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STAR TREK Chats - Lisa Klink - Writer from Star Trek: Voyager
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STAR TREK Chats - Lisa Klink - Writer from Star Trek: Voyager

Introduction

The host introduces the guest, Lisa Klink, a writer from Star Trek Voyager. They discuss her early career and the production side of things for Star Trek.

  • The host talks about his hope to bring in more writers to discuss what could have happened if Voyager continued or had a different form.
  • They talk about how anything is possible today with animation and nostalgia trips like in Star Trek Picard season three.
  • The host expresses interest in discussing DS9 and Voyager's separate writers rooms and how Lisa started on Deep Space Nine but moved to Voyager due to an opening.

Women Writers on DS9

The discussion focuses on women writers on DS9 and how some parts of relationships didn't quite gel.

  • Lisa started on Deep Space Nine but couldn't stay due to too many writers, so she moved to Voyager.
  • There were little unnecessary differences in DS9 that maybe a woman's touch could have been tweaked somewhat.
  • O'Brien seems fearful of Keiko for some reason, which was never the case on TNG.

Donations and Podcast Recommendations

The host asks for donations towards his project, recommends Lisa Klink's podcast "The Trek Files Briefing Room," and mentions her Memory Alpha page.

  • The host asks viewers to consider donating to Star Trek Voyager season eight.
  • He recommends Lisa Klink's podcast "The Trek Files Briefing Room."
  • He mentions that Lisa has her own Memory Alpha page.

What If Scenarios in the Berman Era

The host discusses his hope to get more writers from Star Trek to come on and talk about what if scenarios in the Berman era of Trek.

  • The host expresses interest in finding out what things could have happened or continued instead of Enterprise.
  • He wonders how a continuation series set in the 2370s could have turned out for us.

Lisa Klink's Writing Career

The discussion focuses on Lisa Klink's writing career, including her work on Deep Space Nine and Voyager.

  • Lisa wrote an episode for Deep Space Nine and then got hired on Voyager based on that.
  • The host mentions some of his favorite episodes written by Lisa, including "Hippocratic Oath," "The Omega Directive," "Message in a Bottle," and "Warlord."

Production Process

In this section, the speaker explains how the production process works in Hollywood and how writers are credited for their work.

Crediting Writers

  • The speaker asks about the discrepancy between the number of episodes she wrote for Star Trek and her staff writer credit on IMDB.
  • The speaker explains that there were five writers plus an executive producer in a writer's room who would break down stories together.
  • Each writer was responsible for a certain number of episodes they personally wrote, but all writers worked together to create a specific outline.
  • The episode's writer would take the outline and write a draft, bring it back for notes from everybody, and then go off and write another draft.

Writing Characters

In this section, the speaker discusses how being part of a writer's room can help with writing characters.

Collaborative Writing

  • The speaker talks about how being part of a writer's room helps with getting to know characters' voices better.
  • Having all writers involved in every single episode gives a sense of what kind of stories you can tell and what it can do in that Universe which characters work best and what kind of situations.

Switching Shows

In this section, the speaker talks about switching shows from Deep Space Nine to Voyager.

Freelance Writing

  • The speaker was hired as a freelancer to write one episode for Deep Space Nine but wasn't on staff.
  • Stephen Bear passed on her script to Jerry Taylor who brought her in for Voyager.

Writing for Characters

In this section, the speaker discusses how writing for characters can be influenced by the writer's personal experiences.

Keiko and Miles Scenes

  • The speaker talks about how some of the Keiko and Miles scenes suffer because there isn't a woman writing those scenes who is actually in a marriage.
  • A lot of the men who wrote for DS9 were single men so they couldn't get a handle on why Miles was so scared of his wife.
  • It was really a shame that there weren't any women on staff on Deep Space Nine.

Writing Plot Twists in Star Trek

In this section, the speaker discusses how plot twists are incorporated into Star Trek episodes and the process of developing them.

Developing Plot Twists

  • The speaker explains that some episodes have a twist that flips a moral dilemma on its head.
  • Generally, the writing team starts with a general concept and builds upon it during group sessions to develop plot twists.
  • The episode "Innocence" was an exception as the twist was part of the pitch from the beginning.
  • The episode "Retrospect" takes viewers down one path before revealing a different outcome at the end.

Timeless Storylines

  • The speaker notes that many Star Trek episodes are still applicable today and can be shared with others.
  • Revisiting these episodes can reveal their applicability to current situations.

Breaking Out of Stereotypes in Hollywood

In this section, the speaker discusses why they left Star Trek after three years and their desire to break out of stereotypes in Hollywood.

Leaving Star Trek

  • The speaker left after three years because they did not want to be stereotyped as only being able to write for Star Trek.
  • They wanted to work on other types of shows such as cop shows to show more range.

Jerry Taylor as a Showrunner

In this section, the speaker talks about their experience working with Jerry Taylor as a showrunner and how she created an environment that was safe for all writers.

Working with Jerry Taylor

  • The speaker valued Jerry's open policy where everyone's opinion mattered, regardless of their position.
  • Jerry created an environment where writers felt safe to share ideas without fear of being ridiculed or judged by others.
  • The speaker appreciated the respectful atmosphere in Jerry's room, which was not always present on other shows they worked on.
  • Overall, the speaker thought that Jerry was a very good showrunner.

Voyager vs. DS9

In this section, the speaker discusses their thoughts on Voyager and Deep Space Nine (DS9), particularly regarding serialization and how each show ended.

Serialization in DS9 vs. Voyager

  • The speaker preferred DS9 over Voyager because of its serialization.
  • When DS9 ended, it had a 10-part series to give characters a proper send-off. In contrast, when Voyager ended, it only had a 90-minute episode.
  • The lack of closure for characters in Voyager disappointed the speaker.

Thoughts on Voyager Ending

  • While some fans may have wanted to see more of what happened after Voyager returned home, the speaker found it satisfying that the show accomplished its goal of getting home after seven years.

Relaunch Novels

In this section, the speaker briefly mentions their thoughts on relaunch novels for Star Trek: Voyager.

Relaunch Novels

  • The speaker has read the first two relaunch novels for Voyager but was not very happy with them.

The Possibility of a Season 8

In this section, the speakers discuss the possibility of a season 8 for Star Trek: Voyager and what it could have looked like.

Continuing the Story

  • The story would have continued with a new Borg storyline.
  • There were still many plot lines open from the previous seasons that could be explored.
  • The crew would have returned to Earth and reconnected with their families.
  • Some characters may have stayed on Earth while others went back out into space.

A Diminished Crew

  • It wouldn't have been the same team all back together.
  • Some characters may not have stayed in Starfleet or wanted to go on another adventure.
  • There would be a diminished crew plus a bunch of strangers filling in for them.

Stranded Feeling

  • What made Voyager distinctive was being stranded in the Delta quadrant and having only each other to depend upon.
  • Being back in the alpha quadrant going on normal missions wouldn't have been as distinctive as Voyager was.

Star Trek Voyager Writer Discusses Show's Serialization

In this section, the writer discusses how the show was serialized and how it differed from other Star Trek shows.

Serialization of Voyager

  • The writer explains that they were under orders to keep the show serialized.
  • They mention that some threads get carried through like Tom and B'Elanna's relationship.
  • The writer also mentions that one of their episodes sets up the Borg.

Changes in Characters and Storylines

In this section, the writer talks about changes in characters and storylines throughout the show.

Harry Kim's Character Development

  • By episode six, Harry Kim has a beard and is promoted to Lieutenant.
  • His storyline will take on a traditional "episode in a bottle" format by episode seven.

Standalone Episodes vs. Serialized Storylines

  • The writer explains that they received feedback comparing Voyager to DS9 due to its serialization.
  • They mention that they were under orders to keep it serialized but still have standalone episodes.
  • One of the writer's episodes sets up the Borg.

Writing for Star Trek Voyager

In this section, the interviewer asks if the writer ever wanted to write a novel for Voyager or continue writing for Star Trek.

Writing Novels for Voyager

  • The interviewer asks if the writer ever wanted to write a novel for Voyager.
  • The writer responds saying they never felt compelled to write a story that needed to be told in a novel format.

Moving On From Star Trek

  • The interviewer notes that some fans generate content on Memory Alpha while writers move on from their work.
  • The writer agrees with this sentiment and says they feel like they did everything they wanted to do with Star Trek.

Enjoying TV from a Writer's Perspective

The speaker expresses their appreciation for the breakdowns of TV shows from a writer's perspective on the podcast. They also share their interest in writing and how they look for details in the podcast.

Appreciation for TV Show Breakdowns

  • The speaker enjoys the breakdowns of TV shows from a writer's perspective on the podcast.
  • They appreciate that not only actors but other writers are invited to the show.
  • The speaker shares an example of buying a DVD with commentary tracks by writers and finding it fascinating.

Interest in Writing Details

  • The speaker looks for small distinctions made by writers, such as changing one line from bread to cookie dough in Fight Club.
  • They ask about how long the podcast will continue, expressing their interest in listening to more episodes.

Conclusion

The speaker thanks the host and asks if they need links to everything discussed during the conversation.

Gratitude and Links

  • The speaker thanks the host for their time.
  • They offer to send links related to what was discussed during the conversation.
Video description

This is my chat with Lisa Klink, one of the writers of Star Trek: Voyager. She wrote such classic episodes as 'Revulsion', 'Resistance', 'Dreadnought', 'Scientific Method', 'Message in a Bottle' and 'The Omega Directive' to name a few. We discuss her early career, the production workflow with creating episodes, the Voyager relaunch novels, why Lisa left Voyager, and her thoughts on continuing the Star Trek Voyager story into an imagined Season 8. If there is one topic I would revisit, it’s how two Star Trek shows of DS9 and Voyager had different writer’s rooms, and the topic of bringing in more women writers like Lisa into the DS9 side of things as even consultants because we talk about the O’Brien’s marriage to Keiko not being that realistic and different to TNG. Finally, Lisa Klink has her own Star Trek podcast, reviewing episodes from the perspective of a writer - https://twitter.com/TrekspertsBR or type 'Treksperts Briefing Room' into your podcast of choice. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/treksperts-briefing-room/id1552937601 https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/treksperts-briefing-room https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21211926/ These are great chats with other writers from wrote not just Star Trek but other shows during the 90s and still even today. It’s a good listen to get into the writer’s mindset for our favourite Trek episodes. Lisa Klink also has a Memory Alpha Profile if you want to see all her writing credits. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Lisa_Klink?so=search Timestamps 0:00 - Introduction 1:18 - Women Writers on DS9 The discussion focuses on women writers on DS9 and how some parts of relationships didn't quite gel. Lisa started on Deep Space Nine but couldn't stay due to too many writers, so she moved to Voyager. 3:17 - What If Scenarios in the Berman Era - wondering how a continuation series set in the 2370s could have turned out for us. 03:54 - Lisa Klink's Writing Career The discussion focuses on Lisa Klink's writing career, including her work on Deep Space Nine and Voyager. 6:12 - Collaborative Writing Lisa talks about how being part of a writer's room helps with getting to know characters' voices better. Having all writers involved in every single episode gives a sense of what kind of stories you can tell and what it can do in that Universe which characters work best and what kind of situations. 12:11 - Timeless Storylines Many Star Trek episodes are still applicable today and can be shared with others and revisiting these episodes can reveal their applicability to current situations. 13:06 - On leaving Star Trek 14:21 - Working with Jerry Taylor 17:38 - Thoughts on Voyager Ending 18:50 - Continuing Voyager’s story 23:00 - Serialisation of Voyager 28:06 - I share my enjoyment of breakdowns of TV shows from a writer's perspective on Lisa’s podcast.