Many Trekkies are hoping that J.J. Abrams' upcoming "Star Trek XI" film will help reinvigorate the franchise. Instead, some actors who have spent a couple of decades with the Star Trek phenomenon hope that it might help boost their careers -- and a return to Starfleet.
LeVar Burton, who played Lt. Cmdr. Geordi LaForge in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and four movies, says that if the newest Star Trek movie is a success, it could mean a reunion of "Next Generation" proportions.
"At the end of the day, I'm pretty certain that a lot of the fan base would like to see the 'Next Generation' cast do one more turn around the galaxy," Burton recently told Star Trek Magazine in excerpts made available by TrekMovie. "I guess the performance of this next movie will have a lot to do with whether that comes to pass. It will make people see whether there's an appetite for Star Trek again."
The last time the "Next Generation" crew went out was in 2002's "Star Trek: Nemesis," which bombed at the box office, not even coming close to its estimated $60 million budget when it grossed $43 million domestically, according to Internet Movie Database.
In all, the TNG crew made about $280.9 million in domestic gross box office receipts, averaging about $70 million per film. While "Nemesis" performed the worst out of the four, the top film was 1996's "Star Trek: First Contact" which grossed $92 million domestically.
Burton, however, says he won't be too angry if it really is the end of the line for the "Next Generation."
"I haven't quire decided how I feel about this new picture," he said. "My life is going to go on and Star Trek will always be an important part of it. Whether we do another movie or not is not in my control, and the most important thing to me is that I have lasting friendships and memories from the seven years I spend on the show. And that's better than the price of latinum."
"Star Trek XI" is gearing up for a May 2009 release.
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Michael Hinman is the founder and site coordinator for Airlock Alpha and the entire BlipNetwork. He owns Quantum Global Media Inc., the parent corporation of the BlipNetwork. He's a print journalist by day, and lives in Tampa, Fla.
