I remembered that in the last Star Trek Convention I attended (back in '97 or '98) I did sign up, and attend, a "How To Write For Star Trek" seminar hosted by none other than Trek's own Ren� Echevarria.
It was such a memorable experience that I immediately buried it deep into my subconscious. Mr. Echevarria was extremely proud of the crowning achievement of his career at that time: he wrote all by himself DS9's episode: "Our Man Bashir". I take nothing away from this credit. After all, he wrote it, and I didn't. And I am happy for it, too.
"Our Man Bashir" wasn't one of my favorite DS9 episodes. I think the episode may appear like a fun romp for the cast, but it can also be interpreted as a rip-off of James Bond-Flint and a cheap shot at comedy. If you want comedy in your Trek, stick to TOS's "Trouble With The Tribbles". In my book, this episode was a highly questionable direction for a franchise that can use its' venue as a way to intrigue the audience with many thought-provoking and controversial issues.
Upon entering the seminar we got our copy of the ST:TNG bible and some additional hand-out material, and we sat down. There must've been about 6 other people in the room and after 25 mins of being reminded about how cool "Our Man Bashir" was, according to its' creator, I walked out.
And it is the Trek Bible what motivates me to write tonight. Regarding the authorship of this document, it's astounding to find no official byline in it except the usual "Star Trek TNG: Created by Gene Rodenberry". However, I remember very clearly that the original TNG bible was allegedly and apparently drafted/written by David Gerrold and/or DC Fontana. True, Gene must've given its' green light to the guide, but the extent of the involvement of Fontana and Gerrold in the inception of ST: TNG was a subject of arbitration by the Writer's Guild for many years. If memory serves, Paramount settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.
There are a few interesting points in the Bible that I'd like to share with you.
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* Under a section titled "Story Believability", we find the following entry:
"Believability is Everything. It is the Essential Element.
If you are in doubt about a scene, you can apply this simple test: "Would I believe this if it were occurring today on the bridge of the Battleship Missouri?".
* Under the section, "The Story-What Doesn't Work:", you can find the "commandments" which are the core of the writer's bible. I am going to partially quote 10, to keep my credibility at par with the Subject Line.** :)
1. First, do NOT write a story which does not principally involve our continuing characters.
2. We do not do stories about psi-forces or mysterious psychic powers. No matter how fantastic the events in a story, the explanation must be extrapolated from a generally accepted science theory. (We have accepted the telepathy of Counselor Troi because many reputable scientists acknowledge the possibility of such abilities, but you will note that we have limited Troi to "reading" only emotions).
3. We are not buying stories which cast our people and our vessel into the role of "galaxy police".
4. We are not buying stories about the original TOS characters.
5. We do not accept stories which are FANTASY instead of SCIENCE FICTION.... Despite the fact that both scifi and fantasy can deal with unusual events, a scifi story is based on an extrapolation of a generally accepted scientific fact or theory. Fantasy has no basis in reality.
6. We are not interested in "swords and sorcery".
7. Don't treat space as a local neighborhood. Too often, script ideas show characters bouncing from system to system or planet to planet without comprehension of the distances involved or the technologies required to support such travel. Fine and even fun on "Space Rangers", but not on Star Trek.
8. Star Trek is not melodrama. Melodrama is a writing style which does not require believable people. Believable people are at the heart of good Trek scripts.
9. Do not consider Klingons, Romulans or Ferengi the only villains in space. We are determined not to copy ourselves.
10. No mad scientists or stories where technology is considered the villain. It doesn't make sense for a group of 24th. Century interstellars travelers whose lives depend on the successful workings of their technology to be Luddites.
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Now I ask you, dear reader...
How do you think the writers and producers of the show have embraced the notions set by the authors of the "Trek Bible"?
Based on over 300+ hours of Trek episodes and movies***, do you think that the writers have stuck to the mandates established, or do you think they have strayed from what Rodenberry intended for his shows?
And if they have strayed, do you think this has been good or bad to the franchise in general? Most important, has this been good for us, Trek fans who have supported the shows for so many years?
I bring you this information in the interest of sparking a cool discussion. The floor is now open for debate, in case anyone is interested to give opinions. I am holding on to my thoughts on it until later, if necessary.
Oh, btw, in case anyone is interested on knowing more about the Trek bible, or how to submit to Trek, don't hesitate to ask anything that comes to your mind. All this information is listed in the bible.
JJ
** The three other "commandments" are: Beware of spaceship battles, plots involving an entire civilization rarely work, and avoid storms in space.
***I apologize for not providing the actual amount of hours of Trek filmed. I can't find this info at present time.
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