Is There A Comprehensive List of Season Four Episode Proposals?

[Dayton3]

From time to time in Star Trek I've seen stuff about some idea, story outline, draft, or eventual novel that was said to have been a "potential episode for the fourth season of Star Trek".

For example in Voyages of the Imagination, it says that Kathleen Sky's novel "Vulcan" started out as a story treatment for a fourth season episode.

Is there any kind of comprehensive list of episode proposals, outlines or ideas for episodes that might've appeared in ST:OS's nonexistent fourth season?

 

[Michael]

Well, there's this wonderful site. IIRC, it's actually the site of one of our resident posters – Sir Rhosis.

 

[Kryton]

Holy crap! I'm only about halfway through the original draft of Mirror, Mirror...that's an awesome site.

(BTW the original story for that episode SUUUUUUUUUUCKS! ... Jus' sayin'.)

 

[Warped9]

Sir Rhosis has indeed put together an amazing sight. Fascinating

I wonder if a similar approach could be done with TAS scripts. Did any of them change greatly from inception to final form?

 

[Good Will Riker]

Cool site. Some interesting early ideas.

But, I just can't seem to get my head around the idea of a budding Admiral Kirk and Saavik romance. That's just wishful thinking on Bill Shatner's part...

 

[M'Sharak]

Sir Rhosis has indeed put together an amazing sight. Fascinating

I wonder if a similar approach could be done with TAS scripts. Did any of them change greatly from inception to final form?

Kail would probably be a good one to ask about that.

 

[Sir Rhosis]

Many thanks for the compliments -- I enjoy collecting and reviewing the scripts, outlines, etc.

But to be fair and give credit where it is due: the site belongs to Randall Landers, a longtime fan and fanzine publisher, who has very generously given me a small section to post my reviews. He has especially been patient the last three months as work-related issues have taken most of my free time.

Thanks again.

Sir Rhosis

 

[Therin of Andor]

I notice that site doesn't mention "The Stars of Sargasso", a second DC Fontana attempt to make Joanna McCoy a guest character. I have a copy of it here somewhere. It seems the "starships lost in a Sargasso Sea in space" aspect of the episode eventually made it into TAS, as "The Time Trap".

BTW, where the scripts for "Operation -- Annihilate" are analysed, it might be worth revisiting the Jame Blish adaptation. He had to use a very early version of the story, which lacks the participation of Aurelan Kirk (and the finding of Sam's body). Instead, she's just "a girl" named Aurelan (the brother of Noban, who'd gone mad and flown his ship into the sun). Her crazed fiance, Kartan, whom the landing party find, is infected with the creature, too. And then, so is Spock. The only way to free them from the creature's influence is to take the Enterprise to the Orion sector, where the colony creatures' nucleus is located, and blast it!

No Peter Kirk in that version, either.

 

[Kryton]

The only way to be certain is to nuke it from space. <sorry, had to mix franchises for that>.

 

[Sir Rhosis]

At first, I only listed "placeholders" for scripts/outlines that I actually owned. As I didn't own a copy of "Sargasso," I didn't list it. But Randy found a site that listed many many outlines held by a university (GR'S personal papers, iirc), and we decided to put placeholders for all of them in the hope that readers might contact us with copies.

I'll make mention to him of Fontana's script. I have heard mention made of it. I really do need to get back on the ball. I have a first draft of "Errand of Mercy" to synopsize, plus a few third season story outlines. After that, I'll have to start collecting again. My main source became a proud father recently and I've understandably not been bugging him too much for old scripts.

I've not read the Blish adaptations in years. The earlier version of O--A! sounds intriguingly different to the final. As I recall, after the first few volumes, after the show was cancelled, Blish began to receive the shooting drafts to work from, so his adaptations became pretty identical to the aired episodes (allowing for condensing and cutting, of course).

Sir Rhosis

 

[Trekwatcher]

Sir Rhosis has done a fantastic job with the site, and I have visited it many times.

On Ebay you can buy the full versions of some of these unproduced story outlines. I have a good number of them. They are anywhere from 3-30 pages long, and VERY interesting. It is a great glimpse into what might have been. You can also get copies of the original story outlines for many of the produced eps, and it is likewise great to see how the ideas in those shows evolved into the finished product.

 

[Dayton Ward]

Great site!

Unless I missed it, there's at least one more unfilmed script by Paul Schneider ("Tomorrow the Universe"). My writing partner and I actually contacted Mr. Schneider about possibly adapting it in the "Blish style" for the Constellations anthology a few years ago. The idea ended up going nowhere, but we giggled like fanboys at the prospect of doing something that cool. I'd still love to do something like that one day.

 

[Warped9]

Interesting that TAS' life support belt idea was actually conceived way back during TOS and not during TAS' production.

 

[Mysterion]

Many thanks for the compliments -- I enjoy collecting and reviewing the scripts, outlines, etc.

But to be fair and give credit where it is due: the site belongs to Randall Landers, a longtime fan and fanzine publisher, who has very generously given me a small section to post my reviews. He has especially been patient the last three months as work-related issues have taken most of my free time.

Thanks again.

Sir Rhosis

Great stuff, that. Have you reviewed any of the "Phase II" scripts anywhere?

 

[Sir Rhosis]

"Kitumba" is the only Phase II script I own. Haven't gotten around to it, but I do plan to put up a synopsis. No great hurry, honestly, as it is already synopsized in the Reeves-Stevens book, which is still readily available at used bookstores and online places such as Amazon.

Sir Rhosis

 

[Mysterion]

"Kitumba" is the only Phase II script I own.

Sir Rhosis

Same here. Just interested in opinions others have of it. As well as other Phase II scripts.

Rick

 

[doctorwho 03]

I just finished reading the outline for "Spock's Brain." Oh.....my......god! It's only redeeming factor was having the Enterprise tractor beam rip the prison door off. That would've been cool to see. That and not having Spock as "Mr. Roboto".

 

[Noname On A Naughty List]

Interesting that TAS' life support belt idea was actually conceived way back during TOS and not during TAS' production.

Not really - It would be logical as a production cost saving measure. It removes the need for a "Spacesuit" costume to be designed - and with a quick line of dialogue; cast can wear regular ship's costumes.

Hell, it only came about in TAS because it again saved animation production time (no original space suit sequences needed to be designed or animated).

 

[Warped9]

^^ And yet a space suit costume may have been cheaper than the f/x of a life support belt for live-action.

 

[Christopher]

^^ And yet a space suit costume may have been cheaper than the f/x of a life support belt for live-action.

Except that forcefields in ST are generally invisible. The only "effect" they would've needed was a line of dialogue saying "Activate force-field belts." And maybe a light in the belt buckle to indicate that the power was on, and maybe a sound effect for the field.