10 Reasons To Greenlight Star Trek: United NOW
5. As The Lights Come Down On Starfleet Academy, United Holds A Candle Of Hope
When studio executives initially passed on United, the stated reason was overlap with the then-in-development Starfleet Academy. The latter, we know now, was a combination of planet-based and space-based, with the USS Athena serving as the new campus for the eponymous institution. United promised to differ from the standard Star Trek formula (i.e. it wasn't going to be set entirely in space).
One could be forgiven for assuming at the time that both projects were similar in how they would differ from the Star Trek iterations that had gone before. While they would be correct to think they'd both be different, the assumption that both shows were the same was wrong.
While Academy was set partially in San Francisco, the plan for United would not unfold in Paris (the future home of Federation Headquarters) but on the planet Babel, the centre of interplanetary diplomacy, introduced in The Original Series episode Journey To Babel.
That episode famously introduced Mark Lenard's Sarek, with the character later returning in Star Trek: Discovery, now played by James Frain. A younger version of the character would appear in United, adding another bridge between this show and the Trek that has come before.
However, as previously discussed in this article, the inclusion of legacy characters would not and should not be the focus behind greenlighting this show. There is a logistical and financial consideration to this: new audiences. A show that is a spin-off or continuation from a previous series runs the automatic risk of alienating new viewers who have not seen Enterprise (or any Star Trek).
Sarek, T'Pol, and even Shran may be excellent draws for returning fans, though they may not be a draw for newer sets of eyes.