treknews.com | feature | Michael Piller Q&A MENU FREE EMAIL FEATURES HOME OTHER SITES StarTrek.com Delta Blues TrekToday TrekSearch TrekHosting Trekker Newsletter LINKS Search Now: MICHAEL PILLER Q&A MICHAEL PILLER Q&A Page 3 10) SC How come, during the times that both TNG and DS9 were on the air or DS9 and Voyager were on, TPTB never tried to make a full crossover episode between the two shows? Sure, actors sometimes had cameos on the other show, but a real crossover two-parter that started on one show and ended on another could have been really cool, and would have reaffirmed the fact that these shows were part of the same universe and not just calling themselves "Trek" because it was convenient. Syndicated shows like Hercules and Xena have done a number of crossovers that always pique interest simply due to their crossover nature, network shows like Law and Order and Homicide have crossed over, and even cross-network shows like The Practice and Ally McBeal have crossed over. These shows weren't related per se, but Star Trek shows have had a preexisting tie-in. Now that there's only one Trek show on the air, and that's likely to remain the case for years to come, this is no longer a real possibility. It seems a real shame that no one took advantage of the opportunity while it was there. What was the reason, if any, why a true crossover two-parter was never attempted? Thank you. MP: To be honest, we never really talked about a two-part crossover and I'm quite sure that the reason was we could never be sure in syndication whether the various series would be running on the same channels, so it would be impossible to coordinate reruns. 11) Ellen Hi Michael! In an ideal universe, what would you consider to be the best number and mix of writers for a series like "DS9" or "Voyager"? MP: I believe in having a staff of four or five writers of various experience on a series, but I'm a strong believer in bringing in freelance writers to contribute on a regular basis to any series that I do. I think it keeps the storytelling fresh. 12) Mary Jensen Any chances of resurrecting your humorous Western, Legend with Richard Dean Anderson and the master of disguise, John de Lancie? MP: I wish I could be more optimistic about it, but with the disappointment at the box office of Wild, Wild West, I don't think that's likely. The series never had a chance to find its audience (or its footing) due to the quick hook by the previous administration at UPN. Mike Greenberg, Richard Dean Anderson, Bill Dial and I have talked from time to time of doing a follow-up movie that takes place years later and taking Legend to New York to find Bartok broke and forgotten (as Nikola Tesla was in the later years of his life), and going on an adventure with Teddy Roosevelt down to San Juan Hill, but I think it'll take a miracle to get Legend ever started again. 13) Caillan Mr. Piller - there is a large amount of negativity towards Voyager on the Internet. Sometimes it feels alienating to be a Voyager fan. Do you think a lot of this criticism, which centres around the show apparently having "no continuity," is justified? MP: The way I'd like to answer this is to take you back to my youth. While my peers were fans of rock-n-roll, the Beach Boys and the Beatles, I was a devotee of Frank Sinatra. The work he did in the 1950s on Capital Records was just remarkable. But I distinctly remember being disappointed when he changed record companies in the early 1960s. The arrangements sounded different, it just wasn't the same. Now, forty years later, I treasure those albums he did in the early 1960s. I believe by doing the same things over and over again you cannot grow as an artist. So while I still love those albums from the 1950s, I've learned to appreciate what he did in the early 1960s in a way I never could when I was so close to it. Sometimes instant analysis just doesn't do justice to a creative endeavor. 14) Gloria Mr. Piller, occasionally but not often (smiling) there seems to be lapses on the show with regard to continuity. What is the method or methods utilized to track storylines and character development from episode to episode and throughout the seasons? Is there a mammoth database of information that is constantly being updated and maintained or is it handled in some other manner? MP: The writers of Star Trek have a lot of resource material at their fingertips when they write the stories. With Rick Berman, Brannon Braga and Ken Biller who have been around for years, maintaining control of the shows, I don't see a lot of significant problems to continuity, to be honest. We also have people like Mike and Denise Okuda and Rick Sternbach who have written the Star Trek reference books who are always just a phone call away whenever there are questions about continuity. Writers often get notes from them saying that something is inconsistent with other episodes. 17) Adam Mallinger Which of the two "Trek" series that you helped create would you rather be remembered for? MP: I'm not going to get involved in a Sophie's Choice, thank you very much. I would rather be remembered for the talented writers that I brought to the franchise. And no matter what series they were on, the episodes that touched people, enlightened people and made people think. 18) 6of9 As excited as most of us are to check out the new shows you are developing, I think many of us are wondering what the chances are of a Micheal Piller story or two turning up on Series V. What are the chances of this happening? MP: I am just not available at the moment to take time out to write an episode for the new series. 19) Marnie I loved "The Best of Both Worlds, Part One." Best hour of television ever. And I've always wanted to ask this: In all honesty, do you wish that you could've had Riker kill Picard, just to be able to completely reorient the focus of the series and the attitude of TNG? To be able to apply Kant's dictum that one should act in accordance with one's duty, not according to one's feelings? MP: The most interesting answer may be that at the end of the third season the studio was facing a difficult renegotiation with Patrick and came to us and asked us to create Star Trek's first cliffhanger, which would allow them, if necessary, to kill off the character of Picard. That was the genesis of "Best of Both Worlds." By the time that show aired, there was no question about whether Patrick would be back. Losing him would have been the most serious mistake ever made in the history of Star Trek. He brought more authority, credibility and eloquence to the series than any other actor I've ever worked with. 20) Alexander Doolan If you could re-write any one character and explore them in more detail, who would it be and why? MP: I don't we ever did justice to Neelix on Voyager. Originally we were going to use Kes and Neelix as an alien couple who brought a new perspective to humanity. Plus, we were hoping an odd couple relationship would develop between Tuvok and Neelix, but we never made that work either. I regret we have not fully utilized a great actor's ability in that role. We also had a lot of trouble with Dax on Deep Space Nine. I think Ira Behr deserves all the credit in finding her voice. 21) Neil Bradley Has there ever been any creative things that have been done in the Star Trek Universe that you yourself have thought shouldn't have been done? If so what would you have done instead? MP: I criticized two creative choices and they were both pretty much the same. I was unhappy they chose to give Data emotions in Star Trek Generations even though it works well in the context of that film. I felt, and continue to feel, that a character's limitations are often what define him. Yes, the audience was yearning for that moment when he would feel emotions, but I would keep them yearning. That's what makes them root for the character. I feared the Rhoda effect when I heard about Data's emotions. For those of you old enough to remember, Rhoda was a very popular television show that spun off from the Mary Tyler Moore Show. It was rated in the top 10. Rhoda's big problem was men, and her boyfriend on the series was a guy named Joe. The audience really wanted them to get together. And finally they did. The episode in which Rhoda and Joe got married was the highest rated episode of the decade. And then the show's rating plummeted - the tension had been purged. Everything she ever wanted had been granted by the writers. She didn't need us anymore. I feared the same thing would happen with Data when his dream of emotions came true. I felt the same way when they decided to give the Doctor on Voyager the mobile emitter. The unique quality of a holographic character is his limitations. By giving him the mobile emitter, he is just about the same as everybody else. I think as the holodeck has evolved over the last five years that the holograms have become far too human. 22) Sean Stephenson If you had complete control over the new Series V, what would you present as the premise? MP: I don't, and I won't. 24) Andy Hi! After seven series of Deep Space Nine, how do you feel that the series turned out - was it better or worse than what you envisioned when you created the series, and is there anything that you would change? MP: I think in time Deep Space Nine will be recognized as a unique achievement in science fiction and in the Star Trek universe. I think Ira Behr and the remarkable staff of writers on the show, as well as all the production people, deserve a great deal of credit and will always remember working on it with pride. 25) Anon We know from interviews with Star Trek actors that they pull pranks and other silliness on each other, does the production staff also pull have a good sense of humor? MP: There were certainly pranks played. I remember in one circumstance that the staff arranged for a young woman to come in posing as a writer and then found excuses to leave Joe Menosky alone with her in the room and she started taking her clothes off to try to convince him to buy her pitch for a dreadful story. To his credit, Joe didn't take advantage of her offer. 26) Pauline MacDonald I know that the creative process often takes it's cue from reality & current affairs. When you are going for something futuristic, do you prefer to start with how something is today and our perceived vision of the future and extrapolate from there, or do you start in the future with how you wish it to appear, then backtrack to today to find the roots? MP: Both ways. Sometimes you hear a good idea that strikes home with you that relates somehow to something in current life and you begin the creative process from there. Often times, there are stories that come from an image of a certain kind of a planet, a certain kind of environment, and then finding a story that exploits that environment. 27) Holly Simon In the course of the past seven years of Voyager, what do you believe has lacked the most and what do you believe the writers should have touched more on? MP: Well, as I've mentioned, I am a far greater fan of stories that explore moral and ethical dilemmas than I am of action-packed thrillers. That's a subjective opinion and it's the way I went about my job, but I would have liked to have seen more of those kind of shows. 28) Benjamin Winn: What's your favorite memory from Star Trek: Voyager? MP: I think my favorite memories from all of the shows is getting in a room with the writers and wrestling a story to the ground or taking a script apart that isn't quite working and giving our best effort to making it special and then seeing it turn out on film as something we could all be proud of. 29) Doreen: I think I am a VOYAGER fan with a "Michael Piller View of the universe" (as opposed to a Brannon Braga View or a Kenneth Biller View). How would he describe such a fan? I: I think the first thing a fan with a "Michael Piller view of the universe" would appreciate is that there is room in the universe for all kinds of views. I would hate to ever put myself at odds with Brannon's or Ken's views since I think I have influenced their approach to the material and am quite proud of their efforts on the series. What makes the universe that we write about exciting to me is The Unknown. As a writer, and I'm sure as a viewer, we share the excitement of being on the bridge with a Picard or a Janeway. Feeling the excitement, a little bit of anxiety, and enjoying the process of discovery. Challenging ourselves as human beings to find the right thing to do in the most extraordinary of circumstances. Failing sometimes, but learning from the failure. Taking risks, facing moral and ethical dilemmas, learning to be the best humans we can be. 30) From the Editor: What are your forthcoming projects and hopes for the future and do you miss Trek at all? MP: Since leaving Paramount a year ago, my son Shawn and I have formed Piller² (Piller Squared, Inc.), a company that is dedicated to producing quality television in all genres, but we certainly have a strong interest in science fiction. Last season we did a sci-fi pilot called Day One for The WB Network, based on the British mini-series The Last Train, which was received with great enthusiasm by audiences, including every test audience that saw it. It's one of my greatest disappointments that The WB has chosen not to do the show and that, at this moment, we don't see a future for it. I thought it had the potential of being a Star Trek on Earth. We have many projects in development. They include a comedy about ghosts in the tradition of Noel Coward's Blythe Spirit that a writer named Scott Fifer has developed for us at The WB. Shawn and I are writing pilot for UPN based on Stephen King's The Dead Zone. As a company, Piller2 is dedicated to discovering new talent and opening the doors of the business to them. Do I miss Trek at all? Well, I certainly have bittersweet feelings about seeing the next Star Trek ship take off without my name on the dedication plaque that has been on the bridge of every ship since the USS Enterprise-D. However, I really felt the need to enter the tournament again and try my wings at different kinds of stories. The Star Trek years were certainly the most exciting years of my life (so far). So, sure, I miss that part of it. And I miss the daily relationships with Rick Berman and the other wonderfully talented people that I had the pleasure to work with. Who wouldn't? treknews.com would like to thank all the fans who entered their questions, and would like to pass on special thanks to Mr Piller who took time from his busy schedule for us. LINKS NEWS HEADLINES 'Enterprise' Filming Starts Monday, Break After Pilot Berman, Braga, Plus Cast Talk Voyager Run Update on Next Series, 'Enterprise' Developments 'Renaissance Man' Promos Now Online TV Guide to Feature Four Voyager Goodbye Covers New 'Renaissance Man' Photos Online John Logan Talks More Star Trek X Details Voyager's 'Homestead' Overnight Ratings Good Interplay Production of 'Shattered Universe' Scott Bakula Officially Captain of Enterprise Series © 1996-2001 Local Geeks Communications | We're ICRA rated | disclaimer | privacy info. | join our team