"I heard a news report on my car radio that Paramount had announced plans for a new STAR TREK television series," Stillwell recalls of the day he finished working on his first film project, a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie shooting in Oregon in 1986. "So I immediately sent my resume off to Susan Sackett in Gene Roddenberry's office, and Susan was very kind to pass it along to the right people. During another well-timed trip to Los Angeles, producer Bob Justman invited me to the Studio for a job interview. He was looking to hire two production assistants for the new series."

Stillwell says he was overlooked for one of those positions but not forgotten when, working as a page at Paramount Studios, Stillwell was spotted by Justman as he helped with door duty for the studio premiere of the ST:TNG pilot.

"As good fortune would have it, when Bob Justman arrived with his wife, he actually remembered me from my interview months earlier and he introduced me to his wife, even remembering my name," Stillwell explains. "He seemed both surprised and pleased to see that I was working at the Studio - in part, perhaps, because I had never shown up on his doorstep or had ever ventured onto one of the STAR TREK soundstages, which are closed to everybody but cast and crew, and the occasional visitor approved by the production office. Fortunately for me, nobody would remember me for not knowing who Rick Berman was or being unable to find his name on the guest list! I wasn't going to let him in!"

Eric eventually landed a job as a production assistant on TNG on October 13, 1987, which led to his becoming script coordinator two years later. He then collaborated on the story for "Yesterday's Enterprise." During a hiatus from TREK after TNG's fifth season, Stillwell ran conventions and even sold the story that became VOYAGER's "Prime Factors." When VOYAGER entered its second season, he became Michael Piller's assistant and has remained with him since, becoming script coordinator and then a producer on the hit USA Network series THE DEAD ZONE. Eric is also the office manager of Piller's production company Piller² and its partnership with Lloyd Segan's Segan Company. Stillwell says his time with TREK was truly memorable.

"There were so many milestones working on STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - like meeting Ronald Reagan or the Dali Lama or giving a set tour to Colin Powell or Marilyn Quayle," he says. "It was also a dream-come-true to simply be working with my childhood heroes, like Gene Roddenberry. But my fondest memories were probably those experiences which accompanied the making of "Yesterday's Enterprise" and my personal set visits while we were filming the episode - getting to hang out with Whoopi Goldberg, Denise Crosby (who I always had a huge crush on when I was a P.A. during the first season), and the rest of the cast and crew. And right before the episode aired, Susan Sackett arranged a surprise screening of the episode with Gene and the entire writing staff in Gene's office - with cake and ice cream to celebrate. The moment was surreal, but I'll never forget it."

Although he says returning to TREK at this point is unlikely, Stillwell remains active in fan events and conventions. He is currently helping a long time friend Barbara Watson launch a socially-conscious web site called Edith Keeler's Time is Now!.

"Considering the current state of affairs in the world, Barb recently decided it was time to get proactive about making Gene Roddenberry's vision of a better world come to fruition - maybe not in our lifetimes - but at least a start," he explains. "[It] will serve as a central clearinghouse of information about charity and non-profit organizations and will encourage Star Trek fans to get involved. The website features and highlights the charities supported by the Star Trek cast and crews, and she has already been getting a lot of positive feedback from the Star Trek actors."

For much more from Eric on his time in the STAR TREK offices and his thoughts on the future of the franchise, visit this page. Eric is also the author of THE MAKING OF YESTERDAY'S ENTERPRISE, available for purchase from Roddenberry.com.

In related news, the first season DVD box set of THE DEAD ZONE was originally to be released this Tuesday, June 17th. However, TrekWeb correspondant Matthew Klamm has informed us that according to retailers including Best Buy, the set has now been delayed until July 1st or possibly later. TrekWeb will have a full review of the set available soon and you can reach our review round-up here.

THE DEAD ZONE's second season continues with all new episodes beginning July 6th on USA Network at 10p.