Even though he currently works on his own hit series, writer/producer Michael Piller's influence is still felt throughout the Star Trek universe. In the special Mentor Issue of Variety, Enterprise co-creator and executive producer Brannon Braga discusses Piller's influence on him. Braga came to the Star Trek fold as an intern during Piller's tenure as executive producer of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

"The internship was like a brief college education in being a staff writer," says Braga. "Michael answered my stupid questions and gave me a shot, and not only to be an intern. He also let me write something in the end."

Braga's internship was part of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' student intern program, which Variety notes has been selected by the Princeton Review as one of the top ten in the country for the past nine years.

"The word 'mentor' is strange," says Piller, who currently serves as executive producer of USA Network's The Dead Zone. "I just brought Brannon onboard and encouraged his talent."

Braga notes that his days working with Piller continue to have an impact on him. "I would not have a career if it was not for people taking an interest and helping me," he says. "A lot of the stuff I observed and absorbed I'm only now realizing and using."

Discuss Braga and Piller on the Star Trek Message Boards!