Trek writers on the rizzle

[empty]

Well, Trek seems to have done something very right in selecting its writers. Trek Alum have played major parts in lots of cool series

CSI - Naren Shankar
BSG - RDM and a few others
The 4400 - Rene Echevarria, Ira Behr
Pushing Daisies, Wonderfalls, Heroes Season 1 - Bryan Fuller
Andromeda - Robert H. Wolfe
Carnivale - RDM
Threshold, promising-looking Flash Forward - Brannon Braga

Can you think of any more?

Did Trek's experimental nature uniquely allow the writers to come up with this great stuff, or what is it?

 

[Hermiod]

^Didn't Robert Hewitt Wolfe quit Andromeda when he realised they were never going to allow him to write continuing stories ? Every episode had to be wrapped up within 45 minutes.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Don't forget David Weddle and Bradley Thompson, creators of Section 31. They have been part of BSG's writing/production team and more recently moved to CSI.

 

[Christopher]

^Didn't Robert Hewitt Wolfe quit Andromeda when he realised they were never going to allow him to write continuing stories ?

He didn't quit. He was fired outright. The show's production company, Tribune Entertainment, had a habit of firing their showrunners and bringing in new, cheaper ones. Robert actually lasted longer than most Tribune show developers, a full season and a half.

As for the standalone vs. continuing storyline question, people always insist on painting that in terms of opposite extremes even though most shows are somewhere in the middle. Both RHW and Tribune wanted a show that had standalone episodes with some degree of continuity linking them together. But they disagreed on where the right balance between episodic and arc-driven storytelling was. Tribune wanted something more episodic, and overall more lowbrow. Robert and his team were trying to do thought-provoking hard science fiction and intricate, novelistic worldbuilding, but Tribune wanted something cheap, fun, uncomplicated, and action-packed that they could aim at the lowest common denominator. So that was a factor in his dismissal.

RHW was also the showrunner on SciFi's The Dresden Files, along with his DS9 colleague Hans Beimler. Beimler then went on to be co-executive producer of The Middleman, the cult favorite from ABC Family.

As for other Trek veterans, VGR's Ken Biller and VGR/ENT's Mike Sussman are producers on the syndicated Legend of the Seeker.

 

[CaptJimboJones]

Brannon Braga and Manny Coto are producers on 24, which I assume probably includes some writing.

 

[Hermiod]

Brannon Braga and Manny Coto are producers on 24, which I assume probably includes some writing.

Not if the last episode they "wrote" (for "wrote" read "spewed out") together is anything to go by.

 

[firehawk12]

Ira Steven Behr is taking over Crash next season. It's the most crazy thing I've ever heard.

 

[Top41]

Ken Biller and Mike Sussman are on Legend of the Seeker.

Coto and Braga have written quite a few episodes of 24 this season--I've seen their names on at least four so far, two for written by and two for teleplay by, I think.