Subj:  Answers
Date:  4/9/97 1:48:35 PM
From:  RonDMoore       

<<Have you ever given ANY thought to not necessarily WRITING for ST:IX but
maybe something a little higher in stature?   Like if The Rickster asked you
if you'd be interested in Co-Producing it along with him...  would you?>>

Rick is a very capable and experienced producer and I doubt that he needs my
help to produce this next picture.  But in any case, my reasons for not
writing the film were that I wasn't ready to plunge into a Trek feature right
now and that would apply to producing as well as writing.  And the truth is,
once I got involved in the picture in any form, I'd want to be writing the
script -- control, ego, artitistic vision, that sort of thing being the
driving forces in a writer's life.

<<Actually, what I meant was, what are the differences in chances of having a
Trek episode produced?  In the submission packet I received, it states that
scripts submitted through WGA agents will receive higher priority.  Does that
just mean that they'll be looked at sooner, or that they have a better chance
of being made?>>

Oh.  Agent-submitted spec scripts are given a higher priority in our offices
for the simple reason that they have already been read by someone (the agent)
and therefore the chances that they are in the proper format, are in English,
and are not written in crayon (don't laugh, it happens) are much better.
 However, the actual difference in turnaround time is not that great -- maybe
another week or two for spec material without an agent -- so I wouldn't worry
about it too much.

<<On a completely different, unrelated note, just how large would a model of
the Enterprise be?>>

What an interesting question.  I'm not sure, but maybe I'll take a
measurement sometime and find out.

<<When a member of  the cast or crew "spills the beans"  about an upcoming
episode, is it likely that he or she will have to answer for it?  Or do you
all just blow it off? I guess I'm referring specifically to Rene Auberjonois,
who, last weekend, told an audience at I-CON XVI what he believed would be
the outcome of the season finale. Rene's surmise was then printed in Monday's
NEWSDAY.>>

I just had Rene fired.  I hope you're proud of yourself.

<<Surely you weren't able to purloin the six gold ships from the wall of the
Enterprise-D conference lounge?  Actually, were there six of them?  In any
case, does anyone know you have them?  (Or at least, did anyone know before
you announced this to the world?)>>

I have no idea what you're talking about.

<<Do you miss the original cast and their adventures?  I know many fans who
feel that TOS crew had their day, and that they're too old and all, but more
than once I thought it would be nice to see a good old-fashioned Trek episode
with Kirk, Spock and McCoy in an old-time Trek situation.  I know it's
probably unlikely that this will ever happen, and I'm not even sure I would
want it too...what do you think?>>

Of course I miss them.  Nothing would please me more than to find "the lost
episodes" in a film canister somewhere.  "T & T" was as close as modern
technology allowed us to get to that sort of thing, but it's not unimaginable
that someday we'll be able to create "new" TOS episodes through digital
manipulation of the original images (which has some frightening implications,
I'll grant you).  But if that should happen, I'll be the first in line to
"write/direct" one of them.

<< This may be a stupid question but Who are the Orion Syndicate there have
been two         refrences to them most recently in "a simple investigation"
but they have never been         explained so Who Are They>>

All we know is that the Syndicate is a criminal organization with ties to
arms dealing and other nefarious activities.
------------------
Subj:  Answers
Date:  4/9/97 2:11:58 PM
From:  RonDMoore       

<< I noticed that Star Trek: First Contact had very little in the way of a
lead in. This was a little... different than we are used to... not that
there's anything wrong with that! (Great movie... this isn't a slam!) When
the opening credits ended... BOOM! It was off at full speed! But that lead in
time is where some of the best character stuff happens. For instance the
conversations and moments  between Kirk/McCoy & Kirk/Spock before they knew
Khan was back in ST:II. Kirk/Sarek in ST:III. Spock/Crew in ST:IV. Why no
character lead in in First Contact?>>

It was a conscious decision to plunge into action immediately and set a
different tone from the previous movies.  The character lead-ins were nice
and I always liked them, but we wanted FC to be a departure for the film
series and we wanted to make that statement from the opening shot.

<<With your work behind the scenes, what characters do you believe have grown
significantly since the start of the series (or their first apperance on
DS9)?  Do any episodes stand out in your mind?  What characters do you think
you would like to expand more on?>>

They've all grown and evolved in many ways:  I think Sisko is a different man
now after his experiences with The Other Emissary and in Rapture, which have
bonded him with Bajor.  His son has moved out and he's grown accustomed to
the idea that he may never get admiral's stars.  Odo has found his people,
discovered he hates them, fallen in love, and come to grips with his own
culpability during the Occupation.  Bashir has moved from a naive, obnoxious,
skirt-chaser to a mature, respected skirt-chaser with a genetically enhanced
intellect, has a strong friendship with O'Brien, and pretends to be a 1960s
secret agent.  Kira has grown from an obvious mistrust of (and borderline
dislike of) Sisko, to someone who respects and accepts him as the station
commander and the Emissary.  Kira has also grappled with her residual hatred
from the Occupation, tried to put much of it aside, and yet discovered that
her terrorist roots are a part of her.  She's loosened up and found that she
can have fun on occasion without sacrificing her inner steel.  Quark has lost
his business, his brother, and his nephew, only to discover that his family
and friends are still there for him when the chips are down.  He's also
discovered, to his horror, that he's developing a conscience.  O'Brien has
been put through the wringer time and time, and discovered an inner strength
of purpose and character that I think surprises even him.  He's also been
willing to put his family first on more than one occasion and found that a
career in Starfleet isn't as important to him as Keiko, Molly, and Kiryoshi.
 Of all the characters, Dax has changed the least, but that seems appropriate
since she was also the oldest and the wisest of them, with seven lifetimes of
experience behind her.  Her perspective is larger, the changes in her life
less earth-shattering than evolutionary.

<<Are there any plans to visit New Bajor in the Gamma Quadrant or is it
assumed to be completely obliterated by the Jem Hadar?>>

Our thinking was that it had been destroyed, but if we have a great idea, we
might go there.

<<Is there a set of guiding goals or a theme for DS9 stories each season?
 Like Voyager's theme of "Embrace the adventure." Rumor is that one possible
goal can be read on Ira's shirt in "The Making of Trials and
Tribblelations.">>

No, we don't really work like that.  Our first episode of the season usually
sets a tone for the year, but it's not that formalized an approach.  Ira's
shirt was his own statement of personal choice ("No One Knows That I'm a
Lesbian")

<<can you give the rest of us Cardassian fans any clues as to what might be
in store (in this season or next) for these average, everyday, non-Military,
non-spy citizens now that this whole bizarre, unpleasant to watch, mess with
the Dominion has begun?>>

I can't give you any clues, chiefly because our own thinking on this subject
hasn't yet gelled.
---------------------
Subj:  Answers
Date:  4/9/97 2:25:03 PM
From:  RonDMoore       

<<My question, Ron, is do you feel (like I do) that Trek in general and DS9
in particular are routinely overlooked in the media?>>

I think the quality of work is routinely overlooked.  What we usually get is
a lot of media coverage of the Trek franchise as a whole, the business of
marketing the "product," and the dedication of the fans.  All that's fine as
far as it goes -- all publicity is good publicity on a certain level -- but I
think that the media often ignores some very good work on the part of the
actors, the directors, the writers, and the entire production team in
creating a really good TV show.  DS9 is just "part of the franchise" and is
seldom judged in the media on its own merits.

All of that is a drag, but on the other hand, we have you, the fans and no
one else does.  Babylon 5 and Star Wars have their own fan base, I know, but
it takes nothing away from their acheivements to point out that the loyalty
and longevity of the Trek fans is unique.  The following that Trek enjoys,
from conventions to fanzines to clubs to websites is unprecedented and in
many ways it more than makes up for the lack of Emmys, Oscars, and mainstream
press recognition.  How many other TV writers have their work recognized and
analyzed week after week?  How many other TV writers have stood in front of
crowds and been applauded?  How many other TV writers have folders like this?
 We at Trek are LUCKY to be associated with something like this and whether
or not the press wants to take note of us, YOU do and that's quite enough.

<<were the hit men in "A Simple Investigation" Orion?>>

I don't think so, but we never really specified what their origin was, so we
could always come back and establish them as such.