Michael Piller, a writer and producer best known as one of the creative forces behind the "Star Trek" television franchise and whose scripts brought a human touch to the intergalactic saga, has died. He was 57.
Piller died Tuesday of cancer at his home in Los Angeles, his family said.
The first episode Piller wrote for the syndicated "Star Trek: The Next Generation," in 1989, revealed a love for baseball and a knack for creating morality plays set in the 24th century that resonated with viewers.
When "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry asked Piller to become a staff writer, Piller recalled being scared and saying, "I don't know anything about sci-fi, but I can help your characters evolve," he told StarTrek.com.
Rick Berman, executive producer of the "Star Trek" series, said in a statement, "Michael had more integrity than just about anyone I have ever met. His passion for writing and his ability to recognize and nurture talent in others never faltered." Berman took over the series after Roddenberry's death in 1991.
Piller eventually became the head writer and executive producer of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," which aired until 1994. He co-created and produced the syndicated "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" from 1992 to 1995 and UPN's "Star Trek: Voyager" from 1994 to 1996.
He also wrote the 1998 film "Star Trek: Insurrection." The Times review -- headlined "An Enterprising Ninth" because it was the ninth movie in the series -- said the film had a "gee-whiz affability."
In 1999, Piller formed a production company with his son, Shawn, called Piller2.
"I'm at an age in this town that it gets harder and harder to get attention," he told the Hollywood Reporter in 2002. "I bring Shawn with me into the room and suddenly our median age is somewhere in the 30s, and that means a lot."
Their first project was the TV show "The Dead Zone," based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, which debuted on the USA Network in 2002 and remains on the air.
King's story of a high school teacher whose perfect life is ruined by a near-fatal crash appealed to him, Pillar once told The Times, because he was looking for "anything that will allow me to do what I think I do well, and that is to explore the life we live in."
Piller was born May 30, 1948, in Port Chester, N.Y. His father was a screenwriter who, according to a story told by Piller, sabotaged his career when he punched a producer at a restaurant. His mother, Ruth Roberts, is a songwriter who expressed her love for baseball in song.
