I Workin Fas as I Can Captn

I found the Star Trek themed LOL Cat photo here at icanhascheezburger.com. It got me thinking how much the original Star Trek series has had an impact on popular culture. Well that and how much we’ll miss seeing James Montgomery Doohan making a cameo on some future Star Trek movie or series.

Galileo Seven Remastered

Just a reminder that the remastered version of the classic Star Trek episode Galileo Seven will be on the air today (check your local station listings).

Star Trek Retro Action Figures

These classic Star Trek action figures are made for action! Nope you won’t see a wussy Jean-Luc Picard figurine holding a cup of Earl Gray Tea with his pinky sticking out, nah this set features Kirk with a phaser set to kill and a Klingon pal ready to rumble:

Star Trek Retro Action Figures

“Ah, the 70s. So many things happened which affected Geekdom forever. Perhaps the most important thing to happen was the introduction and proliferation of Mego action figures. There were tons of cool figures to choose from, but the Star Trek figs held a special place in our hearts. And now the great folks at Diamond Select have made wonderful reproductions for a whole new generation of Mego fans.”

Star Trek Minimates

Diamond Select Toys is taking pre-orders on the Star Trek Minimates Series 2 Case:

“The second series of Star Trek Minimates, this Classic Star Trek assortment features Battle Damage Kirk & Gorn, “The Cage” Spock & Uhura, Sulu & Chekov and the limited Swashbuckling Sulu!”

…Captain Pike fans will have to order Minimates Series 1.

Star Trek Chandelier

The above chandelier from the “Novelty Collection” by Elk Lighting was inspired by the Enterprise from Star Trek and is available from LampsUSA.

Found via GeekAlerts.

Simpsonizeme Captain Kirk!

Shown above is my attempt to do a Simpsonizeme version of Captain James T. Kirk. I admit that I changed the shirt color a bit, but it’s pretty darned close. Simpsonizeme is a clever Simpsons movie tie in website sponsored by Burger King.

Snyder on Star Trek

Sadly long time talk show host Tom Snyder passed away today. His interviews were always enjoyable because they gave you the feeling that out were hanging out with the stars and just having a good conversation. Here are some classic clips of him in the 70s interviewing the cast members of the original Star Trek series:

Read more…

It’s Official: Spock is Back

They also seem to be hinting that Shatner might still have a shot at it too:

Leonard Nimoy to have role in new ‘Star Trek’ film

“The 76-year-old actor will don his famous pointy ears again to play the role in an upcoming “Star Trek” film due out Christmas 2008. “This is really going to be a great movie. And I don’t say things like that lightly,” Nimoy told a gathering of 6,500 fans Thursday at Comic-Con, the nation’s largest pop-culture convention. He greeted the crowd with a Vulcan salute. Nimoy was joined by the newly named young Spock, “Heroes” star Zachary Quinto, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Nimoy.

While the character of Captain Kirk has yet to be cast, Abrams said that William Shatner, who played the role in the original TV series, would likely also have a part in the film. “It has to be worthy, of him and of you,” Abrams told fans, adding that production is slated to begin in November.”

If Trekkies Ruled the World

There’s a great Photoshop competition at Worth 1000 with the theme If Trekkies Ruled the World. Shown abobe is ‘Mr. President’ by CocaCasta.

The Curse of the Red Shirt

There are so many clever t-shirt shops it’s hard to be impressed anymore, but I rather liked the fanboy reference in the above t-shirt which can be found at ThinkGeek.

Shatner NOT in the new Trek, but Nimoy is?!

How can they leave Shat out of the film? At least we get Nimoy, here’s the description of the above video:

“William Shatner talks about the new Star Movie details with information from an inside source who has been cast in the movie.”

They Just Keep on Trekking

There’s a great article today in the LA Times on Star Trek fans films (shown above is the U.S.S. Odyssey from Star Trek: Hidden Frontier):

They just keep on Trekking
The ‘Star Trek’ franchise lives on through fan films, crafted by people outside the industry. In terms of money, it’s a whole different universe.

“Fan films are movies made by people outside the entertainment industry who write or improvise a script set in a familiar universe (like “Star Trek” or “Star Wars” or “Batman” or “Harry Potter”) and shoot it themselves. It’s not illegal as long as nobody makes any money from it — although some companies, Marvel in particular, don’t like their characters and worlds messed with. Anyone can do it, but it’s not easy. Time-consuming. Costly. And if you want to do it really well, there are actors, special effects, props, background music, costumes, makeup and distribution to consider. That’s when making a small fan film becomes a Herculean labor of love.

Rob Caves, creator and executive producer of “Hidden Frontier,” wanted his series to be good. He’s a diminutive 28-year-old with an almost unnervingly calm demeanor. As a kid watching “Star Trek: The Next Generation” with his father, and later “Deep Space Nine” on his own (he never liked the original series), he leaned less toward the usual “Trek” fan impulse of “I wish I lived there” and more toward “I want to make that”.”

Bring Back Shat!

Set phasers on RANT!So you’re telling me that Harrison Ford is still young enough to play mast moving Indiana Jones, but Williams Shatner is too old to play Admiral Kirk? Us Star trek fanboys should demand justice! Just take a look at Ford, they didn’t even update his costume: It’s now twenty years later (maybe the 1950’s?) and he’s still wearing the same clothing! We’ve lost so many of the original Star Trek cast, can’t we have one more flick with Kirk and Spock? I’ll settle for a small scene, or even a bit part…

Debut Enterprise

Seen above is the ‘Where No Man Has Gone Before’ Enterprise is based on the debut episode of the classic Star Trek series from 1966 (shown below the model are two shots from that episode – seeing your name on a grave stone on an arid alien planet is always a good excuse for a fight!).

Anyway this classic collectable is put out by Diamond Select and is part of their Starship Legends series. The best part is that it will feature light and sound effects including the voice James T. Kirk. But sadly the headstone and 3D chess set won’t be included…

Found via Toy News International.

Warth of Khan in 5 Seconds

Ohhhhh, Admiral Kirk you say? I say this film was Star Trek at it’s best, so you can keep your Pepsi Generation tea sipping starship captains…

Shatner in an Esperanto Horror Film

In 1965 William Shatner starred in a horror movie called Incubus. It’s the only movie to be filmed completely in Esperanto. It’s bizarre and now being released back onto home video for you Star Trek fanboys. Here’s the trailer:

Read more…

A Star Trek/Monty Python Mashup

I hadn’t realized just how much dancing and sword play was taking place in Star Trek!

Commodore Kirk

In this 1982 commercial William Shatner is selling “the wonder computer of the 80s” which is the Commodore Vic20. I love how the commercial starts with him being beamed in, and better yet he’s doing his Captain Kirk voice:

I do have to admit that the $300 price tag was a plus, I had a later version of the computer ( a C64) in the late 80s which was a great computer to start with even if it didn’t have lower case letters and lacked a floppy disc!

Every Star Trek Reference in Family Guy

The Shatner fanboy in me loves the Rocketman reference:

Star Trek XI: Bigger Budget but No Abrams

Richard Arnold, onetime assistant to Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and a frequent writer and convention speaker on the franchise, said that his contacts have told him that J.J. Abrams will likely not direct Star Trek XI, but the film’s budget has been increased, and the release date is postponed to autumn 2008.

Found via Sci Fi Pulse.

Doomsday Machine: Remastered

Above are new images from the remastered version of the classic Star trek episode Doomsday Machine (from StarTrek.com and found via TrekMovie.com).

I’d have to say that just seeing the above images brings back many a happy childhood memory of watching the show in glorious black and white on re-runs on WPIX in the 70s.

Two things made that episode great: The first was the powerful soundtrack by Alexander Courage. The music gave the planet eater a voice, and in many ways the soundtrack of Jaws owed quite a bit to Mr. Courage.

It’s also funny because in many ways the planet eater is very much like Moby Dick character haunting poor Commodore Decker. Which brings me to the second thing that I love about that episode: William Windom may be the only man in the entire history of Star Trek who could out-over-act William Shatner!

Of course the best thing about this episode as a kid was that you could always buy your 2nd AMT Enterprise, change the name to U.S.S. Constellation and blow it up with firecrackers to give it that authentic “planet eater munch” treatment. Nope can’t get any cooler than that…

Diskette Enterprise

This is a very cute video from a Star Trek fanboy in France who turns a computer diskette into a mini-model of the Starship Enterprise:

Nimoy to Host Star Trek Special

Leonard Nimoy will host “Star Trek: Beyond the Final Frontier” on the History Channel. The show will be a documentary that will take a look at the 40-year history of Star Trek. The special airs Feb. 19 at 9 p.m. ET/PT and will feature interviews with actors from the various incarnations of Trek, including Nimoy, Patrick Stewart, Kate Mulgrew and Avery Brooks. The documentary will also include footage from the Christie’s auction of Trek costumes, props, set pieces and models last October.

Found via Sci Fi Wire.

Klingon Comic Books

At long last the Klingons are getting their very own comic book series!

Star Trek: Klingons: Blood Will Tell In April 2007

“While Starfleet personnel of the 24th century view Klingons as their allies, in the Star Trek universe of Captain Kirk’s time, the Klingons were always viewed as being on the wrong side of their struggles with the United Federation of Planets. As a species, they were allegedly responsible for some reprehensible acts (resulting in some classic TV episodes and movies), but were they really in the wrong? Or did they just not have a fair chance to present their side of the story?

Starting in April, they’ll get their chance. “Star Trek: Klingons: Blood Will Tell” is a new, five-part miniseries that will finally give the Klingons their due. In this special miniseries, we will see five historic Federation-Klingon incidents revisited through the eyes of the Klingon people. After this miniseries, you may never be able to look at episodes like “A Private Little War” or “The Trouble with Tribbles” in the same way again. These stories, viewed from the Klingon perspective, will explain much more of why the Klingon Empire functions the way it does.”

You know it might not be such a bad idea to give them a television series too…