Harlan Ellison znany trekkerom pisarz i scenarzysta, przedstawia historię z czasów prac nad scenariuszem do pierwszego filmu z cyklu ST:

Przez jakiś czas Paramount przymierzał się do nakręcenia kinowej wersji Star Trek. Gene Roddenberry z całych sił walczył o to, aby w jakiś sposób przemycić swoje nazwisko jako jednego z autorów. Problem w tym, że za diabła nie potrafi pisać. Jeden z jego pomysłów, wykorzystany sześć czy siedem razy w serialu, a potem jeszcze w filmie, polegał na tym, że załoga Enterprise wyrusza w głęboki kosmos, odnajduje Boga i okazuje się, ze Bóg jest szalony, albo jest dzieckiem, albo jedno i drugie. Jeszcze przed rokiem 1975 zwracano się do mnie dwa razy, aby pomówić na temat ewentualnego scenariusza. Próbowano także doić innych pisarzy. Paramount nie mógł się jednak zdecydować i kilkakrotnie próbował nawet wykopać Gene’a, póki ten nie zwrócił się do prawników. Niedługo potem w Paramount nastąpiła kolejna zmiana warty, Diller i Eisner przeszli do nich z ABC i przyciągnęli za sobą całą grupę swoich kumpli. Jednym z nich był scenograf nazwiskiem Mark Trabulus.

Roddenberry zaproponował mnie jako scenarzystę filmu. Tymczasem Paramount wyznaczył wspomnianego Trabulusa jako kolejnego z serii beznadziejnych kretynów, którzy zajmowali się owym kłopotliwym projektem. Rozmawialiśmy z Genem na temat szkicu scenariusza. Gene powiedział, że w wytwórni żądali pomysłów z coraz większym i większym rozmachem i nieważne co im proponowano, zawsze twierdzili, że to nie wystarczy. Przygotowałem szkic, który spodobał się [Roddenberry'emu], toteż wyznaczono spotkanie z Trabulusem na 11 grudnia (1975 roku). Spotkanie zostało odwołane, wreszcie jednak 15 grudnia usiedliśmy razem przy stole. Był tam jedynie Gene, Trabulus i ja, w biurze Gene’a na terenie wytwórni.

Opowiedziałem im moją historię. Mówiąc w skrócie, wymyśliłem podróż na koniec znanego wszechświata po to, żeby cofnąć się w czasie do okresu plejstoceńskiego, kiedy na Ziemi po raz pierwszy pojawił się człowiek. Zakładałem równoległy rozwój inteligentnych gadów, które mogłyby stać się gatunkiem dominującym, gdyby nie zwycięstwo ssaków. Założyłem także, że gdzieś w odległej galaktyce węże istotnie zwyciężyły i jeden z nich przybywa na Ziemię w przyszłości, widzi, że jego przodkowie zostali zgładzeni, wiec cofa się w odległą ziemska przeszłość, aby zakłócić przebieg czasu tak, by to gady pokonały ludzi. Enterprise ma przywrócić poprzedni stan rzeczy. Jego załoga odnajduje owego inteligentnego węża i musi stawić czoło moralnemu dylematowi - czy wolno im doprowadzić do zagłady gatunku tylko po to, aby zapewnić sobie dominującą pozycję w przyszłości. Krótko mówiąc, mój pomysł obejmował całe spektrum czasowe i cały wszechświat; pojawiały się w nim także problemy natury etycznej i moralnej.

Trabulus wysłuchał tego wszystkiego i przez kilka minut siedział w milczeniu. Wreszcie powiedział >>Wiesz, czytałem książkę faceta nazwiskiem Von Dainken, który udowodnił, że kalendarz majów był dokładnie taki sam jak nasz, wiec musiał pochodzić od kosmitów. Czy mógłbyś umieścić tu jakiś Majów?<<

Spojrzałem na Gene’a, Gene spojrzał na mnie; milczał. Odwróciłem się do Trabulusa i powiedziałem: „W tamtych czasach nie było jeszcze żadnych Majów.<<. >>A kogo to obchodzi?<< - spytał. >>Mnie.<< - odparłem. - >>To głupi pomysł.<<

Trabulus nadął się okropnie i oświadczył, że bardzo podobają mu się Majowie i lepiej będzie, jeżeli zrobię co każe, jeżeli w ogóle chcę napisać ten scenariusz. A wtedy ja powiedziałem: >>Jestem pisarzem. A ty kim do kurwy nędzy jesteś?<<, po czym wstałem i wyszedłem. I to był koniec moich związków z filmem Star Trek.”

Zabawne, a pomysł Ellisona, przyznać trzeba, lepszy od scenariusza FC.

ps. język tekstu b. ellisonowy, bo trzeba wiedzieć, że H.E. znany jest m.in. z tego, że w młodości był członkiem gangu (z conajmniej jednym trupem na sumieniu), zasłynął też tym, że zmusił Carda do dalszego pisania SF (zachwycił się jego debiutem), grożąc mu pobiciem jeśli nie będzie pisał...

Dobry tekst Jeszcze tylko gdyby autor podał źródło, byłoby miło.

Q__

Istnieje również anegdota czy też legenda krążąca po amerykańskim fandomie na temat udziału Ellisona w burzy mózgów na temat scenariusza TMP; najwyraźniej wyssana z palca, bo sam zainteresowany o niej nie wspomina w powyższych wspomnieniach:

Otóż ...wytwórnia Paramount Pictures zorganizowała konferencję Wielkich Nazwisk science fiction w ramach przygotowań do realizacji pierwszego pełnometrażowego filmu z cyklu Star Trek. Chodziło o to, aby opracować pomysł misji, która miałaby dość rozmachu, aby statek kosmiczny Enterprise wyleciał z telewizyjnego kineskopu wprost na srebrny ekran. Słowem najczęściej podkreślanym przez ludzi z wytwórni, zajmujących się tą konferencją, był właśnie ROZMACH. Pewien pisarz zaproponował by Enterprise został wessany w czarną dziurę (ludzie od Disneya podprowadzili ten pomysł jakieś trzy miesiące później). Człowiek z Paramountu nie sądził, by miało to dość rozmachu. Ktoś inny zaproponował, ze Kirk, Spock i reszta ekipy mogą odkryć pulsar, który okaże się żywym organizmem. Wciąż za mały rozmach, upomniano go, raz jeszcze przypominając autorom, że maja myśleć z prawdziwym ROZMACHEM.
Historyjka głosi dalej, że Ellison siedział w milczeniu, powoli doprowadzając się do wrzenia - tyle, że u Harlana trwa to jakieś pięć sekund. Wreszcie odezwał się. "Enterprise" - powiedział - "wpada w międzygwiezdny wir, najpotężniejszy ze wszystkich międzygwiezdnych wirów. W ciągu kilku sekund zostaje przeniesiony przez niezliczone miliony lat świetlnych, by natknąć siew końcu na wielki, szary mur. Mur ten oznacza koniec całego wszechświata. Scotty podkręca działa jonowe na pełen regulator i udaje mu się przebić, aby mogli się przekonać, co kryje się za krawędzią wszechrzeczy. Z dziury, skąpana w niewiarygodnym świetle, spogląda na nich twarz Boga we własnej osobie."
Nastąpiła krótka chwila ciszy, po czym człowiek z wytwórni odezwał się: "nie ma w tym dość rozmachu. Mówiłem wam chyba chłopaki, żebyście myśleli z ROZMACHEM."
Podobno w odpowiedzi Ellison pokazał mu gdzie się zgina dziób pingwina i wyszedł.

Natomiast co do sedna, jeśli chodzi o Trabulusa i podobnych mu geniuszy - przypomina mi to bardzo tekst z polskiej komedii "Pół serio" uderzającej w przemysł kinematograficzny (ze świetnymi "Gwiezdnymi wojnami" w wersji filmu psychologiczno-egzystencjalnego), kiedy to bohaterowi każą przerobić cudzy scenariusz filmowy. Nie będę streszczał całego monologu, pada tu słynne "a co byś powiedział, gdyby to byli Eskimosi?", co mniej więcej może konkurować z Majami pana Trabulusa.

Podsumowując, dochodzę do wniosku, że ostatnimi czasy dość się dużo Trabulusów w Hollywood i nie tylko zalęgło.

krisbaum


Zajrzyj chociażby do "Danse Macabre" Kinga.

Doctor_Who


A co gorsza nikt już nie zgania Wielkich Nazwisk na narady...

Och! To było tak oczywiste!
A tak na poważnie, to dziękuję za polecenie książki, o istnieniu której nie miałem zielonego pojęcia. Pewnie dlatego, że z Kinga przeczytałem tylko jedną pozycję, pt. "Jak pisać. Pamiętnik rzemieślnika" czy jakoś tam tak.
Co do braku rozmachu, zapewne panom z Paramount'u chodziło o rozmach a'la Dzień Niepodległości, Pojutrze, itp produkcji. Czyli rozwalony Biały Dom, Statua Wolności, itp. symbole USA. Niech się już chociaż Atlanta pali, a nie jakieś tam trzy klingońskie "de siódemki".

I dzięki za to niech będzie Borgom, Prorokom, Q i wszelkim innym istotom międzywymiarowym!
Tak idiotyczny, wręcz kretyński scenariusz pogrzebałby pełnometrażowego Treka na samym starcie i nigdy nie powstałyby jakiekolwiek kontynuacje kinowe lub telewizyjne.


Rozumiem, że to żart?
Naprawdę wolałbyś widzieć w Treku coś a`la atak zmutowanych grzechotników zamiast V`Gera?
No nieee...

Elaan


Eee, z poważnym nastawieniem do tematu i wysokim budżetem moglo wyjść naprrawdę smakowicie.


Mówiłem o FC, nie TMP.

ps. Rozumiem, że nie wiesz kto to jest Harlan Ellison... Otóż jest to "guru" amerykańskiej Nowej Fali, redaktor "Niebezpiecznych wizji", laureat nagród... a w Treku... ojciec Guardiana of Forever i Edith Keeler czyli scenarzysta TOS "City on the Edge of Forever"...

Nawet gdyby był samym papieżem Science-Fiction, to i tak nie zmieniłabym zdania na temat jego pomysłu z wężem - dla mnie pozostaje kretyński i kropka.
W podzięce za scenariusz do Miasta na krawędzi wieczności, mogę jedynie litościwie przyjąć, iż w dniu, w którym wymyślił tę wężową historyjkę, czuł się wyjątkowo źle - może miał niestrawność?
Tylko po co od razu chciał fundować ją także widzom?

Elaan

Moim zdaniem "wąż" to był tylko skrót myślowy i chodzi po prostu o jakiegoś gado-obcego (notabene w VOY też tacy byli i pochodzili z ziemi).

PS. Nawet biblijny wąż z Edenu łaził sobie na łapach .

EDIT ↓:

W oryginale u Kinga jest jednak "snake alien", ale mimo to podtrzymuję powyższe.

PS. Znalazłem pewien ciekawy tekst w oryginale na stronie http://ottens.co.uk/forgottentrek/phase2_7.php traktujący i o pomysłach Ellisona i o pracach nad Phase II ale ponieważ obecnie strona wykazuje "There are no posts in this category" pozwalam sobie wrzucić tutaj tekst z kopii googla, bo nie wiem czy tekst wróci na swoje miejsce. Uznajcie to za mój wkład w ocalanie ciekawych rzeczy od zapomnienia :

The Billion Year Voyage

After Paramount Pictures had rejected the Gene Roddenberry-Jon Povill treatment for Star Trek II, the studio began interviewing writers on their own, attempting to find the proper one to handle the project. Their attempts were fruitless.

Nonetheless, it is still interesting to take a look at exactly who they had been speaking to. Reportedly, innumerable writers came in to pitch story ideas, and among those the most recognizable to genre fans were John D.F. Black, who had served as story editor of the first season of Star Trek and had written "The Naked Time," famed author Harlan Ellison, whose sole contribution to the show had been the highly acclaimed "City on the Edge of Forever," and science-fiction veteran Robert Silverberg.

John D.F. Black described the storyline he pitched with a good natured shrug. Something in his voice conveys the feeling that he still could not believe the way the studio had been handling the film. "I came up with a story concept involving a black hole," recounts Black, "and this was before Disney's film. The black hole had been used by several planets in a given constellation as a garbage dump. But with a black hole there's a point of equality. In other words, when enough positive matter comes into contact with an equal amount of negative matter, the damn thing blows up. Well if that ever occurs with a black hole, it's the end of the universe–it'll swallow everything. What I saw was that the Enterprise discovers what's happening with this particular black hole and they try to stop these planets from unloading into it. The planets won't do it. It comes to war in some areas and, as a result, the black hole comes to balance and blows up. At that point, it would continue to chew up matter.

"In 106 years Earth would be swallowed by this black hole, and the Enterprise is trying to beat the end of the world. There were at least twenty sequels in that story because the jeopardy keeps growing more intense." Paramount rejected the idea. "They said it wasn't big enough," he noted wryly.

In his excellent nonfiction assessment of horror and science-fiction, Danse Macabre, Stephen King reported that rumor had it Harlan Ellison had gone to Paramount and found them looking for a "big" idea for a Star Trek film. According to this rumor, Ellison had the Enterprise break through the end of the universe and confront God himself.

They thought that wasn't big enough.

Removing tongue from cheek, the author explained the real story to King, but before that explanation, it will be of interest to note what James Van Hise, the editor of the Star Trek fanzine Enterprise Incidents, had to say about the Ellison story pitch.

"The story Harlan came up with," Van Hise wrote in issue eight of his magazine, "was never written down but was presented verbally. The story did not begin with any of the Enterprise crew, but started on Earth where strange phenomenon were inexplicably occurring. In India, a building where a family is having dinner just vanishes into dust. In the United States, one of the Great Lakes suddenly vanishes, wreaking havoc. In a public square, a woman suddenly screams and falls to the pavement where she transforms into some sort of reptilian creature. The truth is suppressed, but the Federation realizes that someone or something is tampering with time and changing things on Earth in the far distant past. What is actually happening involves an alien race on the other side of the galaxy. Eons ago, Earth and this planet both developed races of humans and intelligent humanoid reptiles. On Earth, the humans destroyed the reptile men and flourished, but on the other world the opposite occurred and when the reptilian race learns what happened on Earth in the remote past, they decide to change things in the past so that they will have a kindred planet. For whatever reason, the Federation decides that only the Enterprise and her crew are qualified for this mission, so a mysterious doaked figure goes about kidnapping the old central crew. This figure is finally revealed to be Kirk. After they are reunited, they prepare for the mission into the past to save Earth. And that would have been just the first half hour of the film!"

Ellison gave Stephen King a little more information on his story meeting with Paramount. "It involved going to the end of the known universe to slip back through time to the Pleistocene period when man first emerged," he said. "I postulated a parallel development of reptile life that might have developed into the dominant species on Earth had not mammals prevailed. I postulated an alien intelligence from a far galaxy where the snakes had become the dominant life form, and a snake-creature who had come to Earth in the Star Trek future, had seen its ancestors wiped out, and had gone back into the far past of Earth to set up distortions in the timeflow so the reptiles could beat the humans. The Enterprise goes back to set time right, finds the snake-alien, and the human crew is confronted with the moral dilemma of whether it had the right to wipe out an entire life form just to insure its own territorial imperative in our present and future. The story, in short, spanned all of time and all of space, with a moral and ethical problem."

Paramount executive Barry Trabulus "listened to all this and sat silently for a few minutes," Ellison elaborated. "Then he said, 'You know, I was reading this book by a guy named Von Daniken and he proved that the Mayan calendar was exactly like ours, so it must have come from aliens. Could you put in some Mayans?"' The writer pointed out that there were no Mayans at the dawn of time, but the executive brushed this off, pointing out that no one would know the difference. "'I'm to know the difference,"' Ellison exploded. "'It's a dumb suggestion.' So Trabulus got very uptight and said he liked Mayans a lot and why didn't I do it if I wanted to write this picture. So I said, 'I'm a writer. I don't know what . . . you are!' And I got up and walked out. And that was the end of my association with the Star Trek movie."

Robert Silverberg's effort for this apparent revolving door at Paramount was entitled The Billion Year Voyage, a 51 page treatment that begins with the Enterprise having just completed a mission on Persis, a world where the inhabitants are telepathically linked together to form a single "super-entity."

Staring into space, Kirk comments to Spock on the vastness of space, adding that the distance between galaxies cannot compare to that which separates one being from another. "We are each alone," Silverberg notes, "isolated, prisoners of our skulls, doing our best to reach the souls of others, and our best," the captain says, "is never good enough. Can we ever truly know another person? Can we ever actually trust anyone? Can we really touch som­one else?"

As McCoy joins in on the conversation, Spock states, "The captain is troubled by the loneliness of the human condition, doctor." Kirk admits the sociological structure of Persis is not what he has in mind, but he does wish that there were a way to truly reach someone; to achieve a communion of a kind. Spock, he considers, with the Vulcan mind-meld has actually achieved that which he finds himself seeking. Spock is uncomfortable with this whole line of conversation, and it takes McCoy to make Kirk recognize this.

As the treatment notes, "This opening interchange establishes Kirk (romantic, impulsive, sensitive, struggling in an almost inarticulate way to transcend his limitations); Spock (coldly logical, repressing all show of emotion, yet clearly subject to turbulent flows of humanity deep within himself which he feels he must keep in check); and McCoy (flippant, sardonic, but wise and perceptive). The scene also establishes one of the central themes to be resolved at the climax of the movie: the spiritual isolation of a non-telepathic species, each mind locked away from all others by impenetrable barriers."

At that moment, Uhura picks up an emergency from a group of archeologists on Aurora V, who have been excavating a Great Ones occupation site. Silverberg detailed some background information on the Great Ones sites. Thus far there have been 23 discovered over the past 12 years over a thousand lightyears. Each of these sites follow a particular pattern: they are seemingly outposts as opposed to settlements; similar artifacts are found at every site–intricate, baffling objects of gold and plastic, their craftsmanship being superb; and dating techniques have determined them to be anywhere from 850 million to one billion years. "Which means," he wrote, "the Great Ones had developed a galactic civilization at a time when nothing more than complex trilobites had evolved on Earth, and that their culture had changed very little during a span of at least a quarter of a billion years–implying a rigid, conservative civilization enduring for a period of time beyond human comprehension. Archeological teams are searching the galaxy for the Great Ones' homeworld.

Uhura reports that the team is threatened by so-called invisible enemies. A skeptical Kirk wants her to have a smaller ship in that quadrant investigate, but Spock argues–passionately–that they should investigate. McCoy suggests they investigate, pointing out privately that Spock has become extremely fascinated by the Great Ones. As they are on a routine patrol, Kirk agrees and has the Enterprise alter course for Aurora V.

Once there, Spock, Chekov and yeoman Baker (an American-Indian woman) beam down and meet with the

archeologists, including leaders Dr. Henry Justinian, Dr. Hrkk of Fff and Pilazool of Shilamak, "a walking, talking machine man with nothing much left that's organic except his brain."

Spock requests that they be taken to the Great Ones site immediately, without even mentioning the distress signal. It is Chekov who brings it up, to which archeologist Kelley responds that things have mysteriously disappeared and they have heard ghostly footsteps. They fear that the site is haunted. Spock, naturally, is skeptical. "Gifted," Kelley claims she can detect a psychic aura from the intruder telepathically. The presence of others she detects have overtones of cruelty, treachery and unscrupulousness. Spock muses that she must be talking about Klingons, to which Kelley agrees. It is possible, she points out, that the Klingons may have discovered Great Ones sites as well. It isher feeling that the Klingons may have discovered a Great Ones device to render them invisible and that they may be hovering around the site at this moment.

When Kelley is called away, Spock, Chekov and Baker start exploring the site. Baker is abruptly grabbed by an invisible hand and carried away. A moment tater, Chekov notices she ismissing and informs Spock. Both men are attacked. Using his acute hearing, Spock is able to detect the location of their opponents and wards them off. Kelley and other members of the archeologist team arrive. Spock contacts the Enterprise to tell Kirk that there are indeed invisible beings lurking there. It ishis suggestion that the captain send down a search party with thermal sensors so that their heat-energy can be detected. Kirk agrees.

Kirk beams down with a landing party, and there is an instant romantic attraction between him and Kelley. The search begins, and as day becomes night they find Baker, battered but okay. They retire for the night, and the next day two things become obvious: Spock is growing obsessed over the Great Ones, and Kirk is completely infatuated with Kelley, while the excavation of the site continues.

Days pass and all is quiet, until one of the invisible beings lifts a pickax and is about to bring it down on Spock's skull while the Vulcan studies a metal globe that he has found. Kirk and Kelley see this and Kirk fires his phaser. The "invisible" transforms into a dead Klingon. Suddenly they are attacked by a whole group of invisible Klingons. It is a savage battle, but our people are ultimately victorious and the prisoners are beamed up to the Enterprise.

When everything settles down, the group examines the globe found by Spock. It is accidentally dropped and comes to life. "A strange blue light comes from slits along its surface; the field of light widens and grows more dense until it becomes a globe of dense colour, large enough to encompass the entire group. A 360­degree holographic projection can be seen, totally surrounding everyone; they are inside it, watching bizarre images take form, pictures congealing out of blue fog. For a long dreamlike moment, no one moves. Then Pilazool, the machine-man, is seen crouching over the globe, frowning, touching the control stud. The images vanish instantly. He touches it again: the globe starts to project. He shuts it off. Excitement."

The images they see are of the Great Ones, six-limbed humanoids described as having a reptilian ancestry; then of their cities; and, finally, "a cave interior, walls encrusted with glistening crystals. The camera looks through the transparent floor of the cave to see colossal machines throb­bing and hammering in an underground chamber: huge green pistons pumping endlessly, sleek black conveyor belts, spinning turbines."

The globe is shut off and it is obvious that the watchers are awed by what they have seen. Later, McCoy beams down just in time to see a new image being projected by the globe. They see a Great Ones ship moving through space, orbiting a very distinctive asteroid and releasing a series of robots which carve–out of the asteroid–a vault, in which one robot is left behind. When the images are over, Kirk muses over the possibility of a Great One robot being somewhere on this planet in a vault. Spock believes, given the obvious durability of the race's technology, that is indeed a possibility. If the Klingons are staking out Great Ones sites, Kirk reasons, it isvital that the Federation stay one jump ahead of them. They will seek out this asteroid.

The archeologist team joins Kirk and the others as they beam back aboard the Enterprise. Feeding all known information into the ship's computers, they come to the conclusion that the asteroid they seek is in their own galaxy. Utilizing computer simulation of the galaxy as it looked a billion years ago, Spock is able to discern the proper star pattern they need. The locale is Gamma 1443, and that iswhere they are headed.

According to the treatment, "what Kirk doesn't know is that several invisible Klingons have stowed away on the Enterprise. Their presence is made known to the audience, but not to any member of Kirk's command. Kelley's telepathic powers are of no value in detecting these stowaways, since she is picking up Klingon aura anyway from the prisoners in the brig and has no way of knowing that additional Klingons are prowling the ship."

They reach Gamma 1443, which is supposedly so close to death that it emits only a trickle of light. The star's temperature is 980 degrees, too hot for a landing but far too feeble to sustain a solar system. Enterprise locks into orbit around an asteroid belt and begins the search for the right one. After much searching, the proper asteroid is found. Kirk leads a landing party to the vault. The door is opened and one of the scientists, Dr. Hrkkk, rushes in, but is incinerated by a blinding yellow light. The Great Ones machinery is still operating, obviously, and remains guarded by the robot which has survived the passage of time.

Kirk has the globe beamed down and turns it on, its images flooding the vault. The robot responds, standing to its full height of 12-feet, and takes the globe from Kirk. The robot turns the globe on, watches the vault construction scene and points to the pattern of pro­jected stars, indicating the very different present-day pattern.

"It's telling us it knows a lot of time has passed," says McCoy.

From there, the robot beckons them to follow it into the vault. The incinerator turned off, they agree. The robot shows them "a kind of travelogue of the Great Ones' civilization."

Notes McCoy, "They make our accomplishments look like the doings of monkeys in a tree."

"And yet," Kirk counters, "monkeys though we are, we've managed to find our way across the universe to this place and set their robot free. Not bad . . . for monkeys."

Enterprise's computers are able to translate the robot's language, and the robot, in turn, begins speaking in English. We leam that the robot–who they've nicknamed Ozymandias, is awaiting the return of the Great Ones. When asked about the homeworld of the Great Ones, Ozymandias, fearing for the safety of its creators, stops talking and retreats to the vault, switching the defensive field back on.

Kelley claims that the robot has a mind, and it is her thought that she could make herself a conduit between Kirk and the robot, "to set up a telepathic patch linking them so that Ozymandias can perceive Kirk's mind and reassure itself about the Captain's intentions. Kirk is immediately enthusiastic."

There are drawbacks, she notes. Primary among them is that if there is an imbalance, Kirk's mind could be bumed out, though this does not seem a likely possibility. After Spock and McCoy voice their protests, Kirk asks her whether or not there would be anyway to avoid such a reaction. Kelley muses that she could possibly link two minds to the robot so that there would be enough "mental energy" to handle any kind of a sudden surge. McCoy agrees to take part in this. Kelley begins, but Kirk passes out and we learn that Spock, sensing that the mind-link was too strong even for the combination of Kirk-McCoy, took their place. Moments later, Spock comes out of it and Ozymandias agrees to show them the homeworld of its creators.

Orymandias peers into space and appears as confused as a robot can appear to be. He claims that the proper star is not there. It is gone. The robot asks them to help it by bringing it to a nearby solar system where the Great Ones had established a large colony.

Everyone boards the Enterprise and makes way for McBurney'ss Star at warp factor three. Enroute, Kelley informs Kirk that she has received a mental message from her brother. Science Command wants her back on Aurora V. Kirk refers to Spock and McCoy. The Vulcan states that he should obey the orders, while the doctor argues that Kirk should do what is right for the Enterprise and Starfleet. Since he is not under Science Command's jurisdiction, Kellley wants to stay aboard, so the starship continues on its journey.

On McBurney IV, sensors detect a living city in terms of machinery, but there are no organic lifeforms down there. Ozymandias contacts fellow robots on the planet's surface, and at that moment all power drains from the Enterprise, the starship snared by the planet's gravity. Kirk is about to give the abandon ship order, when Scotty announces that the Enterprise "doesn't seem to be accelerating as it hurtles planetward. It is drifting down, floating, feather-light–as though in the grip of some titanic force. It violates all the laws of physics. The atmospheric molecules themselves are opening before the starship to provide it with a friction­free vacuum chute." Enterprise touches down, gently.

The robots which gather around them are fascinated, as they've never seen living beings before. They are machines which were created by machines. Shortly thereafter, Ozymandias announces that the Great Ones perished some 84,005,675 years earlier, leaving only their machines behind. It adds that the homeworld does exist but it is part of a Dyson sphere.

Silverberg details, "Dyson spheres were conceived by the 20th Century physicist Freeman Dyson, who observed that a solar system is a

terribly wasteful thing. The central sun throws most of its energy into space; only air action is intercepted and used by the planets that surround it. A truly thrifty civilization would demolish one large uninhabited planet and use its mass to build a shell enclosing the sun at a distance of several hundred million miles. This would intercept every photon of energy the sun emitted. The builders would leave their native planet and take up residence on the inner surface of the artificial sphere. Not only would every point on that surface have constant access to sunlight, but the surface area of the sphere would be a billion times greater than the area of Earth, supporting an immensely expanded population with no energy problems whatsoever. A Dyson sphere, of course, would not show up on optical telescopes, since all of the sun's light output is trapped within the sphere. Which is why Ozymandias was unable to find it with an optical scan. It would however radiate its surplus heat in the infrared wavelengths, and could easily be detected that way."

Enterprise proceeds back to the homeworld of the Great Ones. Enroute, it starts to become apparent that something mysterious is happening on board the Enterprise, though no one suspects invisible Klingons. Shortly thereafter, the ship is in orbit around the shell of the homeworld. While Ozymandias attempts to contact its creators, three Klingon battlecruisers launch an attack while, simultaneously, the invisible Klingons enter the Enterprise's phaser room, overpower the crew and disable the ship's weapon systems.

As Enterprise shields are buffeted, Spock and Kelley are able to launch an attack against the invisible Klingons. Ozymandias proceeds to the bridge and offers assistance. At first Kirk is reluctant to trust a machine, but he realizes it may be the only solution. Ozymandias hooks itself up to the ship's computer, and provides Enterprise with the edge it needs to prove victorious in this battle. The battle over, Ozymandias makes contact and a portion of the sphere opens to allow Enterprise to enter. As the vessel approaches a landing area, Ozymandias tells Kirk that 4,852 Great Ones still survive.

The landing party meets with a Great One, with life support equipment hooked up to various parts of its body. The being is described as "hideously old. Its body is wrinkled and pouchy; its scales no longer overlap, but spread apart to reveal folds of soft grayish skin. The eyes are dull, the expression slack. It does not move. It shows no sign that it is aware of them. It seems barely alive."

Ozymandias explains that they are all like that and will more than likely remain that way. It is Kirk's feeling that they should move on, that "it" deserves some privacy. As they walk off, they find a variety of Great One artifacts, including a thought amplifier, which permits communication from one mind to another. Kirk is intrigued with the notion of trying the device, but Spock is put off by the idea. The Vulcan mind-meld is a highly personal joining of the mind and is used only under the most extreme circumstances. Otherwise it is an invasion of privacy.

As the group steps into the corridor, Ozymandias announces that he must meet with his creators. While the Enterprise personnel await his return, Kirk is knocked down by an invisible foe, and the battle begins anew between our people and the Klingons, who have somehow escaped from the brig. Kelley, under great strain, begins picking up the Klingon auras and points them out for the others. But it proves too much for her. Kelley collapses, and the Klingons start to gain the upper hand. Out of desperation, Kirk places the Great Ones thought amplifier on his head, resulting in "an electric effect. He reacts as though a spike has been jammed into his skull. But only for a moment. The pain and surprise recede. Kirk is having a transcendental experience. He is touching other minds."

A smile crosses his lips as he reads the thoughts of McCoy, Scotty and Spock. Additionally, he is able to read the Klingons as well. With hardly any effort, he locates the Klingons, pulls them away from the others and phasers them. The dead Klingons materialize. Everyone is shocked at what he was able to do, and he tries to reassure them, ecstatic at being able to touch the minds of others. Only then does he remember that Kelley had collapsed.

Enterprise: In sickbay, McCoy tells Kirk that Kelley will be okay. Her eyes open shortly thereafter, and Kirk tells her that everything will be alright, though he issaddened by the realization that she will be heading back to Earth and they will probably never see each other again.

As Kirk leaves sickbay, he finds Spock in the corridor, holding a Great Ones thought amplifier in his hands. He is concerned over the impact that this device, as well as others from the Great Ones, will have on a civilization as relatively primitive as ours. It's his suggestion that it would be more logical to declare the Great Ones' homeworld off limits to all beings, and that vessels be posted to guard the planet. Kirk says he will report to Starfleet and let them make the final decision. "What do you think will happen?" McCoy asks.

"I imagine," muses Kirk, "we'll make use of whatever we can handle at this stage of our development, and put the rest away until the proper time. At least, that's what I hope they'll do."

Whatever they decide, Kirk has had a brief taste of the communal mind, and feels that he'll never be the same again. With that, the Enterprise departs the Great Ones' homeworld to begin its next adventure.

There is some wonderful build-up here that does not pay off at the ending. Silverberg introduces some marvelous concepts, but as a whole it isunderstandable why this one did not make it to the screen.

EDIT: Właśnie sobie zdałem sprawę, że tekst - prawdopodobnie - jednak jest ino zmienił adres na nowy, a google go jeszcze nie "złapało". Poczułem się głupio . Może - skoro nie ma moderacji i nie ma kto wywalić tych postów - zrobimy z tego chociaż jakiegoś newsa, artykuł czy coś?

Doctor_Who

Wywalić posty to by się dało, ale uważam, że nie ma po co, bo to ciekawa informacja jest (i kopia zapasowa, jakby co). A artykuł z tego? Proszę bardzo, chętnie zamieszczę.

Q__

OK, no to "zaklepuję sobie" temat chyba, że coś mi wypadnie i nie dam rady - jeśli tak do końca tego miesiąca dam cynk że się nie wyrobię i ktoś może przejąć pałeczkę. Myślę, że można rozważania by rozwinąć - żeby nie wyszła z tego jeno robota translatorska - o rolę "gadów z kosmosu" w sztuce SF, napomknąć w ramach ciekawostki o pojawianiu się ich także w ufologii i paleoastronautyce a zakończyć jak koncepcja inteligentnych zauroidów w końcu skończyła w Treku w formie odcinka Voyagera - temat rzeczka. Do końca miesiąca dam znać czy podołam [i jednocześnie "odkupię się" za te stracone teksty ze starego zdechłego kompa, które nigdy nie trafiły na Phoenixa ].

Q__

OK, zebrałem już źródła i pod koniec tego tygodnia zabieram się do pisania.