20 Things You Never Knew About Star Trek: Insurrection

12. Roddenberry's Box

Gene Roddenberry 1976
Wikipedia/LarryDMoore

When writing about the process by which Michael Piller was assigned the film, the writer spoke of the problem of 'Roddenberry's Box,' as he called it. This was the set of rules that each and every writer on Star Trek had to fight with when they came on board. Piller himself got his first experience of this with The Bonding.

Back in TNG's third season, Ronald D. Moore submitted The Bonding, an episode dealing with grief. Roddenberry flatly rejected it, as humans didn't grieve in his 24th century. Piller wrote that while many writers could and did balk at these kinds of restrictions, he simply took it as a challenge, and reworked the script.

If there is one consistent complaint about Insurrection, it's that it feels like an extra-long episode of Star Trek. In a way, this is completely accurate. Piller wrote the film with Roddenberry's Box in mind, allowing the process to speed through the editors, without the slog of trying to find new writers to take on the challenge.

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Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"