"All his life has he looked away. To the future. Never his mind on where he was. What he was doin'."

We are proud to present an interview conducted by Starbase 972, the Israeli "Star Trek" Fan Club, with Mr. Robert Burnett, a guest on Icon 2005.

Starbase 972 is grateful to Mr. Robert Burnett for his time.

Starbase972: Shalom Mr. Burnett, we're happy to talk to you!
How did your romance with Star Trek and the Science Fiction begin?

Robert: I suppose I was similar to Luke Skywalker. In "The Empire Strikes Back," Yoda says of Luke, "All his life has he looked away. To the future. Never his mind on where he was. What he was doin'." Well, I was just like that. Always looking into the night sky and wondering what was out there. Wanting to actually GO into space.
My mother says I started watching Star Trek when I was three or four years old. Right about the time the Original Series went into syndication. It had everything a kid could want… great characters clad in bright colors, a terrific starship and terrific villains and monsters. Even an eleven-thousand-mile long SPACE AMOEBA!
My father used to read me the James Blish adaptations of the episodes… which in turn lead me to other, non-Trek sci-fi novels. Then I remember discovering "The Twilight Zone" and Gerry Anderson's "UFO." Also, in Seattle, where I grew up, after Sunday School, local channel eleven broadcast "Sci-Fi Theater" at two in the afternoon. This was where I first saw "War of the Worlds," "Forbidden Planet" and Toho Giant Monster movies. I was completely hooked.
There was no stopping me after that…!

Starbase972: As a Star Trek fan for many years, what is your opinion about the current situation of the franchise? What will be its future?

Robert: I've been disappointed with the current state of the Trek franchise since the second season opener of Voyager, "The 37's," when the crew encountered a '30s pick-up truck floating in space.
When originally broadcast in 1960s America, shows like "The Twilight Zone" and "Star Trek" were able to confront issues which no other television shows at the time could touch, because of the moral and social climate of the country. Social issues like class struggle, racism and even the war in Vietnam could be dealt with on a weekly basis, because network censors and sponsors saw these programs as unreal fantasies. Star Trek especially, with episodes like "A Private Little War," "Miri," "Errand of Mercy," "A Taste of Armageddon" and "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield," related directly to what was happening on the streets of the country. The episodes reflected directly back on the American audience itself.
Now, however, Star Trek is really only about, well, Star Trek. Because there's so much of it now, Trek threatens to become irrelevant under its own weight. Rather than reflect the current state of humanity, Star Trek now seems more about temporal anomalies and internal Trek history than anything relating to the current state of the world.
Even the film "First Contact" was really only about internal Star Trek continuity and didn't really have much to say about the human condition, unlike "Wrath of Khan," which was all about aging and mortality.
However, Star Trek isn't going away. Currently, Pocket Books is still publishing novels every month. Fan-produced episodes are all over the web, growing more sophisticated all the time. 2006 marks the 40th anniversary of the franchise… and I'm sure Paramount, now under new management, is eager to keep the franchise rolling. It may take a few years… but it's only a matter of time before we see a new incarnation of the Trek franchise.

Starbase972: You were the editor of Star Trek: The Experience at Hilton Las-Vegas. How did you approach such a unique project?

Robert: I was in charge of the video portion of the Trek museum… so, for the first few months… all I did each day was watch about ten episodes of Star Trek and log the material I'd later use to create the videos. And I was getting paid for it! I remember calling my mother and telling her I found my dream job… getting paid to watch Star Trek. She couldn't believe it.
Basically though, I tried to distill Trek down to its components. Characters, aliens, starships, philosophy. I created videos about each series, each Enterprise, each alien race, so anyone coming to the attraction, even those who didn't know much about Star Trek, could clearly understand what all the fuss was about.

Starbase972: What led to the conclusion that Free Enterprise deserves a sequel?

Robert: I don't know if I'd say "Free Enterprise" DESERVES a sequel, but I'd certainly have fun making one. Financially speaking, the film most certainly doesn't deserve one. However, not a day goes by when somebody doesn't ask me "are you gonna' make a sequel?" It's been seven years since we made the first film… and the new, "Director's Cut" comes out in March, 2006 for Star Trek's 40th anniversary. Both William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy turn 75 next year, so to quote Romulan Ambassador Nanclus from "The Undiscovered Country," "There would never be a better time…"
Frankly, I didn't really have a follow-up story to tell until now. Since the release of the first film, I've gotten married and grown up quite a bit. I've seen the world. My life has changed. So now I have something to say in the context of the characters and the world they live in.

Starbase972: What is the current situation of Free Enterprise 2? Please share with us what do you plan for this movie. We heard there’s a possibility you’d film in Israel.

Robert: Currently, along with my partner Mark A. Altman (on the picture with Robert and Shatner), I'm finishing up the screenplay. In the story, Mark and Rob's lives have changed. They've drifted apart as friends. They've become people they never thought they’d be. Basically, they're unhappy with who they've become. Then, when William Shatner disappears, both men have reasons to go and find him. Unfortunately, because they really don't know Shatner as a person, they have to go to the one man who knows Shatner better than they do… Leonard Nimoy. The three of them hit the road on… well… a Search for Shatner!
We've yet to approach Mr. Nimoy, but Shatner said he could get him to be in the movie. We'll see. I wouldn't want to make it without him.
In the original draft of the script, Nimoy finds Shatner at the top of Masada, in a secret base, studying to be a Rabbi. To get him to come back to the states, the Orthodox Nimoy then goes head to head with Shatner in a battle to see who knows more about old testament scripture. If Shatner wins, he'll stay and finish his teachings, hiding forever from the real world. If Nimoy wins, he'll haul Shatner back to Las Vegas to perform Rob's wedding ceremony at the Star Trek Experience in Las Vegas.
Now, I don't know if any of this will make it to the finished film, but I can promise you this, the climax of the film does take place at a wedding with Shatner and Nimoy singing "Sunrise, Sunset" from "Fiddler on the Roof" (or…as we have in the film, "Mel Brook Presents FIDDLER ON THE MOON.")

Starbase972: Please tell us what it is like to create "special features" for a movie while it is being filmed like in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe or Superman Returns, in comparison to old movies like Disney's Snow White.

Robert: With new films, the DVD producer is actually on-set as the film is being made. Rather than hear about things after they happened, I'm actually watching and usually shooting them AS they happen. Sometimes, I can even CREATE things which happen, as evidenced by Bryan (Singer)'s Blogs on www.bluetights.net.
With a classic film, like Snow White, almost everyone involved with the production is no longer with us… so you become an archeologist, digging through film elements, old interviews, anything you can find to create material for the disc.
Both are actually very different animals… and I enjoy both for different reasons.

Starbase972: How does the Superman Returns’ production going? Did you like what you see?

Robert: Superman is really going great. I think Bryan's making a truly epic film, even surpassing Batman Begins. It's hugely entertaining, funny, romantic, tragic and even, at one point, terrifying. I think it really takes the modern superhero film to the truly mythic level modern audiences have yet to see.
I can't wait to see the finished film.

Starbase972: You’ve experienced so many facets of the show business. What are your aspirations for the future?

Robert: What I really want to do is direct. Again. Hopefully, sometime soon!

Starbase972: What were your initial thoughts when you first received the invitation to arrive to Israel? What did the people around you think?

Robert: To use a California term, when I was first contacted by Icon, I was TOTALLY STOKED!!!  I was actually down in Sydney, working on Superman and I told everyone. I tried to convice Bryan Singer (on the picture) to come with me… but he was just too busy.  Everyone else, especially my mom, was very excited for me.
Unfortunately, because of the American media, there's a perception Israel can be a dangerous place. Many people have actually expressed worry for my safety. So I say to them, "Are you kidding?  I live in LA! We have earthquakes, fires, mudslides, riots, gang violence, everything!" Again, to use a movie quote, in John Carpenter's "Escape from LA," the bad guy, Cuervo Jones, summed it all up pretty well, "This is EL LAY, vato! This city can kill ANYBODY!" I've managed to survive here for seventeen years, so, I have absolutely no worries about coming to Tel Aviv. Except, maybe flying on Luftansa instead of El Al! Flying through Frankfurt no less! Now that's scary!
Besides, with the background of Israeli citizens, even the hot babes in Tel Aviv can probably kick anyone's ass! Plus, you've got the MOSSAD! What's to worry about?!

Starbase972: And finally – what are your expectations from your visit in Israel?

Robert: Well, I think most Americans would like to see the sights. We like to stand in front of ancient building at take snapshots. See the Old City. Go to the Temple Mount. I, too would like to do some of this.  But… I'm more interested in meeting the people who live in Israel today. To hear what they think of the World. Of America. Of the entire situation in the Middle East. After all, we might be dealing with thousands of years of tradition and religion in the Holy Land, but it's the folks who live here now who have to deal with it. I'd like to know how.
Then, of course, I'm interested in discovering what an Israeli's favorite episode of Star Trek is… and why. I just hope it's not "The Trouble with Tribbles," although I'd be amused if it was!

Starbase972: Thank you very much, Mr. Burnett.

Edited & conducted by – Subatoi
Translation to Hebrew & English proof Reading – Vered Klein
Help with questions – Uri Aviv

About Robert Burnett – Hebrew Only

Other interviews we had