(written from a Production point of view)
Peter James Lauritson (born 25 April 1952; age 71) was involved in the Star Trek franchise between 1987, when Star Trek: The Next Generation debuted, and 2005, when Star Trek: Enterprise ended. From the start Lauritson, as (co-) producer, occupied one of the senior managerial production staff positions, but was also given the opportunity to acquire hands-on skills over the years as (second-unit) director on three television episodes and two movies. While all producers had a say in all the managerial aspects of the productions, it was Lauritson who was the producer to whom the visual effects – after Edward K. Milkis left early in the first season of the Next Generation –, editing, sound and art departments usually answered to, him signing off on legal and financial aspects regarding propositions of these departments, while colleague Rick Berman usually had the final say regarding the actual use of these departments' propositions. On the backside of the below-mentioned trading card, he has himself described his responsibilities as follows, "I am in charge of all post-production aspects of the show. This includes: film transfers to videotape, sound effects, visual effects, music, sound mixing, and final delivery of the finished episode. I supervise a staff of fourteen people." The workload however, increased substantially after more than one Star Trek production were added to the array, starting in 1993 with the addition of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and the decision was made to elevate Visual Effects Supervisor Dan Curry to the newly conceived rank of visual effects producer, to alleviate the work pressure on Lauritson. Lauritson's work on the franchise earned him a Hugo Award in 1993 as director, supplemented with a 1994 Emmy Award nomination for The Next Generation as producer.
Lauritson had already had an earlier brush with the franchise when he performed some preliminary (uncredited) pre-production work in 1981 on Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. When he heard six years later that a new Star Trek television series was being developed, he offered his services so he could take advantage of recent developments in post-production technology on the new show, upon which he was subsequently hired. [1]
In addition he had a small cameo role as a still image of Thomas Raymond on a computer display in the TNG episode "The Neutral Zone". Lauritson also received special thanks in the end credits of the 2000 video game Star Trek: Invasion, and has over the course of his tenure on the franchise been interviewed for several magazines including The Official Star Trek: The Next Generation Magazine issue 26, Star Trek Monthly issue 31, pp. 22-30, Star Trek: The Magazine Volume 1, Issue 3, pp. 85-89; and Star Trek: The Magazine Volume 2, Issue 4, pp. 51-57.
Lauritson was honored by SkyBox International with an individual card entry, no. 34, in their 1993 specialty Star Trek: The Next Generation - Behind the Scenes trading card set.
His name was referenced throughout the run of the Star Trek series.
In the process Peter Lauritson has become one of the very few Star Trek staffers in any function (the exclusive assembly including among others Rick Berman, Ronald B. Moore, David Takemura and Michael Okuda), to have officially served uninterrupted for the full eighteen years on the entire run in the "Berman-era" of the modern television franchise, having worked on all series at one time or another, with the four Next Generation movies added to his Star Trek resume.
Career outside Star Trek[]
Prior to his involvement with the television franchise, Peter Lauritson had worked at Paramount Television for eight years as head of the television post-production department, and it was during this time he had his brush with The Wrath of Khan. [2]
Following the end of Star Trek: Enterprise, Lauritson worked as post-production supervisor on the television drama Sixty Minute Man (2006) and as associate producer on the television series The Starter Wife (2007) and The Mentalist (2008-2009).
Star Trek credits[]
(This list is currently incomplete.)
- As Unknown:
- Star Trek films
- Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan – Uncredited
- Star Trek films
- As Producer:
- TNG:
- Season 1 – Associate Producer
- Season 2 – Associate Producer
- Season 3 – Co-Producer
- Season 4 – Co-Producer
- Season 5 – Co-Producer
- Season 6 – Producer
- Season 7 – Producer
- "Descent, Part II" – Producer/Consulting Procucer
- "Liaisons" – Producer
- "Interface" – Producer
- "Gambit, Part I" – Producer
- "Gambit, Part II" – Producer
- "Phantasms" – Producer
- "Dark Page" – Producer
- "Attached" – Producer
- "Force of Nature" – Producer
- "Inheritance" – Producer
- "Parallels" – Producer
- "The Pegasus" – Producer
- "Homeward" – Producer
- "Sub Rosa" – Consulting Producer
- "Lower Decks" – Consulting Producer
- "Thine Own Self" – Consulting Producer
- "Masks" – Consulting Producer
- "Eye of the Beholder" – Consulting Producer
- "Genesis" – Consulting Producer
- "Journey's End" – Consulting Producer
- "Firstborn" – Consulting Producer
- "Bloodlines" – Consulting Producer
- "Emergence" – Consulting Producer
- "Preemptive Strike" – Consulting Producer
- "All Good Things..." – Consulting Producer
- DS9:
- Season 1 – Producer
- Season 2 – Producer/Consulting Producer
- "The Homecoming" – Producer
- "The Circle" – Producer
- "The Siege" – Producer
- "Invasive Procedures" – Producer
- "Cardassians" – Producer
- "Melora" – Producer
- "Rules of Acquisition" – Producer
- "Necessary Evil" – Producer
- "Second Sight" – Producer
- "Sanctuary" – Producer
- "Rivals" – Producer
- "The Alternate" – Producer
- "Armageddon Game" – Consulting Producer
- "Whispers" – Consulting Producer
- "Paradise" – Consulting Producer
- "Shadowplay" – Consulting Producer
- "Playing God" – Consulting Producer
- "Profit and Loss" – Consulting Producer
- "Blood Oath" – Consulting Producer
- "The Maquis, Part I" – Consulting Producer
- "The Maquis, Part II" – Consulting Producer
- "The Wire" – Consulting Producer
- "Crossover" – Consulting Producer
- "The Collaborator" – Consulting Producer
- "Tribunal" – Consulting Producer
- "The Jem'Hadar" – Consulting Producer
- Season 3 – Producer
- Season 4 – Supervising Producer
- Season 5 – Supervising Producer
- Season 6 – Supervising Producer
- Season 7 – Supervising Producer
- VOY:
- ENT:
- Star Trek films
- Star Trek Generations – Co-Producer
- Star Trek: First Contact – Co-Producer
- Star Trek: Insurrection – Co-Producer
- Star Trek Nemesis – Co-Producer
- TNG:
- As Director:
- TNG:
- VOY:
- "Lineage"
- Star Trek films
- Star Trek: First Contact – Second Unit Director
- Star Trek: Insurrection – Second Unit Director
Star Trek awards[]
Peter Lauritson has received the following award win and nomination:
Emmy Award nomination[]
As Supervising Producer, Lauritson received the following Emmy Award nomination in the category Outstanding Drama Series:
- 1994 for Star Trek: The Next Generation, shared with Rick Berman, Michael Piller, Jeri Taylor, David Livingston,Ronald D. Moore, Merri Howard, Brannon Braga, and Wendy Neuss
Hugo Award[]
- 1993 Hugo Award in the category Best Dramatic Presentation as Director for the episode "The Inner Light", shared with Morgan Gendel and Peter Allan Fields
Star Trek interviews[]
- Star Trek DVD and Blu-ray special features:
- TNG Season 1 DVD-special feature, "The Making of a Legend"
- TNG Season 1 DVD-special feature, "Memorable Missions"
- TNG Season 2 DVD-special feature, "Mission Overview Year Two" ("Ten Forward"), interviewed on 5 October 2001
- TNG Season 2 DVD-special-feature, "Selected Crew Analysis Year Two", interviewed on 5 October 2001
- TNG Season 2 DVD-special-feature, "Departmental Briefing Year Two: Production", interviewed on 5 October 2001
- TNG Season 2 DVD-special-feature, "Departmental Briefing Year Two: Memorable Missions" ("Loud As A Whisper", "The Icarus Factor", "Elementary, Dear Data", "Manhunt", "The Measure Of A Man"), interviewed on 5 October 2001
- TNG Season 3 DVD-special feature, "Mission Overview Year Three", interviewed on 5 October 2001
- TNG Season 4 DVD-special feature, "New Life and New Civilizations" ("The Best of Both Worlds"), interviewed on 21 August 1991
- TNG Season 4 DVD-special feature, "Select Historical Data" ("Galaxy's Child"), interviewed on 5 October 2001
- TNG Season 5 DVD-special feature, "Departmental Briefing Year Five" ("Production", "Visual Effects", "Shooting Elements"), interviewed on 5 October 2001
- DS9 Season 1 DVD-special feature, "Deep Space Nine Scrapbook Year One"/ "Building the Station" (interview from 5 October 1992)
- Star Trek: Insurrection (Blu-ray), deleted scenes intro
- TNG Season 2 Blu-ray-special feature, "Making It So: Continuing Star Trek: TNG" (2012)
- TNG Season 5 Blu-ray-special feature, "Requiem: A Remembrance of Star Trek: The Next Generation" (2013)
- Print publications:
- "Visions of the Future", Larry Nemecek, Star Trek Monthly issue 31, pp. 22-30, September 1997
- "Star Trek's supervising producer: Peter Lauritson", Star Trek: The Magazine Volume 1, Issue 3, pp. 85-89, July 1999
- "Behind the Scenes: Designing Star Trek: Voyager", Star Trek: The Magazine Volume 2, Issue 4, pp. 51-57, August 2001
- Star Trek documentaries: