 years or so before the original series, and that the series often took liberties with the "Star Trek" canon for the purpose of storylines.
Others didn't care for the show's writing or plots.
The show's opening-credit song, "Faith of the Heart," penned by Diane Warren and performed by Russell Watson, also drew complaints from fans who preferred the traditional rousing orchestral score.
Even Treloar acknowledges she lost interest in the series after its first season, only to come around after she felt the writing had improved.
"The show has gotten better," she said. "This year, the season's episodes are incredible."
Other members of K'Ehleyr Station (named for a Klingon/human character in "Next Generation"), however, don't share her opinion.
"I thought the show was no good," said Rebecca Beckett, 24, who took issue with the "darker" tone and mood of the show, compared to the generally upbeat nature of the original "Star Trek" series, as well as "Next Generation."
"I didn't like to watch it and I'm glad to see it go."
Trek is over
The cancellation of "Enterprise" is the latest example of a franchise in decline.
Besides the sinking ratings for the TV series, the box-office take for "Star Trek: Nemesis," the most recent film installment, was a paltry $44 million when compared to $110 million for "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home."
Gamemaker Activision even sued Viacom, parent company of Paramount, the studio that owns the rights to the "Trek" franchise, for allowing "the once-proud 'Star Trek' franchise to stagnate and decay."
The companies later settled their differences.
In an August 2003 interview with the Las Vegas Sun, the former Captain Kirk, William Shatner, acknowledged the future of "Star Trek" is "somewhat dire," especially for the film franchise.
"I think that Patrick (Stewart) doesn't want to do it anymore," Shatner said. "The other cast of 'Star Trek' ... they have run their race and have made many films -- good ones, I think -- so there's another phase, but we don't know what it is."
More recently Stewart, best known as Capt. Jean-Luc Picard on "The Next Generation" TV series and films, said it's best the "Trek" franchise come to a graceful end.
"I think it's probably time to wrap it all up," the 64-year-old actor told the World Entertainment News Network. "We've had a great run. 'Enterprise' is great, but if you go on long enough the quality will be affected."
Of course, for a franchise to have reached this point, there must be someone held accountable. As far as many "Trek" fans are concerned, the ultimate "Nemesis" is Rick Berman.
A former TV executive with Paramount, Berman joined "Trek" in 1987 as executive producer of "Next Generation," at the behest of series creator Gene Roddenberry.
Following Roddenberry's death in 1991, Berman took over as head of the franchise.
Under his supervision, there have been three additional "Star Trek" series: "Deep Space Nine," "Voyager" and "Enterprise," along with four feature films.
Still, many members of K'Ehleyr Station are resentful of Berman and how he has "milked" the "Star Trek" franchise.
"I think he didn't keep a tight enough rein on it, didn't pay attention to the details," Wendy Fillmore, 41, said. "He got complacent. It's a cash cow and fans will come to it.
"Even now they're canceling what could have been a great show and all the fans are writing letters."
A fan of "Star Trek" from the beginning, Rick Salamon, 51, is well versed in Roddenberry's idea for the series as both social commentary and the promise of a bright future.
But Berman has "adjusted to a different point of view," Salamon said. "He's not holding faithful to Roddenberry's vision to what man can become.
"Rick Berman, to a certain extent, has caused us to backslide."
When asked what should be done to save the "Trek" franchise, not surprisingly, most K'Ehleyr Station members begin with the replacement of Berman.
"I don't think Berman is a Trekkie," 22-year-old Joshua Andrews said. "They need a Trekkie and not someone who tries to milk it as a cash cow."
Mike Butwinick, 29, agreed: "Firing Berman may be not such a bad idea."
Butwinick also suggested a five-year or more moratorium on "Trek" shows and films.
"You're doing something that long, it becomes so mundane," he said. "How many stories can you do? I think that a break would be good. They can come up with new ideas and something fresh."
Future 'Trek'
"Trek" fans such as Salamon understand full well the loss of a "Trek" TV series. He watched the original show when it first aired on NBC from 1966-'69 and was crushed when it was canceled by the network.
While "Trek" returned briefly in cartoon form in 1973-'75, as well as a film with "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" in 1979, Salamon waited 18 years for a series return to prime time.
Even now, after the cancellation of "Enterprise," Salamon said there's still plenty of life left in the franchise.
"It just needs to be properly controlled," he said.
Just as the fans of the original series fought to save the show, fans of "Enterprise" refuse to accept the show's demise without a fight.
Even as rumors of the cancellation of "Enterprise" began to circulate before the third season, Web sites like www.SaveEnterprise.com and www.EnterpriseProject.org raced to the rescue.
Meanwhile, a grass-roots campaign is being orchestrated to protest the cancellation and to petition Paramount and UPN to renew the show for another season. The protests included a Feb. 15 full-page ad in the the Los Angeles Times.
There's even talk of the Sci-Fi Channel picking up the show. Treloar, for one, said she hopes the rumor proves true.
"I hope another network will pick it up, I really do."
If not, she's certain another "Star Trek" series is inevitable.
"This show has been on the air for (nearly) 40 years," she said. "What else has lasted that long? I can't think of anything. I think they will go on to something else."
archive
