REAVES & ZICREE REVEL IN TAKEI TREK RESPONSE

Well, it’s been a great week.

George Takei read our STAR TREK NEW VOYAGES script “World Enough, And Time” and loved it! Here’s what he had to say: “Bravo! Bravo! What a stellar work of drama you have written! The science fiction concept of an accelerated time glitch is fascinating. The tension and jeopardy is electric. Above of all, the moving and poignant human relationships are wrenchingly moving. I had tears in my eyes. I feel so privileged and wonderfully challenged to be able to work with you on this script. We are going to have a great time… I’m so excited by this project. These rich opportunities are so few and far between. I’m grateful to you guys. I can’t wait until September.”

A few days back, Michael and I (that’s us in the above picture, taken in my office today) lunched with George at the Universal Studios dining room (where I spent many a day eating back when I was producing SLIDERS on the Universal lot). It was a marvelous and convivial time, abetted by Doug Drexler, one of our NEW VOYAGES Exec Producers and the marvelous FX wizard both on our show and on BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. Ryan James, our crack videographer, recorded it all for posterity.

Following this, Elaine and I got together today with three of our cast -- John Kelly (Dr. McCoy), Julienne Irons (Uhura) and Andy Bray (young Chekhov) -- to start the rehearsal process, beginning with improvs and scene work from sample scripts Elaine and I have written, including the HOMICIDE spec that landed Elaine and myself a partnership with Tom Fontana on a pilot project we wrote and produced a few years back. Michael Reaves was in attendance, as was our second videographer, Neil Kaplan. Elaine was an actor and director herself for many years Off-Broadway and in fact went to drama school with STAR TREK’s own David Gerrold (“The Trouble With Tribbles”), so it was great to have her working directorially with the actors to limber up the old acting muscles. A very talented bunch all round, and a great thrill to be working with them.

Meanwhile, I’ve got to start prepping the keynote speech I’m giving at the Rod Serling Symposium at Ithaca College in two weeks. More on that shortly…

Cheers,
Marc