This is an interesting read for anyone interested in the story behind one of the two most popular episodes of original series Star Trek (the other one, of course, being Tribbles!). The City on the Edge of Forever: The Original Teleplay - Kindle edition by Ellison, Harlan. Does this book contain inappropriate content? Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading The City on the Edge of Forever: The Original Teleplay. A couple further caveats: I’ve had a script turned into a horrible movie unrelated to the original script. There, the search party discovers a device left by a superior, vanished civilization, a time portal that plays the history of Earth for them - but then Bones jumps through it into the past, causing a change in history important enough to make the Enterprise vanish. It’s fascinating to read about the inside story from the most silent (!) The City on the Edge of Forever: The Original Teleplay. Prime members enjoy FREE Delivery and exclusive access to music, movies, TV shows, original audio series, and Kindle books. This shopping feature will continue to load items when the Enter key is pressed. But with some justification. Ironically, BOTH versions won prestigious industry awards - and that does lend serious weight as to why the script was altered for tv, but it did not mitigate Roddenberry's harmful assertions at the time. member of the controversy. I know all the principles well enough to figure out who is lying, who is not and who is misunderstood. There, the search party discovers a device left by a superior, vanished civilization, a time portal that plays the history of Earth for them - but then Bones jumps through it into the past, causing a change in history important enough to make the Enterprise vanish. These promotions will be applied to this item: Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. Despite that praise, Ellison has been bitching for 30 years that his original teleplay for the episode was butchered by Trek producer Gene Roddenberry and Paramount Studios henchmen. When a temporarily insane Dr. McCoy accidentally changes history and destroys his time, Kirk and Spock follow him to prevent the disaster, but the price to do so is high. The myth that has grown up about his original script is incredibly unfair to him, and Gene Roddenberry clearly lied in his teeth in every interview about this episode. what good is that? I don’t normally get wordy in reviews, but this time I’m going to. Please try again. It describes how the cosmic beauty of his original 1967 teleplay for the STAR TREK episode THE CITY ON THE EDGE OF FOREVER became the victim of damaging rewrites, albeit by reluctant staff at the Desilu film studios in Hollywood (a quick glance over the fevered memos between the producers and script editors at the time indicates it was no ordinary submission). Do you believe that this item violates a copyright? Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Classic Star Trek: The City on the Edge of Forever - YouTube Find all the books, read about the author, and more. The rest is his writing about the TRUE story of his script and Star Trek and Gene Roddenberry ( who does not come out looking good at all.....I never did trust his image). After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. No sooner does Captain Kirk acknowledge the report, the helm console on the bridge explodes and Lieutenant Sulu is injured. As the ship plots its orbit, Montgomery Scott warns that the control circuits are threatening to overload. I expected a science fiction story. In orbit around an unexplored planet, the USS Enterprise is on red alert as it passes through violent time distortions surrounding the planet. Ellison's numerous fans along with the general clamoring for all things Trek are bound to put this book in high demand. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in. (06 Apr 1967). Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2020, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Unable to add item to List. I'm not surprised, given the way he has been treated by other Star Trek people, including those he thought were his friends - even if he is exaggerating, he still has much to resent. Nope, nope. Was this review helpful to you? KGF Vissers. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Kirk & Spock decide they too will have to risk going through the time portal to try & bring McCoy back. Many, many excerpts from articles by Roddenberry, several of the actors, other authors, etc. Add the first question. Written by In the end, Ellison's original manuscript, which takes up the next 50% of the book, is give, I believe, 4 awards for his writing. Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2016. Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2019. There's a problem loading this menu right now. Not much eh! Star Trek: Harlan Ellison's City on the Edge of Forever, The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World: Stories, Harlan Ellison's Watching: Essays and Criticism, Slippage: Previously Uncollected, Precariously Poised Stories. Open Road Media Sci-Fi & Fantasy (April 1, 2014), Thy Heart is Bitter but Thy Words are Sweet, Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2016. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions. When an accident causes Dr. McCoy to go temporarily insane, he escapes to a strange planet. A very revealing look behind the scenes of a favourite Star Trek episode, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 31, 2015. Not good. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. Desilu Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA, The Best TV Shows About Being in Your 30s. Choose an adventure below and discover your next favorite movie or TV show. The first 25% of the book is an outline of how Ellison wrote this episode of Star Trek, how Ellison said it was too expensive, had someone else rewrite it, then give it back to Ellison to write again. Then, after completely destroying Ellison's script, the episode was a hit and Roddenberry took complete credit. Fine. It’s long winded, but I sympathize. The tidbit preview was just the preface! What then follows is a really excellent, creative story that has stayed forever in my memory. As a Star Trek fan (not a Trekkie or a Trekker, just a fan), I’ve been aware of this controversy for the length of its existence. HARLAN ELLISON was an angry man when he wrote this book. Plus, see what some of your favorite '90s stars look like now. All of this was overseen by Producer/Creator GENE RODDENBERRY, the Great Bird of The Galaxy, the man behind many of the rumours and misdirections (Scotty dealing drugs/author extremely undisciplined/unshootable script, etc) that have plagued Ellison and his controversial masterpiece ever since. First there is a very long introduction by author Harlan Ellison where he tells his side of the story for the first time. Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.