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Robert Chiappetta is an American television writer and lawyer. [1] Career. Chiappetta, along with his writing partner Glen Whitman, served as executive story editors on the FOX crime / mystery series Fringe, and contributed several scripts to the show as well. [2] .
- Screenwriter, lawyer
Robert Chiappetta is Director of Government Affairs at Toyota Motor North America, Inc. He is responsible for enhancing the company’s reputation and advancing its legislative agenda with Members of Congress and the Administration. He is currently the board chair of the Partnership for Transportation Innovation and Opportunity (PTIO).
Robert Chiappetta - Director of Government Affairs - Toyota Motor North America, Inc. | LinkedIn. Director of Government Affairs at Toyota Motor North America, Inc. United States. 2K followers...
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- Robert Chiappetta
- Toyota Motor North America, Inc.
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Robert Chiappetta Obituary. Robert C. “Bob” Chiappetta, 80, of Trafford, passed away on Monday January 15, 2024 at UPMC East Hospital, Monroeville. Born in Braddock, PA on January 3, 1944, Bob was the son of the late Peter and Theresa Chiodo Chiappetta.
- Entering The Fringe
- Playing in Parallel Worlds
- Staying on The Edge
NOVA: How did you initially get involved with Fringe?
ROBERT CHIAPPETTA: We were good friends with two of the creators, Bob Orci and Alex Kurtzman, who co-wrote the pilot with J. J. Abrams. From the very beginning, Bob was calling on us and asking us about scientific concepts and big new ideas that we could infuse into the show. We also then helped to write what's called a show bible, which sort of sells the show to the network.
I've seen you referred to as "the science guys." Was that an official title?
GLEN WHITMAN:That wasn't our official title, but informally everybody knew that we were going to help with this science role. In addition to having done background research on cutting-edge science that we would use on the show, both of us come from quasi-academic backgrounds. Robert's father is a professor of science education at the University of Houston, and my dad is a chemical engineer. Robert's background is that he's a lawyer. My background is that I'm a professor of economics. All of t...
How do you define "fringe" science?
WHITMAN:We like to leave it a little bit vague. Certainly the idea is that the fringe is something that is at the edge. In a typical episode, you'll see some familiar science concepts mentioned—things that are happening right now—but connected to some stuff that we really don't know how to do yet—perhaps never will know how to do—but we're playing with the idea that it could be possible. CHIAPPETTA:I like the tagline "science next." WHITMAN:We're always imagining something five minutes, ten m...
It seems that from the get-go, the series was conceived with the idea that your characters would inhabit parallel universes. Where did that idea come from?
WHITMAN:Everybody was sort of aware of the science—if you're paying attention to the science literature, you know the idea of parallel universes. But the idea of using it came from character [development]. I don't remember who proposed it, but the idea was that at the age of seven [the character] Peter Bishop died, and his father, Walter Bishop, an amazing, groundbreaking scientist, realized that there was a parallel universe with people very, very, very similar to us. And in that world, Pete...
With movement between the universes and through time—that allows a lot of interesting twists with the story.
CHIAPPETTA:Exactly. Also, from the very beginning, we had this concept of an observer, a person out of time. Their code, their instruction, is that they're not really supposed to intervene. So there's an omniscient point of view... WHITMAN:...that sees the whole time line.
Are there strict rules, based on science, that govern how the parallel worlds relate to one another?
WHITMAN:Parallel universes, while it's a concept that's taken very seriously by real scientists, it's also extremely embryonic. It's very speculative. So that gives us a certain freedom in setting the rules for how it's actually going to work—how you can cross over from one universe to the other, how they can affect each other, and so forth. That doesn't mean that we have no rules. We definitely have an internal set of rules that we try to abide by. If we're going to break from those rules, t...
How do you try to incorporate cutting-edge science into the shows?
WHITMAN: It happens in a couple of ways. We look to science for inspiration, so a lot of us will spend time just reading periodicals, whether it's New Scientist magazine or Science News or Wiredor whatever, and then use that as an inspiration for a wild idea that provides a jumping point for the plot. The other direction is, we already have a story that we want to tell, and we essentially have little blank spots in the story where we know we're going to need some kind of a science explanation...
On balance, do you think that Fringe shows more of the dark side of science and technology than the positive?
WHITMAN: I think the way that Fringesucceeds in not having an overall negative view of science is, as Robert indicated, trying to make sure that we don't just show science as the problem but also science as the solution. We show the dark side and the light side. I think, ultimately, if you look at the show as a whole, it's a story about hope. I think you'll come to see that in the upcoming season. CHIAPPETTA: Also, everyone who's a recurring character is a really, really smart person. What we...
That's a good thing.
WHITMAN: Yeah. One of the things that I really love about it is, I just can't think of many other things that I've watched on TV or film where you have a scientist as your hero. The one other example that comes to mind is Doc Brown in the Back to the Futuremovies. I just love that we have this really central character who's a scientist, and who's not just a cartoon. I think he is the character who, in many ways, is the center of the show in terms of being the most sympathetic, and the charact...
Nov 29, 2008 · Robert Chiappetta, who survived the fire but lost his sister, Joan Anne, has spent the past 15 years obsessively researching a book about what happened at Our Lady of the Angels.
Jun 20, 2003 · Published: Jun 20, 2003 12:00 AM. Print. Tweet. Email. Text Size. A â Specialâ Educator Says Goodbye. By Larissa Lytwyn. After 26 years in the education field, Robert Chiappetta, Newtownâ s director of pupil personnel services, is retiring.
