"Dead Stop" Wins Visual Effects Award

A mysterious automated repair station earned the modelmakers of Enterprise honors from the Visual Effects Society (VES) at its first annual awards ceremony last night. John Teska, Koji Kuramura, Pierre Drolet and Sean Scott were cited in the category "Best Models and Miniatures in a Televised Program, Music Video or Commercial" for their work in "Dead Stop," which was directed by Roxann Dawson.

Enterprise garnered one other VES nomination, "Best Visual Effects in a Television Series," on behalf of Shockwave, Part I," but lost to the pilot episode of Firefly. More information can be found at the Visual Effects Society Web Site and at this related story.

Original Series Director Jud Taylor to Receive DGA Award

The director of five classic Star Trek episodes including "The Paradise Syndrome" and "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" will be honored by the Directors Guild of America (DGA) at its award ceremony on March 1. He will be presented with the Robert B. Aldrich Achievement Award for extraordinary service to the Guild and to its membership.

Taylor, president of the DGA from 1981-83, is a veteran of more than 40 made-for-TV movies and numerous television series including Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and The Fugitive. His other Star Trek episodes were "Wink of an Eye," "The Mark of Gideon" and "The Cloud Minders." Taylor actually started his entertainment career as an actor in a 1956 film directed by Robert Aldrich.

"Jud Taylor's dedication and service to the Guild and its members has spanned three decades, resulting in immeasurable rewards that our membership continues to reap to this day," said DGA President Martha Coolidge. "The Robert B. Aldrich Award is the highest award given by the DGA for service to the Guild and our members — and Jud is most certainly a deserving recipient."

More about Taylor and the award can be found on this page at DGA.org.

Discuss these topics at the Star Trek message boards!