Did Harve Bennett like Star Trek VI?
- Thread starter EnriqueH
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Harve Bennett did understand STAR TREK, very well. But I'm pretty sure I've read at least one article where he noted that he wasn't "one of the (STAR TREK) family," and that there was friction betwixt he and Leonard Nimoy, even during TVH. This might've been posted on startrek.com, in recent times. Maybe he's writing a book, or something, but I never got that impression from archival interviews or anything like that.
Bennett has written a memoir, and I've heard him read from it when he attended Farpoint in Baltimore in 2006 and 2007. Unfortunately, the publishing deal for the memoir fell through when his publisher went under. I've hoped that someone else would pick it up, but nothing's ever happened.
Bennett talked about that at Farpoint, either in 2006 or 2007. He also talked about how they reconciled.
Bennett and Nimoy butted heads creatively on the film (Bennett didn't go into details specifically, but the gist was that Nimoy felt that he, as director, should be running the show, not Bennett as producer, so it was a turf issue), and their working relationship deteriorated and ultimately collapsed. They decided it was best to stay out of each other's way, and that was the way the film got done.
Nimoy took the lead in repairing the relationship after filming first by talking to Bennett about his drinking problem and then by sponsoring him for AA.
In talking about this, Bennett broke down on stage and cried. It was a genuinely moving moment.
I want to say no, because subtitling the Probe (or not) is an issue that wouldn't make a difference until post, and the breakdown of their professional relationship happened long before that. However, I'm sure a disagreement like that could have happened and was probably the symptom of an already frayed relationship.
Coon was producer from "Miri" early in Season 1 till he resigned around the time of "Bread and Circuses", but memos show he had developed scripts all the way up to "Patterns of Force" almost at the end of Season 2. So Coon was the driving force of TOS for the vast bulk of its run, and, in my opinion was at the wheel when all the very best stuff was done.
I doubt there would have been any movies without Coon.
I am sorry to hear Bennett took his exit from the movies hard. I've watched his trilogy probably more than any other films and still think TWOK is the best of anything Star Trek. I hope he's well, and, indeed, I would love to read his memoirs if they're published.
"Only" 13? That's a full 6% of Star Trek's episodes, and that's not even counting the ones where he worked under a pseudonym or uncredited. By contrast, Gene Roddenberry had a "story by" credit on six episodes and a "written by" credit on five (of course, GR also did uncredited rewrites on several Trek episodes).
As a producer, Coon had a hand in every episode from the first season's "Miri" to season two's "A Private Little War." (In other words, he produced more episodes than Roddenberry).
David Gerrold talks about Coon's contributions to his "Trouble with Tribbles" script in his book of the same name (the Spock/McCoy scene in sickbay is all Coon). He came up with the Federation, Starfleet Command, and the Prime Directive. He also created the Gorn in "Arena" and the Klingons in "Errand of Mercy." Gene Coon's contributions to Trek are immense.
This recent image from Cracked.com's AuntieMeme sums it up well:
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Wow, I'd never heard that before. Glad they patched things up.
"Only" 13? That's a full 6% of Star Trek's episodes, and that's not even counting the ones where he worked under a pseudonym or uncredited. By contrast, Gene Roddenberry had a "story by" credit on six episodes and a "written by" credit on five (of course, GR also did uncredited rewrites on several Trek episodes).
As a producer, Coon had a hand in every episode from the first season's "Miri" to season two's "A Private Little War." (In other words, he produced more episodes than Roddenberry).
David Gerrold talks about Coon's contributions to his "Trouble with Tribbles" script in his book of the same name (the Spock/McCoy scene in sickbay is all Coon). He came up with the Federation, Starfleet Command, and the Prime Directive. He also created the Gorn in "Arena" and the Klingons in "Errand of Mercy." Gene Coon's contributions to Trek are immense.
This recent image from Cracked.com's AuntieMeme sums it up well:
NIIIIIIICE!!!!!
I LOVE THAT!
I know Coon was EXTREMELY influential and the second most important man in Trek lore behind The Great Bird (behind the scenes anyway), but I wasn't clear cut sure on when he exactly started and when he exactly finished (episode wise).
For my money, he was more responsible for what I love about Trek than Roddenberry was. Coon's influence can be most keenly felt by its absence in everything from the third season of TOS on.
I agree completely. Gene Coon is Trek's (mostly) forgotten genius.
He's the only Gene that deserves even a modicum of the adulation that Roddenberry got.
Star Trek VI will always hold a special place in my heart, since it was the only TOS film that I saw in the cinema. I was ten and my mom made us Starfleet pins to wear during the showing.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
I agree that Coon deserves a *TON* of credit for advancing Star Trek the way he did.
But not at the expense of Roddenberry.
I know it's trendy to bash Roddenberry, (just like some Star Wars fans bash Lucas and some Bond fans bash Fleming), but let's not lose sight of logic here.
No Roddenberry=No Trek.
Period.
Sorry, but I'm not a fan of "creator bashing".
Without Roddenberry, Lucas or Fleming, I'd have virtually no hobbies.
I agree with that, but we also have to take note that Coon wasn't the only one absent from Season 3. Roddenberry was absent for much of Season 3 too. His only contribution, apparently, was the IDIC symbol for "Is There In Truth No Beauty?"
Which begs the question: Did Roddenberry come up with IDIC? Or just the medallion?
I agree that Coon deserves a *TON* of credit for advancing Star Trek the way he did.
But not at the expense of Roddenberry.
I know it's trendy to bash Roddenberry, (just like some Star Wars fans bash Lucas and some Bond fans bash Fleming), but let's not lose sight of logic here.
No Roddenberry=No Trek.
Period.
Sorry, but I'm not a fan of "creator bashing".
Without Roddenberry, Lucas or Fleming, I'd have virtually no hobbies.
I agree with that, but we also have to take note that Coon wasn't the only one absent from Season 3. Roddenberry was absent for much of Season 3 too. His only contribution, apparently, was the IDIC symbol for "Is There In Truth No Beauty?"
Which begs the question: Did Roddenberry come up with IDIC? Or just the medallion?
"Only" 13? That's a full 6% of Star Trek's episodes, and that's not even counting the ones where he worked under a pseudonym or uncredited. By contrast, Gene Roddenberry had a "story by" credit on six episodes and a "written by" credit on five (of course, GR also did uncredited rewrites on several Trek episodes).
As a producer, Coon had a hand in every episode from the first season's "Miri" to season two's "A Private Little War," (In other words, he produced more episodes than Roddenberry).
David Gerrold talks about Coon's contributions to his "Trouble with Tribbles" script in his book of the same name (the Spock/McCoy scene in sickbay is all Coon). He came up with the Federation, Starfleet Command, and the Prime Directive. He also created the Gorn in "Arena" and the Klingons in "Errand of Mercy." Gene Coon's contributions to Trek are immense.
This recent image from Cracked.com's AuntieMeme sums it up well:
Absolutely.
To milk an analogy: Gene Roddenberry may have given birth to Star Trek, but it was Gene Coon who was the "midwife" who really facilitated it's entry into this world.
The Star Trek mythology that we all now take for granted, that's all down to Gene Coon's work. Roddenberry sketched out the parameters, but Coon filled in ALL the details.I do think Bennett (and certainly Meyer) was of a similar mind to Coon, though... they knew how to take somebody else's universe and pay tribute to it while still moving it forward. But even they were playing in a toy-box which had been filled up with Gene Coon's toys.
This recent image from Cracked.com's AuntieMeme sums it up well:
But a lot of the fans (and presumably some of the writers) hate the Prime Directive
Seriously, indeed a lot of impressive contributions.
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