Rob's rating: 8.0 of 10.
May 14, 2007
Captain Pike, Indian?
In the Star Trek novel Burning Dreams, Margaret Wander Bonnano invents a history for Christopher Pike, James T. Kirk's predecessor. Bonnano writes that Pike's father was part Native, Cherokee, and his stepmother was "mostly Mojave, with a little bit of Navajo." These two raised Pike during his teen years and taught him Indian-style values, including respect for the land and its inhabitants. Presumably Pike transmitted these values to the people he subsequently met, including Spock and the crew of the Enterprise.
Rob's rating: 8.0 of 10.
Rob's rating: 8.0 of 10.
Writerfella here --
ReplyDeleteTalk about STAR TREK matters that are less than 'canon'! The current Pocket Books' STAR TREK Novels Series Editor John Ordover has stated at ST conventions that he has license to approve or to disapprove any particular content of a submitted ST novel as he so chooses, without any further monitoring by Paramount Studios. Thus it is that "Margaret Wander's" ersatz ST novel is as spurious to the actual content of the backstory of The Original Series as would be its initial selling point to NBC, 'Wagon Train to the stars...'
STAR TREK certainly never was such a series, where the continuing characters are present only to ferry the weekly guest stars wherever they are going to do whatever they are doing. Both Gene Roddenberry and Gene L. Coon, with whom writerfella worked as a fellow writer and a friend, would find such 'filling in of the lines' both laughable and infantile, as the STAR TREK universe they created never resembled or approached such a tagline. Captaincy of the Starship ENTERPRISE began with Robert April, continued with Christopher Pike, and then evolved onward to James T. Kirk. And none of these Captains were Native American in the slightest, as attested to by Dorothy C. Fontana who was the series' Story Editor. It is with writerfella's character, Dawson WalkingBear, that Native Americans found their place among the crew of the ENTERPRISE, and not before...
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
I never said this book was part of the "canon." And I never called Pike an Indian despite his alleged background in the book. Note the question mark at the end of this posting's title; it's there for a reason.
ReplyDeleteDawson Walking Bear may have been the first full-fledged Native on the Enterprise, but a whole planetful of Natives appeared before then in "The Paradise Syndrome." Alas, you were a distant second when it came to adding Natives to the Star Trek universe.
Roddenberry did his own "filling in" in the Star Trek series and movies, so your comment about him is about the only laughable thing here.
Writerfella here --
ReplyDeleteNo one said that the People of Miramanee were members of the crew of the Starship ENTERPRISE. In fact, until the ENTERPRISE discovered their world, no one knew they existed. And none of them became members of the crew itself, slamming the door on the errant fingers you, Rob, have tried to slide into the STAR TREK pie-chart. The people of Miramanee were as much aliens to the crew of the ENTERPRISE as were the Klingons, or the Andorians, or the Kzinti, or the Tholians, or the Orions, or the Tellarites, or the Romulans. And none of those, at least until STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION were StarFleet members of the ENTERPRISE crew, period...
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
That's why I said others introduced the first Natives in the Star Trek universe while you introduced the first Native on the Enterprise. Again, improve your reading skills so I don't have to spell out the obvious to you.
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, most sources say the animated series is not part of the canon, with the possible exception of D.C. Fontana's "Yesteryear." I believe that makes Chakotay the first official Native member of a Starfleet crew, your creation of Dawson Walking Bear notwithstanding.
The canon defined:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek_canon
As a rule, all live action Star Trek TV series that aired are considered canon, while the cartoon Star Trek: The Animated Series and the planned but cancelled live action Star Trek: Phase II are not canon.
http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/help/faqs/faq/676.html
As a rule of thumb, the events that take place within the live-action episodes and movies are canon, or official Star Trek facts. Story lines, characters, events, stardates, etc. that take place within the fictional novels, video games, the Animated Series, and the various comic lines have traditionally not been considered part of the canon. But canon is not something set in stone; even events in some of the movies have been called into question as to whether they should be considered canon! Ultimately, the fans, the writers and the producers may all differ on what is considered canon and the very idea of what is canon has become more fluid, especially as there isn't a single voice or arbiter to decide. Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry was accustomed to making statements about canon, but even he was known to change his mind.
Writerfella here --
ReplyDeleteWell, if the writerfella episode of The Animated STAR TREK is as bereft as you seem to think it is, Rob, then maybe writerfella should ask Paramount why it so happily accepted the 1975 Emmy Award and why it has publicized the other awards that also were won by the episode? Or why Gene Roddenberry called writerfella on stage in October 1980 at the University of Miami, thence to proclaim how proud he was of the episode and its award and then of writerfella for having written it. Gene explained that Native Americans had been overlooked as an essential part of the crew's diversity and that writerfella's episode had corrected their mistake. Even until Gene passed away in October 1991, writerfella never was told anything differing.
writerfella still has several T-shirts that say, "I boldly went where you can't..."
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
I haven't challenged your award, although I listed the best animated episodes in my comment on Indian Ad Inspires Donation. But when you belittle my posting because it doesn't stick to the "canon," you reap what you sow. Neither your episode nor Bonnano's book is canon, so when you mocked her you essentially mocked yourself. Oops.
ReplyDeleteHere's Gene Roddenberry on what is canon and what isn't:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek_canon
But, generally, [canon is] the original series, not really the animated, the first movie to a certain extent, the rest of the films in certain aspects but not in all.
Writerfella here --
ReplyDeleteAn interesting sidelight to such thoughts: when Gene Roddenberry commissioned the Animated STAR TREK, he only made contract for the use of the title, the characters, and incidental matters of intellectual property associated with the original series, as he had sold all rights to Paramount shortly theretofore. But even then, though Filmation Studios produced the actual films, Roddenberry kept a tight fist over the material and its content by maintaining personal creative control. Another safeguard he installed was to have Filmation hire Dorothy C. Fontana as the in-house story editor, the same role she played on the original series. With the two completely in charge of the project, nothing got past them that did not have their personal approval. That writerfella was afforded an opportunity to work for the Animated series came at the gracious personal request of D.C. Fontana herself.
Then, also in the contracts negotiated with Filmation, ownership of the Animated ST remained in the hands of Roddenberry's Norway Productions, which chiefly theretofore owned all of the ancillary merchandising rights to the original series including scripts, props and individual film frames from discarded dailies and other footages. Thus, Filmation and Paramount had their names but not their other imprimaturs on the Animated series, and Roddenberry owned it outright.
Much animosity and rancor thus was generated when it came to series syndication rights and video distributions as the principal earnings went to Norway Productions, with both Paramount and Filmation receiving only releasing percentages. Paramount tried several legal means to wrest control of the Animated series from Roddenberry but the original contracts could not be broken or abrogated. Eventually, Paramount withdrew distribution of the Animated series and pronounced that only the properties and subsequent series owned by the studio were 'canon' to the original series. The Animated series on video went out of print and remained so for over a decade.
After Roddenberry's death, control of Norway Prods. went into the hands of Majel Barrett Roddenberry and she maintained her husband's tight-fisted control of Norway's rights for years. That is, until she made TV series deals with Tribune Entertainment and Alliance-Atlantis Films of Canada to produce several of Roddenberry's older but unrealized stories and series proposals. Her company made EARTH - FINAL CONFLICT and GENE RODDENBERRY'S ANDROMEDA, each of which ran for five seasons in international syndication. While she was planning to produce a third such series, THE QUESTOR TAPES, Paramount made yet another offer for The Animated series, which always had grated through their thoughts because it was a piece of STAR TREK the studio did not own. Surprisingly, the Animated series finally was sold to the parent studio. Several things happened immediately: the Animated series suddenly appeared in the listings at STARTREK.com; each individual episode became available in synopsis and stills on the website; articles appeared about the marriage of the timelines of the Animated series with the original series and the subsequent franchises; the characters created for the Animated series popped into existence with pictures and bios on the website; and the Animated series finally was promised to be released on DVD, though it took two years before it finally appeared.
Paramount at last owns a hundred per cent of their cash cow and they couldn't be happier. As to whether the studio considers the Animated STAR TREK as being 'canon' or not, the only statement they made more or less means that it doesn't matter anymore. And writerfella suddenly found himself being flown for feting and honoring at Star Trek Fest as a guest of Paramount Parks at the Hilton in Las Vegas, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the airing of the Animated episode, "How Sharper Than A Serpent's Tooth' and its winning of the Emmy Award the following year. So, overall, writerfella finds himself agreeing with Paramount Studios: it doesn't matter anymore.
Snipe all you wish, Rob, but the above remains true. As for the rest of what you replied, the logic does not hold, else a blogger ridiculing the blog of another also would be ridiculing his own blog. To which you never would admit, even if it was logical...
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
Roddenberry decided the animated series wasn't canon even though he owned the rights to it. Which means ownership wasn't the issue when it came to determining the canon. Not as far as Roddenberry was concerned, anyway.
ReplyDeleteNeedless to say, your "logic" is faulty. You attacked a third party for something that applies to you also. I never attack third parties for something that applies to me also.
Why don't you snipe all you wish, since you're the one who enjoys sniping at my postings? As usual, you started it and I finished it.