Logan Recalls 'Nemesis' Pitch

Academy Award and Emmy-nominated writer John Logan has worked with some of Hollywood's biggest names, but the longtime Trek fan was reduced to a bundle of nerves when he arrived to pitch his idea for Trek X to franchise head honcho Rick Berman.

"All your life you've been inspired by this story, and now you're walking up the stairs into the office of the man who can make you part of that story," Logan told fans at Creation Entertainment's Next Generation 15th anniversary convention, according to StarTrek.com. "It's like going to Oz, and meeting the Wizard. So I walked in, and there's Rick Berman. And I was terrified. You know, I can sit in a room with Oliver Stone or Ridley Scott and never break a sweat. Rick Berman, I'm terrified."

Although the 'Gladiator' and 'RKO 281' scribe thought his pitch might not appeal to the producer, Berman was in favour of taking a different approach with the film. "He said, 'That's exactly right, let's shake it up, let's have some fun, let's do some radical things, and let's really explore this.' So the process began."

A self-confessed Trek fan since the first run of the Original Series - as well as a big follower of The Next Generation - Logan found that his knowledge of Trek minutiae baffled both Berman and co-story writer Brent Spiner (Data). "We'd be having a meeting, we'd be talking about, say, Data, and they would say 'What if we did this,' and I said, 'No no no, we can't do that because in episode 47 Dr. Soong said that Lore is the second positronic— And I'd go on these flights of Trekdom fancy! And they would just roll their eyes, wait very patiently for me to finish, and say, 'You done? Okay, good, let's move on with the story.' But they were fond and very supportive of me, allowing me to be 'The Fan.'"

Logan said his obsessive attention to detail contrasted well with Trek virgin Stuard Baird, who was brought in to direct the film. "The idea was to bring in some fresh blood — me, Stuart Baird, people who didn't necessarily have preconceived notions about Star Trek. I, of course, have nothing but preconceived notions, and Stuart, thankfully, knew nothing, so it was a great combination... Rick is there as lord and master, I'm there as the ultimate weenie fan, and Stuart Baird's saying, 'What's with the ears?'"

More from Logan, Spiner, Marina Sirtis (Deanna Troi), Michael Dorn (Worf) and other cast members can be found here at StarTrek.com.

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