Roddenberry didn't like Berman

[Bijou88]

Here is an interesting interview I found on the net with David Gerrold:


David Gerrold, who wrote the classic Star Trek episode "The Trouble With Tribbles" and the legendary guidebook The World of Star Trek, as well as episodes of Babylon 5, Sliders and other shows, plus a long-running column in a popular science fiction magazine, spoke extensively about his career and his frustrations with Star Trek: The Next Generation in a recent interview.

Gerrold alleged in his talk with TV Shows On DVD that Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry's mental health was failing near the end of his life, though he added that Paramount would not acknowledge it. The writer of "The Cloud Minders" and a sometime script doctor on the original series, he was originally hired as a producer on the fledgling Next Generation, "but they kept whittling my duties. And my title. And my pay."

Though a favourite with fans because of his episodes of the previous shows, "finally got the very clear message that Gene's lawyer didn't like me. And that whatever Gene promised me, the lawyer was going to take away." He believed that the lawyer, Leonard Maizlish, was afraid that Roddenberry could lose creative control of the show, "so what he was doing was significantly undermining everybody that might be a threat to Gene, so that he could stay in control."

Though Gerrold characterised Roddenberry as a heavy drinker who "could sit down with a bottle of Scotch and a ream of paper...and eight hours later he'd get up and he'd have a finished script and a half-empty bottle of scotch", he compared the show's creator to Ernest Hemingway and said that compared to Roddenberry, Rick Berman was brought in by the studio to manage the details. Gerrold said the studio had blamed Roddenberry for the failure of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and "Gene didn't like Rick, at all. But Rick was installed on the show by the studio as a way to keep a control on the show...to keep the budgets in line, make sure that the scripts were done." Ultimately, said Gerrold, Berman ended up in control rather than Maizlish because Berman played the politics of the studio more effectively.

Officially a consultant in the Next Generation credits, Gerrold left and claimed that the studio lawyer harrassed him, claiming that he was mentally ill. Putting Star Trek behnd him, Gerrold said that he told himself, "'I am going to write the ten best books that I can, in the next ten years, and then ten years from now I'll look and see where am I.'" Fifteen years later, "I've got a Hugo and a Nebula and a Locus Readership Poll...I've got a lot of books in print. So there's all this stuff that wouldn't have been written if I had stayed with Star Trek." He also wrote scripts for other TV shows, including a remake of Land of the Lost.

Though Gerrold stated that Paramount denied working on a remake of "The Trouble With Tribbles" until TV Guide confirmed the news to him, he said that Berman ultimately invited him to appear as a crewmember in "Trials and Tribbleations", petting one of his furry creations. "I said, 'Look, Rick: there's enormous publicity here. I can be useful to you.' He got it. But apparently they thought I was at war with Star Trek over there. I'm not. I don't care. Give me a break; life is too short."

Imagine what Star Trek would be like today if David Gerrold had been in charge instead of Rick Berman. Brannon Braga would still be an intern somewhere.

[thomas7g]

Berman and Braga were pushing Gene Roddenberrry out of the Next Generation show back when he was alive. They would keep scripts away from him until it was too late for him to make changes.

Then after he died, B&B started to push Mrs Roddenbery out too. The pushed her out of the creative process. She became just an actress. She then left and broke out on her own and created Earth Final Conflict and later Andromeda.

Then B&B started to push out Ron Moore. They had successfully worked together on STNG and DS9. But creatively there were alot of arguments. One big one was Moore wanted long multi episode storylines. B&B wanted quick stories where at the end of every episode, the status of the hit a reset button. Moore was kicked out. Then he created some shows like Roswell and the BG miniseries.

B&B are kinda like vipers. They don't have alot of creativity. But they are good at networking and powerplays. They shove people out that can be a threat until they alone stand at top. But by then, since they don't have as much creativity as those they threw out, the franchise stalls.

I've noticed this happens alot in life. And in Hollywood.