"I can't control Ira Behr ..."
- Thread starter Bad Thoughts
- Start date
You won't be sorry. I won a copy at ST Mission NY a couple of weeks ago, and I've been enjoying it quite a bit. Lots of new info in there!
Yeah, Terry Ferrell told a story about Berman in 50YM Pt. 2 that I found rather shocking.
Bajor wanted in. They only stayed out of the Federation because Sisko got a warning from the prophets that it'd be a bad move, which worked out well in protecting them. I always figured that Bajor would end up back at that signing table once the war ended
I've read that part and.... yeah. It makes sense with a few other stories told in there, and with his own comments in the book which gives an intriguing insight in how he views women in the business. Which was a ridiculously stupid thing to say in a recorded interview.
I've long doubted aspects of how Terry Farrell described her dealings with Berman. There is a lot of CYA in her details, and they seem to have changed over the years. What did she want? A deal like Meaney's, that would allow her to go film elsewhere upon occasion? To be a recurring character, which would not have required a contract? The ability to work concurrently on another series? And if she were looking for flexibility in her time, why did she not seek Behr support first? ISB seemed to have been accommodating when it came to the interests of his talent, and he could advocated for Farrell in a way that made sense for the show. I suspect that she really just started negotiations with the desire for more money, and her position changed thereafter.
But that is neither here nor there when it comes to Berman. She describes Berman as being very manipulative, having producers comment on her physique and calling her from the set before she had scenes, as well as refusing to have extended conferences with her. Along with what Fuller says--his approach toward Braga, playing Braga off Moore--and the tedious sessions he would have with writers, it seems that Berman may have had a strange, manipulative style. What's really strange is that he downplays most of the contentiousness of Farrell negotiations--they should have been contentious, no?--and gives no explanation about why he was willing to let her go.
There are a lot of these anti-Berman thread wherein everything terrible in modern Trek is laid at Berman's door and everything (allegedly) good is DESPITE him/his interference.
I'm glad some people in the thread have already challenged some of the sillier claims. I'm not claiming Berman is without flaws or didn't make questionable decisions. But people seem to completely forget all the impressive work he did (or, more commonly, credit it to other people).
I do wish Berman had reigned Behr in a bit more - maybe then we would have a much better season 6-7 of DS9 and not the mess we got.
I'm glad some people in the thread have already challenged some of the sillier claims. I'm not claiming Berman is without flaws or didn't make questionable decisions. But people seem to completely forget all the impressive work he did (or, more commonly, credit it to other people).
I do wish Berman had reigned Behr in a bit more - maybe then we would have a much better season 6-7 of DS9 and not the mess we got.
So that would excuse the behavior?
No (IF IT'S TRUE - Berman's always been too decent to respond to a lot of this nonsense, but I'd love for him to finally release his book so as to allow some sort of retort), but the way some people go on you'd think he'd never done a good thing in his life.
You normally don't get into those types of corporate positions without screwing people over, and being a major dick. It isn't right, but Berman isn't the only executive that Trek has had, that has had questionable dealings with the talent.
I tend to agree that everything that is wrong during the modern shows, Berman should be accountable for. He was the man in charge. But the flip side, is that the things that went right, Berman should also be credited for. At some point, he hired or signed off on the hiring of Ira Behr for Deep Space Nine.
It is tough to truly gauge what went on when you only have one side of the story.
This is not a question about the good he did. We can grant a certain stewardship of the franchise and a role in creating these series. However, he can equally be responsible for factors that led to inconsistency or decline in quality or anything that led to people on the show functioning beneath their capacity. ETA: we also must recognize that no one person was alone in making the TNG era series successuful (or rescuing them, as the case may be).
Laying the blame on Bermans door is popular. But he doesn't help himself.
"Women are either good actresses or they're beautiful."
^ A quote from Berman on casting Farrell from that book. There's a bit more in the quote, not much, but enough to give credit to Farrell's complaints when combined with comments elsewhere - particularly ones made recently on costumes.
It's also a stupid thing to say in general.
"Women are either good actresses or they're beautiful."
^ A quote from Berman on casting Farrell from that book. There's a bit more in the quote, not much, but enough to give credit to Farrell's complaints when combined with comments elsewhere - particularly ones made recently on costumes.
It's also a stupid thing to say in general.
I agree with this!
The best example of this attitude; that the Federation is great but still flawed (presumably an analogy of US/Western society) is the famous Root Beer Scene between Quark and Garak in The Way of the Warrior. Ron Moore added it to the episode since they were three minutes short; turned into one of the best scenes of the season.
SPOILER ALERT!
I think we can go further than that: DS9, thanks to Behr, did more to elucidate the universe in which Trek was set. How does the economy work? What was the trajectory of social justice? What does it mean to live in a diverse society? How does one construct meaning in one's life post-scarcity? These questions are explored better without the hand-waving.
When it comes to ITPM, it should be admitted that it takes little effort to see the host of badmirals who would support such an effort.
I really appreciate that the JJ movies kind of went down this route, albeit maybe perhaps insufficiently or in a flawed way, i.e. overmilitarization, lack of transparancy, and pre-emptive action in Into Darkness, or xenophobia and a little slice of daily life in the 23rd century in Beyond. The reboot movies didn't have to do any social exploration (and indeed, I'm sure there are many who argue that they don't), but it was still good to see more of every day life in those movies than in much else of Trek.
Would the studio even be open to a deal like Meaney's? I suspect way back when the deals were done at the start of the show Meaney was in a beter position than some of the other cast to get a few concessions i.e time off for movie work.
In Hollywood this is too often true. Probably everyone in the industry is responsible to some extent (i.e. a lot depends on who agents chose to promote), but it's part of why female movie stars find it harder to get roles as they age, and why we don't get female equivalents to the various funny-looking-but-charismatic male stars.
Anyway....
Berman is worse than Hitler!!!!
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Dude looks like a biker. I remember an interview where he liked to shock his mother with certain episodes.
What's he doing these days?
Working with Ron Moore on Outlander.
