Berman Is Writing Tell-All Book About Trek

[Vic 17]

Already in progress, memoirs will describe 'wonderful and bizarre' moments, 'warts and all'.

By Michelle

April 22, 2007 - 4:43 PM

Longtime Star Trek executive producer Rick Berman has plans to write a book about his experiences with the franchise, he told a magazine interviewer.

 

TrekMovie.com quoted what it called Berman's "exit interview" with Star Trek Magazine, conducted just before Berman left his office at Paramount from which he oversaw the Star Trek franchise for nearly 20 years. "I have started writing a book because I realized that in 1986, when Gene Roddenberry asked me to get involved in work with him on this thing, the number of stories that I have accumulated is amazing," Berman said.

 

The longtime producer does not yet have a publisher, though he promises that the book will be "warts and all", in contrast to some of the laudatory Star Trek biographies sanctioned by the studio. Berman said he wanted to write about the "wonderful and bizarre and funny things" he encountered in almost two decades of work with Star Trek.

 

In addition, added Berman, he has several other projects in the work but felt it was too early to speak in detail about them. "There are two projects that are possibly in the works here at Paramount," he explained, "and two that are not connected to the television business, but time will tell."

 

The complete interview is in Star Trek Magazine (UK issue #132, US issue #5). Thanks to TrekMovie.com for these excerpts.

 

http://www.trektoday.com/news/220407_01.shtml

[star_rose 0]

It is very interesting to read the history of TNG behind the scenes!!!!

I hope that Berman will be honest and sincere.

[Gummy 0]

That will be a book worth reading. I've read Shatner's books on his memories from both the TV show and the movies. It's interesting to read about what goes on behind the scenes of these things.

[Kor37 9]

I plan on getting this book myself.

[Theunicornhunter 2]

I wonder if those warts will include a chapter - How I helped Kill Star Trek. :blink:

[Lady Britannia 0]

The World According To Rick:

 

Excerpt:

 

"All the stuff I wrote was great. I can't understand how those damn Star Trek fans couldn't appreciate my brilliance!"

[trekz 7]

I'll be interested in his opinions on why Star Trek needed a "rest." IMO the saddest days for Star TREK fans are the "rests" between the movies and the series: 1970 -1973 (then TAS) 1975-1978 (then ST:TMP), 1980-1981, (then STII:TWOK) 1983 (then STIII:TSFS) 1985 (then STIV:TVH), (then TNG!, DS9!, VOY!, ENT) and 2006 to present. I appreciate and value all the books, comics, fan fic, etc. but what I truly want are movies and TV series. I require no such rest from Star Trek and resent when one is imposed by the supposed keepers of the franchise. :blink:

[Stephen of Borg 2]

I will never judge Rick Berman, he gave everyone First Contact if nothing else. I am a huge ENT fan, so I definitely do not have anything bad to say. I'll probably get this book for sure

Edited April 23, 2007 by Gamera

[Kor37 9]

I don't have anything at all against Berman. If not for him, Trek would have died a long time ago. I think he just took on too much and got burned out. Happens to a lot of people. I very much appreciate Berman giving us DS9 and Voyager as well as all the movies.

[Stephen of Borg 2]

I actually think that the Berman years of TNG were better episodes than the Roddenberry years

[Gummy 0]

I have mixed feelings about Berman. While I appreciate his TNG work, I think that it became over-saturated and we kinda OD'ed on Trek when we had TNG, DS9, and VOY flooding the market. Once ENT became the only Trek in production, then things leveled off. Now, the fans are hungry again and we have to wait until the next movie before we're satisfied again. Although the remastered TOS episodes do help a little.

[Kor37 9]

I actually think that the Berman years of TNG were better episodes than the Roddenberry years

 

 

The ratings actually bear this out. The first few seasons of TNG had fair to bad ratings. It wasn't until "Best Of Both Worlds" that TNG really took off.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named 2]

I actually think that the Berman years of TNG were better episodes than the Roddenberry years

 

 

The ratings actually bear this out. The first few seasons of TNG had fair to bad ratings. It wasn't until "Best Of Both Worlds" that TNG really took off.

 

I agree with this. Berman overstayed his welcome but at one time he was very welcome.

 

Berman is like Nixon in that he did some very good things but is remembered for the bad things.

[Gummy 0]

I actually think that the Berman years of TNG were better episodes than the Roddenberry years

 

 

The ratings actually bear this out. The first few seasons of TNG had fair to bad ratings. It wasn't until "Best Of Both Worlds" that TNG really took off.

 

I agree with this. Berman overstayed his welcome but at one time he was very welcome.

 

Berman is like Nixon in that he did some very good things but is remembered for the bad things.

Very true.

[MrPsychic 1]

I actually think that the Berman years of TNG were better episodes than the Roddenberry years

 

 

The ratings actually bear this out. The first few seasons of TNG had fair to bad ratings. It wasn't until "Best Of Both Worlds" that TNG really took off.

 

I agree with this. Berman overstayed his welcome but at one time he was very welcome.

 

Berman is like Nixon in that he did some very good things but is remembered for the bad things.

Woah, I'm confused... Not by the topic but because Van Roy is actually talking about a topic and adding good things to it... :blink:

 

On topic, I wouldn't buy the book, but I would get it at the library just to read it and see what he has to say about hits, like TNG and DS9, and failures, like Enterprise and Nemesis.

[star_rose 0]

I actually think that the Berman years of TNG were better episodes than the Roddenberry years

 

 

The ratings actually bear this out. The first few seasons of TNG had fair to bad ratings. It wasn't until "Best Of Both Worlds" that TNG really took off.

 

I agree with this. Berman overstayed his welcome but at one time he was very welcome.

 

Berman is like Nixon in that he did some very good things but is remembered for the bad things.

Woah, I'm confused... Not by the topic but because Van Roy is actually talking about a topic and adding good things to it... :blink:

 

On topic, I wouldn't buy the book, but I would get it at the library just to read it and see what he has to say about hits, like TNG and DS9, and failures, like Enterprise and Nemesis.

you are fortunate. I live in Italy and all that I know about Star Trek is that I can buy on Amazon or Ebay or at the conventions.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named 2]

Woah, I'm confused... Not by the topic but because Van Roy is actually talking about a topic and adding good things to it... :blink:

 

It happens sometimes.

[Admiral Kirk 1]

I started to post a very negative reply on Berman but as I st down and think about it he did do some good for Trek. He steered the franchise through the end of TNG and the creation of DS9. I think things got bad and his ego got worse after Voyager and he simply didn't care (canon wise) once Enterprise aired. It's a mixed bag but I'm not going to say that I'm sad to see him leave.

[Guest Ktrek]

I'll probably buy this book since I have nearly almost every book ever written on Trek.

 

As for Berman himself I think he was a great producer but a bad storyteller. Almost every episode with his name in the writing credits was below the Trek standards. With Enterprise he should have given complete creative control over to the professional writers after the first season but he didn't and by the time he gave most control over the show was too far gone to save. Every long lasting series suffers when there is not new blood coming in to infuse the creative process and give a show stories from a fresh perspective and that's what happened with Star Trek through the Berman years.

 

Lets hope that the new movie will re-invigorate the franchise and that CBS will be willing to invest hard cold cash into developing a new series.

 

Kevin