SNN Presents: Blerd Trek | Star Trek TNG's Stellar Journey: From Challenges to Saturn Awards Glory

>> Will: The cast and crew of Star Trek the Next Generation were just honored with the 2024 Saturn Lifetime Achievement Award. But would it surprise you that the series we know and love went down a shaky path in its first few years? It's not an overstatement that it was a very turbulent first two seasons. What path was that? Join me as I share with you the story behind the scenes of the first two years of Star Trek the Next Generation here on Scene N Nerd presents Blerd Trek Welcome back to Scene N Nerd presents Blerd Trek, a Star Trek show from a Blerd's perspective. I'm your host, Will Polk and today I'm taking a closer look at the documentary William Shatner presents chaos on the bridge, which sells into the chaotic early years of Star Trek the Next Generation. There will be some mild spoilers. So you're wondering, why should I look at a documentary about Star Trek the Next Generation that came out in 2014? And haven't I heard all these stories elsewhere on YouTube and dvds and more? Well, here's why. If you're like me, you can probably see the tonal and creative pendulum swings in those first two seasons. For every banger like measure of a man or conspiracy, you will get recycled scripts like the naked now or rework scripts from the first attempt to bring Star Trek back to tv and Star Trek phase two in the probably the bottom two of the seven year run with shades of gray and even worse, Code of Honor, which we can all agree should go into the rubbish bin. But chaos on the Bridge is a fascinating documentary, written and directed by William Shatner, that sheds light on the chaotic production of Star Trek the Next Generation during its formative years. The documentary features interviews with most of the key cast and crew members who provide insights into the challenges they faced while bringing its beloved series to life.

>> Speaker B: An iconic television series is relaunched, reimagined by its legendary creator, backed by a major studio. What could go wrong?

>> Speaker C: Gene's ideas about the future and about man, are wacky doodle.

>> Will: Red alert yields up.

>> Speaker D: He was a flawed man. He had great virtues. He had great flaws.

>> Speaker E: I thought Gene was going to come across the table at me.

>> Speaker F: I saw firsthand Gene's battling with the studio.

>> Speaker E: Gene was considered somewhat of a pain in the neck. He was kind of a blustery guy.

>> Speaker G: Gene wasn't the easiest person to get along with, but he stuck up for his beliefs and his concepts.

>> Speaker C: There's just a lot of infighting. It was all chaos. There's really scary stuff going on. There's a lawyer going around looking in people's desks when they're not there.

>> Speaker D: I spent the first couple of years just worried I was going to be fired.

>> Speaker H: My agent was the first person to tell us there wasn't a hope in h*** that this show will even make it through the first season.

>> Will: Shatner does a wonderful job of really stepping back from the role of being in the spotlight and really does a great job of framing the narrative as the series is being developed, it's fascinating to see how the vision for the show evolved over time and the struggles they faced in bringing it to life. From casting changes to conflicts behind the scenes, chaos on the bridge doesn't shy away from exploring the highs and the lows of production and builds on many things we have learned from other documentaries, like recent ones, including the excellent center seat, narrated by Beverly Crusher, actor Gates McFadden. And one of those questions posed is, what was this series going to be?

>> Speaker F: The fans, you would have thought would have been Jane's biggest supporters. Absolutely not.

>> Speaker E: I think that a lot of the fans were very verbal about someone taking away Captain Kirk.

>> Speaker F: They were angry because he didn't have Kirk's block. And McCoy, how dare he call it Star Trek. I had done a show called, get smart again, which was off of the Get Smart series, and I think there's a big problem. If you try to recreate, it's quicksand.

>> Speaker G: When I got the script to come in and audition for the next Gen, I thought, oh, my God, I don't know if this is something that anybody should be doing because it was such an iconic thing. Star Trek, at this point, everybody knows.

>> Speaker H: It'S not going to work. They said, you cannot revive an iconic series. You cannot replace those guys.

>> Speaker G: This had the markings of just some little seedy.

>> Speaker F: It was both really exciting and also there was this thing in my mind of going, are we trying to create or recreate?

>> Will: The documentary pulls no punches. It reveals the tensions and conflicts that plagued the production. From clashes between Gene Roddenberry and the studio executives to the last minute recasting of roles like Captain Picard, the documentary offers a rare glimpse behind the curtain, revealing the creative struggles, the conflicts and power struggles that plagued the show's early days. From clashes between Gene Roddenberry, his very weird attorney Leonard Maislitch, who exerted an extraordinary amount of influence on the production, and also studio executives like Paramount's John pike, to even tensions among the cast members. Chaos on the bridge doesn't shy away from the drama that unfolded behind closed doors. We, as viewers also get to see how Star Trek the Next generation evolved from that shaky Stark into the iconic series that captivated audiences for seven seasons. The documentary highlights the creative visionaries who helped shape the show's direction and overcomes its obstacles. Key to understanding the turmoil of that era are the contributions of Maurice Hurley, who was a police procedural writer who had not done Sci-Fi before, and he sadly passed away. But he spoke for the first time on the record in about 20 years when this documentary was filmed. And Hurley, who was a showrunner or head writer during those early years, provides a fascinating perspective that this documentary was key in getting on the record, including what he called Roddenberry's wackle Doodle ideals.

>> Speaker B: The real trouble in year one is the dictators how to get a good script out.

>> Speaker E: If you tell a writer that the characters can't have conflict between them, you're just cutting his legs off.

>> Speaker D: Some writers chafed against Gene's vision of a better future where there was no conflict.

>> Speaker G: The essence of, drama is conflict.

>> Speaker C: There was no evil, there's no money anymore. There was no jealousy, there's no fighting anymore. No separate individual goals or ideas. We negotiate no tension. What.

>> Speaker D: I like the dramatic constraints it put on me as a writer, really. I had to find new ways to tell stories.

>> Speaker B: When you look at the original series, there's a lot of conflict between those characters. They argue a lot. Crewmen on the Enterprise are yelling at each other.

>> Speaker G: If our people are perfect and have no problems or conflicts between them, there is no story here. We would walk around in each other's offices going, I don't know how to write about that. I don't know how to write about perfect people.

>> Speaker D: That was Gene's vision of Star Trek the next generation. Take it or leave it and work within it or don't.

>> Speaker E: The dictums gave the writers a lot of stress and struggle. And then in most cases, Gene would just take the scripts and he would just rewrite them. And these writers were not used to that. And that was very, very frustrating. And a lot of writers left.

>> Speaker D: The turnover. That first season was 30 writers, and staff members left the show. The first season of a tv show with that kind of turnover.

>> Speaker I: There was a writer who wrote an episode. He was a huge Star Trek fan. He was so excited. Gene called him to say congratulations, and Gene told him how great it was. The next day, Gene came to him and said, I'm sorry, friend, but we're going to have to part company. And he thought, oh, my God, Gene is leaving the show. And then found out the furniture in his office had been moved into the hallway, and that's how he found out he was fired. And he lasted about a week.

>> Will: The sections on behind the scenes chaos during that first season was really eye opening. From script rewrites to last minute staff changes and more, it's amazing that the show was able to find its footing at all. One of the highlights of the documentary is the extensive interviews with key figures involved in the production, including Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Friggs, Gates McFadden, John Delancy, and many, many others. Their candid reflections and anecdotes offer, invaluable insights into the making of the series and the dynamics within the cast and crew.

>> Speaker H: I had never filmed in Hollywood in my life before. I'd had no ambitions to film in Hollywood. I didn't know how to wear these costumes. I didn't know how to speak or move or sit, but I was going to work, and work and work and work. I would always be prepared. I would know my lines when I came on set.

>> Speaker B: Sir Patrick took the work very seriously. And if we fooled around, which we were want to do, we, meaning the Americans of the cast, and if he was not in the mood, he'd let us have it.

>> Speaker H: I thought that there was, a lack of concentration of focus on the set, that people were taking this far too lightly.

>> Speaker B: We would sing and we would dance and we would wrestle. Bill, you're acting like you didn't do this. No.

>> Will: Oh, Bill.

>> Speaker B: Okay, so six of the seven of you are singing and dancing. Maybe not at the same time.

>> Will: Chaos on the bridge does excellent job of balancing the behind the scenes drama with a genuine appreciation for the creative achievements of Star Trek the Next Generation, which is why that 2024 Southern Award for Lifetime Achievement really does seem well earned. The documentary doesn't sugarcoat the challenges faced by the production team, but it also celebrates the enduring legacy of the series and its impact on popular culture. So, in conclusion, chaos, on the bridge is a must watch for any Star Trek fan or anyone interested in the inner workings of television production. And while chaos on the bridge offers a compelling narrative, I do wish it had delved even deeper into certain aspects of the show's production. For example, I would have liked to learn more about the development of specific episodes or the impact of fan feedback on the creative process, and also how the show got its footing from the third season on. It's a compelling documentary, though, that entertains, educates, and offers a newfound appreciation for the challenges overcome by the creators of one of the most beloved Sci-Fi series of all time. That's it for today's episode of Senator Presents Blurtrek. If you enjoyed this review, be sure to subscribe for more discussions on your favorite Sci-Fi shows, comic book shows and movies, and more here on our scene n nerd podcast. Join me and our host, Sarah Belmont. Each week. You'll find us wherever you get your podcast by going to www.ceninerdpodcast.com. Thanks for listening and watching live long and prosper.