Comments on: Star Trek Interview From 1976

By: T2859

T2859 — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 18:21:16 +0000

news report today that tom snyder passed away

By: trektacular

trektacular — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 09:47:33 +0000

I like Ellison I just hate that he picked on Star Trek just because his script was nonshootable

By: TrekNerd

TrekNerd — Wed, 30 May 2007 03:20:13 +0000

“PS: I know Shatner, Nimoy and Kelly were paid astronomical amounts for each TOS movie, but does anyone here have any idea how much the remainder of the cast was paid? The reason I ask is because I’ve read that Nichols, Koenig, Takie, and Doohan were rather poorly compensated in comparison….”

I remember reading that starting with Star Trek III, the breakdown was as follows:

Shatner / Nimoy — $5 million
Kelly — $1 million
Doohan et. al. — $500,000

By: mtngracie

mtngracie — Wed, 30 May 2007 02:25:29 +0000

Wow…I was reading your description of Koenig’s con appearances and thought you were talking about Shatner. I’ve been to several cons where Shatner was beyond rude to fans and the other actors. I’ve even been in audiences where he yelled at the attendees. Walter has always been very nice when I met him, but he admittedly looks bored on stage: especially when Takei is talking and talking and talking….

If you’d ever seen his non-Trek work you wouldn’t be calling Koenig underrated, but underused. He should have won an Emmy for his work in Alfred Hitchcock presents. But then that episode was also Ellison’s first sold teleplay…

And the new movie Koenig wrote looks incredible.

As for New Voyages, Koenig has said he did it to finally give Chekov the attention he didn’t get on TOS. That pretty much says he cares about the character to me.

(BTW: no one gets paid to work on New Voyages and they have to pay their own plane fare and lodging, etc. It’s part of the contract New Voyages has with Paramount. And that includes Koenig and Takei.)

By: Stanky McFibberich

Stanky McFibberich — Mon, 28 May 2007 23:38:18 +0000

re: 84. Demode – May 26, 2007
“Say what you will, but Walter must have love in his heart for the character of Chekov. He did do the New Voyages fan episode, and he also did “Star Trek: Of Gods and Men” I understand he was paid for those, but he was only paid at scale, whic ain’t much at all for an actor. He would have had have done it out of love of his character, and the opportunity to give more to the role. The man has my respect.”

I think he does it to keep his overrated, self-promoting face out there and to stay aboard the gravy train. :)

By: TREK GOD 1

TREK GOD 1 — Mon, 28 May 2007 04:25:13 +0000

Geting past board technical difficulties….

16: Pat –
“1776? If you lived through 1976, you might remember anything that stayed still long enough had “1776? on it, or at least ‘76, so putting 1776 instead of 1701 was a fairly normal state of mind then.”

True enough. I remember all of the 1776/flag-splattered merchanising in school, coins, stamps and even food that year…but it was a big year for Trek (being the 10th anniversary), and for a kid, there was plenty of Trek novels, reruns, trading cards, coins and model kits to send a Trekker kid to the hospital due to overdosing. Great times!!!

19: Jim J –
Harlan Ellison is one of the most overrated writers in the industry. Seems to me that he is praised while being a mediocre writer. Maybe he oughta write cop shows/novels! Time for someone to bash me, I know. City On The Edge Of Forever isn’t a bad episode, but I generally think it is a bit overrated…AND…in it’s original form written by Ellison, it would never have been as highly thought of as the version that is “out there.” Harlan is an arrogant person and still acts that way today.”

Arrogant he may be, but you have to really remember 1976 and Ellison’s ever-grwoing place in pop culture at the time.

Thanks to a then-decade of praise thanks to City on the Edge of Forever, the FANS were largely responsible for swelling Ellison’s head beyond his own role in that.

Trek was a bonafide phenomenon, and as the “writer” of its (arguably) greatest episode (not to mention inspiring the best episode of the Animated Series), it is understandable why his ego was out of bounds…not that this gives him a free pass for being an butthole, but many of the fans were just as responsible with the endless praise he recieved during that time.

By: trektacular

trektacular — Mon, 28 May 2007 03:02:26 +0000

Yeah James Doohan kicked ass!

By: Xplodin' Nacelle

Xplodin' Nacelle — Sun, 27 May 2007 22:05:55 +0000

I just rewatched this interview, & realized that Snyder asked if anybody got tired of conventions? Koenig, & KELLEY both said, “I do.” Then Kelley backpedalled, & talked about how much of a challenge, & opportunity the show was to do. Koenig just grumbled about how he was challenged with finding new ways to say “Warp 4 Keptin.” I found it ironically funny that Snyder misinterpreted his grumble as “What for Captain?” LOL

Only Doohan was true blue about his affection, & interest for the franchise; & it’s fans. Snyder should’ve just had him,on. At the very least Snyder should’ve had his people reschedule this episode until G.R. coulld’ve been on to counter Ellison. It would’ve been much more balanced, & entertaining I.M.H.O.

By: trektacular

trektacular — Sun, 27 May 2007 11:22:01 +0000

Who doesn’t miss the James Doohan here, before he became rotund?

By: Demode

Demode — Sun, 27 May 2007 05:25:27 +0000

Say what you will, but Walter must have love in his heart for the character of Chekov. He did do the New Voyages fan episode, and he also did “Star Trek: Of Gods and Men” I understand he was paid for those, but he was only paid at scale, whic ain’t much at all for an actor. He would have had have done it out of love of his character, and the opportunity to give more to the role. The man has my respect.