Memory Alpha:AOL chats/Ronald D. Moore/ron009.txt

Here they are, as promised: - Subj: A Quick Post Date: 97-03-19 17:28:24 EST From: RonDMoore

Just wanted to let you all know that I'm still alive and kicking, but I'm deep in my last script for the season -- show #25, a Jake & Nog story -- so I haven't been able to post for a while. Bird of Prey has very kindly downloaded your questions for me from the last folder, and early next week I'll try to get to them and post the answers. We're trying to finish up the last few episodes before hiatus, so everyone's pretty busy and pretty tired. Sorry it's taking me so long to get back to you, but when I'm writing, I tend to go into "deep focus" mode and I tend to lose track of life around me. Take care and I'll be back soon.

Ron --- Subj: Answers Date: 97-03-21 19:00:51 EST From: RonDMoore

Okay, I'm back before I thought. I turned in my script today (and there was much joy in the Kingdom of Ron) so it's onto to the backlog of queries:

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I think we'll play some of the genetic enhancement issues next season, but I don't think we're going to do a post-traumatic stress show or something related to his time in the prison camp.

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This is the subject of a special counsel investigation and I cannot comment at this time.

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Two reasons: O'Brien and Scotty never directly interacted in "Relics" so although O'Brien probably knew he was aboard he never met him face to face; and the Scotty in "Tribbles" looks MUCH different than the Scotty in "Relics" so I think we can cut the Chief some slack on this one.

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We don't have any plans at present to revisit this storyline, but you never know.

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Actually, the only criminals left on Earth are in New Zealand so it only made sense to put the prison there.

<<I know you have no idea on how many more years DS9 can last, in part due to the rising costs of employing actors who may want to do other things with their lives...I would suggest that one way of coninuing the adventure is to allow the preformers who wish to leave,(due to salary considerations or other reasons) to do so...and replace them with new faces, in very different roles. Other long running series (All In The Family, M*A*S*H) took this route. Some of the supporting characters could become regulars (Andrew Robinson as Garak comes to mind). >>

This not something we're contemplating. If they want to do a seventh year, we want ALL our own cast to come back. DS9 has developed a fairly tightly knit narrative at this point and I don't think we'd like to do something like develop a "new" or "replacement" Emissary, or a new Bajoran representative on the station or a new security or whatever.

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We still haven't decided whether or not to deal with the Worf/Troi breakup on the show or what our take is on the subject. (And no, I haven't read the book.)

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You are more than welcome to write me a letter at:

Ronald D. Moore Co-Executive Producer Star Trek Deep Space Nine Paramount Pictures 5555 Melrose Ave Los Angeles, CA 90038

And tell your friend Zackery that, yes, this board is like an ENORMOUS Nit Picker's Guide. And it's also fun. -- Subj: Answers Date: 97-03-21 19:01:55 EST From: RonDMoore

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The decision was made when we did "Looking for par'Mach" and you can lay the blame chiefly at my doorstep since I was (and still am) the biggest proponent of this relationship. I'm afraid that Dax/Bashir is a thing of the past.

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Our assumption is that gold-pressed latinum cannot be replicated for whatever reason and that's why the Ferengis are still in business. Starfleet evidently honors tabs run up by its officers and where the Federation gets its latinum is anybody's guess. (Personally, I think they're running a numbers racket.)

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A rule that I think should never have been broken. When I look at Dax and Worf I see two characters that have suffered greatly because of this relationship.>>

I completely disagree. I think that Worf and Dax are great together, that the characters have both been enhanced by the relationship, that the actors have a great chemistry together, and even more importantly I think it's GREAT that we have two regulars involved in a steady relationship. I, for one, am sick of the "alien guest star who falls in love with one of our characters and then is unceremoniously dumped by the fade out" episodes. It's been done and done and done on all the Trek series and I think what we're doing is a breath of fresh air.

I don't buy into the idea that having Dax enter a relationship with Worf has "demeaned" her in any way. She's still Dax, opinions to the contrary notwithstanding, and we have done NOTHING to suggest that she's been "bimbo-ized" or "lobotomized" just because she's in love. Theirs is a unique relationship among the characters and not one that I want to lose.

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The part of Kirk's life which he was "lost" in, took place after the end of TOS and just before TMP. Kirk and Carol's relationship evidently took place way before this time period since they clearly hadn't seen each other for a long time in TWOK and David was unaware that Kirk was his father. Therefore, Carol didn't seem like the right choice. <>

We have pushed further toward his Klingon heritage, it's true, but I don't think he's crossed over the line too far yet. In my opinion, Worf had been a little "defanged" by the end of TNG, and we wanted to get some of that edge back that makes the character so interesting. -- Subj: Answers Date: 97-03-21 19:03:27 EST From: RonDMoore

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All I know is that by the time I joined TNG, Gene had decreed that money most emphatically did NOT exist in the Federation, nor did "credits" and that was that. Personally, I've always felt this was a bunch of hooey, but it was one of the rules and that's that. Fortunately DS9 isn't part of the Federation, so currency could make a back-door re-entry into our story-telling.

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We have definitely over-used this line. It will be stricken from his dialog until further notice.

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The Klingons realigning themselves with the Federation was, like you said, logical and that's why we did it. The return of Odo's powers was something we had always planned to do about mid-point in the season, but we had thought that we'd be running out of story ideas for him in humanoid form by then and in fact, just the opposite took place -- we hadn't mined nearly enough stories for him without his powers. So, the best laid plans, etc. etc. As for Kes/Nelix spliting up and the Holodoc getting the portable whatsit -- I DON'T WORK FOR VOYAGER AND WON'T BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE!!!!

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I believe they're available from Lincoln Enterprises which is located somewhere here in Hollywood.

<<I've noticed there's only been one episode with an economics focus in any of the Star Trek series ("Sanctuary", on DS9 I believe, which only went out as far as 2025 AD -- it was right on, by the way.)... I'm a student of ancient civilization, social evolution and economic design here in Cambridge, Mass. Who would I talk to about fleshing out Star Trek's economic backstory for over a period of the next 5 centuries?>>

A therapist.

(Okay, that was a little harsh, sorry.)

<<Why does the federation, who is at WAR with the Dominion, and from time to time with the Borg, and who seems to always be at war with someone only have one WARSHIP. WHy does the Federation not build a battle fleet?>>

This also is a legacy of Gene's. He felt very strongly that the Federation would not build warships per se, but rather a fleet of scienctific exploration vessels with weapons designed for defense rather than offense. It was quite a fight just to get the Defiant designated as a pure warship around here, much less trying to go for an entire fleet of ships like it.

<<And why are there not like 30 Federation warships sitting at the mouth of the Wormhole.>>

I think Starfleet is stretched pretty thin around the Alpha Quadrant and doesn't have 30 ships to do nothing but sit next to the wormhole unless there's an identifiable threat (like in "Pergatory/Inferno". - Subj: Answers Date:  97-03-21 19:04:58 EST From:  RonDMoore

<<The relationship between the Jem'Hadar, the Vorta, and the Founders leads me to believe that you are opposed (and rightly so) to genetic engineering of humans (and humanoids). Do these feelings apply to non-humans? How does your staff feel about the cloning of sheep, etc. and the genetic engineering of mammals (such as creating pigs that carry human-like internal organs)?>>

Let me first say their is a distinction between what I think and what the Federation thinks. The Federation seems to feel that as a result of the Eugenics Wars that tampering with humanity itself in an effort to "improve the breed" is a mistake. You could say that this is a direct descendent of the "don't play God" school of thought. That seems to be humanity's own specific experience and philosophy, so while they may not approve of other races' efforts to genetically engineer themselves, they don't try to stamp it out either.

As for the writers on the staff and our point on view on cloning etc., we haven't really had a full-blown discussion on the issue so I can't speak for everyone else. I personally think that cloning opens up a disturbing set of questions for which we have no answers regarding our uniqueness, the nature of life, the right to enlarge upon and improve ourselves, etc. However, I also believe that genies are very hard to stuff back into small containers and that we're going to see cloning and genetic engineering in our lifetimes, so we better get used to the idea and come up with moral and legal ways to deal with it.

<<There are rumors flying around that Bill Shatner might be returning as Captain Kirk on screen. How do you feel about the idea of him coming back? Do you think it would be a good idea?>>

I'd rather not see it. I personally felt a little cheated when Spock came back to life in Trek III -- it seemed to take all the impact out of one of the great moments in Trek history, namely the death of Spock in TWOK. To me (and I know not all of you share this opinion) the death of Kirk was a moving and touching moment, and I'd rather not see it just swept away with a magic wand. Then again, that's just my opinion and what Paramount wants to do with the Captain is up to them. And no, I have not heard anything that would indicate a return by Kirk to the screen.

<<One question. It is fashionable these days to add or alter scenes when they shift from the big screen to video. (Star Trek VI is a good example, though I did not like the changes overall.) Is there a possibility of this happening to First Contact? If so, what scenes?>>

I don't think so. Additional scenes added to the video release are usually scenes that were dropped for time and/or pacing in feature films, but I don't think there are any scenes cut from First Contact that we'd be putting back into the film. The movie came in at a good running time right from the first cut, so I don't think there are additional scenes sitting around that could be re-inserted.

<<What if aliens landed here on earth on March 28, 1997. They came in peace,and help us with our problems. How would that fit into the startrek world? Would you put that race into DS9? What would that mean for "First Contact"?>>

At that point, if anyone's still watching our show instead of spending every waking moment taking in the enormous changes such an encounter would bring, I weep for our race.

<<will we see anymore of the Bajoran political scene this season? I for one would love to see some more of Kai Winn this year!>>

You'll definitely see more Bajoran manueverings this season and there's a very good chance the Kai will come back before the year is out.

<<When can we see Majel Barret again?>>

Not until next season.

Subj: Answers Date: 97-03-21 19:08:12 EST From: RonDMoore

<<When scriptwriting, do you have access to what, for lack of a better term, I think of as "archival" materials (ie ST scripts, videos, etc.)? Is there, and if so what is in, your (the show, Paramount, etc.) reference library? And do you "fact" check more closely when making a major vs. minor reference to ST history or lore?>>

We have all of the above available to us here and we do try very hard to keep everything together.

<<When does DS9's hiatus start? when does it end? >>

We stop shooting April 22 and resume sometime in early July.

<<By "now" (the time of DS9, Voyagaer,  TNG) humans must be a small minority of the Federation's population. Does the composition of Starfleet reflect that, or it is a majority or plurality human organization.>>

For production reasons, Starfleet on TV is a predominantly human organization, but we presume that it's a far more heterogenous outfit that we can normally afford to show. The exact proportions have never been discussed to my knowledge.

Subj: Answers Date: 97-03-21 19:52:08 EST From: RonDMoore

<<Will Q be making another appearance of DS9 anytime soon? What about Lwaxana?>>

Neither one will be coming back this season.

<<I was wondering who made the GREAT choice for the music in First Contact? Meaning Magic Carpet Ride etc. I figure it was either you, Brannon, or Rick. If that is the case was there any particular reason why these songs were chosen?>>

The decision was ultimately made by Rick with input from Jonathan Frakes and Peter Lauritson. I'm not sure why they chose the songs they did, but I liked them, especially Magic Carpet Ride.

<<I just saw on a web sight that modern Star Trek (Since TNG's Premier) has lost over 60% of it's viewers and that Star Trek, in all it's incarnations, is in serious trouble.>>

TNG's premiere was a looong time ago and TV itself has changed radically, especially the first-run syndication market which really didn't exist until TNG blazed the trail. Also there's a great deal more sci-fi on the air today than there was in TNG's first year and there's a lot more Trek around these days as well. All of which is not intended to deny the fact that I wish our ratings were higher and that Xena wasn't beating us in first-run syndication (nothing against Xena, BTW, it's a fun show, I dig Lucy Lawless and I wish them well). As for Trek "being in trouble" I think that's over-stating the case. DS9 is definitely getting a 6th year (and possibly a 7th), Voyager is getting a 4th year, and they're definitley going to make another TNG film. Reports of Trek's death have been greatly exaggerated.

<<Are there still families and children on board starships?>>

Perhaps on some Galaxy-class ships, but I think this was an experiment that failed.

<<What has become of the Cardassian dissident movement that we have seen mentioned in the past? Does it still exist? Or was it crushed by the Dukat regime? >>

You'll hear more about the fate of the Cardassian dissident movement in "Ties of Blood and Water." -- Subj: Answers Date: 97-03-24 13:54:27 EST From: RonDMoore

<<Now that Dukat has alligned the Cardassians with the Dominion, where does that leave the treaty between Cardassia and the Federation - and the Maquis?>>

The new relationship between the Federation/Cardassia/Maquis will be examined in detail in "Blaze of Glory" the next Michael Eddington show which is episode #23.

<<What are we going to see in the way of a finale. When will it air? Will it be a cliffhanger?? Did you write it??? On a similar note: In the last few 2 part episodes (By Inferno's light/In Purgatory's Shadow, Broken Link/Apocalypse Rising, and Homefront/Paradise Lost), They are seperately titled, not the typical Part I, Part II Format, why is this? >>

The season finale is being written at this moment by Ira and Robert and it remains untitled. All I can tell you is that things are about to change...

As for the separate titles for two-part episode, it's simply a preference of ours. I've always liked giving each episode a separate title for some reason, I guess it just makes them individual entities in my mind as opposed to a single episode carved up into two parts.

<<Who's the hardest DS9 character to write for? Why?>>

Sisko is a tough one to crack because he's a complex man in a very unusual situation (Emissary to an alien race). But he's also fun to write for because it's a challenge.

<<Is Avery Brooks a particularly demanding actor? Does he contribute his ideas to your writing? Or, is he mostly just a gentleman that takes the lines and delivers them as requested?>>

Avery, like his character, is a very complex man. He is NOT a demanding or ego-driven actor, rather he is a thoughtful and intelligent man who sometimes has insights into the character that no one else has thought about. He has also been unfailingly polite and a classy guy in all my dealings with him.

<<For a ship that was designed to: (a.) take on the Borg and (b.) be the most powerful warship in the Federation, the Defiant sure seems to get the crap kicked out of her regularly. What's the deal? Just once, couldn't we see her kick but and take names?>>

We try to keep the Defiant as a powerful and menacing ship and her performance in "Die is Cast" "Shattered Mirror" and "Way of the Warrior" to name just a couple would tend to bear this out. But you do have a good point, and we're definitely sensitive to having her knocked about too often.

<<In addition, some, if not all, of these [two-part episodes] have different writers or combination of writers (or story/screenplay etc.), if I am not mistaken. Is this due to just to collaboration between writers, someone coming up with that particular *piece* of the story in a writers brain storming session, or are the ideas separate ones that are *joined* together.>>

Usually, it's very difficult for a single writer to do both parts of a two-part episode unless the shows in question straddle the end of the season and the beginning of the next (like Best of Both Worlds and Redemption). Ira and Robert have done two-parters together because they're working as a team and more able to carry the burden. Otherwise, it's just too much work to write and prep for production two hours back to back on your own. We almost always break (outline or structure) the two episodes together with both writers present -- the exception that rule being "Improbable Cause/Die is Cast" in which we set out to do a single episode and only after the first draft decided to expand the story into two parts.

<<On a separate note, we used to see more of the other establishments on the promenade (like the Klingon restaurant in "Melora"). These little glimpses into station life are interesting, sometime humorous and lent a sense of continuity to the everyday life on the station. Were they discontinued due to financial (i.e. cost of additional set) reasons, because the idea didn't
 * work* or just problems with individual script time constraints?>>

We like the idea, but usually cut these little sets for monetary reasons at budget time.