With the debut of the fifth Star Trek series only a few months away, Paramount is gearing up to film the first few episodes of the series. 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, but we are now told that the series will now start filming a week later, on the 14th 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, and the studio has reportedly also had trouble in finding an actress for the role of Sub-Commander T'Pau.

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. Fatjo also confirmed that Series V would be set in the 22nd century and is currently titled 'Enterprise.'

Thanks go out to Alex Thompson for letting us know about the convention!

With the official Series V announcement expected any day now, more attention is being focused on Trek X, the next film starring the crew of The Next Generation. Last week, the first plot details emerged, and now new tidbits for the opening scene have come to light.

IGN FilmForce recently confirmed that the first scene of the film will indeed show the wedding of William Riker and Deanna Troi in Alaska, as previously reported. The site added that the wedding will feature cameo appearances by characters such as Lwaxana Troi and her servant, Mr. Hom, and that Beverly Crusher will be serving as the Maid of Honour.

After the ceremony, there will apparently be a brief moment of discomfort for Picard, when some conversation turns to the subject of Crusher and himself. Throughout the series, there was always an undercurrent of sexual tension between the two characters, beginning in the first-season episode 'The Naked Now' and culminating in 'Attached' and the series finale, 'All Good Things.'

Filming for the film was originally expected to begin this autumn, in order to allow for the strike by members of the Screen Actors Guild. However, with the resolution of the negotiations between the Writers Guild and Hollywood studios, a strike by the actors is looking increasingly less likely. With the lessened possibility of a strike pre-production on the film may being sooner than originally planned. The film is set for release in the Spring or Summer of 2002.

The full article can be found at IGN FilmForce.

When the 'Endgame' synopsis was published several days ago, many fans wondered about the role of Tuvok in the finale, who was shown in a mental hospital in the recent Voyager finale promo. Thanks to one of our sources, we are able to provide the first details of this sub-plot.

In the original timeline, it took the U.S.S. Voyager 16 years to come home. During this time, Chakotay married Seven and subsequently lost her after an unsuccessful away mission. In addition, Voyager lost another 20-something crewmembers, while Tuvok became afflicted with a serious brain ailment. In the initial stages of the disease, Tuvok could have been cured by mind-melding with one of his family members, but without one present, he slowly descended into insanity.

As we see Tuvok in the future, seven years after Voyager's homecoming and 23 years after the last time we saw Captain Janeway on-screen, we see Tuvok being treated in a mental institution. Admiral Janeway had been visting him every week, not wanting to leave her old friend completely alone. In the finale, we see a touching scene in which she visits Tuvok to say goodbye before going on her journey to the past.

Though Tuvok is insane, he still believes he is able to think logically. From the fact that Janeway visits him on another day of the week than usual, he concludes that Janeway has to be an imposter, and tells her that logic dictates she is not who she claims to be. Janeway leaves the mental institution, and shortly thereafter travels back in time for the sake of her crew - to save Seven, Tuvok, and the many crewmembers who died on the long journey home, and to preserve her good friend Chakotay's happiness.

As usual, please be aware that Paramount has made no official plot or casting announcements for either Trek X or Series V, and has revealed very little official information on the finale. Until an official announcement is made, please treat any news from unofficial sources as you would any rumour.

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