Whatever happened to Starship Exeter? - Page 32

CaptainKen · May 7 2010, 09:10 AM

Nice to hear from you Dennis. I did send you a PM a while back, not sure if you got it.

Maybe I'm slow, but I just figured out the meaning of your avatar and I love it! (Did you happen to read the article on Palin found in the New York magazine? Awesome and insightful!)

Dennis, to get it on topic again, let me say again, you wrote a damn good Star Trek episode, the Tressaurian Intersection. It is so good, so captivating and so wide open ... I still can't figure out how it will end. Heck, I can't even figure out how that shuttlecraft is going to distract a dozen ships! Kudos to you for drafting such an incredibly compelling Trek story.

And when I see the ending, I'll tell you what I really think

Admiral Buzzkill · May 7 2010, 02:45 PM

Thanks, and yeah it's probably best to see how it ends before praising it too much.

We promote Vandi Richards to Captain of Starfleet's flagship on the basis of a week's service about Exeter. Seemed to make sense at the time.

Barbreader · May 7 2010, 03:46 PM

Dennis wrote:

Thanks, and yeah it's probably best to see how it ends before praising it too much.

We promote Vandi Richards to Captain of Starfleet's flagship on the basis of a week's service about Exeter. Seemed to make sense at the time.

Err... Did JJ Abrams see the raw version of this?

RJDiogenes · May 7 2010, 10:28 PM

I hope she at least cheated on her finals.

Shaw · May 7 2010, 10:45 PM

Actually, I think it is a testament to how much people like Exeter that the end of the story hasn't been revealed in all this time. It isn't as though a ton of people haven't already seen it (in rough cut form) or read the script (back in 2004) or saw the filming of most of it (again, back in 2004).

Even with people making calls to release the segments before they are ready during all this time, I don't think I recall anyone asking (directly) what happens at the end. I think that is quite cool!

I know most people will disagree with this (not having seen the full film) but I remarked to Dennis a few years back that the delayed release schedule has actually increased the impact of the story.

Of course that was just before the release of the third segment and I had no idea that the final segment was going to take this long to finish... but I'm still glad that the original schedule was flushed out an airlock!

Kagan · May 8 2010, 01:11 AM

Dennis wrote:

We promote Vandi Richards to Captain of Starfleet's flagship on the basis of a week's service about Exeter.

Is that a week of real time? Or a week of Exeter time?

Barbreader · May 8 2010, 02:55 AM

Kagan wrote:

Dennis wrote:

We promote Vandi Richards to Captain of Starfleet's flagship on the basis of a week's service about Exeter.

Is that a week of real time? Or a week of Exeter time?

Geez Louise, a week of Exeter time... is that like traveling at 999/1000 the speed of light? Only a week goes by on the ship, but the rest of us go through three generations? Or is it the other way around... that only a week goes by on earth, but the ship passes through a lifetime of experience?

CaptainKen · May 8 2010, 08:09 AM

Dennis wrote:

We promote Vandi Richards to Captain of Starfleet's flagship on the basis of a week's service about Exeter. Seemed to make sense at the time.

Vandi Richards has been absolutely amazing in the Tressaurian Intersection. I really think she's a great character. I even like the longer version of the "chili chat."

I feel more confident about Vandi becoming Captain of Starfleet's flagship after one week's service than I do about Sarah Palin becoming President after being Governor for almost half a term!

Maurice · May 8 2010, 08:34 AM

CaptainKen wrote:

Dennis wrote:

We promote Vandi Richards to Captain of Starfleet's flagship on the basis of a week's service about Exeter. Seemed to make sense at the time.

Vandi Richards has been absolutely amazing in the Tressaurian Intersection. I really think she's a great character. I even like the longer version of the "chili chat."

I feel more confident about Vandi becoming Captain of Starfleet's flagship after one week's service than I do about Sarah Palin becoming President after being Governor for almost half a term!

Frankly, I miss the longer version of the scene between Richards and Garrovick. I know there were problems with it, but I think the overlong Captain's Log that replaced it was a poor choice.

Shaw · May 8 2010, 02:45 PM

DS9Sega wrote:

Frankly, I miss the longer version of the scene between Richards and Garrovick. I know there were problems with it, but I think the overlong Captain's Log that replaced it was a poor choice.

Really?

When I saw the episode all the way through, that scene was one that I told both Jimm and Dennis that it had a chilling effect on the remainder of the episode. Richards was to seem annoying to Garrovick because she was under foot... but the character as filmed/acted was running dangerously close (actually, crossed the line) to being annoying to the audience. The role of the editor is to protect the story and the characters, even if it is protecting them from themselves.

I think the editing out of many of Richards more annoying aspects makes her a more endearing character in the episode. And the same thing could be said about how both Harris and Cutty were dealt with in editing as well.

I may not know anything about the movie/television business, but from what I gather writers over write stories on the page, directors attempt to get as much footage as possible in the can, and editors attempt to carve out the final work from all that excess.

The hardest rule to follow in creative endeavors like this is: less is more.

Exeter may not be the fastest fan film to be released, but I sure can't fault most of the editing choices made so far.

Maurice · May 8 2010, 07:49 PM

There was a way to save the scene without paring it back so much. I remember writing out a proposed rearrangement back before I had Final Cut (otherwise I'd have offered to take a crack at editing it). Part of it was just re-arranging some of the conversation to flow better. Having the actress loop a couple of Richard's lines to get a different tone would have helped a lot, too. The problem I have with the scene as is that it feels truncated, and the endless Captain's Log is out of character with the TOS style that the production was aiming for.

Barbreader · May 8 2010, 09:56 PM

Wow, I never expected to read this type of inside baseball from the NSA of Trek Fan Films!

Shaw · May 9 2010, 02:28 AM

Barbreader wrote:

Wow, I never expected to read this type of inside baseball from the NSA of Trek Fan Films!

It isn't like we are revealing anything that hasn't already been declassified by the Freedom of Information Act.

xortex · May 9 2010, 02:47 AM

Did they ever finish that last episode and will they be doing anymore?

xortex · May 9 2010, 03:13 AM

It took me a surprisingly long time to edit that sentence so I understand.

May 7 2010, 09:10 AM	#466
CaptainKen Lieutenant Commander Location: Toronto, Canada	Re: Whatever happened to Starship Exeter? Nice to hear from you Dennis. I did send you a PM a while back, not sure if you got it. Maybe I'm slow, but I just figured out the meaning of your avatar and I love it! (Did you happen to read the article on Palin found in the New York magazine? Awesome and insightful!) Dennis, to get it on topic again, let me say again, you wrote a damn good Star Trek episode, the Tressaurian Intersection. It is so good, so captivating and so wide open ... I still can't figure out how it will end. Heck, I can't even figure out how that shuttlecraft is going to distract a dozen ships! Kudos to you for drafting such an incredibly compelling Trek story. And when I see the ending, I'll tell you what I really think __________________ Logic is the beginning of wisdom... not the end.

May 7 2010, 02:45 PM	#467
Admiral Buzzkill The Man Location: Defying Gravity	Re: Whatever happened to Starship Exeter? Thanks, and yeah it's probably best to see how it ends before praising it too much. We promote Vandi Richards to Captain of Starfleet's flagship on the basis of a week's service about Exeter. Seemed to make sense at the time. __________________ I had steak and a loaded baked potato for dinner on Sunday. As a steak I enjoyed it a lot, but as macaroni and cheese I thought it was disappointing.

May 7 2010, 10:28 PM	#469
RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Location: RJDiogenes of Boston	Re: Whatever happened to Starship Exeter? I hope she at least cheated on her finals. __________________ Please stop by my Gallery and YouTube Page for a visit. And read Trunkards!

May 7 2010, 10:45 PM	#470
Shaw Commodore Location: Twin Cities	Re: Whatever happened to Starship Exeter? Actually, I think it is a testament to how much people like Exeter that the end of the story hasn't been revealed in all this time. It isn't as though a ton of people haven't already seen it (in rough cut form) or read the script (back in 2004) or saw the filming of most of it (again, back in 2004). Even with people making calls to release the segments before they are ready during all this time, I don't think I recall anyone asking (directly) what happens at the end. I think that is quite cool! I know most people will disagree with this (not having seen the full film) but I remarked to Dennis a few years back that the delayed release schedule has actually increased the impact of the story. Of course that was just before the release of the third segment and I had no idea that the final segment was going to take this long to finish... but I'm still glad that the original schedule was flushed out an airlock!

May 8 2010, 07:49 PM	#476
Maurice Rear Admiral Location: Maurice in San Francisco	Re: Whatever happened to Starship Exeter? There was a way to save the scene without paring it back so much. I remember writing out a proposed rearrangement back before I had Final Cut (otherwise I'd have offered to take a crack at editing it). Part of it was just re-arranging some of the conversation to flow better. Having the actress loop a couple of Richard's lines to get a different tone would have helped a lot, too. The problem I have with the scene as is that it feels truncated, and the endless Captain's Log is out of character with the TOS style that the production was aiming for. __________________ * * * "Star Trek…at times sparkled with true ingenuity, and pure science fiction approaches, and at other times was more carnival like, and very much more the creature of television than the creature of a legitimate literary form." —Rod Serling, 1970" Last edited by Maurice Navidad; May 9 2010 at 01:53 AM.

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May 8 2010, 09:56 PM	#477
Barbreader Captain Location: New York, New York	Re: Whatever happened to Starship Exeter? Wow, I never expected to read this type of inside baseball from the NSA of Trek Fan Films! __________________ Star Trek Reviewed links to hundreds of Star Trek Fan Films and Reviews

May 9 2010, 02:47 AM	#479
xortex Commodore Location: Staten Island, NY	Re: Whatever happened to Starship Exeter? Did they ever finish that last episode and will they be doing anymore? Last edited by xortex; May 9 2010 at 02:58 AM.

May 9 2010, 03:13 AM	#480
xortex Commodore Location: Staten Island, NY	Re: Whatever happened to Starship Exeter? It took me a surprisingly long time to edit that sentence so I understand.