Justman’s “just shoot me” notes continued for eight pages, including:
Spock, Kirk and Janice [Rand] are all out of character.... Cogley certainly is a great lawyer to be able to go into court on a minute’s notice like this.... here: We finally bring McCoy into the story. If we’re to use him, let’s use him well and throughout.... Page 42: Why this attitude on Jamie’s part? Where’s she been for 20 pages?... Page 47: This act is very long. There are no exciting scenes in it. It’s dull -- D-U-L-L.... At the bottom of page 62A, I don’t know whether we need a huge “ear” or that sort of horn-auditory device. If we have the experiment adjourned at the bottom of Page 62A from the Briefing Room to the Bridge, we can listen to heartbeats over the Library-computer System [instead].... Page 64- 66: I really don’t know if we can sell the pulse-beat eliminator, etc. It’s a little easy. Besides, I thought the whole story was supposed to be IRRU as the heavy, somehow acquiring independence of thought and deliberately trying to get rid of Kirk -- so the ship is Kirk’s enemy and he has to trick it into giving itself away. Do we need to bother with Finney at all? Why?... We do not even refer to the computer as IRRU any longer. Sherek has been changed to Stone. There is no Farley in the script -- and [this] is therefore slightly confusing.... We’ve come from a man-computer struggle which was the original premise to a real “mellerdramer [sic],” and it’s to our disadvantage. I think there will have to be a rewrite on this -- a major overhaul. I don’t know if Don can give us any more since he seems married to Finney and that jazz. How about Steve [Carabatsos] taking a great big crack at it? (RJ14-3)
Justman was unaware that IRRU had been jettisoned at Roddenberry’s request and the subject on the matter was closed.
Roddenberry later said, “Star Trek was action-adventure. It was human conflict. And, if done properly, it was these things before it was science fiction. There was a wonderful premise underneath all the layers of gimmickry in that story and I decided the best thing to do was strip it down. As it was, you couldn’t see the forest through all the trees with all the sci-fi that was cluttering it up. A military court martial in the year 2180 [sic] had the potential of being far more interesting and dramatic than the gimmick of a computer out for blood.” (145)
But Roddenberry, who had asked for that major change, also didn’t care for how things were turning out. He wrote to Coon:
Our only chance for action-adventure in this script is to throw out about fifty-percent of it as it presently stands, concentrate on: a) action in the court martial, and b) action aboard the ship as Kirk fights to prove he’s not a liar.... Our teaser should begin right on the Board of Inquiry and we should see on the viewing screen of the room a scene from the ship’s computer tape which “proves” that Kirk is lying. Seems to me, then, that the teaser hook is the board chairman adjourning the inquiry and announcing that a court martial will be convened. (GR14-3)
As shown in this memo, it was Roddenberry’s idea to work in the video recording of the action on the bridge. A good add, but, if leading off with this, what would sustain the other 48 or so minutes? Roddenberry had ideas about that, too, and wrote:
Contrasting with the stern jeopardy of the court martial, I’d like to see some of the life ashore -- women, recreation rooms, drinks, relaxation, et cetera.... Suggest we consider dropping Kirk’s quarters and other Enterprise locations -other than the bridge -- and concentrate on a change of pace and change of scenery by redressing our sets and playing these things down on Base 811. One of the things this show can do for us is give us this change of pace and faces and activities. Let’s think of Base 811 as something more than just a maintenance station. (GR14-3)
Roddenberry’s writers’ instincts had been on the mark with many of the scripts produced so far, but how were changes of this type going to accomplish his goal of adding more “action-adventure in this script”?
He continued:
Janice Rand is completely out of place in her role. If we have someone working closely with Kirk, it should be Spock.... Far too much talk when we should be seeing other things too. A good example of this is Spock’s chess game. Wouldn’t it be much better to be with him, savor his surprise as he beats the computer in the game? (GR14-3)
This was another good scene to make the episode which sprung from the fertile mind of Gene Roddenberry, but, again, hardly action-adventure.
Roddenberry closed:
There are so many comments to make on this script that this memo could run pages. Rather, would suggest we meet on it and generally agree that this needs a major, major rewrite. (GR14-3)
Mankiewicz was not available for a major, major rewrite. He later said, “I had to stop working on that script for personal reasons, I was having marital difficulties. So I just left. So Steve Carabatsos, who I never met by the way, finished it off and did a wonderful job. But if I had stayed, I could have done what Steve did and maybe more.” (113-3)
A few days later, Roddenberry wrote Matt Jeffries:
Let’s have a discussion, “re” the design and dressing for the court martial room in the “Base 811” script. Reason -- it appears we will need a nearly identical room in the Pilot #1 envelope story [“The Menagerie”]. We might as well get a two-for-one bargain. (GR14-4)
Now there was another reason to push the problematic “Court Martial on Star Base 811” script toward production -- a two-for-one bargain.
“I don’t know what the condition of the story was: good, bad or whatever,” said Steven Carabatsos. “Gene Coon just said, ‘Why don’t you take this and write a different story? Do a court-martial, do this anachronistic lawyer defending Jim Kirk against a murder charge, but do it differently from what’s here.’ And that’s what I did, resulting in pretty much a brand new script.” (28-1)
In terms of story, the script that was “pretty much a brand new script” was not, but it did include some changes, including:
Shaw, the prosecutor, was now given a first name, Areel, and a gender change to female;
Janice Rand was taken out and replaced by a nondescript female Yeoman;
McCoy got an earlier entrance into the story, doing what Rand had previously done and delivering the damning taped evidence in the teaser;
The “ear” device was now something slightly less silly.
In another regard, it was seemingly a brand new script -- nearly all the dialogue had been changed. Carabatsos also did as Justman had requested -- he shortened the title.
And one last change -- Carabatsos now shared the writing credit with Mankiewicz.
“He’s certainly entitled to his credit,” Mankiewicz said. “There’s no question that he made a substantive contribution to the teleplay, although I suppose the story is pretty much the way I laid it out.” (113-1)
The Carabatsos draft arrived on September 19. Roddenberry sent more notes to Coon, writing:
This script offers but does not take advantage of some great opportunities to explore our leading character, his status as a starship commander. The script is also our first opportunity to see him off his vessel and in contact with his peers. At present, he wanders around like everyone else, very little feeling of his special status, the pomp and ceremony and color of his position....The more we understand that a starship captain’s position is rare and considerable, the more we understand the threat to Kirk’s career and sympathize with our captain. Command is a lonely, highly dramatic, and potentially highly entertaining aspect of our leading man.... The greater this position of command, the greater the concurrent risks. (GR14-5)
As the creator, Roddenberry remained the primary caretaker for his principle characters, Kirk in particular. In his mind, Steven Carabatsos was playing Kirk as anything but Horatio Hornblower. The Captain was too friendly with too many members of his crew too much of the time. Roddenberry wanted these moments to be kept to a minimum in order to give them greater impact when used. His memo continued:
When we play him on a chatty “first name” basis with his crew, he invariably comes off weak
and a poor commander. On the other hand, when we play his role as ship’s captain to the fullest, the occasionally under-the-correct-circumstances-go-to-a-first-name-basis, this moment has impact and significance. (GR14-5)
Carabatsos did a polish on his script, creating the Yellow Cover First Draft, adding in greater emphases on Kirk’s part to remain dignified throughout the ordeal, to stand tall in the face of accusations and ridicule, and, in accord with his rank, to guard against showing his anguish. To convey Kirk’s human side, Carabatsos put more emphasis on his past involvement with Areel Shaw, which also added to the final indignity the Captain must rise above when he learns that his former love will be leading the charge against him.
This version of “Court Martial” was the first believed worthy enough to send to Kellam de Forest Research for a technical review. Among the notes sent back by de Forest’s assistant, Joan Pierce, was the objection to having McCoy (instead of Rand) deliver the computer log to Stone:
McCoy, as medical officer, would have nothing to do with the computer log. It would have been Finney’s jurisdiction. Since Finney is “dead,” the handling of such a log would be Spock’s job. Also, legally, the evidence that this is “The Tape” must come from Spock since it is he who can testify first hand as to its authenticity. This scene should be Spock’s. (KDF14-1)
McCoy lost his early entrance. The moment in the teaser was given to Spock.
De Forest Research had many more notes. In the script, it is said that Cogley “wears a rumpled business suit that might be more appropriate in Cleveland, 1950.” Despite all the memos back and forth over this issue, the bothersome depiction of Cogley had somehow remained. Pierce got it stricken from the script, and did so by embarrassing the producers:
Since Star Trek presupposes a future date in which all clothing will have changed, the use of a rumpled business suit appears grossly anachronistic. Such usage would be comparable to an attorney today wearing the garb of George Washington. (KDF14-1)
Gene Coon did a script polish of his own, creating the September 26 Final Draft. And this was the first version of “Court Martial” -- be it outline or script -- to go to NBC. And NBC was not happy.
Coon received an unpleasant call from Stan Robertson the next day, followed one day later with the longest memo the Network Production Manager had yet to send to Star Trek. It began:
Just for the record, Gene, I would like to state again how disturbed we here were to receive [this] script so close to its production date, without even having received an outline or been privy to the discussions which resulted in it being commissioned. I realize that this script was put in motion prior to your association with Star Trek... however, so that there is no confusion or misunderstanding regarding future procedures in this area, I am requesting that you advise all of your colleagues of the dangers, as we discussed, which are inherent in commissioning a story without first attaining network approval. (SR14)
Robertson’s upset also had to do with what he believed were serious problems in the script. He continued:
This is the type of a teleplay about which, quite honestly, Gene, I have strong reservations. Granted, Don Mankiewicz is an outstanding writer and Steven Carabatsos has apparently done a splendid job of tightening his original script. We have to look no farther than The Caine Mutiny court martial to champion the point that there is indeed high drama and great emotional conflict when you delve into a military-oriented personality and attempt to humble that strong mind and body for errors of judgment, unprofessional conduct or mental degeneration in a time of stress. Even in view of all the above, one is not strongly convinced that this episode, as presently scripted, is visual enough to hold the interest of our mass viewing audience. As we discussed, this is probably one of the most “cerebral” scripts that we have received to date. This is not to demean the writing, per se, at all. It’s quality. But it’s also very weighty and some of the dialogue, particularly those portions in which we examine the crux of our story -- can an emotional man be more fallible than an unemotional, logical machine -- is very preachy. Also, some of the philosophy as spewed by the old defense council, Cogley, is magnificent but, again, it’s very cerebral and verbose.... Adding to the points mentioned above, is the fact that our entire story is confined within the interior setting of Planet 811 or aboard the Enterprise and that, save for our climax in Act IV, is completely devoid of physical action. The point is that people stand around and discuss philosophies and ethics rather than moving and doing. Because of the lateness of our receiving this script, any suggestions we might offer at this point are probably more academic than practical. (SR14)
Coon’s script polish, dated September 29, focused on finessing dialogue, de-muddling the muddle and not adding in new scenes. One more polish came on October 3, the day more notes arrived from Broadcast Standards, again resulting in a few lines of dialogue being changed. The episode had started filming that morning.
Time had run out and the buck had been passed. “Court Martial” was now in the hands of director and cast.
Pre-Production
September 26-30, 1966 (5 days)
Percy Rodriguez as Dr. Harry Miles in Peyton Place (ABC, 1968)
Marc Daniels, who many believed to be Star Trek’s touchstone, returned for his third directing assignment. He had little to suggest regarding the script, but did have some thoughts about casting.
The African-Canadian actor Percy Rodrigues was hired to play Commodore Stone. Rodriguez had a commanding presence on the small screen and often found roles that were unique and inspiring for black viewers. He played a doctor on Ben Casey, a Sheriff on The Fugitive, an African leader on The Man from U.N.C.L.E., a debonair assassin on The Wild, Wild West, and now Commodore Stone, a Starbase commander.
Joan Marshall in The Munsters pilot film (Revue TV, 1964)
Joan Marshall played Areel Shaw. She was one of the leads on TV’s Bold Venture series in 1959 and often worked for Warner Brothers in that studio’s crank-’em-out shows -- Maverick, Bronco, Surfside 6, Hawaiian Eye, and 77 Sunset Strip. Gene Coon knew her. She was cast in the pilot film he had a hand in making -- The Munsters, as Herman’s wife Phoebe (to be renamed Lily). Fearing Phoebe Munster was too much like Carolyn Jones’ Morticia Addams on The Addams Family, Marshall was replaced for the series with Yvonne de Carlo.
Don Mankiewicz said, “I liked everybody in that show [but] I thought the girl was physically wrong. I would have preferred something other than a blonde. She gave a good performance, but, when I conceived the relationship, I saw her as a brunette, and so I always saw her that way.” (113-3)
Elisha Cook, Jr., 1940s film noir tough guy (Warner Bros. publicity photo)
Elisha Cook, Jr. was more to the liking of Mankiewicz. Cook, hired to play the old-school attorney Samuel Cogley, had over 200 screen appearances, including working with Bogart in both The Big Sleep and The Maltese Falcon. He had taken direction from Howard Hawks, John Huston, and George Stevens. And now Marc Daniels.
Richard Webb, the vengeful Ben Finney, was a 1950's TV icon, of a sort. He played the title character in Captain Midnight. He was 39 then, 50 here.
Winston “Win” De Lugo played the hostile officer named Timothy in the Starbase lounge. De Lugo was a stage actor having his first try at TV (thanks to Joe D’Agosta’s tendency to hire actors he knew from the theater). D’Agosta also booked De Lugo to appear in an episode of Mission: Impossible at this time.
De Lugo was astounded by nearly every aspect of his first TV experience. He said, “They gave me a trailer, which really surprised me -- a trailer indoors. They had them lined up in the back of the soundstage. And my name was on a card slot by the door. I had never gotten anything like that doing Off-Broadway or Summer Stock. And ‘Bones’ came up and rapped on my door, and he’s looking up at me and reporting about whether it was going to be five minutes or whatever, and asking if there was anything I needed. He made me about as comfortable as I could be. I couldn’t believe it! I thought, ‘When they realize
I’m just a nobody from New York, they’ll call security and drag me out of here.’” (47)
Hagan Beggs played Lt. Hansen on the bridge, and would do likewise in the next episode to film. From Canada, he had worked with and become friends with James Doohan in their homeland. He also knew Shatner, although the two had yet to work together. Beggs said, “I think it was a coincidence, quite honestly, that I knew someone in the cast. But it was only when I did Star Trek that I really hooked up with him again. It came about by my agent at that time sending me out to see about that role. It wasn’t a case of Doohan saying you gotta see this Canadian guy.” (12-1)
And Majel Barrett, the voice of the ship’s computer, was now also the voice of the Starbase computer.
Production Diary
Filmed October 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10 & 11 (1/3 day), 1966
(Planned as 6 day production, running 1/3 day over; total cost: $175,182).
Production began on Monday, October 3, 1966. During this week, LSD was declared illegal in the U.S. Ironically, the Beatles’ LSD inspired album Revolver remained at the top of the LP charts. “Cherish” by the Association was still No. 1 on the radio. Top at the box office: Fantastic Voyage and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? The previous night, on The Ed Sullivan Show: Connie Francis sang a show tunes medley, Jimmy Durante did a song and dance routine, The Four Seasons performed their latest record, “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” and Ed introduced a new act called Jim Henson’s Muppets. And then, with the start of the new day, Captain Kirk went on trial.
The location for Monday was Stage 9, with scenes in Commodore Stone’s office, followed by the Enterprise briefing room. The studio representative asked Daniels to stop filming at 6:36, allowing the set to wrapped by 7 p.m.
These Are The Voyages, TOS, Season One Page 61
