TAS book?

[Warped9]

I've just finnished reading the three volume series These Are The Voyages looking over the production of TOS. My thoughts regarding that work I will leave in the threads discussing that subject.

But after reading that work I come away thinking about TAS and how little we really know about its development and epiode-by-episode production.

- How did the concept come about and what changes did it go through?
- How was what we saw onscreen conceived and designed?
- How did each story come about and what changes did they go through?
- Were there any stories that were considered yet ultimately rejected?


We do know the series dodged a bullet in that there was an early idea for cadets to be aboard the Enterprise in continuing adventures, and fortunately that idea was jettisoned. We also know that at least one story (David Gerrold's "BEM") was originally considered during TOS' third season. We also know that at least two ideas seen in TAS were originally conceived during TOS only they never showed them: the holographic rec room and the life support belts.


Would anyone else be interested in such a work? Do you even think there would be sufficient interest in this often overlooked chapter of Star Trek?

 

[Maab]

Would anyone else be interested in such a work?

I would certainly be interested. I have this book www.amazon.com/Lou-Scheimer-Creating-Filmation-Generation/dp/160549044X/ but the part dedicated to the animated Trek is limited.

 

[BillJ]

I'd be interested but it would have to be by someone other than Mark Cushman.

 

[Warped9]

I nominate Harvey...but then it's not really for me to say.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

- How did the concept come about and what changes did it go through?
- How was what we saw onscreen conceived and designed?
- How did each story come about and what changes did they go through?
- Were there any stories that were considered yet ultimately rejected?


We do know the series dodged a bullet in that there was an early idea for cadets to be aboard the Enterprise in continuing adventures, and fortunately that idea was jettisoned. We also know that at least one story (David Gerrold's "BEM") was originally considered during TOS' third season. We also know that at least two ideas seen in TAS were originally conceived during TOS only they never showed them: the holographic rec room and the life support belts.


Would anyone else be interested in such a work? Do you even think there would be sufficient interest in this often overlooked chapter of Star Trek?

I would find a thorough analysis fascinating, but for a glimpse into its origins, you can start (if you have not already) with the chapter covering it in the book, Lou Scheimer: Creating the Filmation Generation. Schiemer provided insight on the very early interest in developing TOS as an animated series, D.C. Fontana's involvement, the pre-release pitch to skeptical fans at conventions, and other production notes.

It is certainly not as comprehensive as say, The Star Trek Compendium, in its TOS history, but the Scheimer book--for now--is a good place to start.

You can also try Animation by Filmation (if you can find it), and if you're into research, a few early issues of Starlog, where the series was covered--and notable because the articles were published only a few years after TAS' production end, so insider comments were fresh.

But the idea of a TAS / making of book would be a definite win with me, but i'm not sure there's enough interest to warrant the cost. As it stands, the likely target buyer--ST fandom--is fractured, with many TOS fans still dismissing TAS. Even Filmation and/or animation fans would be divided on interest on a book of this kind.

 

[Warped9]

I'd forgotten about "More Tribbles, More Troubles." Apparently there was some discussion of doing a sequel to "The Trouble With Tribbles" during TOS' third season. It never came about partly because Freiberger doesn't seem to have had much confidence in David Gerrold. Freiberger also stuck to GR's mandate of "no more comedy" in TOS.

I have to agree with GR on this point and I'm glad we didn't see such a sequel in season three. I could also have done without it in TAS particularly given I think it's one of the series' weaker efforts.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

I'd be interested but it would have to be by someone other than Mark Cushman.

This.

By the way, I'm doing a full TAS rewatch right now and loving it.

 

[Botany Bay]

Would anyone else be interested in such a work?

Absolutely!

Do you even think there would be sufficient interest

Doubtful. If they can't sell the wildly successful 20 year old TNG remastered on Blu Ray, I don't think 40 year old, and relatively obscure TAS would set the publishing world on fire at this point, unfortunately.

I nominate Harvey...but then it's not really for me to say.

Seconded. Actually, while we're arranging Harvey's schedule, let's get him to work on the definitive TOS work, or a Roddenberry/Justman project.

Apart from Harvey, there are a lot of posters on here with the passion, talent and knowledge to do it justice.

 

[Christopher]

Probably the only person qualified to write a definitive history of TAS is Andy Mangels, who co-wrote Creating the Filmation Generation and is a Star Trek novelist as well as a Filmation expert. But with Filmation defunct and so many of the people involved no longer with us, it might be hard to reconstruct the whole story.

 

[FormerLurker]

Speaking of those no longer with us, the three most important from Filmation, Lou Scheimer, Norm Prescott, and Hal Sutherland, without whom there really can be no Filmation, are among them.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

But with Filmation defunct and so many of the people involved no longer with us, it might be hard to reconstruct the whole story.

That's what I was thinking. Where would you even go looking for the production memos?

 

[Maab]

You can also try Animation by Filmation (if you can find it), and if you're into research, a few early issues of Starlog

Well, at least the Starlog issues are easily accessible. Here's the article on issue 6 on the Star Trek animated series.

https://archive.org/stream/starlog_magazine-006/006#page/n41/mode/2up

Maab

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Probably the only person qualified to write a definitive history of TAS is Andy Mangels, who co-wrote Creating the Filmation Generation and is a Star Trek novelist as well as a Filmation expert. But with Filmation defunct and so many of the people involved no longer with us, it might be hard to reconstruct the whole story.

Michael Swanigan--former Filmation employee and author of Animation by Filmation is still around. In every interview read or viewed with him, it is clear he knows a wealth of information about Filmation's productions, even that predating his tenure there.

He would be one of the first sources to contact if anyone attemoted a TAS book.

 

[EnriqueH]

I was just thinking with ALL the Trek books out there, I'm surprised there's never been a comprehensive TAS book.

Would anyone else be interested in such a work?

Absolutely!

Do you even think there would be sufficient interest

Doubtful. If they can't sell the wildly successful 20 year old TNG remastered on Blu Ray, I don't think 40 year old, and relatively obscure TAS would set the publishing world on fire at this point, unfortunately.

I nominate Harvey...but then it's not really for me to say.

Seconded. Actually, while we're arranging Harvey's schedule, let's get him to work on the definitive TOS work, or a Roddenberry/Justman project.

Apart from Harvey, there are a lot of posters on here with the passion, talent and knowledge to do it justice.

So the TNG sets aren't selling well?

 

[Harvey]

I nominate Harvey...but then it's not really for me to say.

As much as I appreciate the vote of confidence, I'd be a lousy fit for such a book. Truth be told, I haven't even seen every episode of the animated series.

More importantly, the fact that so many of the principals are dead and (as far as I know) zero archival material remains would make a worthwhile book project on the subject pretty difficult.

 

[doubleohfive]

Would anyone else be interested in such a work? Do you even think there would be sufficient interest in this often overlooked chapter of Star Trek?

Yes. But not if that hack Cushman writes it.

 

[Warped9]

D.C. Fontana is still around. Wouldn't she be a good start? And some of the writers of the episodes (like David Gerrold) should also still be around.

Of course, such a book would include an explanation of how animation was done in those days. That information can rather easily be found already, but it would be nice to see it again here for those not familiar with it. Awhile ago I saw a multi-part video feature on Johnny Quest that explained this nicely.

There's also the development and evolution of each episode. Granted they wouldn't have had budget concerns in terms of f/x, but other story elements would have needed to be addressed.

I think it would be interesting to know what kind of direction the animators were given in terms of designing characters, aliens and alien landscapes as well as spaceships and hardware.

 

[Galileo7]

I think there should be a book These Are The Voyages:TAS covering the completion of the five year mission during those TAS episodes.

 

[publiusr]

I'd be happy to see the Enterprise as she looked in TAS fleshed out, what with the larger nacelles, the longer secondary hull--a pre-refit you might call it.

 

[Harvey]

D.C. Fontana is still around. Wouldn't she be a good start? And some of the writers of the episodes (like David Gerrold) should also still be around.

It would depend, I think, on how much documentation from the time has survived. You can only get so far with faded memories of a show made forty years ago. Those files may very well exist, with Fontana, Gerrold, the Roddenberry estate, or CBS, but they don't exist publicly.