Michael Piller facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michael Piller
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Piller in 1998
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| Born | May 30, 1948 |
| Died | November 1, 2005 (aged 57) Los Angeles, California, US
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| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park |
| Alma mater | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| Occupation | Television producer, writer |
| Spouse(s) |
Sandra Piller
(m. 1981) |
| Children | 3 |
Michael Piller (born May 30, 1948 – died November 1, 2005) was an American TV writer and producer. He is best known for his important work on the Star Trek TV shows.
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Early Life and Start in TV
Michael Piller was born in Port Chester, New York. Both of his parents were involved in writing. His father, Gene Piller, was a Hollywood writer. His mother, Ruth Roberts, wrote songs.
Michael wanted to be a scriptwriter from a young age. However, a college teacher told him not to. So, Piller began his career as a journalist for CBS News. He worked in New York, Charlotte, and Chicago.
In the late 1970s, he moved to Los Angeles, California. He started working on the entertainment side of television. He checked TV shows to make sure they were suitable for everyone. He also helped make sure programs followed rules.
Piller then began writing scripts for TV shows. He sold scripts to popular shows like Cagney & Lacey and Simon & Simon. He then joined Simon & Simon as a staff writer. He stayed there for three years and became a producer.
Piller went to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He married Sandra in 1981. They had three children together.
In 1987, he helped create a medical TV series called The Doctor's Office. The next year, he worked on a game show called Hotline. This show had parts where viewers at home could join in.
Making Star Trek History
In 1989, Michael Piller co-wrote an episode for Star Trek: The Next Generation. This episode was called "Evolution". Soon after, he was asked to become the main writer and producer for the show. This role is often called a "showrunner."
Before Piller joined, the writing team had many problems. Writers often left the show. Within a year, Piller built a strong and stable writing team. He changed the focus of the stories. Instead of just "alien-of-the-week" plots, he focused on developing the main characters. Many fans believe this change made the series much better.
Piller also started an "open-door policy" for scripts. This meant anyone could suggest story ideas. This policy led to some of the show's most popular episodes. One famous example is "Yesterday's Enterprise."
The Next Generation ran for seven years. It became very popular and won many awards. Piller was responsible for many well-loved episodes. These include "The Best of Both Worlds, Parts 1 & 2." These are often called the best episodes of the series. He also wrote "Unification," which featured Spock from the original Star Trek.
Creating New Star Trek Shows
In 1991, Paramount Pictures asked for a new Star Trek series. Rick Berman, an executive producer, asked Piller to help create it. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine started in January 1993. Its first episode, "Emissary," was written by Piller. It had the highest ratings ever for a new TV show shown on many different channels.
Deep Space Nine also ran for seven years. Piller was the showrunner for its first two seasons. Later, in 1994, Paramount asked for another new Star Trek series. Berman and Piller teamed up again to create Star Trek: Voyager.
Piller became the showrunner for Voyager's first two seasons. After that, he left the Star Trek TV shows. At the same time, Piller developed another show for UPN called Legend. However, this series was canceled after only 12 episodes. Piller continued to give advice on scripts for Deep Space Nine and Voyager.
Writing Star Trek Movies
In 1993, Piller was asked to write a script for the first Next Generation movie. He decided not to. But in 1997, he was asked again. He worked with Rick Berman to write Star Trek: Insurrection.
While writing the movie, Piller wrote a book about the whole process. It was called Fade In. This book was very honest about how movies are made. After Piller passed away, the book was published online. His wife, Sandra, later tried to get it published as a physical book. She said the studio was surprised by his honesty. They felt it showed too much about what happens behind the scenes.
After Star Trek
In 1996, Michael Piller sold his first movie script. It was called Oversight. The story was about control passing from one generation to the next. This idea came from his relationship with his son, Shawn. Shawn had also written scripts for Star Trek shows. As of 2022, this movie script has not yet been made.
In 1999, Piller formed a production company with his son Shawn. It was called Piller². They signed a deal with the WB Television Network. They planned to produce several new shows. One show, Day One, was about a world after a big disaster. However, this series was never made.
In 2001, Piller was asked to turn Stephen King's novel The Dead Zone into a TV series. He developed the series with Shawn. It starred Anthony Michael Hall and Nicole de Boer from Deep Space Nine. The series started on June 16, 2002. It had 6.4 million viewers, which was the biggest start ever for that channel. The show was popular for four seasons before it was canceled after its sixth season.
In 2005, another series developed by Piller² started. It was called Wildfire. This show was on the ABC Family channel. It ran for four seasons and ended in 2008.
Death and Lasting Impact
Michael Piller passed away on November 1, 2005. He had head and neck cancer. Tributes to him were published in magazines like Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. Many actors and crew members from Star Trek and The Dead Zone shared their memories of him.
Star Trek writer Paula Block said Piller gave The Next Generation its "soul." Terry J. Erdmann felt that the complex characters in Deep Space Nine came from Piller's ideas. Wil Wheaton, an actor from The Next Generation, said Piller was most responsible for the show becoming amazing.
Eric Stillwell, who worked with Piller, said Piller's greatest skill was helping new writers. He helped them grow their talent. Stillwell believed this would be Piller's most important lasting impact.
