From Newsgroup: alt.tv.star-trek.tos
From Address: jimgysin{at}geemail.com.invalid
Subject: Re: IDW Does Harlan Ellison

anim8rFSK sent the following on Tue, 15 Jul 2014 12:04:55 -0700:
> In article ,
>  Jim G.  wrote:
> 
> > Daniel sent the following on Tue, 15 Jul 2014 21:04:08 +1000:
> > > On 15/07/2014 12:30 PM, A Friend wrote:
> > > > In article
, Jim G.
> > > >  wrote:
> > > >
> > > >> A classic revisited, just as Harlan envisioned it...
> > > >>
> > > >> The City that Never Sleeps or Goes Away: Harlan
Ellison and Star Trek,
> > > >> Again
> > > >>
> > > >>
http://www.tor.com/blogs/2014/07/the-city-that-never-sleeps-or-goes-away-
> > > >> harla
> > > >> n-ellison-and-star-trek-again
> > > >> or http://preview.tinyurl.com/l4sppdm
> > > >>
> > > >> QUOTE
> > > >> Adapted for the comics by IDWes primary Trek
writers Scott and David
> > > >> Tipton, and with beautiful art by J.K. Woodward
(who did slick work on
> > > >> the Doctor Who/TNG crossover a few years ago)
everything about this
> > > >> release is totally legit. In the debut issue of
this limited run (there
> > > >> will be five in all) IDW Trek editor Chris Ryall
writes fondly about how
> > > >> this venture was his idea, and one that took some
convincing of
> > > >> everybody to go along with. In his words, over time
anose turned into
> > > >> ahmmmms.e
> > > >> END QUOTE
> > > >>
> > > >> Okay, so how long until Ellison sues IDW over
something about this?
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > I read the original script about 35 years ago, and I
don't remember
> > > > anything about a Bizarro World Enterprise.
> > > >
> > > > The article asks the question, "And yet, now
nearly 50 years later,
> > > > with numerous Treks behind us, the question still nags:
would EllisonAs
> > > > original script for oThe City on the Edge of Forever,o
have been better
> > > > than what ended up on screen?"  I don't think so. 
The story is not
> > > > about Beckwith, it's about Kirk and Edith Keeler, and
Kirk's duty to
> > > > history and the future.  The story didn't require
Beckwith or anybody
> > > > like Beckwith.  Accidentally overdosing McCoy gets
things rolling quite
> > > > nicely.
> > > >
> > > > Ellison's ending -- with Beckwith stuck in a time loop getting
> > > > annihilated every few seconds inside a nova -- is
beyond melodramatic.
> > > > In the show as seen, Kirk's final line, "Let's get
the hell out of
> > > > here," is powerful, especially in a day when
saying "hell" on U.S. tv
> > > > was a very rare thing indeed.
> > > >
> > > > BTW the really confusing thing about City is just how history was
> > > > changed.  Everybody thinks McCoy saved Edith from
getting run over by
> > > > that truck, and that wasn't the case.  The creepy
little guy at the
> > > > rescue mission (his name in Ellison's script is Rodent)
eventually
> > > > rapes and murders Edith.  He doesn't do so in the changed history
> > > > because he fiddled with McCoy's phaser and
disintegrated himself.  The
> > > > significance of this was purposefully obscured, but
that's why the
> > > > phaser scene is in there.  What's also not explained is
why Kirk and
> > > > Spock simply didn't take Edith with them into the
future, which would
> > > > have effectively "killed" her in 1930. 
Neither story ever explains why
> > > > Edith's death was necessary.
> > > >
> > > > Also, Clark Gable didn't make a movie until 1931.
> > > >
> > > Hasn't the Edith Keeler story line been mentioned here as a
possible ST 
> > > 13 re-do storyline??
> > 
> > It's almost always mentioned as something worth a revisit, but I think
> > that everyone is just waiting for Harlan to die so that the chance of a
> > lawsuit is diminished. I was very surprised not only to see him agree to
> > this comic book treatment, but for IDW to risk the wrath of Ellison's
> > lawyers if the little twit ended up unhappy with things. But then again,
> > I suspect that IDW's own lawyers aren't too shabby, either.
> 
> Okay, seriously, when have you ever seen HE sue because he didn't like 
> the outcome, as opposed to, they just stole the idea?

I'm thinking "unhappy with things" as in "unhappy that he doesn't get
everything his way," rather than "unhappy with the outcome."  

As for stealing his ideas, there are lots of issues with that one. I
thought that his claim regarding the original Terminator movie was
stretching reality to the breaking point, for example. YMMV.

> If he doesn't 
> like the changes, he just gives them the Cordwainer Bird.  The people he 
> sues are, for instance, Jim Cameron, who not only stole two of his 
> stories (and a couple from others as well) but went around BRAGGING 
> about it.*  He sued and won against Paramount for FUTURE COP, Paramount 
> turning over an inter office menu saying "let's screw over this little 
> Jew and steal his idea" and used the settlement to buy a billboard 
> across the street encouraging writers not to roll over and take it in 
> the backside.  He's had a bunch of suits against people that illegally 
> posted his work online.  He withdrew his suit against IN TIME when they 
> changed it enough.  He sued Paramount for not paying him royalties on 
> CITY for 40 years.  He sued the lazy and worthless Writer's Guild for 
> making him sue other people in the first place (heh).
> 
> When he doesn't like the outcome?  He gave the Cordwainer Bird to:
> 2 episodes of THE HUNGER (the series)
> 2 movie compilations of THE STARLOST (rather famously)
> All 16 episodes of THE STARLOST
> 1 episode of THE FLYING NUN
> And as near as I can tell, that's it, with no overlap of suing and 
> giving them the Bird.

Those are all fair points, but since when do we allow fair points to
keep us from picking on Hollywood types here?

> *The sole exception I know of HE suing over something other than having 
> his work stolen being Fantagraphics, who posted lies about him on their 
> website, and he won, 'cause they were lies, and didn't take any money - 
> all he wanted was their lies taken off their website.

I'm not saying that he was wrong to sue in 100% of the cases where he
sued. I'm just saying that he has a rep for it, and it's not always a
case of him being 100% in the right in those cases. I respect his talent
as a writer; I just have lots of issues with his ability to play well
with others and to not be a little jerk at times when he doesn't get
everything his way. "High-maintenance" is a term that perfectly
describes the guy, IMO.

-- 
Jim G. | A fan of the good and the bad, but not the mediocre
"Everyone is relevant to someone." -- Harold Finch, PERSON OF INTEREST
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