Jammer Goes to L.A.

Story Pitches to Avoid

Starring: Jamahl Epsicokhan (critic-turned-pitcher; narrator), Wade Steinberg (best buddy; travel manager), Joe Menosky (pitch inviter; co-executive producer), Ashley Miller (objective pitch adviser), Mike O'Halloran (tour guide), Bryan Fuller (pitchee; executive story editor), Tim Lynch (retired critic), Ted Liu (final test-pitch victim), Brannon Braga (incidental meeting guy; executive producer)

April 26, 2000

Article Text

Note: This list was taken word-for-word from the list Bryan Fuller supplied me. If you're pitching to Voyager, you should steer clear of these (unless you have a revolutionary take on the matter).

Most commonly pitched Star Trek: Voyager stories

  • Viruses (computer or biological)
  • Aliens taking over the ship
  • Other Starfleet ships or crews
  • Alpha Quadrant anything
  • Pregnancy
  • Children
  • Clones or Clowns
  • Stories not focusing on the nine regulars
  • Stories rushing Seven of Nine into development prematurely
  • Stories based on/inspired by previous episodes (i.e., Seven's parents — we probably already thought of it)
  • Dreams, nightmares, memories (not a hard and fast rule)
  • Characters dying or being dead (they've all already died one way or another)
  • Telepathy (use good judgment)
  • Borg (origins or otherwise)
  • Derelict ships (Alpha Quadrant or otherwise)
  • Ship graveyards
  • Getting "home"
  • Time travel
  • Aliens experimenting on the crew
  • Holo-characters or holodecks gone awry
  • Vampires
  • Mistaken identity stories
  • Q's son
  • Anything from TOS, TNG, or DS9
  • Kes
  • Parallel dimensions or alternate realities
  • Alien worlds in turmoil or facing some sort of disaster
  • Energy beings anything
  • Aliens possessing the crew
  • Crew members "switching" identities with each other
  • Irwen Allen "Disaster" type stories
  • Crewmen shrinking or getting bigger
  • Investigation stories
  • Characters being perceived as "dieties"

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Comment Section

3 comments on this post

    It certainly is a very restrictive list. I wouldn't mind that so much but when it comes down to it Voyager was a massive, seven year long missed opportunity (episode after episode of "Janeway and Seven argue. Technobabble. Hit reset button, credits.") so maybe TPTB should have been a little less limiting when it came to story ideas.

    Oh, and perhaps not ran to the Borg every time they needed a villain. The whole point of the Borg is that they were at their best when used sparingly, not as the increasingly ineffectual villains of the week. For what it's worth Jammer, I liked your pitches - at least you were willing to explore different ways of telling stories and take some chances with the characters.

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