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IMDbPro

Michael Piller(1948-2005)

  • Writer
  • Producer
  • Additional Crew
IMDbProStarmeter
See rank
Michael went to school in New York before taking a creative writing course. The professor for this course told everyone, "There are enough bad writers out there. There needn't be anymore". Michael recalls that the professor would rip up his writing and he would be so broken-hearted. This professor eventually chased him into journalism, where Michael won two Emmys for his work as a news producer. Michael went back to New York for a few years before seeing a "Chorus Line" show and deciding to pursue his writing career. He originally came back to Los Angeles as a censor for CBS in the late seventies. He eventually started writing spec scripts for such TV series as Simon & Simon (1981) and Cagney & Lacey (1981) before landing a role as a producer on Simon & Simon (1981). He worked his way through the producer ranks and jumped from series to series before being called in by long-time friend, Maurice Hurley, who was, at the time, writing and producing episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987). Michael wrote a few episodes for season three (1989-90) before becoming a full-fledged Executive Producer. In 1992, Piller and Rick Berman (who was also Executive Producer) decided to create a new series based in the "Star Trek Universe". Thus, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993) was created. Piller oversaw the writing, casting, budget, etc. for two season before Paramount called him in again to create a new series after Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) ended in 1994. Star Trek: Voyager (1995), created by Jeri Taylor, Pillar and Rick Berman, was born into the television universe, as the flagship for the new United Paramount Network (UPN), running until 2001. Piller left Star Trek: Voyager (1995) in 1996, after nine years of working in the Star Trek franchise. He created the ill-fated, but critically-acclaimed, western for UPN called Legend (1995), starring Richard Dean Anderson and John de Lancie. Also in 1996, Piller successfully sold his first feature film script entitled, "Oversight" (1998). It has yet to be produced. In 1997, he co-wrote Star Trek: Insurrection (1998), with Rick Berman, which was released in 1998. His most successful post-Trek outing was developing the Stephen King property, "The Dead Zone", along with his son Shawn Piller, for television. Piller died from cancer on November 2, 2005.
BornMay 30, 1948
DiedNovember 1, 2005(57)
BornMay 30, 1948
DiedNovember 1, 2005(57)
IMDbProStarmeter
See rank
Add or change photo on IMDbPro
  • Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy

Known for

F. Murray Abraham in Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)
Star Trek: Insurrection
6.4
  • Writer
  • 1998
Michael Dorn, Jonathan Frakes, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, and Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
Star Trek: The Next Generation
8.7
TV Series
  • Writer(showrunner)
Michael Dorn, Terry Farrell, Colm Meaney, Nana Visitor, Avery Brooks, Armin Shimerman, Rene Auberjonois, and Alexander Siddig in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
8.1
TV Series
  • Writer
Robert Beltran, Jennifer Lien, Robert Duncan McNeill, Kate Mulgrew, Robert Picardo, Jeri Ryan, Roxann Dawson, Ethan Phillips, Tim Russ, and Garrett Wang in Star Trek: Voyager (1995)
Star Trek: Voyager
7.8
TV Series
  • Writer

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Writer

  • Day One
    • (creator)
    • Completed
  • To the Journey: Looking Back at Star Trek: Voyager
    • (creator)
    • In Production
  • Wildfire (2005)
    Wildfire
    • ...
  • Anthony Michael Hall in The Dead Zone (2002)
    The Dead Zone
    • ...
  • Star Trek: Voyager - The Arcade Game
  • The Dead Zone (2002)
    The Dead Zone
  • Robert Beltran, Jennifer Lien, Robert Duncan McNeill, Kate Mulgrew, Robert Picardo, Jeri Ryan, Roxann Dawson, Ethan Phillips, Tim Russ, and Garrett Wang in Star Trek: Voyager (1995)
    Star Trek: Voyager
    • ...
  • Michael Dorn, Terry Farrell, Colm Meaney, Nana Visitor, Avery Brooks, Armin Shimerman, Rene Auberjonois, and Alexander Siddig in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993)
    Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
    • ...
  • F. Murray Abraham in Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)
    Star Trek: Insurrection
  • Richard Dean Anderson and John de Lancie in Legend (1995)
    Legend
  • 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine': Behind the Scenes (1993)
    'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine': Behind the Scenes
  • Michael Dorn, Jonathan Frakes, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, and Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
    Star Trek: The Next Generation
    • (showrunner)
  • Hard Time on Planet Earth (1989)
    Hard Time on Planet Earth
  • Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas in Miami Vice (1984)
    Miami Vice
  • Probe (1988)
    Probe
  • Ernie Reyes Jr. in Sidekicks (1986)
    Sidekicks
  • Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker in Simon & Simon (1981)
    Simon & Simon

Producer

  • Anthony Michael Hall in The Dead Zone (2002)
    The Dead Zone
  • Wildfire (2005)
    Wildfire
  • The Dead Zone (2002)
    The Dead Zone
  • F. Murray Abraham in Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)
    Star Trek: Insurrection
  • Robert Beltran, Jennifer Lien, Robert Duncan McNeill, Kate Mulgrew, Robert Picardo, Jeri Ryan, Roxann Dawson, Ethan Phillips, Tim Russ, and Garrett Wang in Star Trek: Voyager (1995)
    Star Trek: Voyager
    • (showrunner)
  • Richard Dean Anderson and John de Lancie in Legend (1995)
    Legend
  • Michael Dorn, Terry Farrell, Colm Meaney, Nana Visitor, Avery Brooks, Armin Shimerman, Rene Auberjonois, and Alexander Siddig in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993)
    Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
    • (showrunner)
  • Michael Dorn, Jonathan Frakes, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, and Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
    Star Trek: The Next Generation
    • (showrunner)
  • Hard Time on Planet Earth (1989)
    Hard Time on Planet Earth
  • Probe (1988)
    Probe
    • (produced by)
  • Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas in Miami Vice (1984)
    Miami Vice
  • Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker in Simon & Simon (1981)
    Simon & Simon

Additional Crew

  • Wildfire (2005)
    Wildfire
  • Robert Beltran, Jennifer Lien, Robert Duncan McNeill, Kate Mulgrew, Robert Picardo, Jeri Ryan, Roxann Dawson, Ethan Phillips, Tim Russ, and Garrett Wang in Star Trek: Voyager (1995)
    Star Trek: Voyager
  • Michael Dorn, Terry Farrell, Colm Meaney, Nana Visitor, Avery Brooks, Armin Shimerman, Rene Auberjonois, and Alexander Siddig in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993)
    Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
  • Star Trek Continuum
  • Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker in Simon & Simon (1981)
    Simon & Simon

Personal details

Edit
    • May 30, 1948
    • Port Chester, New York, USA
    • November 1, 2005
    • Los Angeles, California, USA(cancer)
    • Sandra PillerJune 6, 1981 - November 1, 2005 (his death, 3 children)
  • Publicity listings
    • 6 Interviews
    • 3 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    On the week of Piller's death, Canadian sci-fi station Space aired a marathon of Star Trek: Voyager (1995) and Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) episodes he had written.
  • Quotes
    It's always about the human condition. Go back to that and you'll find your story.

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