Boldly going to Houghton
The camera pans across the bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise, where Capt. James T. Kirk and his crew are under attack by an alien vessel firing deadly bolts of photon energy-plasma. As the ship’s deflector shields weaken, Kirk turns to comfort and embrace a comely female yeoman as they await almost certain death. Can you spot the fundamental flaw in this teaser? According to the authors of a guide for would-be scriptwriters of the original television series “Star Trek,” the scene involves a major format error for the science fiction fantasy. It is not believable. “We’ve learned during a full season of making science fiction that believability of characters, their actions and reactions,” the guide states, “is our greatest need and is the most important angle factor.” To test potential plot pitfalls, writers should always translate their ideas into “a real-life situation.” Using the previous example, the guide asks, if while patrolling Vietnam...