René Echevarria

Real world article
(written from a Production point of view)

René Echevarria

...as a holographic bar patron in "What You Leave Behind".

Echevarria with the 1992 TNG writing staff

René Echevarria is a Cuban-American writer, producer and story editor of many Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes. He also appeared as a holographic bar patron in the final episode of Deep Space Nine, "What You Leave Behind".

Star Trek

Echevarria preferred writing dialogue for the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters over the Star Trek: The Next Generation characters. Echevarria commented: "In a lot of ways, I find it much easier and much more enjoyable to write for ST:DS9. I think the characters feel more real to me and more vivid. I remember sitting down to write a scene between Geordi and Beverly and not knowing what these people have to say to each other. After seven years, we really don't know that much about them. ST:TNG was pitched at a sort of heroic level – like a fable. In the end, these characters were all wonderful, nice people who got along with each other. On ST:DS9, I think the characters are much more real people who have back stories and problems and ways of looking at the world. The problem of writing a scene between Riker and Geordi was that you just didn't know what they would say, and you couldn't keep going. On ST:DS9, when you sit down to write a scene between Bashir and O'Brien, they talk to you as you write them. Their voices are so clear. You find yourself thinking, 'Oh no, what have I done? I've written a nine-page scene. It should only be two! As a writer I find that more satisfying". ("The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword", Star Trek Monthly, issue 29)

Echevarria participated in filming of the documentary What We Left Behind.

Biography

Echevarria comes from a Cuban family of Basque origins.

After graduating with a degree in history from Duke University, Echevarria moved to New York to pursue a career in theater. In 1985, he was assistant director to a production of the Victor Muniz play "Darts" and appeared in a production of "Lower Depths by Gorky". In 1986, he starred in a production of the Kristin McCloy play "Isosceles" at the Chelsea Theater, and in 1987, he appeared in the La Marna Theater adaptation of the Aeschuylus play "Oresteia". Echevarria collaborated with McCloy on the full-length play "Prepared", which was presented at the World's End Theatre in London in 1988 and was performed at the Edinburgh Festival that same year.

In 1989, while working as a waiter in New York, he wrote his first script for Star Trek: The Next Generation, "The Offspring". As a result he became a regular writer for the show and was also a regular writer for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. His 30-plus episodes of Star Trek have earned him a Humanitas nomination, a Peabody nomination, two Hugo nominations, and a NASA Vision award for Best Depiction of Humanity's Future in Space. In 1994, he received a Special Achievement award from the Latino Media Organization HAMAS. In 1998, he developed the scenario for Star Trek: The Experience.

After Star Trek he was supervising producer on the critically-acclaimed, but short-lived CBS series Now and Again distributed by Paramount Pictures. In 2000, he signed on as co-executive producer for the short-lived James Cameron FOX series Dark Angel as part of an overall multiyear with 20th Century FOX Television to develop new projects for the studio. In 2004, Echevarria created The 4400 and has since produced shows such as Medium, Castle, Terra Nova and Teen Wolf.

Star Trek credits

Writing credits

• TNG:
  • "The Offspring" (Season 3)
  • "Transfigurations"
  • "The Mind's Eye" (Season 4, teleplay, story with Ken Schafer)
  • "The Perfect Mate" (Season 5, story with Gary Perconte)
  • "I Borg"
  • "True Q" (Season 6)
  • "Ship in a Bottle"
  • "Face of the Enemy" (story)
  • "Birthright, Part II"
  • "Second Chances" (teleplay)
  • "Descent, Part II" (Season 7)
  • "Interface" (uncredited)
  • "Dark Page" (uncredited)
  • "Inheritance" (teleplay with Dan Koeppel)
  • "Lower Decks" (teleplay)
  • "Eye of the Beholder" (teleplay)
  • "Firstborn" (teleplay)
  • "Preemptive Strike" (teleplay)
• DS9:
  • "Equilibrium" (Season 3, teleplay)
  • "Past Tense, Part II" (teleplay with Ira Steven Behr)
  • "Improbable Cause" (teleplay)
  • "Explorers" (teleplay)
  • "Facets"
  • "Rejoined" (Season 4, teleplay with Ronald D. Moore, story)
  • "Crossfire"
  • "The Muse" (teleplay, story with Majel Barrett-Roddenberry)
  • "Nor the Battle to the Strong" (Season 5, teleplay)
  • "Trials and Tribble-ations" (teleplay with Ronald D. Moore)
  • "The Begotten"
  • "A Simple Investigation"
  • "Children of Time" (teleplay)
  • "Behind the Lines" (Season 6)
  • "Statistical Probabilities" (teleplay)
  • "Honor Among Thieves" (teleplay)
  • "Afterimage" (Season 7)
  • "Chrysalis"
  • "Covenant"
  • "Chimera"
  • "Penumbra"
  • "When It Rains..." (teleplay, story with Spike Steingasser)
  • "The Dogs of War" (teleplay with Ronald D. Moore)

Other credits

• TNG:
  • Season 6 – Story Editor (26 episodes)
  • Season 7 – Executive Story Editor (26 episodes)

External links

• René Echevarria at Wikipedia
• René Echevarria at the Internet Movie Database