From: mholtz@sactoh0.sac.ca.us (Mark A. Holtz)
Subject: From FidoNET: QVC Report (Michael Piller)
Organization: Sacramento Public Access Unix
Date: Sun, 13 Dec 92 06:37:50 GMT

More from FidoNET.....

- Area: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine -------------------------------------------
  Msg#: 17              Sent K/Sent                  Date: 04 Dec 92  15:03:00
  From: Walter Wilbury                               Read: Yes    Replied: No
    To: All                                          Mark:
  Subj: DS9 FAQ - QVC!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                            DEEP SPACE NINE FAQ
                    Part II - "Classified Information"
             gleaned from Michael Piller's appearance on QVC
                             December 5th, 1992

                Some potential spoiler information follows

Lots of interesting information from Michael Piller's guest shot on QVC on
Saturday, 12-5-92.

The biggest disappointment, as I'm sure you've already heard, was the total
lack of ANY clips whatsoever...no clips. (sniff) Piller aplogized and said
that Paramount is keeping DSN under wraps as much as possible to the last
possible moment, but hinted that we can expect to see a big promotional drive.  
What details I relate below involving the look of the station come from 
looking REAL hard at the camera views of a DSN blueprint set that was up for 
sale. A friend of mine has ordered the official writer's bible ($40) and the 
blueprint set ($30), and I'll let everyone know if there are any interesting 
new details contained within this items if they arrive before our moderators 
impose the total blackout of spoilers.

Lots of other interesting stuff, though!

Among the most surprising: the logo of the show is NOT going to be the one 
that has been seen all over the place since early this year. Instead, it will 
be a comparitively plain-looking logo, printed in the style of the movies' 
logo, reading simply "Star Trek" above a line, and below the line, "Deep Space 
Nine" in smaller letters. Piller says that the logo that has been seen 
throughout '92 was something that sales execs at the studio threw together for 
video prsentations at the NATPE and other TV programming conventions. Piller
also said that Mike Okuda put together hundreds of possible designs for the
official DSN logo, and finally the crew settled on the color of Piller's car
for the official color!

Among the stuff I hadn't heard before: in an crossover two-parter to air in
February, Worf goes to Deep Space Nine following up on a rumor that his father 
is still alive (I'd guess that this will also be the story that features the 
return of Lursa and B'etor). Piller didn't say this explicitly, but implied 
that the first part with be TNG and the second half of the story will occur on 
DSN. (See, Cindy, all hope isn't lost - they *might* take a 
crossover-two-parter!)

In assorted other news: there will be a TNG episode later this season in which 
Q appears, taking Picard back to the Academy (during which, Picard will be 
seen wearing one of the fancy and horribly expensive Jostens Starfleet Academy 
rings (no kidding - the ladies' model cost upward of $200, and the men's was 
around $580).

Piller let loose the fact that I think Joe's already mentioned here, that the
first scene of the DSN pilot will be the flashback of Locutus of Borg.

In another early episode, a very strange entity begins growing in the station
infirmary (equivalent to the sick bay on DSN), and no one quite knows what it
is...

The station itself is an enormous ring structure, seeming quite thin (though,
of course, it's huge compared to a starship). The central hub rises up in a
vaguely cone-like structure, the middle of which is the Promenade. Near the
top is the Ops Control Center, and at the very top of the hub is the
communications cluster. Four pairs of gigantic "pylons" stretch out from the
compass points of the ring, one above and one below the plane of the ring. The
pylons are for large starships to dock at, and they are shaped similarly to
support structures seen in the interior sets (essentially a large, tapering
triangle). At the widest point of the hub, just above the support beams that 
connect the ring to the hub, there are "landing pads" for the Runabout class 
vehicles.  Piller said that one of the most impressive FX shots of the entire 
series will feature the Runabout vessel rising to the surface of the hub and 
then taking off from the station. Michael said they made a few actual models 
while deciding on the final form of the station and just threw them out. 
(Quick! Everyone go through Paramount's garbage!) On the set of the Ops 
Control Center, there'll be a transporter pad right there instead of a 
separate transporter room.

Incidentally, the Runabout is a very interesting-looking vehicle which looks
like a cross between an Enterprise shuttlecraft and an airplane. It has two
warp engines similar to the shuttle seen in "Darmok" and "Rascals," but other
than that, the Runabout is a somewhat boxy-looking but basically more
aerodynamic design with landing skids. Their maximum speed is warp 4. They do
have weapons and shields and are more maneuverable, tactically speaking, than 
shuttles.

Piller says that Rob Legato and the DSN effects team are working on a new 
twist for Odo's morphing process which will surprise all of us who've gotten 
used to the "T2"-type morphing.

When asked if he would rather follow Kirk or Picard into battle, Piller 
quickly replied, "Both of them! Don't get me into that one!" (This man would 
fit right in on the echoes - someone get him a modem!)

Speaking of Picard, Piller touched on "Chain of Command," saying that Patrick 
Stewart better get an Emmy for the second part. Picard's Cardassian torturer 
is played by none other than David Warner, who played Gorkon in ST6 and a 
nutty no-name negotiator in ST5! Fellow LogBook researcher Robert H. quickly 
pointed out that Warner and Stewart were also contemporaries at the Royal 
Shakespeare Company, for you trivia buffs out there.

In response to a caller's query about Babylon 5, Piller seemed a bit 
uncomfortable. He said (verbatim): "You know, I've heard the same things 
you've heard," [referring to D.C. Fontana and David Gerrold joining the B5 
writing staff] "that they're our competition. The truth is, I don't know very 
much about Babylon 5. I think it's all about quality television." (That last 
bit really seems very vague to me.)

One caller who got to talk to Piller first mispronounced his name and then 
nervously said "It's not every day I get to talk to someone of your stature."
(I just found this tremendously amusing! I'm not sure I would have fared much
better!)

Speaking of Piller, for those who've gotta know everything, he admitted to
being a trading card fanatic and he himself picked up two uncut sheets of the
Skybox TNG cards; he also said he and the rest of the behind-the-scenes crew
will be featured on an upcoming set of cards.

Hopefully, you've all found this interesting. Whoever wishes to do so may port
this message over to other networks so long as credit is given to this
starving writer who, disappointed, sat through a three hour absence of film
clips to type all this stuff out for everyone, pro bono!

        Walter "Puck" Wilbury
        slave of the Star Trek LogBook <grin>

 * SLMR 2.0 * Men do not roar. Women roar, and they hurl heavy objects.
-!- WM v2.04/92-0178
 ! Origin: Paradox of Arkansas *Wildcat 3.0* 501-646-7158 (1:19/121)
-- 
      Next Time on.....ROBERTO!       <:> UUCP: PacBell.COM! -> mholtz!sactoh0
                                      <:>     ucbvax!csusac! /
      Quantum Leap fans who enjoy     <:> Internet: mholtz@sactoh0.sac.ca.us
     Quantum Leaps new theme song     <:>  Fidonet: Mark Holtz@1:203/90.1701
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.misc,rec.arts.startrek.tech