

   Injustice - Star Trek and DKM 




From: Daniel Keys Moran
Date: Tue, 07 Mar 1995 05:31:00 UTC

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
I want to take the time to let those of you, particularly writers, thinking
of dealing with the STAR TREK franchise, know about my recent experience.


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
A couple years ago, when DS9 was young (4-5 episodes old), my friend Lynn
Barker and I went down there to pitch. I took two stories with me,
"Injustice," and "The Stopping Point." The individuals present at the pitch
were Robert Wolfe, and Evan Somers.


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

When I finished pitching my two episodes, they were very impressed. Robert
Wolf told me that "Injustice" and "Stopping Point" were the two best stories
they had seen out of some 200 pitch meetings to that time. "Stopping Point"
they felt needed some work; "Injustice," however, they went so far as to
say, "This is going to go." (This was hardly a contract, and I didn't take
it as one; neither of them had the authority to do that, and they were clear
that "Injustice" would have to be approved by Michael Piller.)


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

They asked me to leave a copy of "Injustice" with them; I wouldn't, since
D.C. Fontana had warned me not to. I went home from the pitch, and there was
a message waiting for me from Evan Somers. I called Paramount; Evan asked
me to read "Injustice" to him again, while he typed it up. I hesitated, but
went ahead -- they seemed so sure it was a sale.


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

What was the story of "Injustice?" Chief O'Brien, having been wrongly
convicted of murder by an alien race, rather than being sent to prison, has
punishing memories implanted in his brain --


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

The story didn't go. Piller didn't like the idea, I was told. He didn't see
how it could be "visualized." Evan appeared to be upset about this; he told
me to hang in there, and maybe they'd be able to use it at a later date.


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Fast forward to last Monday, February 27, 1995. "STAR TREK: Voyager." Lt.
Tom Paris is convicted of murder by an alien race, and rather than being
sent to prison, has punishing memories implanted into his brain. The story
credit is one "Evan Somers."


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Ignore the fact that I am thoroughly ticked, and let's notice the following:
story credit goes for $6K. After purchasing a story, STAR TREK, the most
financially successful television franchise in history, would have
legally and honestly and ethically have had the right to rewrite the story
in any fashion it chose. Instead Mr. Somers sat on my story idea for two
years and then presented it to the world as his own.


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
This may not be actionable -- ideas cannot be copyrighted. And enough
changes were rung upon the premise that it is questionable that I could
successfully sue Paramount (or Mr. Somers) for plagiarism. But in my own
mind there is no question where Mr. Somers' premise came from -- my
ironically named story "Injustice."


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
There may be nothing I can do in this case except make the truth known, and
embarrass the individuals involved, if they have any shame; but I hope I
have done that much.





Date: Tue, 14 Mar 1995 19:02:00 UTC

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
I'm going to let the Star Trek thing go. I don't think I've got enough to
sue successfully, and I don't need the aggravation. A complaint's been filed
with the Writer's Guild, though.


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
I am not going to post my outline of Injustice. Among other things, there's
a very good chance that a new SF tv series is coming shortly -- David
Gerrold &amp; Dorothy Fontana are working on it -- and if it does I've already
sold them one episode; and selling Injustice, suitably modified, strikes me
as quite possible.


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
I really disliked "Ex Post Facto," the episode that borrowed from me. I'd
have been predisposed to dislike it anyway, but I hardly needed the
predisposition. Hate to think I was borrowed from for the sake of that.
"Voyager" really has quite a fine cast; but its writers don't appear to
understand SF -- the very first episode of this show, the space-traveling
aliens didn't know how to make water -- "Burn the hydrogen, guys."
The mystery in "Ex Post" was mediocre, and the dialog was really painful.
Everything else aside, my hopes for Voyager are plummeting steadily.


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Babylon 5, on the other hand, is pretty cool, despite occasional lapses --
mostly the "aliens as humans" stuff that tv SF seems unable to get away
from.




