We’ve known for a while that Rick Berman was up to no good again creating more Star Trek films. Now we know what poor slobs he’s schlepped in to help him do it…and despite his offers to help out, J. Michael Straczynski (who not along ago claimed Paramout told him this project was on hiatus isn’t on the list. Variety is reported as saying that Berman has taken on Jordan Kerner and Kerry McCluggage as production partners and that Erik Jendresen will be writing the script.

So who is this odd-ball band of people that Berman has working on the next Star Trek disaster? Kerner seems an appropriate choice. A crown prince of bad and unnecessary sequel making, he is one of the men responsible for both of the Mighty Duck sequels (but not the original) and George of the Jungle 2 (he did produce the original George of the Jungle, which doesn’t really help his case). McCluggage is even more obscure. He hasn’t really done anything since working as a producer on Miami Vice in the 1980s.

Jendrensen , the man behind the script, has a very short resume and none of the past work is even remotely close to sci-fi, much less Star Trek. Not that it matters much. Berman will be behind the story which will most certainly translate to more plot line brilliance like cloned Picards and toasterized Datas. Still no word if it will incorporate any of the ‘Next Generation’ cast, but I would hope they would have better things to do with their time. I doubt Brent Spiner has been desperately looking for the chance to reprise his role as a robot incapable of anything but repeating nonsensical nursery rhymes.

It’s clear the franchise is in for another flop. We had all breathed a sigh of relief when Paramount reportedly came out saying no future Star Trek films were in the works. Nevertheless, things now seem to be on track for a 2007 release. It's sad to believe they may have been lying. With “Enterprise” finally getting the boot (thank goodness) and the feature films sinking faster than the Titanic, this next Berman-driven project could be the final nail in the franchise’s coffin. The only good news? If Star Trek XI does tank it may finally mean Berman will have the Star Trek universe ripped from his grubby little fingers.