Article from Startrek.com. Star Tek Behind the scenes. -- Enterprise and All Things Trek

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Date Posted: 18:58:23 06/05/05 Sun
Author: Computer Geek!
Subject: Article from Startrek.com. Star Tek Behind the scenes.

Star Trek: Enterprise may be gone, but the show and the people who worked on it are hardly forgotten. The following article originally appeared two years ago on the previous version of STARTREK.COM for our Enterprise section.
Producing a TV show like Star Trek requires a small battalion; headquarters (the production office) and several other companies (art department, wardrobe, make-up, stage crew, post production, etc.) all serve as components to what has been described as a well-oiled machine. Another important component within the battalion is the security team, the ones charged with being the first in and last out, the ones who make sure that everyone that is on set should be on set. Steve D'Errico and working partner Lazard ("L.Z.") Ward comprise the security team guarding the sets and actor trailers for Star Trek: Enterprise.

The hours are long but the rewards are great. For starters, you get to look after the cast and crew of Star Trek, one of the more respected, professional and expert television crews in all of Hollywood. But the responsibility is great and for that, like most other positions, the show requires dedication and hard work. Steve joined the Star Trek security team after five years at Paramount. "I came to work, like all the other security people in our department, as what is called a 'floater,'" he recalls. "I worked a number of different productions and television shows. The person I replaced, who was a full-time security guard on Voyager at the time, left at the end of the fifth season. I interviewed for the position, got it, and came to work on season five of Voyager. I had also, prior to that � which helped me a great deal � been the security officer for the filming of 'Star Trek: Insurrection.' I worked on that production for about four months. Quite a few of the same people who worked on 'Insurrection' also worked on Voyager. So I got to know quite a few of the people at that time. I started here in January of 1998."

Prior to Paramount, Steve was based at another venue Los Angeles is famous for � the shopping mall. "I was security director for a number of shopping malls in southern California. My last job was a very large shopping mall in Torrance called the Del Amo Fashion Center."

After landing at Paramount, Steve discovered that he had another interest: writing. "Actually, my interest in writing didn't really come forward until I started working on Voyager. I got to know the writers and I had a few ideas for Voyager. I worked on them a little bit, and when I felt comfortable enough, I approached Bryan Fuller, who at that time was one of the head writers for the show and asked him if it was possible to pitch a couple of story ideas. He said sure and, as a result, I was actually able to sell a story idea to Voyager for season seven. Unfortunately, it never got made, but it was a very interesting experience."

Of all the Star Trek shows, Steve's favorite is Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. "I am a Deep Space Nine fan, but I like all the incarnations," he says. "I enjoyed the actors a great deal on DS9 and I'm a very big Avery Brooks fan. I thought he was excellent. 'In the Pale Moonlight' is, without a doubt, I think, one of the best episodes ever produced on Star Trek.

Other Trek episodes that made their mark on Steve include a couple from Star Trek: The Next Generation, including "The Measure of a Man," "The Drumhead" and "The Pegasus."

"Those are three of the strongest TNG episodes that stand out in my mind," he comments.

The hours worked on a TV show can be legendary, but some things help pass the time. The crews, he says, are "a lot of fun and a great group of people to work with. Bob Picardo, when we were on Voyager, did a fun parody song about the hours we put in on the show. I average about 14-16 hours a day at work, not including my commute time. When people ask me about my hours I always say, 'The hours are lousy, but the actual minutes are really good!' We've had nights where we wrapped at 2:30 a.m. Normally, I leave about 45 minutes to an hour after the show finishes. We have to secure the stage, make sure all the proper power is turned off. The longest day I ever worked was on 'Insurrection' where my actual, physical work day, all things excluded, drive time, everything, was 21 � hours continuously."

As for Enterprise, it's an experience he won't soon forget. "I've never worked in an environment where I felt closer to the people I work with. There's a lot of humor. Everybody's very supportive of each other � that is cast and crew. The cast is a great group of people. They're very outgoing and giving." In other words, they treat everyone like real people, regardless.

The captain may be the leader, but as for Scott Bakula, don't confuse him with someone who treats others any differently. "People ask me what's it like to work with Scott Bakula and I tell that he is the kind of person that you would want to have for a next door neighbor. He's real, genuine and has, undoubtedly, one of the funniest senses of humor I've ever heard. He's extremely well-read, he knows film, he knows television and if you can make a joke, Scott picks it up instantly and he'll run with it. He's a great guy."

And it's working with people like Scott and the rest of the crew that makes Steve's job all the more enjoyable. Remember, those security hours at the studio don't factor in your drive time, your down time, your sleep. "My travel time varies. It usually takes me about an hour to get to work, but on a bad day, it can take as long as two and a half hours to get in."

Once Steve arrives, and his arrival time changes from day to day depending on where they are in the shooting of the week's episode, his work begins. "I'll get here in the morning, see if anything's going on, check the office, check the briefings, go to the stage, double-check that everything that needs to be unlocked is unlocked and everything that needs to stay locked is still locked. Then, depending on the day of the week, I'll either work a certain position on stage or in the back of a stage to make sure that people who are only authorized to can come on set. We also try to help out the production staff as much as possible, if they need something moved or unlocked, we're there for that."

Once home and away from work, Steve enjoys his spare time � or what little of it he actually has. Some of the other television shows that take his fancy include Frasier and a certain political show that appeals to his political interests: The West Wing. "I like The West Wing tremendously," he says. "I've found that a lot of people on Enterprise are West Wing fans. The writing is very sharp � I've become sort of a political junkie so I enjoy that show. I also enjoy Stargate SG-1. Some of the stories are really well done. I don't really have a lot of time to watch television, other than those few shows."

And reading? Well, you can almost forget about the novels he used to once devour with great regularity. "I used to try and read a lot of sci-fi years and years ago, but I'm afraid I don't have much time for it now. I still try to read Tom Clancy. I enjoy his books. Now it's mostly newspapers and periodicals. It's tough to get into novels when you work the hours I work! On the weekend, I have a family and I'm trying to do stuff around my home."

What the cast and crew often cherish is the hiatus, the breaks between seasons that are akin to summer vacation. "I'm doing a lot of stuff around my house, because you have to let a lot things slide during the season. Basically, my turnaround, I'm home eight to eight and half hours between shifts, so obviously a lot of that time is spent sleeping. I do stuff around my home. I live fairly close to Disneyland � I enjoy Disneyland a lot. I used to work there. I've got an annual pass and a lot times I'll just go down and hang out at Disneyland. My wife's not a big fan, but I'll go and just spend the day there. I also try to do a little writing, but sometimes your writer's block prevents you from getting much accomplished!"

Disneyland in his down time, maybe. But Steve has had an even better annual pass, and that is one to Startrekland!

[Editor's note: Towards the end of Season 4, Steve realized a life-long dream to appear in a Star Trek episode. He can be seen playing an admiral in the two-part arc "Demons" and "Terra Prime.]

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Replies:

[> Why post this? -- t, 16:41:12 06/09/05 Thu

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[> [> It is StarTrek related. I guess I'm the only one who thought it was worth reading. -- Computer Geek!, 17:46:20 06/09/05 Thu

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[> Thanks for posting this. I think I read it before. I enjoyed hearing what a nice guy Scott is. -- PB, 18:46:44 06/29/05 Wed

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[> [> I'm glad somebody liked it other than I. -- Computer Geek!, 03:16:02 07/10/05 Sun

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