The Dangers Of A “Star Trek Writer’s Monopoly” In Television

By: Lars Glenson - April 01, 2008

We are witnessing the sad consequences of former “Star Trek Staff Writers” manning virtually every current, Science Fiction television series in production. With the possible exception of the “Stargate” tv series, every other Science Fiction television series currently in production or slated for production has former “Star Trek” staff writers manning the creative (cough) reigns. From “Trekkie Star: Galactica”, to the “4400″, to “Dead Zone.”

Ronald D. Moore has already proven (with endless demonstrations of his arrogance) how a former “Star Trek” staff writer short on imagination and long on endless boasting can craft a production VIRTUALLY IDENTICAL to every “Star Trek” sequel series that has come before, and have it have NOTHING to do with “Battlestar Galactica” except in its title. Former “Star Trek” staff writers like Ronald D. Moore are the most CREATIVELY DEFICIENT, CREATIVELY IMMOBILE, and RIGIDLY “STAR TREK” group of writers to ever pollute the television industry. What we are getting with this group of writers, is television series after television series of IDENTICAL THEMES, TONES, MOODS, STYLES OF CASTING, STYLES OF CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT, STYLES OF PRODUCTION PHILOSOPHIES, STYLES OF STORYTELLING that is presenting a VERY REAL DANGER to the future of Science Fiction television. With “Star Trek” staff writers holding a virtual monopoly on the Science Fiction television profession, other television producers with fresh perspectives on how to develop Science Fiction television series WILL BE BLOCKED OUT OF THE INDUSTRY by studios unwilling to take a risk on someone who is not a former “Star Trek” staff writer. THIS IS THE REAL TRAGEDY HERE, as these “Star Trek” staff writers are UNTALENTED CRETINS who ENDLESSLY REHASH their old “Star Trek” ideas for new television series initially conceived as not having anything to do with “Star Trek!!!” So, what if a new television producer comes along (not from the “Star Trek” stable of staff writers) who would like to try a TOTALLY FRESH IDEA for a Science Fiction television series? He will either be SQUEEZED out of the profession entirely by the MONOPOLY the “Star Trek” staff writers hold on it, or the studios would force this new producer to have his new ideas GHOST WRITTEN and RE-HASHED by the “Star Trek” staff writers they have on staff. When that happens, guess what? This new producer’s fresh ideas will be RE-HASHED into former “Star Trek” ideas. The “Star Trek” staff writers would argue and say “Conventions Of The Genre.”

1970’s Science Fiction television does have one strong characteristic. Every series produced for that decade benefitted from a LARGE POOL OF DIVERSE writers and producers who truly came up with something FRESH & DIFFERENT each time they tackled a new Science Fiction tv series. Whether it be “The Phoenix”, “Fantastic Journey”, “Space: 1999″, etc. Even Glen Larson’s “Battlestar Galactica” and “Buck Rogers” was visually and literally unique enough to establish a unique self identity that looked like nothing that came before in Science Fiction television. Even if the Science Fiction tv series produced in the 1970’s were hit or miss, there was at least enough imagination within each one to differentiate each tv series from the other one.

No such luck with these former “Star Trek” staff writers serving up the same OLD recycled CLAP-TRAP no matter what new television series they tackle.

A former “Star Trek” staff writer has already DESTROYED “Battlestar Galactica.” I HAVE SEEN MORE THAN ENOUGH.

9 Comments

  1. What the frak is up with BCC today???

    Comment by Hayes — April 1, 2008 @ 10:30 am

  2. The new Battlestar Galactica is the greatest show on television.

    Comment by jjohnsen — April 1, 2008 @ 11:38 am

  3. Ok, jjohnsen, that makes three seperate locations that you’ve said that… You aren’t a Cyberman are you?

    Comment by Arlin — April 1, 2008 @ 12:25 pm

  4. Hayes, today is April 1. Get it?

    Comment by isabel — April 1, 2008 @ 1:09 pm

  5. Ok, jjohnsen, that makes three seperate locations that you’ve said that… You aren’t a Cyberman are you?

    Languatron spammed my RSS reader, so I spammed his posts.

    Comment by jjohnsen — April 1, 2008 @ 3:53 pm

  6. The easy solution is NOT to watch such sci-fi crap

    Comment by John Deacon — April 2, 2008 @ 5:04 am

  7. “Trekkie Star: Galactica?” Your kind of an idiot. Star Trek never had a decent story arc, and it certainly never spent any time developing characters past the obligatory archetypes…ever.
    I am willing to give DS9 and STV some credit for ATTEMPTING badly to create an arc, but more often than not it was always the same old schlock - space people encounter godlike adversary, space people pull unlikely victory out of their ass 55 minutes later. BSG certainly has none of that…douchnozzle. On the other hand that pretty much sums up EVERY episode of that goofy Stargate. I look forward to this post being censored out of the light of day.

    Comment by dave — April 2, 2008 @ 8:58 am

  8. dave, I think lars may be kind of an idiot. Your not though.

    Comment by Steve Evans — April 2, 2008 @ 10:11 am

  9. Glen Larson’s “Battlestar Galactica” and “Buck Rogers” were visually and literally unique? You’ve got to be kidding. When those shows came out in the late 1970s, they were pretty obvious knockoffs of “Star Wars.” “Space: 1999″ bore the heavy stamp of “2001.” And some of the writers who worked on “Fantastic Journey,” a series you praise as “fresh,” were alumni of classic Trek.

    Comment by cjp — April 2, 2008 @ 8:14 pm