This Writer Wrote

I’ve learned that our Star Trek New Voyages episode starring George Takei: “World Enough and Time” got nominated for the Hugo Award from the World Science Fiction Society:

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form

Battlestar Galactica “Razor” written by Michael Taylor, directed by Félix Enríquez Alcalá and Wayne Rose (Sci Fi Channel) (televised version, not DVD)

Dr. Who “Blink” written by Stephen Moffat, directed by Hettie Macdonald (BBC)

Dr. Who “Human Nature” / “Family of Blood” written by Paul Cornell, directed by Charles Palmer (BBC)

Star Trek New Voyages “World Enough and Time” written by Michael Reaves & Marc Scott Zicree, directed by Marc Scott Zicree (Cawley Entertainment Co. and The Magic Time Co.)

Torchwood “Captain Jack Harkness” written by Catherine Tregenna, directed by Ashley Way (BBC Wales)

We are very excited and would love to see it win. However, my loyalties are a bit torn — I support the project I worked on, but it’s up against Torchwood’s “Captain Jack Harkness” which was a great episode in a series I love.

The script for WEAT has already been nominated for the Nebula Award, given by the Science Fiction Writers of America:

Scripts

Children of Men, by Alfonso Cuaron, Timothy J. Sexton, David Arata, Mark Fergus, and Hawk Ostby
(Universal Studios, Dec06)

Pan’s Labyrinth, by Guillermo del Toro
(Time/Warner, Jan07)

Blink, by Steven Moffat (script on Private Edition)
(Doctor Who, BBC/The Sci-Fi Channel, Sep07 (Aired on SciFi Channel 14 Sep07))

The Prestige, by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan
(Newmarket Films, Oct06 (Oct 20, 2006 — based on the novel by Christopher Priest))

V for Vendetta, by Larry Wachowski and Andy Wachowski
(Warner Films, Mar06 (released 3/17/2006 — Written by the Wachowski Brothers, based on the graphic novel illustrated by David Lloyd and published by Vertigo/DC Comics))

World Enough and Time, by Marc Scott Zicree and Michael Reaves (script on Private Edition)
(Star Trek: New Voyages, http://www.startreknewvoyages.com, Aug07 (Aired 8/23/07))

This Nebula nomination has sparked a controversy over the script’s eligibility because the script category has a rule that none of the other categories have: that the script must be professionally produced. What has been called into question is what is meant here by professionally produced. It was written by two professional TV writers who got paid for their script, but it was produced as a fan film by both fans and entertainment industry professionals.

The committee ruling in favor of allowing the nomination to remain apparently rests on the facts that the writers were professional and paid, Paramount had known about and given tacit approval for the project, and the spirit of the criteria was with WEAT, for none of the other categories had such a restriction on its selection policy.

I can see both sides of the argument, so perhaps the Nebula committee needs to think about and clarify what they want their award to mean and what exactly they are honoring. Perhaps the spirit of what they are honoring is the most valuable consideration.

I’ll give an example. A few years ago, I wanted to become a member of the TV Academy. As a writer just starting out in TV writing, I felt that being a member of the TV Academy would give me access to valuable seminars by the pros which would help me further my craft and career, but although I was on my way, I didn’t have quite the credits to qualify for their stringent thresholds for the writers category.

What annoyed me was that the Animation people had less stringent thresholds for their category and hence almost anyone in animation qualified — thus a PA (production assistant) in animation could get access to the resources I couldn’t because my category’s threshold was so much higher. Since I had worked in television with writers for years and had gotten my first WGA credit which demonstrated I could write, I thought I’d mount an appeal to them why they should consider bending the rules a bit to help the fledgling who had demonstrated intention, ability, and seriousness to being a writer.

You needed three recommendations, only one of which had to be in your category. But since I had worked with so many writers, I figured it would be a no-brainer to get all three recommendations from working writers, to strengthen my case for membership. I didn’t have any trouble coming up with writers who judged my writing worthy of being considered. But I did have trouble coming up with writers who were members of the TV Academy. Usually the response was something along the line of, ‘oh yeah, I should join that myself one of these days.’

And then it hit me. When they needed to learn the ins and outs and could benefit from hearing the pros talk, they, like me, didn’t qualify. By the time they qualified, they were too busy to care — they no longer needed the Academy’s programs to have them learn their craft and no longer had the time to spare, so they didn’t bother. And tucked it away in that magical space we all promise to get to, someday when we have time.

I ended up giving up and getting two writers and one exec producer (producers category) to vouch for me, but ultimately the TV Academy failed to be impressed by the level of references I had and decided to adhere to the rules. By doing so, I wonder if they didn’t violate the very spirit of what they were protecting and looking for when they made the thresholds. Because when I reach the point of being qualified to join, like many of my friends, I will face whether I have any reason to join.

Rules are important, but sometimes you have to remember what the reasons are for which you created the rules.

In any case, we are excited about the nominations. And I have a really cool , behind-the-scenes article, which traces the WEAT project from its inception to the premiere, coming out in a book called, Thrilling Wonder Stories. It should be available in August at Amazon.com. Right now, the first issue is available, containing stories by such science fiction gurus as Ray Bradbury and Isaac Asimov. So I’m looking forward to whomever I will be sharing the volume with.

I’ll post the details as soon as I know myself.