Computer + Video Games - Commodore Is Awesome

ACaptain's Log. Stardate 16.12.87.C+VG's John Gilbertt, who boldlygoes where many people can'tbe bothered to go, reportson Star Trek — The NewGeneration now beingfilmed in Hollywood.What will the finalfrontiers of space belike without CaptainKirk, Mr Spock,Bones and Scotty?Four successful movies, anon-stop deluge of fan mailand the continued popularityof science fiction promptedParamount Pictures toreincarnate Star Trek thetelevision series.It's token ten years for themoguls to reach theirdecision and, because theoriginal cast has grown olderand technology hasovertaken fiction, they haveset the new series amongstThe Next Generation of StarFleet officers and crew. Morethan 75 years have passedsince the original USSEnterprise was launched forits five year mission ofexploration. Captain Kirk,Scotty and even Mr Spookare dead, the Federation hasinaugurated sevenconsecutive versions of thelegendary Enterprise, and theimplements of explorationand warfare have changed.But, the Federation has notfound the edges of theuniverse, despite Kirk's earlyefforts, and continues thesearch for new life forms,minerals and phenomena.The Enterprise still has that joband the way in which its newcaptain and crew go about itis the central strand of thenew series.Pre-flight CheckGene Roddenberry, creatorof Star Trek and now in hismid-sixties, is the man behindThe Next Generation. He wasParamount's obvious choiceas Executive Producer butwas initially sceptical aboutthe project.The company has in thepost treated him shabbily.Roddenberry sold Paramountthe complete package,scripts, crew and rights, inorder to get the company totake the series and push it fora prime-viewing time slot.Paramount was notconvinced that the showwould work and, during its firsttwo seasons, Gene wasconstantly at war withtelevision executives andeventually resigned asproducer when he'd hodenoughHe returned to Star Trek asExecutive Consultant whenthe series hit the big screenand, when Wrath of Khan wasdoing the cinema circuit inthe 'States, starteddiscussions with the newParamount regime aboutanother series. Preliminarydetails were finalised in late1986 and Roddenberry wasgiven a free creative handand a budget ofopproximately a milliondollars for each episodeCrew CutA fresh, fairly young,production team was puttogether but Roddenberrywanted some continuity withthe old series so he broughtin two older-times advisors,David Gerrold wasresponsible for the famousTrouble With Tdbbles episodeand, more recently, wrote theoriginal short story for the filmEnemy Mine. Bob Justin,original Associate Producerof Star Trek, was also broughtin to balance Gerrold'swriter's eye with expertise offilm making.Both joined a brainstormingteam who's job Itwas to come up with not onlystory ideas but also a newfuture reality. According toRoddenberry the creationprocess was made worsebecause they hod to movethe futuristic technology ofStar Trek forward nearly onecentury rather than lookingforward from the reality of the1980s.The original sets havebeen updated. rather thanredesigned, to keepcontinuity with the old series.The bridge of the Enterprisewith its Captain's chair andsurrounding control stationsand panels do not look agreat deal different fromthose you'll have seen in themovies.The crew's costumes havegravitated towards boilersuits, the living quarters aremuch more outlandish -because of the increase ofstrange creatures on the stall- and the production teamhas been able to buydifferent looking corridors,rather than having to use thesame one to race or walkdown every time, in an effortto make the ship look larger.The special effects, fromspaceship propulsion tophaser fire will be at theforefront of movietechnology. Roddenberry hashired California-basedIndustrial Light and Magic, anoutfit created by StevenSpielberg to produce theeffects on Poltergeist andother movies - including theStar Wars pre-quel, CloneWars, which is about to startfilming at Pinewood.