Rick Berman, Gene Roddenberry's hand-picked successor to lead the Star Trek franchise, has signed a new deal with Paramount's TV and motion pictures divisions that will expand his reach beyond the Star Trek franchise and will keep him at the studio through the end of 2006.

The exclusive pact, announced Tuesday, calls for Berman to create, develop and produce features for Paramount's film units as well as TV movies and series programming for the studio's TV units. But he will remain as writer and executive producer on UPN's top-rated Enterprise, and also continue to consult on projects for Paramount's theme parks unit. The deal is worth an unspecified eight-figure sum.

Even though he intends to focus on Enterprise and the upcoming movie "Star Trek: Nemesis" for at least the next year, Berman said he will start looking outside the Star Trek universe for inspiration on new projects.

"I'm going to be very committed to Enterprise; it needs a lot of nurturing for at least a couple of more years," Berman told Daily Variety. "(But) during the course of this next five-year deal, I'm going to force myself to find the time to start branching out. I want to work on the kind of projects where people drive cars and wear sneakers — something a little more earthbound."

Berman noted that between launching Enterprise and filming "Nemesis," he's had "more fun writing and producing this season" than any year since he began working on the franchise in 1987. Nonetheless, Berman is preparing to move himself and his company, Rick Berman Productions, into other realms.

Paramount TV production president Garry Hart said he was glad Berman would remain "a part of the Paramount family." Hart said, "Rick Berman's guidance of the Star Trek franchise and its phenomenal success are testament to his immense talent and dedication. He is truly a gifted producer."

Motion Picture Group chairman Sherry Lansing said Berman has been "an enormous contributor to the success" of her unit. "He is a wonderful producer, and I look forward to collaborating with him for many years to come," she said.

Since joining Roddenberry as producer on Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987, Berman has been responsible for more than 600 hours of Star Trek-related programming. In addition to TNG followups Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager and Enterprise, Berman produced and had co-story credit on the movies "Star Trek Generations," "Star Trek: First Contact," "Star Trek: Insurrection" and "Nemesis," which recently wrapped principal photography and is expected to be released late this year.

Berman first joined Paramount in 1984 as director of current programming, where he oversaw TV shows such as Cheers and Family Ties. He soon moved on to oversee drama series and longform programming for the TV studio, including the miniseries "Space," before teaming up with Roddenberry. Prior to Paramount, he worked for Warner Bros. Television and was also an Emmy Award-winning TV producer.

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