Commentary: Trek Stars: The Work of Star Trek Creators Outside of Star Trek

Moore, Part 3: Carnivale.

A year after the cancellation of Roswell, Ronald D. Moore returned to television to run a new HBO series titled Carnivale.

Set against the backdrop of a traveling carnival during the Great Depression, the show follows two people—Ben (played by Nick Stahl) and Justin (played by Clancy Brown)—who are unknowing pawns in a battle between good and evil.

This week, Mike and Max chat about Moore's first solo effort. We discuss how the series came to be, why Moore left after one season, and what the show's existence means for the future of television. We also debate whether or not the terms "good" and "evil" apply to the main characters.

Direct download: ctrek-047.mp3
Category:Ronald D. Moore -- posted at: 9:00pm MDT

Moore, Part 2: Roswell.

After leaving Voyager, Ronald D. Moore was recruited by Jason Katims to work on the second season of Roswell. The series chronicles the lives of three teenaged aliens who are secretly living in the town where their spacecraft crash landed. 

Under Katims’s leadership, the first season of Roswell was primarily character driven, with the science fiction elements taking a back seat. But going forward, the network wanted the series to build upon its sci-fi mythology. And so, Moore was hired as a co-showrunner for the first time in his career. 

This week, Max and Mike are joined by Trek.fm’s Christopher Jones to take a look at the final two seasons of Moore’s first show. We discuss whether or not Moore’s contribution improved the show, how well the show holds up over time, and the strange connection the show has to Enterprise. We also fondly recall now-defunct ’90s television networks.

Direct download: ctrek-046.mp3
Category:Ronald D. Moore -- posted at: 9:00pm MDT

Moore, Part 1: Star Trek.

Many of the writers who began their careers on Star Trek have gone on to find great success outside of the franchise. But none have been more critically acclaimed than Ronald D. Moore. At the age of 25, Moore wrote his first teleplay, “The Bonding,” a spec script which was bought by Michael Piller for The Next Generation. He was quickly brought on staff, where he would write 60 more Trek adventures—including episodes for Deep Space Nine and Voyager, as well as the first two Next Generation movies.

This week, Mike and Max are joined by Matthew Rushing of The Orb to look at Moore’s work on Star Trek. We discuss his early work on The Next Generation, how his movies stack up to the others, what his contribution was to Deep Space Nine, and what led to his quick departure from Voyager. We also try to figure out who the Ringo of the DS9 writing staff was.

Direct download: ctrek-045.mp3
Category:Ronald D. Moore -- posted at: 9:00pm MDT

Matheson, Part 10: Recap.

Richard Matheson’s influence on science fiction cannot be measured. Whether it’s I Am Legend or The Twilight Zone, Matheson’s impact on what has come since is massive.

This week, Max and Mike try to examine Matheson’s career by looking at a tiny cross-section of his work. Specifically, we recap our series on Matheson’s novels that have been adapted into movies. Starting at the beginning, we look at the books, Someone is Bleeding, I Am Legend, The Shrinking Man, A Stir of Echoes, Ride the Nightmare, Hell House, Bid Time Return, and What Dreams May Come, and their motion picture counterparts, Georges Lautner’s Icy Breasts, Sidney Salkow’s The Last Man on Earth, Boris Sagal’s The Omega Man, Francis Lawrence’s I Am Legend, Jack Arnold’s The Incredible Shrinking Man, Joel Schumacher’s The Incredible Shrinking Woman, David Koepp’s Stir of Echoes, Terence Young’s Cold Sweat, John Hough’s The Legend of Hell House, Jeannot Szwarc’s Somewhere in Time, and Vincent Ward’s What Dreams May Come. We also touch on our trip to the Parsec Awards.

Direct download: ctrek-044.mp3
Category:Richard Matheson -- posted at: 9:00pm MDT

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