Flare Sci-Fi Forums: A Prediction

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Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :

It's probably an easy prediction to make, that like TNG, DS9, and VOY, Series V will be open to fan-written scripts. Tin Man, one of the most acclaimed TNG eps, was co-written by two Trek fans (although they'd both published the novel Tin Woodsman), they weren't on Paramount's writing staff (and Dennis Bailey was considered for a spot on the staff, BTW).

I submitted a spec-script to Voyager when the show first started (a loooong time ago). I've got it buried around here somewhere, and yes, it was rejected. I got a very nice form letter. The show began with Chakotay leading an away team to a freighter giving off a distress call. On-board, they find the crew slaughtered -- and one of the dead men has a Klingon knife sticking out of his chest. Suffice to say, this eventually interwined with a "B" plot in which the Klingons and a few restless Maquis decided to settle on a war-torn planet and "fight for a worthy cause." (I was hoping they'd at least buy the story and then let someone else do some massive re-writting on the script, but alas...)

Anyways. My prediction is that I will finally sell a script to Series V. This is my goal, and with luck, I will have seven years to pitch scripts and hopefully have TPTB buy one or two of them. And, hell, even if they only fly me to California to pitch the script, at least I'll get a tour of the sets out of it ... right?

Wish me luck

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Star Trek Gamma Quadrant
Average Rated 7.64 out of 10 Smileys by Fabrux (with six eps posted)
***
"Oh, yes, screw logic, let's go for a theory with no evidence!"
-Omega 11:48am, Jan. 19th, 2001
****
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Posted by Vacuum robot lady from Spaceballs (Member # 239) on :

Good luck, especially since I've read that VOY & DS9 were getting two or three thousand submissions a season.

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"I WANT A POST VOY SERIES STAR TREK ORIGINAL MESSAGE WAS LOOKING FORWARD NOT LOOKING BACK."

-Darkstar

Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :

Yes, well ...

Actually, from what I understand, a lot of those are weeded out quickly for a variety of different factors, ranging from the wrong formating ...

example

Picard: Set course, warp six!
LaForge: Aye, sir!

We see the ship warp away

good example

PICARD
Set course, warp six.

LA FORGE
Aye, sir!

Ext. Optical - Enterprise - engaging warp drive

actually, the good example didn't turn out so well...the dialogue is supposed to be centered. Stupid UBB ... urgh

...or Mary Sue stories ... (wherin a new crewmember comes to the Enterprise and manages to save the entire crew and sleeps with Picard and Data and Riker at the same time and has dinner, too)

...or "epic-scope" stories, in which Lwaxanna, Q, the Borg, and Sonya Gomez all come about and it's three eps long and features lots of cool ships and ... the staff writes the epics, they're just looking for an easy one-parter from we fans

In other words, the majority of the submissions don't meet the writer's guidelines Paramount sends out. Or it's sent to the wrong place, or has the wrong contact info, or you've already submitted two scripts and this is your third submission (in which case you need an agent - or register with the writer's guild or something - and if you don't have one, into the circular file...)

Anyways. I'm fairly sure I can get past at least that stage

[This message has been edited by JeffKardde (edited March 18, 2001).]

Posted by Vacuum robot lady from Spaceballs (Member # 239) on :

It is unfortunate that fanboys have access to a printer. Er, not you, the guys who write the SUPAR PAHSER!!11!! "episodes".

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"I WANT A POST VOY SERIES STAR TREK ORIGINAL MESSAGE WAS LOOKING FORWARD NOT LOOKING BACK."

-Darkstar

[This message has been edited by Ultra Magnus (edited March 18, 2001).]

Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :

True. I just feel sorry for the interns who have to sift through all those spec-scripts ... ugh ...

(Confession: my first script was for TNG, I wrote it about 14 years ago. It was crap. It began with the Enterprise-D stumbling across ... the remains of the original Enterprise. That right there should tell you something. That and I didn't have a plot for it either... - no, I didn't submit it. I wrote two pages and it's in a dump somewhere)

Posted by Vacuum robot lady from Spaceballs (Member # 239) on :

Good.

Although, that could've been good fuel. Too bad.

So this'd be your second submission? You need an agent after three?

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"Instructed by history and reflection, Julian was persuaded that, if the diseases of the body may sometimes be cured by salutary violence, neither steel nor fire can eradicate the erroneous opinions of the mind."

-Edward Gibbons, The Decline and Fall of The Roman Empire.

[This message has been edited by Ultra Magnus (edited March 18, 2001).]

Posted by Vacuum robot lady from Spaceballs (Member # 239) on :

And I just noticed your tooting for Dennis Bailey, with whom, If I remember correctly, you have an acquaintence with.

-Edward Gibbons, The Decline and Fall of The Roman Empire.

Posted by Quatre Winner (Member # 464) on :

I'd love to see a story done about the Tholians. You hear about them from time to time on TNG and DS9 but we really don't get told much else.

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In this crazy world of lemons, baby...you're lemonade!

Posted by Gaseous Anomaly (Member # 114) on :

It's "bottle shows" they want, not big sweeping Ben Hur epics with ginormous space battles. Character based stories are good bets.

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At that point, McDonald fired his gun three times in the air to emphasize his point. The crowd, estimated at 350,000, loudly cheered the new candidate.

"Let me make this clear: I am the law! I am your ruler! And you will have fries with that, motherf*cker!"

Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :

Let us all, 500 or what ever of us write one. LOL!

Ext Op.

Ships - thousands upon thousands of Federation, Klingon, Romulan, Cardassian, Dominion, Ferengi, Yridian, Tholian, Klaestron, Tamarian, and Bajoran ships all sweep towards one lone, Kazon shuttlecraft

Int. Op.

Picard

Not in OUR quadrant you don't.

Lt. Daniels, fire please.

Credits

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Homer: I'm gonna miss Springfield. This town's been awfully good to us.
Bart: No, it hasn't, Dad. That's why we're leaving.
Homer: Oh, yeah. [pokes his head out the window] So long, Stinktown!

Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :

Yes, Dennis Bailey is in a way, one of my "mentors", just in that he is a published writer, and it's always good to get tips and hints from him -- plus, he's got a dammed realistic bridge mock up in his basement, and his son is my best friend, so ...

Yes, this will be my second submission, after which I'll need an agent (if I remember correctly). I plan of obtaining the new writer's submission info once they've got it up.

Bottle shows are always good for 'em -- that way, they get to spend money on another "epic" story they want.

Posted by Fabrux (Member # 71) on :

You know, with the inpending writer's strike, TPTB might just look a little closer at spec scripts...

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"Let's make sure history never forgets the name... Enterprise"
- Alternate Picard, "Yesterday's Enterprise"

Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :

Sadly, the writer's strike will be over before I'd have a chance to submit my script ...

Posted by Treknophyle (Member # 509) on :

"Sadly, the writer's strike will be over before I'd have a chance to submit my script ... "

What a pity Jeff. After watching the quality waver fro the last few decades (I cut my teeth on TOS), some genuinely NEW blood in the writing department would be a welcome change.

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Faster than light - no left or right.

Posted by The_Tom (Member # 38) on :

Actually, it'd find it very unlikely that shows would get produced period if WGA was on strike. I imagine Braga and a good chunk of the rest of the producers are members of WGA, so it'd be ridiculuous to make the show go on even if they had actors but no writers. Besides, I'd doubt SAG would go out of its way to avoid a strike if WGA went on one already, considering there's no point in having a contract if you can't work thanks to actions of the other guys.

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"Ring a bell, and I'll salivate...
well how'd you like that?
Dr. Landy, please tell me
I'm not just a pedagogue..."
-Brian Wilson, The Barenaked Ladies

Posted by Right on :

Apparently, Paramount wants to get the premier 2-hour episode (no point calling it a pilot) and one regular one-hour ep filmed, and air 'em as a "movie of the week." When the strike is over, they will begin to produce the regular episodes.

Probably not a good idea trying to submit it during the strike -- if you do sell it, the WGA might refuse to let you join for "breaking the lines" as it were. Still, if I remember correctly, the odds are against you -- TNG only bought three spec-scripts by the fourth season as I recall. On the other hand, 2 of the 3 script-writers were offered jobs on the writing staff.

Got a story yet?

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Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :

Don't forget that "Yesterday's Enterprise" was born from a spec script and became one of the BEST Trek's ever.

Andrew - who picked up the 'soundtrack' to YE, Uni and Holopursuits... the otherday from $34.00 to $6.00

Andrew - who bought Legends of the Ferengi for $1.00

Andrew - who bought First Contact story books for $0.20 each

Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :

It's one thing to sell a script or pitch a story idea to TPTB and have them re-write it (look at the ep First Contact -- three pairs of writers worked on that ep)

It's another to sell a script to TPTB and not have them request a rewrite (or allow you to re-write whatever needs re-writing yourself). That's the hurdle to get over.

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Star Trek Gamma Quadrant
Average Rated 8.32 out of 10 Smileys by Fabrux (with seven eps posted)
***
"Oh, yes, screw logic, let's go for a theory with no evidence!"
-Omega 11:48am, Jan. 19th, 2001

Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :

Rob, please e-mail me ...

[email protected]

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Star Trek Gamma Quadrant
Average Rated 8.32 out of 10 Smileys by Fabrux (with seven eps posted)
***
"Oh, yes, screw logic, let's go for a theory with no evidence!"
-Omega 11:48am, Jan. 19th, 2001
***
Card-Carrying Member of the Flare APAO
***
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Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :

Jeff, keep the desperation from your voice.... He'll take advantage of you....

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"One's ethics are determined by what we do when no one is looking" Nugget
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Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :

WHICH Rob?

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The government that seems the most unwise, oft goodness to the people best supplies. That which is meddling, touching everything, will work but ill, and disappointment bring. - The Tao Te Ching

Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :

We've multiple Robs?

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Lister: "Cat, what are you doing?"
Cat: "I'm courting."
Lister: "Courting who?"
Cat: "Whoever shows up!"
-Red Dwarf, "Me�"

Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :

You First of Two. Besides -- are there any other Robs?

Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :

There might be. There's a lot of us around. Anyway, I just did.

Posted by Starbuck (Member # 153) on :

If there's a WGA strike I might submit a spec script... under normal circumstances I can't write for Trek, because I don't have an agent in the US and, living in England, am apparently ineligible to join the WGA.
So it won't affect MY chances of membership if I break the picket

Seriously, do we have any (semi)professional writers who can offer me advice into breaking into Hollywood or TV? There seems to be precious little market for scriptwriters here; even the BBC isn't buying, and isn't in the slightest bit interested in a new science-fiction serial

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"Replicate some marmalade, Commander - helm control is toast!"

Posted by Zor Prime (Member # 527) on :

Speaking of First Contact, back around 1992 during the 25th Anniversary hulabaloo, I started writing a script that I was going to send to paramount for TNG that had the Romulans using the Time Planet donut time machine thing from TOS, go back in time to stop Cochrane from creating warp drive, and the TNG folks go back to help!!!
Replace the Roms with Borg, and you have First Contact! Goshdarn bastardos.