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A review by llysenw
The City on the Edge of Forever: The Original Teleplay by Harlan Ellison
3.0
This was really interesting but more for the technical aspects than the writing itself. Okay, the story is very good, but it's simply not the best thing EVAR as many of the contributors go on and on about. It's more a story of a 30 year grudge match between Ellison and Roddenberry which, while interesting, does little but reinforce attitudes and information that's already well known. Both have valid points (though, tbh, I'd score it a win for Ellison on points).
What I found most interesting about the script part is how the progression from story idea to outline to final script works. The idea really doesn't have a whole lot to it and is quite short. From there, the story is fleshed out and details are added, and changes are made for one reason or another. And to see whether when certain changes are put in place, it materially affects the story.
The afterwords were also interesting because they weren't all sycophantic. Walter Koenig writes that Ellison can be a bastard but he's also right about this. I also learned Koenig is a very good writer.
What I found most interesting about the script part is how the progression from story idea to outline to final script works. The idea really doesn't have a whole lot to it and is quite short. From there, the story is fleshed out and details are added, and changes are made for one reason or another. And to see whether when certain changes are put in place, it materially affects the story.
The afterwords were also interesting because they weren't all sycophantic. Walter Koenig writes that Ellison can be a bastard but he's also right about this. I also learned Koenig is a very good writer.