(written from a Production point of view)
Chris Black was a staff writer on Star Trek: Enterprise during the first through third seasons. He also served as the show's supervising producer during its first season and became a co-executive producer for its second and third seasons.
The character Admiral Black in the fourth season episode "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II", portrayed by Gregory Itzin, was apparently named after him by Michael Sussman in recognition for the writer's naming of Suus Mahna, an ancient Vulcan martial arts, in the episode "Marauders". MACO Private C. Black was also named after him. In 2003, Black was interviewed for the Star Trek Monthly issue 106. Also in 2003 he was nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form for his teleplay for the episode "Carbon Creek".
He left the series after the third season because he felt burned out and that he couldn't do anything more creative-wise in the Star Trek franchise. (The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years)
Prior to his work on Enterprise, Black was an executive story editor, writer, co-producer and later producer on Sliders between 1998 and 2000, which was co-created by Tracy Tormé and starred Jerry O'Connell. Between 1995 and 1998 he also worked as story editor and writer on Weird Science. In 1997 he write the story for the action film Masterminds, starring Patrick Stewart. Black also wrote episodes of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show (starring Barbara Alyn Woods and Thomas Dekker), The Magnificent Seven (1998), Poltergeist: The Legacy (1997-1998), The Huntress (2000-2001, also as supervising producer), Xena: Warrior Princess (2000 and 2001), and Cleopatra 2525 (2000-2001) on which he also worked as co-executive producer.
Following his work on Enterprise he joined the award winning drama series Desperate Housewives in 2004, first as consulting producer and then as co-executive producer until 2006. For this series, which featured Teri Hatcher, Brenda Strong, Steven Culp, Alfre Woodard, Bob Gunton, and Mark Moses as regulars during Black's tenure, he also wrote four episodes. Other series he worked on as writer and co-executive producer include Hawaii (2004), Vanished (2006), and Ugly Betty (2008-2010, starring Vanessa Williams). For the television series Standoff (2007), Reaper (2007-2008, starring Ray Wise), and K-Ville (2007-2008) he served as writer and consulting producer.
In 2012, Black briefly served as co-executive producer on Mad Men, where he worked under executive producers and fellow Enterprise writers André Jacquemetton and Maria Jacquemetton. In 2013, he worked as co-executive producer on the short-lived crime series Red Widow, which co-starred Clifton Collins, Jr., and in 2016-17, the short-lived horror series Outcast, which featured Reg E. Cathey and Brent Spiner in the cast.
Star Trek credits[]
- ENT: as Writer
- "Rogue Planet" (teleplay, story with Rick Berman and Brannon Braga)
- "Fallen Hero" (story with Rick Berman and Brannon Braga)
- "Two Days and Two Nights" (teleplay)
- "Carbon Creek" (teleplay)
- "Singularity"
- "Cease Fire"
- "The Breach" (teleplay with John Shiban)
- "First Flight" (with John Shiban)
- "Rajiin" (teleplay with Brent V. Friedman)
- "The Shipment" (with Brent V. Friedman)
- "Proving Ground"
- "Doctor's Orders"
- "The Forgotten" (with David A. Goodman)
- "Countdown" (with André Bormanis)
- ENT: as Supervising Producer
- "The Andorian Incident"
- "Breaking the Ice"
- "Civilization"
- "Fortunate Son"
- "Cold Front"
- "Silent Enemy"
- "Dear Doctor"
- "Sleeping Dogs"
- "Shadows of P'Jem"
- "Shuttlepod One"
- "Fusion"
- "Rogue Planet"
- "Acquisition"
- "Oasis"
- "Detained"
- "Vox Sola"
- "Fallen Hero"
- "Desert Crossing"
- "Two Days and Two Nights"
- "Shockwave"