Six and a Half Degrees of Separation
Way back in the day, I pitched a couple of STNG novels.
The first got bounced pretty low in the Pocket Books/Paramount food chain because "It wasn't Trek enough." Now since I later reworked it into Better Part of Valor (the 2nd Confederation of Valor novel) I can't say I disagree with them.
The second was a "Wesley at Star Fleet academy" pitch and it made it through the Pocket Books gauntlet then sank upon the shoals of Paramount because "we have a Wesley at the academy series in development". Now, "in development" can mean any number of things in TV talk from "it's something we talked about over lunch yesterday" to "we're about to find the first nine episdoes a slot in the new season schedual". Unfortunately, I suspect this may have been a little closer to the former rather than the later because the rumour mill has never churned out any speculation about it. And you know how the rumour mill churns.
Pity, because I'd have loved a series about Wesley at Star Fleet academy. I mean seriously, how many of you believed you were smarter than at least some of your professors? Well, he would have been.
Anyway, today is Wil Wheaton's birthday. He's played a lot of roles since Wesley Crusher and he's played with having been Wesley in a way that makes it entirely clear he can laugh at himself. He's smart, he's funny, and he's definitely not a dick.
Happy birthday, Wil.
The first got bounced pretty low in the Pocket Books/Paramount food chain because "It wasn't Trek enough." Now since I later reworked it into Better Part of Valor (the 2nd Confederation of Valor novel) I can't say I disagree with them.
The second was a "Wesley at Star Fleet academy" pitch and it made it through the Pocket Books gauntlet then sank upon the shoals of Paramount because "we have a Wesley at the academy series in development". Now, "in development" can mean any number of things in TV talk from "it's something we talked about over lunch yesterday" to "we're about to find the first nine episdoes a slot in the new season schedual". Unfortunately, I suspect this may have been a little closer to the former rather than the later because the rumour mill has never churned out any speculation about it. And you know how the rumour mill churns.
Pity, because I'd have loved a series about Wesley at Star Fleet academy. I mean seriously, how many of you believed you were smarter than at least some of your professors? Well, he would have been.
Anyway, today is Wil Wheaton's birthday. He's played a lot of roles since Wesley Crusher and he's played with having been Wesley in a way that makes it entirely clear he can laugh at himself. He's smart, he's funny, and he's definitely not a dick.
Happy birthday, Wil.