Script Collection Query

[Phaser Two]

I’ve got the whole series. Thirteen volumes plus “The Cage” in a slim volume all by itself. They’re all scans of the originals, not retyped.

I was hoping they’d do a couple or three volumes with the animated episodes, but it was not to be.

I have some of the same questions that @Methuselah Flint does - are we talking about scans of the shooting scripts or some sort of reproduction? Either has value in different ways.

 

[Firebird]

I've seen that. I wish I knew how to access the actual scripts. The God Thing and unpublished versions of "In Thy Image" would also be nice to have.

The Margaret Herrick Library, UCLA, and USC’s special collections are a excellent resources I’ve visited a bunch out here in LA. That’s where I’ve gotten to read many of these scripts in person, more so pre-pandemic as their hours of operation have reduced significantly.

 

[Maab]

The Margaret Herrick Library, UCLA, and USC’s special collections are a excellent resources I’ve visited a bunch out here in LA. That’s where I’ve gotten to read many of these scripts in person, more so pre-pandemic as their hours of operation have reduced significantly.

Well, LA is definitely too far from me. Just out of curiosity: do they allow you to make copies of the documents, or you are only allowed to read them?

 

[Firebird]

Herrick: No photographs allowed. Script material cannot be photocopied. Memos and other production ephemera can be copied, up to 200 pages a year IIRC. Any scripts I've wanted from here for reference, I've had to transcribe by hand.

USC: Same policy as the Herrick, though I can't remember what the annual page limit is.

UCLA: Photography allowed of all printed materials for most collections. Photocopies can be done as well, but since photos are allowed, I haven't needed to worry about it. This policy is not extended to audiovisual materials (like the Star Trek II workprint). Those can't be recorded, other than with written notes.

For reference, here's the policies for other archives I've dealt with (either in person or via email only):

WGA Library: Same as Herrick and USC.

Cal State LA: Same as UCLA.

Library of Congress: Photocopies allowed of all material. Pricing is a bit steep per page and it can take a while to get everything completed.

Wisconsin Historical Society: Photocopies allowed of all material. Some of the best pricing of any archive I've used, and the staff there is super helpful.

University of Indiana Lilly Library: Policies and pricing on par with Wisconsin Historical Society.

 

[Daddy Todd]

I have some of the same questions that @Methuselah Flint does - are we talking about scans of the shooting scripts or some sort of reproduction? Either has value in different ways.

Maybe I don’t understand what you mean by “scans” and “reproductions.” Because they’re both.

Do you mean “scan” like a pdf, that you look at on a computer? No, the books I’m talking about are physical books. But the text in the books is quite clearly a somewhat reduced image taken from the individual pages of the script copies Lincoln Enterprises (later renamed Roddenberry.com) used to sell. It’s not typeset. It’s shrunken copies of script pages.

Does that make sense?

 

[Phaser Two]

Maybe I don’t understand what you mean by “scans” and “reproductions.” Because they’re both.

Do you mean “scan” like a pdf, that you look at on a computer? No, the books I’m talking about are physical books. But the text in the books is quite clearly a somewhat reduced image taken from the individual pages of the script copies Lincoln Enterprises (later renamed Roddenberry.com) used to sell. It’s not typeset. It’s shrunken copies of script pages.

Does that make sense?

Sure; thanks. I asked the question the wrong way, I think. I meant to ask if these were authentic shooting scripts that, say, someone from production or one of the actors donated, or if they were reproductions. It's my experience that the reproductions are very, very valuable to fans like us, but not the same as say, a script that Shatner used to have showing all of the dialogue changes and that you would expect to match almost exactly what made the final cut (subject to editing). I am obviously no script process expert so I apologize if my questions are incorporating poor assumptions.

 

[Maab]

Herrick: No photographs allowed. Script material cannot be photocopied. Memos and other production ephemera can be copied, up to 200 pages a year IIRC. Any scripts I've wanted from here for reference, I've had to transcribe by hand.

USC: Same policy as the Herrick, though I can't remember what the annual page limit is.

UCLA: Photography allowed of all printed materials for most collections. Photocopies can be done as well, but since photos are allowed, I haven't needed to worry about it. This policy is not extended to audiovisual materials (like the Star Trek II workprint). Those can't be recorded, other than with written notes.

Thanks, most interesting.
Well, apparently at least an audio recording has been made of the Star Trek II workprint.

To me that's the Holy Grail of Star Trek. Have you seen it?

 

[Firebird]

Thanks, most interesting.
Well, apparently at least an audio recording has been made of the Star Trek II workprint.

To me that's the Holy Grail of Star Trek. Have you seen it?

Yup, I made the trip to see it at UCLA last year:

https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/wrath-of-khan-deleted-scene-audio-clip.304624/page-5#post-14624369