What would a fourth season have looked like?

[Spock's Barber]

So, there probably would've been someone else to replace Fred Freiberger with their own idea of how to do a fourth season.

Bob Justman should have been promoted to producer. Even his supreme efforts might not have saved the good ship Enterprise. The television networks have a belief that once a series' ratings start to drop, then they will continue to slide right into a cancellation notice.

 

[Lord Garth]

Bob Justman should've written a script in S1 or S2. Just one. Then he could say, "See? I'm creative too! I'm not just a nuts-and-bolts guy." Then they could've held on to most of the writing staff. Gene Roddenberry might still have been off in la-la land but it wouldn't have been as bad. And they had a better grasp on Spock, which would be more likely to keep Leonard Nimoy happy.

 

[Spock's Barber]

Bob Justman should've written a script in S1 or S2. Just one. Then he could say, "See? I'm creative too! I'm not just a nuts-and-bolts guy."

He could have also handled the re-writes of scripts that were marginally acceptable, just like GR and Gene Coon did in S1 and S2.

 

[Sir Rhosis]

Bob Justman should've written a script in S1 or S2. Just one. Then he could say, "See? I'm creative too! I'm not just a nuts-and-bolts guy." Then they could've held on to most of the writing staff. Gene Roddenberry might still have been off in la-la land but it wouldn't have been as bad. And they had a better grasp on Spock, which would be more likely to keep Leonard Nimoy happy.

Justman did write the initial page or two outline for what became "Tomorrow is Yesterday." Not sure why he wasn't credited. His memo/outline is at the bottom of the page here: http://www.orionpressfanzines.com/articles/tomorrowisyesterday.htm

Sir Rhosis

 

[Spock's Barber]

In all of TOS books that I've read, there are numerous anecdotes about GR, Gene Coon and Bob Justman working themselves into a state of exhaustion while working on the show. Maybe I just missed it, but I've never seen any comments written about Fred Freiberger that state he was facing the same problem.

 

[johnnybear]

Fred Freiberger was the spirit of death to established television series back in the 60s/70s! I mean he killed off Trek, Space 1999 and The Six Million Dollar Man and I'm not sure if he did in Kung Fu as well!
JB

 

[Spock's Barber]

Fred Freiberger was the spirit of death to established television series back in the 60s/70s! I mean he killed off Trek, Space 1999 and The Six Million Dollar Man and I'm not sure if he did in Kung Fu as well!
JB

He must have had friends in very high places, because usually incompetent employees get fired, unless you work for the US government.

 

[johnnybear]

Or in a bank?
JB

 

[JonnyQuest037]

Fred Freiberger was the spirit of death to established television series back in the 60s/70s! I mean he killed off Trek, Space 1999 and The Six Million Dollar Man and I'm not sure if he did in Kung Fu as well!

He must have had friends in very high places, because usually incompetent employees get fired, unless you work for the US government.

It depends on your standard of competence, I guess. If Freiberger consistently delivered his shows on time and under budget, then by Hollywood standards, he was a competent producer. Quality is a nice bonus, but it's not the main goal.

 

[Spock's Barber]

Quality is a nice bonus, but it's not the main goal.

I remember seeing an interview with George Takei. He said that at the inception of TOS he was impressed with the quality production, but he estimated that the show would last a year at most. Ratings and profits are more important than quality.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

I remember seeing an interview with George Takei. He said that at the inception of TOS he was impressed with the quality production, but he estimated that the show would last a year at most. Ratings and profits are more important than quality.

"You know. 1966? 79 episodes, about 30 good ones?"

 

[Spock's Barber]

"You know. 1966? 79 episodes, about 30 good ones?"

When Harve Bennett was preparing for The Wrath of Khan, he watched all 79 TOS episodes. He said about 1/3 were excellent, 1/3 were okay and 1/3 were stinkers.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

When Harve Bennett was preparing for The Wrath of Khan, he watched all 79 TOS episodes. He said about 1/3 were excellent, 1/3 were okay and 1/3 were stinkers.

Which is a pretty astute critique of the show. And being a seasoned TV producer, Bennett said that that was a pretty good average for a long-running TV series.

 

[Spock's Barber]

Which is a pretty astute critique of the show. And being a seasoned TV producer, Bennett said that that was a pretty good average for a long-running TV series.

Yes, those seems to be the same averages for every show I watch. I guess that just how the television bounces.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

Yes, those seems to be the same averages for every show I watch. I guess that just how the television bounces.

I'd say that same law of averages applies to the movies, as well.

 

[mb22]

In all of TOS books that I've read, there are numerous anecdotes about GR, Gene Coon and Bob Justman working themselves into a state of exhaustion while working on the show. Maybe I just missed it, but I've never seen any comments written about Fred Freiberger that state he was facing the same problem.

Maybe not then, but...

 

[Spock's Barber]

Maybe not then, but...

That’s kind of funny. Fred thought Trekkers are worse than Nazis.

 

[STEPhon IT]

Maybe not then, but...

I kept imagining -- what "The Spectre of Gun" could have been if it was shot on a scouted location than on a sound stage? It would've been incredible IMO. The 3rd season episodes were not up to par with the 1st two-- not even close, and I guess "Star Trek Continues" kept the legacy of Fred Freiberger for whatever that's worth.

 

[Phaser Two]

When Harve Bennett was preparing for The Wrath of Khan, he watched all 79 TOS episodes. He said about 1/3 were excellent, 1/3 were okay and 1/3 were stinkers.

I think Bennett is a genius but I have never agreed with this statement. Going with 78 to make the math easy (78/3), 26 just okay and 26 stinkers? Nope. I don't think so.

 

[Phaser Two]

I kept imagining -- what "The Spectre of Gun" could have been if it was shot on a scouted location than on a sound stage? It would've been incredible IMO. The 3rd season episodes were not up to par with the 1st two-- not even close, and I guess "Star Trek Continues" kept the legacy of Fred Freiberger for whatever that's worth.

Can't agree with this either. The half-constructed sets on Spectre, complete with a clever in-universe explanation, were very ethereal and added to the atmosphere.

Most S3 criticism misses the mark with me, though.