www.trekplace.com

Tyler: What is your opinion of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's "Trials and Tribble-ations"? Was it a loving tribute or a mocking of the original series?

Dick: I enjoyed it very much and thought it was a clever and loving tribute.

Tyler: Franz Joseph mentioned in the Enterprise Incidents interview that he was not a fan of the original Star Trek. He must have developed a deep understanding of at least its technology in order to produce the highly detailed Star Fleet Technical Manual and the Enterprise blueprints. Did Franz Joseph develop a liking for Star Trek as he researched it?

Dick: If Star Trek was everything that FJ wanted it to be, it would be completely scientifically accurate, deadly dull, and shown on PBS. Seriously. He objected to the blatant scientific inaccuracies (like the ship going "whoosh" in space and space battles at light speed), and to the major plot holes that frequently appeared. Frankly, I don't think it's possible to write a good, entertaining story without having some amazing coincidence or some stupid plot hole somewhere. That's where suspension of disbelief has to come in for the viewer to enjoy the story.

Then, as Star Trek progressed into the movies, FJ objected to the volume of the soundtrack and the heavy reliance on special effects over story. He had much the same opinion of Star Wars.

FJ once said that if we had warp drive and the transporter (with replicators a side function of transporter technology), we could build the rest of the Enterprise with today's technology. I think that part intrigued him. Indeed, as technology has evolved over the last 30 years, cell phones are pretty much the equivalent of communicators, 3.5" floppy disks are similar in size and shape to the plastic memory blocks Kirk and Spock were putting into the computer consoles on the Enterprise; and miniaturization and sophistication of computer components is getting to the point where the Enterprise's library computer is completely possible.

Tyler: Franz Joseph's creations were used in the first Star Trek features. For example, deck plans of the Enterprise were seen on bridge monitors in the first three movies. Spock and Kirk can be seen pointing at his drawings in the second film. The third movie shows a page from the Star Fleet Technical Manual. The first movie also includes audio communications that mention two starships listed in the Star Fleet Technical Manual. Was Franz Joseph given any credit or compensation for this?

Dick: No credit or compensation whatsoever was given to FJ. It is my understanding that these items were put into the movies by production staff who were fans of FJ's work, possibly including both Andy Probert and Rick Sternbach, because they felt FJ should be represented in there somehow.

Tyler: Franz Joseph's creative influence on Star Trek productions didn't end there. The Enterprise sickbay of the first two movies somewhat resembles Franz Joseph's design - all the beds are aligned along a single, curving wall. To this day the symbol of the United Federation of Planets is a variation of Franz Joseph's design in the Star Fleet Technical Manual. Did Roddenberry consult with Franz Joseph in any way regarding the production of the aborted second Star Trek television series, or the feature films?

Dick: There was no consultation with FJ whatsoever on any of the ST projects you mention. Frankly, I'm not sure the kind of complete scientific accuracy FJ desired would have been compatible with the Hollywood need to tell visually exciting stories that put fannies in theater seats.

In 1976, Lou Mindling, then a Vice-President of Paramount, asked FJ to be a technical consultant, writer -- anything!!! on the first movie, which was having major scripting problems. FJ declined this offer, as he did not want to be placed in the position of telling GR what to do with GR's own creations. While FJ's intent was purely altruistic (to stay out of GR's way and not cause any more angst), his refusal to be part of the ST movie creative team eventually led to his design work being declared 'non-canon' by both GR and Paramount. (See Q19.)

Content © by Greg Tyler unless otherwise noted. This web site is a fan-produced, not-for-profit endeavor. Use of other parties' copyrighted works is done either with permission or under the terms of Fair Use. Works owned by other parties will be removed at the request of the copyright holder.

Opinions expressed by interviewees are their own, and they do not necessarily represent the opinions of the authors of this web site. The authors of this web site cannot always verify and are not responsible for the accuracy of claims made by interviewees.