Commentary: Trek Stars: The Work Of Star Trek Creators Outside Of Star Trek

Matheson, Part 9: What Dreams May Come. For his tenth novel, Richard Matheson continued to steer away from the horror genre and towards something more romantic in nature. An unofficial companion piece to Bid Time Return, What Dreams May Come tells the story of a dead man who embarks on a journey through hell to find his wife. Of all his novels, Matheson considers it to be his best work. Twenty years after the release of the book, Vincent Ward adapted What Dreams May Come into a film starring Robin Williams. It was met with mixed reviews, though often applauded for its visual depiction of the afterlife. This week, Mike and Max are joined by John Mills of Words with Nerds to discuss both Matheson’s novel and Ward’s movie. We discuss the meticulous detail of the book, debate whether or not the changes made in the film were effective, and wonder if Matheson’s motivations for writing the book were domestic in nature.

Matheson, Part 8: Bid Time Return. In 1975, Richard Matheson published what he considered to be his best novel to date, Bid Time Return. It tells the story of a dying young man who sees a 75-year old picture of an actress, and falls instantly in love with her. He convinces himself that it is his destiny to travel back in time to meet her. Five years later, Matheson adapted the book into a film entitled Somewhere in Time. It was directed by Jeannot Szwarc, and starred Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. While largely ignored upon release, the film has since developed a large cult following which closely resembles Star Trek fandom in many ways. This week, Max and Mike discuss the time travel device used in the book, whether or not the movie improves on its source material, and where this novel fits into Matheson’s career. We also take a look at INSITE, the International Network of Somewhere In Time Enthusiasts.

Matheson, Part 7: Hell House. After a decade-long hiatus, Richard Matheson returned to long-form prose with his eighth novel, Hell House. It tells the story of a team of scientists and spiritualists who are sent to an allegedly haunted house to determine what the cause of the supernatural occurrences are. Two years later, Matheson once again adapted his own book into a feature film, entitled The Legend of Hell House. The movie, directed by John Hough, stars Roddy McDowall (Planet of the Apes), Michael Gough (Batman), and Clive Revill (formerly of Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back). It is a considerably toned-down version, which actually sports a PG rating. This week, Mike and Max are joined by John Mills of Words with Nerds. We discuss the novel's influence on later haunted house stories, the movie's strange lack of sex and violence, and what Matheson was up to in the sixties. We also wonder whether or not McDowall's climactic line reading is one of the finest moments in the history of cinema.

Matheson, Part 6: Ride the Nightmare. After a string of SF/horror stories, Richard Matheson returned to the crime genre with his sixth novel, Ride the Nightmare. The book tells the story of a family whose life is turned upside down when some characters from his shady past come to seek revenge.  This week, Max and Mike are joined by research librarian Tony Powers to discuss the novel as well as Matheson’s own adaptation for an episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, and legendary James Bond director Terence Young’s film version, Cold Sweat.  We discuss the book as a precursor to popular works such as Reservoir Dogs and 24, Matheson’s ability to adapt his own work for the screen, and how the movie was altered to act as a starring vehicle for Charles Bronson. We also touch on Matheson’s seventh novel, The Beardless Warriors.

Matheson, Part 5: A Stir of Echoes. In 1958, Richard Matheson released his fifth novel, A Stir of Echoes. The book is a ghost story about a man who develops psychic powers as the result of hypnosis. 41 years later, blockbuster screenwriter David Koepp (Jurassic Park, Spider-Man) wrote and directed a film adaptation starring Kevin Bacon. This week, Mike and Max are joined by Rudra Banerji to look at both Matheson’s novel and Koepp’s movie. We discuss how the book works as a commentary on suburban America, the effectiveness of keeping the supernatural elements ambiguous, the twist ending, and whether the changes made by the movie were good or bad. We also wonder why people think Chicagoans have crazy accents. 

Matheson, Part 4: The Shrinking Man. Richard Matheson’s fourth novel was the first to be adapted for the silver screen. The Shrinking Man tells the story of, well, a man who shrinks. It was made into two feature films. The first, written by Matheson himself, was the cult classic The Incredible Shrinking Man. The second was a more comedic take directed by Joel Schumacher entitled The Incredible Shrinking Woman.  This week, Max and Mike are joined by their friend Matt Hammer to talk about Matheson’s original novel and the two motion picture interpretations. We discuss the novel’s structure, the first film’s lack of depth, and the second film’s lighthearted tone. We also touch briefly on making it to the final round of the Parsec Awards.

Matheson, Part 3: I Am Legend. At the age of 28, Richard Matheson published the novel that would later be considered his masterpiece, I Am Legend. The story follows the only survivor in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by vampires. The book was adapted into three films over the span of 43 years. The first, in 1964, was Sidney Salkow’s The Last Man on Earth, starring Vincent Price. The second, in 1971, was Boris Sagal’s The Omega Man, starring Charlton Heston. And the third, in 2007, was Francis Lawrence’s I Am Legend, starring Will Smith. This week, Mike and Max are joined by Ben Munaretto to discuss Matheson’s novel and all three adaptations. We look at the historical significance of the book, the accuracy of the first adaptation, the liberties taken by the second adaptation, the changes made to the ending of the third adaptation, and Steven Seagal’s ancestry.

Matheson, Part 2: Someone Is Bleeding. In 1953, “a brilliant new master of the macabre” made his debut in the literary world. Someone Is Bleeding was the first novel in Richard Matheson’s sixty-year career. In the book, a young writer falls madly in love with a woman who may or may not have killed her husband. Now, he’s torn between his undeniable attraction to her, and his desire to not be stabbed with an ice pick. Twenty one years later, a French director by the name of Georges Lautner adapted Matheson’s novel into a movie called Icy Breasts. We don’t know what the title refers to, but we love it. This week, Mike and Max examine both the novel Someone Is Bleeding and the movie Icy Breasts. We discuss Matheson’s style, how believable the characters are, how well the book was translated to the screen, and whether or not murder is a deal-breaker in a relationship.

Matheson, Part 1: Trek. Richard Matheson is one of the most influential genre writers of our time. He has written countless novels and short stories, including I Am Legend. He is responsible for numerous movies and TV shows, including sixteen episodes of The Twilight Zone. And he also wrote the sixth episode of Star Trek, “The Enemy Within.”  This week, we begin a new series looking at a cross section of Matheson’s career. Specifically, we will examine his novels that were adapted into movies, comparing those films to their source material.  In Part 1, Mike is joined by Trek.fm’s very own Christopher Jones and Drew Stewart to look at Matheson’s work on “The Enemy Within.” We discuss how Matheson’s style translates to episodic television, how the episode stacks up against Voyager’s “Faces,” whether or not the B-plot works, and how Matheson may be the perfect writer for William Shatner.

Meyer II Part 8: Recap. Nicholas Meyer has directed what many consider to be the two best films of the Star Trek franchise. Despite this, most of his other movies exist in relative obscurity. This week, Max and Mike recap Meyer’s career as a director, looking at each of his pictures, including Time After Time, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, The Day After, Volunteers, The Deceivers, Company Business, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, and Vendetta.

Meyer II Part 7: Vendetta. After an eight-year absence, Nicholas Meyer returned to the helm in 1999 to direct his eighth and most recent picture, Vendetta. The TV movie, starring Andrea Di Stefano, Bruce Davison, and Christopher Walken, tells the story of the largest lynching in American history.  This week, Mike and Max are joined once again by Marcelo Pico of Framed Panda to look at the movie which Meyer considers to be his best. We discuss the way historic events are portrayed, the quality of the performances, what Meyer was up to between movies, and whether or not Vendetta truly is his best work.

Meyer II Part 6: Company Business. Nicholas Meyer’s Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is an allegory about the end of the Cold War. When the prospect of peace between the Federation and the Klingons becomes a reality, Captain Kirk and General Chang are uncertain of their place in the galaxy. But The Undiscovered Country isn’t the first time that Meyer had dealt with this subject matter. Just three months prior to that film’s release, Company Business hit the sliver screen. Company Business tells the story of two aging spies, played by Gene Hackman and Mikhail Baryshnikov, who must team up in order to survive after a prisoner exchange between the Americans and the Russians goes wrong. Both films deal with the Cold War in a very similar way. But where The Undiscovered Country is universally considered to be a success, Company Business is thought of by many, including Meyer himself, to be a failure. This week, Max and Mike take a look at Meyer’s seventh directorial effort. We discuss the similarities betwee

Meyer II Part 5: The Deceivers. Nicholas Meyer’s fifth film is the Merchant Ivory production The Deceivers. It stars Pierce Brosnan as a British officer in 19th century India who goes undercover to infiltrate the Thuggee cult, a band of thieves and murderers, in an effort to stop them.  This week, Mike and Max are joined by Marcelo Pico of Framed Panda to discuss the film’s similarities to modern-day undercover cop movies, the portrayal of Thuggees throughout history and pop culture, Meyer’s fondness for the 19th century, his uncharacteristic use of a supernatural device, and whether or not a prequel could fit into Jurassic Park continuity.

Meyer II Part 4: Volunteers. After spending a year creating a nuclear apocalypse, Nicholas Meyer shifted into a completely different gear with his 1985 film Volunteers.  Meyer’s comedy stars Tom Hanks as a rich kid who joins the Peace Corps and flies to Southeast Asia in order to dodge a gambling debt. There, along with Rita Wilson and John Candy, he helps to build a bridge which, unbeknownst to them, is highly coveted by rival outside factions. This week, Max and Mike are joined by John Tenuto to discuss the reasons behind Meyer’s decision to make a comedy, the presence of Meyer trademarks in the film, the movie’s similarities to Star Trek, the work of other Trek collaborators in the movie, and Meyer’s inability to make a meaningless piece of entertainment.

Meyer II Part 3: The Day After. In 1983, Nicholas Meyer followed up Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan with The Day After, a television movie depicting a nuclear war from the perspective of Lawrence, Kansas, a small town in middle America. The film is, and always shall be, the most watched television movie in history, and went so far as to influence the actions of U.S. President Ronald Reagan. This week, Mike and Max are joined by Star Trek expert Larry Nemecek, who worked as an extra on The Day After while in college. We discuss the political climate of the time, the social impact of the film, what it was like to live in Lawrence during the movie’s production, Larry’s experience as an extra, and Larry’s encounter with Nicholas Meyer.

Meyer II Part 2: Time After Time. Following years as a successful author, Nicholas Meyer finally made the jump to film directing with Time After Time. The movie features Malcolm McDowell as H.G. Wells, who must use his time machine to chase Jack the Ripper, played by David Warner, into modern day San Francisco.  This week, Max and Mike are joined again by Ripperologist Augie Aleksy of Centuries & Sleuths Bookstore in Forest Park, IL. We discuss who Jack the Ripper may have been, H.G. Wells’s views of the future, the similarities between Time After Time and The Voyage Home, and whether to use your time machine to go to the future or the past.

Meyer II Part 1: The View from the Bridge. Last season, Mike and Max covered the career of Nicholas Meyer as a novelist. This week, we kick off our second season with a series focusing on his career as a director.  In the first part of our series, we’re joined by Meyer expert John Tenuto to talk about Meyer’s memoir, The View from the Bridge, focusing primarily on his work in Trek. We discuss his contribution to the writing of The Wrath of Khan, the similarities between The Voyage Home and his first movie, Time After Time, how his vision of The Undiscovered Country conflicted with Gene Roddenberry’s, and what he would have done if given full control of Star Trek III.

Braga Part 3: Recap. Max and Mike began the first season of Commentary: Trek Stars by looking at Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry’s other television creations. So it’s only fitting to end the season by looking at the work of the last Star Trek series creator, Brannon Braga. In our first season finale, we discuss the two shows that Braga has created, Enterprise and FlashForward, as well has his upcoming work, Cosmos: A Space Time Odyssey and Malice. We also look at the other shows he has written for, including Threshold (no, still not that one), 24, and Terra Nova, as well as the two non-Trek movies he has contributed to, Mission: Impossible II and Freddy vs. Jason. And yes, we connect the dots to reveal how Brannon Braga is responsible for getting President Obama elected.

Braga Part 2: FlashForward. Four years after the cancellation of Enterprise, Brannon Braga teamed with David S. Goyer, his producing partner on Threshold (no, not that one), to create a television series based on Robert J. Sawyer's novel, FlashForward. The series begins with a worldwide blackout, in which everyone on Earth sees two minutes of the future. The show was an obvious attempt by ABC to fill the gap created by the end of Lost. But unlike Damon Lindelof's hit, Braga's series lasted only one season. This week, Mike and Max are joined by Mike's wife, Melissa, to disect Brannon Braga's non-Trek show. We discuss the calculated attempt to make FlashForward the "next big thing," the differences between the series and the book, the cliffhanger ending, Braga's use of time travel, and how easy it would be to determine if what the characters saw was "the" future or "a" future.

Braga Part 1: Trek. Brannon Braga has written more hours of Star Trek than anyone else in history. But despite being responsible for some of the best work the franchise has to offer, many fans tend to focus on his lesser works. This week, Max and Mike begin a new series which looks at the work of Braga as a television creator. In Part 1, we’re joined by Josh Bradley of the Soulless Minions of Orthodoxy to talk about Braga’s work in Star Trek. We cover the Next Generation finale, “All Good Things…”, his two movies, Generations and First Contact, his work as  showrunner on Seasons Five and Six of Voyager, and his creation of the last Star Trek series, Enterprise. We also try to figure out why people hate “Threshold” so much.