Scott Atwell Star Trek Discussion thread (Series and Films) (2 Viewers)

[Nelson Au]

And the extras in the rec room in Charlie X also makes that sequence very lively!I'll try to ponder a question.

 

[Lou Sytsma]

LOL! Lee - I haven't thought of that Mad Magazine bit in years but yes I do remember it.

 

[Nelson Au]

I saw this article last night on a new book about the making of Star Trek The Motion Picture.Perhaps another Cushman like effort. Long in gestation. I'll probably get it. http://trekmovie.com/2014/07/18/first-look-return-to-tomorrow-book-on-making-of-star-trek-tmp-coming-this-fall/

 

[FanCollector]

Funny, I saw it last night also. I hadn't heard of it before, but it sounds good. The fact that it was compiled at the time makes it unusual for that kind of oral history work.

 

[Nelson Au]

I haven't read Susan Sackett/Gene Roddenberry's making of book in many many years. Should be interesting to see how both books compare when this new TMP book arrives. One other interesting thing I found regarding the desire of the original group that built and painted the TMP Enterprise model to restore it. I forgot about a project that a garage kit model maker is making. He's actually doing an 8 foot replica of TMP Enterprise kit. So it's at studio scale as they call it, a replica of the filming model. Of the photos I've seen of it, it looks darn accurate. I suppose those guys could do a replica with this kit and use a new internal armature to support the model and use the new lighting system. That could be awesome!

 

[Ockeghem]

"I'd advise yuz ta submit a trivia question I can't answer. Check."

 

[Lou Sytsma]

I saw this article last night on a new book about the making of Star Trek The Motion Picture.Perhaps another Cushman like effort. Long in gestation. I'll probably get it.http://trekmovie.com/2014/07/18/first-look-return-to-tomorrow-book-on-making-of-star-trek-tmp-coming-this-fall/

Interesting but also rather suspicious 'find' of a lost oral history. Nevertheless, I'll probably end up getting it.

 

[Nelson Au]

I ordered it this morning in case it sells out. Unlikely but I waited too long on another book and missed out.

 

[Nelson Au]

Just read the chapter of By Any Other Name. Wow, that read like another tortured development! The original elements that weren't working for Justman, Fontana and NBC are interesting and I like how Bixby gave a summation to them in his critique of the story. I like how a brainstorming session with Roddenberry replaces the use of torture on the crew with the idea of turning the crew into the little blocks. And earlier it was Justman who suggested the neural neutralizer. And it was Fontana's idea to make the Kelvins become distracted by human emotions. As you said earlier Lee, it just came down to hard work to get the scripts as good as they could. It's also amazing that Coon was still on the job for most of the script development. I had no idea Julie Cobb was the daughter of Lee J Cobb and was later married to James Cromwell. I'm still trying to come up with a decent question.

 

[Ockeghem]

Nelson,
If you recall, Julie Cobb was one-fifth of the answer to one of my better TOS trivia questions.

 

[Nelson Au]

Scott, yes. I recall Ms Cobb was part of a question. I just don't remember the question!I hope you'll pardon the vagueness of my post above. I was sleepy and I didn't want to give away too much of the development ideas they discussed for those who haven't read the book yet. The other thing that was interesting is Fontana's concern of that aborted plot element was considered too similar to Gamesters of Triskelion.Also, the chapter covers the guest cast. What surprised me was that Tomar was portrayed by Robert Fortier! That happy go lucky two timer who was shot by Grace Lee Whitney in Controlled Experiment. His make-up really made him look different.

 

[FanCollector]

By Any Other Name had one of the more amazing back stories for me because, like What Are Little Girls Made Of?, the element of the story that seems like the whole "point" was something that came later in the process. By Any Other Name had a major change in tone as well as theme, but the fact that the Kelvans facing their new humanity wasn't the original point of the story just shocked me. (And Jerome Bixby continues to seem like an exceptionally classy guy with a rare combination of pride in his work but no ego.)As I think of it, this might be one of my answers to our ongoing question about episodes to show people who haven't seen Star Trek before.

 

[Nelson Au]

Lee, I certainly found the chapter hard to read because the way the original story Bixby pitched was so different and Coon was so high about it, yet Justman and Fontana fought it almost the whole way through! Reminds of several Beatles songs and how the collaborative process led to something new. John would have part of a song but by itself it wasn't enough. And Paul had a part of a song and similarly wasn't enough, but working together and with producer George Martin led to some really innovative songs.

 

[Nelson Au]

I have a germ if an idea for a question. In reading the Cushman books, something I kind of knew was made clear to me. What does Stewart Moss, John Harmon, Jon Lormer, Mark Lenard, Diana Muldaur, Laurence Montaigne and William Campbell have in common. This is part one of the question. Once it's answered, I think you can guess what part 2 is. There's probably more actors that would fit into part 1 of the question. I could have asked this another way. But I cut to the chase.

 

[Ockeghem]

Reminds of several Beatles songs and how the collaborative process led to something new. John would have part of a song but by itself it wasn't enough. And Paul had a part of a song and similarly wasn't enough, but working together and with producer George Martin led to some really innovative songs.

Nelson,

What you said about John and Paul (and George Martin) was very well stated.

As for your trivia question, this is the first thing that came to mind. Are these actors that appeared in more than one episode of TOS?

 

[Nelson Au]

That's correct Scott! They are all twofers. except Jon Lormer who had more then two. For part 2, can you name their two roles/characters? There must be others too beyond the ones listed above.

 

[FanCollector]

Don't forget Morgan Woodward and Morgan Farley. Or Barbara Babcock and Barry Russo. Or Charles Macaulay and Ian Wolfe. Or Bart LaRue and Craig Hundley.

 

[FanCollector]

Also Phyllis Douglas and the old lady in The Deadly Years/Charlie X whose name escapes me right now. (Laura something, I think.)And lots of stuntmen and extras who played many different parts.

 

[Nelson Au]

Lee, I knew there was a lot more actors who came in for a different role! Thanks for adding to the list. Morgan Woodward is a big one! As is Craig Huxley or whatever he goes by now. I didn't realize Mrs. Robert Johnson was the same actress who portrayed the older version of the crew woman Charlie zaps to an old lady in Charlie X!

 

[Ockeghem]

Nelson,

For starters, William Campbell was Trelane and Koloth, Diana Muldaur was Dr. Ann Mulhall and Dr. Miranda Jones (and perhaps the only person ever to play a 'Dr.' three times in Trek), Jon Lormer was Theodore Haskins, Tamar, and the old man (the latter was his role in For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky), and Mark Lenard was the Romulan Commander and Sarek.