The Federation pitch was, obviously, not the first time somebody's tried to expand the Star Trek universe a little. Even after they canned the Original Series, Paramount were looking to make good on the rights they had to the property. So, in the early seventies, they got a fair ways into production of Planet Of The Titans a big-screen follow up to the first Star Trek series, complete with the original cast reprising all their roles! And absolutely no involvement from Gene Rodenberry. Instead, Planet Of The Titans was written by Brits Chris Bryant and Allan Scott, with the plan being to shoot it in the UK to keep costs down, and Phillip Kaumfann who would go on to helm The Right Stuff and the seventies remake of Invasion Of The Body Snatchers was to direct. In the end, getting Leonard Nimony and William Shatner to decamp across the pond for all that time turned out to be impossible. Doomed from the start, perhaps, but it came with a solid premise: the crew crew investigate the home world of the mythical Titans, travel through time via a black hole and teach early man how to make fire. Like a Star Trek take on Prometheus! Could be a cool pilot to a series like, say, mooted Original Series follow-up Star Trek: Phase II.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
