Delving Into a New Style - the Commentary

Wasn't expecting to do this, but I have a few final thoughts on the process and what I wrote.

First, the script was written without much planning on where I was going.  I admit it, I'm a pantser.  But, something on this scale does need planning.  Adapting Unruly won't have the issues of planning; I'm converting existing storylines into a new format.  Mechanically, the biggest challenge is making sure that there's the correct background effects and having the action conveyed through dialogue and sounds.  Still, getting the experience of writing a script like this does help, even if I don't have the format correct.  The change in format required me to think about the scenes in a different way.

Second, there's background information missing from the script.  Most of it would be brought over by either off-hand remarks or by the actors themselves.  Lieutenant Lev is a Tellarite, but there's no mention of it in the script.  That'd be a director's note.  The ships' presence will only be from sound effects, so each one should have a different sound, reflecting their size, age, and location.  Likewise, the station will needs its own sounds, though some effects should be standard, like comm badge chirping.  Each set should be recognizable by its background effects; the Main Drag should sound different from Central Ops.

Third, I have started the second episode.  I managed to introduce a plot element that will recur.  That needs a bit more planning on my part; where did the element come from, where is it going, and how would the physics work, all questions to be answered.  How does one trace a moving spatial anomaly when it gets affected by the gravitational pull of a planet or star?  The math isn't pretty at this point.  At the same time, the characters should have the knowledge and expertise to run the math.

Finally, the things I mentioned to watch out for.  The Reboot character is Cecil, the maitre'd of the Taproom, with his name pronounced the same way.  The Nebula-class starship is the USS Mutara, named after the nebula in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.  Captain Sistonen of the USS Dauntless was named after Cory O'Kelly's character Urho Sistonen, from a local CBC series long gone.  Captain Belinda Nogura, Administrator Hans Baris, and the transport vessel Mudd share names with characters from Trek past.  Admiral Nogura gets mentioned in Star Trek: The Motion Picture while Administrator Baris is named after Nilz Baris of the episode "The Trouble With Tribbles".  The Mudd is named after Harcourt Fenton Mudd, from the epsiodes "Mudd's Women" and "I, Mudd".

I'm still playing with the idea of an audio play, be it stand alone or a series.  No casting call yet, but once the idea has finally worked itself out, who knows?