Ronald Moore was one of Star Trek's greatest strengths. His work on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Generations, and Star Trek: First Contact brought drama, characterization, vision, and fun to our imaginary universe. Ron understood that Star Trek is first and foremost about people who are not too different from you and I who somehow find the courage within themselves to meet the challenges of the final frontier. But Ron also knew how to have fun with Star Trek, and he enjoyed putting a bit of lightheartedness in his stories. Doing all of this on a television schedule is damned hard work. To do it many times over a period of years takes more from a person than most viewers probably realize. Ron did all this and more. (Ron was even able to deliver scripts on time, something that other writers find impossible to do. This may seem minor, but habitually late scripts result in enormous expenditures for unnecessary overtime, resulting in much less money for things like sets and visual effects that might help the episodes look better.)

I am deeply disappointed that studio management has tolerated (and perhaps even encouraged) the sickening power-play that has led to Ron's departure. But even the fans have begun to realize that this is merely a symptom of the deeper disease threatening Star Trek. With the prosperity of the Star Trek "franchise," too many people have used the show purely as a vehicle for the promotion of their own careers. Many of these people make no secret of their contempt for Star Trek and its fans, and that contempt shows in the mediocrity of their work. For years, Star Trek has shown remarkable resilience, due in large part to the tremendous loyalty of its those fans. But there is a limit to the tolerance of even the most devoted fans, and Paramount has been stung in recent years by a steady decline in viewership as fans have become more and more disillusioned with the quality of the show. Nevertheless, we all had reason to rejoice earlier this year when it was announced that Ron Moore had joined the staff of Star Trek Voyager, and that he might be working on the yet-to-be-announced new spinoff series. Unfortunately, neither the fans nor Ron himself knew that he was being outmaneuvered, and that he was never to be given a real chance to contribute to either Voyager or to the new series.

That Ron Moore has been driven from the show that he loves so passionately is a terrible loss. It is a loss for his coworkers, who will miss a colleague whose standards of excellence challenged us all. It is a loss for Paramount Pictures, as it now appears that Voyager will continue its decline, with the accompanying loss of revenue. And it is a loss for the fans, who are being forced to realize that Star Trek has indeed lost its way.

As a boy, Ron dreamed of becoming an astronaut and someday flying into space himself. As fate would have it, this didn't happen, but Ron gladly traded in his dream for the opportunity to help inspire a new generation of kids to share in the wonder of the final frontier.

I mourn the death of this bit of Gene's legacy.

Read our Ron & Brannon Feature for more on this!

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