James L. Conway

Director James L. Conway is primarily known for his work for the "Star Trek" spinoff franchise. But his career began in a decidedly different place than outer space--Utah. He got his start in the motion picture business in the 1970s, working for the Utah-based independent distribution and production company Sunn Classic Pictures. Although Sunn made all sorts of movies, they specialized in ''documentarie'' that used pseudo-science to back up their sometimes outlandish claims, such as in "In Search of Noah's Ark," "Beyond and Back," "In Search of Historic Jesus," and "The Lincoln Conspiracy," to mention a few, all of which Conway worked on as either a director, a producer, or a writer. Sunn's films were highly profitable, especially since they cut out the Hollywood studios for their distribution plans. Sunn also dipped into the science fiction and horror genres, with Conway directing two of their better movies, "Hanger 18" and "The Boogens." The latter film was a quietly scary monster movie that relied more on genuine suspense than on gore, which was then (1981) the fashion with the glut of slasher movies filling theaters. In the early 1980s, Conway ventured to Hollywood and began working regularly as a director and producer for television. Besides his notable work for the various "Star Trek" programs, he also directed episodes of "MacGyver," "Charmed," "Supernatural," and "90210," the 2009 incarnation of "Beverly Hills, 90210."