6 posts tagged “michael piller”
I want to apologise to all of you who are expecting to see another chapter of the late Star Trek writer and producer, Michael Piller’s unpublished book. I just received a letter from Paramount’s lawyers, which will explain why I’m unable to post it (see below)
Dear Mr. Prooth:
I am writing on behalf of CBS Studios Inc., successor in interest to Paramount Pictures Corporation’s rights in the STAR TREK franchise (”CBS Studios”). CBS Studios understands and greatly appreciates the fact that the STAR TREK series’ strong fan base is a crucial element of its long term success. In that regard, CBS Studios is supportive of its fans’ desire to share and communicate information about the series. However, as rights owner, CBS Studios is obligated to protect its rights in the series, both for itself and for the large community of people involved in creating the series, including the talent, artists, producers and writers. CBS Studios therefore seeks to strike a balance between encouraging legitimate use and discouraging infringements of valuable rights.
It has come to our attention that you are posting chapters of Michael Piller’s unpublished book entitled “Fade In: From Idea to Final Draft, The Writing of Star Trek Insurrection“ on various websites. As copyright owner, CBS Studios is entitled to exclusive rights concerning copying, duplication and distribution, among other rights. Accordingly, CBS Studios cannot permit your posting and distributing this book. We respectfully request that you voluntarily remove the content from your websites at www.sebrt.com and http://tektrekgamer.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/michael-piller-chapter.pdf and any other site for which you are responsible and agree to refrain from posting this in the future.
We trust that you understand our concerns over CBS Studios’ rights and will cooperate with us by complying with our requests within three (3) days of your receipt of this letter without the need for further action. Should you chose to ignore these requests, we will have no option but to contact your ISP demanding the immediate removal of the copyrighted material pursuant to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Please contact me at the number above should you have any questions.
The foregoing is without waiver of any and all rights of CBS Studios Inc., all of which are expressly reserved herein.
Sincerely,
Mallory Levitt
After reading the book, I see how far away Star Trek has strayed from Gene Rodenberry’s vision and I realise Paramount will do anything to suppress in their view such archaic ideas. Principal photography on the new Star Trek movie starts in two weeks with a unwelcome view of the future and they don’t want to be reminded of a battle that they thought was gone.
In 1969, when the original TV show was cancelled, a hundred thousand fans wrote in and their complaints were met with deaf ears at Paramount Pictures. In 2007 there are millions and millions Trek enthusiasts who potentially have power to influence Paramount and CBS to finally release the book as Michael Piller requested, days before he died.
Last week CBS gave reprieve to the cancelled TV show “Jericho” when fans protested here’s the story…
http://www.startribune.com/459/v-print/story/1230719.html
Ironically, my last post had to do with the power that bloggers now have. The time has come for millions of bloggers to unite…for e-mailers and letter writers to bombard Sumner Redstone at Paramount and CBS until Michael Piller’s book is released.
We all deserve to look inside “Rodenberry’s Box” (which I won’t be able to post) all comments will be appreciated and passed along on to Sumner Redstone.
To our future…
-Sebastian Prooth
For our “Advanced Guide to Blogging” go to www.guidetoadvancedblogging.com
Bloggers are influencing the political, technology, show business and personal communities and their effect is staggering. As the numbers grow from the 70 million bloggers that exist now, imagine what kind of storm they will be creating next year. The availability of information on a blog and the immediacy of which it is published has serious power, power enough to influence public elections and alter perceptions.
Recently, I was thinking about closing my blog since I was trying to become a serious journalist, but then I realized that I have been given an opportunity really help change the world. Since playing field has been evened out we all have a chance to communicate at warp speed in ways that no one has done or gone before. You all know that I have been excited about the late Star Trek writer and producer Michael Piller’s book that I have been entrusted with. I realize now that with millions of fellow Star Trek fans that if each one told another enthusiast that the entire community would be enlightened! I have had the opportunity to read the entire book and I can promise you all that it has changed my life. It is important that each of you who are inspired as I am, blog about it. In fact I would like you to share something that Michael said in an interview that continues to inspire me:
When we conceived this idea (1998, Star Trek Insurrection) it was at a time in my career and in Star Trek that I saw the franchise moving away, perhaps, and a lot of people felt this way, by necessity, moving away from Gene Roddenberry’s philosophy of Gene (Roddenberry) I had a very simple goal as a writer for this film: I wanted to do one for Gene.
…I thought I had a responsibility as the keeper of the flame. I wanted it to be optimistic about the future, the way gene Roddenberry would have appreciated it! –Michael Piller, 2005.
Not only can assimilate the information we are given in our own collective consciousness but the philosophy that we all know and believe in could change the course of the future for the better.
If you don’t have know how to blog and make your voice heard around the world wide web my friend Artie Wayne and I have come up with an idea for you. We both believe in the power of blogging which is why we wrote a 25 page booklet, Guide to Advanced Blogging that shows you how to write better, use effective headlines and tags strong enough to land your article on page one of Google searches.
If you want to know more information about the Guide to Advanced Blogging please click here.
Now here this: There will be another fascinating chapter from Michael Piller’s unpublished, unknown and unavailable book that chronicles the writing of Star Trek Insurrection with a look inside “Roddenberry’s Box”…In Michael’s own Words!
Right here THURSDAY at MIDNIGHT UTC!
Copyright 2007. Sebastian Prooth.
To reach Artie Wayne: http://artiewayne.wordpress.com
As I promised you, the new crew, here’s your chance to continue the voyages the late Star Trek mastermind, Michael Piller began. This is your chance to read one of the pivotal chapters in the unpublished, unsettled and unreleased Michael Piller book chronicling the writing of Star Trek Insurrection. Assimilate it while you can! While you are here, don’t forget to check out my Star Trek compendium with loads of interviews, commentaries and more!
AS PER PARAMOUNT’S REQUEST ON THE 13TH JUNE 2007, I HAVE REMOVED MICHAEL PILLER’S UNPUBLISHED BOOK FROM WWW.SEBRT.COM - SEB’S RAW TAKES
It is so difficult to choose an angle to praise someone for whom you have the greatest respect. This is my gift to one of the twentieth century’s most talented writers. This is a name that only a few of the most privileged have got to use in person. This is a name that so many have read on their television screens and simply shrugged off as so often producers and writers are.
Michael Piller was relatively unknown to me until the beginning of last year, sure I had watched the special interviews with him and noted him for a strange presence that seemed to speak to me and until recently, I never knew why. It was not until the middle of last year when I opened a book that had been on my shelf for what seems like decades without being touched, The Making of Star Trek Deep Space Nine. Held within the pages of this rather non-descript book are little jewels of information that someone wanting to write drama for episodic television, especially Star Trek cannot live without! I learned that Michael ran a program to make it easier for young screen writers to get started! The news couldn’t have been better, but I was twelve years late reading the book, seven years late for writing for Deep Space Nine and unfortunately seven months late to impress Michael Piller who had died the previous November.
I stopped thinking about it for a while as for most of 2006 my Star Trek interest lay dormant but around December my interest peaked again. I had to do something about “this writing thing” of mine which was fast becoming my life. I would speak to members of the Star Trek family about their experiences with Michael and they would always tell me of a gentle man, somewhat gruff to those he didn’t know, but with a towering intellect. None of this was getting me any closer to Michael, and without sounding crazy that is what my heart most wanted. I knew deep down that I had to get to a place that I could receive this gift that I was sure Michael had left for me. The answer came to me with a sudden jolt, I should contact Michaels ex-assistant, Eric Stillwell. I did a little research and came up with a method of contact and within 24 hours I was talking and interviewing Eric. We spoke of our mutual admiration for Michael and his work and after 5 hours on the phone Eric told me of a book that Michael had written chronicling his experiences writing Star Trek’s 9th feature film, Insurrection.
What had seemed cloudy the day before began to reveal itself before me, all of this was for a purpose! When Eric told me of the book, and that it was one of Michael’s final wishes that the book be made available to the public for free online I told him that I wanted to be the one to be involved. That would be my gift to Michael and in some way, I believed it would be Michael’s gift to me. It was decided in those early hours and we are in the producing stage now. The book will delight Star Trek fans and give new, relevant insight into the creation of a Star Trek feature screenplay.
I invite you the new crew to continue the voyages that Michael Piller began. It is to us that he committed his legacy. With his overwhelming spirit Michael empowers us to boldly go where no one has gone before!
-Sebastian Prooth. Copyright 2007.
This following is an excerpt from the book that remains unpublished and its ownership unsettled. The book is secure in my possession. I am of course referring to the book mentioned in my tribute to our hero, Michael Piller.
“Rick Berman wasn’t sure that I’d want the job. The first thing he said when he came into my office was, “Don’t say ‘no’ until I finish talking.” And when he finished talking about his hopes for the next Star Trek movie, he asked me if I would be interested in writing it, and I surprised him by saying ‘yes.’ It may seem odd that anyone would even consider passing on a chance to write a feature film, but Rick knew I’d been moving away from the Star Trek franchise for the last couple of years.
I had been in space with Rick for almost a decade. We first met at a lunch with Gene Roddenberry and Maurice Hurley, the head writer of The Next Generation during its first two seasons. Hurley was leaving the show and thought I might be a candidate to replace him. I wasn’t hired at that lunch (Rick and Gene had already hired another friend of mine, Michael Wagner), but I did agree to write a script for the coming season.
My agent was furious. Writing a free-lance script would look like I hadn’t been able to find a staff job. No show would ever hire me as a staff writer again, he said. But I really wanted to write a Star Trek script so I ignored my agent’s advice. Today, in his lovely new home, he’s happy I did.” –Michael Piller.
Well, it’s true. The release is not official as the commentary that Jonathan Frakes, the Director of Star Trek IX, made never made it to the DVD. That doesn’t mean there doesn’t have to be one though and today I went ahead and recorded a commentary for playback as you watch Star Trek Insurrection.
I know - I didn’t direct, produce or star in the film but my study of film production and my interest in Star Trek coupled with my knowledge of film production gave me an unique perspective to commenting over this film. Of course 15 years of Star Trek technical knowledge helps a little as well.
I have never made one of these commentaries before and I will be doing more of them. There are some minor sound issues in this but overall the recording is a good one.
In order to make use of the commentary the way it is intended you must play it directly in time with the film and line up when I start talking with the beginning of the Paramount Pictures logo. You will figure out the timing pretty quickly, another pointer is make sure I say “LeVar Burton” when LeVar’s name is on the screen in the credits. I refer to things and talk around events in the movie so timing is critical.
If you like the commentary feel free to comment…if there is something you think didn’t get covered and should have in the genre of my commentary, by all means comment, I’d like to know that too. This recording is not intended as a podcast but just something different for next time you watch Star Trek Insurrection!
If anyone has any requests for the next Star Trek film they would like me to comment over please make them known here or drop me a line.
You can find more Star Trek related information about me on my Memory-Alpha Profile.
A few days ago I managed to catch up with another Star Trek / Paramount Pictures employee, Eric Stillwell. My meeting Eric on the internet was initiated by my recent interest in the life and work of Michael Piller. Piller was the head writer on Star Trek TNG from the 3rd season, co-created both Deep Space Nine and Voyager and then went on to write the 9th Star Trek film Star Trek Insurrection. Eric Stillwell was fortunate enough to work with Michael for many years and last night I found myself talking with him over instant message. The conversation graduated to telephone after two hours and for the remainder of my day, approx 5 hours Eric and I spoke about Star Trek while I periodically filled in answers to the questions I had quickly thrown together for an impromptu interview.
My conversation with Eric Stillwell was a very productive one a few major things are going to be taking place because of our discussion. I am keeping the information about what is going to happen close to my vest at the moment but I will say that I have asked Eric to guest write here on SebRT.com in the near future. The following is the interview, which in reality was massive and if I had written everything Eric and I talked about it would be about 25 pages.
SebRT.com Welcomes Eric Stillwell, Star Trek TNG Script Coordinator and the Assistant to the late Michael Piller.
You worked for Star Trek like a lot of SebRT guests. What exactly did you do?
I started off as the production assistant on Star Trek The Next Generation in ‘87 and I did that for two years. Then I was promoted to script coordinator and worked on TNG until ‘93. After I finished with Star Trek the TV show I went to produce Star Trek conventions and in 1996 I returned to Paramount Pictures and worked for Michael Piller. At that time he was Executive Producer on Star Trek Voyager and I spent time as a production associate and his assistant. He stepped down and left the studio in 1999 to work on other projects and I went with him (as vice-president of Operations for Piller Squared) to do that. He created the Dead Zone TV series and I was an associate producer on that and then he and his son created Wildfire and I was an associate producer on that. As the vice president of operations for Piller Squared I was in charge of a lot of aspects of the company.
I read you are a genuine Trekkie yourself, if I wanted vaporize my neighbor’s dog, what setting would I set this phaser to?
[laughs]I don’t have to know all that stuff to be a Trekkie!! But if you do that you have to go have a meeting with Counsellor Troi.
You worked with the late and great, Michael Piller. In the past I have published how I would like to have known him. What was he like?
Michael was a complicated personality. It took me a long time to get to know him genuinely. On the outside sometimes he can seem abrupt and I don’t want to sound like I am saying he was terrible. He hated cocktail parties…it was easier for him to have a discussion with a potted plant. He was actually quite charming in person. It was all in his writings. Michael could write a scene that could be completely innocuous, but underneath it was about the humanity of things. If you watch the Best of Both Worlds, the personal problems of Riker being offered his own command are taken from Michael’s own life experiences of the time. He knew that the humanity was important, and the characters even though he technical stuff in Star Trek is important.
It seems like you and I might have met when I was 7 years old in my home town of South Bend, Indiana at a trek convention. What was your involvement with the conventions?
At that time frame I did some conventions in South Bend. I was the MC of the event and introduce all the guests and handle all the celebrity appearances and handle all that stuff so it very likely.
What are your thoughts about the upcoming “prequel” of Star Trek TOS in the form of Star Trek XI?
I think prequels are a questionable approach to doing Star Trek because I don’t even think it was a viable option for Enterprise regardless of how good the production was. I think JJ Abrams is terrific.
Your work after you left Star Trek has been very successful and you even have your name on a Star Trek novel – Do you have any more plans to work with anything Star Trek related?
I don’t have plans to but you never know what the future holds. Somehow I think my career path is heading towards politics. Star Trek influences my political views on things and it’s all mixed together in weird ways. The whole 34th rule novel is inspired by George Takei’s life in the internment camp. There’s always possibilities.
Most recently you have been working on Children’s television, how does that compare to working on the biggest television franchise of all time?
For me its like the difference between being a small fish in the big ocean and being a big fish in a small pond. I got to be the head writer and a producer on the Children’s show. I was not just the 47th person down the production list.
What is the work (out of your entire career) that you have found most rewarding and you are most proud of?
Co-Writing Yesterday’s Enterprise was certainly the highlight of my Hollywood career. I did something creative and it got realized in front of my eyes. Getting to work with Whoopie Goldberg was great as well.
Do you have any pieces of Trek in your possession such as a prop or set piece to remember the show by?
Most of the things I received were “crew gifts” including stuff from your friend Dennis Madalone. I have a picture of me with Gene Roddenberry on the bridge set that Gene autographed that is really special to me.
Star Trek Insurrection’s story was not a typical Star Trek story and many felt it was not loyal to what trek had established. 9 years on, what did you think of the story when you were script coordinating on that picture?
The final project was not what Michael originally intended. Patrick Stewart made a lot of changes to the script that fundamentally changed the script as far as I am concerned. Originally the bad guys in the story were Romulans.
What are you working on at the moment? Got any exciting plans to share with SebRT readers and the internet at large?
I’ve been trying to revise my political blogging career because I’m currently unemployed and looking for work. So looking for something in the political realm. I’m going to Italy on vacation for a Star Trek Convention –not running for President.
Thank you very much for your time Eric and you are most welcome to come back sometime!
Thanks, I enjoyed it! (after 5 hours on the phone)
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If you would like to ask Eric any of your own questions or contact any of the interviewees here at SebRT.coom you can email “questions@sebrt.com”
