Abandoned Scripts: What Do You Do When You Can’t Get That Big Star

The City on the Edge of Never

Just about everyone has an idea for a Star Trek story. Many years ago, I saw a contest where you could submit ideas for remakes of old TV programs you wanted to see make into a movie. I never got around to submitting my idea though.

I wanted to see a remake of the original Star Trek episode “The City of the Edge of Forever” featuring Tom Cruise as Captain Kirk. I felt that this story had enough substance to be a stand-alone feature. At feature length, the movie could delve much deeper into the love story and let it build up more slowly.

I didn’t intend for me to write it myself. I wanted it co-written by Harlan Ellison, who wrote the original story, and William Shatner. Based on what I have heard about how the two of them got along, you might be able to make a good movie about the two writing the script.

The movie would need some additional sub plots to make it a feature. The subplot I came up with was to have Spock, after much effort, conclude that he cannot solve the problems. He tells Captain Kirk that he can do no more and is giving up. Kirk tries to get Spock to keep trying, but fails. Kirk walks out the door. Moments later, Kirk comes back in, but now, it is the older (William Shatner) Kirk, who has time travelled back from the future to tell Spock that he will succeed. Knowing that he will succeed, Spock goes on the save the day.

Bond, James Bond

What makes a good James Bond movie is a good villain. I though the ultimate threat to James Bond would be a villain played by Sean Connery. He could play a mad Scotsman trying to take over the world. Actually, I believe that the world would be much better off if the Scots ran everything, so maybe a mad Scotsman isn’t a good choice.

In addition to the normal conflict between Bond and the villain, the audience would also feel a tension between the two actors. People often compare the actor playing Bond to the definitive Bond: Sean Connery.

In many of the Bond movies, the audience does not get to see the villain, until his lackeys present Bond to him. This would be an especially important device if Connery plays the villain. When Connery hears the name of his guest, he turns around so the audience can now see who he is. He says, “Bond, James Bond?” Maybe this idea is better suited to a comedy skit on TV.