Dorothy "DC" Fontana was right there almost from the start when Gene Roddenberry created the first Star Trek series in the 1960's and has been involved writing scripts for the original series, Next Generation and more. Now Fontana is the co-writer for the scripts to Bethesda Softworks' two upcoming games Star Trek Legacy (PC-Xbox 360) and Star Trek Tactical Assault (PSP-DS). FiringSquad got a chance to chat briefly with Fontana to find out more about their work on the games and on her Trek work in general.

FiringSquad: You were with Star Trek almost since the beginning of the series. With the original series celebrating its 40th anniversary, do you think both the original show and the whole franchise are still as relevant in 2006 as it was in 1966?

DC Fontana: Actually, I was on the show from the time Gene Roddenberry first sold it to Desilu/NBC and through its development (including two pilots) into a series. I do believe STAR TREK is still relevant. In each of its incarnations, the scripts have continued to address the current issues or situations in which we live.

FiringSquad: Looking back at the history of the entire Star Trek franchise, what have been the big highlights in your opinion?

DC Fontana: That’s almost too big a question to answer. I would have to say what stood out for me were the revelations about characters, their histories we never knew before that script was written. It’s always interesting and fun to find out new things about characters we thought we knew completely.

FiringSquad: What do you think about the news of JJ Abrams taking on the reigns of an 11th Trek feature film and the fact that it might be a prequel to the original series that you worked on?

DC Fontana: J.J. Abrams is an excellent writer. At this time, with the script in work and secrecy in force, there is no way to comment on where it might go or what story it will tell, as it would be pure speculation on my part.

FiringSquad: You are not an unknown to creating Trek games since you participated in the storyline for the cancelled Trek game Secrets of Vulcan Fury? What was that experience like?

DC Fontana: I wrote the original story for Vulcan’s Fury for Interplay. Some other people began to develop it, but the producers were not happy with the result. I was asked to come back and write the whole script. It was a pleasant experience to work with the people there at the time, especially producer David Riordan. Unfortunately, the CEO, Brian Fargo, decided the production costs were too high and pulled the plug on the project before it was finished. Later, I did dialogue rewrites on two other Interplay STAR TREK games. With Derek Chester (my partner on LEGACY and TACTICAL ASSAULT), I wrote STAR TREK: BRIDGE COMMANDER for Activision. These were also very good experiences and enlightening for me.

FiringSquad: For Star Trek Legacy you had the huge task of creating a storyline that spanned through all five Trek TV series. How hard was it to create a plot that paid enough service to all five series yet would still stand alone as a solid story?

DC Fontana: Derek and I came up with a villain who could believably span the STAR TREK time line. Once she was in place, the story began to work well as it moved through the various epochs of STAR TREK history.

FiringSquad: Is it different writing a script for a game as opposed to a TV episode?

DC Fontana: Writing for a TV episode is very different. For one thing, an hour episodic script is only about 55 pages long. A game script can run 200-300 pages. That’s even longer than the longest single movie script -- to say nothing of the fact we were not limited to the characters in one series. We had to accommodate the major characters from five series. In addition, TV and film scripts tend to be linear, while game scripts offer choices, sidebar adventures, etc.

FiringSquad: Overall are you pleased with what Mad Doc Software, Quicksilver and Bethesda have created based on your ideas for Legacy and Tactical Assault?

DC Fontana: Yes – but we haven’t seen the finished games yet, so we don’t know if all that we wrote has been included.

FiringSquad: What other upcoming projects do you have in the works?

DC Fontana: There are several novel projects in work. Since they’re not sold yet, I can’t really talk about them.

FiringSquad: Finally is there anything else you wish to say about your work on the upcoming Trek games and on Star Trek's 40th anniversary?

DC Fontana: It’s been a great ride. I’d like to be here for the 60th anniversary.

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