 Originally conceived as a prequel to the original  _"Star Trek" (1966)_ (qv) television series. The story was to follow  young Kirk and Spock when they met in Starfleet Academy, with  Ethan Hawke (qv) rumored for the role of Kirk and  John Cusack (qv) rumored for the role of Spock. However, partially  due to poor box office and reviews for  _Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)_ (qv), and because of the  strong desire for a future film involving the cast of  _"Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1987)_ (qv), it was decided to do  a final film with the original cast, which would end with their  retirement, and allude to the new cast taking over the franchise. A  prequel series would later appear in the form of the  _"Enterprise" (2001)_ (qv) television series, and as of 2005, a  prequel feature film involving the Starfleet Academy is in the  works.