Why no Saavik in ST6?

[Therin of Andor]

Red Ranger said:
Does anyone know if there were any scenes from TWOK filmed then cut establishing Saavik's half-Romulan ancestry?

Yep. The conversation explaining Saavik's half Romulan heritage was first included in a "presentation" reel (a long trailer, with introductory narration from Shatner, 3 min 24 sec) at a big US film convention called ShoWest. This was many months before ST II was released to cinemas, and Nick Meyer ended up trimming out that scene, and choosing different takes of the Saavik/David interactions, for the final film.

Search under "Saavik" on Youtube.

 

[cardinal biggles]

Red Ranger said:
Incidentally, all the backstory of Saavik being rescued from a failed Romulan colony was just transferred to Tasha Yar's character's history, making it a failed human colony -- another example of Rodenberry recycling characters from his drawer of ideas.

I'm not even sure whose drawer of ideas Saavik's backstory was from. Meyer's? Bennet's? Jack Sowards'? Vonda McIntyre's? Regardless, it sure as shit wasn't GR's.

 

[Kryton]

Yeah, Roddenberry was totally sidelined as "Executive Consultant" or somesuch after TMP (until TNG was put into motion).

 

[TiberiusK]

Kryton said:
Yeah, Roddenberry was totally sidelined as "Executive Consultant" or somesuch after TMP (until TNG was put into motion).

Even with TNG, so much of the writer's bible was done by David Gerrold, and you'll see that many of the ideas were taken directly from his earlier editions of The World of Star Trek.

The more I read about TNG's first season, the more convinced I am that GR didn't contribute as much as he approved others' ideas as his own. He knew that he wanted TNG to be very unlike Bennett's Trek, but otherwise... I'm struggling. ToA will probably know the details.

 

[Therin of Andor]

TiberiusK said:
The more I read about TNG's first season, the more convinced I am that GR didn't contribute as much as he approved others' ideas as his own.

Which is why, when they were dismissed/chose to leave, Gerrold and Fontana commenced arbitration to get recognition for co-creator status on TNG. The matter was settled out of court, IIRC, but they all got gag orders on the settlement.

And then Eileen Roddenberry, Gene's ex, went for co-creatorship on TOS.

 

[TiberiusK]

Therin of Andor said:

TiberiusK said:
The more I read about TNG's first season, the more convinced I am that GR didn't contribute as much as he approved others' ideas as his own.

Which is why, when they were dismissed/chose to leave, Gerrold and Fontana commenced arbitration to get recognition for co-creator status on TNG. The matter was settled out of court, IIRC, but they all got gag orders on the settlement.

And then Eileen Roddenberry, Gene's ex, went for co-creatorship on TOS.

I thought that Gerrold instigated the whole thing, and that opened up a rift between Fontana and GR because she wouldn't say that GR had created the show. From Engel's book, Fontana was kind of pulled into the dispute between Gerrold and GR, but she hadn't been part of the creation process, if I recall. Her first job was co-writing the pilot.

 

[Therin of Andor]

TiberiusK said:
From Engel's book

Which is why you have to read Engle, Alexander, Gerrold, Justman & Solow, Sackett and Fern to try and guess at the real story.

 

[TiberiusK]

Therin of Andor said:

TiberiusK said:
From Engel's book

Which is why you have to read Engle, Alexander, Gerrold, Justman & Solow, Sackett and Fern to try and guess at the real story.

I've read everyone of those except Fern. But, I read Engel's most recently, so maybe that is why I'm confused.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

Therin of Andor said:

Yep. The conversation explaining Saavik's half Romulan heritage was first included in a "presentation" reel (a long trailer, with introductory narration from Shatner, 3 min 24 sec) at a big US ST convention called ShoWest. This was many months before ST II was released to cinemas, and Nick Meyer ended up trimming out that scene, and choosing different takes of the Saavik/David interactions, for the final film.

Search under "Saavik" on Youtube.

Actually, ShoWest is a movie industry convention not a ST convention. It's where studios, small and large, showcase their upcoming films.

ShoWest