Scott Bakula/Trek Rumors 2001

Yup, just reading through some of this, I thought it would be fun to look back at some of the fun we all had in March, April, and May of 2001.

May 8

Latest Scott/Trek Rumor
from Trek Today.com
Shooting for the Series V pilot is now tentatively scheduled to commence on Monday the 14th of May.
Shooting was originally slated to begin the 8th of May.... The delay may have been due to problems encountered whilst casting the series. Scott Bakula started difficult negotiations with the studio for the role of Captain Jackson Archer over seven weeks ago...
Meanwhile, at the Odyssey 2001 convention in the UK this weekend, former pre-production coordinator Lolita Fatjo said that all roles have now been cast for the series, while both she and Armin Shimerman (Quark) said that Bakula had signed on to play the lead.
full article here with thanks to Trek Today as usual
[Confirmation when we actually get it.  IF this is true--Pam]

I'm back!
Sorry for the delay, it took a looong while for my stuff to arrive. Still unpacking. In the meantime, 
posts from 4/27 to yesterday containing NEWS can be found on the message board mostly under postings with my name and "webmistress." There are some reports from the taping.
There is also a post concerning the averting of the writer's strike (yay!)

as for news
Trek related stuff
we have this post from Donna re: Star Trek and deadlines...
UPN is holding their Fall 2001 Upfront presentation on Thursday, May 17. The Upfront  is when the network presents its fall lineup to prospective advertisers.
I guess that's the deadline for "Enterprise" to get its act together....

thanks to everyone for your patience while my whole life was out on the road somewhere :-)
Special thanks to my brother for putting together a PC for me to use while waiting.

April 27

Packing up the PC and hitting the road...
terrible time for it too... but in the meantime, please check out the message board for my latest postings. I have more info there on the Pilot and Scott's Trek negotiations verified. Before you do that, scroll down and see the latest postings here from yesterday, on Scott's new pilot.
I'll be using the board instead of this page for a few days till I get a working computer.
Pardon any typos, I had to get up and get this done before I packed the computer. thanks

In the meantime... 
Trek Today can't decide whether Scott is in Trek or Late Bloomers
I read the whole long article and I can't summarize it.
Please click here and read it yourself.

April 24

Paramount TV declines comment on Scott
from Variety by way of Yahoo News and Trek Today
...Meanwhile, Paramount Network TV declined comment on reports that Scott Bakula has been tapped to lead the next ``Star Trek'' series, subtitled ``Enterprise.''
Reuters/Variety REUTERS 
[well they didn't deny it...--Pam]

April 23

Latest Trek rumors with more detail
from Trek Today.com
One other issue that might still hold up the official announcement is that no main star has apparently been signed yet. Ain't It Cool News reported yesterday that negotiations with Quantum Leap actor Scott Bakula are back on, with earlier talks breaking down over both financial and creative issues. The actor has been linked to the role of Captain Jackson Archer.
Apparently, Bakula asked for approval and veto rights for Enterprise, not an unusual demand for well-known actors joining a new TV series, though no Star Trek series has ever given its actors such power. Bakula, however, has extensive experience in this area. He served as executive producer on his short-lived CBS series Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and has created TV movies such as 'Bachelor's Baby' and 'Papa's Angels' with his Bakula Productions company.
Whether this new round of negotiations means the two sides were able to settle their differences is unknown.

April 18

Trek Rumor- Day 306... er...  30 actually
(rhanks to the folk on the QLIK for the humor to relieve the tension)
from Trek Today 
According to some sources, Scott Bakula is still negotiating for the role of Captain Jackson Archer, negotiations that in that case have now been going on for close to a month (story). Paramount still wants the former 'Quantum Leap' actor in the role, but apparently Bakula has not yet accepted, for reasons as yet unknown.
Full article

Source of yesterday's article
I couldn't get the link to work yesterday, but the source of Trek Today's article listed yesterday is this article at GreatLink.org
hopefully that will work out for you all..

April 14

Does Scott have the role?
from Trek Today...
According to the source, Scott Bakula indeed has the part of Captain Jackson Archer.
for more details see the full article on Trek Today and stay tuned. I'll be looking out for actual confirmation.

April 10

Latest Trek Rumors
Meanwhile, some conflicting reports have surfaced on the involvement of Scott Bakula with Series V. Three weeks ago, it was reported that the former 'Quantum Leap' actor was negotiating for the role of Captain Jackson Archer, news that was in general met with approval on the internet.
Unfortunately, on the 4th of April, Aint-It-Cool-News posted a report from one of its regular sources, Viacom Girl, who claimed that Bakula was no longer being considered for the Series V lead role.
On the other hand, on that same day it was confirmed that Bakula was attached to the series at least at some point, as TV executive subscription service TV Tracker updated its Series V description with the following information

Drama - UPN - Fall
UNTITLED STAR TREK PROJECT - Paramount
Pilot Pick Up

NOT OFFICALLY SET UP AT UPN.
Shooting 5/8/01 in Los Angeles.
Auspices: Berman, Rick (Executive Producer/Writer); Braga, Brannon (EP/W)
Talent: Scott Bakula

The fact that TV Tracker listed Bakula as the only talent attached to the series suggests that negotiations with Bakula were already quite far along. The service hasn't yet updated its listing to remove Bakula's name, suggesting he is in fact still attached to the show.
Whether negotiations with Bakula worked out or not will probably only become known when Paramount makes its official announcement on the next series, which, as Rick Berman indicated, should occur within a few weeks. Until then, please treat any unofficial news on Series V as you would any rumour.

the previous info is from, you guessed it, Trek Today

April 6

Or maybe NO Trek?
more rumors from Aint It Cool News yesterday 

...the most disturbing rumour I've seen about this series is that Scott Bakula may NOT be in the running for Captain anymore. What?
Our pal Viacom Girl says that the word is that he's no longer being considered. I hope there are some great actors in the running, because ultimately, a great cast, and specifically, a great Captain, could save this show from even the worst writing. I, for one, happen to think that if ANYONE could make Star Trek Series 5 a success, it would be Scott Bakula.
Complete rumor from Ain't It Cool News

April 3

Brannon Braga comments on amusing "Internet Rumors"
Braga did say that he was "reading the Internet rumours, with some amusement, just like everybody else." The level of detail in some of the rumours managed to amaze him. "But this is nothing new for Star Trek, you know? I remember the day after we wrote the movie First Contact. A day later, the whole story was on the Internet. I don't know how it gets out. And initially, you're kind of upset when it does. But then you realize, 'Thank God people are interested enough to go to those lengths.' It's publicity. And better obsessive interest than no interest at all."
thanks to Trek Today as usual

Canadian TV Guide: Bakula Signed On For Series V
PLEASE NOTE: Still no OFFICIAL SOURCE (take a breath and read full article at Trek Today or the pertinent parts, below) -- Pam 
Perhaps even more so than the leaked casting sheet, the news that the role of Captain Jackson Archer could be filled by Scott Bakula has had fandom tremendously excited. It looks like fandom may now truly have cause to get excited, as according to the Canadian TV Guide, Bakula has actually signed on for the role.

Rumor--TV Guide, Canada 
On page 34 of the April 7 - April 13 issue of the magazine, the 'Update' column by Greg David has a short blurb about Bakula, under the 'SIGNED' subheading. "Scott Bakula (Quantum Leap) will be at the helm of the upcoming Star Trek TV series," is all the blurb says, with no further info or photos included, and no source credited.

Rumor--TV Guide, Canada 
Of course, it could be that TV Guide is simply repeating the rumours that appeared on the internet two weeks ago - with magazine lead times, that would certainly be a possibility. However, this is the first time that it has been stated anywhere that Bakula actually signed on for the series, as the original reports merely said Bakula was negotiating for the role.

Rumor--TV Guide, Canada 
Meanwhile, Project Quantum Leap [Go! Margaret and Donna!--Ed] has posted a bit more news about Scott Bakula. The site recently spoke with its contact in Hollywood, who did not confirm or deny the rumours that Bakula was in talks for Series V.

Rumor--TV Guide, Canada 
The site was able to confirm another upcoming project for the actor. Bakula will star in a movie for the Showtime cable network, with his Bakula Productions company producing and Lee Rose directing. No information is yet available about plot or casting.
/End Rumor--TV Guide, Canada 
Thanks to Trek Today, as usual
And we continue to wait for anything official....

April 2

Official Non-news
Series V co-creator Brannon Braga was scheduled to speak at the Trek convention yesterday.
According to a report sent to Trek today by Barbara, 
Brannon Braga refused to confirm or deny any rumours about Series V. 
In addition, he said it was still undecided on which network the series would air or even when it would debut.
real helpful, huh?
the above from TrekToday as usual, and their Barbara, whoever she is :-)

April 1

A Reminder on the situation here in Boston (actually Salem)
My mother has arrived for two weeks of packing and apartment hunting, so my online time is going to be limited to tracking Trek news. 
If you've emailed about anything else, please attempt to hang on till I'm settled and I promise to get to you. 
Any help with news is appreciated. Anyone with news can email me, with your sources please. I will endeavor with all my actually non-existent free time to keep on top of this rumor thing... (and whatever Margaret finds out about Showtime as well).

More from RUMOR land via Ain't It Cool News
this commentary came in via my Esleuth alerts, pulled from Ain't It Cool News, and I have no idea why it, and not the other posts of people discussing the RUMOR (click here and scroll to bottom) came through. Just who is this Viacom Girl anyway? and do her opinions carry any validity? Only time will tell.
Anyone knowing the answers to any of these questions questions is requested to please email me

Begin Rumor Quote
It is looking like Scott Bakula will be the new captain of the early "Enterprise," and right now they're looking at hot chicks to be his female "Spock."  The agenda is to find what they've described as a Vulcan "Seven Of Nine."
The pilot has to do with the first encounter with a dreaded race called "Klingons," and IMHO... this show will be to "Star Trek" what "The Phantom Menace" was to "Star Wars."
Viacom Girl
/End Rumor Quote

The preceding contains a nice note (or is it?) from "El Cosmico" (great names they have over there) as follows...
"I'd like to believe that Scott Bakula can pull this off, but the script is so bad, can even he make this show work? I'd be surprised, but in my opinion, if the show has a chance at all, it's because of Scott."

Pam hopes very hard that the "bad script" comment is a very slanted opinion... 

meantime, in the real world of things we actually know...

Margaret's Updates from Jay
(She) talked with Jay on Thursday
Nothing to tell about Star Trek
Scott is going to star in a movie for Showtime, with BPI producing and Lee Rose (A Girl Thing) directing. No more details at the moment, but as soon as he gets more info from Scott, he'll let her know.
thanks to Margaret in TN

Oops! (Trek Premiere dates)
the exact quote on the Trek premiere is "The casting process will be starting pretty soon. And I believe we will begin our two-hour premiere sometime in May."
Which, as Anita pointed out to me, does not mean it will air in May...
For those who are not up to date on their reading (below), I'm just posting this Trek stuff in hopes Scott fans will have reason to care.
thanks to Anita

and... stay tuned... I'm going to go wrap up my (cheap) jewelry...
or for more fun, visit my brother's page (nothing on Scott there, though)

March 31

Trek Updates
Okay, so the people at Trek Today and even Star Trek.com are probably completely unaware that their hit counts have risen from an influx of Scott fans, but...
The latest updates are from an interview with Rick Berman, who, from my dim Trek memories is the successor to Gene Roddenberry, as posted on Trek Today and some other site that  they will list for you,
No word of Scott,  only that casting and pre-production both in progress (then again, Rick said casting will begin soon), nails are to be hammered into sets "within the next few weeks" and that the series will start airing in May, probably on UPN. I always thought these things took longer, especially since its going to be April tomorrow.
For full details, see this article

March 21

Updates from Trek Today on Star Trek Rumor
Meanwhile, as a follow-up to yesterday's report about Scott Bakula being in negotiations for the role of Captain Jackson Archer, we tried to contact Bakula's agent. While we were unable to get in touch with Bakula's actual representative, we did get to speak with what appeared to be a television executive at his talent agency. When asked to comment, this person told us it was "news to him," but didn't comment further. This could of course indicate the report is incorrect, or that the agency has been sworn to nondisclosure during the negotiations.

Notes and Editorial from Pam
Apparently Trek news (even when rumor) is BIG news, and Scott's name, currently hitched (however temporarily) to this "star" (pardon the pun) is popping up at news, rumor, and entertainment sites all over the web (Yahoo, CNN, Scifi.com, Canoe, Ain't It Cool News, Mr. Showbiz among them). Those of us who have appreciated his talents for years are quite happy to be seeing his name bandied abroad by the press, whether print or electronic.
For a partial round-up of postings, check out Entertainment Sleuth's search results page on Scott
In the print media, there was a brief article on the rumor in the New York Post, which Donna of Project Quantum Leap fan club has graciously scanned and posted at their new and improved website, for those of you who want to actually see it in print.
thanks to Donna
Your webmistress (me) continues to be cautiously optimistic--okay, so I've upgraded to "cautiously optimistic", from "downright skeptical"--while sitting on pins and needles waiting for this RUMOR to play out.

March 20

Rumors on Rumors
Apparently CNN's website is now quoting the website mentioned in the post below... interesting.
Also, next week's TV Guide has a blurb on the new series. No mention of Scott tho.
thanks to Naomi O. for this tidbit

March 19

From the "we are very bored and desperate" department, 
I will repeat the following RUMOUR (which is rather amusing but doesn't seem at all likely to me)
this one is thanks to Stephen Voss who found it on Trek Today
I haven't noticed any credible sources in the text, so take this one with a pound of salt

By Christian
March 19, 2001 - 12:02 AM

Rumor
With the performances of William Shatner (James T Kirk) and Patrick Stewart (Jean-Luc Picard) catapulting their roles to legendary status, it seemed like a hard task for Paramount to find a lead actor for Series V that could match their calibre. Fortunately, the studio appears to have succeeded in this, as sources suggest that veteran sci-fi actor Scott Bakula is up for the lead role in the next Star Trek series.

Rumor
Apparently, Bakula is currently negotiating for the role of Jackson Archer, who in the Series V casting sheet is described as a physical, intensely curious captain with a bold personality. "Unlike the Starfleet captains in centuries to come," the casting sheet reads, "he exhibits a sense of wonder and excitement, as well as a little trepidation about the strange things he will encounter. He holds a grudge against the Vulcans, who he blames for impeding humanity's progress. But his science officer is Vulcan, and he's struggling to reconsider those preconceptions. Although he has a strong sense of duty, he's a bit of a renegade - he's not afraid to question orders or even disobey them if he feels in his gut that he's right... "

Rumor
46-year old Bakula is best known for his role as Doctor Sam Beckett on 'Quantum Leap', the time-travel TV series from the early 1990s. His performance as Sam Beckett landed him two Emmy nominations, a Golden Globe award and no less than four consecutive Viewers for Quality Television Awards for Best Actor in a TV Series. After 'Quantum Leap', he had a recurring role on 'Murphy Brown' and a starring role in the 'Invaders' miniseries. Most recently, he appeared in films such as 'American Beauty' and 'Luminarias', which also starred Robert Beltran (Chakotay).

Rumor
If negotiations work out, Bakula should prove to be a valuable asset for the next Star Trek series. Recent SF shows such as 'Stargate SG-1' (with Richard Dean Anderson) and 'Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda' (Kevin Sorbo) have shown the drawing power major stars can have. With so much riding on the success of Series V, Paramount would certainly love to see Bakula have a similar effect on the next Star Trek show.

Rumor (see, I told you)
As usual, please do keep in mind that the above has not been officially confirmed by Paramount, who have a policy of not commenting on Series V news, and so the above should still be treated as you would any rumor. Fortunately official casting info from the studio isn't too far away, as in Friday's Rick Berman interview it was stated that "casting is soon to be announced."

/end RUMOR (and back to our current lack of news)

Return to the Scott Sightings Page