Star Trek is ready to make a return, but is television ready for the resurrection of the franchise? A better question to ask might be does anyone want it to be revived? Because lets face it, last year, the Star Trek franchise went boldly where it had gone once before: cancellation. And after over 20 years on television maybe it was about time! I for one didnt shed any tears of the decision.

It's not that I am against Star Trek, far from it in fact. One of my fondest memories is sitting on the couch watching "The Next Generation" with my dad. As a child, I was utterly transfixed by the idea of going into space. It was as if I personally knew the crew of the NCC-1701-D and each week I watched in awe as the team visited yet another alien world. Now I know "Deep Space Nine" is commonly referred to as "the bastard child of Star Trek," but I loved it. The arc approach to the stations adventures and the darker storylines were exactly what the franchise needed. Having characters with such shades of grey like Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo), Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) and Quark (Armin Shimmerman) kept me coming back week after week. In true Roddenberry style, these characters came face to face with their inner-demons and angels against the backdrop of a slowly escalating galactic war.

But "The Next Generation" was the show that brought me to Trek, and it will always be the starting point of my galactic journey. So the idea of sending the franchise back to its roots with "Enterprise" really appealed to me. What I wanted was a solid drama that would lead into the formation of the Federation. I wanted something new and exciting. For the most part I was sourly disappointed. Episodes such as "A Night In Sick Bay" and "Vanishing Point" were nothing less than a waste of my time. In all honesty, it wasn't until the fourth season that the series actually encroached on its potential. So once again I need to ask, does anyone want Trek to return?

At the current time, the SciFi Channel is leading the way with "Battlestar Galactica" and the Stargate franchise. What can Trek offer us that those three shows cannot?

BSG now has a reputation as a hard-hitting drama set in space, and although I had a cold start with the series, I can't imagine any show doing it better. SG-1 and Atlantis, which I would class as space-operas, are now giving us a multi-series continuity that is very rare to find in television, and is perhaps on comparable to "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and its spin-off "Angel."

So why do we need Star Trek? And is the "Starfleet Academy" concept the right direction to take the series?

Yes, it might ensure a younger audience and once again consolidate the Trek foothold in science fiction genre. But other shows have tried similar ideas.

"Roswell," although it only lasted three seasons, made a noble effort but often struggled to find the right blend of sci-fi and teen drama. Because thats exactly the blend the "Academy" project is likely to produce. Only this particular project will have 10 times the pressure.

Is it possible to find a younger cast with the skills to re-create the characters of Kirk and Spock, can this series accurately (and more importantly entertainingly) create a prequel world to the original "Star Trek?" Or will this be just another nail in the franchise coffin as many existing fans expect?

Now while I personally dont have faith in the revival of Star Trek, I do have faith in the man in control -- J.J. Abrams. For those of you who have been locked away in some dusty basement for the last few years, Abrams is mastermind behind ABCs multi-award winning spy-drama "Alias," and also it's critically acclaimed castaway-drama "Lost." In both of those shows, Abrams and his handpicked team (the same team who will be working on Starfleet Academy) have been able to bring so many threads and aspects together in such a way that they make addictive viewing. So it isnt out with the realms of possibility that he can do the same to Star Trek.

As I mentioned, BSG is a critically overwhelming success for a sci-fi series and it makes use of some of the most cutting-edge storytelling techniques. But the premise is an old one. Lets not forget the series is a re-imagined one and its thanks to Ronald D. Moore, a man who practically learned his trade from Star Trek, that the series is as good as it is. And although SG-1 didnt make its debut until 1997, the story has been around since 1994 with the Kurt Russell feature film.So maybe it can be done. After all, no one is expecting Abrams to re-invent the wheel ... only spin it in a fresh direction.

Alan Stanley Blair is a staff writer and columnist for Airlock Alpha, contributing from his home country of Scotland. You can reach him at ablair@airlockalpha.com.