Enterprise Bible

[Tuvix5675]

I've gotten my hands (finally!) on a writer's bible for Enterprise. Something I've wanted for awhile, as I have the series bibles for all of the other Trek series (most can be found in pdf format online), except Discovery (now). I'll share more insights as I go through it, but I'm realizing the names of the several of the main crew members are different or were changed. This is common, Captain Christopher Pike was originally Robert April, then James Winter in earlier scripts of the original Star Trek pilot, "The Cage". Similarly, in the Enterprise Bible Jonathan Archer, was originally Jackson Archer, T'Pol was originally named T'Pau, Charles Tucker's nickname was "spike" not "Tripp", and Travis Mayweather was Joe Mayweather. These facts make interesting Trek trivia tidbits.

 

[Kor]

Yes, T'Pau was intended to be the same character from TOS "Amok Time."

Kor

 

[Tuvix5675]

That's true. There are several other things that were changed from what was originally intended, so I guess this bible was a "soft" bible. It is a 12 page treatment that discusses the setting, ship, each of the main Enterprise crew members, and the Suliban who were intended to be the primary alien villains.

 

[mattman8907]

I've gotten my hands (finally!) on a writer's bible for Enterprise. Something I've wanted for awhile, as I have the series bibles for all of the other Trek series (most can be found in pdf format online), except Discovery (now). I'll share more insights as I go through it, but I'm realizing the names of the several of the main crew members are different or were changed. This is common, Captain Christopher Pike was originally Robert April, then James Winter in earlier scripts of the original Star Trek pilot, "The Cage". Similarly, in the Enterprise Bible Jonathan Archer, was originally Jackson Archer, T'Pol was originally named T'Pau, Charles Tucker's nickname was "spike" not "Tripp", and Travis Mayweather was Joe Mayweather. These facts make interesting Trek trivia tidbits.

where did you get it and are there anymore?

 

[F. King Daniel]

Does it mention that the Suliban were to be introduced in season 7 of Voyager?

 

[Tuskin38]

where did you get it and are there anymore?

Just google... <the rest snipped by the Moderator>

Last time this came up, the mods said not to post any direct links (publicly), because of copyright reasons.

 

[Tuvix5675]

Does it mention that the Suliban were to be introduced in season 7 of Voyager?

No.

 

[Reanok]

Charles Trip Tucker was originally going to be called Spike but they had to change the name because of Buffy the Vampire slayer Vampire character Spike . I'm glad they changed it to Trip Tucker.

 

[Kor]

"Spike" sounds a little too brutish for a Trek main character.

Kor

 

[Hopeful Romantic]

Last time this came up, the mods said not to post any direct links (publicly), because of copyright reasons.

Indeed. I suggest any interested parties take this to PM.

I am inclined to close this thread, but I'll leave it open for now if y'all stick to a discussion of the bible's contents, not where to get it.

 

[Dukhat]

I remember reading somewhere that the reason they changed Archer's first name from Jackson to Jonathan was because they found a real person named Jackson Archer and had to change the name for legal reasons. Sounds like a load of crap to me, but I'm not versed in TV show legalese.

As for "Spike,' 'Trip,' etc.: The only reason why they wanted to give Tucker a nickname was because it was meant to evoke 'Bones' McCoy and his relationship with the captain. It was such a silly and unoriginal idea. If they wanted to give him a nickname, they should have stuck with 'Charlie.'

 

[Mage]

That's true. There are several other things that were changed from what was originally intended, so I guess this bible was a "soft" bible. It is a 12 page treatment that discusses the setting, ship, each of the main Enterprise crew members, and the Suliban who were intended to be the primary alien villains.

Not so much a soft bible, but things needed to be changed by the studio-execs. At first, there were never supposed to be phasepistols or transporters or anything. It was supposed to be a lot more lowtech. But the execs appereantly insisted on it because they wanted the household Trek-names in there. Hence photonic torpedoes at some point. A lot of the shit B&B get, wasn't even their fault. They were told to put it in from higher up.

 

[Dukhat]

Not so much a soft bible, but things needed to be changed by the studio-execs. At first, there were never supposed to be phasepistols or transporters or anything. It was supposed to be a lot more lowtech. But the execs appereantly insisted on it because they wanted the household Trek-names in there. Hence photonic torpedoes at some point. A lot of the shit B&B get, wasn't even their fault. They were told to put it in from higher up.

Correct. UPN was far more to blame than B&B. That's not to say that B&B were innocent angels. But a lot of what the fans blame them for was not on them.

 

[sekundant]

I am inclined to close this thread, but I'll leave it open for now if y'all stick to a discussion of the bible's contents, not where to get it.

Thank you HopefulRomantic! Also thank you to remembering me indirectly why I don't like this people who think we are only mindless cash cows.

Well, I wish they realized two issues from bible. First, they should make Hoshi and T'Pol oil and water sisters as written. There are too many filler episodes at Season 1 & 2, they could give us a real good one. No, Sleeping Dogs is not a good one.

Second, they should find another solution for Travis's love for anti gravity. At Broken Bow Travis shows Trip sweet spot and as a chief engineer Trip learns from Travis for the first time in his life that every space ship has one. What?
Maybe it would be expensive to show Travis often flying at his quarters. But why Trip? It could be believable with Hoshi but not even with Malcolm. Totally unreasonable. Now, you have my two cents.

 

[Kor]

I remember reading somewhere that the reason they changed Archer's first name from Jackson to Jonathan was because they found a real person named Jackson Archer and had to change the name for legal reasons. Sounds like a load of crap to me, but I'm not versed in TV show legalese.
...

Memory Alpha cites a Cinefantastique article on this:

Archer's first name was eventually switched to "Jonathan". This was because research turned up exactly one person in the United States of America with the name of "Jackson Archer". (Cinefantastique, Vol. 33, No. 5, p. 21)

I found the original article, and it quotes Scott Bakula as saying the following:

It was just a clearance thing, something that happens all the time. Apparently, when the producers checked, there is one Jackson Archer living in the country, and if there is one, you can't use the name. But if there are twenty or more people with the name, like Jonathan Archer, you can. It's as boring and simple as that.

Perhaps if the name is rare, then people with that name could possibly make some kind of case that the character is based on them, or something?

Kor

 

[David cgc]

Perhaps if the name is rare, then people with that name could possibly make some kind of case that the character is based on them, or something?

I believe that's it. Too easy for someone to sue for defamation or improper use of image or something, compared to the ease of changing the character's name. Same thing happened to Homer Simpson, once.

It's a common enough issue in Hollywood. I remember during nuBSG, Jane Espenson mentioned that, as scripted, the artifact called the "Eye of Jupiter" was originally the "Eye of Zeus," but it was changed late in production, and she joked that it was probably because the legal department found a guy named Zeus somewhere and was worried he'd sue them.

 

[Farscape One]

Regarding the change of T'Pau to T'Pol...

Since the former was a character created by someone else in "AMOK TIME", they would have to pay royalties to the estate every episode she was in. Same reason why VOYAGER got Tom Paris instead of Nick Locarno.

 

[Dukhat]

Regarding the change of T'Pau to T'Pol...

Since the former was a character created by someone else in "AMOK TIME", they would have to pay royalties to the estate every episode she was in. Same reason why VOYAGER got Tom Paris instead of Nick Locarno.

This always confuses me. Does the writer of "The First Duty" own the Locarno character? Or does CBS/Paramount/UPN/whoever was in charge of Star Trek at that time?

 

[Shamrock Holmes]

As I understand it, either Naren Shankar and/or Ronald D. Moore, own the character.

 

[F. King Daniel]

This always confuses me. Does the writer of "The First Duty" own the Locarno character? Or does CBS/Paramount/UPN/whoever was in charge of Star Trek at that time?

They'd have had to pay royalties. In early character sheets for Voyager, it's Nick Locarno not Tom Paris.