When I did the on-line chat with the Star Trek Book Club a week ago, I was sooooo careful. Remember what I’ve said here in the past? That I say something about Star Trek that’s perfectly innocent, it winds up getting twisted around, and šhìŧ falleth from above like the gentle rains upon my hapless head?
So one questioner asked about the likelihood of my writing for “Enterprise.” And I’m thinking, How can I respond to this in as neutral a manner as possible? Particularly since I’m waiting to see how the season progresses before firming up an opinion on the series itself? And I replied (this is a paraphrase, I don’t have the exact text in front of me) that it wasn’t tremendously likely, because most series TV is staff written. And I had no desire to move to the West Coast under any circumstance. I didn’t want to disrupt my life or, even more importantly, my family’s life. But in the unlikely event that “Enterprise” wanted to hire me freelance so I could stay here in New York, I’d be up for that. (I didn’t go into detail, but I can say from experience that moving to Montreal for weeks at a time in order to oversee “Space Cases” was so stressful on my family that I’ve no desire to repeat it.)
So what’s the headline in “Trek Today?”
“DAVID WON’T MOVE WEST FOR ENTERPRISE.”
Which, of course, makes it sound like they offered me a gig and I thought they were such a crap show that I refused. “Angel,” “Charmed,” I’m there, but “Enterprise?” Eeeewwww, cooties.
Now fortunately enough they quote from the interview and the full context is there. But the headline steers the perception, plus if someone is skimming, it’s the only thing they remember.
So if you happen to read someone on line saying, “Peter David thought Enterprise is so bad that he turned down a staff job,” now you’ll know where it comes from, and why life in the public eye can be fraught with excitement.
PAD
• 
ouch!
I believe the appropriate phrase is:
*thud* *thud* *thud*
That’s funny!
And it actually would be if it weren’t true. Bunch of savages in this town.
Actually, it made me read the article, and once I read it, went, “Heck, that makes sense, he doesn’t want to uproot his family and besides, it’s not like he’s been asked to even do a freelance script.
Personally, I wish Berman and Braga would ask for you to write a script or two for them. I loved your B5 episodes. I wished back then that you’d written more.
I’m so sorry this has happened to you yet again. I hate misleading headlines; they do so much damage, however innocent the comment that spurred them.
Well, if they haven’t offered by now they probably, foolishly, won’t. Your B5 episodes were great. That DS9 novel you did early on was fantastic and I thought for sure THIS TIME, Paramount would make an offer…alas…two more series go by…
I’m an old fogey. I was around back in the dark ages when the original Star Trek first aired.
To be polite, Enterprise is weak. I wouldn’t expect anybody to move to California to work on it.
Alan Coil
Still a bit bitter about the fact that you couldn’t make the Enterprise discussion panel at Dragon*con. I was dying to hear your take on the show. You are the KING of ‘making stuff fit’. If anybody should be tapped for that show, it should be you.
Of course, a little biased.
When I read that headline I was caught between being amused and being annoyed. You must admit, it is an effective headline: It gets attention and it is not even wrong. It did its job. But I also thought, PAD won`t be happy when he learns about this.
Enterprise is not brilliant but in general, I enjoy watching the series and the third season with a stronger emphasis on a continuing storyline is definitely keeping me interested. I very much enjoyed your Babylon 5 and Crusade episodes, therefore I am sure, you would be able to enrich that show as well.
Remember what I’ve said here in the past? That I say something about Star Trek that’s perfectly innocent, it winds up getting twisted around, and šhìŧ falleth from above like the gentle rains upon my hapless head?
Kind of reminds me of my first encounter with Harlan Ellison. (Although if you asked him, Peter, his view might be somewhat … different. Not that I expected it wouldn’t be, of course.)
So… 11:08 is the right time of day to use the word ‘frought?’
😉
By the way, thanks for the scoop on the many questions thread. Thanks to the other respondants as well. I will commence the the plunking.
Salutations,
Mitch
So let me get this straight….
You’re saying that you turned down an offer to develop a new Star Trek Series because Brannon Braga made a disparaging remark about your cat? And you’re admitting that you shot Rick Berman just to watch him die?
Reminds me of a Trivial Pursuit question:
Q: According to Jesse Jackson, what would the headline be in the paper the next day if he walked on water?
A: “Jackson Can’t Swim”
I’d certainly be disappointed if you turned down an offer to move to the West Coast to write for NextGen or DS9. But nothing else. DS9 was the last Trek show with overall decent writing, and nothing produced after it should cause you or anyone to want to move there, unless they were going to make you a producer with the intention of overhauling the entire franchise.
hmm..I see the headlines now:
Stress over Trek Job Offer Leads To David’s failing health
Trekkies Gone Wild: Noted Author Fears For Life
Trekkies Gone Wild: Noted Author Fears For Life
After seeing that video, I’d be afraid of having a heart attack too.
The article was written by Michelle Erica Green, who has a history of writing sensational headlines and articles for TrekToday. Nearly every article about Enterprise’s ratings, for example, is written to praise Smallville and marvel at the disastrous ratings that are Enterprise’s, it seems.
davidh
Good Lord. I just read that article and she could have titled it something like, “David talks about upcoming New Frontier novels.” Instead it’s more like “David says Enterprise has cooties.” Of course you realize that the text in your Blog entry is going to become, “David turns down ‘diseased’ Enterprise show to write for Charmed.”
Good luck. You’re going to need it.
Tony Colette wrote: “Q: According to Jesse Jackson, what would the headline be in the paper the next day if he walked on water?
A: “Jackson Can’t Swim”
HAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!
Anyway, PAD, sorry to hear about the headline. It’s unfortunate that some forums will twist everything to be as sensationalistic as possible. When the media gets involved, noticable headlines often trump accurate ones. (Reminds me a little of Donald Westlake’s TRUST ME ON THIS, where tabloid reporters will have a question about one area, slip it into a long discussion as part of a list, and if the interviewer agrees with a blanket statement blurt it out like that was the focus of the interview. Of course, “Trek Today” is supposedly not a tabloid…
Good headline writing is a difficult-to-master subset of good writing skills. For example, swap out the “Won’t” for a “Wouldn’t” and you get the much more accurate (in tone and spirit) “David Wouldn’t Move West for Enterprise.” Sometimes it’s just that simple!
As for the show, I was just about ready to give up on it, but there have been some flashes this season that show how good it could be. There was a line in a recent episode, though, that said something to the effect of “History doesn’t record you playing a crucial part…” re: Archer and crew, that made me wonder if the whole series isn’t headed for a gigantic reset button finale the likes of which would redefine “reset button endings” for all time. I mean, there’s got to be a continuity-based reason Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway, et al, have never indicated even a passing familiarity with Archer and his crew/mission. (I know the “real world” reason, thanks…)
Add in the time travel elements, horribly out-of-character Vulcans, and a ton of other things that “just don’t seem right” (ship designs, technology, etc.) and you have to wonder whether anything we’re seeing on Enterprise “really” happened in the Trek universe.
Of course, the beauty of fiction is, as a viewer, I can pick and choose which parts of the universe I “believe!”
And, for the record, and to bring this back around on topic for the Peter David ‘blog … I very much “believe” in the New Frontier. 🙂
I don’t think Jessie Jackson said..or at least orignated that quote..
One of the “True Tales of The West Wing”, running with Bravo’s re-runs, has that being said of a former president…Truman perhaps..don’t recall for sure who.
Poor PAD. But THE ENTERPRISE DOES SUCK. All true Trek fans know that. That website plugs ENTERPRISE like it was a real Trek show which it isn’t. I couldn’t even sit through one episode without falling asleep. In my opinion, Berman has killed off a 30+ year franchise with this flop.
I saw the headline and thought it was funny in an ironic way.
I remember you saying that everything you say about Trek gets twisted in that way, and as soon as I read that response (I attended the chat), I wondered how it would get twisted.
If TPTB at Paramount were smart they would send a few freelance opportunities your way. Of course, if they were smart, they wouldn’t have tapped Brannon Braga as co-creator/producer.
Its a shame though, as I would love to see you review “Enterprise” in your weekly TV round-up, but I understand why you don’t.
Do you regularly frequent TrekToday, or was the headline pointed out to you? Either way, you should stop by the Lit forum. A lot of other authors do, and we’d love to see you there.
(Thinks to self- he might just lurk there, or perhaps even post anonymously. Hmmmm…)
Steve/Q420 at TrekBBS
It’s sensationalism versus journalism. Let’s just hope people will read the entire piece and not just the headline.
Something that just occurred to me when reading Colin Campbell’s post: What if Enterprise is set in Mirror Universe continuity? It would explain belligerent Vulcans and the hard-line attitude Archer has developed.
TOS, TNG, DS9 & VOY were true Trek series. ENTERPRISE just makes me gag.
I rather like Enterprise. The first season was distinctly weak, the second season better, and the third season has been a slight improvement over the previous one.
The early episodes suffered from an almost complete inability to write an ending. The introduction of the temporal cold war and the later introduction of the Xindi has given the writers a bit more to hang their plots on, much like the introduction of the Klingons gave Kirk continuing foils in TOS.
Mind you, I’ve been watching Ed and taping Enterprise. 🙂 (And Gretchen and I just watched about 8 weeks worth of episodes in the last week now that we’re getting a heavy diet of reruns elsewhere.)
It’s reading entries about how much some people dislike one show that makes me wonder if there is any way to ever make those people happy.
Personally (only a personal opinion, not a world shaping opinion) I have enjoyed what I’ve seen of Enterprise. I didn’t really like Voyager, loved DS9. But I’m not gonna say that Voy is the worst Trek ever, even if *I* don’t really like it.
Anyway, if Enterprise is soooo bad, why do the people that dislike it, keep watching?
PAD, if you don’t watch out with your posting the next thing you know people will be thinking that you’re not running for the Demo’s nomination. 😉
jeff
“Anyway, if Enterprise is soooo bad, why do the people that dislike it, keep watching?”
Be grateful that bashers still watch the show. It needs all the ratings it can get.
that makes me wonder if there is any way to ever make those people happy.
Believable plots, consistent characterizations, at-least-halfway-decent character and plotline development, and maybe some lines given to Mayweather once in a while would all make me happy. I think I’ve counted one Mayweather line so far this season. One. Do they even pay the actor anymore?
Anyway, if Enterprise is soooo bad, why do the people that dislike it, keep watching?
So that when the http://www.firsttvdrama.com reviews get posted, I know what he’s talking about, and I can laugh along. I’m sadistic like that.
On a less serious note, is the Trip/T’Pol thing reminding anyone else of a very poorly handled Burgoyne/Selar? I’m just sayin’…
I like Enterprise. IMO, the first season was GREAT. That was really great stuff. Great continutity, interesting stories, cool characters, and best of all, imo, a sense of exploration that NONE of the other Treks had. Not even the orignal, imo. (aside: if you think about it, even in the orignal Kirk & co. were pros at exploring the galaxy, hardly anything phased them, but in Enterprise Season 1 the gang loved to explore and find out about new things. I liked that).
Of course, when Season 2 rolled around…the show lost some of the exploration type feeling and the episodes took on more of a ‘Voyager’ feel (another aside: Voyager, imo, was a WEAK series. Even now, Enterprise is still better then Voyager, imo).
The writers were doing some of what they did with Voyager in Enterprise Season 2. Taking the easy way out of the story.
But in Season 3, they have corrected this some. The stories are a bit more interesting, thanks to the new arc that is carrying through the season. This is really want Voyager needed. Some kind of ‘arc’ (cause they basically lost the ‘we gotta get home quick’ feel after awhile..).
And imo, the thing that has carried through out ALL three seasons of Enterprise so far is the great continuity. I think people who may think that the series is a bit weak have to admit that this show has great continunity (especially when compared to Voyager and TNG).
Episode to Episode, things carry though. If Archer gets turned into some kind of creature, even if that episode isn’t very good, its very cool, imo, that in the very next episode Archer is STILL recovering from the change.
Sure it doesn’t have B5 or Farscape type continutity (not many shows do). But Enterprise, imo, is at least as good or better as DS9 as far as continuity.
Anyway, I do like Enterprise. Yes, DS9 is still the best Star Trek series, imo, but Enterprise is a good series (and definitly better then Voyager and definitly better then TNG was in its first couple of seasons).
Enterprise still needs some work, imo (first all, change the song back!!). It just not as great as it was in Season 1 (back in season 1 I really thought Enterprise was going to be a better show then DS9 even….).
Of course..if Peter David worked on the show…it would be even better. 🙂
DF2506
” Really needs to read those New Froniter books!! They sound so cool! *needs money* lol! “
“Anyway, if Enterprise is soooo bad, why do the people that dislike it, keep watching?”
The same reason I paid actual money to go see Batman and Robin. I was feeling custodial. I grew up with the franchise (the first Batman movie is what got me into comics in the first place), so even though I knew it was going to be garbage, I had to see for myself how bad it was actually going to be.
It was a bloody nightmare. I sympathise with bashers who still watch Enterprise; your pain is mine.
I watched only onced and hated it right off the bat. I grewup with the orginal. Im no kid. So, as a Trekkie, I’m allowed to bash it as the world’s most horrible poor excuse of a science fiction show if you want to call it that. Berman ruined TNG movies. I cant help but wonder why Paramount clings to this looser. Oh and BTW this article is now all over every single Trek news sites.
oh and PS: I haven’t watched it since it first aired. so, I am not a basher who watches this poor excuse of a Trek show.
If Archer gets turned into some kind of creature, even if that episode isn’t very good, its very cool, imo, that in the very next episode Archer is STILL recovering from the change.
That’s always hilarious. I remember that TNG episode ‘GENESIS’ where the entire crew was de-evolved into primordial creatures. After a cure was created, an absolutely inane scene followed where the individuals who were transformed didn’t seem to be suffering any traumatic after-effects AT ALL. “Wow, we were just turned into a bunch of primeval monsters! Oh, well. A day in the life, huh?”
Not TNG’s finest hour, to be sure.
I’ll take that classic episode over ENTERPRISES rehashes any day of the week at least it was different and had sci/fi elements to it.
Yeah, it must suck to have your words intentionally twisted and misconstrued for the joy of others who have it out to get you.
You know?
One problem I’ve got with the whole continuity problem that everyone seems to have. The Vulcans on Enterprise act differently from TOS or Voyager. The history that keeps getting rewritten. Don’t forget, everybody, our exposure to this universe, even though it’s lasted 35-odd years or so is still limited to what we see on the shows. Makes sense that Vulcans would look at 22nd century Terrans as upstart little kids that need to be smacked down once in a while. And just because we never heard about anything, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen, right? Look at a WWII movie with the US against the Japanese. Chances are, very few mentions of the Germans. The Italians. Nope, probably just GI Joe against the dirty Japs.(Ain’t what I think, but it was the attitude at the time) And don’t forget, first couple seasons of TNG and DS9 had their weak episodes (right now the only one I can think of off the top of my beady little head is The Neutral Zone) but they’re both revered as Trek at it’s best. Only thing I will say is they should bring back the submission policy, maybe get some new blood on the writing staff. Ironic that I would think that, since I just happen to have a story or two bouncing around my skull….
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