Re: Isn't it time we realize Rick Berman was the genius of the ST we l
Rick Berman took care of the realities that put the fantasy of STAR TREK on T.V. and I'm grateful that he took Gene Roddenberry's concerns to heart. Imagine Disney discarding Walt's influence(s) entirely. Something of his vision has to be preserved and respected and that's what Rick did with Gene's ideas for TNG. He could've pushed the show to be edgier, sexier and more exciting, frankly, and I'm convinced that The Next Generation cast was up to the challenge. And yes, Gene Roddenberry had a lot of help putting the show and the ideas behind it together. But at the end of the day it's Gene's approval that mattered. And TNG has Gene's stamp all over it.
People talk about how great STAR TREK was, once Roddenberry left, but imagine trying to produce and direct RICHARD III, with Shakespeare in the office and how that might cause headaches for the production team. Same thing with George Lucas and STAR WARS, the chokehold he had over it for so many years. But without people like these, their creations would've never gotten started to begin with. Rick Berman likely would've never thought up STAR TREK had it not existed. But he turned out to be the perfect heir apparent for Gene Roddenberry.
And when Rick was charged with creating sequel series to TNG, there were some great ideas he had. I'd call him a genius for it, why not? Unfortunately, his creativity didn't blossom the way that it should've and he ended up losing his "stuff." Every artist loses their stuff, though. It's just life. But his dedication to this franchise was remarkable. Personally, after TNG, I would've said, "that's it. I've made my statement with this show, let me go and do something else." TNG is the most satisfying sci-fi series to ever hit television. Nothing even comes close ...
