Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, January 18, 1994 TAG: 9401180027
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Ian Spelling
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Taylor had been a writer and producer for programs such as "Quincy, M.E.," "Magnum, P.I." and "In the Heat of the Night," but she had never seen an episode of "Next Gen" or even "Trek"-classic.
She came to executive producers Gene Roddenberry, Rick Berman and Michael Piller through a recommendation from short-time "Next Gen" producer Lee Sheldon, who admired her writing skills.
Her first assignment was to co-write the script for the fourth-season episode "Suddenly Human."
"I had to take a crash course in `Star Trek' history," Taylor says, sitting at the desk in her roomy office on the Paramount Pictures lot in Hollywood.
The neophyte Trekker buried herself in videos of every "Trek"-classic episode and film, as well as all "Next Gen" episodes to date. "It wasn't
easy," she says, "but maybe, not having any preconceptions whatsoever about `Star Trek,' I was able to bring some kind of fresh perspective to it."
The producers apparently liked what they saw. After completing "Suddenly Human," Taylor was invited to beam aboard as a staff writer and was later promoted to producer.
Over the years Taylor, who hails from Indiana, has brought a feminine touch to "Next Gen," helping to focus more attention on Beverly (Gates McFadden) and Deanna (Marina Sirtis). She has also created romances for all the
regular characters and explored such family issues as death, father-son relationships and reunions.
Along the way Taylor has written or co-written some of "Next Gen's" finest hours, including "Final Mission," "The Drumhead," "The Outcast," "Unification I" and "Times Arrow II."
Expanding into other Trek projects, Taylor wrote the Pocket Books novelization of the Spock-oriented "Unification" episodes and penned the story for "The Homecoming," the first episode of the three-part arc that inaugurated "Deep Space Nine's" second season.
A typical day for the writer-producer begins at 6:30 a.m. and includes non- stop executive meetings, story-pitching sessions, story-breaking meetings and occasional visits to the set.
She usually eats lunch at her desk and, on a good day, heads back to the Los Angeles home she shares with her husband and their five children by 6:30 p.m.
"I usually take scripts home to read at night," she says. "Then I write over the weekend. There's really never room for a breath. Any spare time goes to my husband and my kids.
"Beyond that, I don't have much of a life."
Is all that work worth the effort?
"Absolutely," says Taylor, who will move onto creating and producing the new series "Star Trek: Voyager" after "Next Gen" jumps to the big screen later this year.
"It's immensely gratifying to be involved in helping to create another part of the `Star Trek' legend," she says of "Voyager."
Though she has decided not to participate in the "Next Gen" feature film, Taylor is proud of her work on the award-winning series.
"It's a rare show in that I feel a difference is being made," she says. "When you write something for `Next Generation,' it's going to be seen by millions of people and it can affect their lives in a profound way.
"The moral structure of our show, what it espouses, is good and positive. We have a wonderful staff of people I work with and like.
"All of these very positive things definitely make it worthwhile."
\ Con Calendar Feb. 4-6
Vulkon at the Holiday Inn DFW Airport in Irvine, Tex
Con Calendar Feb. 4-6
Vulkon at the Holiday Inn DFW Airport in Irvine, Texas, featuring Nana Visitor. (Call 305-434-6060.)
Creation at the Hyatt Regency in Vancouver, Canada, featuring Michael Dorn. (Feb. 5-6 only; 818-409-0960)
Creation at Jackie Gaughan's Plaza in Las Vegas, featuring Armin Shimerman and Rick Sternbach. (Feb. 5-6 only; 818-409-0960)
Trek alert
If you have Trek news or trivia to share - or if you have questions relating to "Star Trek" - write to Ian Spelling, care of features department, Roanoke Times & World-News, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, Va. 24010-2491. Be sure to enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope if you would like a reply.
by CNB