Subj : Re: IDW Does Harlan Ellison To : All From : anim8rFSK Date : Wed Jul 16 2014 13:04:21 From Newsgroup: alt.tv.star-trek.tos From Address: anim8rfsk@cox.net Subject: Re: IDW Does Harlan Ellison In article , Jim G. wrote: > 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-a > > > > >> way- > > > > >> 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." That's still a birding, and not a suing, offense. > > 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. First time I saw TERMINATOR I said outloud that it was ripped off from SOLDIER and THE MAN WHO WAS NEVER BORN. I think DEMON WITH A GLASS HAND is more of a stretch. > > > 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? Since when do we restrict the unfairness to Hollywood types? > > > *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. Sure, but I continue to say that he has zero track record of suing anybody for any reason other than theft. -- Wait - are you saying that ClodReamer was wrong, or lying? --- Synchronet 3.15a-Linux NewsLink 1.92-mlp * Origin: Easynews - www.easynews.com (1:2320/105.97) --- SBBSecho 2.12-Linux * Origin: telnet & http://cco.ath.cx - Dial-Up: 502-875-8938 (1:2320/105.1) .