Scan barcode
A review by so64
The City on the Edge of Forever: The Original Teleplay by Harlan Ellison
5.0
So somewhat of a confession: I was never really a big Star Trek fan growing up. Sure, I loved science fiction. But Star Trek never really interested me. It always felt somewhat antiquated as franchise. The characters, regardless of which version of Star Trek one is referring to, always felt lacking. Flat. Uninteresting. Dull. And I understand that the moral quandaries proposed by Star Trek is the chief draw of the show. And while the moral quandaries can be interesting, they began to lose their luster and spell when one realizes that the characters would not only do the right thing, but they would never truly struggle over it. Sure they may have a brief discussion, but there would not be any immediate ramifications nor would relationships break down over it.
Even then, I would tolerate watching episodes of The Next Generation and avoid The Original series due to how corny TOS could be at times. If TNG felt dull, TOS felt corny. Kirk had no depth beyond womanizer; Spock no depth beyond an emotionless logical being; and the rest no depth beyond whatever their assignment was. And while TNG had some fairly interesting plots, TOS plots did not feel all that intricate. Except for a select few episodes, TOS episodes felt basic at times and the characters felt more like a vehicle for the chosen theme or moral. At first, I thought it merely a difference in time or generation; Star Trek was made in the 1960s and it does feel its age. Yet after reading this book, I feel vindicated that it is not due to me being young or not getting it; it is the nature of the show.
This book not only contains the original script for City on The Edge of Forever as written by Ellison, but also details Ellison work on Star Trek, including his feud with Roddenberry. Now while this section does feel like a screed, it does illuminate how Roddenberry's ideas could be limiting to writers. Stating that there could be no arguments among the crew not only ignores that people differ in thought and can be passionate about what they believe, it limits character development and potential. Good characters have conflict with one another because they are passionate, because they care deeply about what they believe. Ellison understood this; Roddenberry did not. And you can see this in Ellison’s screenplay: Kirk, knowing that this Keeler has to die, yet finding himself unable to stop Beckwith saving her. Kirk fighting with Spock, in spite of knowing that if she lives, the future is changed irrevocably. All because he grew to love her. That was the kind of poignancy I felt was lacking in Star Trek. And while the filmed script does include some of these ideas, it does not explore them like Ellison’s script does.
In short, a very illuminating excursion into the process of writing for a major television show.
Even then, I would tolerate watching episodes of The Next Generation and avoid The Original series due to how corny TOS could be at times. If TNG felt dull, TOS felt corny. Kirk had no depth beyond womanizer; Spock no depth beyond an emotionless logical being; and the rest no depth beyond whatever their assignment was. And while TNG had some fairly interesting plots, TOS plots did not feel all that intricate. Except for a select few episodes, TOS episodes felt basic at times and the characters felt more like a vehicle for the chosen theme or moral. At first, I thought it merely a difference in time or generation; Star Trek was made in the 1960s and it does feel its age. Yet after reading this book, I feel vindicated that it is not due to me being young or not getting it; it is the nature of the show.
This book not only contains the original script for City on The Edge of Forever as written by Ellison, but also details Ellison work on Star Trek, including his feud with Roddenberry. Now while this section does feel like a screed, it does illuminate how Roddenberry's ideas could be limiting to writers. Stating that there could be no arguments among the crew not only ignores that people differ in thought and can be passionate about what they believe, it limits character development and potential. Good characters have conflict with one another because they are passionate, because they care deeply about what they believe. Ellison understood this; Roddenberry did not. And you can see this in Ellison’s screenplay: Kirk, knowing that this Keeler has to die, yet finding himself unable to stop Beckwith saving her. Kirk fighting with Spock, in spite of knowing that if she lives, the future is changed irrevocably. All because he grew to love her. That was the kind of poignancy I felt was lacking in Star Trek. And while the filmed script does include some of these ideas, it does not explore them like Ellison’s script does.
In short, a very illuminating excursion into the process of writing for a major television show.