Posted by Michael Pinto on Dec 1, 2010 in Star Trek
I just ran across this sadly under-viewed interview with William Shatner, and I have to say that for man who will be 80 years old in just a few months he looks great! The interviewer from Time magazine asks him just one Star trek Question: “Have you put the Captain Kirk stereotype behind you?” to which Shatner answers “Probably not but it was a great show…” I hope J.J. Abrams finds it in his heart to include him in the next Star Trek film: Read more…
Posted by Michael Sacco on Nov 28, 2010 in Star Trek
Prior to the original Star Trek series, there were never any real science fiction hits on television, or any kind of science fiction television, for that matter. Gene Roddenberry, the show’s creator, seemed to to understand the unique position that he was in as possibly spearheading the mainstreaming of sci-fi, and that’s clearly indicated in this letter unearthed by Letters of Note. In it, Roddenberry instructs his sales agent, who was in charge of pitching the Trek pilot to networks, not to make concessions or adjustments that would compromise the creative vision of the show. It’s almost alarming how candid he is in this letter; as he puts it, “Maybe it’s catharsis. But I think it’s more.” It certainly was. He was successful, though in a roundabout way — NBC rejected the first pilot, “The Cage,” but immediately requested a second pilot. This was the famous “Where No Man Has Gone Before” that kicked off the series right. Read more…
It’s not really the 22nd century, and I doubt anyone would buy a degree in Xenolinguistics, but there’s no reason you can’t dress the part. Recently CBS Studios opened their very own Starfleet Academy store, which carries pretty much everything you can think of — from the ever-popular Red Shirt cologne, to vanity license plate frames. They have plenty of t-shirts with fictional institute’s logos, but given the season, I thought maybe you’d be more interested in a hoodie. Adorned with block lettering, this one simply reads Starfleet Academy MMCLXI — in case you’re still wondering, that’s 2161 — and comes in two colors, grey and navy blue. Personally, I’d choose the latter. The hoodie is probably trekkie enough to get noticed, but still cool enough to wear in a casual setting. Best of all, it’s slightly more fashionable than the fleece vests they’re selling. Currently, they’re going for roughly $49 each. Read more…
No, Abrams didn’t revive Flash Gordon — though, I really wish he would. Instead, these retro-futuristic propaganda posters feature the his reimagined Trek, captured brilliantly with an art deco approach. Of course, the designs already lent themselves to it, but that doesn’t make them any less cool. Lucky for me, I can’t really pick a favorite which is why it’s probably a good thing that ThinkGeek is forcing us to buy the lot of them rather than selling these individually. Unfortunately, if you do have a favorite, that might pose a bit of a problem. The set of four will run you roughly $30. My suggestion? Buy them, take one and sell the rest on ebay. Piece of cake, right? Read more…
Filled with terrible acting and Trekkie humor, this web-series follows a family of Trekkers — I’d call them Trekkies, but the seemingly made a point to refer to themselves as Trekkers — who, in an attempt to prevent their Cardassian cosplaying neighbor from “shifting the balance of power in the quadrant,” plan a last minute trip to the annual Star Trek convention in Las Vegas. The series started back in late September and they’re already five episodes in with new episodes being released each week. It can be a little much at times, but they’ve peppered the scripts with enough references to keep you mildly entertained at the very least. It’s not quite as off the wall as Chad Vader, but it’s up there. If you’re interested, check out their YouTube channel or follow them of Facebook.
And no, we’re not talking about Khan. Pop Culture blog Badass News managed to snag a scoop on the upcoming Abram’s flick that should have Fanboys and girls relieved. According to an informant whom they claim is close to the production, the basic plot of the film has been decided. Rather than attempting to top Ricardo Montalbán’s legendary portrayal of the genetically engineered tyrant, Khan Noonien Singh, they’ve opt’d for more of an unconventional approach by instead focusing on a villain archetype that’s never been done before.
I’m not sure what it is that posesses people to dress their babies on Halloween, but assuming you’re one of those people — or at least you know someone who does — then these might be for you. Rather than butchering your favorite bathrobe, attaching a broken flash light and calling your kid a Jedi, you can dress them up like everyone’s favorite Vulcan. Better yet, you can dress your baby like Kirk just to see if they can do Shatner as well as Chris Pine did. What’s more, if you hurry and order one of these from ThinkGeek, chances are they’ll arrive by the 25th — that is, unless you order baby Spock toddler outfit. That one might show up in one to three weeks, and I honestly have no idea what you’d do with it aside from having them cosplay at the next Sci-fi convention. Don’t worry, they’ll be coolest kid there, aside from the one with the Darth maul face paint. They’re always such show-offs. Read more…
Back in 1987, Star Trek the Next Generation had just hit the air and Shatner had yet to release the flop that was Star Trek V. It was an exciting time for Trekkies and there plenty of companies lined up to take advantage of that ever-growing market. One such company was Temporal Graphics based out of Sutton, MA. In addition to producing a number of blue-prints for non-existant Star Trek vessles, they created posters, one of which is this beauty — “The Enterprise Legacy: Six Bold Centuries of Adventure.”
Posted by Michael Sacco on Oct 17, 2010 in Star Trek
Apparently this couple loves Picard as much as they love each other (and that’s fine; there’s room for a little Jean-Luc in any relationship). Their friend made them this edible cake bust of the Enterprise’s venerable captain; additionally, he made you jealous that you didn’t have this as your wedding cake. First pizza cutters, now this? What’s the next piece of food-related Star Trek paraphernalia we’ll see? A jello mold of Deanna Troi?
There are those of us out there who can’t get enough Star Trek. We’ve seen every episode and own every film — even the director’s cut of The Motion Picture, don’t ask why — and yet we crave more. With J.J. Abrams running the show, god only knows how long it’ll be until we see the next film hit the big screen. On top of that, many of us, myself included are still coming to terms with his alternate universe and what that means for the future of the series we’ve all known and loved. Thankfully, a place still exists where we can hide from the changes that have warped our precious universe — the novels. Read more…
I actually didn’t think anyone would ever take the time to build a 1:1 scale replica of Star Trek‘s Enterprise 1701-D, but it looks as though someone decided to go for it. The video above depicts his attempt thus far, using the Minecraft development tools available here. It’s hard not to point out how enormous the vessel truly is — which seems like it would be obvious, but seeing it on television and seeing it from this perspective can be quite different. It blows my mind that he’s managed to get this far on his own, but I’m sure the process might speed up considerably once he has more people assisting him with the project. If you’re interested, he’s left details on the video’s YouTube page in case you want to contact him and offer your support. Read more…
I can’t help but feel that the guys over at ThinkGeek are traveling back in time and asking our teenage selves for ideas on how to create awesome products. Either that, or they’ve been actively reading our minds since we were kids and waiting for just the right moment to introduce these awesome inventions knowing full well that we’ll end up buying each every one of them. Case and point? This fantastic pizza cutter modeled after none other than Kirk’s original Enterprise.
Posted by Michael Sacco on Sep 16, 2010 in Star Trek
This new hoodie from Threadless is perfect for the closet geek — while zipped up, it’s just a normal hand with its palm out, but unzip it a bit, and you display Spock’s famous greeting to your kindred spirits. Very clever. Hopefully this design lives long and prospers — but if you’re like me, you won’t wait to buy it anyway. Read more…
Posted by Michael Sacco on Sep 15, 2010 in Horror, Star Trek
Quirk Books, the publishing group behind the smash hit Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (and an endless line of imitators), has released an amazing live-action trailer for their upcoming release Night of the Living Trekkies. It’s a zombie comedy romp with a twist — it takes place in a Star Trek convention, and all the zombies are costumed attendees. Read more…
Posted by Michael Sacco on Sep 13, 2010 in Star Trek
The Star Trek reboot was one of the biggest cinema hits of 2009, for good reason — it was a great movie. Director J.J. Abrams did a lot of things right, and he’d like to keep that pattern going for the film’s sequel, according to a new interview with SFX Magazine. Fans have been clamoring for Klingons to be featured in the second film of the rebooted series, and Abrams says he isn’t deaf to those pleas, but it’s a matter of seeing what works in the lens of this slightly different film universe. He said that adding something that’s popular with fans to the franchise for the sake of likeability isn’t necessarily the best idea, but if it can work, they’ll do it. He also told fans not to worry — the tone of the first film should be carried over to the second, in terms of humor interspersed with the drama. Good news there. No evidence of gritty sequelitis found — put that needle away, Bones. Read more…
Posted by Michael Sacco on Sep 8, 2010 in Star Trek
From a modern sci-fi enthusiast’s perspective, the original Star Trek TV series is a pretty campy experience. In fact, let’s just extend that to “everybody.” But you can’t deny its unique brand of futurism, which continues to influence science fiction (and regular science) in the decades since it first aired. The newly-released hardcover Star Trek 365 features a treasure trove of over three hundred pieces of art from the series’ 71-episode run, from set photos to concept art to beautiful newly-remastered stills. There’s even rarely-seen licensed art, like the box art for the first plastic Spock model shown above. The only way the book could be more compelling for fans of the series (or retro futurism) is if it was bound in corbomite. Read more…
If you were a fanboy child of the 70s you’ll well remember the Mego Star Trek action figures. Of course there was Kirk, Spock and McCoy but sadly if if you wanted that one other character you had to * gasp * use your imagination! Well progress being what it is there is an entire series of all of those other characters you wanted to play with in the backyard but who never were (except on the small screen). Shown above is the Captain Pike action figure which is a nice tribute to actor Jeffrey Hunter who passed on the role of captain in 1965 in favor of a film career — and sadly he passed away in 1969. And on the silly side is the Salt Vampire whose proper name is the now extinct M-113 creature from the episode The Man Trap: Read more…
Have you ever wondered what Kirk would have done if he was stuck with Wesley Crusher? Actually, we already know the answer. All kidding aside though, Pot Luck Comics’ webcomic parody “Ensign Sue Must Die!” shows us just what happens when a seventeen year-old girl joins the crew of the Enterprise. While it has its fair share of cuteness, they’ve tossed in enough fan service to make it worthwhile for anyone who loved the original series, or Abram’s recent reboot. The strip has already finished its run, but you can still view all 32 strips online, or sport $6 for a printed copy via Interrobang.
Are you fond of betting with fictional currencies because you have nothing to carry your cash with? That probably won’t be a problem for much longer — Star Trek Mighty Wallets are on the way. In case you you don’t know what those are, Mighty Wallets are basically seamless, seamless, stitch-less wallets constructed from high density polyethylene. That’s the same material used to create those nearly-indestructible tags you’ll find on mattresses. Of course, the wallets are slightly thicker. These specific wallets feature some amazing art from the original Gold Key Star Trek comics published during the ’60s and ’70s — making one a must have for anyone who loved those classics. They go on sale next month, but you can pre-order yours for a mere $15 here. There’s also a short trailer if you’d like a closer look.
The amount of $#*! that William Shatner has to deal with mind-numbing! After waiting years for a decent payday he was left out of the reboot of Star Trek last year, and then just to rub salt in his wound they let Leonard Nimoy have a major role. Then Nimoy announces he’s retiring from acting which then scuttles the next film for Mr. Shatner. But William Shatner never says die! He manages to stick it to Hollywood and land the leading role in a television series Shit My Dad Says. But some people (the folks at the Parents Television Council) were unhappy with the title — so CBS changed the title to $#*! My Dad Says. But nooooooo that still wasn’t good enough for them: Read more…
How often do you see those little fish emblems on cars? You know which ones I’m talking about — the fish used to tell everyone else that they’re Christian and proud of it. Why? I’m not so sure myself, but I guess they feel its important that we know. Hell, I’ve counted at least 4 or 5 of them today, but I have to admit that I wasn’t exactly going out of my way to look. Now, I’m well aware that modifying that emblem to fit our needs isn’t exactly a new idea. In fact, I’m getting a bit tired of seeing the little feet attached — it was funny the first 1,000 times. Why not show your love for Star Trek instead? Well, thanks to ThinkGeek, you can share your love for Shatner and Stewart with other unsuspecting motorists. Better yet, it doesn’t have poor Darwin’s name smushed inside and is still slightly clever. Besides, it has warp nacelles — awesome, right? Read more…
I recently read about some new Street Fighter sneakers from Nike, only to be disappointed by how little the shoes seem to resemble the characters they’re supposedly “inspired” by. I can understand Nike’s desire to aim for subtlety rather than an out-and-out declaration of geekdom, since they could sell plenty of these shoes by “accident” and still probably hit a few sales among the Street Fighter fans, but that Chun Li shoe looks like it could have been sold by them for years and just decided to slap Chun Li’s name on the tag. BORING.
Like him or hate him, Wesley Crusher’s name makes for a fantastic bowling team — at least, Sheldon seemed to think so. To be honest, I can’t decide on if I actually want this myself. While I enjoy Star Trek puns as much as the next guy, I’m a little miffed that the shirt isn’t in fact a bowling shirt. That’s right, I’m actually bothered by the fact that it’s not a lounge shirt — it may seem petty, but I’d like to think I’m entitled to that much. Still, I’m glad the guys over a ThinkGeek were clever enough to print this, even if they didn’t just go the extra mile. There’s always next time, besides, I’d definitely want to name my team “Pin Farr,” or “The AWAY team.” I just hope they don’t make the shirts red, I need all the luck I can get. Read more…
If you’re like me, odds are that you never get around to collecting comics. It’s not that we don’t want to read them, but with so many being released, sometimes we just can’t make it to the store in a timely manner. Thankfully IDW’s already thought of a solution to all our problems — the almighty omnibus. Their latest, entitled Star Trek: The Original Series Omnibus, combines a number of Original Series comics such as Year Four, the Enterprise Experiment, Alien Spotlights and more.
