Movies

Nicholas Meyer blocked out memos he received from Gene Roddenberry during filming of Star Trek II

BBG News

As a lifelong Star Trek enthusiast and a connoisseur of behind-the-scenes stories, I find myself utterly fascinated by the tumultuous journey of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Despite the allegations of sabotage from the franchise’s creator Gene Roddenberry, Nicholas Meyer managed to deliver one of the most iconic films in the series.

In the Star Trek series, Nicholas Meyer was selected as director for the second film, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Despite the movie’s ultimate success, it wasn’t without its challenges. Although it’s now widely recognized as one of the best films in the franchise, Star Trek II encountered obstacles. One such obstacle was Gene Roddenberry, who wasn’t fond of the film’s storyline. In fact, he is said to have intentionally tried to sabotage the movie’s plot, particularly stirring up fans about the death of Spock. [Adapted from Slashfilm]

Meyer found the time before filming The Wrath of Khan to be incredibly hectic, as revisions to the script were required within a tight twelve-day window to ensure everything ran smoothly. Though he recalls meeting Roddenberry, their interactions were minimal because Roddenberry wasn’t involved in the movie. However, his memory was refreshed when he visited his alma mater, University of Iowa in Iowa City, as they have preserved all his papers. [Adapted from Slashfilm]

In that location, Meyer stumbled upon numerous memos he and Roddenberry had sent back and forth. However, as the director admits, he had suppressed all those messages from his memory. Upon reading them, it became clear to him why.

“…people asked me for years what was my interaction with Gene Roddenberry. And I said, well, you met him. You had to shake his hand and so forth, but he wasn’t part of making the movie, which was certainly true. But when I went back to my alma mater, the University of Iowa in Iowa City, I went to the library where they have all my papers, and I was stunned to see an exchange of memoranda between me and Gene Roddenberry that I had totally blocked out. Once I read them, I understand why I blocked them. It was very toxic, very venomous. He hated the script. I guess I didn’t know any better, so I was intemperate. I responded intemperately. And I had just blocked all memory of this.”

Nicholas Meyer

It seems logical that Meyer wouldn’t want to recall those conversations. And it’s hard to accept that a film as exceptional as this one had troubles brewing behind the curtain. After viewing it countless times, I must admit the end product is almost flawless.

Read More

2024-09-22 03:22

Previous post Oasis ‘are in talks’ about filming a multi-million-pound Beatles-style documentary for their reunion tour – after telling fans shows will ‘not televised’
Next post Was that a good night, Sienna? Star looks fresh faced as she spills out of Chiltern Firehouse at 5am alongside likes of Noel Gallagher and Poppy Delevingne’s ex James Cook