David Gerrold
From Memory Alpha, the free Star Trek reference
(written from a Production point of view)
David Gerrold (born 24 January 1944; age 65) (real name Jerrold David Friedman) was a story editor on Star Trek: The Next Generation who left near the end of that series' first season in a dispute with Gene Roddenberry.
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[edit] Star Trek
Gerrold also wrote the scripts for the original series' "The Trouble with Tribbles" and its sequel, the animated series' "More Tribbles, More Troubles", as well as The Animated Series episode "Bem". The first of these was nominated for a Hugo Award. He provided the story, along with Oliver Crawford, for TOS: "The Cloud Minders". He also provided an uncredited rewrite of the final draft of the script for TOS: "I, Mudd".
A caricature of Gerrold was included in "More Tribbles, More Troubles" as an in-joke. According to the novelization of the episode by Alan Dean Foster, this individual was named "Hacker," a name which Gerrold later found insulting.
In addition to writing, he provided voices for minor characters in the TAS episodes "More Tribbles, More Troubles", "The Ambergris Element", and "The Jihad", and was an extra in Star Trek: The Motion Picture and the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Trials and Tribble-ations".
Gerrold's son Sean, who was twelve at the time of the filming of "Trials and Tribble-ations", joined his father on the DS9 set. Sean asked his father where the Enterprise crew kept their money (a question which Gerrold himself had once asked Gene L. Coon) and expressed disappointment that James T. Kirk and Spock were not actually there. (Trials and Tribble-ations introduction)
He wrote the foreword of the "Trials and Tribble-ations" novelization and the introduction of the Constellations anthology.
Outside Star Trek, he wrote the "Star Wolf" trilogy, using some scripts not used for Star Trek, which enthusiasts sometimes call "Star Trek like it should have been"; apart from his Star Trek novels and the Tribbles episode, his most famed work may be "The War against the Chtorr", in which he describes a biological invasion of planet Earth by a hostile ecology.
His novel The Martian Child was the source for the 2007 comedy drama film Martian Child, in which an author adopted a boy after his fiancée passed away. The story is semi-biographical – Gerrold himself adopted a boy in 1992. The main character, played by actor John Cusack, is also named David in this film. Gerrold served also as executive producer for this production and Star Trek stuntman Lauro Chartrand appeared in this film.
More recently, Gerrold wrote and directed the fan-made internet series Star Trek: New Voyages episode "Blood and Fire" (2007), which features James Cawley, John Carrigan, Denise Crosby, and Bill Blair. It is a re-working of his "Star Wolf" book Blood and Fire (itself, a re-working of a story he originally pitched for TNG). Another episode, a further sequel to "The Trouble with Tribbles", is planned.
Although Gerrold had for many years a contentious relationship with both Star Trek and Gene Roddenberry, he has reconciled himself to his association with the show and speaks of his experiences fondly. [1]
The 2009 DVD box release Star Trek: Original Motion Picture Collection featured a reunion of fan extras in the "Special Star Trek Reunion", including Gerrold, Christopher Doohan, Bjo Trimble, Jo Ann Nolan, and Fred Bronson chatting on the same soundstage used for the rec deck scene. [2]
[edit] Star Trek appearances
 Rec deck crewman |
 Enterprise security officer |
[edit] Star Trek books
- Non-Fiction
- The World of Star Trek (1973)
- The Trouble With Tribbles (1973) - Details the production of the classic Star Trek episode
- Constellations (2006) - Introduction
- Fiction
- The Galactic Whirlpool (1980)
- Encounter at Farpoint (1987)
[edit] Outside Star Trek
[edit] War Against the Chtorr
- A Matter for Men (1983)
- A Day for Damnation (1985)
- A Rage For Revenge (1989)
- A Season for Slaughter (1993)
- A Method For Madness (in progress as of 2006)
- A Time For Treason (under contract to write)
- A Case For Courage (planned)
- also: "GURPS Chtorr"
[edit] Star Wolf
- Voyage of the Star Wolf
- The Middle of Nowhere
- Blood and Fire
[edit] Babylon 5
- "Believers" (script, Season 1, 1994)
[edit] Other novels
- The Flying Sorcerers (with Larry Niven)
- When H.A.R.L.I.E. was One
- Space Skimmer
- Yesterday's Children
- The Man Who Folded Himself
- Moonstar Odyssey
- Deathbeast
- The Martian Child
- Jumping Off The Planet
- Bouncing Off The Moon
- Leaping To The Stars
[edit] External links
- Gerrold.com - official site
- David Gerrold at the Internet Movie Database
- David Gerrold at the ISBN Database
- From Star Trek to Star Wolf at The Complete Starfleet Library
- Interview with David Gerrold on CastaBlasta - Discusses Star Trek Phase II and Star Trek 10
