Samuel A. Peeples

Samuel Anthony Peeples (September 22, 1917 – August 27, 1997) was an American writer. He published several novels in the Western genre, often under the pen name Brad Ward, before moving into American series television after being given a script assignment by Frank Gruber. In addition to writing Western television scripts, he created several Western series, notably Lancer (1968), Frontier Circus (1961), The Tall Man (1961), and co-created the series Custer (1967).

Peeples was a literary science fiction enthusiast who also occasionally wrote science fiction for television, starting by providing advice and reference material to friend and colleague Gene Roddenberry as the latter created what became the original Star Trek series. Peeples was one of three writers selected to write a proposed second pilot for the series, and his script, "Where No Man Has Gone Before" (1965), was filmed and sold the series. He contributed the first aired episode of the animated Star Trek series, "Beyond the Farthest Star" (1973). He also worked with Roddenberry on the script for the 1977 TV movie (and unsuccessful series pilot) Spectre. Peeples wrote an unused alternative script, Worlds That Never Were, for the second Star Trek motion picture. The name of one character from his draft, Doctor Savik, would eventually get reused for the character Lieutenant Saavik.

Peeples wrote a number of episodes for Filmation's live action Space Academy and Jason of Star Command series and wrote the script for their animated TV movie and seven first-season episodes of the Flash Gordon series that resulted from it.

Peeples died of cancer on August 27, 1997, at age 79, just one month short of his eightieth birthday.

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