Brannon Braga (born August 14 1965) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
televisionTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
producerThe primary role of a television producer is to control all aspects of production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
and
screenwriterScreenwriters or scenarists or scriptwriters are people in a film crew who write/create the screenplays from which films and television programs are made....
, currently working on the writing crew of
2424 is an American serial action/drama television series. Broadcast by Fox in the United States and syndicated worldwide, the show first aired on November 6, 2001, with an initial 13 episodes...
for
Season 7Season Seven, also known as Day 7 of the American serial television series 24, was to premiere on January 13, 2008, but was delayed for one year due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. On November 23, 2008, Fox aired 24: Redemption, a two-hour TV movie set between seasons. Season...
, with the credit of Executive Producer. He is mostly known for his work on various Star Trek series since 1990. He is credited as one of the co-creators and executive producers of
Star Trek: EnterpriseEnterprise is a science fiction television program created by Brannon Braga and Rick Berman and set in the fictional Star Trek universe created by Gene Roddenberry in the 1960s...
and was creator and producer of the short-lived alien invasion drama
ThresholdThreshold is a science fiction drama television series that first aired on CBS in September 2005. Produced by Brannon Braga, David S. Goyer and David Heyman, the series focuses on a secret government project investigating the first contact with an extraterrestrial species.The series was first shown...
. Braga received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Kent State University Stark in 2005.
In 1990, Braga received an eight-week internship from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, joining the writing team of
Star Trek: The Next GenerationStar Trek: The Next Generation is a science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Created about 21 years after the original Star Trek, and set in the 24th century about 80 years after the orginal series, the program features a new crew and a new...
.
Brannon Braga (born August 14 1965) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
televisionTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
producerThe primary role of a television producer is to control all aspects of production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
and
screenwriterScreenwriters or scenarists or scriptwriters are people in a film crew who write/create the screenplays from which films and television programs are made....
, currently working on the writing crew of
2424 is an American serial action/drama television series. Broadcast by Fox in the United States and syndicated worldwide, the show first aired on November 6, 2001, with an initial 13 episodes...
for
Season 7Season Seven, also known as Day 7 of the American serial television series 24, was to premiere on January 13, 2008, but was delayed for one year due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. On November 23, 2008, Fox aired 24: Redemption, a two-hour TV movie set between seasons. Season...
, with the credit of Executive Producer. He is mostly known for his work on various Star Trek series since 1990. He is credited as one of the co-creators and executive producers of
Star Trek: EnterpriseEnterprise is a science fiction television program created by Brannon Braga and Rick Berman and set in the fictional Star Trek universe created by Gene Roddenberry in the 1960s...
and was creator and producer of the short-lived alien invasion drama
ThresholdThreshold is a science fiction drama television series that first aired on CBS in September 2005. Produced by Brannon Braga, David S. Goyer and David Heyman, the series focuses on a secret government project investigating the first contact with an extraterrestrial species.The series was first shown...
. Braga received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Kent State University Stark in 2005.
Star Trek: The Next Generation
In 1990, Braga received an eight-week internship from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, joining the writing team of
Star Trek: The Next GenerationStar Trek: The Next Generation is a science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Created about 21 years after the original Star Trek, and set in the 24th century about 80 years after the orginal series, the program features a new crew and a new...
. His first assignment was rewriting a script called "
Reunion"Reunion" is the seventh episode of the fourth season of the science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. It was first broadcast on November 5, 1990 and has an average rating of 4.7/5 on the official Star Trek website .This episode marks the first appearance of Robert O'Reilly...
" with staff writer
Ronald D. MooreRonald Dowl Moore is an American screenwriter and television producer best known for his work on Star Trek and the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica miniseries and television series, for which he served as developer, writer, and executive producer, and awarded him a Peabody Award for creative...
, then doing a solo rewrite on a
spec scriptA spec script is a "speculative" screenplay, one that the Variety slanguage dictionary defines as being "shopped or sold on the open market, as opposed to one commissioned by a studio or production company."Spec scripts are written for various reasons:...
titled "
Identity Crisis"Identity Crisis" is the 92nd episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. The episode has an average rating of 3.4/5 on the official Star Trek website .-Plot summary:...
". This led to a staff position in 1991 as a script-writer, resulting in credits for a number of popular episodes including "
Cause and EffectCause and effect refers to the philosophical concept of causality.It can also refer to:* Cause-and-effect diagram, or Ishikawa diagram, a diagram that shows the causes of a certain event* Cause and Effect , an American electronica/synthpop band...
", "
Frame of Mind"Frame of Mind" is the 21st episode of the sixth season of the science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation.-Plot Summary:...
" and "
Parallels"Parallels" is an episode from the seventh season of Star Trek: The Next Generation directed by Robert Wiemer from a script by Brannon Braga.- Synopsis :...
".
At the start of
The Next Generation's final season, Braga (now a co-producer) and Moore (whom he had worked with a few times in the intervening four years) were picked to write a script for the first cinema appearance of
The Next Generation crew,
Star Trek Generations, which they developed over the final year. They were again picked to write the script for the series finale "All Good Things...", for which they won a
Hugo Award for Best Dramatic PresentationThe Hugo Awards are given annually by members of the World Science Fiction Convention for the best science fiction or fantasy works. The awards are named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and given in various categories.Winners for the...
.
Star Trek: Voyager
After
The Next Generation concluded in 1994, Braga joined the creative staff on
Star Trek: VoyagerStar Trek: Voyager is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. The show was created by Rick Berman, Michael Piller, and Jeri Taylor and is the fourth incarnation of Star Trek, which began with the 1960s series Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry...
as a producer. In 1996, Braga and Moore collaborated again, on the second
The Next Generation film,
Star Trek: First ContactStar Trek: First Contact is the eighth feature film in the Star Trek science fiction franchise, released in November 1996 by Paramount Pictures. First Contact is the first film in the franchise to exclusively feature the cast of the Star Trek: The Next Generation television series...
, which received the second highest gross of all the Star Trek films. After the departure of
Jeri TaylorJeri Taylor is a television scriptwriter and producer who is known for her contributions to the Star Trek series. She is an alumna of Indiana University, where she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta.-Star Trek screenwriting:...
at the end of Voyager's fourth season in 1998, Braga became an executive producer and was effectively running the show on Voyager.
Braga and Moore again collaborated in 1999, on the
Mission: Impossible IIMission: Impossible II is a 2000 action film directed by John Woo, and starring Tom Cruise, who also served as the film's producer...
screenplay. Although their draft was not the final one used, it did earn them a story credit in the film. They were approached to do a third Star Trek film starring
The Next Generation cast, but declined.
When
Star Trek: Deep Space NineStar Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television program that premiered in 1993 and ran for seven seasons, ending in 1999. Rooted in Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek universe, it was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, at the request of Brandon Tartikoff, and produced by Paramount...
ended in 1999, Moore transferred over to the
creative staff of
Voyager as a co-executive producer, but quickly departed citing problems working with his old writing partner, Braga:
- I have very hurt feelings about Brannon. What happened between he and I is just between he and I. It was a breakdown of trust. I would have quit any show where I was not allowed to participate in the process like that. I wasn’t allowed to participate in the process, and I wasn’t part of the show. I felt like I was freelancing my own show. ... I was very disappointed that my long-time friend and writing partner acted in that manner, that crossed lines to the point where I felt like I had to walk away from STAR TREK, which was something that meant a lot to me for a very long time, from my childhood right through my entire professional career.
However, Moore and Braga mended their friendship after the end of
Voyagers run.
Star Trek: Enterprise
When Voyager
concluded in 2001, Braga developed Star Trek: EnterpriseEnterprise is a science fiction television program created by Brannon Braga and Rick Berman and set in the fictional Star Trek universe created by Gene Roddenberry in the 1960s...
with Rick BermanRichard Keith "Rick" Berman is an American television producer. He is most famous for his work as the executive producer of several Star Trek series and movies, and succeeding Gene Roddenberry as head of the franchise until the cancellation of Star Trek: Enterprise in 2005.-Early work:Berman...
. From the series debut in September 2001 until the end of the third season in May 2004, Braga was the executive producer in charge of the day to day running of the show, handing over the reins of the writing staff to Manny CotoManny Coto is an American writer, director and producer of films and television programs. He was the executive producer and showrunner of Star Trek: Enterprise in its final season, and executive producer of three seasons of 24.-Career:...
for season four. However, due to declining viewing figures, Enterprise
was canceled by UPNUnited Paramount Network was a television network that broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States, being in production for over eleven years. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries. It was later owned by CBS Corporation. Its first night of broadcasting was...
during season four, which was allowed to complete.
Threshold
Before the cancellation of Enterprise
, Braga started developing a new science fiction series for CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...
called ThresholdThreshold is a science fiction drama television series that first aired on CBS in September 2005. Produced by Brannon Braga, David S. Goyer and David Heyman, the series focuses on a secret government project investigating the first contact with an extraterrestrial species.The series was first shown...
, which debuted in September 2005. Braga formed his own production company, Braga Productions to facilitate this project. Set in the modern day, the series focuses on a group of experts who are investigating an alien craft discovered in the Atlantic Ocean. The series was first shown on Friday nights, but was moved to Tuesday in an attempt to improve its ratings. This effort did not succeed, and
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...
cancelled the series on November 23, 2005.
The concept of Threshold
was created by David S. GoyerDavid Samuel Goyer is an American screenwriter, film director and comic book writer.-Biography:Goyer was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan...
(co-writer of Batman BeginsBatman Begins is a superhero film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman, directed by Christopher Nolan. It stars Christian Bale as Batman, along with Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Ken Watanabe, Tom Wilkinson, and Rutger Hauer...
, writer or co-writer of the BladeBlade is a 1998 vampire action film starring Wesley Snipes and Stephen Dorff, loosely based on the published stories of the fictional Marvel Comics character Blade. It was directed by Stephen Norrington and written by David S. Goyer. Snipes plays the titular character, a vampire hunter who is...
films, director of Blade: TrinityBlade: Trinity is a American vampire, Marvel Comics action film, written and directed by David S. Goyer, who also wrote the screenplays to the first two Blade films. It is the third film in the Blade trilogy, following on from Blade and Blade II and it is based on the Marvel Comics character...
) and David HeymanDavid Heyman is a British film producer born in London, England in 1961. He is best known for obtaining the film rights to the Harry Potter films in 1999, and since then producing the saga of films.- Biography :...
(producer of the Harry PotterHarry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter, together with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, his friends from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
films). Threshold
did earn some good reviews during its run, including four out of four stars from 'USA Today'.
24
: Season 7
Brannon Braga also currently serves as Executive Producer on the Fox Network real time action/drama series, 24
24 is an American serial action/drama television series. Broadcast by Fox in the United States and syndicated worldwide, the show first aired on November 6, 2001, with an initial 13 episodes...
. He has worked on episodes 3, 6, 7, 10, 12, 13, 16, 18, 21, and 24 in season 7.Season Seven, also known as Day 7 of the American serial television series 24, was to premiere on January 13, 2008, but was delayed for one year due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. On November 23, 2008, Fox aired 24: Redemption, a two-hour TV movie set between seasons. Season...
FlashForward
Brannon Braga is co-creator and Co-Executive Producer of the ABC science fiction series, FlashForward
starring Joseph FiennesJoseph Alberic Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes is an English film and stage actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayals of William Shakespeare in Shakespeare in Love, Sir Robert Dudley in Elizabeth, Commisar Danilov in Enemy at the Gates, Martin Luther in Luther, and Mark Benford in the 2009 TV...
which debuted on September 24, 2009. He also co-wrote the pilot and episode 2.
Criticism
Along with Star Trek
franchise head and Enterprise
co-creator Rick BermanRichard Keith "Rick" Berman is an American television producer. He is most famous for his work as the executive producer of several Star Trek series and movies, and succeeding Gene Roddenberry as head of the franchise until the cancellation of Star Trek: Enterprise in 2005.-Early work:Berman...
, Braga has often been the subject of heated fan criticism, especially with regards to his showrunning duties on Voyager
and Enterprise
. Responding to accusations from Star Trek
fandom that he was responsible for Star Trek
s declining ratings and eventual cancellation, Braga commented:
- It's not a pleasant thing to think of yourself [as] to blame. There are other factors involved with
Star Trek losing its audience appeal over the years, but [...] I will take my share of the blame creatively. It's almost impossible for me to sit here and say 'yes, I did this, that, and this wrong' and I'm certainly not going to get on the internet and look at what the fans think, because that would be too painful. But give it a little more time [and] I'm sure I can look back and figure out what the fuck I did wrong."
External links
- Brannon Braga - profile on the official Star Trek site.
- Brannon Braga - profile on TV.com
TV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The service was launched on June 1, 2005 and replaced the popular TV Tome website.- Format :...