Ellison is pissed

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Don't guess that's news. Anyway, here's his statement today:

HARLAN ELLISON
- Monday, November 12 2007 10:19:47

THAT STAR TREK BUSINESS

MARK GOLDBERG or ANYONE ELSE:

Would someone go to that site, and suggest to those people there, that "City" and all its elements EXCEPT specific Star Trek characters, belong to Harlan Ellison--author of that much-lauded episode--by terms of the Separation of Rights clause of the Writers Guild's Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA), and if Mr. Abrams--with whom I'm currently on strike--or anyone else, at Paramount or elsewhere, thinks they're going to use MY creations--whether the City, the Guardians, Sister Edith Keeler, or any other elements CREATED BY HARLAN ELLISON...they had damned well better lose the unilateral arrogance, get in touch with me, or my agent, Marty Shapiro, and be prepared to pay for the privilege of mining the lode I own.

Thank you, and thank Peter David, who just called to alert me, as have you, Mark, to yet another gimmegimme grab by Paramount and the Star trek francchise that makes billions, but withholds recognition or recompense to the artists who labored in that vein.

Yr. Pal, Harlan

As Dave Barry would say, I Am Not Making This Up (this time). Here's the link:

http://harlanellison.com/heboard/unca.htm

 

[apostle83]

Why would he retain the rights to something he sold to NBC so long ago?

I must not be grasping the entire situation.

 

[P0sitr0nic]

"Ellison is pissed"... that the only thing hes known for is a 40 year old Trek episode...

 

[number6]

Now I know it's just a rumour.

If the script really had those elements, Harlan would have already been compensated many months ago, while the story was in development. Paramount has a legal department for this.

 

[Flake]

Hate to say it but he deserves something doesn't he?

 

[apostle83]

No, he wouldn't deserve anything, imo.

 

[chardman]

Apostle83 asked...

Why would he retain the rights to something he sold to NBC so long ago?

I must not be grasping the entire situation.

The answer to this was addressed in the initial post:

...by terms of the Separation of Rights clause of the Writers Guild's Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA)

 

[number6]

Actually he does. Remember when B&B were developing ENT they changed T'Pau to T'Pol to avoid having to pay Theodore Sturgeon for the rights to feature the character in the series.

 

[Brutal Strudel]

P0sitr0nic said:
"Ellison is pissed"... that the only thing hes known for is a 40 year old Trek episode...

Yes, that's all he's known for--not his innumerable books, commentaries and awards.

There's a whole universe of SF out there beyond this one franchise that's gone rancid and cancerous. I humbly suggest you look into it.

Ellison has money coming to him for the same reason Nick Locarno had to become Tom Paris and T'Pau had to become T'Pol: if Paramount uses a specific element created by a specific writer, it owes that writer (or his/her estate, in the case of Theodore Sturgeon) some remuneration. Why is that so hard to grasp or sypathize with?

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

P0sitr0nic said:
"Ellison is pissed"... that the only thing hes known for is a 40 year old Trek episode...

This is the farthest thing from being true.

Now, if one asserted that the only thing he's known for to some trekkies is a 40 year old Trek episode, that's fair comment but would reflect on their horizons rather than Ellison's accomplishments. Not too surprising, I guess, as we've all met Trek fans whose non-Trek cultural awareness is such that they seem to think Gene Roddenberry invented or at least first popularized the ideas of world peace and the "brotherhood of mankind."

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Number6 said:
Now I know it's just a rumour.

If the script really had those elements, Harlan would have already been compensated many months ago, while the story was in development. Paramount has a legal department for this.

You'd be surprised.

They ought to just get in touch with him and pay him his money.

 

[Brutal Strudel]

^I love it when we're on the same side.

 

[sbk1234]

I find it somewhat amusing how Ellison states that others better "lose the unilateral arrogance."

Whether right or wrong, if this is really such a hot issue for him, why is he discussing it over the internet for a bunch of fans, instead of having his lawyers call their lawyers the way professional business people take care of things?

 

[T'Cal]

Number6 said:
Actually he does. Remember when B&B were developing ENT they changed T'Pau to T'Pol to avoid having to pay Theodore Sturgeon for the rights to feature the character in the series.

I don't know how true that is but I remember reading a similar story conncerning Jake Locarno and Tom Paris.

 

[number6]

Yep.. all true!!

 

[Angel4576]

P0sitr0nic said:
"Ellison is pissed"... that the only thing hes known for is a 40 year old Trek episode...

Not strictly true. His Outer Limits contribution, Demon With a Glass Hand was every bit as good as City on the Edge of Forever IMO.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

It's true that when characters created by a writer are reused the creator is entitled to payment. It's never happened to me, so I don't know what the terms are. I do remember my collaborator being very excited by the suggestion on the part of the Trek producers that "Mirasta Yale" - the female Malcorian scientist in our episode "First Contact" - was being considered as a possible recurring or regular character on TNG to replace Wesley. That obviously didn't happen - Ro Laren was invented instead - but it would have meant regular money for Dave and me.

 

[Franklin]

Ellison is responding TO THE RUMOR. "Would someone go to that site, and...."

IF true, I have a hard time swallowing the idea that Ellison would've gone this long without knowing. That is, I'd think SOMEONE would have at least leaked it to him long ago in story development.

As it is, Ellison finds out the same way we all did? B.S.

Intrepid Hollywood reporters need to get on this story. Call Abrams and say Ellison is mad as hell, and what does Abrams have to say about it? Yeah, let's have someone do that. Then --
Let's hear a flat out denial.
Let's hear a, "Yes, the Guardian is there, but we feel we don't need to pay him for the way it's being used," or something like that.
Let's hear a, "No comment." That'd be fun.

Gotta love rumors.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Franklin said:
IF true, I have a hard time swallowing the idea that Ellison would've gone this long without knowing. That is, I'd think SOMEONE would have at least leaked it to him long ago in story development.

Not so. People have been hired onto this film without seeing the script or knowing the story.

 

[Brutal Strudel]

Angel4576 said:

P0sitr0nic said:
"Ellison is pissed"... that the only thing hes known for is a 40 year old Trek episode...

Not strictly true. His Outer Limits contribution, Demon With a Glass Hand was every bit as good as City on the Edge of Forever IMO.

Not strictly true? Elliosn's is one of the most revered names in literary SF, often mentioned in the same breath as Dick, Ballard and Vonnegut. He's one of the leaders of the New Wave and gave us two of SF's most important and influential anthologies, the Dangerous Visions books. His (extensive) tv work is a sideline.