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1
00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:16,469
On September 8th, 1966,
2
00:00:16,569 --> 00:00:19,839
America tunes in to catch
a glimpse of the future
3
00:00:19,939 --> 00:00:23,076
and launches a global phenomenon.
4
00:00:23,176 --> 00:00:25,913
A television series like no other
5
00:00:26,013 --> 00:00:27,480
that unites us in its vision
6
00:00:27,580 --> 00:00:29,049
of a better world to come.
7
00:00:29,149 --> 00:00:32,485
- Here's a group of people who
are solving problems together,
8
00:00:32,585 --> 00:00:34,221
and they're all different,
diverse people.
9
00:00:34,321 --> 00:00:37,857
This is the secret history
of "Star Trek."
10
00:00:37,957 --> 00:00:39,993
It's epic 50-year mission.
11
00:00:40,093 --> 00:00:41,761
- That was what was so brilliant
about "Star Trek"
12
00:00:41,861 --> 00:00:44,932
was that it was human nature
and human instinct
13
00:00:45,032 --> 00:00:47,467
and the drive to want
to know more
14
00:00:47,567 --> 00:00:49,269
combined with adventure.
15
00:00:49,369 --> 00:00:51,939
The mastermind
of the "Star Trek" universe.
16
00:00:52,039 --> 00:00:54,507
- And Gene says, "Do you want
to be on Star Trek?"
17
00:00:54,607 --> 00:00:58,145
I said, "Yes.
Yes!"
18
00:00:58,245 --> 00:01:00,347
The cast and crew
reveal the stories
19
00:01:00,447 --> 00:01:01,681
you've never heard.
20
00:01:01,781 --> 00:01:03,050
- Roddenberry looked
at the beard and goes,
21
00:01:03,150 --> 00:01:05,485
"I love the beard.
It's nautical."
22
00:01:05,585 --> 00:01:09,022
Plus Leonard Nimoy's
final full interview.
23
00:01:09,122 --> 00:01:11,158
- If I were given the choice
of any character
24
00:01:11,258 --> 00:01:14,928
ever portrayed on television,
I would choose Spock.
25
00:01:15,028 --> 00:01:16,329
- Happy anniversary,
"Star Trek."
26
00:01:16,429 --> 00:01:18,531
Happy 50th.
Wow, way to go.
27
00:01:18,631 --> 00:01:20,934
- Before anybody else
were touching on subjects,
28
00:01:21,034 --> 00:01:23,736
racism, segregation,
discrimination,
29
00:01:23,836 --> 00:01:25,638
before any other
TV shows did.
30
00:01:25,738 --> 00:01:28,541
- "Star Trek: Voyager"
is probably my first acting job.
31
00:01:28,641 --> 00:01:30,077
- There's an optimism to it
32
00:01:30,177 --> 00:01:32,445
that I think we've never needed
more than now.
33
00:01:32,545 --> 00:01:34,247
- Seven of Nine's one of my
favorite "Star Trek" characters
34
00:01:34,347 --> 00:01:35,782
because she was so hot.
35
00:01:35,882 --> 00:01:38,551
Featuring an intimate
conversation with cast members,
36
00:01:38,651 --> 00:01:41,254
comedians, scientists,
and academics
37
00:01:41,354 --> 00:01:43,423
covering all things
"Star Trek."
38
00:01:43,523 --> 00:01:45,592
- That was one of my big fears
in accepting the role.
39
00:01:45,692 --> 00:01:48,828
- Happy 50th anniversary,
"Star Trek."
40
00:01:48,928 --> 00:01:50,563
You know how old
that makes me?
41
00:01:50,663 --> 00:01:54,134
"50 Years of 'Star Trek."
42
00:01:57,537 --> 00:02:00,273
- We're here on the 50th
anniversary of "Star Trek"
43
00:02:00,373 --> 00:02:02,475
at the Griffith Observatory
44
00:02:02,575 --> 00:02:04,777
outside
the Leonard Nimoy theater
45
00:02:04,877 --> 00:02:08,615
to discuss "Star Trek"
with a lot of great people
46
00:02:08,715 --> 00:02:10,717
and a lot of fine minds
and Kevin Pollak.
47
00:02:13,052 --> 00:02:14,988
Let's just jump
right into it.
48
00:02:15,088 --> 00:02:18,058
Let's talk about the general
impact of "Star Trek."
49
00:02:18,158 --> 00:02:21,228
- The great sense of discovery
and curiosity
50
00:02:21,328 --> 00:02:24,131
on this five-year mission
to seek out new worlds.
51
00:02:24,231 --> 00:02:25,632
You know, those--those--
52
00:02:25,732 --> 00:02:28,235
that phraseology
was kind of impactful.
53
00:02:28,335 --> 00:02:30,537
- "The Measure of Man"
where Data's on trial,
54
00:02:30,637 --> 00:02:33,273
that's the episode that led me
to create my class.
55
00:02:33,373 --> 00:02:34,507
- Oh, wow.
- Because it has references
56
00:02:34,607 --> 00:02:36,309
to slavery in it,
and I thought about,
57
00:02:36,409 --> 00:02:37,744
"Gee,
this is very interesting."
58
00:02:37,844 --> 00:02:40,047
You know, there's a whole
pro-slavery argument.
59
00:02:40,147 --> 00:02:42,715
It's really the Dred Scott
decision worked out there.
60
00:02:42,815 --> 00:02:44,284
- Yeah.
- Is Data property or not?
61
00:02:44,384 --> 00:02:45,885
- I saw a couple
of episodes
62
00:02:45,985 --> 00:02:47,454
of the original series
when I was a kid
63
00:02:47,554 --> 00:02:50,190
because you can't not
have seen some things.
64
00:02:50,290 --> 00:02:51,791
I saw the Tribble episode,
I think,
65
00:02:51,891 --> 00:02:54,994
and I saw the planet of kids,
"grups."
66
00:02:55,094 --> 00:02:56,129
And they were saying,
"Grups, grups," that one.
67
00:02:56,229 --> 00:02:57,497
Whatever.
- Yeah.
68
00:02:57,597 --> 00:02:59,532
- But I was never a sci-fi fan,
so I wasn't into it.
69
00:02:59,632 --> 00:03:01,701
And I never watched
any of the other incarnations
70
00:03:01,801 --> 00:03:02,802
until I was on the show.
71
00:03:02,902 --> 00:03:05,305
- I saw "Star Trek" as this,
you know,
72
00:03:05,405 --> 00:03:07,640
amazing way of bringing humanity
together, right?
73
00:03:07,740 --> 00:03:09,209
You had the height
of the Cold War.
74
00:03:09,309 --> 00:03:11,444
You had a Russian and American
people working together.
75
00:03:11,544 --> 00:03:14,314
You had black people and white
people working together.
76
00:03:14,414 --> 00:03:16,449
That's an incredible thing
to see as a kid
77
00:03:16,549 --> 00:03:19,486
when, you know,
you're from two worlds
78
00:03:19,586 --> 00:03:21,521
that really also
don't get along.
79
00:03:21,621 --> 00:03:22,889
- I first started
on the original series,
80
00:03:22,989 --> 00:03:24,624
my mother was a big fan,
and those were reruns
81
00:03:24,724 --> 00:03:25,892
that were happening
at the time.
82
00:03:25,992 --> 00:03:28,295
It was right before
"Next Generation" started
83
00:03:28,395 --> 00:03:30,363
and it was--I just always
was fascinated
84
00:03:30,463 --> 00:03:32,599
by Dr. McCoy's grumpiness.
85
00:03:32,699 --> 00:03:34,867
That relationship with Spock
I thought was amazing.
86
00:03:34,967 --> 00:03:36,803
He just was, like,
"I can't stand you,
87
00:03:36,903 --> 00:03:38,171
but I love you."
- Yeah.
88
00:03:38,271 --> 00:03:40,173
- And I was like,
"Oh, that's my family."
89
00:03:41,508 --> 00:03:43,810
I understand everything
from "Star Trek."
90
00:03:43,910 --> 00:03:45,212
- Yes.
- You know, it's funny
91
00:03:45,312 --> 00:03:47,880
because I wasn't allowed
to watch TV
92
00:03:47,980 --> 00:03:49,449
when "Star Trek"
was on the air.
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00:03:49,549 --> 00:03:51,050
My parents wouldn't let me
watch it.
94
00:03:51,150 --> 00:03:53,653
So I snuck downstairs
and I turned on the TV.
95
00:03:53,753 --> 00:03:57,490
And, uh, that was my first--
the first time I saw the show.
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00:03:57,590 --> 00:03:59,559
I think it was, um,
"This Side of Paradise"
97
00:03:59,659 --> 00:04:00,827
was the episode.
- Oh.
98
00:04:00,927 --> 00:04:04,297
- And you could tell
that whoever was doing the show
99
00:04:04,397 --> 00:04:05,932
was a science fiction fan.
100
00:04:06,032 --> 00:04:11,138
*
101
00:04:11,238 --> 00:04:14,307
"Star Trek" begins
as the brainchild of one man,
102
00:04:14,407 --> 00:04:17,477
Gene Roddenberry,
a former World War II pilot
103
00:04:17,577 --> 00:04:19,746
and policeman
turned screenwriter.
104
00:04:19,846 --> 00:04:23,250
His first television series
premieres in 1963,
105
00:04:23,350 --> 00:04:25,985
and features a few faces
that will soon become familiar
106
00:04:26,085 --> 00:04:28,455
to "Trek" fans.
107
00:04:28,555 --> 00:04:31,124
- He was a big man,
enthusiastic.
108
00:04:31,224 --> 00:04:34,761
He really, really loved
producing a show,
109
00:04:34,861 --> 00:04:36,329
which he had never done
before.
110
00:04:36,429 --> 00:04:37,697
He created "The Lieutenant."
111
00:04:39,766 --> 00:04:43,503
- It was "The Lieutenant."
It was his first big TV show.
112
00:04:43,603 --> 00:04:45,938
And he cast me.
113
00:04:46,038 --> 00:04:49,976
- I had acted in an episode of a
series called "The Lieutenant"
114
00:04:50,076 --> 00:04:51,878
that was produced
by Gene Roddenberry.
115
00:04:51,978 --> 00:04:53,813
My agent called me and said,
"He's interested in you
116
00:04:53,913 --> 00:04:57,750
for a science fiction pilot
that he's gonna produce.
117
00:04:57,850 --> 00:05:00,320
"The Lieutenant" runs
for just one season,
118
00:05:00,420 --> 00:05:03,656
but Roddenberry's already
working on a bigger idea.
119
00:05:03,756 --> 00:05:07,860
In 1964, he begins pitching
a series about a starship
120
00:05:07,960 --> 00:05:09,596
with a multi-ethnic crew.
121
00:05:09,696 --> 00:05:12,999
- I had worked for him directly
when his secretary was ill.
122
00:05:13,099 --> 00:05:16,369
And he knew that I had
sold some things
123
00:05:16,469 --> 00:05:19,472
that I wanted to be a writer,
a full-time writer.
124
00:05:19,572 --> 00:05:21,941
And he called me into his
office and said,
125
00:05:22,041 --> 00:05:24,010
"What do you think of this?"
And he showed me
126
00:05:24,110 --> 00:05:28,448
about a 10-12 page piece
that was called "Star Trek."
127
00:05:28,548 --> 00:05:32,485
- Well, he had done...
- "The Lieutenant."
128
00:05:32,585 --> 00:05:35,388
- I went in to do a pitch
on a story.
129
00:05:35,488 --> 00:05:38,858
Somehow or another,
he asked if I was interested
130
00:05:38,958 --> 00:05:41,027
in doing "Star Trek."
131
00:05:41,127 --> 00:05:43,730
I said, "Yeah,
I would be interested in that."
132
00:05:43,830 --> 00:05:44,964
- And I went home,
and I read it,
133
00:05:45,064 --> 00:05:46,132
and I came back the next day,
and I said,
134
00:05:46,232 --> 00:05:47,234
"Who plays Mr. Spock."
135
00:05:47,334 --> 00:05:49,936
- The script was very good,
very good.
136
00:05:50,036 --> 00:05:52,104
I didn't quite understand
how it was gonna work
137
00:05:52,204 --> 00:05:54,774
as a television show
because it was so unique.
138
00:05:54,874 --> 00:05:57,076
It was really quite special.
139
00:05:57,176 --> 00:05:59,111
But it was
a very intelligent script.
140
00:05:59,211 --> 00:06:02,048
It had layers of ideas in it
141
00:06:02,148 --> 00:06:04,551
that you didn't often get
in television.
142
00:06:04,651 --> 00:06:06,118
- Roddenberry
was very inspired
143
00:06:06,218 --> 00:06:08,788
by Jonathan Swift's
"Gulliver's Travels."
144
00:06:08,888 --> 00:06:11,324
And wanted to tell stories
145
00:06:11,424 --> 00:06:13,326
that you couldn't
normally tell on television
146
00:06:13,426 --> 00:06:14,861
through the prism
of science fiction.
147
00:06:14,961 --> 00:06:17,797
- He was such a complex
and interesting man.
148
00:06:17,897 --> 00:06:20,933
Very bright,
very bright.
149
00:06:21,033 --> 00:06:23,236
Hard-working.
150
00:06:23,336 --> 00:06:24,771
Tough job, tough job.
151
00:06:24,871 --> 00:06:26,606
Particularly getting
"Star Trek" right
152
00:06:26,706 --> 00:06:28,040
the first couple of seasons.
153
00:06:28,140 --> 00:06:30,977
To get it--to get it
what he wanted it to be.
154
00:06:31,077 --> 00:06:33,079
- They didn't think there was
a big enough audience out there.
155
00:06:33,179 --> 00:06:35,282
They thought it was gonna be
sci-fi kooks and kids.
156
00:06:35,382 --> 00:06:37,083
And they didn't think they could
make enough money
157
00:06:37,183 --> 00:06:40,720
from their sponsors
to put these on in prime-time.
158
00:06:40,820 --> 00:06:42,522
Well, they had put on "Voyage
to the Bottom of the Sea"
159
00:06:42,622 --> 00:06:46,092
in fall of '64,
winning its timeslot for ABC.
160
00:06:46,192 --> 00:06:48,995
Fall of '65, he puts on
"Lost In Space" on CBS.
161
00:06:49,095 --> 00:06:51,564
It's winning its timeslot for CBS.
162
00:06:51,664 --> 00:06:53,633
That was when they made
the decision to put it on
163
00:06:53,733 --> 00:06:56,235
for the fall of '66.
NBC wants one.
164
00:06:56,335 --> 00:06:58,505
They felt they were missing
the boat.
165
00:06:58,605 --> 00:06:59,939
President John F. Kennedy
166
00:07:00,039 --> 00:07:01,508
issues a challenge:
167
00:07:01,608 --> 00:07:04,811
To put a man on the moon
before the end of the decade.
168
00:07:04,911 --> 00:07:09,015
The space race heats up
as America looks to the stars.
169
00:07:09,115 --> 00:07:12,952
And one unlikely supporter
sees an opportunity.
170
00:07:13,052 --> 00:07:15,922
- Well, "Star Trek" may be
the first TV show
171
00:07:16,022 --> 00:07:17,590
I can really remember.
172
00:07:17,690 --> 00:07:20,393
"Star Trek"
and "Mission: Impossible."
173
00:07:20,493 --> 00:07:23,496
In fact, the both--the two great
Desilu productions.
174
00:07:23,596 --> 00:07:26,699
- The other player
in "Star Trek"
175
00:07:26,799 --> 00:07:28,535
and get it on the air
was Lucille Ball
176
00:07:28,635 --> 00:07:30,637
with Desilu Studios.
177
00:07:30,737 --> 00:07:34,341
- It was Lucille Ball who said,
"Let's make this."
178
00:07:34,441 --> 00:07:37,677
- That studio was built
on reruns.
179
00:07:37,777 --> 00:07:40,313
And when "I Love Lucy"
was in production,
180
00:07:40,413 --> 00:07:42,014
they wanted to film it
here in LA.
181
00:07:42,114 --> 00:07:44,183
So they said, "We'll pay the
difference and film this
182
00:07:44,283 --> 00:07:45,852
if we can have
the rerun rights."
183
00:07:45,952 --> 00:07:48,154
And the answer
from Harry Ackerman at CBS was,
184
00:07:48,254 --> 00:07:49,322
"What's a rerun?"
185
00:07:49,422 --> 00:07:51,458
Nobody had ever rerun anything
on TV.
186
00:07:51,558 --> 00:07:53,560
They shot it live,
it was gone.
187
00:07:53,660 --> 00:07:55,728
And "Star Trek"
was brought in.
188
00:07:55,828 --> 00:07:59,699
And Lucy said, "I think that
could rerun for ten years.
189
00:07:59,799 --> 00:08:01,568
Well, here we are
50 years later.
190
00:08:01,668 --> 00:08:03,503
"I Love Lucy" is still on
five days a week
191
00:08:03,603 --> 00:08:05,004
in every city
around the country.
192
00:08:05,104 --> 00:08:06,706
And probably the second most
rerun show
193
00:08:06,806 --> 00:08:08,408
in the history of television
is "Star Trek."
194
00:08:08,508 --> 00:08:12,144
Let's give her credit,
Lucy loved "Star Trek."
195
00:08:12,244 --> 00:08:14,013
And we wouldn't have had
"Star Trek" without Lucy,
196
00:08:14,113 --> 00:08:15,247
so we love Lucy.
197
00:08:15,347 --> 00:08:18,951
- You know, my father passed
away when I was 17.
198
00:08:19,051 --> 00:08:21,388
He's got such a legacy
and he's touched so many people
199
00:08:21,488 --> 00:08:24,791
that I've learned a great deal
about him after his passing.
200
00:08:24,891 --> 00:08:27,326
You know, he was a bomber pilot
in World War II.
201
00:08:27,426 --> 00:08:32,399
He flew something like, uh,
is it 79 or 89 missions.
202
00:08:32,499 --> 00:08:34,534
My father had seen the best
of humanity
203
00:08:34,634 --> 00:08:36,202
and he'd seen the worst
of humanity.
204
00:08:36,302 --> 00:08:38,571
But I think that really helped
shape his view
205
00:08:38,671 --> 00:08:40,773
of "Star Trek"
and that better future.
206
00:08:45,945 --> 00:08:49,616
The pilot episode of
"Star Trek" is filmed in 1965,
207
00:08:49,716 --> 00:08:51,618
introducing the world
to what would become
208
00:08:51,718 --> 00:08:54,587
one of the most iconic
characters of all time,
209
00:08:54,687 --> 00:08:56,823
Mr. Spock.
210
00:08:56,923 --> 00:08:59,058
- And he shoved a picture
of Leonard Nimoy
211
00:08:59,158 --> 00:09:00,259
across the desk at me.
212
00:09:00,359 --> 00:09:04,230
At that point,
he was a Martian first officer.
213
00:09:04,330 --> 00:09:06,265
- He said a character
with pointed ears,
214
00:09:06,365 --> 00:09:08,735
and that set me back
a bit.
215
00:09:08,835 --> 00:09:10,603
I had to think about that one.
216
00:09:10,703 --> 00:09:16,175
- Leonard was an actor.
He was a real actor.
217
00:09:16,275 --> 00:09:17,744
- And he walked me through
the various departments.
218
00:09:17,844 --> 00:09:19,646
He showed me where they were
making the props.
219
00:09:19,746 --> 00:09:22,014
He showed me where the sets
were being designed,
220
00:09:22,114 --> 00:09:24,216
the design for the Enterprise,
the ship.
221
00:09:24,316 --> 00:09:27,620
And I realized that he was
selling me on this job.
222
00:09:27,720 --> 00:09:30,356
And that's the way
it would happen.
223
00:09:30,456 --> 00:09:33,359
The network orders
a new "Star Trek" pilot.
224
00:09:33,459 --> 00:09:34,994
Spock stays on board,
225
00:09:35,094 --> 00:09:37,430
but the Enterprise gets
an entirely new crew,
226
00:09:37,530 --> 00:09:40,332
including a brash,
young captain,
227
00:09:40,432 --> 00:09:41,701
James T. Kirk.
228
00:09:41,801 --> 00:09:45,838
- William Shatner had Kirk down
229
00:09:45,938 --> 00:09:47,940
from act one, scene one,
230
00:09:48,040 --> 00:09:49,576
and he played that through
right till the end
231
00:09:49,676 --> 00:09:51,911
in "Star Trek: Generations"
in 1994.
232
00:09:52,011 --> 00:09:54,080
- You know, Shatner,
who's totally nailing the part,
233
00:09:54,180 --> 00:09:57,349
but DeForest Kelley,
the person that Gene wanted
234
00:09:57,449 --> 00:09:59,819
from the beginning
for Dr. McCoy.
235
00:09:59,919 --> 00:10:02,522
- Scotty felt like he was
a little more fully formed
236
00:10:02,622 --> 00:10:04,090
as a character.
237
00:10:04,190 --> 00:10:06,626
There was an empathy with
Jimmy Doohan's performance.
238
00:10:06,726 --> 00:10:08,761
We just liked Scotty. You wanted
to hang out with Scotty.
239
00:10:08,861 --> 00:10:11,798
You wanted to go have a drink in
the bar with Scotty, you know?
240
00:10:11,898 --> 00:10:13,399
- It's a very hallowed
and beloved thing
241
00:10:13,499 --> 00:10:15,167
that you don't want
to mess up.
242
00:10:15,267 --> 00:10:16,769
I feel honored
to play Scotty.
243
00:10:16,869 --> 00:10:18,538
I will always defer
to the greatest Scotty ever,
244
00:10:18,638 --> 00:10:20,006
which was James Doohan,
245
00:10:20,106 --> 00:10:22,942
but if I can do half as good as
he did, then I'll be happy.
246
00:10:23,042 --> 00:10:26,613
- George Takei, who plays
Mr. Sulu, sat at the helm.
247
00:10:26,713 --> 00:10:29,782
- An Asian man
on a show like this,
248
00:10:29,882 --> 00:10:31,518
you seldom saw
anything like that.
249
00:10:31,618 --> 00:10:33,620
And here he was,
a man with responsibilities.
250
00:10:33,720 --> 00:10:34,854
He was the helmsman.
251
00:10:34,954 --> 00:10:37,524
- Everyone, Nichelle,
just beautiful and smart
252
00:10:37,624 --> 00:10:40,593
and an incredible role model
as Uhura.
253
00:10:40,693 --> 00:10:45,532
- I think the first memory
of "Star Trek" really was going,
254
00:10:45,632 --> 00:10:47,366
"Oh, look..."
255
00:10:47,466 --> 00:10:49,101
"There's a black lady
in the future."
256
00:10:49,201 --> 00:10:51,403
And this was
the first time I knew
257
00:10:51,503 --> 00:10:53,740
we would be in the future.
258
00:10:53,840 --> 00:10:55,642
- Later on,
Walter Koenig as Chekov.
259
00:10:55,742 --> 00:10:58,611
- If the circumstances
hadn't fallen the way they did,
260
00:10:58,711 --> 00:11:00,146
if things hadn't happened
the way they did,
261
00:11:00,246 --> 00:11:02,882
then I probably never
been in for the role
262
00:11:02,982 --> 00:11:05,084
of Chekov on "Star Trek."
263
00:11:05,184 --> 00:11:08,087
I read one line.
He says, "You got the part."
264
00:11:08,187 --> 00:11:09,689
And that was the part
of a Russian.
265
00:11:09,789 --> 00:11:11,123
- Who had a Russian
on the show?
266
00:11:11,223 --> 00:11:14,426
We were still just reaching out
trying to make contact
267
00:11:14,526 --> 00:11:16,262
with Russia
in a friendly sense.
268
00:11:16,362 --> 00:11:17,997
- To bring these people together
269
00:11:18,097 --> 00:11:20,767
created the magic
that is "Star Trek."
270
00:11:20,867 --> 00:11:24,036
- From day one, we got along...
271
00:11:24,136 --> 00:11:25,872
just like that.
272
00:11:25,972 --> 00:11:27,406
With the cast
and crew assembled,
273
00:11:27,506 --> 00:11:30,710
the Enterprise is nearly ready
to begin its mission.
274
00:11:30,810 --> 00:11:33,980
But Roddenberry knows
something is missing.
275
00:11:34,080 --> 00:11:38,084
- G.R said, "I gotta do
an opening for the show."
276
00:11:38,184 --> 00:11:41,153
So he said,
"You take a shot at it,
277
00:11:41,253 --> 00:11:43,623
I'll take a shot at it,
we'll see what happens."
278
00:11:43,723 --> 00:11:45,224
- It was, "Space...
the final frontier,"
279
00:11:45,324 --> 00:11:48,294
was yours, wasn't it?
- Yeah.
280
00:11:48,394 --> 00:11:49,929
"The final frontier."
281
00:11:50,029 --> 00:11:51,263
- "Space...
282
00:11:51,363 --> 00:11:53,232
"the final frontier.
283
00:11:56,869 --> 00:12:00,607
- So it was some Roddenberry,
it was some Black.
284
00:12:00,707 --> 00:12:04,443
We came out with...
285
00:12:04,543 --> 00:12:07,814
"Boldy go where no man
has gone before."
286
00:12:07,914 --> 00:12:11,350
- To boldly go where no man
has gone before.
287
00:12:11,450 --> 00:12:18,758
*
288
00:12:18,858 --> 00:12:20,392
NBC premieres "Star Trek"
289
00:12:20,492 --> 00:12:23,763
on a Thursday night
in the fall of 1966.
290
00:12:23,863 --> 00:12:25,932
- Well, the first episode
of "Star Trek,""The Man Trap,"
291
00:12:26,032 --> 00:12:28,534
had 47% audience share.
292
00:12:28,634 --> 00:12:31,303
Lucy wrote a memo
to Gene Roddenberry saying,
293
00:12:31,403 --> 00:12:33,740
"Congratulations, boys,
you're a hit."
294
00:12:33,840 --> 00:12:35,374
- Back in the late '60s,
295
00:12:35,474 --> 00:12:38,577
what "Star Trek" was doing
on television was cutting edge.
296
00:12:38,677 --> 00:12:40,012
It was ahead of its time.
297
00:12:40,112 --> 00:12:42,615
- This was the first time we saw
a miniskirt on television.
298
00:12:42,715 --> 00:12:45,151
"Star Trek" premiered
in September of '66,
299
00:12:45,251 --> 00:12:47,920
the mini made its debut
in London
300
00:12:48,020 --> 00:12:51,223
in the summer of '66
and had not made it to America.
301
00:12:51,323 --> 00:12:53,192
He was way ahead
of his time.
302
00:12:53,292 --> 00:12:55,995
- It was also
a science fiction series
303
00:12:56,095 --> 00:12:59,832
that took the subject matter
very seriously.
304
00:12:59,932 --> 00:13:02,468
"Star Trek" is unlike
anything on television
305
00:13:02,568 --> 00:13:04,937
at the time,
but what makes it unique
306
00:13:05,037 --> 00:13:11,010
also threatens
to destroy it.
307
00:13:11,110 --> 00:13:12,679
"Star Trek" premieres in 1966,
308
00:13:12,779 --> 00:13:15,915
and instantly becomes one of
the most ground-breaking series
309
00:13:16,015 --> 00:13:18,017
in the history of television.
310
00:13:18,117 --> 00:13:19,618
Gene Roddenberry's vision
311
00:13:19,718 --> 00:13:22,454
is a sign of changing times
in America.
312
00:13:22,554 --> 00:13:26,458
- A story about a hopeful future
made in a difficult time.
313
00:13:26,558 --> 00:13:28,427
The times were tough.
314
00:13:28,527 --> 00:13:31,497
The war in Vietnam, the racial
issues that were happening,
315
00:13:31,597 --> 00:13:35,534
riots in the streets,
riots at political conventions.
316
00:13:35,634 --> 00:13:38,070
People were angry and upset
and nervous and concerned.
317
00:13:38,170 --> 00:13:39,739
And it was this thing
that said, "Hey,
318
00:13:39,839 --> 00:13:41,573
"in the future we have a way
of dealing with these issues.
319
00:13:41,673 --> 00:13:43,175
"It's gonna be okay.
320
00:13:43,275 --> 00:13:45,912
"Here's a group of people who
are solving problems together.
321
00:13:46,012 --> 00:13:48,214
And they're all different,
diverse people."
322
00:13:48,314 --> 00:13:50,016
"Star Trek"
tackles the most pressing
323
00:13:50,116 --> 00:13:52,551
social issues of its day.
324
00:13:52,651 --> 00:13:55,755
- We had the one
where Uhura and Kirk kissed.
325
00:13:55,855 --> 00:13:58,157
That, I think, was more of--
I mean, I think that was great.
326
00:13:58,257 --> 00:14:00,793
And the people in the South,
there were probably
327
00:14:00,893 --> 00:14:03,129
a lot of people jumping out
of windows at that.
328
00:14:03,229 --> 00:14:04,931
- The director was nervous.
329
00:14:05,031 --> 00:14:07,767
The front office at Paramount
was nervous,
330
00:14:07,867 --> 00:14:10,770
which was just dumb, you know,
then don't do it,
331
00:14:10,870 --> 00:14:12,104
which is what I said.
332
00:14:12,204 --> 00:14:14,206
And they went,
"You don't want to do it?"
333
00:14:14,306 --> 00:14:17,076
I said, "I want to do it.
It's written in the script.
334
00:14:17,176 --> 00:14:18,778
It's a great scene."
335
00:14:18,878 --> 00:14:23,082
This is the first interracial
kiss on television.
336
00:14:26,118 --> 00:14:27,386
*
337
00:14:32,624 --> 00:14:37,363
- They were writing some pretty
major stuff in those days.
338
00:14:37,463 --> 00:14:40,499
I mean, very eloquent writers.
Very knowledgeable.
339
00:14:40,599 --> 00:14:43,903
- They did "Mark of Gideon,"
which got a lot of flack,
340
00:14:44,003 --> 00:14:47,573
about birth control,
overpopulation.
341
00:14:47,673 --> 00:14:49,141
'Cause nobody had talked
about that on TV
342
00:14:49,241 --> 00:14:50,642
up until that point.
343
00:14:50,742 --> 00:14:55,414
NBC was disappointed with
"Star Trek" from the get-go,
344
00:14:55,514 --> 00:14:57,917
but the rating were not bad
345
00:14:58,017 --> 00:15:00,953
and the fan mail was huge.
346
00:15:01,053 --> 00:15:02,889
"Star Trek" is doing things
347
00:15:02,989 --> 00:15:05,257
that a lot of the affiliates
were uncomfortable with,
348
00:15:05,357 --> 00:15:08,094
so they kept moving it
from one bad slot to another
349
00:15:08,194 --> 00:15:10,229
until they finally put it
in the death slot
350
00:15:10,329 --> 00:15:12,431
to get rid of this show.
351
00:15:12,531 --> 00:15:14,466
That is what killed
"Star Trek."
352
00:15:14,566 --> 00:15:16,168
The original series is canceled
353
00:15:16,268 --> 00:15:19,171
after 3 seasons
and 79 episodes.
354
00:15:19,271 --> 00:15:20,739
But it's gained
a cult following
355
00:15:20,839 --> 00:15:23,075
that's become undeniable.
356
00:15:23,175 --> 00:15:25,945
Within four years,
"Trek" is back on the air.
357
00:15:26,045 --> 00:15:29,882
This time reaching a new
generation of young fans.
358
00:15:32,919 --> 00:15:34,720
*
359
00:15:34,820 --> 00:15:36,122
- My first contact with
"Star Trek"
360
00:15:36,222 --> 00:15:39,291
was probably watching
the animated series
361
00:15:39,391 --> 00:15:42,895
on Saturday morning TV
in the early '70s.
362
00:15:42,995 --> 00:15:46,232
And, you know, I was really
struck by the, you know,
363
00:15:46,332 --> 00:15:48,500
the bright colors
of the uniforms.
364
00:15:48,600 --> 00:15:50,937
- The fans were very wary.
365
00:15:51,037 --> 00:15:53,305
In fact, some of the cast
was wary too.
366
00:15:53,405 --> 00:15:55,441
They felt, "Hey, 'Star Trek'
is starting to get momentum.
367
00:15:55,541 --> 00:15:57,076
"We think there could be
more life in this.
368
00:15:57,176 --> 00:15:59,011
But if we do a cartoon,
it's gonna kill it."
369
00:15:59,111 --> 00:16:01,580
And Gene Roddenberry
was very cagey and very smart.
370
00:16:01,680 --> 00:16:03,615
He says, "No,
this will fan the flames.
371
00:16:03,715 --> 00:16:05,952
This will keep it alive
rather than let it disappear."
372
00:16:06,052 --> 00:16:07,453
And he was right.
373
00:16:07,553 --> 00:16:09,989
- It sounds funny
for saying this,
374
00:16:10,089 --> 00:16:13,025
but it has never been canceled.
375
00:16:13,125 --> 00:16:19,365
You know, um, we were just off
longer than we wanted to be.
376
00:16:26,505 --> 00:16:28,440
- So then we have the '70s,
right, '70s hit.
377
00:16:28,540 --> 00:16:30,943
Everyone went to see
that "Star Wars" situation.
378
00:16:31,043 --> 00:16:32,912
I think we can make some money.
379
00:16:33,012 --> 00:16:35,147
- So you had a TV script that
was being padded out
380
00:16:35,247 --> 00:16:36,515
into a motion picture.
381
00:16:36,615 --> 00:16:38,317
They took themselves
a little too seriously
382
00:16:38,417 --> 00:16:40,386
and they were trying to be
a little more like, "2001."
383
00:16:40,486 --> 00:16:42,221
Then they brought in
Robert Wise
384
00:16:42,321 --> 00:16:45,958
because he was known
as a big-time movie director.
385
00:16:46,058 --> 00:16:47,626
- There never
really been a movie
386
00:16:47,726 --> 00:16:49,495
years after a show
was canceled.
387
00:16:52,198 --> 00:16:53,599
"Star Trek" would be
the beginning
388
00:16:53,699 --> 00:16:56,435
of that phenomena,
which--now, you know,
389
00:16:56,535 --> 00:16:57,970
well, unceasing phenomena.
390
00:16:58,070 --> 00:17:01,173
- When we came back to do
the first really big one
391
00:17:01,273 --> 00:17:05,477
that we did
after being away so long,
392
00:17:05,577 --> 00:17:08,647
it was amazing.
393
00:17:08,747 --> 00:17:10,316
"Star Trek: The Motion Picture"
394
00:17:10,416 --> 00:17:13,585
hits theaters
in December of 1979.
395
00:17:13,685 --> 00:17:16,222
But the cast
has its doubts.
396
00:17:16,322 --> 00:17:19,125
- So Robert Wise
was a very good filmmaker.
397
00:17:19,225 --> 00:17:22,161
He was a multiple Academy
Award-winning director,
398
00:17:22,261 --> 00:17:24,263
but he did not know
"Star Trek."
399
00:17:24,363 --> 00:17:27,566
- We sat down to watch
that first movie
400
00:17:27,666 --> 00:17:29,435
and the beginning was great.
401
00:17:29,535 --> 00:17:32,404
Dat-dat-dat-dat-dat-dat-dat.
Bum-bum-bum-bum.
402
00:17:32,504 --> 00:17:35,374
And then it suddenly became
a talking heads movie.
403
00:17:35,474 --> 00:17:37,276
Where was the friction?
Where was the conflict?
404
00:17:37,376 --> 00:17:38,844
Where was the passion?
405
00:17:38,944 --> 00:17:40,312
- It had very little to do
with "Star Trek."
406
00:17:40,412 --> 00:17:41,948
You had the spaceship,
the Enterprise.
407
00:17:42,048 --> 00:17:43,882
You had the crew.
408
00:17:43,982 --> 00:17:45,584
But the story
had very little to do
409
00:17:45,684 --> 00:17:47,486
with anything "Star Trek-y."
410
00:17:47,586 --> 00:17:50,489
The characters were not
in shape, in place,
411
00:17:50,589 --> 00:17:52,058
playing off of each other
and with each other
412
00:17:52,158 --> 00:17:53,993
the way we did best.
413
00:17:54,093 --> 00:17:55,995
- Why are they wearing
pajamas?
414
00:17:56,095 --> 00:18:01,033
Why, you know, does it look
like they're in a Holiday Inn?
415
00:18:01,133 --> 00:18:03,235
So a lot of what
"The Wrath of Khan"
416
00:18:03,335 --> 00:18:06,172
proved to be about
aesthetically
417
00:18:06,272 --> 00:18:09,375
and maybe even
intellectually as well
418
00:18:09,475 --> 00:18:12,244
was a reaction to what I saw.
419
00:18:12,344 --> 00:18:15,181
- And for a movie that was
so poorly received,
420
00:18:15,281 --> 00:18:16,782
we had done extremely well.
421
00:18:16,882 --> 00:18:19,952
To my great surprise,
they said, "Star Trek II."
422
00:18:20,052 --> 00:18:23,122
"The Wrath of Khan"
becomes an instant classic.
423
00:18:23,222 --> 00:18:26,125
It's villain is a genetically
engineered superhuman,
424
00:18:26,225 --> 00:18:28,094
who first appeared in
the original series
425
00:18:28,194 --> 00:18:31,130
bent on revenge
against Captain Kirk.
426
00:18:31,230 --> 00:18:32,764
- "Wrath of Khan"
is a classic.
427
00:18:32,864 --> 00:18:36,435
I mean, "Wrath of Khan"
just works on every level.
428
00:18:36,535 --> 00:18:39,538
You know, it just does.
It's pop entertainment.
429
00:18:39,638 --> 00:18:44,343
It's a fan's dream.
It's fun. It's funny.
430
00:18:44,443 --> 00:18:46,212
The visual effects
are state of the art
431
00:18:46,312 --> 00:18:48,080
and really hold up
even to this day.
432
00:18:48,180 --> 00:18:49,848
Those space battles
are fantastic.
433
00:18:49,948 --> 00:18:53,519
- Montalban was
a charismatic actor.
434
00:18:53,619 --> 00:18:56,022
He really gave us
this wonderful performance.
435
00:18:56,122 --> 00:18:58,290
It was theatrical,
imaginative, creative
436
00:18:58,390 --> 00:19:01,227
performance as Khan
in "Star Trek II."
437
00:19:01,327 --> 00:19:03,895
And he looked great.
438
00:19:03,995 --> 00:19:06,598
And that was his chest
that people thought
439
00:19:06,698 --> 00:19:08,867
had been built up
with makeup or something.
440
00:19:08,967 --> 00:19:10,636
That was him, you know?
441
00:19:10,736 --> 00:19:13,972
It was really
Ricardo Montalban.
442
00:19:14,072 --> 00:19:16,842
- That's his chest.
It's his chest.
443
00:19:16,942 --> 00:19:20,312
Gives you an idea
of "Star Trek-ian" scholarship
444
00:19:20,412 --> 00:19:24,950
that that's the most, you know,
frequently asked question.
445
00:19:25,050 --> 00:19:26,185
Behind the scenes,
446
00:19:26,285 --> 00:19:28,487
the cast didn't always
get along.
447
00:19:28,587 --> 00:19:31,890
- I had immediately had a good
rapport with with Nick Myers,
448
00:19:31,990 --> 00:19:34,126
but as we went through
several rehearsals
449
00:19:34,226 --> 00:19:35,827
working with the camera,
450
00:19:35,927 --> 00:19:38,097
Shatner would come over to me
451
00:19:38,197 --> 00:19:39,865
and start trying
to redirect me.
452
00:19:39,965 --> 00:19:43,001
Is the word given, Admiral?
- The word is given.
453
00:19:43,101 --> 00:19:45,437
- So I finally said,
"Can I stop for a second?"
454
00:19:45,537 --> 00:19:47,206
Nick said to me,
"What's the matter, Ike?"
455
00:19:47,306 --> 00:19:49,007
I said,
"Well, I'm getting direction
456
00:19:49,107 --> 00:19:50,509
"from other people on the set,
457
00:19:50,609 --> 00:19:52,144
"and it's making me
very uncomfortable.
458
00:19:52,244 --> 00:19:54,446
"I just want to make sure
I'm doing my job correctly,
459
00:19:54,546 --> 00:19:56,115
So I'm listening to you."
460
00:19:56,215 --> 00:19:57,716
And he said,
"That's right.
461
00:19:57,816 --> 00:19:59,885
You're listening to me.
We good?"
462
00:19:59,985 --> 00:20:02,254
I said, "We're good.
Thank you very much."
463
00:20:02,354 --> 00:20:05,057
And I just stood back.
464
00:20:05,157 --> 00:20:08,059
No one else ever said anything
to me again after that.
465
00:20:09,561 --> 00:20:12,564
Khan uses mind
control to achieve his ends,
466
00:20:12,664 --> 00:20:15,101
delivered in a gruesome way.
467
00:20:15,201 --> 00:20:20,005
- They're young.
Enter through the ears.
468
00:20:20,105 --> 00:20:23,642
And wrap themselves
around the cerebral cortex.
469
00:20:23,742 --> 00:20:25,077
- Yeah, well, that was fun.
470
00:20:25,177 --> 00:20:27,279
You know,
being on the other end of that.
471
00:20:27,379 --> 00:20:29,948
What it was,
it was a stunt bug.
472
00:20:30,048 --> 00:20:31,683
No, it wasn't a stunt bug.
473
00:20:31,783 --> 00:20:34,853
It was--it was a little thing
that had
474
00:20:34,953 --> 00:20:37,089
a little rubbery plastic
thing,
475
00:20:37,189 --> 00:20:41,560
and they had a fine filament
thread attached to it.
476
00:20:41,660 --> 00:20:43,529
It was very hard to see.
477
00:20:43,629 --> 00:20:45,531
When it was going up
my face,
478
00:20:45,631 --> 00:20:48,134
there was actually a guy
standing above me,
479
00:20:48,234 --> 00:20:50,802
and they had drilled a hole
in my helmet,
480
00:20:50,902 --> 00:20:54,473
and he was pulling it up
my face on that filament.
481
00:20:54,573 --> 00:20:58,277
And when they got
to my ear,
482
00:20:58,377 --> 00:21:01,847
and them I made
all those screams,
483
00:21:01,947 --> 00:21:04,650
really unbecoming an officer,
484
00:21:04,750 --> 00:21:07,118
but they--that's what
they wanted.
485
00:21:14,092 --> 00:21:15,827
But there is one
scene that has become
486
00:21:15,927 --> 00:21:18,764
the defining moment
in "The Wrath of Khan."
487
00:21:18,864 --> 00:21:22,268
- I read that script
and I saw the conflict,
488
00:21:22,368 --> 00:21:23,935
and I saw the passion
in it,
489
00:21:24,035 --> 00:21:28,039
and when I saw the scene where
Spock tries to save the ship
490
00:21:28,139 --> 00:21:29,575
and dies in the process,
I said,
491
00:21:29,675 --> 00:21:32,144
"This is a good,
good film."
492
00:21:32,244 --> 00:21:33,579
- I really believed
that this was going to be
493
00:21:33,679 --> 00:21:35,181
the final "Star Trek" movie.
494
00:21:35,281 --> 00:21:38,750
So I thought if "Star Trek"
is coming to an end,
495
00:21:38,850 --> 00:21:41,587
maybe it's fitting
that Spock should die
496
00:21:41,687 --> 00:21:43,222
saving the ship
and the crew,
497
00:21:43,322 --> 00:21:45,291
and be a hero and go out
in a blaze of glory.
498
00:21:45,391 --> 00:21:48,460
During the making of the movie,
I began to be concerned
499
00:21:48,560 --> 00:21:50,028
that maybe I'd made
a mistake.
500
00:21:50,128 --> 00:21:54,099
And on the day we went to shoot
Spock's death scene,
501
00:21:54,199 --> 00:21:56,134
Harve came to me on the set.
502
00:21:56,234 --> 00:21:57,469
He came to me on the set
and he said,
503
00:21:57,569 --> 00:22:00,939
"What can you give us
that might be a thread
504
00:22:01,039 --> 00:22:04,176
for the future for Spock
or 'Star Trek'?"
505
00:22:04,276 --> 00:22:05,711
And it took me a moment.
I said,
506
00:22:05,811 --> 00:22:07,846
"I can do a mind-meld
on DeForest Kelley
507
00:22:07,946 --> 00:22:09,415
"who's laying there
unconscious,
508
00:22:09,515 --> 00:22:13,051
and I can say something
ambiguous like, 'Remember.'"
509
00:22:13,151 --> 00:22:14,820
And that's how that moment
came about.
510
00:22:14,920 --> 00:22:16,988
Remember.
511
00:22:17,088 --> 00:22:19,291
- And then you have
"Star Trek's" finest hour
512
00:22:19,391 --> 00:22:21,059
between Kirk and Spock.
513
00:22:21,159 --> 00:22:24,630
That death scene
through the radiation chamber--
514
00:22:24,730 --> 00:22:26,198
cried like a baby.
515
00:22:26,298 --> 00:22:29,201
- I was always very touched
by what happened
516
00:22:29,301 --> 00:22:31,136
in that--in that sequence.
Ahem.
517
00:22:31,236 --> 00:22:34,706
I thought it was beautifully
written, the death scene.
518
00:22:34,806 --> 00:22:36,575
And it really worked
in the film.
519
00:22:36,675 --> 00:22:39,110
I have people still today
who write me and say,
520
00:22:39,210 --> 00:22:40,546
"Every time
I still see that picture
521
00:22:40,646 --> 00:22:42,781
"for the fifth, tenth time,
I still cry when Spock--
522
00:22:42,881 --> 00:22:45,317
at that death scene,"
you know?
523
00:22:45,417 --> 00:22:47,219
I have been...
524
00:22:47,319 --> 00:22:50,021
and always shall be...
525
00:22:50,121 --> 00:22:52,123
your friend.
526
00:22:57,429 --> 00:23:00,566
Live long...
527
00:23:00,666 --> 00:23:02,668
and prosper.
528
00:23:10,842 --> 00:23:13,545
Two short years
after the success of "Khan,"
529
00:23:13,645 --> 00:23:15,914
"Trek" returns
to the big screen,
530
00:23:16,014 --> 00:23:18,950
and the franchise
is truly reborn.
531
00:23:19,050 --> 00:23:22,087
- "Star Trek III" was the first
movie that Nimoy directed,
532
00:23:22,187 --> 00:23:25,190
and it was also his way
to come back to "Star Trek"
533
00:23:25,290 --> 00:23:26,625
to bring Spock back.
534
00:23:26,725 --> 00:23:30,729
- Nicholas Meyer, a very
talented guy, was directing.
535
00:23:30,829 --> 00:23:33,532
I thought,
"I-I can do what he does.
536
00:23:33,632 --> 00:23:35,401
I know what he's doing
and I can do that."
537
00:23:35,501 --> 00:23:36,968
So I went in
the next morning,
538
00:23:37,068 --> 00:23:38,870
and I put it to them
very simply.
539
00:23:38,970 --> 00:23:40,839
I said, "Michael,
you have two problems.
540
00:23:40,939 --> 00:23:43,409
"You want me to play Spock
in 'Star Trek III,'
541
00:23:43,509 --> 00:23:44,810
"and you need a director.
542
00:23:44,910 --> 00:23:47,413
I solved both of your problems
with one stroke."
543
00:23:47,513 --> 00:23:48,614
And that's the way it went,
544
00:23:48,714 --> 00:23:50,782
and he said,
"Okay, let's make a deal."
545
00:23:50,882 --> 00:23:52,918
And we immediately made a deal
and went to work.
546
00:23:53,018 --> 00:23:56,922
- You Klingon bastard.
547
00:23:57,022 --> 00:24:00,626
- There are two more prisoners,
Admiral.
548
00:24:00,726 --> 00:24:02,361
Do you want them killed too?
549
00:24:02,461 --> 00:24:06,798
- It's just such a delicious
badass son of a bitch, you know?
550
00:24:06,898 --> 00:24:10,969
He's just--he's just a bad guy
with no remorse.
551
00:24:13,271 --> 00:24:15,541
I killed Kirk's son
552
00:24:15,641 --> 00:24:17,909
and I blew up
the original Enterprise.
553
00:24:18,009 --> 00:24:20,846
Just freaking wiped it out.
554
00:24:22,848 --> 00:24:26,051
And I could do it again.
555
00:24:30,689 --> 00:24:34,960
- I was asked to do "III,"
I didn't know how to do it.
556
00:24:35,060 --> 00:24:38,697
So I said
I wasn't interested in doing it.
557
00:24:38,797 --> 00:24:41,500
I was not part of "IV"
either.
558
00:24:41,600 --> 00:24:43,469
They had had a script written
559
00:24:43,569 --> 00:24:46,438
tailor-made to star
Eddie Murphy,
560
00:24:46,538 --> 00:24:49,841
who was Paramount's
other big star at the time.
561
00:24:49,941 --> 00:24:51,610
And Paramount didn't like
the idea
562
00:24:51,710 --> 00:24:56,047
of putting all their golden eggs
in one basket,
563
00:24:56,147 --> 00:24:59,184
Eddie Murphy
and the Star Trek people.
564
00:24:59,284 --> 00:25:01,219
So I went to see Harve
and Leonard,
565
00:25:01,319 --> 00:25:04,055
and they told me the story
about the whales.
566
00:25:04,155 --> 00:25:07,125
And Harve said, "I'll write
the outer space parts
567
00:25:07,225 --> 00:25:10,396
if you do the on Earth parts,
you know, the bookend.
568
00:25:10,496 --> 00:25:13,331
And I said, "Okay."
569
00:25:13,431 --> 00:25:15,867
- "Star Trek V" is hurt
by it's budget
570
00:25:15,967 --> 00:25:18,336
more than anything else.
It's not a badly directed film.
571
00:25:18,436 --> 00:25:21,407
In fact, Bill did a nice job
directing for the most pt,
572
00:25:21,507 --> 00:25:26,044
but they just didn't have enough
money to recognize the vision,
573
00:25:26,144 --> 00:25:27,546
so it looks very cheap,
and as a result,
574
00:25:27,646 --> 00:25:28,947
it feels like a bad movie.
575
00:25:29,047 --> 00:25:30,449
- We watched the movie,
we were like,
576
00:25:30,549 --> 00:25:31,817
"Yeah, that was great."
577
00:25:31,917 --> 00:25:33,284
And I remember my brother,
578
00:25:33,384 --> 00:25:34,753
he was the one who had not
been drinking.
579
00:25:34,853 --> 00:25:36,422
He was looking at, like,
580
00:25:36,522 --> 00:25:38,256
"I don't think
it really was great."
581
00:25:38,356 --> 00:25:40,291
We were like, "No, it was great.
Let's watch it again."
582
00:25:40,391 --> 00:25:41,893
And we did,
so we watched it again.
583
00:25:41,993 --> 00:25:44,696
That's probably the last time
I saw "Star Trek V."
584
00:25:44,796 --> 00:25:49,034
- Then "Star Trek V" came out
and didn't perform well.
585
00:25:49,134 --> 00:25:52,838
And then Leonard came,
and he had this genesis,
586
00:25:52,938 --> 00:25:55,474
you should pardon the pun,
of an idea for "VI,"
587
00:25:55,574 --> 00:25:59,144
which was all about the wall
coming down in outer space.
588
00:25:59,244 --> 00:26:01,246
It was about the Klingons
have been their substitute
589
00:26:01,346 --> 00:26:03,281
for the Russians.
I went, "They were?"
590
00:26:03,381 --> 00:26:05,283
And we wrote it.
591
00:26:05,383 --> 00:26:08,353
- His idea was that, you know,
time's change.
592
00:26:08,453 --> 00:26:11,189
You know, you can't be,
you know, mad at a group
593
00:26:11,289 --> 00:26:14,526
for 100 years and you don't know
anything about them.
594
00:26:14,626 --> 00:26:16,227
- Michael Dorn was my idea.
595
00:26:16,327 --> 00:26:19,064
He could play
his own grandfather.
596
00:26:19,164 --> 00:26:22,868
I thought
that would be funny.
597
00:26:25,971 --> 00:26:29,908
- So "Star Trek IV" does
gangbusters at the box office.
598
00:26:30,008 --> 00:26:32,043
They're like, "Hang on,
this is a hot property."
599
00:26:32,143 --> 00:26:34,245
Gene's like,
"Guess what, fellas?
600
00:26:34,345 --> 00:26:35,814
I want to do I on TV again."
601
00:26:35,914 --> 00:26:38,149
And then Paramount's like...
- "Yes, please."
602
00:26:38,249 --> 00:26:39,417
- "I might as well."
- Yeah.
603
00:26:39,517 --> 00:26:40,652
- "Well, it's sitting here
doing nothing."
604
00:26:40,752 --> 00:26:41,853
- "How soon will you start?"
- So then we have
605
00:26:41,953 --> 00:26:43,555
"Star Trek:
The Next Generation" comes out.
606
00:26:48,259 --> 00:26:49,661
In 1987,
607
00:26:49,761 --> 00:26:52,564
21 years after the original
series hits the air,
608
00:26:52,664 --> 00:26:55,200
"Star Trek" returns to
television with the premiere
609
00:26:55,300 --> 00:26:57,435
of "The Next Generation."
610
00:26:57,535 --> 00:27:00,105
- Gene Roddenberry called me
and he was talking about
611
00:27:00,205 --> 00:27:01,339
a new version of "Star Trek"
612
00:27:01,439 --> 00:27:04,142
bouncing off the movies,
of course.
613
00:27:04,242 --> 00:27:08,446
He came up with the basics
for the older captain,
614
00:27:08,546 --> 00:27:11,783
for the characters that we see
in "Star Trek: Next Gen."
615
00:27:11,883 --> 00:27:14,720
Diehard fans
are skeptical of the reboot.
616
00:27:14,820 --> 00:27:17,656
- We got a bald, English
captain with a French name
617
00:27:17,756 --> 00:27:20,726
and you got a Klingon
on the bridge?
618
00:27:20,826 --> 00:27:23,729
Really? You got a blind guy
driving the ship?
619
00:27:23,829 --> 00:27:25,831
- Gene was there during
the first couple of years
620
00:27:25,931 --> 00:27:30,569
and all the spinoffs carried on
the tradition of "Star Trek."
621
00:27:30,669 --> 00:27:33,705
- When that cast was first
assembled and the show
622
00:27:33,805 --> 00:27:35,140
first went into production,
"The Next Generation,"
623
00:27:35,240 --> 00:27:36,542
I invited them here
to this house,
624
00:27:36,642 --> 00:27:38,243
the whole bunch of them,
all of them.
625
00:27:38,343 --> 00:27:40,145
"Come to my house.
Let's get to know each other.
626
00:27:40,245 --> 00:27:43,348
And good luck, and bon voyage.
I think--I hope it works."
627
00:27:43,448 --> 00:27:46,417
- When I first auditioned
for "Next Gen,"
628
00:27:46,517 --> 00:27:48,253
I was one of the few people
in the world
629
00:27:48,353 --> 00:27:51,723
who was not quite aware
of the phenomenon
630
00:27:51,823 --> 00:27:54,425
that we were about
to get involved with.
631
00:27:54,525 --> 00:27:57,462
- When I heard that they were
doing a next generation,
632
00:27:57,562 --> 00:28:00,331
I went, "Oh, afraid
I gotta do this," you know?
633
00:28:00,431 --> 00:28:02,568
- I got a call from my agent
who said, "You know what?
634
00:28:02,668 --> 00:28:04,069
They're casting 'Star Trek.'
Oh, my God."
635
00:28:04,169 --> 00:28:05,537
And she was a huge
"Star Trek" fan.
636
00:28:05,637 --> 00:28:09,207
I had no clue
it was going to be a big show.
637
00:28:09,307 --> 00:28:12,611
- So LeVar Burton
and I go to eat.
638
00:28:12,711 --> 00:28:14,145
I say,
"What are you doing?"
639
00:28:14,245 --> 00:28:18,884
He said, "Oh, you'll love this.
I'm doing 'Star Trek.'"
640
00:28:18,984 --> 00:28:21,687
I said, "Well,
I want to be on that."
641
00:28:21,787 --> 00:28:23,354
And he was like, "What?"
I was like, "No, no.
642
00:28:23,454 --> 00:28:25,490
You gotta tell them
I want to be on the show."
643
00:28:25,590 --> 00:28:28,994
And I made an appointment
to go see Gene.
644
00:28:29,094 --> 00:28:32,598
And Gene says,
"You want to be on 'Star Trek'?"
645
00:28:32,698 --> 00:28:35,967
I said, "Yes.
Yes."
646
00:28:36,067 --> 00:28:40,238
- And he asked me would I please
write the pilot script,
647
00:28:40,338 --> 00:28:43,374
"Encounter At Farpoint."
And I said, "Fine," did that.
648
00:28:43,474 --> 00:28:45,911
The question had been whether
Gene Roddenberry would do,
649
00:28:46,011 --> 00:28:48,880
you know, like a retrospective
back to the original "Star Trek"
650
00:28:48,980 --> 00:28:53,585
to lead into this or would he
add to my pilot script.
651
00:28:53,685 --> 00:28:55,687
He added all the stuff
that had to do with Q.
652
00:28:55,787 --> 00:28:58,924
- Three days into shooting,
uh, you know,
653
00:28:59,024 --> 00:29:01,860
somebody came up behind me
and put his hand on my shoulder
654
00:29:01,960 --> 00:29:05,897
and said, "You have no idea what
you've gotten yourself into."
655
00:29:05,997 --> 00:29:08,566
And it was--
it was Roddenberry.
656
00:29:08,666 --> 00:29:11,737
And I didn't have any idea.
I mean, you know.
657
00:29:11,837 --> 00:29:13,471
- Riker's relationship
with Picard,
658
00:29:13,571 --> 00:29:16,441
which was filled
with respect.
659
00:29:16,541 --> 00:29:18,644
With Data,
the curiosity that Data had
660
00:29:18,744 --> 00:29:20,478
about being a human being.
661
00:29:20,578 --> 00:29:25,450
And I worked
with Worf and Geordi,
662
00:29:25,550 --> 00:29:26,918
the three of us were sort of,
you know,
663
00:29:27,018 --> 00:29:29,688
we made the--we kept the
together on the ship.
664
00:29:29,788 --> 00:29:34,192
And it was--it all got
more natural.
665
00:29:34,292 --> 00:29:35,761
And as it got more natural,
666
00:29:35,861 --> 00:29:38,229
I think it got more appealing
to the audience.
667
00:29:38,329 --> 00:29:39,731
- I decided to write
a spec script,
668
00:29:39,831 --> 00:29:42,367
so I wrote a script
called "The Bonding."
669
00:29:42,467 --> 00:29:45,436
Michael Piller came aboard
to be the new head writer,
670
00:29:45,536 --> 00:29:47,238
and he found my script.
671
00:29:47,338 --> 00:29:49,240
And I get this call one day
672
00:29:49,340 --> 00:29:51,777
that he wants to buy it
and produce it,
673
00:29:51,877 --> 00:29:53,645
which literally
changed my life.
674
00:29:53,745 --> 00:29:57,248
- We used to do 26 episodes
a year, and it was great.
675
00:29:57,348 --> 00:29:58,684
So we'd work for ten months,
676
00:29:58,784 --> 00:30:00,852
and then the first Monday
after the 4th of July,
677
00:30:00,952 --> 00:30:02,153
we'd come back to work.
678
00:30:02,253 --> 00:30:06,357
And that lasted for seven years
and could have lasted,
679
00:30:06,457 --> 00:30:08,694
in all fairness,
for ten years probably.
680
00:30:08,794 --> 00:30:12,497
- The humans of the 24th century
on "Next Generation"
681
00:30:12,597 --> 00:30:15,333
didn't have the kinds
of problems and squabbles
682
00:30:15,433 --> 00:30:19,470
and petty jealousies
that we have today.
683
00:30:19,570 --> 00:30:21,673
- Chief O'Brien talks to me.
684
00:30:21,773 --> 00:30:24,342
Keiko talks to you.
685
00:30:24,442 --> 00:30:25,911
Why do they not talk
to each other?
686
00:30:26,011 --> 00:30:29,314
That's a good question, Data.
687
00:30:29,414 --> 00:30:31,783
I wish I had a good answer
for you.
688
00:30:31,883 --> 00:30:33,785
Perhaps when they're ready,
they will.
689
00:30:33,885 --> 00:30:38,724
- Hmm. Many aspects of this
situation are puzzling to me.
690
00:30:38,824 --> 00:30:43,528
- Roddenberry somehow magically
made us--made me
691
00:30:43,628 --> 00:30:48,433
believe in his vision
of the 24th century, right?
692
00:30:48,533 --> 00:30:51,703
He said to me,
"In the 24th century,
693
00:30:51,803 --> 00:30:55,673
there will be no hunger,
and there will be no greed.
694
00:30:55,773 --> 00:30:59,778
And all of the children
will know how to read.
695
00:30:59,878 --> 00:31:01,012
Gene Roddenberry.
696
00:31:01,112 --> 00:31:03,882
- He was given the right
to do "Star Trek"
697
00:31:03,982 --> 00:31:05,316
the way he wanted to do it.
698
00:31:05,416 --> 00:31:08,086
Unfortunately his health
was failing by the time
699
00:31:08,186 --> 00:31:10,922
they even got "Star Trek:
The Next Generation" on.
700
00:31:11,022 --> 00:31:12,991
So he didn't really get
the chance to do
701
00:31:13,091 --> 00:31:15,160
all of the things
he wanted to do.
702
00:31:15,260 --> 00:31:18,196
When Gene Roddenberry
dies in 1991,
703
00:31:18,296 --> 00:31:21,532
"The Next Generation"
is more popular than ever.
704
00:31:21,632 --> 00:31:25,370
Carrying on his legacy,
week after week,
705
00:31:25,470 --> 00:31:27,806
for the next three years.
706
00:31:27,906 --> 00:31:30,041
- There were those of us,
myself included,
707
00:31:30,141 --> 00:31:32,243
who thought it could go on
for ten years.
708
00:31:32,343 --> 00:31:33,912
That we weren't done yet.
709
00:31:34,012 --> 00:31:37,648
Knowing that there was another
series waiting in the wings
710
00:31:37,748 --> 00:31:40,018
where we could continue
to tell stories
711
00:31:40,118 --> 00:31:42,653
that we hadn't told yet
made that okay.
712
00:31:42,753 --> 00:31:46,124
And it seemed smart
to take "Next Gen" off
713
00:31:46,224 --> 00:31:47,793
at the peak
of its popularity.
714
00:31:47,893 --> 00:31:49,761
'Cause it was
a very popular show.
715
00:31:49,861 --> 00:31:52,230
There is a part of me
that wished,
716
00:31:52,330 --> 00:31:55,500
that wishes "Next Gen"
had continued.
717
00:32:00,638 --> 00:32:04,342
- I was asked to direct the
first "Next Generation" movie.
718
00:32:04,442 --> 00:32:05,811
I just--
I wasn't attracted to it.
719
00:32:05,911 --> 00:32:07,678
I read it,
720
00:32:07,778 --> 00:32:09,347
and it didn't feel
like something
721
00:32:09,447 --> 00:32:11,582
that I was gonna have
a good time doing.
722
00:32:11,682 --> 00:32:14,552
- Ron Moore and I
were asked to write
723
00:32:14,652 --> 00:32:16,922
the first
"Next Generation" movie.
724
00:32:17,022 --> 00:32:19,157
We were very excited.
725
00:32:19,257 --> 00:32:21,492
It was the first movie
either of us had written.
726
00:32:21,592 --> 00:32:24,629
We loved these characters.
We knew these characters.
727
00:32:24,729 --> 00:32:27,799
And we set about conceiving
the first "Next Gen" movie.
728
00:32:27,899 --> 00:32:29,567
Kind of hand-off
from the original series,
729
00:32:29,667 --> 00:32:30,768
Kirk to Picard.
730
00:32:30,868 --> 00:32:32,570
- There was sort of a list
of things
731
00:32:32,670 --> 00:32:34,372
that the movie had to have,
732
00:32:34,472 --> 00:32:35,573
so when Bran and I
stepped in,
733
00:32:35,673 --> 00:32:37,575
here's the list of things
it has to be.
734
00:32:37,675 --> 00:32:39,777
"It's gonna be the next first
"Next Gen" movie.
735
00:32:39,877 --> 00:32:41,446
"It can have
the original cast in it.
736
00:32:41,546 --> 00:32:43,581
"We want a transition film,
but the original cast
737
00:32:43,681 --> 00:32:45,050
"can only be in
the first ten minutes
738
00:32:45,150 --> 00:32:47,052
"or 15 minutes
of the movie tops.
739
00:32:47,152 --> 00:32:48,453
"It has to be a Picard story.
740
00:32:48,553 --> 00:32:50,588
"There has to be
a Data humorous runner in it.
741
00:32:50,688 --> 00:32:53,825
"We want to have a big villain,
sort of like Khan.
742
00:32:53,925 --> 00:32:55,927
"We also want to have
the Klingons in it.
743
00:32:56,027 --> 00:32:58,629
And it should probably have
some time travel involved."
744
00:32:58,729 --> 00:33:01,432
And you're just going,
"Okay.
745
00:33:01,532 --> 00:33:04,102
- By the time "Generations,"
the first movie, is coming out,
746
00:33:04,202 --> 00:33:06,771
you have Kirk and Picard on the
cover of "Time" magazine.
747
00:33:06,871 --> 00:33:09,674
That's the apex,
it's the zenith of the show.
748
00:33:09,774 --> 00:33:11,609
- "Generations" was still
in the theaters
749
00:33:11,709 --> 00:33:13,811
when the said,
"Hey, let's do another one.
750
00:33:13,911 --> 00:33:14,846
And we want you guys
to do the second one."
751
00:33:14,946 --> 00:33:16,247
And we said, "Okay."
752
00:33:16,347 --> 00:33:19,384
- "First Contact" was the film
that they should have made
753
00:33:19,484 --> 00:33:21,219
every time after that.
754
00:33:21,319 --> 00:33:23,021
- Then the second movie,
"First Contact,"
755
00:33:23,121 --> 00:33:24,990
is, you know,
a roller coaster ride
756
00:33:25,090 --> 00:33:28,026
and wonderful and really
sort of redeems that franchise.
757
00:33:28,126 --> 00:33:31,262
- That movie was a huge success.
It made a lot of money.
758
00:33:31,362 --> 00:33:32,663
And everybody liked it.
759
00:33:32,763 --> 00:33:34,933
And Alfre Woodard
was great in it.
760
00:33:35,033 --> 00:33:36,301
And Cromwell
was great in it.
761
00:33:36,401 --> 00:33:41,672
- I'm not a drinker,
so I got a fifth of Jamesons.
762
00:33:41,772 --> 00:33:45,911
And I took one
before when we rehearsed.
763
00:33:46,011 --> 00:33:49,880
And then between every shot,
I would go back up to my tr--
764
00:33:51,616 --> 00:33:56,321
So by the time I did the thing
we're at the bar,
765
00:33:56,421 --> 00:34:01,927
when I take the drink...
766
00:34:02,027 --> 00:34:04,829
Ahh!
767
00:34:04,929 --> 00:34:07,398
Oh!
768
00:34:09,134 --> 00:34:10,936
"Star Trek: First Contact"
769
00:34:11,036 --> 00:34:14,405
debuts in 1996
with Commander Riker himself,
770
00:34:14,505 --> 00:34:17,242
Jonathan Frakes
in the director's chair.
771
00:34:17,342 --> 00:34:18,676
- It was great to work
with Jonathan, you know?
772
00:34:18,776 --> 00:34:20,711
We'd worked with him before
as a director on the show,
773
00:34:20,811 --> 00:34:23,481
so we knew his working methods,
he knew us, you know.
774
00:34:23,581 --> 00:34:25,250
There was a great shorthand,
obviously,
775
00:34:25,350 --> 00:34:27,218
between him and the entire cast
and the crew.
776
00:34:27,318 --> 00:34:30,855
- This was our first movie
that was just "Next Gen."
777
00:34:30,955 --> 00:34:33,925
So that--that was
a life-changer, you know.
778
00:34:34,025 --> 00:34:35,893
- I think "Star Trek's"
a TV show.
779
00:34:35,993 --> 00:34:39,164
The movies are fun,
but, you know,
780
00:34:39,264 --> 00:34:40,698
it's--it's a TV show.
781
00:34:40,798 --> 00:34:44,069
It needs to tell the stories
each week.
782
00:34:44,169 --> 00:34:47,138
- "First Contact" is fanta--
it's like--
783
00:34:47,238 --> 00:34:49,640
it's the best of
the "Next Generation" movies.
784
00:34:49,740 --> 00:34:51,409
I'm sorry, everyone,
that's how I feel.
785
00:34:51,509 --> 00:34:53,578
- Probably.
- I see some grunting happening
786
00:34:53,678 --> 00:34:55,513
over on the corners here.
787
00:34:55,613 --> 00:34:57,848
Bobak, you grunted
particularly hard.
788
00:34:57,948 --> 00:34:59,684
- I'm just a big
"Insurrection" fan because--
789
00:34:59,784 --> 00:35:01,052
- What? What?
790
00:35:01,152 --> 00:35:02,620
- It's the most like
a "TNG" episode.
791
00:35:02,720 --> 00:35:05,256
The movies really, like,
diverge from my thought
792
00:35:05,356 --> 00:35:06,524
what made the show great.
793
00:35:06,624 --> 00:35:09,995
And I like that it was
a little bit more of that
794
00:35:10,095 --> 00:35:12,930
"TNG"-style episode than I felt
the rest of the movies were.
795
00:35:13,030 --> 00:35:14,832
- So we go
from "Insurrection."
796
00:35:14,932 --> 00:35:17,602
"Voyager's" still running
at this point.
797
00:35:17,702 --> 00:35:21,139
And then we end up with,
I hate to say it,
798
00:35:21,239 --> 00:35:22,974
"Star Trek: Nemesis,"
so Janeway--
799
00:35:23,074 --> 00:35:24,475
- They asked me to be in that.
Did you know that?
800
00:35:24,575 --> 00:35:26,077
- Really? What were you
gonna do in that?
801
00:35:26,177 --> 00:35:27,545
Were you gonna be
on the Enterprise?
802
00:35:27,645 --> 00:35:28,713
- Evidently.
- Why would you say no?
803
00:35:28,813 --> 00:35:30,048
What is wrong with you?
804
00:35:30,148 --> 00:35:31,516
- 'Cause I had just gotten off
of "Voyager."
805
00:35:31,616 --> 00:35:33,318
- Oh, my God, Jeri.
- My biggest fear is in signing
806
00:35:33,418 --> 00:35:36,254
on to "Star Trek" to begin with,
not having been a fan,
807
00:35:36,354 --> 00:35:37,755
and not really knowing much
about it other than that
808
00:35:37,855 --> 00:35:39,457
the actors get pigeonholed.
- Yeah.
809
00:35:39,557 --> 00:35:40,725
- And it was sort of known
for that.
810
00:35:40,825 --> 00:35:43,294
- Yeah.
- That was one of my big fears
811
00:35:43,394 --> 00:35:46,564
in accepting the role is ever
breaking out of that character.
812
00:35:46,664 --> 00:35:48,499
I don't know if that's even...
- No, please.
813
00:35:48,599 --> 00:35:50,135
- Known by anybody,
but apparently they were
814
00:35:50,235 --> 00:35:51,269
replacing a character.
815
00:35:51,369 --> 00:35:53,304
They were gonna yank
and character out
816
00:35:53,404 --> 00:35:55,173
and stick Seven of Nine
in there.
817
00:35:55,273 --> 00:35:56,607
It's a popular character,
get her in the movie.
818
00:35:56,707 --> 00:35:58,643
And that's what it felt like.
And it didn't feel like
819
00:35:58,743 --> 00:35:59,777
it would be anything
other than that story-wise.
820
00:35:59,877 --> 00:36:05,483
- Yeah.
821
00:36:05,583 --> 00:36:08,085
"Deep Space Nine"
is the most meaningful to me.
822
00:36:08,485 --> 00:36:10,521
Because it gets into
823
00:36:10,621 --> 00:36:11,756
the darker side.
824
00:36:11,856 --> 00:36:13,491
I mean, it's after
Gene Roddenberry's death.
825
00:36:13,591 --> 00:36:16,627
They're kinda free to kind of
get away from this, you know,
826
00:36:16,727 --> 00:36:18,796
- everything ends happily.
- Yeah.
827
00:36:18,896 --> 00:36:21,132
- You know, you look at war
in a variety of different ways.
828
00:36:21,232 --> 00:36:23,501
I mean, there's a great episode
on PTSD,
829
00:36:23,601 --> 00:36:26,437
where Nog has to deal
with the loss of his leg.
830
00:36:26,537 --> 00:36:27,772
Nobody does that kind of stuff.
- Right.
831
00:36:27,872 --> 00:36:29,207
On science fiction in particular.
832
00:36:29,307 --> 00:36:32,543
And so I think that show
in terms of its depth,
833
00:36:32,643 --> 00:36:34,779
in terms of the issues
it would address,
834
00:36:34,879 --> 00:36:36,547
I thought made it
the best.
835
00:36:36,647 --> 00:36:38,649
And, you know, arguably there
are some of the best episodes
836
00:36:38,749 --> 00:36:41,252
of all 700-plus hours.
837
00:36:45,990 --> 00:36:47,558
- "The Next Generation"
had become such a success
838
00:36:47,658 --> 00:36:49,294
in first-run syndication
for the studio
839
00:36:49,394 --> 00:36:51,896
that they wanted more,
so you had "Deep Space Nine,"
840
00:36:51,996 --> 00:36:55,066
which was about
a space station
841
00:36:55,166 --> 00:36:56,534
and it was a little darker.
842
00:36:56,634 --> 00:36:58,303
- "Next Gen" was
my undergraduate studies
843
00:36:58,403 --> 00:37:00,105
in TV writing and production,
844
00:37:00,205 --> 00:37:01,572
and "Deep Space Nine"
was graduate.
845
00:37:01,672 --> 00:37:05,410
- "DS9" had such
a different feel
846
00:37:05,510 --> 00:37:06,777
while still being
"Star Trek."
847
00:37:06,877 --> 00:37:08,379
It took things even deeper.
848
00:37:08,479 --> 00:37:10,848
- We were attracted to doing
darker stories.
849
00:37:10,948 --> 00:37:12,683
We were attracted
to doing stories
850
00:37:12,783 --> 00:37:14,152
that had much more conflict
in them,
851
00:37:14,252 --> 00:37:15,920
that were more morally
ambiguous,
852
00:37:16,020 --> 00:37:18,723
that were tackling
difficult subject matter
853
00:37:18,823 --> 00:37:20,057
with our characters.
854
00:37:20,157 --> 00:37:22,927
And we all felt
that we were pushing "Trek,"
855
00:37:23,027 --> 00:37:24,729
but none of us felt like
we were breaking it.
856
00:37:24,829 --> 00:37:29,167
- That was the first time
that you see
857
00:37:29,267 --> 00:37:36,174
what television is now,
which is dark and foreboding.
858
00:37:36,274 --> 00:37:39,043
- And I really wanted
to do the show.
859
00:37:39,143 --> 00:37:41,179
Really wanted
to do the show.
860
00:37:41,279 --> 00:37:42,880
I-I was like--
861
00:37:42,980 --> 00:37:46,451
I just--not only as an actor
who would get a steady paycheck,
862
00:37:46,551 --> 00:37:49,053
but more importantly,
as a fan of the show
863
00:37:49,153 --> 00:37:52,490
I wanted to be part of the ethos
that was "Star Trek."
864
00:37:52,590 --> 00:37:55,526
- It's really nice to see that
people could stick with the show
865
00:37:55,626 --> 00:37:59,230
when it became darker and more
demanding of its audience.
866
00:37:59,330 --> 00:38:05,035
- But no victory can make
this moment any easier for me.
867
00:38:05,135 --> 00:38:12,109
And I promise I will not rest
until I stand with you again.
868
00:38:12,209 --> 00:38:14,111
- Somebody had
the brilliant idea
869
00:38:14,211 --> 00:38:18,416
of bringing Worf
onto our show.
870
00:38:18,516 --> 00:38:21,852
- Unfortunately, I will be away
from the station at that time.
871
00:38:21,952 --> 00:38:23,688
- What they hoped would happen
did happen.
872
00:38:23,788 --> 00:38:26,924
Thousands,
if not millions, of people
873
00:38:27,024 --> 00:38:29,960
watched because Worf
was on the show.
874
00:38:30,060 --> 00:38:33,464
And so our fan base
got resurrected
875
00:38:33,564 --> 00:38:34,899
because of Michael Dorn.
876
00:38:34,999 --> 00:38:37,468
- And I had my concerns
about that
877
00:38:37,568 --> 00:38:39,970
'cause I didn't want Worf
to be standing around,
878
00:38:40,070 --> 00:38:42,307
just to be a, you know,
some guy that just--
879
00:38:42,407 --> 00:38:43,574
they throw in there.
880
00:38:43,674 --> 00:38:45,843
I really want him to open up
as a character.
881
00:38:45,943 --> 00:38:49,480
- Worf was, like, really
the only choice from that cast
882
00:38:49,580 --> 00:38:51,382
that made any sense
and that would actually add
883
00:38:51,482 --> 00:38:52,750
something to the puzzle.
884
00:38:52,850 --> 00:38:55,553
Here's the war-like character
coming into a situation
885
00:38:55,653 --> 00:38:57,121
that's a war-torn environment.
886
00:38:57,221 --> 00:38:59,590
So that made a certain
amount of sense.
887
00:38:59,690 --> 00:39:02,927
- What is that smell?
888
00:39:03,027 --> 00:39:08,098
Is there a pile
of rotting forshak in here.
889
00:39:08,198 --> 00:39:10,501
I loved my time
on "Next Generation,"
890
00:39:10,601 --> 00:39:13,938
but the work I did
on "Deep Space" was much better.
891
00:39:14,038 --> 00:39:16,707
- Over my tenure
on "Deep Space,"
892
00:39:16,807 --> 00:39:18,042
that was the mantra was,
893
00:39:18,142 --> 00:39:20,311
"How far can we push
this franchise?
894
00:39:20,411 --> 00:39:21,912
"Or what are the places
we can go
895
00:39:22,012 --> 00:39:23,348
"that none of the other shows
can go?
896
00:39:23,448 --> 00:39:25,015
"What can't they do
in 'Star Trek,'
897
00:39:25,115 --> 00:39:26,584
and is there a way
we can do it?"
898
00:39:26,684 --> 00:39:29,019
- Every "Star Trek" show broke
grounds in some way, you know?
899
00:39:29,119 --> 00:39:32,390
"Deep Space Nine,"
Sisko, he was a black captain.
900
00:39:32,490 --> 00:39:35,092
And then you have Janeway
in "Voyager," a woman.
901
00:39:35,192 --> 00:39:37,728
I mean, they were always
thinking ahead.
902
00:39:42,700 --> 00:39:45,270
When "Voyager"
launches in 1995,
903
00:39:45,370 --> 00:39:47,238
"Star Trek" has been pushing
the envelope
904
00:39:47,338 --> 00:39:49,139
for nearly 30 years.
905
00:39:49,239 --> 00:39:52,009
The new series pushes further.
906
00:39:52,109 --> 00:39:54,379
- A lot of women
of a certain age
907
00:39:54,479 --> 00:39:57,348
who that show meant a lot to
because of Kate.
908
00:39:57,448 --> 00:39:58,949
You know, they look at it,
you know,
909
00:39:59,049 --> 00:40:00,751
the same way that guys
of my generation
910
00:40:00,851 --> 00:40:02,453
look at Kirk
as a role model,
911
00:40:02,553 --> 00:40:04,689
they look at Kate's Janeway
and say,
912
00:40:04,789 --> 00:40:07,292
"You know, she proved that,
you know,
913
00:40:07,392 --> 00:40:10,728
"I could be thoughtful
and smart and commanding,
914
00:40:10,828 --> 00:40:13,364
and not necessarily use my
sexuality to get what I want."
915
00:40:13,464 --> 00:40:16,801
- Then you leave me
no choice.
916
00:40:16,901 --> 00:40:19,570
You are hereby relieved of duty
until further notice.
917
00:40:19,670 --> 00:40:21,606
- As a writer,
writing Captain Janeway,
918
00:40:21,706 --> 00:40:23,441
I didn't think of her
as a woman.
919
00:40:23,541 --> 00:40:24,909
I thought of her as the captain.
920
00:40:25,009 --> 00:40:28,145
And I think it's great that she
ended up being a role model
921
00:40:28,245 --> 00:40:30,681
to a lot of people,
men or women.
922
00:40:30,781 --> 00:40:32,950
- I was very
happy and proud
923
00:40:33,050 --> 00:40:36,887
of what the producers had done
with this cast in "Voyager."
924
00:40:36,987 --> 00:40:39,189
First of all, starting off
with a female captain
925
00:40:39,289 --> 00:40:40,658
'cause we had not
seen that before.
926
00:40:40,758 --> 00:40:43,761
- My friend, Rene,
got cast in "Deep Space."
927
00:40:43,861 --> 00:40:47,164
And he told me how cool it was,
and I envied him.
928
00:40:47,264 --> 00:40:49,033
I said, "What a great show
to be on," you know.
929
00:40:49,133 --> 00:40:50,735
And then
a couple of years later,
930
00:40:50,835 --> 00:40:52,437
boom,
I was in "Voyager."
931
00:40:52,537 --> 00:40:54,339
And I-I had no idea
932
00:40:54,439 --> 00:40:56,441
what the character was
makeup-wise, you know?
933
00:40:56,541 --> 00:40:59,310
But I flew out
and I-I went into the room,
934
00:40:59,410 --> 00:41:01,512
and there was UPN,
and there was Paramount,
935
00:41:01,612 --> 00:41:04,949
and there were the creators
of "Star Trek."
936
00:41:05,049 --> 00:41:07,217
And, um, I read
937
00:41:07,317 --> 00:41:09,387
and I guess I was exactly what
what they were looking for.
938
00:41:09,487 --> 00:41:12,256
- "Star Trek: Voyager" is
probably my first acting job.
939
00:41:12,356 --> 00:41:14,291
And I was so excited,
and I was so nervous.
940
00:41:14,391 --> 00:41:18,329
It was a two-part special
and I was playing a scientist.
941
00:41:18,429 --> 00:41:19,764
- What do you do here?
942
00:41:19,864 --> 00:41:22,667
- We watch the skies.
- For what?
943
00:41:22,767 --> 00:41:25,302
- Signs of
extraterrestrial life.
944
00:41:25,402 --> 00:41:27,037
Nice meeting you.
945
00:41:27,137 --> 00:41:29,540
I remembered
going to my acting coach,
946
00:41:29,640 --> 00:41:32,109
and he read through the script.
947
00:41:32,209 --> 00:41:34,512
I was looking to him
for guidance.
948
00:41:34,612 --> 00:41:37,214
And he just went, uh,
949
00:41:37,314 --> 00:41:39,884
"You know, sometimes when
you're running from lasers,
950
00:41:39,984 --> 00:41:44,154
you just--you just gotta pretend
you're running from lasers."
951
00:41:44,254 --> 00:41:47,725
- Get down!
952
00:41:47,825 --> 00:41:49,527
- I was like, "Oh.'
Ahem.
953
00:41:49,627 --> 00:41:50,995
It gave me so much freedom.
954
00:41:51,095 --> 00:41:53,631
I was like, "Oh, yeah,
I just--I pretend," you know?
955
00:41:53,731 --> 00:41:58,002
You don't really draw from
your childhood or something.
956
00:41:58,102 --> 00:42:00,505
You just pretend
you're running from lasers.
957
00:42:02,640 --> 00:42:04,341
What the hell?
958
00:42:04,441 --> 00:42:06,477
- What I wanted to do
was bring the Borg in.
959
00:42:06,577 --> 00:42:08,379
It was my feeling
that the Borg
960
00:42:08,479 --> 00:42:10,981
could always be
"Voyager's" Klingons.
961
00:42:11,081 --> 00:42:12,249
They needed
a recurring villain.
962
00:42:12,349 --> 00:42:14,118
And for better or worse,
963
00:42:14,218 --> 00:42:15,786
that's what
we ended up doing.
964
00:42:15,886 --> 00:42:18,055
And it's one of the things
that defined "Voyager"
965
00:42:18,155 --> 00:42:20,758
was the introduction
of the Seven of Nine character.
966
00:42:20,858 --> 00:42:25,496
You had a very sexy woman
in a very sexy outfit.
967
00:42:25,596 --> 00:42:26,764
You know,
it was supposed to lure in
968
00:42:26,864 --> 00:42:28,165
a certain male demographic.
969
00:42:28,265 --> 00:42:31,168
But, in reality,
she was the Spock character.
970
00:42:31,268 --> 00:42:33,203
She was the Data character.
971
00:42:33,303 --> 00:42:34,405
- Report.
972
00:42:34,505 --> 00:42:36,841
- I've applied
10,053 algorithms
973
00:42:36,941 --> 00:42:40,044
to the energy signatures
produced by chaotic space.
974
00:42:40,144 --> 00:42:43,313
- The Roddenberry influence
was always respected.
975
00:42:43,413 --> 00:42:45,583
We didn't want
to do something
976
00:42:45,683 --> 00:42:49,520
totally, outrageously
anti-Roddenberry.
977
00:42:49,620 --> 00:42:51,656
- It's almost like you have
to keep pinching yourself.
978
00:42:51,756 --> 00:42:54,459
You show up on these sets
and you have to remind yourself,
979
00:42:54,559 --> 00:42:57,194
"I'm in the middle of something
that when we do it right,
980
00:42:57,294 --> 00:42:59,296
is really important,
can really affect people."
981
00:42:59,396 --> 00:43:01,532
Now it's hard to do that
on every single episode.
982
00:43:01,632 --> 00:43:03,768
I don't know who has ever
succeeded in that,
983
00:43:03,868 --> 00:43:06,537
but I think that we all
could feel as a cast
984
00:43:06,637 --> 00:43:09,774
when we were telling
a good story and doing it well.
985
00:43:15,279 --> 00:43:16,747
- There was a lot of discussion
what "Enterprise"
986
00:43:16,847 --> 00:43:19,316
would look like
and feel like.
987
00:43:19,416 --> 00:43:20,751
"Star Trek: Enterprise"
988
00:43:20,851 --> 00:43:23,053
is a prequel
to the entire franchise.
989
00:43:23,153 --> 00:43:24,789
Set in the 22nd century,
990
00:43:24,889 --> 00:43:28,258
as Starfleet's first explorers
venture into space.
991
00:43:28,358 --> 00:43:30,294
- You know, we were trying to,
I think,
992
00:43:30,394 --> 00:43:32,196
deconstruct "Star Trek"
and figure out, you know,
993
00:43:32,296 --> 00:43:33,498
how it all came together.
994
00:43:33,598 --> 00:43:35,265
You know,
we'd certainly seen the future
995
00:43:35,365 --> 00:43:37,735
of where it was all going.
996
00:43:37,835 --> 00:43:40,738
And it was a real challenge
to kind of back that up
997
00:43:40,838 --> 00:43:43,841
and imagine, you know,
what was this--
998
00:43:43,941 --> 00:43:47,011
what was this like 150 years
before Captain Kirk.
999
00:43:47,111 --> 00:43:49,213
- I called my mother
and said,
1000
00:43:49,313 --> 00:43:51,482
"Ma, I'm not gonna have
to stress about work.
1001
00:43:51,582 --> 00:43:52,650
I got a job."
1002
00:43:52,750 --> 00:43:56,120
- I had to audition with
a slight alien accent
1003
00:43:56,220 --> 00:43:59,056
for the character of Dr. Phlox,
which puzzled me.
1004
00:43:59,156 --> 00:44:00,825
I didn't really know what to do,
so I--
1005
00:44:00,925 --> 00:44:02,693
I sort of tried out
a variety of funny voices
1006
00:44:02,793 --> 00:44:04,461
with my wife before I settled
on the voice
1007
00:44:04,561 --> 00:44:06,296
I eventually arrived at.
1008
00:44:06,396 --> 00:44:07,965
Sounds sort of vaguely
East Indian.
1009
00:44:08,065 --> 00:44:11,869
I don't believe
you'll be needing my services.
1010
00:44:11,969 --> 00:44:13,538
- You know, I thought that
we were gonna make it
1011
00:44:13,638 --> 00:44:15,139
and that we were gonna do
seven years
1012
00:44:15,239 --> 00:44:16,707
like all the rest
of these shows.
1013
00:44:16,807 --> 00:44:19,844
- I was just trying to tell
good stories
1014
00:44:19,944 --> 00:44:23,981
and do Gene's vision proud.
1015
00:44:24,081 --> 00:44:26,917
Tell the best "Star Trek"
stories that I could, you know?
1016
00:44:27,017 --> 00:44:29,286
And now that I'm no longer
involved with the show,
1017
00:44:29,386 --> 00:44:35,693
I'm the fan eagerly awaiting
the next television show.
1018
00:44:37,762 --> 00:44:40,497
- So in the '60s, I mean,
it a period of racial discord.
1019
00:44:40,597 --> 00:44:43,300
We got the Vietnam War,
youth rebellions,
1020
00:44:43,400 --> 00:44:45,736
emerging feminism,
and, you know, TV--
1021
00:44:45,836 --> 00:44:48,272
- Dirty hippies.
- Dirty hi--exactly.
1022
00:44:48,372 --> 00:44:50,174
There's no series
or television show
1023
00:44:50,274 --> 00:44:51,475
really addressing
these things.
1024
00:44:51,575 --> 00:44:53,578
You know, Roddenberry's able
to do is kind of explore
1025
00:44:53,678 --> 00:44:57,314
these things, but again,
in a way which is--
1026
00:44:57,414 --> 00:44:59,183
not only avoids the censors,
1027
00:44:59,283 --> 00:45:00,818
which he had a lot
of problems with,
1028
00:45:00,918 --> 00:45:03,520
but also allows the audience
1029
00:45:03,620 --> 00:45:06,090
to kind of look at it
from a different perspective.
1030
00:45:06,190 --> 00:45:08,525
And if they were looking
at race in America
1031
00:45:08,625 --> 00:45:10,828
on a documentary,
that's just not gonna have
1032
00:45:10,928 --> 00:45:12,329
the kind of impact,
whereas in
1033
00:45:12,429 --> 00:45:13,764
"Let That Be
Your Last Battlefield,"
1034
00:45:13,864 --> 00:45:15,532
we have the black
and white faces.
1035
00:45:15,632 --> 00:45:17,367
You know, and you can imagine
what the American public
1036
00:45:17,467 --> 00:45:19,336
was looking at this going,
"You know,
1037
00:45:19,436 --> 00:45:20,805
yeah, this is right.
This is kinda strange."
1038
00:45:20,905 --> 00:45:23,307
And again, this is an episode
that was done right after Mart--
1039
00:45:23,407 --> 00:45:24,308
it was produced
right after
1040
00:45:24,408 --> 00:45:25,610
Martin Luther King's
assassination.
1041
00:45:25,710 --> 00:45:27,578
- That's the beauty of sci-fi.
You can sort of
1042
00:45:27,678 --> 00:45:30,414
have these allegories
without
1043
00:45:30,514 --> 00:45:32,282
people knowing they're being
taught a lesson.
1044
00:45:32,382 --> 00:45:33,584
- Yeah.
- Big two on the nose.
1045
00:45:33,684 --> 00:45:34,719
- Yeah, they just think
they're watching
1046
00:45:34,819 --> 00:45:37,554
a fun space adventure
with a Canadian.
1047
00:45:41,225 --> 00:45:44,629
- "Star Trek" very much
at a time when, you know,
1048
00:45:44,729 --> 00:45:47,464
race, in particular, in the '60s
was such a big thing.
1049
00:45:47,564 --> 00:45:49,399
It broke down those barriers
in terms of talking--
1050
00:45:49,499 --> 00:45:53,303
talking about color,
multi-culturalism, other people.
1051
00:45:53,403 --> 00:45:57,842
And instead of making walls,
and instead of trying to
1052
00:45:57,942 --> 00:45:59,509
villainize others,
1053
00:45:59,609 --> 00:46:01,345
it was all
about embracing the other.
1054
00:46:01,445 --> 00:46:05,716
- Because, you know, when you
look at the "Star Trek" world,
1055
00:46:05,816 --> 00:46:09,419
you know, Gene really wanted
to create a world
1056
00:46:09,519 --> 00:46:12,489
where everybody could be,
you know?
1057
00:46:12,589 --> 00:46:14,925
And if we were having
some kind of trouble,
1058
00:46:15,025 --> 00:46:16,226
we could talk it out.
1059
00:46:16,326 --> 00:46:19,697
- We had one of the most
wonderful icons
1060
00:46:19,797 --> 00:46:22,967
in Nichelle Nichols, who was
not only African American,
1061
00:46:23,067 --> 00:46:25,102
she was a woman.
1062
00:46:25,202 --> 00:46:27,705
And, you know, she was there
on the bridge all the time.
1063
00:46:27,805 --> 00:46:29,173
She was important.
1064
00:46:29,273 --> 00:46:30,875
Sometimes she would just say,
"Channels open, sir,"
1065
00:46:30,975 --> 00:46:33,377
but the thing was
that she was there.
1066
00:46:33,477 --> 00:46:37,581
- She speaks
perfect English.
1067
00:46:37,681 --> 00:46:41,051
She's the communications officer
1068
00:46:41,151 --> 00:46:43,353
and she takes that
very seriously.
1069
00:46:43,453 --> 00:46:46,791
- She is not only gorgeous,
1070
00:46:46,891 --> 00:46:49,827
but she is
the communications officer.
1071
00:46:49,927 --> 00:46:51,595
She's the one you have
to talk to
1072
00:46:51,695 --> 00:46:53,964
if you want to talk
to anybody out in space.
1073
00:46:54,064 --> 00:46:56,233
And she's fly, okay?
1074
00:46:56,333 --> 00:46:59,737
And they all want to bone her,
and you know it.
1075
00:46:59,837 --> 00:47:02,106
- And there were some stations
in the South that said,
1076
00:47:02,206 --> 00:47:03,640
"Oh, you're having,"
what was then,
1077
00:47:03,740 --> 00:47:06,410
"a black woman on the bridge.
1078
00:47:06,510 --> 00:47:07,812
We're not gonna show
your show."
1079
00:47:07,912 --> 00:47:10,247
And Roddenberry said,
"you," you know.
1080
00:47:11,415 --> 00:47:13,617
And, you know,
"Too bad. You lose."
1081
00:47:13,717 --> 00:47:16,453
- A woman of color
in the late '60s
1082
00:47:16,553 --> 00:47:19,056
while the civil rights riots
were going on.
1083
00:47:19,156 --> 00:47:22,126
Her presence there
was a big deal.
1084
00:47:22,226 --> 00:47:24,929
- I had just been offered
1085
00:47:25,029 --> 00:47:28,098
a major role
in a Broadway musical.
1086
00:47:28,198 --> 00:47:32,436
And I met
Dr. Martin Luther King.
1087
00:47:32,536 --> 00:47:36,807
And I was so excited
to tell him.
1088
00:47:36,907 --> 00:47:38,876
And he said,
"You can't do that."
1089
00:47:38,976 --> 00:47:41,846
He said, "Don't you understand
what you're doing?
1090
00:47:41,946 --> 00:47:45,349
"This is television and
there's nobody like you on TV.
1091
00:47:45,449 --> 00:47:49,653
You can't--
you can't abdicate."
1092
00:47:49,753 --> 00:47:50,921
And I couldn't.
1093
00:47:51,021 --> 00:47:52,689
- The main thing
that has struck me
1094
00:47:52,789 --> 00:47:58,362
about Gene's series at the time
was how he mirrored
1095
00:47:58,462 --> 00:48:00,530
the things that were going on
in our society
1096
00:48:00,630 --> 00:48:03,467
by using the aliens
and the humans
1097
00:48:03,567 --> 00:48:05,069
to carry out those storylines.
1098
00:48:05,169 --> 00:48:06,771
He was very clever
in doing that.
1099
00:48:06,871 --> 00:48:07,972
- I liked the idea.
1100
00:48:08,072 --> 00:48:11,108
I'm not sure
it was always executed
1101
00:48:11,208 --> 00:48:12,810
as well as it might have.
1102
00:48:12,910 --> 00:48:14,244
I think we used the bludgeon
1103
00:48:14,344 --> 00:48:17,014
when we did the story of the
half black and half white.
1104
00:48:17,114 --> 00:48:19,383
You know, but we did it
you know?
1105
00:48:19,483 --> 00:48:22,152
And good for us
for taking on the issue.
1106
00:48:22,252 --> 00:48:24,321
- I am black
on the right side.
1107
00:48:27,357 --> 00:48:28,692
*
1108
00:48:28,792 --> 00:48:31,829
- I fail to see
the significant difference.
1109
00:48:31,929 --> 00:48:33,463
- Lokai is white
on the right--
1110
00:48:33,563 --> 00:48:36,733
all of his people are white
on the right side.
1111
00:48:36,833 --> 00:48:39,837
- Frank Gorshin
was a wonderful performer,
1112
00:48:39,937 --> 00:48:42,807
and he and Lou Antonio
were the two actors
1113
00:48:42,907 --> 00:48:45,009
who played
these opposing roles.
1114
00:48:45,109 --> 00:48:47,544
People who were actually
mirror images of each other
1115
00:48:47,644 --> 00:48:50,647
should hate each other
they way they did.
1116
00:48:50,747 --> 00:48:53,150
And there was that great moment
where Kirk says,
1117
00:48:53,250 --> 00:48:55,352
"Why do you people
hate each other so much?
1118
00:48:55,452 --> 00:48:57,687
You're--you're the same."
1119
00:48:57,787 --> 00:48:59,123
"Don't you get it?
1120
00:48:59,223 --> 00:49:01,826
He's black on the right side,
I'm black on the left."
1121
00:49:01,926 --> 00:49:05,229
You know, "Oh."
1122
00:49:05,329 --> 00:49:07,031
- Science fiction
is at its best
1123
00:49:07,131 --> 00:49:08,732
when it challenges you.
1124
00:49:08,832 --> 00:49:11,936
It presents a message
while disguising itself
1125
00:49:12,036 --> 00:49:13,403
as entertainment.
1126
00:49:13,503 --> 00:49:15,672
- In an episode called
"Symbiosis,"
1127
00:49:15,772 --> 00:49:18,809
there's a planet
where they're all addicted.
1128
00:49:18,909 --> 00:49:21,745
And there's another species
1129
00:49:21,845 --> 00:49:23,814
that always supplies them
with their drug.
1130
00:49:23,914 --> 00:49:25,816
And we know that--
that this is
1131
00:49:25,916 --> 00:49:28,752
this horrible enabling
situation.
1132
00:49:28,852 --> 00:49:32,256
And we could easily cure
the addicts.
1133
00:49:32,356 --> 00:49:36,693
- Please, help us.
- I'm not sure that I can.
1134
00:49:39,029 --> 00:49:40,430
- But do we get involved
1135
00:49:40,530 --> 00:49:41,932
or do we let them
figure it out?
1136
00:49:42,032 --> 00:49:45,035
- The moment that I felt
was so haunting to me
1137
00:49:45,135 --> 00:49:47,737
was the one where
B'Elanna is pregnant
1138
00:49:47,837 --> 00:49:50,841
and can see that her child
will have Klingon DNA
1139
00:49:50,941 --> 00:49:54,111
and be born with the forehead
and she has developed a way
1140
00:49:54,211 --> 00:49:56,046
to possibly alter that
so her daughter
1141
00:49:56,146 --> 00:49:58,515
doesn't have to go through
what she went through.
1142
00:49:58,615 --> 00:50:01,518
And I wept when I read
the episode.
1143
00:50:01,618 --> 00:50:03,187
But then to be responsible
for a child
1144
00:50:03,287 --> 00:50:06,790
and to have the technology to
change the future of this child.
1145
00:50:06,890 --> 00:50:09,259
And it was, um--
1146
00:50:09,359 --> 00:50:11,128
it was a difficult
and wonderful episode.
1147
00:50:11,228 --> 00:50:12,796
- When you look at Data,
you know,
1148
00:50:12,896 --> 00:50:15,900
at one point he is on trial,
you know.
1149
00:50:16,000 --> 00:50:20,604
And it's, like, is he on trial
because he's different?
1150
00:50:20,704 --> 00:50:24,641
Is he on trial because
he should be not be thinking
1151
00:50:24,741 --> 00:50:26,776
the way that he's thinking
because he's, after all,
1152
00:50:26,876 --> 00:50:28,845
a machine
and should not be moving--
1153
00:50:28,945 --> 00:50:32,716
I mean, they're all the
questions that we deal with.
1154
00:50:32,816 --> 00:50:36,020
And whether it's race
because it's skin color,
1155
00:50:36,120 --> 00:50:38,855
or race because
you're an android,
1156
00:50:38,955 --> 00:50:41,992
or, you know, race because
you're only this big and fuzzy.
1157
00:50:42,092 --> 00:50:43,460
You're a Tribble,
you know?
1158
00:50:43,560 --> 00:50:46,663
It's all of these stories
go into saying,
1159
00:50:46,763 --> 00:50:50,167
"Hey, we actually all have
to try to do this together."
1160
00:50:52,102 --> 00:50:53,904
- The cultural makeup
of the bridge,
1161
00:50:54,004 --> 00:50:55,705
that was science fiction...
- Absolutely.
1162
00:50:55,805 --> 00:50:57,441
- In the mid '60s.
1163
00:50:57,541 --> 00:50:59,709
People who watch it today
have no idea
1164
00:50:59,809 --> 00:51:02,312
how startling that was.
1165
00:51:02,412 --> 00:51:04,681
You had
this multi-cultural crew,
1166
00:51:04,781 --> 00:51:05,882
not just multi-cultural,
1167
00:51:05,982 --> 00:51:09,053
but it was male and female
as well.
1168
00:51:09,153 --> 00:51:11,989
I mean, I know that when
Roddenberry did the first pilot
1169
00:51:12,089 --> 00:51:13,790
and Majel Barrett
was Number One,
1170
00:51:13,890 --> 00:51:15,725
the studio was like...
- Yeah.
1171
00:51:15,825 --> 00:51:21,865
- Who's gonna believe a woman
in charge of a starship?
1172
00:51:21,965 --> 00:51:23,667
- The thing that's really
amazing about "Star Trek"
1173
00:51:23,767 --> 00:51:25,235
is that it definitely has
inspired people
1174
00:51:25,335 --> 00:51:27,637
to sort of, you know,
proceed down that path, right?
1175
00:51:27,737 --> 00:51:29,273
- Yeah.
- A lot of technologists,
1176
00:51:29,373 --> 00:51:31,841
of course talk about the
StarTAC Motorola phone, right?
1177
00:51:31,941 --> 00:51:33,510
The flip phone
coming from the communicator.
1178
00:51:33,610 --> 00:51:36,513
But it gives people a vision
to sort of think about,
1179
00:51:36,613 --> 00:51:38,048
"Well, why isn't
that possible?
1180
00:51:38,148 --> 00:51:39,449
- Well, the PADD
is an obvious thing,
1181
00:51:39,549 --> 00:51:41,585
which the iPad, I think,
was designed after specifically.
1182
00:51:41,685 --> 00:51:43,153
- Didn't they say...
- Yes.
1183
00:51:43,253 --> 00:51:44,321
- He took the design from iPad--
- Yes.
1184
00:51:44,421 --> 00:51:47,024
- Well, they wanted to call it
a PADD,
1185
00:51:47,124 --> 00:51:48,558
Personal Access Display Device,
1186
00:51:48,658 --> 00:51:49,726
which is what we called it
on the show,
1187
00:51:49,826 --> 00:51:51,495
but Paramount
wouldn't allow it.
1188
00:51:51,595 --> 00:51:53,263
- And what's really neat,
I mean,
1189
00:51:53,363 --> 00:51:54,931
the computer interaction
is things like we get
1190
00:51:55,031 --> 00:51:57,367
with Siri and Alexa.
- Well, yes, exactly.
1191
00:51:57,467 --> 00:51:59,169
I mean, you literally talk
to a computer,
1192
00:51:59,269 --> 00:52:01,038
and it, you know,
responds to your queries.
1193
00:52:01,138 --> 00:52:02,806
- Wow, you don't even
think about that.
1194
00:52:02,906 --> 00:52:03,807
- Yeah.
- I mean, I think this is
1195
00:52:03,907 --> 00:52:06,643
a really--kind of a neat
dynamic
1196
00:52:06,743 --> 00:52:09,279
of science sort of influencing
science fiction
1197
00:52:09,379 --> 00:52:12,916
and in return, getting some
sort of inspiration back.
1198
00:52:13,016 --> 00:52:14,784
- The only thing they got
really, really wrong for me
1199
00:52:14,884 --> 00:52:16,386
is the fact that
they plugged Data in.
1200
00:52:16,486 --> 00:52:17,921
I feel like he'd have
Bluetooth.
1201
00:52:20,424 --> 00:52:21,825
- They got to put him
in his charger every night.
1202
00:52:22,859 --> 00:52:24,161
- When I see someone
in a restaurant
1203
00:52:24,261 --> 00:52:26,796
and they have the Bluetooth
in their ear
1204
00:52:26,896 --> 00:52:28,765
while dining
with someone else,
1205
00:52:28,865 --> 00:52:31,901
I usually shout out,
"Let it go, Uhura."
1206
00:52:33,903 --> 00:52:34,804
And you know what?
1207
00:52:34,904 --> 00:52:36,040
They know
what I'm talking about.
1208
00:52:36,140 --> 00:52:37,974
- Oh, there you go.
- And they feel horrible.
1209
00:52:42,746 --> 00:52:45,515
- Gene was clearly a visionary.
1210
00:52:45,615 --> 00:52:47,151
He went and studied, though,
1211
00:52:47,251 --> 00:52:49,353
the technologies
that would be involved
1212
00:52:49,453 --> 00:52:52,122
in order to make
his show credible.
1213
00:52:52,222 --> 00:52:54,658
- Believability was
a huge thing for my father.
1214
00:52:54,758 --> 00:52:58,295
If you go back and read some
of the original writers' guides
1215
00:52:58,395 --> 00:53:00,097
and bibles
for the original series,
1216
00:53:00,197 --> 00:53:03,800
He says in there, you know,
"Believability is essential."
1217
00:53:03,900 --> 00:53:05,569
- He brought
Harvey Lynn, his cousin
1218
00:53:05,669 --> 00:53:08,172
who worked with the RAND
company, to advise.
1219
00:53:08,272 --> 00:53:10,540
And that's where a lot
of the technology came from.
1220
00:53:10,640 --> 00:53:12,942
- I think because I loved
the space program,
1221
00:53:13,042 --> 00:53:15,745
"Star Trek" to me
at that point felt real.
1222
00:53:15,845 --> 00:53:17,581
It felt like they all took
it kinda seriously.
1223
00:53:17,681 --> 00:53:19,283
There was a real ship
like that.
1224
00:53:19,383 --> 00:53:21,585
I do remember when I was a kid
I thought that was a real ship.
1225
00:53:21,685 --> 00:53:23,220
I thought, you know,
"There's a big ship
1226
00:53:23,320 --> 00:53:25,222
that flies around in space.
I see it every week."
1227
00:53:25,322 --> 00:53:27,824
- The technology absolutely
captured my imagination.
1228
00:53:27,924 --> 00:53:31,761
I mean, especially the idea
of being able to
1229
00:53:31,861 --> 00:53:33,863
live in this giant spaceship.
1230
00:53:33,963 --> 00:53:36,633
- He wanted to do adult stories,
adult science fiction,
1231
00:53:36,733 --> 00:53:39,903
so he knew that in order to make
that kind of a show work,
1232
00:53:40,003 --> 00:53:43,006
he had a very credible design
for his starship.
1233
00:53:43,106 --> 00:53:45,008
- But there's a reason
the Enterprise hangs
1234
00:53:45,108 --> 00:53:47,811
in the Smithsonian Institute.
1235
00:53:47,911 --> 00:53:50,247
It is such--
not just an iconic ship,
1236
00:53:50,347 --> 00:53:51,781
but such a beautiful ship.
1237
00:53:51,881 --> 00:53:54,050
It's a magnificent
aesthetic achievement.
1238
00:53:54,150 --> 00:53:57,053
- Roddenberry said, "We want
our audience to believe
1239
00:53:57,153 --> 00:53:59,456
"that for the hour they're
watching 'Star Trek,'
1240
00:53:59,556 --> 00:54:02,959
"they're really on a spaceship
out exploring the galaxy.
1241
00:54:03,059 --> 00:54:04,728
"So we have to design
the bridge.
1242
00:54:04,828 --> 00:54:06,930
"We have to think
about navigation.
1243
00:54:07,030 --> 00:54:09,032
We have to think
about what powers the ship."
1244
00:54:09,132 --> 00:54:10,367
And then he thought,
"You know,
1245
00:54:10,467 --> 00:54:13,036
"why don't we set up
a system
1246
00:54:13,136 --> 00:54:14,571
"in the sick bay
called the biobed?
1247
00:54:14,671 --> 00:54:16,840
"A crewman comes in,
lays down on the biobed,
1248
00:54:16,940 --> 00:54:18,642
"and on a computer screen
above the bed,
1249
00:54:18,742 --> 00:54:21,611
it instantly displays
all of their vital signs."
1250
00:54:21,711 --> 00:54:23,180
The creators of "Star Trek"
1251
00:54:23,280 --> 00:54:25,482
designed and engineered gadgets
for the crew
1252
00:54:25,582 --> 00:54:27,351
that are decades ahead
of their time.
1253
00:54:27,451 --> 00:54:30,687
And inspire the devices that
are second nature to us today.
1254
00:54:30,787 --> 00:54:33,957
- But also the smaller things
like the tricorder
1255
00:54:34,057 --> 00:54:36,726
or the communicator,
which, I mean,
1256
00:54:36,826 --> 00:54:39,028
you know I have one
in my pocket right now
1257
00:54:39,128 --> 00:54:40,797
that's not dissimilar.
1258
00:54:40,897 --> 00:54:42,866
- Leonard Nimoy, years ago,
1259
00:54:42,966 --> 00:54:47,237
he told me the flip phone
was purposely designed
1260
00:54:47,337 --> 00:54:49,038
to look like a communicator.
1261
00:54:49,138 --> 00:54:51,007
That the inventor
of the flip phone
1262
00:54:51,107 --> 00:54:54,211
wanted it to be a pastiche
of "Star Trek."
1263
00:54:54,311 --> 00:54:57,247
- A guy named Martin Cooper
in the 1970s
1264
00:54:57,347 --> 00:55:01,117
was tasked by Motorola
and Bell Labs
1265
00:55:01,217 --> 00:55:04,288
to create a, you know,
one of the first cell phones.
1266
00:55:04,388 --> 00:55:06,690
A portable telephone that,
you know,
1267
00:55:06,790 --> 00:55:08,492
you could carry
and walk around with,
1268
00:55:08,592 --> 00:55:10,627
and it would ultimately be
small enough
1269
00:55:10,727 --> 00:55:12,061
to fit in a pocket.
1270
00:55:12,161 --> 00:55:16,366
And Cooper explicitly said,
"When I was designing
1271
00:55:16,466 --> 00:55:19,869
"that first handheld phone,
I thought,
1272
00:55:19,969 --> 00:55:21,305
"'You know,
this thing is kinda big.
1273
00:55:21,405 --> 00:55:24,341
"'It's a little bulky,
but if I fold it in half,
1274
00:55:24,441 --> 00:55:27,043
"'that'll save--
that'll save space.
1275
00:55:27,143 --> 00:55:28,812
"'It'll make it smaller
and easier to carry.
1276
00:55:28,912 --> 00:55:30,514
"'Plus, it'll be really cool
to flip open
1277
00:55:30,614 --> 00:55:32,449
"'Like the communicators
on "Star Trek."'"
1278
00:55:32,549 --> 00:55:35,785
- You have these PADDs that are
now iPads and everything.
1279
00:55:35,885 --> 00:55:39,723
Well, we didn't have iPads then,
so it was--it was like
1280
00:55:39,823 --> 00:55:41,891
we were doing it,
we'd be making things up.
1281
00:55:41,991 --> 00:55:43,493
But if you set it down too hard,
you gotta do--
1282
00:55:43,593 --> 00:55:44,661
it would make a clunk.
1283
00:55:44,761 --> 00:55:45,662
You'd have to take
the whole shot over.
1284
00:55:45,762 --> 00:55:48,398
- The PADDs that they used,
1285
00:55:48,498 --> 00:55:50,800
which had nothing on them,
1286
00:55:50,900 --> 00:55:55,205
we'd use them in the stories
to somehow advance the plot,
1287
00:55:55,305 --> 00:55:57,741
or they're looking
at a report.
1288
00:55:57,841 --> 00:56:01,311
Never in a million years
did any of us think
1289
00:56:01,411 --> 00:56:03,547
this would be a thing.
1290
00:56:03,647 --> 00:56:05,515
It was total
science fiction to us.
1291
00:56:05,615 --> 00:56:07,917
- It was 20 years after
1292
00:56:08,017 --> 00:56:10,019
"Star Trek:
The Next Generation" premiered
1293
00:56:10,119 --> 00:56:12,656
that Apple introduced
the iPad.
1294
00:56:12,756 --> 00:56:17,927
And that's, you know,
that's a dead ringer, really,
1295
00:56:18,027 --> 00:56:20,230
for the PADDs that we had on
"Star Trek: The Next Generation"
1296
00:56:20,330 --> 00:56:21,331
20 years earlier.
1297
00:56:21,431 --> 00:56:24,468
- Universal translation
technology,
1298
00:56:24,568 --> 00:56:26,270
artificial intelligence,
all kinds of things,
1299
00:56:26,370 --> 00:56:30,006
and it instilled in some fans
a passion for sce,
1300
00:56:30,106 --> 00:56:32,542
and who knows what they went on
to discover or will discover.
1301
00:56:32,642 --> 00:56:34,744
- People forget this.
They look at it now, they say,
1302
00:56:34,844 --> 00:56:36,680
"Oh, 'Star Trek's' so dated.
It's so primitive."
1303
00:56:36,780 --> 00:56:37,847
They have no idea.
1304
00:56:37,947 --> 00:56:39,949
Supermarkets didn't have
sliding doors yet.
1305
00:56:40,049 --> 00:56:41,985
That's how prescient
"Star Trek" was.
1306
00:56:42,085 --> 00:56:44,521
- It was Roddenberry's idea
for the holodeck,
1307
00:56:44,621 --> 00:56:47,156
which I always thought
was revolutionary, you know?
1308
00:56:47,256 --> 00:56:48,892
Virtual reality
was being explored
1309
00:56:48,992 --> 00:56:51,328
in science fiction novels,
1310
00:56:51,428 --> 00:56:54,130
but he was really
the first to kind of put
1311
00:56:54,230 --> 00:56:57,567
true, thorough
virtual reality,
1312
00:56:57,667 --> 00:56:59,135
certainly onto
a television show.
1313
00:56:59,235 --> 00:57:01,605
- The holodeck, which was
a wonderful invention
1314
00:57:01,705 --> 00:57:05,542
taken to imaginative creative
extremes in "Next Generation,"
1315
00:57:05,642 --> 00:57:07,577
has its origins in the
"Star Trek" animated series
1316
00:57:07,677 --> 00:57:08,745
that most people don't know.
1317
00:57:08,845 --> 00:57:10,614
The holodeck
was in an episode
1318
00:57:10,714 --> 00:57:12,449
of the "Star Trek" cartoon,
"Practical Joker."
1319
00:57:12,549 --> 00:57:13,850
That was the first time
we saw that.
1320
00:57:13,950 --> 00:57:16,019
- If you look at "Star Trek,"
the original "Star Trek,"
1321
00:57:16,119 --> 00:57:19,389
you will see Spock
holding little cards
1322
00:57:19,489 --> 00:57:21,925
and data cards
that he would slip
1323
00:57:22,025 --> 00:57:23,727
into a slot on the computer.
1324
00:57:23,827 --> 00:57:26,430
They look exactly like
the 3 1/2" floppy disks
1325
00:57:26,530 --> 00:57:28,465
that were created
20 years later.
1326
00:57:28,565 --> 00:57:30,567
- It's remarkable to think,
you know,
1327
00:57:30,667 --> 00:57:31,901
Siri's getting pretty close
1328
00:57:32,001 --> 00:57:33,537
to the computer
on the Enterprise.
1329
00:57:33,637 --> 00:57:36,940
- "Star Trek," I think,
on the technology side,
1330
00:57:37,040 --> 00:57:39,809
partly it's the extraordinary
vision of Gene and the people
1331
00:57:39,909 --> 00:57:42,346
that he worked with
in creating that original show
1332
00:57:42,446 --> 00:57:46,249
and thinking about how things
can be better in the future,
1333
00:57:46,349 --> 00:57:48,485
and then people growing up
watching "Star Trek"
1334
00:57:48,585 --> 00:57:50,119
making those things happen
1335
00:57:50,219 --> 00:57:52,088
because they were inspired
by "Star Trek."
1336
00:57:52,188 --> 00:57:55,224
So it's a really fascinating
kind of feedback loop
1337
00:57:55,324 --> 00:57:57,927
between art and science.
1338
00:57:58,027 --> 00:58:00,397
- I can't think of another show
that had nearly the impact
1339
00:58:00,497 --> 00:58:04,434
for people who really, you know,
work in the aerospace industry
1340
00:58:04,534 --> 00:58:06,002
that "Star Trek" did,
right.
1341
00:58:06,102 --> 00:58:08,137
Or even for a lot of cases,
physics and things like that.
1342
00:58:08,237 --> 00:58:11,641
Because it did take
a realistic approach to science
1343
00:58:11,741 --> 00:58:13,877
and using science
to solve problems.
1344
00:58:13,977 --> 00:58:19,415
But you try to solve them
with a rational approach.
1345
00:58:20,784 --> 00:58:21,818
"Star Trek" begins
as a prime-time
1346
00:58:21,918 --> 00:58:23,219
television series,
1347
00:58:23,319 --> 00:58:24,854
but over the next
half century,
1348
00:58:24,954 --> 00:58:27,290
it reaches far beyond
the airwaves
1349
00:58:27,390 --> 00:58:29,593
to help shape our world.
1350
00:58:29,693 --> 00:58:32,195
- "Star Trek" inspired people.
1351
00:58:32,295 --> 00:58:35,932
"Star Trek," like,
people became scientists.
1352
00:58:36,032 --> 00:58:37,501
They became physicists.
1353
00:58:37,601 --> 00:58:40,169
They became doctors
and astronauts
1354
00:58:40,269 --> 00:58:42,105
because of "Star Trek."
1355
00:58:42,205 --> 00:58:44,874
- When you see someone who says,
"You were such a role model.
1356
00:58:44,974 --> 00:58:46,743
You know, I went to med school
because of you."
1357
00:58:46,843 --> 00:58:48,678
Or, "I got into nursing
because of you."
1358
00:58:48,778 --> 00:58:51,314
It made it richer for me.
It made it a richer experience.
1359
00:58:51,414 --> 00:58:54,884
- I've received a lot of letters
from people
1360
00:58:54,984 --> 00:58:57,987
who were inspired
by "Star Trek" in general
1361
00:58:58,087 --> 00:59:00,657
and from my character,
specifically,
1362
00:59:00,757 --> 00:59:02,959
to go into the sciences,
into engineering.
1363
00:59:03,059 --> 00:59:05,895
It's cool that you can make
science cool.
1364
00:59:05,995 --> 00:59:09,399
And that it can inspire somebody
to move in that direction.
1365
00:59:09,499 --> 00:59:11,300
- One of the reasons I wanted
to become an engineer
1366
00:59:11,400 --> 00:59:13,169
was because of "Star Trek."
1367
00:59:13,269 --> 00:59:16,940
Because there was something
different about it
1368
00:59:17,040 --> 00:59:21,511
in that the world felt
more thought through and real
1369
00:59:21,611 --> 00:59:24,080
than other things
that you had seen.
1370
00:59:24,180 --> 00:59:27,551
- I mean, there's a picture
of NASA and Mission Control
1371
00:59:27,651 --> 00:59:29,719
and people were wearing
Spock ears.
1372
00:59:29,819 --> 00:59:33,723
- People who went to college
to study physics
1373
00:59:33,823 --> 00:59:36,392
or engineering or medicine
because they grew up
1374
00:59:36,492 --> 00:59:38,127
and were inspired
by "Star Trek."
1375
00:59:38,227 --> 00:59:40,930
And wanted to be the next Scotty
or the next Dr. McCoy.
1376
00:59:41,030 --> 00:59:42,466
- Jimmy Doohan,
who played Scotty,
1377
00:59:42,566 --> 00:59:44,868
and DeForest Kelley,
who played McCoy,
1378
00:59:44,968 --> 00:59:48,938
were always relating stories
1379
00:59:49,038 --> 00:59:50,474
of people
who had written to them
1380
00:59:50,574 --> 00:59:52,542
and would become engineers
and doctors
1381
00:59:52,642 --> 00:59:54,478
because of "Star Trek."
1382
00:59:54,578 --> 00:59:56,713
I think that was great.
1383
00:59:56,813 --> 01:00:00,016
But how does that apply to me?
And it didn't.
1384
01:00:00,116 --> 01:00:02,051
And for the longest time,
it didn't.
1385
01:00:02,151 --> 01:00:05,555
Until I met a young lady,
who after "Star Trek"
1386
01:00:05,655 --> 01:00:08,992
had gone to school
to learn Russian
1387
01:00:09,092 --> 01:00:12,161
and went to work
for the State Department.
1388
01:00:12,261 --> 01:00:16,833
Her mission
was so important
1389
01:00:16,933 --> 01:00:18,802
that she couldn't tell me
what it was about.
1390
01:00:18,902 --> 01:00:20,904
But it had to do
with the Russians,
1391
01:00:21,004 --> 01:00:24,173
so I actually helped
inspire a spy.
1392
01:00:25,374 --> 01:00:27,511
- I was so fascinated
by "Star Trek"
1393
01:00:27,611 --> 01:00:30,980
that maybe the first filmmaking
book I can remember reading was
1394
01:00:31,080 --> 01:00:33,483
"The Making of Star Trek"
by Stephen Whitfield.
1395
01:00:33,583 --> 01:00:35,351
And I remember being
so fascinated
1396
01:00:35,451 --> 01:00:38,755
by looking at the
behind-the-scenes pictures,
1397
01:00:38,855 --> 01:00:41,591
the layout of how the sets
were put together
1398
01:00:41,691 --> 01:00:44,227
at Desilu
and Paramount Studios.
1399
01:00:44,327 --> 01:00:46,462
The idea of using
a colored light
1400
01:00:46,562 --> 01:00:48,431
to create different planets.
1401
01:00:48,531 --> 01:00:51,835
Just all the imagination
that went into it,
1402
01:00:51,935 --> 01:00:53,670
it just really excited me,
1403
01:00:53,770 --> 01:00:57,206
and it really became a doorway
into the idea of filmmaking
1404
01:00:57,306 --> 01:01:00,710
and into television,
which obviously, you know,
1405
01:01:00,810 --> 01:01:02,078
I've spent my whole life on.
1406
01:01:02,178 --> 01:01:04,748
- Probably one of the most
influential books in my life
1407
01:01:04,848 --> 01:01:06,650
was discovering
"The Making of Star Trek"
1408
01:01:06,750 --> 01:01:09,218
by Stephen Whitfield, which I
found at a school book fair
1409
01:01:09,318 --> 01:01:10,787
in the sixth grade.
1410
01:01:10,887 --> 01:01:14,257
And I read that thing cover
to cover over and over again
1411
01:01:14,357 --> 01:01:17,060
'cause that really was about the
making of a television series,
1412
01:01:17,160 --> 01:01:20,463
about selling a pilot,
you know, show bibles
1413
01:01:20,563 --> 01:01:22,932
and production questions
and issues
1414
01:01:23,032 --> 01:01:24,067
and fighting with networks.
1415
01:01:24,167 --> 01:01:26,636
And I was completely
enthralled with it.
1416
01:01:26,736 --> 01:01:30,574
And it sort of--it imprinted
itself in me in a profound way.
1417
01:01:30,674 --> 01:01:32,642
You know, I didn't really
think about
1418
01:01:32,742 --> 01:01:34,944
becoming a television writer
at that age,
1419
01:01:35,044 --> 01:01:36,145
and wouldn't for many,
many years.
1420
01:01:36,245 --> 01:01:37,947
'Cause that wasn't a real job.
1421
01:01:38,047 --> 01:01:40,784
But reading that book
gave me a hunger to do that.
1422
01:01:40,884 --> 01:01:43,519
I wanted, on some basic level,
to do that, too,
1423
01:01:43,619 --> 01:01:46,022
to make a television series
and to do those things
1424
01:01:46,122 --> 01:01:47,390
like Gene had done.
1425
01:01:47,490 --> 01:01:50,960
- We were invited to the rollout
of the Enterprise shuttle.
1426
01:01:51,060 --> 01:01:54,463
I didn't have an understanding
of how significant it was
1427
01:01:54,563 --> 01:01:56,332
until we got there.
1428
01:01:56,432 --> 01:01:58,234
And there were several hundred
people there.
1429
01:01:58,334 --> 01:02:00,570
And they had
the Air Force Band.
1430
01:02:00,670 --> 01:02:05,474
The conductor raised
the baton and waved his hand
1431
01:02:05,574 --> 01:02:08,544
and the band started
playing up.
1432
01:02:08,644 --> 01:02:11,881
The Enterprise rolled out
from behind the building,
1433
01:02:11,981 --> 01:02:14,283
and it was amazing to see.
1434
01:02:14,383 --> 01:02:16,886
As it came out,
the band started playing
1435
01:02:16,986 --> 01:02:19,055
the theme music
from "Star Trek."
1436
01:02:19,155 --> 01:02:25,261
And we jumped up as one,
and were cheering and screaming.
1437
01:02:25,361 --> 01:02:28,131
It was just the most
remarkable moment.
1438
01:02:28,231 --> 01:02:30,900
And, you know, across the nose
of the shuttle
1439
01:02:31,000 --> 01:02:33,236
was the word "Enterprise."
1440
01:02:33,336 --> 01:02:37,273
For the first time, I realized
that there was a significance
1441
01:02:37,373 --> 01:02:41,344
beyond the fact that we were
a television show
1442
01:02:41,444 --> 01:02:42,979
that went on once a week.
1443
01:02:43,079 --> 01:02:46,750
That we really had
an influence in the culture.
1444
01:02:46,850 --> 01:02:48,184
And I guess it was
the first time
1445
01:02:48,284 --> 01:02:51,587
that I really felt that
I could take a bow.
1446
01:02:51,687 --> 01:02:55,491
Up until then, my sense was,
"I'm a supporting character
1447
01:02:55,591 --> 01:02:57,727
"with very little to do.
1448
01:02:57,827 --> 01:03:01,731
I'm riding the coattails
of this television project,
1449
01:03:01,831 --> 01:03:04,000
and I haven't really
contributed very much.
1450
01:03:04,100 --> 01:03:07,303
Well, that was all true,
but I realized then
1451
01:03:07,403 --> 01:03:11,207
that I was part of a group
that, as a group,
1452
01:03:11,307 --> 01:03:12,676
we had an influence.
1453
01:03:12,776 --> 01:03:15,845
That we had an influence
in society
1454
01:03:15,945 --> 01:03:17,613
- Because of "Star Trek,"
I am all the things I just said.
1455
01:03:17,713 --> 01:03:20,884
Engineer, physicist,
doctor, psychiatrist.
1456
01:03:20,984 --> 01:03:23,452
I've joined the military.
I became a policeman.
1457
01:03:23,552 --> 01:03:27,323
But the most potent,
I think,
1458
01:03:27,423 --> 01:03:29,192
are the stories
where someone comes up
1459
01:03:29,292 --> 01:03:32,896
and looks you in the eye
and says,
1460
01:03:32,996 --> 01:03:36,465
"Star Trek was the only time
in my house
1461
01:03:36,565 --> 01:03:38,534
"where there was peace.
1462
01:03:38,634 --> 01:03:41,738
"Where my dad or my mother
or the abuse or the alcohol,"
1463
01:03:41,838 --> 01:03:44,373
or whatever it was, "the only
time where we sat together
1464
01:03:44,473 --> 01:03:48,812
and it was peaceful
and trouble-free."
1465
01:03:48,912 --> 01:03:51,080
And--and it's heartbreaking.
1466
01:03:51,180 --> 01:03:52,281
And it's true.
1467
01:03:52,381 --> 01:03:53,983
You can see it in their eyes
how true it is
1468
01:03:54,083 --> 01:03:55,284
and how important it is.
1469
01:03:55,384 --> 01:04:00,523
- There are people who have gone
to nine foster homes,
1470
01:04:00,623 --> 01:04:05,528
and the only steady thing
in all of those foster homes
1471
01:04:05,628 --> 01:04:07,697
was that the family
watched "Star Trek."
1472
01:04:07,797 --> 01:04:10,734
- "Star Trek" over the years
has inspired people.
1473
01:04:10,834 --> 01:04:16,105
And whether it's inspired them
to follow their dreams
1474
01:04:16,205 --> 01:04:18,074
or believe in themselves,
1475
01:04:18,174 --> 01:04:21,110
I mean, that's the--
one of the key messages
1476
01:04:21,210 --> 01:04:25,381
in "Star Trek" is,
"You're a great person.
1477
01:04:25,481 --> 01:04:27,683
"You have valid thoughts,
valid ideas.
1478
01:04:27,783 --> 01:04:30,954
"Never think of yourself
as less than anyone else.
1479
01:04:31,054 --> 01:04:35,591
Now go out there
and follow your dreams."
1480
01:04:35,691 --> 01:04:37,226
- We were talking earlier,
Doug,
1481
01:04:37,326 --> 01:04:40,930
before we started shooting here
and I just found out,
1482
01:04:41,030 --> 01:04:44,367
somehow, just found out
about a book right here.
1483
01:04:44,467 --> 01:04:45,935
- How could you
have missed this book?
1484
01:04:46,035 --> 01:04:50,774
- Here it is,
"The Making of Star Trek."
1485
01:04:50,874 --> 01:04:52,308
- That's the book.
1486
01:04:52,408 --> 01:04:54,077
- The book.
- The book.
1487
01:04:54,177 --> 01:04:56,445
That book
changed my life completely.
1488
01:04:56,545 --> 01:04:57,613
That book came out,
I guess, like,
1489
01:04:57,713 --> 01:04:58,915
the second season
of "Star Trek."
1490
01:04:59,015 --> 01:05:00,950
- Uh-huh.
- I was crazy about the show.
1491
01:05:01,050 --> 01:05:03,552
- That book was,
I mean for me,
1492
01:05:03,652 --> 01:05:05,922
it was like Popeye
downing a can of spinach.
1493
01:05:06,022 --> 01:05:06,956
Can I see it?
- I mean, look at this.
1494
01:05:07,056 --> 01:05:08,291
This is the diagram
of the bridge.
1495
01:05:08,391 --> 01:05:11,627
- Honestly, I mean,
it totally gave me a direction.
1496
01:05:11,727 --> 01:05:14,197
I knew what I wanted to do
after I read that book.
1497
01:05:14,297 --> 01:05:17,400
And I could say that
"Star Trek" and that book
1498
01:05:17,500 --> 01:05:19,668
made me who I am today,
and that kinda sounds a little sad.
1499
01:05:19,768 --> 01:05:22,171
But, you know, it led me
to a couple of Emmys.
1500
01:05:22,271 --> 01:05:24,207
Led me to
an Academy Award, you know.
1501
01:05:24,307 --> 01:05:26,308
And that's all because
of "Star Trek."
1502
01:05:29,146 --> 01:05:31,180
- My favorite episodes
were always the ones--
1503
01:05:31,280 --> 01:05:33,116
personally, 'cause, you know,
I was doing 'em.
1504
01:05:33,716 --> 01:05:34,984
Were the ones where Seven
1505
01:05:35,084 --> 01:05:36,385
was really exploring her humanity.
1506
01:05:36,485 --> 01:05:38,587
So I think it was
"Someone To Watch Over Me"
1507
01:05:38,687 --> 01:05:40,089
where the doctor's teaching
Seven how to date.
1508
01:05:40,189 --> 01:05:42,291
- Oh, that's a great one.
- And I just--
1509
01:05:42,391 --> 01:05:44,828
I thought that was so lovely
and so touching,
1510
01:05:44,928 --> 01:05:46,429
and it just broke my heart
at the end
1511
01:05:46,529 --> 01:05:47,864
when he's kinda
falling in love with Seven
1512
01:05:47,964 --> 01:05:49,632
and she's like, "Yeah,
there's nobody here for me."
1513
01:05:49,732 --> 01:05:51,167
I hated that moment.
1514
01:05:51,267 --> 01:05:53,702
That's where you break the exoskeleton
if I'm not mistaken.
1515
01:05:53,802 --> 01:05:55,238
- Yes!
- The lobster.
1516
01:05:55,338 --> 01:05:56,905
- The creature has an exoskeleton, yes.
1517
01:05:57,773 --> 01:05:59,775
So that was
one of my favorites, definitely.
1518
01:06:04,847 --> 01:06:08,517
- Well, a truly great
"Star Trek" episode,
1519
01:06:08,617 --> 01:06:12,922
in my opinion,
has a list of ingredients.
1520
01:06:13,022 --> 01:06:14,958
It's an equation.
1521
01:06:15,058 --> 01:06:17,961
And that equation includes:
1522
01:06:18,061 --> 01:06:20,897
a great high concept
1523
01:06:20,997 --> 01:06:24,167
that provides
cool character dynamics
1524
01:06:24,267 --> 01:06:27,370
and conflict,
but also is a parable.
1525
01:06:27,470 --> 01:06:28,804
It has some deeper theme.
1526
01:06:28,904 --> 01:06:30,273
- "Devil in the Dark"
1527
01:06:30,373 --> 01:06:31,707
I thought was a wonderful episode
1528
01:06:31,807 --> 01:06:35,411
about--about
fear of the unknown.
1529
01:06:35,611 --> 01:06:37,046
How we fear--and even hate
1530
01:06:37,146 --> 01:06:39,182
something that we
don't know anything about.
1531
01:06:39,582 --> 01:06:41,317
Learn who your enemy is
and maybe then--
1532
01:06:41,417 --> 01:06:44,420
maybe then it's no longer
your enemy.
1533
01:06:45,588 --> 01:06:47,223
Interesting episode.
1534
01:06:47,323 --> 01:06:49,558
- You know, I remember
the "Devil in the Dark" episode
1535
01:06:49,658 --> 01:06:51,394
with the Horta.
That really left
1536
01:06:51,494 --> 01:06:52,695
a big impression on me
as a kid,
1537
01:06:52,795 --> 01:06:54,630
that he didn't kill the monster
1538
01:06:54,730 --> 01:06:55,965
and that the monster
was a mother
1539
01:06:56,065 --> 01:06:57,400
and had all these eggs.
1540
01:06:57,500 --> 01:06:58,734
- They're eggs,
aren't they?
1541
01:06:58,834 --> 01:07:00,669
- Yes, Captain.
Eggs.
1542
01:07:00,769 --> 01:07:02,338
And about to hatch.
1543
01:07:02,438 --> 01:07:03,907
- "A City on the Edge
of Forever"
1544
01:07:04,007 --> 01:07:06,042
which is, of course,
the episode of "Star Trek"
1545
01:07:06,142 --> 01:07:08,544
that is the one that
everybody knows is a great one.
1546
01:07:08,644 --> 01:07:11,014
It's a little bit--
it's an eccentric episode.
1547
01:07:11,114 --> 01:07:14,783
I love also the two-parter.
1548
01:07:14,883 --> 01:07:17,620
The repurposing
of the original pilot
1549
01:07:17,720 --> 01:07:18,955
into "The Ca--"
1550
01:07:19,055 --> 01:07:20,924
What is it,
"The Cage: Part one and two"?
1551
01:07:21,024 --> 01:07:25,061
And that's brilliant--we refer
to these shows all the time
1552
01:07:25,161 --> 01:07:26,595
on "Breaking Bad"
in the writer's room.
1553
01:07:26,695 --> 01:07:28,597
We prefer to, you know,
Tranya.
1554
01:07:28,697 --> 01:07:31,834
We refer to Captain Pike
with his--with the light.
1555
01:07:31,934 --> 01:07:34,403
I mean, which, you know,
couldn't even think of
1556
01:07:34,503 --> 01:07:36,772
as being a little bit like
a Hector Salamanca
1557
01:07:36,872 --> 01:07:38,942
when he's in the wheelchair
and he's got the bell.
1558
01:07:39,042 --> 01:07:40,809
- I really loved
"Yesterday's Enterprise."
1559
01:07:40,909 --> 01:07:42,378
It was a spec script
that I had
1560
01:07:42,478 --> 01:07:44,914
that had gone through
a couple of drafts already.
1561
01:07:45,014 --> 01:07:46,815
Then I took a pass at it
1562
01:07:46,915 --> 01:07:49,685
and reconceiving the story
and kinda making it
1563
01:07:49,785 --> 01:07:51,687
a much more darker universe
on the other side
1564
01:07:51,787 --> 01:07:54,090
and emphasizing
the war aspect of it.
1565
01:07:54,190 --> 01:07:55,658
And the tragedy of it.
1566
01:07:55,758 --> 01:07:59,128
- My favorite is my favorite
because it's just brilliant.
1567
01:07:59,228 --> 01:08:02,031
Brilliant writing.
Brilliant directing.
1568
01:08:02,131 --> 01:08:03,599
Brilliant acting.
1569
01:08:03,699 --> 01:08:06,035
And it's called
"Far Beyond the Stars."
1570
01:08:06,135 --> 01:08:08,972
It's where all
the series regulars
1571
01:08:09,072 --> 01:08:10,940
appear as humans,
1572
01:08:11,040 --> 01:08:14,743
and the episode
has to deal with racism.
1573
01:08:14,843 --> 01:08:16,745
It's not just good "Star Trek."
1574
01:08:16,845 --> 01:08:19,015
It's not just
good science fiction.
1575
01:08:19,115 --> 01:08:20,449
It's great literature.
1576
01:08:26,489 --> 01:08:28,824
- Well, you know,
I think I'm the last
1577
01:08:28,924 --> 01:08:30,659
character Gene created.
1578
01:08:30,759 --> 01:08:34,397
I think I'm the last one
that he actually created
1579
01:08:34,497 --> 01:08:36,665
based on Texas Guinan.
1580
01:08:36,765 --> 01:08:39,568
- Guinan her name was.
After Texas Guinan
1581
01:08:39,668 --> 01:08:41,470
who was a famous card player
and gambler,
1582
01:08:41,570 --> 01:08:44,173
or whatever she was.
1583
01:08:44,273 --> 01:08:48,277
And Whoopi showed up in the show
and brought in
1584
01:08:48,377 --> 01:08:52,148
this--this aura.
1585
01:08:52,248 --> 01:08:55,051
And the wild--
remember the shovelhead hats
1586
01:08:55,151 --> 01:08:57,586
she used to wear?
That beautiful face
1587
01:08:57,686 --> 01:08:59,822
with those big eyes
and that gorgeous skin
1588
01:08:59,922 --> 01:09:02,958
and the voice.
And she played it so straight.
1589
01:09:03,058 --> 01:09:05,094
- Guinan was great, again,
'cause Whoopi's playing it.
1590
01:09:05,194 --> 01:09:07,130
Guinan was a strange,
mysterioso character
1591
01:09:07,230 --> 01:09:08,431
that no--none of us
really understood
1592
01:09:08,531 --> 01:09:09,765
what the hell she was.
1593
01:09:09,865 --> 01:09:12,635
When we started really
getting into "Next Gen"
1594
01:09:12,735 --> 01:09:14,670
in the later years,
what we said was,
1595
01:09:14,770 --> 01:09:16,705
"It's really about
her relationship with Picard.
1596
01:09:16,805 --> 01:09:18,674
"Yes, she's the bartender
and, yes, she listens
1597
01:09:18,774 --> 01:09:21,377
"to all their problems
and gives insight to people
1598
01:09:21,477 --> 01:09:24,647
"for various issues,
but she has some back-story
1599
01:09:24,747 --> 01:09:27,150
"with Picard, and it's a
personal relationship with him
1600
01:09:27,250 --> 01:09:28,584
"that drives
that character forward.
1601
01:09:28,684 --> 01:09:30,253
"And it's the only reason
she's on the ship.
1602
01:09:30,353 --> 01:09:33,156
It's the only reason that she
really matters on the show."
1603
01:09:33,256 --> 01:09:36,159
- In my mind,
always believed that
1604
01:09:36,259 --> 01:09:38,994
Guinan was the
great-great-great-great-great-
1605
01:09:39,094 --> 01:09:40,829
great-great-great-great-great-
great-great-great-great-
1606
01:09:40,929 --> 01:09:43,466
great-great-great-great-great--
couple more greats
1607
01:09:43,566 --> 01:09:46,069
grandmother of Picard.
1608
01:09:46,169 --> 01:09:49,505
And the reason she's on the ship
is just to see how he's doing.
1609
01:09:49,605 --> 01:09:51,674
'Cause, you know, she can go
anywhere at any time,
1610
01:09:51,774 --> 01:09:54,343
and she just irritates
the hell outta Q.
1611
01:09:54,443 --> 01:09:57,113
Which made me very happy.
John is wonderful.
1612
01:09:57,213 --> 01:10:00,015
- You know him?
1613
01:10:00,115 --> 01:10:01,517
- We have had some
dealings.
1614
01:10:01,617 --> 01:10:04,587
- Those dealings
were two centuries ago.
1615
01:10:04,687 --> 01:10:07,323
This creature
is not what she appears to be.
1616
01:10:07,423 --> 01:10:09,492
She's an imp,
and where she goes
1617
01:10:09,592 --> 01:10:11,460
trouble always follows.
1618
01:10:11,560 --> 01:10:13,496
- You're speaking of yourself,
Q, not Guinan.
1619
01:10:13,596 --> 01:10:16,065
- Guinan?
Is that your name now?
1620
01:10:16,165 --> 01:10:18,334
- Guinan is not the issue here.
You are.
1621
01:10:18,434 --> 01:10:23,606
- I ended up doing six episodes
of "Next Generation."
1622
01:10:23,706 --> 01:10:25,341
- Anytime there was an episode
with Q in it,
1623
01:10:25,441 --> 01:10:29,178
I loved because whenever
he was in an episode,
1624
01:10:29,278 --> 01:10:31,214
he was, you know,
he was Agent Mayhem.
1625
01:10:31,314 --> 01:10:34,650
He was--it was going to be
something really intense,
1626
01:10:34,750 --> 01:10:36,685
and he was
seemingly unstoppable.
1627
01:10:36,785 --> 01:10:38,921
And so it was always
really fascinating to watch.
1628
01:10:39,021 --> 01:10:40,923
- Jonathan Frakes
used to say to me,
1629
01:10:41,023 --> 01:10:42,991
"You're the litmus test.
1630
01:10:43,091 --> 01:10:44,693
You come back once a year."
1631
01:10:44,793 --> 01:10:48,264
I always looked forward
to come back, but I never asked.
1632
01:10:48,364 --> 01:10:50,099
It's a little bit like
asking whether you're gonna
1633
01:10:50,199 --> 01:10:52,235
be invited to somebody's
dinner party.
1634
01:10:52,335 --> 01:10:55,538
- The character of Q--
that omnipotent,
1635
01:10:55,638 --> 01:10:57,506
Machiavellian,
1636
01:10:57,606 --> 01:10:59,208
cunning, bitter,
1637
01:10:59,308 --> 01:11:01,577
nasty, mean-spirited,
1638
01:11:01,677 --> 01:11:03,779
controlling character--
1639
01:11:03,879 --> 01:11:06,482
I can't even fathom
anybody else
1640
01:11:06,582 --> 01:11:08,717
doing as much with it.
1641
01:11:08,817 --> 01:11:11,187
Painting that canvas
as completely
1642
01:11:11,287 --> 01:11:15,558
as de Lancie did and does
with all his characters.
1643
01:11:15,658 --> 01:11:17,960
Have you any idea
how far we'll advance?
1644
01:11:18,060 --> 01:11:20,929
- Perhaps in a future
that you cannot yet conceive,
1645
01:11:21,029 --> 01:11:22,931
even beyond us.
1646
01:11:23,031 --> 01:11:25,268
- The character on the page
is just not as entertaining.
1647
01:11:25,368 --> 01:11:26,602
You give it to John de Lancie,
1648
01:11:26,702 --> 01:11:28,471
and it becomes
this other thing, right?
1649
01:11:28,571 --> 01:11:30,339
And everyone enjoyed
writing for him.
1650
01:11:30,439 --> 01:11:32,608
It really--
people would just write
1651
01:11:32,708 --> 01:11:35,110
scene after scene after scene
for Q in any of those shows,
1652
01:11:35,210 --> 01:11:38,581
and many of them were too silly
or too over-the-top,
1653
01:11:38,681 --> 01:11:40,549
but you just really enjoyed it.
1654
01:11:40,649 --> 01:11:41,817
You really couldn't wait
to dig your--
1655
01:11:41,917 --> 01:11:43,686
dig into a Q episode.
1656
01:11:43,786 --> 01:11:45,688
Internally, what we said
all the time was,
1657
01:11:45,788 --> 01:11:47,022
"Q is in love with Picard."
1658
01:11:47,122 --> 01:11:48,791
That was the fundamental
of the relationship.
1659
01:11:48,891 --> 01:11:50,226
He's in love with him.
He just is.
1660
01:11:50,326 --> 01:11:51,627
He loves Picard.
1661
01:11:51,727 --> 01:11:54,430
It's a particular relationship
with this one human
1662
01:11:54,530 --> 01:11:56,432
and this omnipotent being
that's bizarre,
1663
01:11:56,532 --> 01:12:02,438
but that's really
what's at the heart of it.
1664
01:12:02,538 --> 01:12:04,540
- "Star Trek"
is so character-oriented,
1665
01:12:04,640 --> 01:12:06,709
and there were so many
great characters.
1666
01:12:06,809 --> 01:12:08,177
So many people got a chance
to shine.
1667
01:12:08,277 --> 01:12:09,712
But I think
that my favorite character
1668
01:12:09,812 --> 01:12:12,215
is "Mcskirk."
- "Mcskirk"?
1669
01:12:12,315 --> 01:12:13,249
- "Mcskirk."
1670
01:12:13,349 --> 01:12:14,583
Which is McCoy,
Scotty, and Kirk.
1671
01:12:14,683 --> 01:12:16,084
- Oh--
- 'Cause they're really one guy.
1672
01:12:16,184 --> 01:12:18,086
- I was like, "What did I miss?"
1673
01:12:18,186 --> 01:12:19,422
Mcskirk?
- I didn't see that episode.
1674
01:12:19,522 --> 01:12:21,156
- It's a transporter
malfunction.
1675
01:12:21,256 --> 01:12:22,858
- You take that--
those three--
1676
01:12:22,958 --> 01:12:24,760
those three,
it's like one guy
1677
01:12:24,860 --> 01:12:26,161
split up three ways.
1678
01:12:26,261 --> 01:12:27,563
You know, ordinarily,
if you have one person,
1679
01:12:27,663 --> 01:12:29,064
if you want to know
what's going on in their head,
1680
01:12:29,164 --> 01:12:31,334
you gotta have a voice-over
or something.
1681
01:12:31,434 --> 01:12:33,902
But with those three guys,
split up that way,
1682
01:12:34,002 --> 01:12:35,504
they could have
a conversation...
1683
01:12:35,604 --> 01:12:36,772
- Yeah.
- And it's really like one guy.
1684
01:12:36,872 --> 01:12:39,141
- I love, love, love Scotty.
1685
01:12:39,241 --> 01:12:41,577
I-I think that he's--
1686
01:12:41,677 --> 01:12:44,213
A, he's always the funnier one
of everybody.
1687
01:12:44,313 --> 01:12:47,350
He's always--I love that he's
third in command of the ship.
1688
01:12:47,450 --> 01:12:49,818
- He saw himself
equal with the captain.
1689
01:12:49,918 --> 01:12:51,654
- Oh, and he was.
- The ship was his.
1690
01:12:51,754 --> 01:12:53,456
- He was the captain
of that engine room.
1691
01:12:53,556 --> 01:12:54,957
100%.
1692
01:12:55,057 --> 01:12:57,526
- Scotty was great,
and I love how he got mad
1693
01:12:57,626 --> 01:12:59,862
and would yell at the captain
about the things he needed
1694
01:12:59,962 --> 01:13:01,163
and how he couldn't
really do it,
1695
01:13:01,263 --> 01:13:02,765
but really he could do it.
1696
01:13:02,865 --> 01:13:03,799
I just love it.
I just loved him.
1697
01:13:03,899 --> 01:13:05,067
As a kid I was just like,
1698
01:13:05,167 --> 01:13:06,602
"I don't know why
this guy's amazing,
1699
01:13:06,702 --> 01:13:08,704
but I want to be an engineer."
- I think that's a great answer.
1700
01:13:08,804 --> 01:13:10,873
- You know the techno-babble.
- Yeah.
1701
01:13:10,973 --> 01:13:12,608
- Which is so difficult...
- Yeah.
1702
01:13:12,708 --> 01:13:15,744
- For the actors
to do that stuff.
1703
01:13:15,844 --> 01:13:17,580
LeVar Burton, it didn't matter
how late it got.
1704
01:13:17,680 --> 01:13:19,047
- Oh, you kidding me?
- It could be 2:00
1705
01:13:19,147 --> 01:13:21,717
in the morning and he was just,
like, right on the money.
1706
01:13:21,817 --> 01:13:23,051
- He's--I--for some reason,
1707
01:13:23,151 --> 01:13:24,487
I can fix a warp core breach.
1708
01:13:24,587 --> 01:13:26,655
I know that I need to reroute
1709
01:13:26,755 --> 01:13:29,191
main power through
the secondary coupling
1710
01:13:29,291 --> 01:13:32,160
if there's a coolant leak.
1711
01:13:32,260 --> 01:13:33,796
Why do I know that?
1712
01:13:33,896 --> 01:13:35,598
Because of LeVar Burton.
- That's right.
1713
01:13:35,698 --> 01:13:37,333
- Uh, Worf.
- Worf!
1714
01:13:37,433 --> 01:13:38,567
- Yes.
- Really?
1715
01:13:38,667 --> 01:13:40,102
- Thank you.
- I just--for some reason I--
1716
01:13:40,202 --> 01:13:42,137
I mean, Data's the--
is really close,
1717
01:13:42,237 --> 01:13:44,307
but I just--something
about Worf I really like.
1718
01:13:44,407 --> 01:13:46,008
- What is it about him?
Is it the fact that he's
1719
01:13:46,108 --> 01:13:47,976
terrible at firing weapons?
1720
01:13:48,076 --> 01:13:50,045
He misses everything.
1721
01:13:50,145 --> 01:13:52,247
- I don't know.
- The captain--Captain Picard
1722
01:13:52,347 --> 01:13:54,617
will never take
a suggestion of his.
1723
01:13:54,717 --> 01:13:56,519
- Does that make him
more human to you?
1724
01:13:56,619 --> 01:13:57,953
- Yeah, he was--
- Because
1725
01:13:58,053 --> 01:13:59,955
it's immigrant family
raised by Russians?
1726
01:14:00,055 --> 01:14:01,290
- He drinks prune juice.
1727
01:14:01,390 --> 01:14:03,125
Come on, now,
who doesn't--who does that?
1728
01:14:03,225 --> 01:14:04,727
And he's a big warrior, so...
- Yeah?
1729
01:14:04,827 --> 01:14:06,762
- But I think, you know--
I think partly 'cause he also
1730
01:14:06,862 --> 01:14:09,031
went--he transcends
the two series.
1731
01:14:09,131 --> 01:14:10,899
You know, "The Next Gen."
and "Deep Space Nine."
1732
01:14:10,999 --> 01:14:12,868
- I gotta go with Kirk.
1733
01:14:12,968 --> 01:14:14,603
- You gotta go with Kirk.
- I mean, the original series.
1734
01:14:14,703 --> 01:14:16,405
You just--the way he just
kinda, you know,
1735
01:14:16,505 --> 01:14:17,873
sauntered around.
- Yes.
1736
01:14:17,973 --> 01:14:18,974
- You gotta love him.
1737
01:14:23,512 --> 01:14:25,914
- The Shat was the guy
I grew up on.
1738
01:14:26,014 --> 01:14:28,216
I admire Picard.
1739
01:14:28,316 --> 01:14:30,553
I love them all equally,
but...
1740
01:14:30,653 --> 01:14:33,255
uh...I think there is
no substitute
1741
01:14:33,355 --> 01:14:35,223
for Bill Shatner.
1742
01:14:35,323 --> 01:14:38,794
- Shatner's putting on
such a great persona
1743
01:14:38,894 --> 01:14:41,263
of a trustworthy captain
1744
01:14:41,363 --> 01:14:43,466
with just enough sense of humor.
1745
01:14:43,566 --> 01:14:46,101
You know?
And calm under pressure.
1746
01:14:46,201 --> 01:14:47,870
And good with the ladies.
1747
01:14:47,970 --> 01:14:49,505
Shatner had it all.
1748
01:14:49,605 --> 01:14:52,140
The way he presented that
character was just so awesome
1749
01:14:52,240 --> 01:14:54,443
and believable and theatrical
at the same time.
1750
01:14:54,543 --> 01:14:56,412
He's not a subtle guy.
1751
01:14:56,512 --> 01:14:58,714
But I just thought it was great.
1752
01:14:58,814 --> 01:15:00,449
He fought--
I think it was, like,
1753
01:15:00,549 --> 01:15:03,251
a Gorgan or whatever.
It's where he had--
1754
01:15:03,351 --> 01:15:05,621
Captain Kirk is stranded
in the desert
1755
01:15:05,721 --> 01:15:07,322
and he's got, like,
this lizard creature
1756
01:15:07,422 --> 01:15:08,991
he's gotta fight
and he's gotta learn
1757
01:15:09,091 --> 01:15:10,726
how to make, like, gunpowder
1758
01:15:10,826 --> 01:15:12,695
and projectiles
and stuff like that.
1759
01:15:12,795 --> 01:15:15,230
- Certainly the iconic,
classic scene
1760
01:15:15,330 --> 01:15:17,733
in which Spock--
or Kirk
1761
01:15:17,833 --> 01:15:19,702
confronts "God" and says,
1762
01:15:19,802 --> 01:15:22,004
"What does God
need with a starship?"
1763
01:15:22,104 --> 01:15:23,472
What other character
in the history of cinema
1764
01:15:23,572 --> 01:15:25,874
would come up to God?
Not even Charlton Heston
1765
01:15:25,974 --> 01:15:28,777
would say to God, "What do you
need with a starship?"
1766
01:15:28,877 --> 01:15:30,145
- Absolutely,
without question,
1767
01:15:30,245 --> 01:15:33,281
my favorite captain
is James T. Kirk.
1768
01:15:33,381 --> 01:15:36,218
I mean, he just--
Kirk did the right thing.
1769
01:15:36,318 --> 01:15:38,521
He said the right thing.
People looked up to him.
1770
01:15:38,621 --> 01:15:41,690
He was a man of action.
He was a man of romance.
1771
01:15:41,790 --> 01:15:45,628
And, like, I mean, as performed
by William Shatner?
1772
01:15:45,728 --> 01:15:47,563
I mean, there was a reason why
as a little kid
1773
01:15:47,663 --> 01:15:49,398
I wanted to be Captain Kirk.
1774
01:15:49,498 --> 01:15:53,436
There's a reason why as
an almost 50-year-old grown-up
1775
01:15:53,536 --> 01:15:55,337
that I still watch
the original series
1776
01:15:55,437 --> 01:15:57,540
and I still wanna be
James T. Kirk.
1777
01:15:57,640 --> 01:15:59,007
He is the best captain.
1778
01:16:01,710 --> 01:16:02,945
- The way he would
stare down
1779
01:16:03,045 --> 01:16:06,048
100-foot tall Apollo,
and with great...
1780
01:16:06,148 --> 01:16:08,350
sort of indignation:
1781
01:16:08,450 --> 01:16:10,919
"What gives you the right--"
you know,
1782
01:16:11,019 --> 01:16:14,990
to a 100-foot tall god...
1783
01:16:15,090 --> 01:16:17,325
he shouted,
"What gives you the right?"
1784
01:16:17,425 --> 01:16:19,495
When Apollo just could have...
1785
01:16:19,595 --> 01:16:21,396
done that.
1786
01:16:21,496 --> 01:16:24,700
Yeah, the sort of leadership
and the fearlessness
1787
01:16:24,800 --> 01:16:28,336
and also...my first
understanding
1788
01:16:28,436 --> 01:16:29,337
of what a...
1789
01:16:29,437 --> 01:16:30,839
you lead by example.
- Yeah.
1790
01:16:30,939 --> 01:16:32,340
- The captain's setting,
1791
01:16:32,440 --> 01:16:34,076
the fish stinks
from the head down,
1792
01:16:34,176 --> 01:16:36,645
all of those leadership
qualities
1793
01:16:36,745 --> 01:16:40,949
that hadn't been shown to me
by a family member
1794
01:16:41,049 --> 01:16:42,518
or by anyone at school,
a teacher.
1795
01:16:42,618 --> 01:16:47,556
Really, it oddly was
that leadership necessary
1796
01:16:47,656 --> 01:16:50,626
as put forth by
Captain James Tiberius Kirk.
1797
01:16:50,726 --> 01:16:53,061
- I mean, I love Captain Kirk.
However...
1798
01:16:53,161 --> 01:16:55,330
I have...
you know, I have to say
1799
01:16:55,430 --> 01:16:57,566
that I think my favorite captain
is Picard...
1800
01:16:57,666 --> 01:16:59,334
- Uh-huh.
- Because the thing is
1801
01:16:59,434 --> 01:17:01,604
Kirk is really
only 1/3rd of a guy.
1802
01:17:01,704 --> 01:17:03,271
- Oh...
- He's only 1/3rd of a guy!
1803
01:17:03,371 --> 01:17:05,173
- Interesting.
- Picard is a nice,
1804
01:17:05,273 --> 01:17:06,575
well-rounded guy.
1805
01:17:06,675 --> 01:17:08,844
And he doesn't have to
punch anybody in the face
1806
01:17:08,944 --> 01:17:10,613
to get his point across,
right?
1807
01:17:10,713 --> 01:17:11,880
- But if he has to, he can.
- Well, he can,
1808
01:17:11,980 --> 01:17:13,949
but he usually has
Riker do it or Worf.
1809
01:17:14,049 --> 01:17:16,184
Yeah, he, uh...
1810
01:17:16,284 --> 01:17:18,153
You know, for me,
in a lot of ways,
1811
01:17:18,253 --> 01:17:20,756
"Next Generation" was a...
1812
01:17:20,856 --> 01:17:22,825
"Star Trek" kind of grown up.
- Yeah.
1813
01:17:22,925 --> 01:17:24,527
- You know? And that
started with Picard.
1814
01:17:24,627 --> 01:17:26,695
- Yeah. My answer's
actually Picard too.
1815
01:17:26,795 --> 01:17:28,664
Just because I find him
to be--
1816
01:17:28,764 --> 01:17:31,033
I don't think he's the most
realistic of a captain.
1817
01:17:31,133 --> 01:17:33,101
I think that Picard
has so few flaws,
1818
01:17:33,201 --> 01:17:35,003
and he only really
finally becomes human
1819
01:17:35,103 --> 01:17:37,272
after he's a Borg
and then turned into a human.
1820
01:17:37,372 --> 01:17:38,574
You know, he really
just starts like--
1821
01:17:38,674 --> 01:17:40,709
They give him a love story
once in a while...
1822
01:17:40,809 --> 01:17:42,177
But it just--I don't know.
1823
01:17:42,277 --> 01:17:44,880
I just love--
I found Picard to be virtuous
1824
01:17:44,980 --> 01:17:47,616
and I found Picard
to be like, oh...
1825
01:17:47,716 --> 01:17:51,620
if humans could one day
turn into that guy,
1826
01:17:51,720 --> 01:17:53,922
maybe "Star Trek's" plausible.
1827
01:17:54,022 --> 01:17:55,457
But it's not gonna happen.
1828
01:17:55,557 --> 01:17:56,925
- Yeah, he's a great
representation
1829
01:17:57,025 --> 01:17:58,493
of kind of Rodenberry's vision.
- Yeah, a vision of what
1830
01:17:58,593 --> 01:17:59,762
humanity can be.
- A captain needs to be.
1831
01:17:59,862 --> 01:18:01,564
- What a captain is.
- Exactly.
1832
01:18:01,664 --> 01:18:03,065
- Yeah. Just putting every--
1833
01:18:03,165 --> 01:18:04,933
He just--I don't know.
I just always...
1834
01:18:05,033 --> 01:18:06,702
And that accent.
I mean, you can't really...
1835
01:18:06,802 --> 01:18:12,207
- Well, the accent, yeah.
- Top that voice.
1836
01:18:12,307 --> 01:18:14,242
n - The show is about
what it is to be human,
1837
01:18:14,342 --> 01:18:16,178
and that never
goes out of style.
1838
01:18:16,278 --> 01:18:17,913
And it's the type of stories
that they tell
1839
01:18:18,013 --> 01:18:20,248
that you don't generally get
in other television shows.
1840
01:18:20,348 --> 01:18:22,217
- Yeah.
- The introspective...
1841
01:18:22,317 --> 01:18:24,553
And the basis of it is
who are we...
1842
01:18:24,653 --> 01:18:26,121
who are we
as human beings?
1843
01:18:26,221 --> 01:18:27,923
- I think it's because
1844
01:18:28,023 --> 01:18:30,025
it's an optimistic
view of the future.
1845
01:18:30,125 --> 01:18:31,727
- Hope.
- Yeah. It's hope.
1846
01:18:31,827 --> 01:18:33,261
- Yeah.
- I think that's exactly
1847
01:18:33,361 --> 01:18:34,963
what it is--
it's an optimistic portrayal
1848
01:18:35,063 --> 01:18:37,032
of what we could
hopefully achieve
1849
01:18:37,132 --> 01:18:39,735
and what our society
could be like
1850
01:18:39,835 --> 01:18:41,503
and that we finally
accept each other
1851
01:18:41,603 --> 01:18:44,239
and we finally learn
to look past differences
1852
01:18:44,339 --> 01:18:45,808
and things like that.
1853
01:18:45,908 --> 01:18:48,010
And I think that we so
desperately hope
1854
01:18:48,110 --> 01:18:50,112
that we can achieve that.
1855
01:18:50,212 --> 01:18:52,781
- And it evolves, you know,
from series to series,
1856
01:18:52,881 --> 01:18:54,249
over the 50 years.
1857
01:18:54,349 --> 01:18:56,351
It may have some core values
and ideas
1858
01:18:56,451 --> 01:18:58,153
and the optimism and the hope,
1859
01:18:58,253 --> 01:19:00,288
but it evolves
with the times, too.
1860
01:19:00,388 --> 01:19:04,292
So it, you know, it--
hopefully the next reiteration
1861
01:19:04,392 --> 01:19:07,562
will fit our times today
much like, you know,
1862
01:19:07,662 --> 01:19:09,598
"The Next Gen" did
in the late '80s, early '90s
1863
01:19:09,698 --> 01:19:11,734
or "Deep Space Nine"
and "Voyager" in the '90s,
1864
01:19:11,834 --> 01:19:14,102
and, of course, the original
series back in the '60s.
1865
01:19:14,202 --> 01:19:15,570
But it's been able to evolve.
1866
01:19:15,670 --> 01:19:17,339
It hasn't been
a static kind of franchise.
1867
01:19:20,308 --> 01:19:21,308
- There's that
Martin Luther King line...
1868
01:19:23,278 --> 01:19:26,314
"The arc of history
bends toward justice."
1869
01:19:26,414 --> 01:19:27,950
I think for fans
of this show,
1870
01:19:28,050 --> 01:19:30,085
the arc of history
bends towards "Star Trek,"
1871
01:19:30,185 --> 01:19:32,520
that we have this hope,
this belief,
1872
01:19:32,620 --> 01:19:35,557
that...things
are getting better.
1873
01:19:35,657 --> 01:19:37,993
And that, yeah, we're probably
not gonna, you know,
1874
01:19:38,093 --> 01:19:40,128
run into guys
with pointed ears out there.
1875
01:19:40,228 --> 01:19:43,131
But we will find a way
1876
01:19:43,231 --> 01:19:45,600
to fix our problems
1877
01:19:45,700 --> 01:19:48,236
and move out into the universe
1878
01:19:48,336 --> 01:19:50,405
and believe in, you know,
the...
1879
01:19:50,505 --> 01:19:52,875
you know, the better angels
of our nature
1880
01:19:52,975 --> 01:19:55,778
and...and make the world
a better place.
1881
01:19:55,878 --> 01:19:59,147
- One thing about "Star Trek"
that I've said before
1882
01:19:59,247 --> 01:20:00,883
and I really believe it
1883
01:20:00,983 --> 01:20:05,453
is it was the Beatles
of 1960s TV.
1884
01:20:05,553 --> 01:20:07,555
And if you had to describe
the Beatles,
1885
01:20:07,655 --> 01:20:09,124
you would say it's magic.
1886
01:20:09,224 --> 01:20:11,259
And take any one of them
out of that band,
1887
01:20:11,359 --> 01:20:13,128
and it's not the Beatles.
1888
01:20:13,228 --> 01:20:15,397
Well, "Star Trek's"
the same way
1889
01:20:15,497 --> 01:20:16,765
from the same period.
1890
01:20:16,865 --> 01:20:19,034
I mean,
take William Shatner out.
1891
01:20:19,134 --> 01:20:20,535
Take Leonard Nimoy out.
1892
01:20:20,635 --> 01:20:22,905
Take Rodenberry or Coon
or Fontana out
1893
01:20:23,005 --> 01:20:25,573
or Deforest Kelley,
and you don't have it.
1894
01:20:25,673 --> 01:20:27,209
It's still gonna be good,
1895
01:20:27,309 --> 01:20:29,577
but it's not gonna be
what it is,
1896
01:20:29,677 --> 01:20:32,748
and we wouldn't have
what we have now 15 years later.
1897
01:20:32,848 --> 01:20:35,217
- I think there's a lot of
reasons why it endures so long.
1898
01:20:35,317 --> 01:20:38,120
You know, I think, um...
1899
01:20:38,220 --> 01:20:39,654
I think the biggest thing
to me,
1900
01:20:39,754 --> 01:20:41,790
in terms of its longevity
and success,
1901
01:20:41,890 --> 01:20:46,161
is that it is unique in that
its portrayal of the future,
1902
01:20:46,261 --> 01:20:48,697
the optimistic portrayal
of the future,
1903
01:20:48,797 --> 01:20:51,099
does kind of stand alone
in pop culture.
1904
01:20:51,199 --> 01:20:53,035
The vast majority
of science fiction pieces
1905
01:20:53,135 --> 01:20:54,703
that take place in the future,
you know,
1906
01:20:54,803 --> 01:20:57,639
show us a dystopian future,
a terrible future.
1907
01:20:57,739 --> 01:21:00,508
Here's the only real
science fiction construct
1908
01:21:00,608 --> 01:21:02,544
that I wanna go live in,
you know,
1909
01:21:02,644 --> 01:21:03,979
that I want to be part of.
1910
01:21:04,079 --> 01:21:07,215
I want to join that crew.
I want to live that life.
1911
01:21:07,315 --> 01:21:09,818
I want to have those adventures
with those people.
1912
01:21:09,918 --> 01:21:13,555
- "Star Trek" has something to
say about who we are as people,
1913
01:21:13,655 --> 01:21:15,724
who we aspire to be,
1914
01:21:15,824 --> 01:21:19,327
and it says that
we will endure.
1915
01:21:19,427 --> 01:21:21,363
We will overcome
all obstacles.
1916
01:21:21,463 --> 01:21:23,398
- I think "Star Trek"
will be around
1917
01:21:23,498 --> 01:21:25,400
for a long, long time
1918
01:21:25,500 --> 01:21:28,136
because it's a unique
piece of science fiction
1919
01:21:28,236 --> 01:21:30,939
in that it's optimistic.
1920
01:21:31,039 --> 01:21:32,207
"Star Trek" is optimistic.
1921
01:21:32,307 --> 01:21:34,209
It holds out the hope
1922
01:21:34,309 --> 01:21:37,712
not that humans are gonna be
somehow perfect in the future
1923
01:21:37,812 --> 01:21:39,214
but things can get better.
1924
01:21:39,314 --> 01:21:40,916
- I think "Star Trek" succeeded
1925
01:21:41,016 --> 01:21:43,886
because a number of elements
fell into place.
1926
01:21:43,986 --> 01:21:46,989
They had a great overall story.
1927
01:21:47,089 --> 01:21:51,593
They're modern-day pioneers
where no man has gone before.
1928
01:21:51,693 --> 01:21:53,561
So it could be the Wild West.
1929
01:21:53,661 --> 01:21:57,165
It's the Wild West in space,
really, led by a great captain
1930
01:21:57,265 --> 01:21:59,034
and an incredible team.
1931
01:21:59,134 --> 01:22:01,937
- And I think it's gone on
for 50 years so far
1932
01:22:02,037 --> 01:22:06,041
because it is a show about
human interest
1933
01:22:06,141 --> 01:22:09,511
and adventure
and how far we will go
1934
01:22:09,611 --> 01:22:13,248
to try to learn more
and to expand our own worlds
1935
01:22:13,348 --> 01:22:14,616
and our own minds.
1936
01:22:14,716 --> 01:22:16,551
And I think that's something
that resonates
1937
01:22:16,651 --> 01:22:18,086
with people 50 years ago,
1938
01:22:18,186 --> 01:22:20,755
and it'll resonate with people
50 years from now.
1939
01:22:20,855 --> 01:22:25,127
- And now, of course, J.J. has
taken it to a whole other place.
1940
01:22:25,227 --> 01:22:27,195
- Why "Star Trek"
is still relevant
1941
01:22:27,295 --> 01:22:30,465
is because of the paradigm that
Gene Rodenberry came up with,
1942
01:22:30,565 --> 01:22:33,068
the idea of unity,
of humanity--
1943
01:22:33,168 --> 01:22:36,371
and other species, actually--
working together.
1944
01:22:36,471 --> 01:22:38,106
There's an optimism to it
1945
01:22:38,206 --> 01:22:40,508
that I think we've never needed
more than now.
1946
01:22:40,608 --> 01:22:42,945
- Well, it starts with
the characters, you know.
1947
01:22:43,045 --> 01:22:44,446
I love the ensemble.
1948
01:22:44,546 --> 01:22:45,914
I love the idea that, you know,
1949
01:22:46,014 --> 01:22:47,315
this group of people
came together
1950
01:22:47,415 --> 01:22:50,185
and through the shared journey,
they become a family.
1951
01:22:50,285 --> 01:22:52,454
The sense of family
that goes beyond blood.
1952
01:22:52,554 --> 01:22:55,390
And I also love every night
there's a sense of discovery
1953
01:22:55,490 --> 01:22:56,992
and exploration, you know,
1954
01:22:57,092 --> 01:22:59,461
and that, to me, is the DNA
of "Star Trek."
1955
01:22:59,561 --> 01:23:01,864
- You know, I think
"Star Trek's" enduring appeal
1956
01:23:01,964 --> 01:23:04,933
is really because it presents
a vision of humanity
1957
01:23:05,033 --> 01:23:07,903
that is united and, particularly
in this day and age,
1958
01:23:08,003 --> 01:23:10,472
it's wonderful to have
kind of a beacon of morality
1959
01:23:10,572 --> 01:23:13,942
to see that, you know,
maybe the dystopian future
1960
01:23:14,042 --> 01:23:16,644
that you see in a lot of movies
like the "Mad Max" movies
1961
01:23:16,744 --> 01:23:19,381
and the "Blade Runner" movies
is not gonna be our future.
1962
01:23:19,481 --> 01:23:20,949
- Collectivism versus
separatism,
1963
01:23:21,049 --> 01:23:23,385
which is a big thing
in today's society, you know.
1964
01:23:23,485 --> 01:23:25,520
About how we're better
together.
1965
01:23:25,620 --> 01:23:27,655
And that was something
that we felt obligated to do.
1966
01:23:27,755 --> 01:23:28,991
This is "Star Trek."
1967
01:23:29,091 --> 01:23:30,893
"Star Trek" has always spoken
about who we are now.
1968
01:23:30,993 --> 01:23:33,661
- And now it's, I guess,
coming back on another network.
1969
01:23:33,761 --> 01:23:36,331
You know I'ma try to get on
there, you know, just to see.
1970
01:23:36,431 --> 01:23:40,502
Because I try--You know, Guinan
is everywhere all the time.
1971
01:23:40,602 --> 01:23:43,471
- A majority of the "Star Trek"
fans that I've met
1972
01:23:43,571 --> 01:23:45,107
are proactive
1973
01:23:45,207 --> 01:23:48,610
in making that vision of
a better future a reality.
1974
01:23:48,710 --> 01:23:51,880
- The "Star Trek" fans
are the most unique people
1975
01:23:51,980 --> 01:23:53,481
you've ever met.
1976
01:23:53,581 --> 01:23:56,051
They know your character.
1977
01:23:56,151 --> 01:23:59,922
They know every episode
and what it meant
1978
01:24:00,022 --> 01:24:01,957
and how it affected them.
1979
01:24:02,057 --> 01:24:03,858
- If I were given the choice
1980
01:24:03,958 --> 01:24:07,429
of any character ever portrayed
on television--
1981
01:24:07,529 --> 01:24:08,830
that I could play
any character I wanted--
1982
01:24:08,930 --> 01:24:10,432
I would choose Spock.
1983
01:24:10,532 --> 01:24:12,700
- Well, people identified
with us.
1984
01:24:12,800 --> 01:24:15,904
They identified with
"Star Trek,"
1985
01:24:16,004 --> 01:24:18,873
they identified
with the characters.
1986
01:24:18,973 --> 01:24:21,376
They were dressing
in their own uniforms
1987
01:24:21,476 --> 01:24:22,945
and their own costumes.
1988
01:24:23,045 --> 01:24:25,813
- It resonated with
that group of people
1989
01:24:25,913 --> 01:24:27,782
that were kids, you know,
1990
01:24:27,882 --> 01:24:30,118
and now they're young adults.
1991
01:24:30,218 --> 01:24:32,187
- "Star Trek"
created an umbrella
1992
01:24:32,287 --> 01:24:34,856
for everybody else.
1993
01:24:34,956 --> 01:24:38,260
And then once we got in
under the shade,
1994
01:24:38,360 --> 01:24:41,129
we then said, "Oh, come.
Come and join us."
1995
01:24:41,229 --> 01:24:44,032
That's what "Star Trek" did.
1996
01:24:44,132 --> 01:24:47,202
And that tent
will continue to grow.
1997
01:24:47,302 --> 01:24:48,971
- And it's now 30 years later
for our show,
1998
01:24:49,071 --> 01:24:50,372
when I'm talking to you,
1999
01:24:50,472 --> 01:24:54,042
50 years for the original show,
and, I mean,
2000
01:24:54,142 --> 01:24:57,212
it goes in waves,
but people are still
2001
01:24:57,312 --> 01:24:59,847
attached to, committed to,
2002
01:24:59,947 --> 01:25:02,684
affected by, interested in
2003
01:25:02,784 --> 01:25:04,819
this thing that Gene invented,
2004
01:25:04,919 --> 01:25:07,019
and I was blessed enough
to be part of.
2005
01:25:07,500 --> 01:25:08,500
-- English --
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