Will New Prequel Help ‘Star Trek’ Live Even Longer And Prosper?

Could CBS boldly go on a new mission to bring “Star Trek” back to TV?

That idea is being floated in Hollywood, where the new “Star Trek” prequel is getting good buzz. The word out of early screenings is that it’s so good that it might revive the aging franchise. The U.S. release date is May 8.

The film stars Chris Pine as a young James T. Kirk, Zachary Quinto (from “Heroes”) as Spock, Karl Urban as Dr. McCoy and Zoe Saldana as Uhura. It’s produced by J.J. Abrams (“Lost”), who could easily turn it into a TV series.

And Abrams. wouldn’t have to go far to find a creative team. Producer/writer Bryan Fuller (“Pushing Daisies,“ “Heroes”) has sent out the word he wants to turn “Star Trek” into a TV series. His “Heroes” is on its last legs, and he’s looking for work.

“I told my agent and told the people of J.J. Abrams’ team I want to create another ‘Star Trek’ series and have an idea that I’m kicking around,“ Fuller has said. “I would love to return to the spirit of the old series with the colors and attitude. I loved ‘Voyager’ and ‘Deep Space Nine,‘ but they seem to have lost the ‘60s fun, and I would love to take it back to its origin.“

CBS owns the television rights and also owns The CW, where the aging “Smallville” is winding down. That’s just one possibility. But it may be awhile before the Enterprise lands on TV because if the new “Star Trek” film is a hit, then a big-screen sequel is almost certain to follow.