I think I saw and enjoyed Galaxy Quest way before I ever saw one episode of Star Trek, and it didn’t matter, because it’s such a funny movie. But soon, it will also be a (hopefully funny) TV series. Paramount is developing it, along with the original film’s writer, director, and producer, so the same crew is along for the ride. I wouldn’t expect any of the original actors to reprise their roles, but I could see the potential for this to work as a series. Naturally, Paramount isn’t giving out any more details, so we’ll have to imagine who could possibly step into Alan Rickman’s shoes. Read more…
Roberto Orci… is not exactly my favorite scriptwriter. But his skills as a director are yet untested, and he’ll have plenty to test them on with the third Star Trek film. Perhaps he’ll do well! Taking over from JJ Abrams, Orci has promised some things for the next film that sound good to me: the crew will venture into deep space, and discover new alien races. Speaking of using old races or creating new ones, he said, “because this is an alternative universe I think we can choose. I don’t feel the pressure to revisit anyone or not. We are lucky that way, but we have the ability to cherry pick what has become before. It will depend on what serves the story best.” Hopefully any new species will be unique enough to propel the film! Read more…
Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci have been a writing and producing duo for a long while now, scripting things like The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Star Trek Into Darkness, two of the Transformer films, and more. You might notice that there is a trend here in the quality of scripts in all those films. I, personally, have not been a fan of their work, mainly because their scripts feel like scenes strung together rather than a cohesive story. Anyway, I digress! The two are splitting up amicably, to pursue directing careers on their own. And in Variety’s big piece on the split, they also reveal that Orci is in talks to direct Star Trek 3, now that J.J. Abrams is a tad busy. Interesting! It also kills any interest I had in Star Trek 3. Lame! There’s tons more details in the Variety article here, include what Kurtzman is up to next (Venom, Universal monsters). Read more…
Posted by Bob Muir on Feb 5, 2014 in Star Trek, Tech
Star Trek has a long history of predicting modern technology years before we made it. Cell phones, video calls, tablets, there’s a lot that wasn’t conceptualized (or at least popularized) before appearing somewhere in the franchise. Naturally, technology keeps making advances, and now Buzzfeed has run down four more Star Trek ideas that are now real. I personally think our early version of the medical tricorder is the most interesting. Maybe our devices don’t quite diagnose every problem, but even videogame camera accessories (like the Xbox One’s Kinect) can make a cursory reading of your vitals, so I’d say creating a medical tricorder that can read everything about your health is plausible based on the work done so far. Read more…
Now that ol’ JJ Abrams has moved on from the Treks to the Wars, someone else must take up his mantle. Who could it be? A lot of rumors have been hurtling around but Deadline is now reporting that Joe Cornish tops Paramount’s list for potential directors. The talented director most notably did Attack the Block, a great little film that featured an alien invasion and a group of people trying to survive. He did this on a pretty small budget, too, which probably makes him an attractive get for the studio. I’d definitely be up for seeing how he’d handle a third Star Trek film! Read more…
In an interview about season four of Star Trek: The Next Generation on Blu-ray, Michael Dorn, famous for playing Worf on both that series and Deep Space Nine, related an interesting bit of news. It seems that CBS and Paramount may be interested in making a new Captain Worf-centric Star Trek series. Dorn says that he has spoken with a couple producers and even got to pitch the show. However, “business things got in the way in terms of [Star Trek Into Darkness] coming out and CBS/Paramount and their relationship with JJ Abrams. [Dorn doesn’t] think they wanted to step on his toes by putting a new series on, but it’s not dead yet.” Read more…
Last night’s Breaking Bad Season 5.5 premiere — the second half of the final season — was a tantalizing look into where the rest of the season could go. But we’re not here to talk about that, we’re here to talk about a comedic scene that helped break the tension in the middle of the episode. There are no storyline spoilers here, so those with spoiler-conscious constitutions can safely watch, though I suppose hearing this scene out of context could spoil the surprise if you wanted to go in completely cold. Regardless, if I hadn’t seen the episode last night, I’d have been okay with watching this animated version of the scene. Read more…
With the recent release of Star Trek Into Darkness and the constant buzz surrounding 2015’s Star Wars: Episode VII, the franchises continue to be big in the public eye. But if these two franchises were stars, how bright would they be? The New Yorker has charted the two franchises, as well as several other prominent franchises throughout the past few decades, to see which franchise has raked in the most money. Unsurprisingly, James Bond wins that, due to there being 24 films in the franchise. But when ranked by what a franchise’s average film earned, Star Wars was the clear winner, as well as in franchise profitability. (Even the prequels couldn’t ruin that!) Since we can’t embed it, you can see the full chart here and find where your favorite franchise wound up. Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on May 7, 2013 in Star Trek
If you dream of serving on a starship mister then we got your jammies! Show here is the Officially Licensed Star Trek Pajama Set, yes I know you’ve been wearing unofficial jammies for years but these are the real deal. For the PJs you have a choice of Kirk Gold, Scotty Red, or Spock Blue (yes Spock Blue is the logical choice): Read more…
As any good Star Trek fan knows, the original captain before James T. Kirk was Captain Christopher Pike. He starred in the failed pilot “The Cage,” which was salvaged for the two-part episode “The Menagerie.” But at the time, it seemed as though actor Jeffrey Hunter would be sticking with the series. And while his vision of what Star Trek would be was somewhat close to what it ultimately turned out to be, there was a key difference about what the show was actually about. Read more…
It’s been done before with The Dark Knight and I Am Legend, and again with The Dark Knight Rises and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. So since it worked out so well for those films, it’s being done yet again with Star Trek Into Darkness and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. What is it they’re doing, you ask? Giving a little preview of a movie when you see the other one in IMAX! Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jul 11, 2012 in Star Trek
Growing up as a child one of my prized possessions was my AMT Star Trek Exploration Set — a full scale model kit which included a tricorder, phaser and a communicator. Fanboy Tommy Williamson has done amazing job of recreating this set in LEGO! I really love how the Tricorder has moving parts: Read more…
There won’t be an official Star Trek panel at San Diego Comic Con, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be plenty of Star Trek-related content this year. CBS is handing out 1701 free Star Trek the Next Generation 25th Anniversary posters throughout the weekend. To find out how to pick one up, you’ll have to swing by their booth (#4129) for more info. They’ll also have collectible postcards available. Alternatively, you can follow the official StarTrek.com twitter feed for updates on when they’ll be handing both the postcards and prints out. Read more…
We’ve all been on the edge of our seats, hoping to catch a small glimpse of Bad Robot’s next Star Trek film at San Diego Comic-Con International. Although Prometheus butcher — yeah, I said it — and Star Trek 2 producer Damon Lindelof had stated that they hoped to have something to show us by SDCC, chances of that happening are now slim to none — the safe bet being none. According to various sources, and subsequently confirmed by TrekMovie, Abrams and company have decided to wait until they’ve polished their project a bit more before showing it off to fans. It’ll be interesting to see if they opt instead for a WonderCon panel next year, but who knows. Abrams could just want to keep things under wraps for the foreseeable future. Read more…
If you’ve ever watched an episode of Star Trek and found yourself wondering why anyone would ever agree to be on an away team, let alone wear a red uniform, then this book is for you. Author John Scalzi does a fantastic job of parodying the genre we’ve all grown to love with his latest novel Redshirts: A Novel with Three Codas. While it can’t outright label itself a Trek novel, the inspiration for the novel remains apparent throughout, and Scalzi manages to keep the novel entertaining by referencing everything you’d expect from such a novel — everything from away team selection, comic conventions, ridiculous aliens, and even the convoluted rules surrounding time travel. Furthermore, the audiobook edition is read by none other than Wesley Crusher himself, Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Wil Wheaton. His narration is spot on, so don’t expect to nod off while listening. Both the novel and audiobook should be available at your local book store, or amazon.com, however you can also pick up the audiobook via Audible.com.
Everyone love the Gorn — after all, who doesn’t have fond memories of Kirk battling a Gorn with styrofoam rocks? I know I do, and that’s why I was excited to hear they’ll be making an appearance in Namco Bandai’s upcoming Star Trek third-person platformer. The game takes place in the Abramsverse, between the first and second film, which is currently in post production. Not surprisingly, Kirk and Spock’s appearance in the game are modeled after actors Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto respectively. We were treated to a fresh trailer during Namco Bandai’s Game Day 2012 conference the other month, but even though E3 is currently full swing, we haven’t seen any new footage just yet. They have, however, release a few more screenshots on the official website, one of which features Kirk confronting a Gorn at phaser point. Star Trek should hit consoles sometime in early 2013.
Earlier today, Collider posted the latest teaser for Hasbro’s Star Trek Kre-O playsets to be released next year. No doubt, their release will be timed to help promote the release of J.J. Abram’s Star Trek 2, set to hit theaters in May 2013. While this new teaser pic is far more detailed than the concept image that had been floating around the next since February (see below), I can’t help but feel that Kirk’s chiseled jaw actually resembles a young Shatner more than Pine. Obviously that’s not suppose to be the case as the figures are wearing the sporty active wear uniforms seen in the recent film. Nevertheless, these are looking better and better and I can’t wait to see what they come up with when the sets are ready for store shelves next year.
IGN recently released an exclusive teaser for Digital Extreme’s upcoming PS3/360 title Star Trek. Set in the Abramsverse, this co-operative 3rd person shooter lets you take control of Kirk and Spock and will reportedly serve as a tie-in for the upcoming sequel currently being filmed. I have to say, in comparison to most Star Trek titles out there, this one doesn’t look half-bad. Of course, that isn’t saying much. Namco Bandai will be co-publishing the title, due out early next year. Read more…
It’s been awhile since we checked in on Star Trek Phase II, the fan-produced fourth season of Star Trek‘s original series. Formerly known as Star Trek: New Voyages, the premise was simple, pick up where the show left off, finish the crew’s five year mission to seek out new life and new civilizations while remaining faithful to the look and feel of the original production. Sets were built to resemble the originals with as much accuracy as they could muster, along with everything from outfits and props to make-up and hair. It remains one of the best fan series I’ve ever seen, despite only having completed seven episodes over the past few years. This evening marks the release of their latest episode, “The Child.” Check out the trailer after the jump, and be sure to visit the Star Trek Phase II official site for more info. The full episode is available here.
The guys over at TrekMovie recently chronicled an interesting, albeit hilarious conversation between Star Trek‘s Simon Pegg and Wil Wheaton via Twitter. As the story goes, Pegg was set to make an appearance on Conan promoting the upcoming video release of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Wheaton just happened to be shooting an episode of The Big Bang Theory on an adjacent set, and as soon as he caught wind that Pegg would be on the same lot, hilarity ensued. While the two ultimately didn’t meet, the tweets they shared are absolutely priceless. Check out the tweets after the jump, and if you want to hear more about Pegg’s visit with Conan O’Brien, click here.
A Star Trek drinking game? Why not, someone had to do it. Truth be told, there are a few episodes seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation I wouldn’t care to sit through unless I had some drinks in me. It’s been years since I first stumbled across Beer Trek, a site dedicated to creating the ultimate Star Trek drinking game. When I say dedicated, of course, I use the term rather loosely. It’s more of a compendium of rules for series, characters, situations, etc. Trying to memorize all of them would be fruitless and trying to follow them could lead to some serious alcohol poisoning.
Not too long ago, AICN reported that Directors Bryan Fuller and Singer — conveniently, also named Bryan with a ‘y,’ — were considering pooling their resources in an attempt to sell CBS and Paramount on a new Star Trek series. Since both directors are currently busy with their reboot of The Munsters, and the Trek film franchise still in full swing, it might be a while before the project sees any momentum. So how would you want to see it? A new franchise in the Abramsverse? A return to the prime universe with the history we all know and love? Read more…
Truth be told, it wasn’t a very good year for Trek novels. It seemed as though the license would meet its demise, after Simon & Schuster made the decision to restructure their Pocket Books operation following the layoff of editor Margaret Clarke, and the subsequent cancellation of several planned novels. Read more…
So what did fanboys do to collect their favorite shows before the advent of videotape? Believe it or not collecting actual films was a passion of a select few fans back in the day — the hardcore fans would actually purchase 16mm prints, however you could buy on the market a wide range of 8mm film prints which featured clips from many of the popular TV shows of the day. By the 70s this faded, however in 1978 this very cute Pocket Flix viewer from Ideal toys shows the very last gasp of that era. This toy was aimed at kids and one could buy a variety of “easy to snap-in movie cassettes” to recapture a few precious seconds of a show like Star Trek or the Hardy Boys: Read more…
