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...on Voyager's FinaleYou've now finalized the way 'Voyager' is going to end?
Yes, we have a two-hour finale script which is being directed by Allan Kroeker, who is one of our best directors. He also directed the final two hours of 'Deep Space Nine'. Most of the loose ends will be tied up in the final two-hour show.
I assume that all our regular cast of characters will emerge intact and alive?
I don't know why you would assume that!
What are your feelings about using the DS9 or Voyager cast in cameos in the films or in, perhaps, TV movies, etc.?
We have planned surprises in the feature film that we'll be shooting this year with some characters from other series than 'Next Generation'. As far as the 'Voyager' and 'DS9' casts are concerned, those are all decisions that will be made at some point but there has been no discussion of anything more with them at this point.
How would you describe the last two hours of 'Voyager's run?
We have spent a tremendous amount of time working on the story. Ken Biller, Rob Doherty, Brannon and myself have worked for weeks on a very complex storyline. I think we had some big shoes to fill. If you look at the final episode of 'TNG' and 'DS9', they have a certain sweeping heroic quality to them. I think they focused not only on our characters, but also on an action/adventure story on the grander human scale. We wanted the same thing to be true of the last episode of 'Voyager'. I'm very excited and I think the story we finally came up with is a great way to send the crew off.
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...on Series VRick, have you begun casting on the new series?
We've begun preliminary casting. We've had several meetings and discussions but we haven't had any formal casting sessions yet.
Are the roles set now or are you still tweaking them?
The script is pretty much locked for the two hour premiere.
Is this still a starship-based series?
That is correct.
Should I assume we'll see a male starship captain this time
That's not a bad assumption.
When will the official announcement be made for Series V?
Well, Paramount will be making an official announcement for the new series in the next several weeks and that will contain information on the setting, the time period and the general parameters of what the series is going to be about. The reason they haven't announced it yet is purely a question of deals. The question of where this series will appear has not been finalized and, until all those business elements are settled, they would like to hold off on the announcement.
Is it safe to say that this new series will have a much different look from previous Star Trek shows?
I would like to think that this show will be different in every way--a different look, a different personality, etc. It's going to be a somewhat dramatic departure, certainly from the last three series and, hopefully, a departure that is going to be appreciated by our fans.
How much does the original Star Trek series influence what you are doing today with the new series?
Very little. Having been involved with The Next Generation , Deep Space Nine and Voyager, those series obviously have greater influence on me. The original series does have an influence on me in that it is the core that set all of the precedents. We do try to keep those precedents whole to some degree and try to adhere to them. The original series is very important, but in terms of content and style I don't think it's much of an influence on any of us.
What is happening now in pre-production on Series V? I know you have Herman Zimmerman and John Eaves working on design.
Yes, that's correct. We are also finalizing the selection of a director which I hope will be done in the next day or two. We have Merri Howard back on board and we are structuring deals right now with every department head on the project. As far as a writing staff goes, we have made a couple of selections already and we are busily working to put together a fresh writing staff that will hopefully look at this as season 1 and not season 8.
Are you trying to get sets built so you can begin filming before any of the impending strikes?
Sets are already being built. We are beginning construction on one of the big soundstanges at Paramount and will be starting construction on two other soundstages as soon as Voyager wraps. Right now our target date is that we will begin shooting on May 8 with a September premiere.
Do you have a battle plan in case there is a strike?
A writers strike will keep us from writing but won't keep us from producing and an actors strike will keep us from shooting but not from writing. We have to carry on as if neither strike is going to occur and we certainly are planning on getting, at least, our first two-hour episode completed before the July 1 deadline for the actors strike.
When Paramount makes the official announcement for the show I assume the title will also be revealed. Last time, you said that this show may be the first Star Trek series with Star Trek not in its name. Is that still the case?
Yes, that is still a very good possibility.
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...on Trek X
I know that John Logan has been working on the screenplay; how has it been received?
We have just completed an official second draft which just went to the studio this week and was met with great enthusiasm. There were a number of changes made based on discussions we had with the studio and they were changes that both John and I felt very good about and were in the normal process of evolution of a script. The second draft is something that both John and I are very excited about. Would describe this picture as being on the same scale as the last few Star Trek films?
I think it is bigger in scope and concept. It is more of a heroic Picard vs. the evil villain type of picture as compared to some of the previous films. I think there is more action in it and it's a film that takes place primarily in space. We have wonderful villains, wonderful species both known and new and I would describe the film as being in the same style as John's film 'Gladiator'. The film has a real epic quality to it.
Any location shooting this time around?
The movie does not take place entirey in space. There are some sequences done on terra firma, so we will be doing some location work.
Are you really on a film-by-film basis with the 'TNG' actors now? In other words, could this be the last 'TNG' film?
That's always a possibility but, then again, it always has been. If the studio has contracts with the actors, it's only if they choose to trigger those contracts. This picture is a 'TNG' film, but whether the next one will be a 'TNG' film, or one with a different or a mixed cast, is a couple of years down the pike.
Is this definitely a Picard movie or are we going to see the other cast members focused on this time around?
Like all of our films, Picard and Data have the greatest focus but I would like to think that our other five characters all have cool stuff to do in this picture.
How close are you to choosing a director?
Right now, because of the potential strikes, and because we don't have an approved or budgeted script yet, we have not really discussed a director.
What is the current timetable for this film?
I'm thinking that we would start shooting sometime in October with it being ready for release anytime from Spring 2002 on.
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