By Captain Starkiller for BlackOps Station, 2001-04-18

Starkiller
one minute... brb

Blyre says:
Okay

Starkiller
coffee

mmmmmmmm

Blyre says:
Heh

Blyre says:
I'd make coffee, but I usually too lazy

Starkiller
How long have you been writing Star Trek?

Blyre says:
On and off since 1995. I wrote an episode for TNG that sadly wasn't accepted
I still have it around here somewhere...heh
I've always enjoyed Star Trek. I guess in many ways, it's been inspiring to me in choosing to be a science fiction writer.

Starkiller
How old were you when you first began writing?

Blyre says:
Wow, let me think about that for a minute
My earliest memories of doing stories was in the Fourth Grade in Pennsylvania. I used to make up these little fictional log books of a submarine in WW2. Sure wish I had those today.

Starkiller
Oh, wow... Fourth Grade...
I think I was in the fifth or sixth, kind of glad i CANT find them (ed note-Close Encounter's of the Fourth Kind... ack... actually sold it to a kid for a buck)

Blyre says:
Heh

Starkiller
What was your earliest Sci-fi experience?

Blyre says:
The earliest that I can remember is watching the Original Series with my Dad. In our household, we watched what he liked. Oh man, if he had been a Bonanza fan.......

Starkiller
Bonanza: Farms at War

Blyre says:
Hehehe

Starkiller
Besides Star Trek... what are your favorite storylines?

Blyre says:
I'd have to say Babylon 5. Those storylines had depth and characterization that is sadly lacking in today's science fiction. Andromeda
comes close to that depth, but I think they have a way to go.

Starkiller
Bab5 ruled. Very kewl, so rich in possible storylines.
Excellent. Space 1999 was big for me too

Blyre says:
Plus, you FELT that you were watching a living breathing universe
I liked Seaquest as well
First season only though

Starkiller
Where were you when the First Star Trek Motion Picture came out?

Blyre says:
Let see: I was twelve years old and had just moved back to Pennsylvania after my father's funeral. To be honest, I really didn't see the movie until the next year.
Man, that puppy was LONG

Starkiller
yeah
The bald chick, Ilia, cute or not so cute?

Blyre says:
Persis Kambatta, or however you spell it, was pretty cute. I don't generally hang with bald women, but I'd probably make an exception with her

Starkiller
I remember the interviews with the cast, Decker said it was all stubbly...
So glad my g/f has hair
Ok...Serious question...

Blyre says:
I'll probably piss off some Trekkies, but I didn't care much for the first movie. It was so overproduced that if it hadn't made money, the whole cash cow would have probably died at that point.

Starkiller
Oh... I so agree...
I seriously fell in love with the 1701/A they could have three hours of nothing but Ships and I would have been happier
But...as a writer...

Blyre says:
My favorite episodes from TOS had to be ones that featured other Federation ships

Starkiller
How do feel about the responsibility of 'sticking to the rules'?

Blyre says:
Yes?

Starkiller
Do you take pride in following the established 'rules' of Treknology and the such?

Blyre says:
Sticking to the rules.....
There's a major problem with the "canon" as I see it. If the rules were consistent and longer lasting, they would actually mean something. I appreciate that there are people out there who love ST so much that they create their own explanations for things they see, but really I believe that if a writer creates a fictional world, then that's the world that should be followed. Some of the people who worship ST scare me a little

Starkiller
heheh
I have noticed that you all are making a concerted effort to keep your stories straight, how is it working with the Fan Fiction Community?

Blyre says:
Oh, it's great. I've met a lot of really talented people in the FF Community. I've also met some people that should never be able to hold a pencil, much less post on the Internet

Starkiller
Is there a lot of sharing?

Blyre says:
It really depends on who you're dealing with. Some people like doing collaborative efforts while others prefer a more closed system.
I myself, prefer the latter.
Being able to share a plotline involves being able to deal with ego

Starkiller
Cool, I was thinking more along the lines of actually assisting with other writers new to the art form

Blyre says:
Ohhh

Starkiller
But, yeah, collaboration is very difficult.

Blyre says:
I know I'm going to sound a little snobbish here

Starkiller
Not knowing where it may go.
Sound off

Blyre says:
I generally enjoy helping writers that are new to the genre, but I've seen some really disturbing trends in general over the past few years. I mean, how can you take someone seriously if they are making the most basic grammar and spelling mistakes? Okay, no one's perfect, but I take my craft seriously. The "I'm only doing this for fun" thing isn't a defense; it's an excuse.

Starkiller
Yeah
I understand, and that doesn't really sound snobbish

Blyre says:
Some people are rather sensitive

Starkiller
Do you guys have flame wars in the Fan Fiction Forums?

Blyre says:
The way I see it, if you want to be sensitive, go pick flowers Flame wars? Nah, we're a very civil bunch over there. I'd say we are the last remnants of what the Taldren Forums used to be

Starkiller
Hahah
Used to be?
Can you explain?

Blyre says:
Way back when, the Taldren Forums used to be a place where people could debate issues and speculate on game issues. Now, it's become a "you suck" and "this sucks" and "when is the patch coming out". It's sad to see people waste such brain power on crap they can't control.

Blyre says:
I guess when you get enough 14 year olds in one place, it's inevitable

Starkiller
Hahah...

Blyre says:
I mean that figuratively, of course

Starkiller
Of course
So, what's your current SFC Fiction Project?

Blyre says:
I'm on a temporary break from the FF, working on an original project that I plan to submit for publication later this year. I plan to come back as soon as possible and resume the Tapestry of the Long Night storyline soon.

Blyre says:
I'm always taking notes though on new FF projects though

Starkiller
How long do you think you will be away?

Blyre says:
That's hard to say. I wouldn't expect any longer than a month. I am still advising for the GU project, so I'm not completely gone

Starkiller
How long have you been involved with Gibraltar Universe?

Blyre says:
From Day One. Xenophon10k, Unite The Clans, and I started it over there back in its infancy. To be honest, we never thought that it would get so popular.

Blyre says:
I was going through a very long dry spell of Writer's Block and I thought, "Hey, I'm not doing anything important right now, so what the Hell"

Starkiller
Xenophon, is he the guy that arrives with the "Flight of the Valkyries"?

Blyre says:
Heh

Starkiller
that is cool
good stuff.

Blyre says:
I know he has the redneck captain

Starkiller
With the 'grill' ornament on his carrier

Starkiller
Heheheh

Blyre says:
Hehehe
That sounds about right

Starkiller
Who are your favorite writers in the forum?

Blyre says:
Sadly, most of my favorites have either left the Forum or are in hiatus. I like Kieran's Richtofen series very much and Kadh's pieces are always good reading. There are so many on there are bordering on great, with a little more thought and revision.

Blyre says:
Let me say this: just putting stories on paper or screen does NOT make you a writer. It's about putting a little bit of yourself into each work and not looking like a putz in the process

Starkiller
What other storylines are you writing in?

Blyre says:
Original or FF?

Starkiller
Either or both

Blyre says:
Right now, I've been concentrating on my Adversity's Prize novel so I haven't been doing any other storylines. I take notes on random ideas that pop up though.

Starkiller
What would you categorize Adversity's Prize?

Blyre says:
I'd characterize it as hard science fiction with a good dollup of adventure thrown in. The story is basically about how far someone will go for a friend and the strength of bonds like those.

Blyre says:
Plus, there are some nifty aliens in there

Starkiller
Who do you look for when hunting for a book to read?

Blyre says:
I read Ellison, Bradbury and other major writers of the genre. But I also have read Shakespeare, Dante, and the other classical writers.
I've also read some of those guys that do the ST novels, like Duane and David

Blyre says:
I always recommend new writers to read everything they can get their hands on...even the boring stuff

Starkiller
What is your favorite 'era' of Star Trek?

Blyre says:
That's a tough one for me. I'd say the most recent era, but if there were more stuff about the early days, I'd probably jump on that.

Starkiller
Are you excited about the pre-TOS Series V?

Blyre says:
I'm certainly curious and interested about the new show. It's hard to get excited about something that I don't know much about.
Also, Star Trek has been put through the Paramount Cheese Grater so many times, it's hard to really get into it any more

Starkiller
What about the ST:X Movie?

Blyre says:
Call me, Paramount. Let's do lunch

Starkiller
Hehehhe... we all wish.

Blyre says:
Ah yes, the new movie....

Blyre says:
I'm taking a wait and see approach on it. I mean, we've seen the Death of Kirk, the Borg, and that thing about the Fountain of Youth.
I mean, what else could they possibly have on the stove that won't embarrass them?

Starkiller
Vger2?
Hehehhe

Blyre says:
About as effective as being attacked by a Playstation
hehe

Starkiller
What do you think of SFC2?

Blyre says:
I think SFC2 is totally representative of how society is evolving. It's a nice game graphically and musically, but it has no soul.
No storyline, no personality.

Blyre says:
All eye candy, but no substance Tactics mean nothing without an overreaching strategy to work toward

Starkiller
Very true

Blyre says:
My opinion, of course

Starkiller
Of course
What was your favorite TNG Episode about?

Blyre says:
I've really been disappointed in the lack of a storyline. Maybe if they didn't spend all their budget getting George Takei to do those voice overs, we could get some cinematics or a plot.

Starkiller
Oooooh... but it's SULU!!!

Blyre says:
That would be without a doubt, "Yesterday's Enterprise". For me, that was the point when I decided that I was going to follow the series. I wasn't disappointed either.

Blyre says:
Hehe
I think George Takei is a great actor, though very much underused right now.

Starkiller
Would have loved to see the Excelsior Series...

Blyre says:
Yeah, me too. I thought it was a great idea. It could still come to pass, though I have a better chance of collecting Social Security on time....

Starkiller
yeah... hehehe
When you mentioned you had submitted a script, what made it different from the TNG we have seen already?

Blyre says:
I had integrated a score of ST aliens in it that hadn't been seen since the 60s.

In addition, I had created a new Enterprise from the future that had come back in time to warn against the Borg.
Gee, that sure sounds familiar, doesn't it?

Starkiller
Hahahah
that sux
How often does it happen that the great storyline you had just poured out is beaten out by another that sounds too familiar?

Blyre says:
It happens a lot actually. You just swallow your pride and do a rewrite.

Starkiller
yep...
'rewrite'

Blyre says:
Well, Gene had told me years ago that I needed an agent. I should have listened to him

Starkiller
Serious?

You have spoken with the Great Bird?

Blyre says:
Yeah, I spoke with Gene back in '90. I was stationed at a naval base in Philadelphia, PA. We had a couple of other conversations after that
Hehe

Starkiller
Nice
What was he like?

Blyre says:
Very nice guy, especially since the first time we spoke over the phone I had caught him getting ready to go home.

Starkiller
Wow

Blyre says:
I had to stifle the urge to go, "Oh wow"

Starkiller
Heheh... I wouldn't have been able to speak

Blyre says:
But a very professional man. He gave me some very good advice. He was very fond of the Navy

Starkiller
I had the opportunity to meet Takei, I choked... I did, however, shake the hand of 'Boomer' (another ed note- Star Trek Convention in Portland, Oregon... Stoneyface DID get to meet George Takei... a very cool gentlemen in Stoneyface's opinion... picturing ME trying to talk to him... "blah drool blah blah"...would have been embarrassing as all heck)

Blyre says:
Boomer?

Starkiller
Battlestar Galactica

Blyre says:
Ohhh

Starkiller
pretty sad actually bitter man

Blyre says:
I loved that show as a kid

Blyre says:
Yeah, that's a tough business. Some people move up, while others get buried.

Starkiller
Me too. I worked for Tektronix for some time, used to play 2d CAD on the same computers they used in the Vipers and the Bridge of Galactica I used to get into so much trouble... heheh

Blyre says:
Hehe

Starkiller
So, what do YOU want to be when you grow up?

Blyre says:
Growing up.....
When I was six, I wanted to be an astronaut. Later, I wanted to be a pilot. These days, I just want to be a good writer.

Starkiller
Heheh...Well on your way to achieving that goal... do you think you will get published?

Blyre says:
Well, and get paid for it too

Starkiller
Heck yeah 'Professional'

Blyre says:
I think that getting published is an eventual process. Of course, to quote someone I read once, "It's the journey that's more important than the destination."But yes, I expect to get published one of these days

Starkiller
Wisdom... nice. What would you tell someone trying to get into the writing biz... esp. Star Trek fiction?

Blyre says:
Best advice I ever got was "Read read read...write write write". As for Star Trek Fiction, write your novel and get an agent to sell it for you. Otherwise, just sit down and put those stories on paper.

Starkiller
Lastly, can you tell me the names of the people involved with Gibraltar Universe?

Blyre says:
I can tell you the names of the ones I'm sure of, which are Myself and Xenophon10k. The list of writers that are doing stories for it changes so constantly that it's near impossible to keep a list.

Starkiller
Kewl.

Blyre has contributed to the Fan Fiction community many times. You can see his work with the SFC2 Fan Fiction, and the work of many great Fan authors in the
Taldren Fan Fiction Forums

He also has his own web page
The Command Module

Blyre also recommends
The Official Harlan Ellison Web Site (Harlan Ellison Webderland)

My Thanks to Blyre for his patience during the interview as AT&T decided it would be a wonderful time to remind me just how crappy my dial up connection is... and to MSN for NOT creating a 'history' function with their instant messenger.

Blyre and I discussed a few other items, including general opinions of Taldren and the gaming industry, and I just want to say that Blyre is a great guy... very fun to chat with. If any of you get the chance to say hi to him, you will benefit from it :)

(Interview conducted over MSN)