Mahopac Trekkie Helps Pen Pilot for New Series
that picks up where the original show left off. In the picture he is joined by writing partner Jack Treviño
and Nichelle Nichols, who played the original Lt. Uhura in the original Star Trek.
After 20 years of pitching Star Trek story ideas, Mahopac resident Steve “Fratt” Frattarola had achieved one major accomplishment.
“I hold the record over there for the guy who pitched the most stories without selling one,” said Frattarola, who put his number of failed pitches at about 150. “A weird distinction of course.”
Frattarola, a broker with Houlihan Lawrence, said he came close on a number of occasions. Until recently, however, Frattarola’s nearly lifelong dream of having his name attached to an episode was still just a dream.
The die-hard Trekkie finally got his shot when Vic Mignogna, a prolific voice actor and fellow Star Trek enthusiast, joined with a few friends to launch “Star Trek Continues,” a web series that continues where the original Star Trek, which ran from 1966 to 1969, left off. Mignogna came up with an idea for a story and contacted Jack Treviño, who had helped pen a couple episodes for “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” in 1995, to work on a script. Treviño had worked with Frattarola on pitches for Deep Space Nine and recommended Mignogna bring him on board.
“Steve and Jack and I had a conference call where I kind of talked them through in detail the story I wanted to tell,” said Mignogna, who plays Captain Kirk. “Then I left it to them for a few months to go out and write it and bring it back in script form.”
Frattarola, who graduated from Mahopac High School in 1980, said he spent a solid nine months working on the script.
“It was pretty grueling because we knew it had to be really good if we were going to appease Star Trek fans,” he said. “It was worth it in the end.”
While the series premiere on May 26 was overshadowed by a certain related blockbuster with a $190 million budget, Mignogna’s series received some good press and some hype among Trekkies.
“‘Fan project’ and ‘quality’ are not always related terms in the entertainment world – especially in the scifi genre,” wrote Meredith Dake of Breitbart.com. “However, this ‘fan project’ put on by industry professionals and superfans delivered a stunningly beautiful product with an almost seamless continuation from the old series to present day.”
Phil Plait of Slate Magazine wrote, “I have to say, I quite enjoyed this.”
In addition to a set that looks right out of the television series, Mignogna got some well-established actors to sign on. Grant Imahara of “Mythbusters” plays Sulu while Christopher Doohan plays Scotty, the role his father James made famous in the original series. In the pilot, Michael Forest reprised his role as the villain Apollo, 46 years after appearing as the character in the original Star Trek.
“A couple years ago I partnered with some friends and decided I wanted to create a Star Trek series that was more like the original series than anyone had done in 45 years,” said Mignogna. “I feel like that’s what we did and Steve was a big part of making that happen.”
Frattarola was 10 years old when he watched his first Star Trek episode. It was the last episode of the original series – titled “Turnabout Intruder.” He was immediately hooked.
“A lot of things were captivating about it. The acting, the writing, the sets,” he explained. “A lot of people think Star Trek is about aliens and phasers and stuff like that. To me, and to a lot of other people who are really into the show, it’s more a show about people, the human element, although it happens to take place in the future.”
He watched syndicated reruns until he had seen every episode multiple times. He’s been to the conventions, though he’s never dressed up. In the 1990s he learned Paramount Pictures was open to freelance writers pitching ideas and in 1994 he made his first pitch.
“This is like a 20-year dream and pursuance of having my name associated with Star Trek in one way, shape or form, which I’ve always wanted,” he said. “It’s a labor of love.”
Frattarola was flown out to Florida to watch the filming, which he called “the best 10 days of my life.”
“I had such a blast just being there, watching everything being executed,” he said. “To be there and watch lines that you created being hammered out by actors, that’s just phenomenal.”
Frattarola, who also works part-time for i95 radio and hosts a Sunday morning football show called “Game Face,” said he hopes to continue writing episodes. He said he’d like to see Star Trek Continues become a television series.
