Memory Alpha:AOL chats/Ronald D. Moore/ron085.txt

Subj: Answers Date: 02/05/98 02:03:17 PM Eastern Standard Time From: RonDMoore

<>

While I suppose anything is possible, I'm virtually certain year seven will be the last.

<>

Presumably, the Romulan woman was returned home. We never made a decision as to whether there was a Romulan Changeling loose back on Romulus or not.

<>

I'm not sure what happened to this ship, but I do know we have no plans to pick up that plot thread, nor anything from "Message" on DS9.

<>

I've never bought the notion that the "media" is responsible for society's woes. I believe there's a complex interrelationship between the culture and the media that is more symbiotic than parasitic. Film and television seek out popular trends in the culture and seek to capitalize on them while at the same time striving to create original works that will stimulate interest by the public. The medium and the culture are tightly interwoven and I find it absurd on its face to assert that "Hollywood" is somehow responsible for something like the teen pregnancy rate, or violence, or sexism, or anything else. People don't have to consume the media's product and there are hundreds of failed Hollywood productions that will testify to that. People only consume that which they want or which interests them on some level. They have plenty of choices and if they choose "The Jerry Springer Show" over "Masterpiece Theatre" or "Spice World" over "The Apostle", that's their decision.

<>

My impression is that the majority of ticket buyers are young adults and teenagers, and that's who the studios market their films toward. Not all films skew this way, though. For instance, "The First Wives Club" did very respectable business with a somewhat older audience. But as a rule, younger audiences will go to a hit over and over again and that's the dynamic that a film studio wants to see.

<>

The actors are always free to discuss their lines and scenes with the writer/producers and this happens all the time.

<>

I think we've established him as simply "Chief Petty Officer."

<>

No. The ceremony was filmed largely as written.

Subj: Answers Date: 02/05/98 02:33:26 PM Eastern Standard Time From: RonDMoore

<>

We introduce conflict between the main characters when we feel that it's appropriate. Some conflicts should be wrapped up by the end of the episode, others should not. We'll see more of both as the series heads into its final year.

<>

We'll see.

<>

We played around with several ideas, but our internal reasoning in the end was that Picard's brain had somehow been altered by the Borg to the point where it was still capable of acting as an "antenna" that could pick up some of the thoughts and messages from within the Collective.

<>

We've discussed seeing Dukat's children and wife, but at the moment we have no plans to do so.

<>

I haven't and I'm not aware of anyone who is thinking of new Trek projects at the moment.

<>

I think the Klingon war arc could've been handled a little more smoothly in retrospect. It might've been nice to have the Feds fighting the Klingons when war with the Dominion broke out, forcing them to join forces against the Founders. I don't have any regrets about Dukat.

<>

Not yet, and we haven't had many discussions about him in a while.

<>

Not yet.

<< Is there any other episodes in the works that you feel you can anounce?>>

After "In the Pale Moonlight" will come a Kira/Odo show called, "His Way" and then a Sisko show dealing with some weighty Bajoran matters.

<>

I personally have deeply conflicting views of the death penalty. While I have trouble approving of the state-sanctioned execution of criminals, I also find myself able to justify state-sanctioned war, which often involves killing people whose only crime was being born in the wrong place at the wrong time. Viscerally, I think we should eliminate the death penalty just as all other western democracies have. On the other hand, I find it hard to fight for Jeffrey Dahmer's right to live. Of course, the fact that Dahmer and Charles Manson got life sentences and Karla Tucker got a lethal injection speak to a fundamental inequality in the way the death penalty is applied. On the other hand..... well, like I said, I'm conflicted.

I don't think Starfleet has a death penalty. (The Talos IV prohibition probably isn't around anymore either.)