Larry Forrester

Larry Forrester was a Scottish film and television episode writer and novelist. He wrote the original story for the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, the second episode to feature the Ferengi.

Hailing from Glasgow, Scotland, Forrester began his writing career on such English television series as Ivanhoe, The Adventures of William Tell, Sir Francis Drake, Orlando and The Saint. Between 1959 and 1961, he wrote seven episodes of the British series Interpol Calling, and between 1960 and 1964, he wrote ten episodes of No Hiding Place.

In the late 1960s, Forrester co-wrote the screenplay for the acclaimed, Academy Award-winning war drama ''Tora! Tora! Tora!'', released in 1970. Keith Andes, Ken Lynch, and Bill Zuckert were among this film's cast; the film's music was composed by Jerry Goldsmith.

Forrester began writing for American television in the mid-1970s. He wrote numerous episodes of the CBS series Switch, including a two-parter with Jeff Corey and an episode with Peter Brocco and Elisha Cook, Jr. He also wrote two episodes of Harry O, an ABC series which starred 's Anthony Zerbe. One episode he wrote, entitled "Sound of Trumpets", was directed by John Newland and guest-starred Ron Soble. His second episode, "The Acolyte", guest-starred Barry Atwater, Peter Brocco, Clyde Kusatsu, Joseph Mell and Alan Oppenheimer.

In addition, Forrester has written at least four episodes of Hart to Hart, including one featuring Ethan Phillips and one directed by Ralph Senensky. He wrote for several other series throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, including Bert D'Angelo/Superstar (starring Paul Sorvino), Hawaii Five-O, Barnaby Jones (starring Lee Meriwether), Vegas (an episode featuring Allan Miller), Matt Houston (an episode directed by Cliff Bole), Knight Rider (an episode featuring Nicholas Coster), and Call to Glory (an episode directed by Richard Compton).

Perhaps most notably, Forrester wrote ten episodes of Fantasy Island, the hit ABC series starring Ricardo Montalban and Wendy Schaal. Among the episodes he wrote were:
 * "Crescendo / Three Feathers" (1980) guest-starring Skip Homeier and Monte Markham; co-written with Worley Thorne
 * "Delphine / The Unkillable" (1981) guest-starring Vic Tayback
 * "Mr. Nobody / La Liberatora" (1981) directed by Cliff Bole
 * "Lillian Russell / The Lagoon" (1981) guest-starring Glenn Corbett
 * "The Magic Camera / Mata Hari / Valerie" (1982) guest-starring Monte Markham; co-written by Don Ingalls
 * "Operation Breakout / Candy Kiss" (1983) guest-starring Barbara Luna

Forrester's episode of TNG was his last writing credit. He died in Northridge, California five months after he wrote "The Battle", and three months after the episode aired.