From: mcohen@vax.clarku.edu
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.info
Subject: PRODIGY notes from Avery Brooks/Rick Berman
Followup-To: rec.arts.startrek.misc
Date: 26 Jan 1993 18:51:35 GMT
Organization: Clark University
Distribution: world
Reply-To: mcohen@vax.clarku.edu
NNTP-Posting-Host: xcf.berkeley.edu
Originator: griffith@xcf.Berkeley.EDU

[Note - snagged from r.a.s.current a couple of weeks ago - ed.]

Well, here it is.  Avery Brooks and Rick Berman answered
questions from Prodigy users a few days ago.  They each got
hundreds of questions, and answered a few in Really
Overwhelming Detail.  All the messages (20 or 25) follow,
typos and all.  Enjoy.

..................
PRODIGY(R) interactive personal service         01/11/93        11:29 PM
SUBJECT: "AVERY FOR LAVERNE"

Laverne asked me to write a note to her students, but she
didn't say the name of her school.
To Laverne's Kids:
Knowledge is the key that unlocks every door in the
universe. Without knowledge, we are lost in space and time.
Thanks for writing.
           Avery Brooks


SUBJECT: "AVERY ON DS9 INTRO"

Marian,
The question was whether I would have a narration at the
beginning of the show like Kirk and Picard.
We're currently filming our 12th episode, and I haven't done
one yet. I was very excited, however, when I did my first
station log, but that's as much as they've let me do so far.
After all, I'm just a commander.        Avery Brooks


SUBJECT: "AVERY ON DS9"

Jeromie, you asked what it was like to work on Deep Space
Nine.
I have not yet seen it from the other side. I'm still in it.
This is such a gregarious thing, the making of film. I am
sure what I must do every day is my small part in this
incredibly complex wheel of thought. The most difficult
thing is to maintain focus and concentration for more than
12 hours or so and not blame your performance on the
weather.

Avery Brooks


SUBJECT: "AVERY ON LIFE"

Bill, my home town is Evansville, Ind. That's where I was
born. I call home Gary, Ind., however. I went to Roosevelt
High School in Gary, Oberlin College in Ohio, Indiana Univ.,
Rutgers Univ. I haven't achieved stardom yet. Should I ever
achieve it, my parents are responsible. They were the
strongest influence in my life.
Avery Brooks


SUBJECT: "AVERY ON PATRICK S"

Lisa,
You asked what kind of advice Patrick Stewart gave me about
Star Trek.
He shook my hand and said good luck.

Avery Brooks


SUBJECT: "AVERY ON STAR TREK"

Bill, you asked if I was a fan of the original Star Trek and
science fiction.
No, I wasn't an avid fan of Star Trek. But having grown up
with television, I was very much aware of the presence of
the Star Trek phenomeonon. I'm a fan now!
Also, my favorite science fiction writer is Octavia Butler.
             Avery Brooks


SUBJECT: "AVERY ON TEACHING"

Nick, yes, I am still a tenured professor at Rutgers
University, Mason Gross School of the Arts. I am currently
on leave.
Teaching brings me great joy. It is the one place where you
must be honest, the one place where you are required to tell
the truth, the place without the exigencies of money.
           Avery Brooks

SUBJECT: ASK AVERY BROOKS

Hair is very personal, Regina, isn't it. God grows hair. It
is the responsiblity of an artist to be able to play a range
of things and have range of looks. I'm not Hawk now. I'm
Benjamin Sisko. Of course the producers want me to look like
Benjamin Sisko, not Hawk.

Avery Brooks

SUBJECT: ASK AVERY BROOKS

GRB, The journey or the beginning of a journey to find
peace, to find some inner resolution was the thing that
attracted me most about the story. Also, on the occasion of
some brown children playing somewhere on the planet in the
20th Century, it is important that they be able to project
300 years hence or so and see someone brown in command.
     Avery Brooks


SUBJECT: ASK AVERY BROOKS

Robert, the first difference, I'm not a captain, I'm a
commander unless they promote me soon. I think it is more
important for me to find Benjamin Sisko on my own while
remaining faithful to the prime directive in all the Star
Fleet protocol.

Avery Brooks


SUBJECT: ASK AVERY BROOKS

Avery, all of the above. With a name like Avery, I knew you
knew the answer. There is no other phenomenon in the histoyr
of tv like Star Trek, but of course you know that already.
Because of its uniqueness, people will always respond to it.
Some days are better than others in terms of enjoying the
show ...We've been working so many hours that theres very
little time to reflect on anything else but sleep.
The most enjoyable days are when everyone meaning all the
principals are working so that the responsibility is shared.

    Avery Brooks



SUBJECT: "RICK ON BORGS"

Megan, there are no plans at the very moment for bringing
back the Borg on either show, but there's also no plans to
not bring them back. We're always considering stories that
involve the Borg, and most good story premises can work for
either show. Because of that, the possibility of them
returning is rather great.
Rick Berman, Star Trek: TNG and Deep Space Nine


SUBJECT: "RICK ON CROSSOVERS"

Steven,
We have no plans yet for our season finale, but there will
be a lot of crossover between the two shows. That's one of
the reasons we set up DS9 to run concurrently with TNG. But
look for Dr. Bashir to make an appearance on TNG and Word to
visit DS9.
Rick Berman, Executive Producer, Star Trek: TNG and DS9


SUBJECT: "RICK ON DS9"

Matt, you asked what kind of staying power Deep Space Nine
could have as a show set in a space station, as opposed to a
space ship.
When Micheal Piller and I were creating the idea, one of our
limitus tests was to take every story line from the 5th
season of TNG and see if they would work on DS9. We were 26
for 26. In DS9, we are still in a very remote and very
strategic place, and by being at the mouth of a wormhole, we
are in a position where adventure comes to us instead of us
looking for adventure.
Unlike the Enterprise, there is intrigue and myriad species
all around us, in various ships around the station.
DS9 is Star Trek, as is TNG. In both shows we're dealing
with Gene Roddenberry's vision of the 24th Century. We're
using allegory and metaphor to deal with ideas and issues,
and in both shows we're taking advantage of Roddenberry's
positive view of mankind in the future. As long as we
continue to take advantage of those ideas, viewers will
find Deep Space Nine as interesting and involving as they
found Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Rick Berman, Executive Producer
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine


SUBJECT: "RICK ON FAVE"

Julie, asking me to name my favorie TNG or DS9 character is
like asking me to name my favorite kid. It can't be done.


Rick Berman, Executive Producer
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine


SUBJECT: "RICK ON GAY ROLES"

Doug,
You asked about when we were going introduce more gay
characters on Star Trek. It is a concept that we have dealt
with, and it's something we continually discuss and try to
find new ways to deal with what we think is a very important
concept: sexual orientation. We've done specific episodes on
that subject, and it's something we haven't forgotten
about.

Rick Berman, Executive Producer
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine


SUBJECT: "RICK ON PRODIGY"

Jeff,
Am I really here? Yes.
I'm sitting in my office at Paramount, answering your
questions.
I'm not a computer person, but I have a son who is obsessive
about computers. His name is Tommy, he's 10 years old, and
for his 11th birthday, on February 17th, the one thing he
wants more than anything is a modem hookup and Prodigy.

Rick Berman, Executive Producer
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine


SUBJECT: "RICK ON TNG FUTURE"

Mary Ann, the rumors of Star Trek-The Next Generation's
demise are highly premature. Paramount and we are committed
to continue the show. Although it has not officially been
picked up for a 7th season, my feeling is quite strong that
the show will run at least a 7th season and perhaps more.
Presently, in our 6th season, our ratings are substantially
higher than they're ever been, which obviously adds to
Paramount and all the stations desire to keep the show on
the air.

Rick Berman
Executive Producer
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine


SUBJECT: "RICK ON TNG MOVIE"

Michael, Paramount definetly has plans to make a TNG feature
film. It is something that is already being discussed. As to
when it is going to be made and as to when it's going to be
released, and who will do it, no decisions have been made.

Rick Berman, Executive Producer
Star Trek: The Next Generation & Deep Space Nine


SUBJECT: "RICK ON TREK BOOKS"

Simone, we have never adapted a Star Trek into a TV show,
even though books have been adapted from TNG stories. The
elements that go into a movel are so much more complex than
the elements that go into and hour television show.

Rick Berman, Executive Producer
Star Trek: TNG and DS9


SUBJECT: "RICK ON TWO SHOWS"

Daniel, running two shows this season isn't of one isn't
easy. We used to put 100% of our lives into TNG, and now we
find that we don't have 200% to put into both shows. We have
a lot more work, and we have to a lot of delegating.
Luckily, we have great people working for us who we can
realy rely on and trust, like Jerry Taylor, TNG's
co-executive producer, Ira Behr, DS9's supervising
producer and David Livingston, the supervising producer on
both series.

Rick Berman, Executive Producer
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

SUBJECT: "RICK ON WORMGAL"

Jo Layne,
I'm glad you asked about the woman with the worm in her
stomach. This is a highly misunderstood character, and I'm
glad to have the forum to explain.
A Trill is not a woman, but an adjoined species. It is the
joining of two seperate lifeforms. One is a humanoid, not
male or female, from the planet Trill. The other is an
androgynous creature inside, neither male or female, that is
wormlike, living inside the humanoid. Once they are joined,
they think like one and are inseperable.
The humanoid is referred to as the host, and the other
creature is the symbion. Dax (the creature in question) is a
female body with an androgynous character inside, which is
it's 6th or 7th host. Dax is a female humanoid who lived to
25 or 26, before she got her symbiant. She is a character
who is young and vital, and within her, there is another
character who is wise, and
old, and neither male or female. It's a wonderful paradox
and combination.

Rick Berman, Executive Producer
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine



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| > <    Mitch Cohen * Multimedia consultant * MCohen@vax.clarku.edu         |
|  ^          Any opinions expressed are clearly not my own.                 |
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