Confessions Of A Sci-Fi Writer: Reactions To My Writing For Star Trek: The Next Generation & Deep Space Nine
Even William Shatner Himself Had A Thing To Say About My Trek Script Sale
The Human Adventure Is Just Beginning... Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Adventure begins, but I’d politely ask, what kind? Replace Human with Writer and you’ve something of a rollicking adventure, indeed. Its playful description rightly sums up my experiences writing for the various Star Trek TV shows.
Living Long & Prospering after writing for Star Trek. Even a casual fan knows its legacy remains a singularly brilliant one. From TV shows, novels to comics and films, sci-fi trek keeps on warping.
Dorothy Fontana, one of the most important writers/producers working on Gene Roddenberry’s original series, recounted an incident while shopping in a department store. It nicely illustrates Trek’s pervasive pop culture power.
She paid for her purchases with a credit card. Glancing down, the clerk excitedly recognized D.C. Fontana, her long time pen name. She characterized her experience, along with similar incidents, as Star Trek always looming large - always attached to her.
I relate. I’ve had enough public exposure for name recognition. When sharing my Trek tenure, reactions range from joy to aggressive agitation, even animosity. These reactions fascinate me. Within a purely psychological framework, they illustrate how much Trek means, how powerful its influence is on fans and even for those who don’t like Starfleet or watching Klingons defend their honor.
Total Excitement
My favorite. I share in their excitement. I have been and always shall be a fan.
I attended my first year of college after selling to TNG. The school paper did coverage, so media contacted them to interview me. It felt surreal. I was in my first year of college with Next Generation in its final season, and my episode would air soon. School friends were excited. It’s with fond recollection of them signing my script to wish me the best in future Hollywood endeavors.
My school did such a good job of spreading the word about my TNG episode that WPIX Channel 11 sent a film crew to report as my family watched Homeward, starring Paul Sorvino, that evening. Sorvino, maybe best known for starring in the classic crime epic, Goodfellas, is reportedly a Trekker himself.
The next day while shopping in a store, a customer on line recognized me and was thrilled. He’d watched me on the news. This was the first time I experienced just how powerful Star Trek’s connection could be. It’s a weird feeling to say the least to be recognized and for a stranger to approach you. In the end, it was fun, though it’s something I don’t think I could ever get used to at any higher level.
After winter break, I returned to college to more excitement. While leaving the cafeteria, a girl approached me beaming with happiness. She wanted an autograph. I couldn’t believe anyone wanted my autograph, but I was more than happy to give it.
Complete Shock
Bones, grab that hypospray! Deshock this patient, Doctor!
As one of my favorite musicians sings, Peter Gabriel, Shock The Monkey. Shocked ones are fun too. Obviously you don’t shock Spock, so I simply say, “Fascinating.”
Many of the shocked stare blankly, to finally offer up something like, “Really!? You really wrote for Star Trek?” With all that shock going on, perhaps they require shock treatments.
One particularly memorable shock happened while hanging out with a buddy. His brother was a big Trekker, and when my friend told him what I’d done he didn’t believe it. He couldn’t believe it. He refused to believe for a good, long while, forcing me to defend my own and Trek’s honor.
Of all who were apparently shocked, it was Captain Kirk himself who gave me the most bizarre assessment. Yes, William Shatner reacted to my Next Gen sale.
I was still trying to get an agent after selling my TNG script. The William Morris Agency was interested, and during a call with one of their reps, I was told Bill Shatner said I was bullshitting them.
Captain Kirk called me a bullshit artist? Set phasers on STUNNED!
This agent was friends with Shatner’s agent. He’d dialed up his buddy to ask the great alter ego of James T. Kirk about me selling to Paramount Pictures without representation. After being accused of bullshiting by Mr. Shatner and his agent, I replied, “When I fax a copy of my script contract to prove I sold, will Mr. Shatner apologize to me?”
I had more talks with William Morris. As for Shatner’s apology, guess what? I’m still waiting.
Near Contempt
Encountering this is obviously sad, more than a little anger provoking, and thankfully, I’ve only encountered it a few unpleasant times.
Of course, I’m a little biased, but I can’t believe why anyone wouldn’t watch Star Trek, moreover, I can’t conceive why they’d dislike or even hate it. But, hey, to each his own little world building.
Let’s take a cue from one of the longest running and funniest sketch TV shows in history. Remember the infamous William Shatner Saturday Night Live skit, where Kirk’s alter ego admonishes fans at a convention to, “Get A Life.” Shatner, never one to let even minor controversy go to waste, capitalized on the whole thing, and later, he even wrote a book with the same title.
Sadly, my true trekking believers - there are those out there who not only think the SNL sketch somehow documents real life, but yes, they thoroughly look down on Trekkers. To them, Get A Life isn’t a snappy punchline or a gentle observation on fan obsession, it’s a clarion call for folks to ditch something they love because they don’t like it or even hate it.
Call it contemptuous tempestuous. Call it outright hate. Call it a tin god complex. It’s never fun to encounter.
When I’ve been confronted with distaste or even hatred stemming from my pro Trek connection, I don’t give the haters anything even remotely helpful to enable them to spew animosity. If they crack an insult - a verbal photon torpedo if you will - I swiftly raise shields and reply in kind.
Future Imperfect
Let’s see what’s out there….. Engage.
Let’s keep on exploring. From the looks of things lately, here on present day Earth, we’re just getting started on the final frontier front.
Space has never been the hotter, happening place than in the past few years. Look at Amazon bigwig Jeff Bezos, Virgin’s Sir Richard Branson and fellow billionaire entrepreneur Tesla’s Elon Musk helping to turn our species into a true spacefaring lifeform. It’s said all or most of these gentlemen love Star Trek. No big surprise there.
We’re just getting started as a space exploring world. Our fabulous sci-fi shows chart a possible, awesome future. As another of my favorite, classic science fiction series, Space: 1999, used as a tagline: The Future Is Fantastic.
Star Trek, complete with its legendary Prime Directive, acts as a prime motivator. It elicits unique reactions and strong emotions in all sorts of people. Just as those logical Vulcans believe in IDIC - Infinite Diversity Infinite Combination - Gene Roddenberry’s complex legacy provokes us in important and diverse ways. Ultimately, fan reactions boost and authenticate my own experience with Trek. I’m thrilled and humbled to have contributed my part to the incredible phenomenon.