Trek People
Author: Michelle Erica Green
Date: 1/8/01
Finally, someone who understands! Trek X screenwriter John Logan told startrek.com this week that he`s a lifelong fan who went trick-or-treating in his youth dressed as Captain Kirk. "I`m a rabid fan...I`m not just doing this for the money, believe me," elaborated the Emmy-nominated writer. "While other kids went out to play Cowboys and Indians, I was playing Kirk and the Klingons. When I got this job, it was a good feeling to call up my mother and say, `See? All this really paid off!`"
Though he offered few details on the story, Logan did confirm the presence of Romulans in the next film, as well as a new villain whom the writer hopes will become the equal of Khan from Star Trek II: The Wraith of Khan. "Picard needs an adversary or a foe that is up to his level," he noted. Logan also seeks continuity with the newer Trek shows, revealing that he had just watched seven episodes of Deep Space Nine`s Dominion War arc to refresh his memory on how Worf received an assignment to the Klingon homeworld. Logan further implied that aliens rarely seen since the original series will be featured in the new film, which he called "a very ambitious story."
In the hope that his affection for the characters will show in the finished product, Logan has incorporated ideas from his friend Brent Spiner, who introduced the writer to the production team. He has also talked to Patrick Stewart, who reportedly made suggestions on the development of Picard`s character. "I have some great new races and ships in this script," promised the enthusiastic Logan. "There will be lots of little things that fans will recognize...I want to put in a lot of cool stuff that no one in the main audience will understand, but fans will see and get it right away."
"At age 39, to be able to sit in the captain`s chair is a dream come true," continued Logan. "I find this incredibly exciting but it carries a lot of responsibility...I have such love and such respect for these characters, and I feel that I owe them a lot. So I want to treat them right."
A 39-year-old Chicago native, Logan co-wrote the screenplay for Oliver Stone`s football movie Any Given Sunday. Many in the industry consider him a good bet for an Academy Award nomination for Gladiator this year. In addition to his success as a screenwriter, he has had many plays produced.
Yet his own family thinks of him a dedicated Trekkie. He laughs, "My mother tells me some of her earliest memories of our relationship was my arguing with her to stay up late and watch Star Trek." I think we`re all glad he won.
In Star Trek: Voyager news, Jeri Ryan told TV Guide this week that the cast is not being told how the series will end, because the producers are "afraid we`ll squeal." Still, Ryan added, "I suspect that we`ll get home."
Kate Mulgrew suggested to Cinescape Online that the producers might decide to film more than one conclusion, just to keep everyone guessing. "I don`t have a clue," Mulgrew admitted, but she added that, "given the studio`s input...we may shoot a couple of endings, which would be smart because I think it`s very important that the ending be splendid, bold and unpredictable."
Mulgrew also confirmed that Captain Janeway indeed does have a romance in the upcoming sweeps two-parter "Work Force." In that episode, Janeway has her personality altered when aliens abduct her to their vast labor complex, yet once there, "she`s terribly happy. You`ve never seen her act this young, this happy or this in love. She comes to learn in a very difficult way that this persona is not her reality, and she has to say goodbye to it. I think viewers will be surprised and delighted by it...it`s beautifully done."
Surprised? Gosh, I sure am...not. So once again, as in "Persistence of Vision" and "Fair Haven" and even my beloved "Resolutions," Janeway can only be a happy woman when she`s not thinking straight as a starship captain?
It`s a comfort to know that, no matter what else happens in the final episodes, Voyager is definitely going to end.
Trek People: A Captain Honored, An Alien Lost
Starfleet may not yet have promoted Jean-Luc Picard to admiral, but Patrick Stewart has been made a Commander in the Order of British Empire. TrekWeb links to a BBC report showing Stewart on the New Year`s Honours List of the Queen, who also recently knighted Stephen Spielberg. The tribute caps a vintage year for 60-year-old Stewart, who earned positive reviews and a small fortune playing Professor X in The X-Men film. He also got married to his longtime girlfriend, former Star Trek: The Next Generation staffer Wendy Neuss, with whom he currently has plans to produce an Old Texas version of King Lear for Turner Network Television.
Yorkshire-born Stewart started acting at age 12, abandoning both school and a brief career in journalism before joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966. After playing many classical roles, he became an honorary associate of the famed troupe. In 1993, Stewart won a Drama Desk Award for best solo performance in an adaptation of Charles Dickens` A Christmas Carol, which has since been produced for TNT. The star of the BBC mini-series I, Claudius and the acclaimed drama Jeffrey received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1996.
In addition to seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation and three films, Stewart has done voice work for several Trek video games. Yet the actor told the BBC that despite his fame from Star Trek, "I think my appearance in The Simpsons and an appearance that I did on Sesame Street—in praise of the letter B—were perhaps the two most distinguished bits of work that I`ve done in the U.S."
On a sad note, our favorite Martian Ray Walston has passed away. Yahoo posted an Associated Press report last Tuesday on the death of the 86-year-old actor, who played Starfleet Academy groundskeeper Boothby in the TNG episode "The First Duty" and Voyager episodes "In the Flesh" and "The Fight." Despite his limited screen time, the character of Boothby has been enormously popular in Pocket Books Trek novels and fan fiction alike.
New Orleans-born Walston is probably best known for his role as Uncle Martin on the sitcom My Favorite Martian, which went on the air in 1963. He won a Tony Award in 1955 for his performance as the devil in Damn Yankees, a role he reprised in the 1958 film. Afterwards, Walston appeared in dozens of other theatrical productions and many supporting film and television parts, including Buck Rogers, The Sting and Stephen King`s The Stand.
In later years, Walston played mostly crusty old men like Poopdeck Pappy in Robert Altman`s live-action Popeye and cantankerous Mr. Hand in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. In the 1990s he won successive Emmy Awards for his role as Judge Henry Bone on Picket Fences. He also made a cameo appearance in the feature film My Favorite Martian, starring Christopher Lloyd as Uncle Martin.
Author: Michelle Erica Green
Date: 1/8/01
Finally, someone who understands! Trek X screenwriter John Logan told startrek.com this week that he`s a lifelong fan who went trick-or-treating in his youth dressed as Captain Kirk. "I`m a rabid fan...I`m not just doing this for the money, believe me," elaborated the Emmy-nominated writer. "While other kids went out to play Cowboys and Indians, I was playing Kirk and the Klingons. When I got this job, it was a good feeling to call up my mother and say, `See? All this really paid off!`"
Though he offered few details on the story, Logan did confirm the presence of Romulans in the next film, as well as a new villain whom the writer hopes will become the equal of Khan from Star Trek II: The Wraith of Khan. "Picard needs an adversary or a foe that is up to his level," he noted. Logan also seeks continuity with the newer Trek shows, revealing that he had just watched seven episodes of Deep Space Nine`s Dominion War arc to refresh his memory on how Worf received an assignment to the Klingon homeworld. Logan further implied that aliens rarely seen since the original series will be featured in the new film, which he called "a very ambitious story."
In the hope that his affection for the characters will show in the finished product, Logan has incorporated ideas from his friend Brent Spiner, who introduced the writer to the production team. He has also talked to Patrick Stewart, who reportedly made suggestions on the development of Picard`s character. "I have some great new races and ships in this script," promised the enthusiastic Logan. "There will be lots of little things that fans will recognize...I want to put in a lot of cool stuff that no one in the main audience will understand, but fans will see and get it right away."
"At age 39, to be able to sit in the captain`s chair is a dream come true," continued Logan. "I find this incredibly exciting but it carries a lot of responsibility...I have such love and such respect for these characters, and I feel that I owe them a lot. So I want to treat them right."
A 39-year-old Chicago native, Logan co-wrote the screenplay for Oliver Stone`s football movie Any Given Sunday. Many in the industry consider him a good bet for an Academy Award nomination for Gladiator this year. In addition to his success as a screenwriter, he has had many plays produced.
Yet his own family thinks of him a dedicated Trekkie. He laughs, "My mother tells me some of her earliest memories of our relationship was my arguing with her to stay up late and watch Star Trek." I think we`re all glad he won.
In Star Trek: Voyager news, Jeri Ryan told TV Guide this week that the cast is not being told how the series will end, because the producers are "afraid we`ll squeal." Still, Ryan added, "I suspect that we`ll get home."
Kate Mulgrew suggested to Cinescape Online that the producers might decide to film more than one conclusion, just to keep everyone guessing. "I don`t have a clue," Mulgrew admitted, but she added that, "given the studio`s input...we may shoot a couple of endings, which would be smart because I think it`s very important that the ending be splendid, bold and unpredictable."
Mulgrew also confirmed that Captain Janeway indeed does have a romance in the upcoming sweeps two-parter "Work Force." In that episode, Janeway has her personality altered when aliens abduct her to their vast labor complex, yet once there, "she`s terribly happy. You`ve never seen her act this young, this happy or this in love. She comes to learn in a very difficult way that this persona is not her reality, and she has to say goodbye to it. I think viewers will be surprised and delighted by it...it`s beautifully done."
Surprised? Gosh, I sure am...not. So once again, as in "Persistence of Vision" and "Fair Haven" and even my beloved "Resolutions," Janeway can only be a happy woman when she`s not thinking straight as a starship captain?
It`s a comfort to know that, no matter what else happens in the final episodes, Voyager is definitely going to end.
Trek People: A Captain Honored, An Alien Lost
Starfleet may not yet have promoted Jean-Luc Picard to admiral, but Patrick Stewart has been made a Commander in the Order of British Empire. TrekWeb links to a BBC report showing Stewart on the New Year`s Honours List of the Queen, who also recently knighted Stephen Spielberg. The tribute caps a vintage year for 60-year-old Stewart, who earned positive reviews and a small fortune playing Professor X in The X-Men film. He also got married to his longtime girlfriend, former Star Trek: The Next Generation staffer Wendy Neuss, with whom he currently has plans to produce an Old Texas version of King Lear for Turner Network Television.
Yorkshire-born Stewart started acting at age 12, abandoning both school and a brief career in journalism before joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966. After playing many classical roles, he became an honorary associate of the famed troupe. In 1993, Stewart won a Drama Desk Award for best solo performance in an adaptation of Charles Dickens` A Christmas Carol, which has since been produced for TNT. The star of the BBC mini-series I, Claudius and the acclaimed drama Jeffrey received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1996.
In addition to seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation and three films, Stewart has done voice work for several Trek video games. Yet the actor told the BBC that despite his fame from Star Trek, "I think my appearance in The Simpsons and an appearance that I did on Sesame Street—in praise of the letter B—were perhaps the two most distinguished bits of work that I`ve done in the U.S."
On a sad note, our favorite Martian Ray Walston has passed away. Yahoo posted an Associated Press report last Tuesday on the death of the 86-year-old actor, who played Starfleet Academy groundskeeper Boothby in the TNG episode "The First Duty" and Voyager episodes "In the Flesh" and "The Fight." Despite his limited screen time, the character of Boothby has been enormously popular in Pocket Books Trek novels and fan fiction alike.
New Orleans-born Walston is probably best known for his role as Uncle Martin on the sitcom My Favorite Martian, which went on the air in 1963. He won a Tony Award in 1955 for his performance as the devil in Damn Yankees, a role he reprised in the 1958 film. Afterwards, Walston appeared in dozens of other theatrical productions and many supporting film and television parts, including Buck Rogers, The Sting and Stephen King`s The Stand.
In later years, Walston played mostly crusty old men like Poopdeck Pappy in Robert Altman`s live-action Popeye and cantankerous Mr. Hand in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. In the 1990s he won successive Emmy Awards for his role as Judge Henry Bone on Picket Fences. He also made a cameo appearance in the feature film My Favorite Martian, starring Christopher Lloyd as Uncle Martin.
