Star Trek ''Soldiers Of Pawns''

[summerstormpictures]

Hello everyone. I'm the writer of STAR TREK ''Soldiers of Pawns.'' I have been swept away by the artistic imagination here and would like to introduce you to my project. The simplest introduction will be to direct you the website (see images to click on below) and let you browse at your leisure.

Briefly, STSOP is a broad, epic story of fathers and sons, friendship, first love, and intrigue and it is sure to make you laugh, cheer and cry. Depending on the future of this current trend of Star Trek-inspired fan-produced projects, my goal is to realize STSOP as the most ambitious project to date and in mini-series form.

The reason I am posting here is in hopes of capturing and inspiring the imagination of some of the artists here who would love to showcase their artwork based on STSOP. While I'm sure you all are approached continuously in this manner, there is a nobler and personal reason behind my cause and there is a dedication page in the downloadable screenplay that will much better explain my motives.

Please visit the site, download and enjoy the screenplay as it is the ''emissary" for the project and has received widespread praise on many of the fan film websites.

Thanks for your interest and keep up the wonderful and imaginative art. It is music to my eyes.

[Captain J. Wesley]

interesting site... I would ditch the star wars though.

[summerstormpictures]

[b]

Originally Posted by Captain J. Wesley

interesting site... I would ditch the star wars though.

Hey, thanks for taking a look. Not sure what you mean about the Star Wars except perhaps the "a long time ago, not so far away..." thing. In the spirit of what was in the news in the last couple days about Star Trek producers past and present being Star Wars fans, and the ILM link to Star Trek from TWOK onward -- and finally George Lucas himself, who it was said, when Clint Howard (Ron Howard's brother and Balok) came in to audition for the 1977 movie -- George knew the episode number, title and Clint Howard's character. Even George Lucas was a Star Trek fan, so this was behind my little homage. It was a bit of thanks.

Again, I thank you and anyone else who takes the time to visit the STSOP website. Also, if you are a Star Trek fan, go ahead and download the script and you will find it well worth the read. The only complaints I've gotten have been "I couldn't put it down and I was up until X in the morning." I hope that doesn't sound conceited. I found it funny but satisfying as an artist.

Briefly a little background: For those who may not read the dedication page of the script, my brother Stu was an artist of uncommon and exceptional talent, and like many artists of that caliber, he decided to leave this world for the next by his own hand during his first year in art school in Savannah, Georgia (Savannah School of Art and Design). Stu and I grew up with the original series and spent many summers exploring the perpetually forested planet in the woods outside our home in Maryland. When STTMP came out in 1979, he and I, like many, felt a bit let down and decided we would explore our imaginations and adventures and stories we came up with over our childhood years -- and out of that came 80-percent of what you read in STSOP.

This is getting long here, but I just wanted people to know that this is not a fly-by-night "hey I wanna do a fan film" endeavor. It is a labor of love and appreciation for someone I miss greatly and who, by doing this, get to work with him once more" so to speak.

DOWNLOAD the latest versions of the STAR TREK ''SOLDIERS OF PAWNS'' screenplay here

VISIT the "official" STAR TREK "SOLDIERS OF PAWNS" website

[summerstormpictures]

Well, it is June 6th again and events some sixty-three years ago come back to remind us of the sacrifices made by so many on a sandy beach across the ocean. A friend of mine named Joe (his real name) was there. He didn't "storm the beach" but was there in an observer capacity, which was really a ploy, because he was involved in what would later be called "black ops." He was officially in the 1st Marines, but after the landing at Normandy, he advanced well beyond the lines and eventually contacted and was working with some of our people in still-yet Nazi occupied Paris, where his rank and anything else was of course a secret. He was working with the French resistance there when the Allies began to arrive in Paris, and in true Joe style, he decided he was going to "liberate" the Nazi flag fluttering above the Gestapo headquarters, which he did and I have seen and held the flag. It's strange to feel the fabric and even as a writer, I cannot accurately describe that tactile moment accurately -- or the smell which while having picked up the smell of long-time storage, still had a unique and alien smell to it. Joe left the Marines a "full bird" Colonel as he would often say. He later volunteered for Korea and of course "did other things" he still can't talk about and doesn't like to think about. He used to describe himself as "the last real son-of-a-#####" in his gruff loud voice that still shakes the walls and commands authority.

Sometimes when we would sit and talk -- which meant he talked, I listened, he would ultimately let down his guard and say that "all war does is rob a country of its youth." He had a right to say things like that because he served and watched soldiers under his watch make the ultimate sacrifice.

He also had a curious link to Star Trek as he would often run into Gene Roddenberry because they both had the same doctor back in the 1980's.

Joe was also Lakota Sioux, having grown up on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota. His first American name is Joe Eaglefeather. Today I think of the people like Joe I have been privileged to know in my unique life. I am fortunate to know him.

[biotech]

Not keen on the title "soldiers of pawns" sounds like a blue movie to me.

[summerstormpictures]

Originally Posted by biotech

Not keen on the title "soldiers of pawns" sounds like a blue movie to me.

Haha -- that's a new one. I can say that most likely I won't change the title only because it was the title my brother and I came up with and out of respect I want to honor that. Appreciate the observation though.

[summerstormpictures]

Saturday, November 22nd, 2008

Hello Star Trek fans, and for those of you in the United States, a happy Thanksgiving!

This will will be the final update on the Star Trek ''Soldiers of Pawns'' screenplay, which is currently being novelized by published science fiction author, Glenn E. Smith (The Call of Duty) and myself.

Glenn and I are well into the second draft of the novel, and as such, the Soldiers of Pawns screenplay is being ''officially retired'' and offered to the fans to enjoy.

Anyone who wishes to do so can now download, read and enjoy the screenplay at their pleasure. It makes for a great Thanksgiving read by the fireplace as the story takes place during the Thanksgiving to Christmas season.

Soldiers of Pawns follows the story of young James Tiberius Kirk and his friendship with Gary Mitchell, beginning in Iowa where the boys first meet, and later rejoins them on the bridge of the U.S.S. Farragut eleven years before Kirk's ultimate destiny commanding the Enterprise.

It is a story of heroes and villains, fathers and sons, family, best friends, first love, loyalty, honor, legacy, and it uncovers a the first sinister signs of a conspiracy that looms in the shadows of a still young Federation. Every turn of the page brings intrigue, mystery, surprise and adventure, and it is guaranteed to make you laugh, cheer, hope and even perhaps shed a tear or two. It is a grand story of epic proportions; a sweeping Star Trek tale for fans of all ''generations.''

Glenn and I will jointly monitor this topic, and gladly welcome the opportunity to respond to any questions or comments anyone might have. Please, however, be sensitive to the other potential readers by implementing ''spoiler'' tags appropriately.

Best wishes, happy Thanksgiving and Enjoy!

Geoffrey Alan Holliday
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Star Trek ''Soldiers of Pawns'' is an original story and screenplay based on Star Trek®. Star Trek® and all associated marks and characters are registered trademarks of Paramount and CBS. All Rights Reserved. The use of anything related to ''Star Trek'' in Star Trek ''Soldiers of Pawns'' is not meant to be an infringement on Paramount or CBS property rights to ''Star Trek.''

VISIT the "official" STAR TREK "SOLDIERS OF PAWNS" website

DOWNLOAD the STAR TREK "SOLDIERS OF PAWNS" screenplay

THE ''JOURNEY'' BEHIND STAR TREK ''SOLDIERS OF PAWNS''

Soldiers of Pawns began its decades long journey in the imaginations of two young boys growing up during the ''dry years'' of Star Trek in the 1970's. Just like everyone else at that time, my brother Stuart and I had only the original 79 episodes to watch over and over in syndication...and we wanted more. What would eventually become Soldiers of Pawns evolved over many endless summers spent together growing up and playing Star Trek. The story drew upon many of our adventures as we beamed down from our ''basement bridge'' to explore a surprisingly large number of forested class-M planets provided by the woods behind our home.

Unfortunately Stu did not complete his life's journey in this world, which he left far too early by his own choice in December of 1984, but it was my privilege to know such a creative soul for those precious few years. All the creativity, inspiration and collaboration I was blessed with lives on in Soldiers of Pawns.

In the years that followed, I continued to develop Soldiers of Pawns alone. During my undergraduate years and later while attending the American Film Institute (AFI), it underwent many incarnations and has evolved with the times, but the core elements have survived intact.

Fast-forward to just a few years back when what was popularly coined as ''franchise fatigue'' began to set in after many wonderful years of the ''TNG era.'' I had just pitched for the final season of Star Trek Enterprise. This led to my former manager being able to arrange a meeting for me with some studio executives at Paramount who were looking for ''tentpole'' feature ideas. I formulated several concepts to pitch and decided I would also include ''my big Star Trek idea'' as well. I felt the time was right to give Star Trek a more epic and sweeping scope, and even to consider new faces on perhaps some of the most beloved characters in science fiction--our intrepid heroes from the original Star Trek series. I was not alone in thinking this obviously.

Unfortunately, as fate would have it, the meeting vaporized during an untimely but all too common ''shuffle'' of studio executives, and among those ''shuffled out'' were very executives with whom I was to meet. They were gone and so, with that, my ''big Star Trek idea'' found its way into my ''dusty shoebox of memories'' and I moved on.

Well, as we all know, almost three years ago, Star Trek arose ''from the ashes'' once again like the Phoenix, brought to us by the incredible J.J. Abrams, and it is now only just a few long unbearable months away.

When I first heard the news, I decided to ''dust off'' Soldiers of Pawns one last time and give it a final revision with ''shoot the Moon'' plans to perhaps take it to the small screen as a mini-series, or ''plan-B''...to perhaps realize it as the most ambitious fan-produced Star Trek-inspired project ever undertaken.

It was also during this time that I had the privilege to become acquainted with writer Glenn E. Smith, author of The Call of Duty. Before we knew it, destiny compelled us to collaborate to adapt this wonderful story and screenplay into a novel. As work progressed, I decided eventually to set aside all other ''grand plans'' for Soldiers of Pawns and focus everything on the novel. Collaborating with Glenn in this endeavor has been an absolutely wonderful experience. It is truly the first time since those early days with my brother that I feel such a synergy of imagination and creativity I've missed for so long since losing Stu.

Being a story that takes place before the TOS era, not all of the characters we know and love appear. We did not ''throw in the kitchen sink.'' We included familiar faces appropriately, but it was never our quest to ''parade'' all of the wonderful characters from the original series in some sort of busy and confusing spectacle. Some familiar faces appear, some don't--and some even make appearances from other incarnations of Star Trek.

At its best, Star Trek was always a look into the future and a look at the present...all wrapped up in a compelling story. Some creative license has been taken as Soldiers of Pawns evolved over its decades long journey, but my brother and I, and now Glenn as well, have always done our very best never to stray too far from the spirit of Gene Roddenberry's original vision or from the core story elements hatched in the imaginations of two brothers growing up together so long ago.
_______________
Star Trek ''Soldiers of Pawns'' is an original story and screenplay based on Star Trek®. Star Trek® and all associated marks and characters are registered trademarks of Paramount and CBS. All Rights Reserved. The use of anything related to ''Star Trek'' in Star Trek ''Soldiers of Pawns'' is not meant to be an infringement on Paramount or CBS property rights to ''Star Trek.''