Different, but Not Better.

Chaos On The Bridge: Touble in Year One

Maruice Hurley:

“Gene at this time in his life didn't really care 

about the management of Television.

It's a sausage factory. You got to turn out A Sausage every day.

He would come up with a story, say 

“This is the story we want to do.”, 

then when that story was written out, 

he'd want to tear it up and throw it away.

"Oh, no. I got a better idea." 

Gene would read a script three days before shooting 

and decide he didn't like it — If you throw this story away

because this one is Different, but Not Better,

The Machine breaks down — Because, 

this HAS to go to The Stage and we have 

to have something to SHOOT on Monday. 

Meanwhile we had a production meeting and 

everything had been set for this episode 

and suddenly we were having to make changes. 

So, I wanted to leave.

He said, "I'm turning

the show over to you." And I said,

"I'll do the show if you leave." And he said 

“Majel and I were thinking of going to Tahiti.” I said, 

"I'll buy your ticket and make your reservation." 

And he left. 

This trip that they took

had an enormous effect on the show. 

It couldn't have been at a worse time. 

And that's where Berman and I 

took his idea and ran with it. 

Rick Berman and Maury Hurley

were trying very hard to respect Gene's wishes

and perhaps they were doing so 

a little too literally : If in one instance

Gene said, "No that should be blue."

Suddenly everything had

to be blue. Gene had intended fully

to step away and he found

he couldn't. I don't think he realized things

would get so out of control so quickly. Maury got elevated to sort of

the show runner position I was a little surprised

because he had never written any science fiction

in his life, he had done mostly cop shows.

 People questioned Maury's

ability to run a room. Maury didn't like the way

certain people took notes. 

I don't really care what people think. I mean, 

when I'm doing what I'm doing, I don't care. 

I'm going to do what

I'm going to do and

that's the way it is. 

Tracey Tormé :

First thing he did was he took Bob Lewin 

and he moved him to a tiny little office on the

ground floor and took all of his power away,

and I didn't like that at all — I grew up 

in a show business family and 

I've seen all of the bullshit, 

and I don't like it. 

Shatner :

The Power-pull. 

The politics and the back-stabbing 

and all that stuff. 

Shatner :

….All for?

Tracey Tormé :

For personal power. 

Maury was really trying to stick with Gene's plan, 

and I think was a lot of resentment about that too, 

because a lot of people would come in and they had