TWENTY years ago? A pitch you can't 'Prophecy'

Well, THIS is a moment locked in time for me...and it was exactly 20 years ago today that we rehearsed for it:

This sale memo, from Voyager's Jeri Taylor and signed under fellow exec producer Michael Piller's
reply, was about our pitch called "Reflections," or "Descendants," or "Alliances Undone," or "Birds of a Feather"... whatever... that SOLD... then got bumped for 4 years, sank into the unused "sold" pile, but then finally got plucked out to produce (with update) seven years later as "Prophecy."

It's been an anniversary memory for me all week, exactly (gulp) two decades ago: The TNG Companion was two years old, our new home home in L.A./Burbank was into its fifth month, Janet's six-week Voyager temp job had just been made permanent, and the extended contact from all our new opportunities had won us an invitation to pitch stories.

Yes, Dec. 12  was the night we rehearsed our 3 or 4 pitches with script coordinator and buddy/boss Lolita Fatjo at Micelli's in Hollywood, and got her notes; the very next day, we met with Jeri in her Hart Building office to try them all for real. And it was all, of course, still six weeks or so until the world at large would even see Voyager and meet its denizens on TV.

I had heard all the TNG writers tell of their own pitch experiences—of the nerves and mistakes in both their own as writers, and of the hopefuls they heard ideas from—and thus Lolita's gentle reminder that "no one sells on their first pitch" had been well taken.

Which, of course, was all the more weird when we DID do just that—and with the one idea, of course, we thought the least of: our "token 'Klingon in the Delta Quadrant' story, to mess with B'Elanna's Klingon half" idea. Thank you, Jeri—and thank you for being gentle with the rookies. And you too, Michael, wherever you are—bedecked in Dodger blue, I'm sure).

It was hardly the last time we pitched to either show—back in the day of Michael's revolutionary but time-consuming open-door policy for non-agented writers and spec scripts—but it was the only time we ever sold. Of course. (The old maxim about "you never get to do the teleplay for your first story sale," however, came perfectly true.) I even found out later we weren't even the first ones to pitch a "Klingon generational ship" story for Voyager.

March 1995: A "bottle show" no longer...

We used to tell the full story at convention talks—the prep and pitch, the writer meetings, the directed enlarging and then shrinking of the bottle story scope as the show and staff evolved, its disappearance and then final-season resurrection—as a snapshot of the outside-writer process, and how wacky a "textbook case" of off-staff TV selling and writing can actually be, and over several years. I've told parts of the saga on a couple of podcast interviews, but any of you new fans want us to pipe up about it for a current con, just let me know. (For the right rum mixture, I'll even share all the better concepts we pitched on either "middle show" that didn't sell.)

But for young Okie kids getting a tad later start in the biz than usual, it was three fast days in a week I'll always remember.

That third "Disruptions" teaser for INTO DARKNESS

So, I'm headed to a STID screening tonight ... eight days prior to the formal May 16 opening, with more screening to follow... and with considerably less angst that I did four years ago with ST09.

You TREKLAND readers know I've barely touched on Into Darkness so far—my reason being you can get drowned in that everywhere else and I'll stick to the unique takes on "everything else" I want to bring you instead.

In fact, I'm almost regretting finally seeing the damn thing after all the wait... it's going to cut off my "virgin" perspective on all the passing speculation, and also the untainted questioning of marketing goals and ambitions.

In that vein, then yeah—let's talk about that little trailer, the "Third Disruptions Teaser." (see it below) The one that caused such a brouhahah last week among Klingon fans online for its glimpse of a "non-canon" departure in Klingon look.... Really? You're upset about this? Isn't that just Chang's family? Bear in mind, too, that just as not all surviving Romulans have a tattoo—only Nero's miners-turned-henchmen—not all Klingons look lke this, nor have "glowy eyes." Do we know what they're on? Or what they might be wearing? Well, we'll find out soon enough—and have another 30 years to fix it, if we need to. But I doubt it.

No, what got my attention in that third "Disruptions" teaser was a single word—and I bet it flew right past you, saying a ton without saying it out loud: the re-drawing of Trek's troika. Listen here (below) as Uhura is described as the ship's "soul" —to cap off, on the other two "Disruptions,"  Kirk being the "heart" and Spock being the "mind." Right there, ladies and gentlemen, far more than any Klingon makeup tweaks, you have confirmed the major affect of a 21st century feature producer's take on Gene's classic sandbox: Kirk/Spock/McCoy is now Kirk/Spock/Uhura.

Or... maybe that's just marketing by a bunch of after-market editors with access to Cumberbatch's "promo extras" contract. Maybe it's a bow to perhaps endless focus groups who want a female lead in their flicks in general, and McCoy's place truly is still the third seat in the Trek triumvirate (as some early-bird reviewers have said.) And not to say that Trek shouldn't have strong female leads, obviously;  there was a lot to beef up with Nyota "And how often do I get shore leave?" Uhura that poor Nichelle would have gladly loved to take on in her "sub-second banana" days of pre-ensemble 60s TV formats. The TOS movies made up a little of that ground for her, but not much.

But it sure looks like modern movie format sensibilities have taken over "Row, Row, Row Your Boat." In any case, even for marketing's sake for English-language consumers, it's as interesting a perceived plot for success as that pedal-to-the-metal global hoopla tour to again try to crack open a Trek worldwide audience beyond the known UK, Australian and German outposts.  Karl Urban's McCoy is one of the quiet gems of the JJVerse, and neither one has really gotten much overt love in any of the posters, trailers, and press clambakes so far that I can see.

Then again, that's just about the way it always was with De and his McCoy.

We'll soon see.

So bring on The Darkness... and maybe I'll see you at the Khan.

Light bulbs, Romulan transference: download this pod!

I've been a guest on many great Trek and sci-fi podcasts the last couple years or so, and trekfm's The Ready Room is one of them.  Including brand-new Ep. 73 just up this week, about all things Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.

I know, I know—28-year-old movie. Yada yada yada.

I don't say that just because host Chris Jones helped me produce my first interview-archives CD ... or because Greg Harbin made it to my first Seattle CON OF WRATH fundraiser.  Or even because they sat mum as I called them Mike & Bryan by mistake for a while. (Or because Charlynn Schmiedt was civil to me despite my all-in-the-family loving cracks about Voyager.)

No, it's not often that insights melt your brain while in the midst of recording or broadcasting... but that's exactly what happened amidst this show. I guess that speaks to the power and longevity of Star Trek... or something. Anyway, give a listen and see if you can see when I had my Joe E. "Romulan" Ross moment.*

At least enjoy that title: "Hot Vulcan Finger Action." Boy, that Chris... he knows how to market.








*Actor who's most famous for saying his trademark insistent "Oooooo! Oooooo!" in all his roles. Which, had he been living, might have included a Star Trek spinoff: "Pod 74, Where Are You?"

"Poll: Obama's Trekkieness not extend to Klingon love?"

Well, that's the idea behind these graphic titles for an interview regarding this amazing National Geographic piece of journalism ...

Obama Better Suited To Fight Aliens, According To Poll

... titles put up for the story, and interview with a comedy writer, on the normally straight-laced Lawrence O'Donnell's The Last Word news show on MSNBC:

Do you think the Klingons are the most-mainstream Trek aliens a news show should use here for the mundanes? The Borg still have a ways to go?

"Klingon love machine god"? We're on The Ready Room

The log line should say:
 "For the first time in years, Larry Nemecek talks about his experience in selling, developing, mourning, and then watching the resurrection of their Season 1 Voyager story idea that finally became Season 7's 'Prophecy'."

But a chunk of this "The Ready Room" Episode 52 on Trek.fm is, um, wacky as well, with Chris and Greg. I've been tardy to tell of it here, delayed by SoonerCon & Sooner State travels.

I wonder if THAT qualifies as The Other Side of the Room? (Oh, you have to listen...The TRR News is great, then we come on at the 53:23 mark—if you don't do chapters via an iTunes download.)

Trek.fm's The Ready Room: Fun with TNG's "Sins of the Father"

There are lots of great Trek and sci-fi podcasts out there, with engaging and knowledgeable hosts, just pouring out their passion and love for the topic. (I should know, I've been hitting a lot of them.)

And if you are not listening to Chris and Greg's Trek.fm's podcasts, including The Ready Room, you are missing out. And here's the perfect reason to start: the guys were crazy enough to have me on TRR this week when the Very Serious Subject was  TNG's landmark "Sins of the Father." (Okay, maybe not THAT serious.)

Sure, you may have seen it, and even know it was an important Klingon episode. But can you count the ways?

There is sooooo much context wrapped up in this episode, and where it fell in Greater Trekland History on so many levels, that an hour barely contains it. Much less all the other tangents we work in.

Of course they offer news on the front end of the download, too—and, among several stories, Teras Cassidy and I make a brief appearance to talk about the latest on our "Hollywood to Vegas" Trek film sites trip from Teras' Geek Nation Tours.

But there's a good chunk here that is nothing but pure-dee-ol' Trek nuts and bolts. I hope you give it a listen, and stay with them for a lot of great guests.

45 years ago today: Klingons on film!

Where were you 45 years ago?

By the targs of Kahless, if you were down hanging around the "Arab City" of the Forty Acres backlot at Desilu-Culver, now known as the Culver Studios and about 6 miles southwest of "Desilu-Gower" (ie, Paramount Pictures), you would have been present for some true cinematic and galactic history. Namely....



The birth of the Klingons! (Otherwise known as Scene 33 from "Errand of Mercy"...)

Sure the script had been written for weeks, and it didn't air til March 23, 1967. But it was two months prior, on Friday, Jan. 27, that the Klingons really first came to life—on film, as intended, with John "One Step Beyond" Newland directing his one and only Star Trek, from Gene Coon's amazing dialog.

I wish I had a clip to put up here, but "documentary" might be being defined a little narrowly these days by the powers-that-be.

Just know that the outdoor pan that opens Act II was the very first time a Klingon appeared on camera; the next were the same-day follow-up citadel Scenes 38-41. They all fell on Day 2 of the six-day schedule; the late great John Colicos delivered his first lines as Kor, in his debut scene 34-35, the next working day, Monday—and throughout the remaining days of the shoot. It was Colicos who had the idea for the Klingons' "Genghis Khan" look, and makeup chief Fred Phillips took it and ran.

Jan. 27, 1967: Truly a day destined for galactic greatness ... and a headache of forehead canon from 1979-2005.

The Tellarite lives!: Two tales from a long-lost New Voyages vignette

Have you seen "No Win Scenario" yet?

I know the New Voyages-turned-Phase II Trek fan films have a great following all their own, as well as recurring and regular characters and actors. I know many of you follow them, and may even go back as far as 2005, when the big news was to be a series of five "vignettes"—short films to fill the agonizingly long gaps between the release times of the all-volunteer projects—usually a year or more. That's because, as a lot of you are aware, the fan films get their slick look from many professionals who do them as "weekend work" to add to their demo reel—or simply out of love for Star Trek.

But in case you haven't heard the amazing news by now, the Klingon-centric and "long lost" No Win Scenario is out after six years, only the second of the three actually filmed to ever be released (you can see it below)—and all because  NV/P2's John "Kargh" Carrigan (above, on set lakeside, with "Grolst") was determined to make it so. He's pulled off a miracle here, with the help of many hands, to rescue the pieces and finally make them whole. (See more from John, below the fold).

What you may not know is that it's been my secret, too—unless you got me to talk about it at a con in recent years. Not on John or anyone else's level, of course, but on the scale of a true fanboy moment—and after years of the pro life, they are so hard to come by. See, I've always loved the Tellarites since "Journey to Babel," always thought they got short shrift next to the Andorians—even did a nose-puttied Tellarite for my make-up class "fantasy character" project in college. Finally, they even turn up on Enterprise for realz (thanks to closet Tellarite fans Mike Sussman and Manny Coto), but I missed getting in line to be an extra in "Demons"/"Terra Prime"—and then date conflicts ruined my other chance, among other UFP alien envoys for Walter Koenig's groundbreaking NV/P2 "fan" film by Dorothy Fontana, To Serve All My Days.

But thanks to head honcho James Cawley and the gang at NV/P2, they still let me come out on my dates, play a cameo in that ep, and THEN converted the Klingon spy role to a Tellarite in Erik Korngold's "No Win Scenario" script just so I could still be a "porcinoid." The professional prosthetics sized and built by Kevin Haney, who counts Mike Westmore's modern TV Star Trek team among his credits, were just a hoot—and my four late-night hours in the chair with talented makeup artist Jimmy Soltis (above, combing my clove-hair) were unforgettable (and thoroughly documented with video and stills, you better believe it.) To top it all off, we discovered that the nose piece was glued down in such a way that trapped air from a normal "huff" breath resulted in a beautiful nose flare that Gav himself would be proud of—all completely unplanned. And all happily utilized on camera by vignette director Erik "Gooch" Goodrich; the 1 a.m. shoot was topped only by my 5 a.m. release from makeup removal!

So see the video below...but I have to share the overall "phoenix" survival story that John Carrigan was good enough to tell TREKLAND—and yes, knowing how much it meant to me for Grolst the Tellarite to see the light of day, I'd been among those he kept in the loop re: the saga's survival:

The main original shoot did not yet have a Klingon bridge set for the "trainer" scenes, John tells me, and was shot before green screen—a first run which later proved too dimly lit to key the background accurately. The actor playing the Klingon trainer also had to be recast. A few months later, the project stalled, John and wife Annie dined with FX donor/producer Doug "Max Rem" Drexler and NV director Jack Marshall among others during a visit to LA, and even saw a rough cut of NWS that showed up those problems.

"In their opinion even the outdoor campfire footage was not good enough," John continues. "Annie and I were really upset hearing this, because I had seen some rushes on set when we shot the campfire scenes and I at least thought we had all done some good work. On the same trip we also hooked up with Jim Van Over (aka Erik Korngold) who wrote NWS, and ...we sat with Jim and watched the [rough cut] video. When it was finished, I still believed what I saw was some very good acting and well worth saving, but I had to agree that because of many technical problems we had filming outdoors and at night, if anything could be saved, it would take a whole load of work."

Back in the States to shoot "Of Gods and Men" in summer 2006,  John told NWS director Erik "Gooch" Goodrich he still hoped to find a way to finish the vignette.  When both John and Annie reprised their Klingon roles for NV's "Blood and Fire" a year later, they were thrilled that a real Klingon bridge set would be built at last—and perhaps provide a second chance for NWS, if the "green screen" scenes could be reshot with a new co-star. Even having the set delayed for use did not deter him: "I went about the set, quietly telling some people of my intentions and putting together my own little production crew (inside the Phase II production crew) and they pulled out all stops and built the Klingon bridge in 24 hours, as Gooch was only going to be on set that first weekend," he says. With him behind camera and Paul Sieber cast as the Trainer, the "secret" shoots went on at night—including a new insert of a fireside Klingon map John mocked up, complete with an orange-gelled light to simulate the original camnpfire. "It worked so well that you would never know it was shot years apart," he says.

When Cawley decided that all New Voyages' efforts had to go into the main annual episodes, seemingly ending the chance for the vignettes of 2005, John asked "Gooch" to help secure all the footage so that it might be tackled at home in the UK. "He was as good as his word, and I contacted my amazing editor friend Graham O'Hare, and after agreeing that I could only pay him a fraction of what he was worth, we began," John says. The joint choices and all the matching problems were eventually worked out—including the infamous original campfire. "The fire was blazing one moment and gone the next, and was dramatically dead at some points," John laughs. "Graham cured these problems in one amazing go: He created false fire and a glow in the shots which had an amazing effect." Once happy with a rough cut, O'Hare tweaked the audio, and then pulled stock FX shots since even CGI industry friends seemed unable to do the big amounts of original work needed to illustrate Kargh's tale. And then the next Phase II episode "Kitumba" brought John and CGI artist Pony Horton together.

"It wasn't until Annie and I discussed at some length back home about so wanting to get NWS finished that she said, why don't you ask Pony?" he recalls. "What had I to lose? I contacted Pony ... and he said he would be honoured. So after swearing Pony to secrecy we continued: Graham sent him our cut with the temporary SFX in, and Pony went to work. He did an incredible job, but one amazing CGI shot really set the scene for everything to come."

Their rough cut had used the campfire pull-back from Star Trek V but in reverse, going from space to ground: "We had shot the original campfire scene in James Lowe's back garden right next to a river (which nearly claimed our amazing sound man Ralph Miller). What Pony sent to us just blew us away: he had inserted our campfire into an amazing landscape."

"Graham was an amazing co-producer as well as an editor, and he and Pony just went above and beyond for me," John says. "And with a little financial assistance from my amazing wife Annie to pay for some of the long years of work this project took, 'No Win Scenaro' was finally finished.  As Kirk said in Trek III, "The answer is no—I am therefore going to do it anyway." And all of this is why 'No Win Scenario' means such a lot to us."

And now that you know The Rest of the Story... please enjoy!  And relish in the notion that little miracles still do come true—with enough patience and sweat. And Tellarites.

Support Macy's: They include Klingons!

Had to pass this along from my old buddy Vaughn Johnson, via Facebook (emphasis mine):

"My psuedo-daughter in Houston posted this earlier today:
For those of you who are Trekkers (or Trekkies - still not sure about that) or if you are friends with Randy M. you will enjoy this: This week is Diversity Week at Macy's. Randy filled out his heritage background sheet as a Klingon! If that wasn't awesome enough - HR actually found the Klingon flag and it is proudly hanging with all the other flags of the world at the Macy's in the Galleria!!"

Yes, these are the Fallow Days for Star Trek. Which makes little tales like this all the more heartening ...

We ain't goin' anywhere, baby!

What hath Marc wrought? (Okrund, that is)

I hope you didn't miss this one going by.

These Klingon-related language stories pop up almost monthly, it seems—remember the false report of an Oregon county requiring Klingonese among the alien languages on its social service forms?—but I just couldn't let this one from the UK get away.

Thoughts?

Linguist reveals: I spoke only in Klingon to my son for three years

A linguist has revealed he talked only in Klingon to his son for the first three years of his life to find out if he could learn to speak the "language."

Dr d'Armond Speers spent days translating phrases to communicate to his son Alec speaking like the creatures featured in space-based fantasy programme Star Trek. ...

HEY, reporter! Space opera, maybe, but not space fantasy....

STV: Spirit of Trek III: Robert O'Reilly & Gowron's Clerics Crisis

Church-state relations among Klingons?

Yep, TNG's "Rightful Heir" and Robert "Gowron" O'Reilly can only mean one thing: It's already time for a another monthly chapter of "Spirit of Star Trek," the free live screen-n-talk series for those in or near the Los Angeles area.

Next up it's Sunday, April 26 from 7-9 p.m., co-hosted by makeup guru Michael Westmore and Curtis Webster, pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Encino. But the evening is anything but "churchy," as you might guess—from the big-screen viewing of a relevant episode to the funny, probing or even personal dialogue among hosts. guests and audience on the spirituality, morals and yes great backstage stories of the various Star Treks, viewed through the alien lens. Here's Bob's take on it in a nice chat...


Before "Rightful Heir" aired late in TNG in 1993, we'd only seen Klingon warriors and the occasional spy or envoy—but clerics? And revered empire founder Kahless as a messianic figure vowing to "return"? And secular Gowron's deal to allow that cloned yet incredible "return" while holding on to the seat of power after all—any lessons for us as we grapple with the "separation of church and state" today? Those and more are sure to be topics for the night—a chat like no other you've seen at a convention, or Congress or church for that matter. A brief reception follows.

The event is free, but donations are welcome; the church is at 4963 Balboa, just south of the 101. Always best to RSVP: Call Amber at 818-788-1147.

Krime and Klingons—NOT

OK, so the new Star Trek movie's marketing and licensing roll-out is something to behold—but I don't think cheap hold-ups for attention is part of it.

First thing I want to know about that guy caught on the security cams robbing a convenience store in Colorado Springs this week: was he really a Trekster, or was that mini-bat'tleh just the only thing he was able to jack from the local space-Goth metalsmith store? I mean, that video still did not exactly show off his "Klingon sword" as a to-scale model. From here, it doesn't even look like it's shaped correctly.

My point is, that guy could not have been a true fan—he never would have been caught dead in public, much less on camera, with a small-scaled prop. And that hoodie—what's he doing, doing cosplay as a Landru monk? The hems are all wrong, obviously. No drawstrings on Beta III.

Nope, he was clearly not a fan. So—sorry local media! I know you had a heyday with this guy and his "Klingon sword," as you kept putting it, but once again we have to cut through the "stereotypes" of the local press and get to the root of the truth. Just as most con-goers are not in costume, most petty hold-up clowns are not fans of Kahless.

UPDATE: A helpfully nerdy commenter at the Denver Post website proves me right: that blade looks to be a Klingon-like knockoff by a prop metalsmith, Kit Rae's "The Valdris" (and no, ever so cleverly, it's not Valkris.) How long til they promote it, "As used by punks in The Springs"?

STV: JG Hertzler IS Martok!

It was a shame that only 100-some people caught a truly historic moment for the Empire recently... the Klingon variety, that is.

Our two favorite chancellors, JG Hertzler and Robert O'Reilly, took the incredible step a few years ago and appeared in Germany in full makeup and costume as their famed alter egos, Martok and Gowron. The FedConUSA (eventually, no relation to its German cousin) tried the same thing on US soil—but after the con famously shuttered its doors one day in, let's hope the boys get to recreate this moment somewhere else in the States for a lot more live eyeballs.

Til then, here for all posterity are just a few seconds of the sage (and surprisingly catty) insights of our good buddy, JG/Martok... on his way out the door.

(BTW—that was a completely unsolicited plug ...)