I've just seen the "Extra Features" part of the Enterprise DVD box set and I just want to put something out there. For those who are TOS fans, and who have seen the episode "Where No Man Has Gone Before," the celebrated Second Pilot
I have a few words.
Remember Gary Lockwood, the actor who played Gary Mitchell? The guy who smiled and snarked a lot at Kirk when he found he could Move Sprayed Styrofoam Coffee Cups At Will? The one who, while smiling and snarking had to stagger around the bloody set half blind because the darn silver contacts wouldn't let him *look at anything ?* [Even Sally Kellerman?] Well he has a good twin.
Manny Coto.
The guy looks like Gary Mitchell's older brother after a particularly good week at the health club, spa and vacation at the beach.
It's obvious that he had a great deal of fun on the last year of Enterprise, the year that fans of the show say *they got it right* about. He was nothing but positive. All smiles all the time. About the Augments arc with Brent Spiner, about the three episode arc on Vulcan, and he was even charitable about the beginning and end of the season, that came from the Berman/Braga braintrust. I liked his interview and the segment, but then he would smile and lean back in his chair and look down, and I would get this involuntary shiver and think, "When are his eyes going to flash silver?"
Other features included a *tiny* list of outtakes...the most memorable of which involve Scott Bakula, Jeffrey Coombs and some antennae.
There was some great material involving the Mirror Episodes showcasing mainly costume changes. "We put the "Ho" back in Hoshi," and how the writer of the episode planted a rationalization in part I so that we could see the Mirror- Enterprise crewpeople in TOS clothing in part II
The rest of the extras were just not worth it for me, since all they did was make me sad all over again about Enterprise's cancellation (last day of shooting, with a lengthy naming list of many many people who worked behind the scenes or as charactor actors and smaller roles, the wrap party etc.)
But, for the Mirror Episode stuff and Manny Coto's praise of the best of the fourth season, it is worth a view.
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Sunday, December 25, 2005
Cackling over a particular piece
of my Christmas loot. :) Thank goodness it's ok to react like a child one day of the year:
"Enterprise: Season Four" was under my tree.
I'll review the "special features" etc section when I have a chance to actually sit down and watch it
Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!
"Enterprise: Season Four" was under my tree.
I'll review the "special features" etc section when I have a chance to actually sit down and watch it
Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!
Friday, December 23, 2005
Christmas Trek
To be sung at great volume and questionable pitch to the tune of 'The Twelve days of Christmas,"
On the first day of Christmas, My Captain gave to me:
A Tribble and some Saurian brandy...
On the second day of Christmas my Captain gave to me:
A two day pass to Raisa, a Tribble,
and some Saurian Brandy
On the third day of Christmas my Captain gave to me:
Three of Garak's secrets, a two day pass to Raisa and a Tribble and some Saurian Brandy
On the Fourth Day of Christmas my Captain gave to me: Four days with Q, three of Garak's secrets, a two day pass to Raisa and a Tribble and some Saurian Brandy.
On the fifth day of Christmas My Captain gave to me:
Five Zindi Weapons....Four days with Q, Three of Garak's secrets, a two day pass to Raisa, a Tribble and some Saurian Brandy...
On the sixth Day of Christmas, my Captain gave to me:
Six space cadets,
Five Zindi Weapons...Four days with Q, Three of Garak's secrets, a two day pass to Raisa, A tribble and some Saurian Brandy
On the seventh day of Christmas my Captain gave to me:
Seven Klingon's Kursing,six space cadets,
Five Zindi Weapons...
Four days with Q, Three of Garak's secrets, a two day pass to Raisa, a tribble and some Saurian Brandy.
On the Eighth day of Christmas my Captain gave to me:
Eight whales singing, Seven Klingons Kursing, Six Space Cadets,
Five Zindi Weapons, Four days with Q Three of Garak's secrets a two day pass to Raisa and a Tribble and some Saurian Brandy.
On the ninth day of Christmas my Captain gave to me:
Nine cups of ale (Romulan style, *whew!*), Eight Whales singing, Seven Klingons Kursing, Six space Cadets,
Five Zindi Weapons,
Four days with Q Three of Garak's secrets, a two day pass to Raisa, a Tribble and some Saurian Brandy
On the Tenth Day of Christmas my Captain gave to me:
Ten emotion chips,Nine cups of ale, Eight Whales singing, Seven Klingons Kursing , Six space Cadets,
Five Zindi weapons,
Four days with Q, Three of Garak's secrets, a two day pass to Raisa, and a tribble and some Saurian Brandy
On the eleventh day of Christmas my Captain gave to me:
Eleven Borg drones, Ten emotion chips, Nine cups of Ale, Eight Whales Singing, Seven Klingons Kursing, six space Cadets,
Five Zindi Weapons...
Four days with Q, Three of Garak's secrets, a two day pass to Raisa, and a Tribble and some Saurian Brandy
On the Twelfth day of Christmas, My Captain gave to me:
Twelve Reman bodyguards, Eleven Borg drones, Ten emotion chips, Nine Cups of Ale, Eight Whales singing Seven Klingons Kursing, Six Space Cadets,
Five Zindi Weapons...
Four days with Q, Three of Garak's Secrets, a two day pass to Raisa, and a Tribble and some Saurian Brandy
Merry Christmas....
On the first day of Christmas, My Captain gave to me:
A Tribble and some Saurian brandy...
On the second day of Christmas my Captain gave to me:
A two day pass to Raisa, a Tribble,
and some Saurian Brandy
On the third day of Christmas my Captain gave to me:
Three of Garak's secrets, a two day pass to Raisa and a Tribble and some Saurian Brandy
On the Fourth Day of Christmas my Captain gave to me: Four days with Q, three of Garak's secrets, a two day pass to Raisa and a Tribble and some Saurian Brandy.
On the fifth day of Christmas My Captain gave to me:
Five Zindi Weapons....Four days with Q, Three of Garak's secrets, a two day pass to Raisa, a Tribble and some Saurian Brandy...
On the sixth Day of Christmas, my Captain gave to me:
Six space cadets,
Five Zindi Weapons...Four days with Q, Three of Garak's secrets, a two day pass to Raisa, A tribble and some Saurian Brandy
On the seventh day of Christmas my Captain gave to me:
Seven Klingon's Kursing,six space cadets,
Five Zindi Weapons...
Four days with Q, Three of Garak's secrets, a two day pass to Raisa, a tribble and some Saurian Brandy.
On the Eighth day of Christmas my Captain gave to me:
Eight whales singing, Seven Klingons Kursing, Six Space Cadets,
Five Zindi Weapons, Four days with Q Three of Garak's secrets a two day pass to Raisa and a Tribble and some Saurian Brandy.
On the ninth day of Christmas my Captain gave to me:
Nine cups of ale (Romulan style, *whew!*), Eight Whales singing, Seven Klingons Kursing, Six space Cadets,
Five Zindi Weapons,
Four days with Q Three of Garak's secrets, a two day pass to Raisa, a Tribble and some Saurian Brandy
On the Tenth Day of Christmas my Captain gave to me:
Ten emotion chips,Nine cups of ale, Eight Whales singing, Seven Klingons Kursing , Six space Cadets,
Five Zindi weapons,
Four days with Q, Three of Garak's secrets, a two day pass to Raisa, and a tribble and some Saurian Brandy
On the eleventh day of Christmas my Captain gave to me:
Eleven Borg drones, Ten emotion chips, Nine cups of Ale, Eight Whales Singing, Seven Klingons Kursing, six space Cadets,
Five Zindi Weapons...
Four days with Q, Three of Garak's secrets, a two day pass to Raisa, and a Tribble and some Saurian Brandy
On the Twelfth day of Christmas, My Captain gave to me:
Twelve Reman bodyguards, Eleven Borg drones, Ten emotion chips, Nine Cups of Ale, Eight Whales singing Seven Klingons Kursing, Six Space Cadets,
Five Zindi Weapons...
Four days with Q, Three of Garak's Secrets, a two day pass to Raisa, and a Tribble and some Saurian Brandy
Merry Christmas....
Sunday, December 18, 2005
I've invited a Guest Trek Blogger
to share their thoughts about the franchise written about two years ago.
Scott Shriner is a Trek Fan Extraordinare and a For Real Journalist. When he was young, I taught him up in the [Star Trek] ways he should go, and now that he has grown up he has not departed from them. :)
The only editing I plead is a few profanity erasures (don't get me wrong I love profanity, I'm just not sure of Blogger's position on that. ), and one small, minimalist,teensy, miniature (I'm SORRY Scott, I had to do it) timing and date change on one of the items in his Deep Space Nine post.
Enjoy.
Scott Shriner is a Trek Fan Extraordinare and a For Real Journalist. When he was young, I taught him up in the [Star Trek] ways he should go, and now that he has grown up he has not departed from them. :)
The only editing I plead is a few profanity erasures (don't get me wrong I love profanity, I'm just not sure of Blogger's position on that. ), and one small, minimalist,teensy, miniature (I'm SORRY Scott, I had to do it) timing and date change on one of the items in his Deep Space Nine post.
Enjoy.
Guest Trek Blogging #1
My name is Scott Shriner, and I'm a Trekaholic.
Always have been, always will be. I'll take it wherever I can get it. I'll wear that raggedly old Deep Space Nine sweatshirt that my wife hates forever. I will eventually buy all the Trek shows on DVD despite the fact that the assholes at Paramount have ludicrously overpriced them. Are you a Trekaholic, too? Well, it's a condition that's hard to diagnose. You may love Trek in general, but hate "Voyager." Can you hate "Voyager" and still be a Trekoholic? That's a tough question. Hmm…how can I boil it down?Look, let me give it to you straight, OK? Do you own the two-disc DVD of "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan?" Good for you; let's watch it sometime & talk about how it's the best Trek movie all time----you'll get no argument from me. But c'mon, everybody loves that movie. Doesn't mean you're an addict.Do you own the two-disc DVD of "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier?" You may be a Trekoholic, like me. You have my condolences.
So I'm a nut for this stuff. I think Trek is great---in all its forms. I watch ALL the shows. No ifs ands or buts….I know who the Medusans are and I know who the Xindi are. If you know who either of them are, you're quite possibly a fan. But if you know who both are, it means you really are on the Enterprise for the long Trek haul.That being said…Trek is not perfect. It's had moments of perfection, but it's not perfect. It has had its ups and downs. Wow, has it ever. And I feel inspired, on this 38th anniversary of Gene Roddenberry's creation, to cast aside all the bullshit expectations I have about how good Trek should be and deliver an affectionate, but honest, "state of the Trek" report. I'm always the one defending Star Trek to those who have arguments against its merits; well, now I want to truly debate those arguments, and perhaps make some of my own. What's the current status of Star Trek, what led it to the state it's in, and what it's future will be…that's what I want to talk about.Have ya got awhile? Good. Let's get Trekkin.
Always have been, always will be. I'll take it wherever I can get it. I'll wear that raggedly old Deep Space Nine sweatshirt that my wife hates forever. I will eventually buy all the Trek shows on DVD despite the fact that the assholes at Paramount have ludicrously overpriced them. Are you a Trekaholic, too? Well, it's a condition that's hard to diagnose. You may love Trek in general, but hate "Voyager." Can you hate "Voyager" and still be a Trekoholic? That's a tough question. Hmm…how can I boil it down?Look, let me give it to you straight, OK? Do you own the two-disc DVD of "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan?" Good for you; let's watch it sometime & talk about how it's the best Trek movie all time----you'll get no argument from me. But c'mon, everybody loves that movie. Doesn't mean you're an addict.Do you own the two-disc DVD of "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier?" You may be a Trekoholic, like me. You have my condolences.
So I'm a nut for this stuff. I think Trek is great---in all its forms. I watch ALL the shows. No ifs ands or buts….I know who the Medusans are and I know who the Xindi are. If you know who either of them are, you're quite possibly a fan. But if you know who both are, it means you really are on the Enterprise for the long Trek haul.That being said…Trek is not perfect. It's had moments of perfection, but it's not perfect. It has had its ups and downs. Wow, has it ever. And I feel inspired, on this 38th anniversary of Gene Roddenberry's creation, to cast aside all the bullshit expectations I have about how good Trek should be and deliver an affectionate, but honest, "state of the Trek" report. I'm always the one defending Star Trek to those who have arguments against its merits; well, now I want to truly debate those arguments, and perhaps make some of my own. What's the current status of Star Trek, what led it to the state it's in, and what it's future will be…that's what I want to talk about.Have ya got awhile? Good. Let's get Trekkin.
Guest Trek Blogging #2
The Original Series.
I'm not going to spend much time talking about this show, because I don't feel it's necessary. All arguments against this show are bullshit. They're bogus. You can't make an argument against this show, and no Trek fan should even attempt to.Yes, the original series produced some bad episodes. Some really bad ones. Some horrendously bad ones. It also gave us some of most memorable, amazing stuff ever seen on TV---not only "for its time," the phrase which some people like to quantify their compliments to the original show with---but period. Case closed.Don't give any of that crap about bad special effects. It's not a valid argument. Not even remotely valid. Sure, they were bad special effects. Trek is not about special effects. It's about ideas and it's about people. The special effects are so inconsequential that they are not even worth mentioning. Even though I did. But I had, because some of you people will not shut up about them.Don't talk to me about bad acting. I dare you to watch any original series episode - any episode - and tell me that the Spock character, no matter how brilliantly portrayed by Nimoy, would have worked if it hadn't been for Shatner's performance to counter him. Folks, I love to make fun of Shatner, too….you've probably seen me do it. Hell, the guy makes fun of himself. But without his acting - bad or good, call it whatever you want to - there would have been no Trek. Got it? Good.And finally, do not - I repeat, DO NOT- say one more word to me about "how come the Klingons look so different in the later shows and movies?" I don't care why they looked different. The studio had more money, so they had better makeup….that's why they looked different. There's a thing called suspension of disbelief…get acquainted with it.The original Star Trek series is golden. Golden, I say. Without it, there would have been no others. You can't touch it. Don't even try.And if after all my convincing arguments, you still don't like it….well, all I can say is, you're missing out on something really groovy.
I'm not going to spend much time talking about this show, because I don't feel it's necessary. All arguments against this show are bullshit. They're bogus. You can't make an argument against this show, and no Trek fan should even attempt to.Yes, the original series produced some bad episodes. Some really bad ones. Some horrendously bad ones. It also gave us some of most memorable, amazing stuff ever seen on TV---not only "for its time," the phrase which some people like to quantify their compliments to the original show with---but period. Case closed.Don't give any of that crap about bad special effects. It's not a valid argument. Not even remotely valid. Sure, they were bad special effects. Trek is not about special effects. It's about ideas and it's about people. The special effects are so inconsequential that they are not even worth mentioning. Even though I did. But I had, because some of you people will not shut up about them.Don't talk to me about bad acting. I dare you to watch any original series episode - any episode - and tell me that the Spock character, no matter how brilliantly portrayed by Nimoy, would have worked if it hadn't been for Shatner's performance to counter him. Folks, I love to make fun of Shatner, too….you've probably seen me do it. Hell, the guy makes fun of himself. But without his acting - bad or good, call it whatever you want to - there would have been no Trek. Got it? Good.And finally, do not - I repeat, DO NOT- say one more word to me about "how come the Klingons look so different in the later shows and movies?" I don't care why they looked different. The studio had more money, so they had better makeup….that's why they looked different. There's a thing called suspension of disbelief…get acquainted with it.The original Star Trek series is golden. Golden, I say. Without it, there would have been no others. You can't touch it. Don't even try.And if after all my convincing arguments, you still don't like it….well, all I can say is, you're missing out on something really groovy.
Guest Trek Blogging #3
The Next Generation.
Other than Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, this show is the most mainstream Trek ever got…and ever will get, in my opinion. And it deserves to be mainstream, cause you know what, it was really good. It was really really good. And man, when it was good, it positively crackled. This show had fantastic characters---Picard, Data, Worf, Ensign Ro, Q. Patrick Stewart played those dramatic scenes like he was in a fucking Shakespeare and Ibsen festival…thank God no one ever apparently told him he was in a friggin spinoff of an obscure, absurb little toy guns in outer space show. That Klingon intrigue! That Borg cliffhanger! That quest to be human! That was fantastic stuff, people and we all love it. The Next Generation is the only Trek show which no one will argue with me about, because everyone loves it. And we should.That being said…The Next Generation's first season was not horrible. But at times it came really damn close. It was not only clearly the worst first season of any Trek show, but also quite possibly one of the worst first seasons of ANY show that had even close of its kind of longevity. Look at the first season. Just look at it. Sure, someone had been smart enough to cast Stewart, but the writers were scared to death of actually giving some bald, middle-aged Englishman heroic, leading man stuff to do. Most of that stuff went to Riker at first; our beloved Jean "the line must be drawn here" Luc was pretty damn boring and passive those first few years. It wasn't until around the third season that they really realized what a gold mine they had with the future X-Men star, and that the meaty cool stuff should be going to the more interesting character, not to mention the better actor. (sorry Jonathan Frakes. You know I love you. You know I love Riker. But like I said, I'm cutting out the bullshit today and let's face facts---Riker is to Picard as Mick Shrimpton is to Nigel Tufnel. Riker could spontaneously combust while playing his goddamn trombone and they could get someone to replace him in a heartbeat. Without Picard, the whole bloody show falls apart.)Like any Trek show, there were some bad episodes. And let me tell you something about Wesley Crusher. Yeah, he's the Jar Jar Binks of Star Trek…it's easy to hate him because he's such an easy target. But I'm not going to defend him. I happen to like him, but I refuse to defend him, because he was a bad concept from the very start. Casting the kind from "Stand By Me." Sure, good idea. But making him a genius? Bad idea. And what the hell was he doing at the helm of the Enterprise? Wil Wheaton did his job, give him a break. But Wesley was a mistake. I am now going to say something which some may regard as sacrilegious. Bear with me, I'm only saying it because I promised to be candid. The Next Generation got better after Roddenberry got his nose out of it.I love what Roddenberry brought us. He established the universe, the characters. But the show got better after he and his hippie dreams of conflict-free banality were out of the way of Trek's day-to-day production. Just like the Trek movies got better when he wasn't running them (Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a good film…yes, it is, watch it again, it's not as bad as you remember. But put it up against Wrath of Khan, Search for Spock, Voyage Home…there's no contest. It's standard Trek pedestrianism compared to those later movies, which really pushed the envelope and dared to tell us stuff about the characters that we didn't already know.)But I digress----I'll get to the movies later, I promise. TNG set the standard for modern Trek. Unfortunately, it arguably set it so high and so well, that -with one notable exception-future spinoffs were scared shitless to divert from it.Let's continue…
Other than Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, this show is the most mainstream Trek ever got…and ever will get, in my opinion. And it deserves to be mainstream, cause you know what, it was really good. It was really really good. And man, when it was good, it positively crackled. This show had fantastic characters---Picard, Data, Worf, Ensign Ro, Q. Patrick Stewart played those dramatic scenes like he was in a fucking Shakespeare and Ibsen festival…thank God no one ever apparently told him he was in a friggin spinoff of an obscure, absurb little toy guns in outer space show. That Klingon intrigue! That Borg cliffhanger! That quest to be human! That was fantastic stuff, people and we all love it. The Next Generation is the only Trek show which no one will argue with me about, because everyone loves it. And we should.That being said…The Next Generation's first season was not horrible. But at times it came really damn close. It was not only clearly the worst first season of any Trek show, but also quite possibly one of the worst first seasons of ANY show that had even close of its kind of longevity. Look at the first season. Just look at it. Sure, someone had been smart enough to cast Stewart, but the writers were scared to death of actually giving some bald, middle-aged Englishman heroic, leading man stuff to do. Most of that stuff went to Riker at first; our beloved Jean "the line must be drawn here" Luc was pretty damn boring and passive those first few years. It wasn't until around the third season that they really realized what a gold mine they had with the future X-Men star, and that the meaty cool stuff should be going to the more interesting character, not to mention the better actor. (sorry Jonathan Frakes. You know I love you. You know I love Riker. But like I said, I'm cutting out the bullshit today and let's face facts---Riker is to Picard as Mick Shrimpton is to Nigel Tufnel. Riker could spontaneously combust while playing his goddamn trombone and they could get someone to replace him in a heartbeat. Without Picard, the whole bloody show falls apart.)Like any Trek show, there were some bad episodes. And let me tell you something about Wesley Crusher. Yeah, he's the Jar Jar Binks of Star Trek…it's easy to hate him because he's such an easy target. But I'm not going to defend him. I happen to like him, but I refuse to defend him, because he was a bad concept from the very start. Casting the kind from "Stand By Me." Sure, good idea. But making him a genius? Bad idea. And what the hell was he doing at the helm of the Enterprise? Wil Wheaton did his job, give him a break. But Wesley was a mistake. I am now going to say something which some may regard as sacrilegious. Bear with me, I'm only saying it because I promised to be candid. The Next Generation got better after Roddenberry got his nose out of it.I love what Roddenberry brought us. He established the universe, the characters. But the show got better after he and his hippie dreams of conflict-free banality were out of the way of Trek's day-to-day production. Just like the Trek movies got better when he wasn't running them (Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a good film…yes, it is, watch it again, it's not as bad as you remember. But put it up against Wrath of Khan, Search for Spock, Voyage Home…there's no contest. It's standard Trek pedestrianism compared to those later movies, which really pushed the envelope and dared to tell us stuff about the characters that we didn't already know.)But I digress----I'll get to the movies later, I promise. TNG set the standard for modern Trek. Unfortunately, it arguably set it so high and so well, that -with one notable exception-future spinoffs were scared shitless to divert from it.Let's continue…
Guest Trek Blogging #4
Deep Space Nine.
Promise me something. If you are one of those people who loves Next Generation but (quote) "never got into that Deep Space Nine show" (unquote), promise me that you will get into it. If you have read this far into my rantings and you haven't gotten bored yet and you are (if I may be so presumptuous) having as much fun listening to me talk Trek as I am actually talking it, you need to get into DS9. You just need to. Deep Space Nine was Trek's "great experiment," to coin Kirk's description of the U.S.S. Excelsior. To some of the show's detractors, this experiment failed; like the Excelsior in Star Trek III, DS9 looked flashy at first, but it sputtered and fell apart when it tried to chase the mighty Enterprise. But to a lot of us who actually watched the show from start to finish (and I guarantee you none of its detractors did so) this experiment was a savior; like the Excelsior in Star Trek VI, it kicked ass, defied Starfleet regulations and nearly flew itself apart while soaring to the aid of an old and tired ship, and keeping the Enterprise - and the franchise -alive. What did you think of that metaphor? I thought it worked swimmingly well. OK, the show had a misfire here and there. Nog flying the Defiant made about as much sense as, I don't know ,Wesley flying the Enterprise. OK bad example. But seriously it had some dumb moments. But man were they few & far between. Put simply, DS9 is Trek living up to its full potential. It took the fantastically rich universe Roddenberry & the gang had created, and through its willingness to fuck with the rules that had been established for it, showed us how it was even more cool than we thought it was.Give me a show set on an alien space station, where the characters can't just take off if they aren't getting along with the latest guy whose wife Kirk or Riker banged. Give me a character who hates Picard because he (as Locutus) killed his wife at Wolf 359, someone who doesn't forgive him for that, like we were all so willing to do.Give me an ex-terrorist as a first officer, who thinks the Federation is a bunch of jag-offs.Give me a changeling searching for his identity…and better yet, when he finds that identity, let him be ***** repulsed by it.Give me a Ferengi who is neither an ineffective villain OR comic relief… someone who's a real guy.Give me a kid character who, unlike Wesley, doesn't give a **** about Starfleet. Make him a writer. Now there's someone I can relate to.You can have your boring Cigarette Smoking, Man…give me Garak, a mysterious recurring character who's actually interesting.Give me a green, wet-behind-the-ears young doctor who I think I'm going to hate, and make him into one of the most complex characters on Trek.Give me a husband and wife with a family on a Trek show, and show me how their lives work in the context of what happens on a Trek show.Give me Martok. Give me Rom. Give me Dukat. Give me Winn. Give me Weyoun. Give me Morn.Give me Dax…whatever form she's in.Give me a show that features a knock-down drag-out two-year war, an oppressed spiritual race, political coups out the wazoo, and a *****singing, self-aware hologram in a 1940s [actually Scott it was an early '60's] Vegas gin joint, and weave it all into an amazing tapestry that ends with the lead character being revealed as a **** messiah.Give me DS9, baby. Give me more.
Promise me something. If you are one of those people who loves Next Generation but (quote) "never got into that Deep Space Nine show" (unquote), promise me that you will get into it. If you have read this far into my rantings and you haven't gotten bored yet and you are (if I may be so presumptuous) having as much fun listening to me talk Trek as I am actually talking it, you need to get into DS9. You just need to. Deep Space Nine was Trek's "great experiment," to coin Kirk's description of the U.S.S. Excelsior. To some of the show's detractors, this experiment failed; like the Excelsior in Star Trek III, DS9 looked flashy at first, but it sputtered and fell apart when it tried to chase the mighty Enterprise. But to a lot of us who actually watched the show from start to finish (and I guarantee you none of its detractors did so) this experiment was a savior; like the Excelsior in Star Trek VI, it kicked ass, defied Starfleet regulations and nearly flew itself apart while soaring to the aid of an old and tired ship, and keeping the Enterprise - and the franchise -alive. What did you think of that metaphor? I thought it worked swimmingly well. OK, the show had a misfire here and there. Nog flying the Defiant made about as much sense as, I don't know ,Wesley flying the Enterprise. OK bad example. But seriously it had some dumb moments. But man were they few & far between. Put simply, DS9 is Trek living up to its full potential. It took the fantastically rich universe Roddenberry & the gang had created, and through its willingness to fuck with the rules that had been established for it, showed us how it was even more cool than we thought it was.Give me a show set on an alien space station, where the characters can't just take off if they aren't getting along with the latest guy whose wife Kirk or Riker banged. Give me a character who hates Picard because he (as Locutus) killed his wife at Wolf 359, someone who doesn't forgive him for that, like we were all so willing to do.Give me an ex-terrorist as a first officer, who thinks the Federation is a bunch of jag-offs.Give me a changeling searching for his identity…and better yet, when he finds that identity, let him be ***** repulsed by it.Give me a Ferengi who is neither an ineffective villain OR comic relief… someone who's a real guy.Give me a kid character who, unlike Wesley, doesn't give a **** about Starfleet. Make him a writer. Now there's someone I can relate to.You can have your boring Cigarette Smoking, Man…give me Garak, a mysterious recurring character who's actually interesting.Give me a green, wet-behind-the-ears young doctor who I think I'm going to hate, and make him into one of the most complex characters on Trek.Give me a husband and wife with a family on a Trek show, and show me how their lives work in the context of what happens on a Trek show.Give me Martok. Give me Rom. Give me Dukat. Give me Winn. Give me Weyoun. Give me Morn.Give me Dax…whatever form she's in.Give me a show that features a knock-down drag-out two-year war, an oppressed spiritual race, political coups out the wazoo, and a *****singing, self-aware hologram in a 1940s [actually Scott it was an early '60's] Vegas gin joint, and weave it all into an amazing tapestry that ends with the lead character being revealed as a **** messiah.Give me DS9, baby. Give me more.
Guest Trek Blogging #5
Voyager.
What happened here? I'll tell you what happened. Berman & company lost their balls. So, DS9's ratings were lower than Next Generation's. Oh, woe is me. C'mon, if there's anything they should have learned it's that STAR TREK IS NOT ABOUT RATINGS. They wanted a show to replace Next Generation when it went off the air. That was the wrong mindset from the very start. Nothing will ever replace TNG. You can stick the Borg into as many Voyager or Enterprise episodes as you want, but the Borg are linked to Picard, both figuratively and literally. What the folks at Paramount have never understood is that the Borg are not great villains. Khan is a great villain. Q is a great villain. Dukat is a great villain. Hell, Harry Mudd is a pretty good villain. But the Borg are not great villains, because you have to have a personality to be a great villain. The Borg resonate with us because of what they did to Picard, and we care about Picard. To this day, Paramount is pushing the Borg on us. Voyager had more Borg episodes than Next Gen. Enterprise had them on a show, 200 years before humans were supposed to have met them. And now the Las Vegas ride is featuring them. Paramount execs think that First Contact was a big hit because it was about the Borg. Bullshit. First Contact was not about the Borg. Sure, they were an important part of the story, but it wasn't about them. It was about Picard. It was about Data, it was about the difference between heroes and flesh & blood people. We learned more about our characters through the Borg, but the movie was not about the Borg.Anyway, um…Like I said, I'll get to the movies later. What was I talking about? Oh yeah, Voyager. Sorry I lost my train of thought, but can you blame me? On the grand scale of things Trek, Voyager is pretty damn easy -and sometimes preferable - to forget.Say what you may about Voyager, there were some really good things about the show. Kathryn Janeway was a great character, and Kate Mulgrew played her to the hilt. The holographic doctor was a brilliant creation. B'elanna Torres---a conflicted human/Klingon half-breed right up there in the Kira Nerys/Ro Laren tortured Trek chick vein. And Seven of Nine saved the show. More about her in a minute.Voyager had some really good characters, and some really good episodes, some really cool entries in the mystique that is Trek lore. But let's face facts: When looked at as a whole package, Voyager is ultimately a disappointment - a show that failed to live up to the promise of its challenging concept, and that failed to live up to the lofty standard set by its predecessors- namely, the previous Trek shows.It had a spectacular pilot episode. Spectacular, I tell you. What a fantastic idea. It drew upon established Trek lore, giving us a Maquis crew and a Starfleet crew, and forcing them to work together, braving dangers that, since we were thousands of light years from home, we had never seen before. Ooh, it sounded so exciting. Almost makes you weep.With a frustratingly few amount of exceptions, Voyager was essentially a half-baked retread of TNG. And that's a shame. TNG did plenty of TNG. Voyager should have done more Voyager. Voyager should have done what DS9 did, taken its concept and pushed it as far as it would go. Chakotay should have been in conflict with the captain, like, a lot? It's terrible how quickly he relinquished his position to her….there could have been lots of stories there. They were friends too quickly. Come to think of it, everyone was friends too quickly. My favorite example of this is the potentially ambitious and interesting second season story arc in which Tom Paris was butting heads with many of the characters, and seemed on the verge of leaving the ship. Now here was someone interesting. Turns out though, that he was faking it all, in order to expose a double agent. And after they caught this bad guy, who we didn't really know or care that much about, Tom went right back to being the good Starfleet officer. The writers may have patted themselves on the back for fooling the audience into thinking Tom was back to being a screw-up, but did it ever occur to them that the character was more interesting as a screw-up? They effectively castrated this guy in terms of his complexity by telling us all this conflict we thought he'd been going through had been bogus. Voyager also had the annoying habit of giving us episodes which involved time travel or alternate timelines, which while on the surface were sometimes decent stories, would end with the crew setting the regular timeline back on course and thereby forgetting everything that had happened to them in the story. See, guys, a neat subplot about Tuvok and Seven of Nine bonding during a hellish year on the ship has no resonance with us if at the end of the episode the characters erase that year from existence, go on their merry way and don't remember that it happened.And why didn't they get home earlier? OK, the final shot of the show, with the ship being escorted back to earth is effective, but when you think of all the lackluster, run-of-the-mill stories that were told in the last few seasons of Voyager, it just makes you want to puke. If they'd gotten home, say, at the end of the fifth season, or the sixth, or even halfway through the seventh season, we could have seen them trying to readjust to life on earth. Now that would have been uncharted territory as far as Trek stories go. Again, it's another example of Voyager's missed opportunities.One thing though. The addition of Jeri Ryan in the fourth season was a masterstroke. The show was going down, baby, you know it and I know it. And when Seven of Nine stepped out of her alcove and started making life on the ship interesting, suddenly people were watching again. Admit it. She was Spock. She was Data, she was Odo. She was the outsider who commented on the human condition through her inability to understand it. She was a compelling character and she brought some juice back into the show, for awhile at least. And lay off the crap about her outfits, OK? Hey, is it against the law to be a sexy babe? We saw as much Nichelle Nichols thigh and Marina Sirtis cleavage as we saw Jeri Ryan T & A. And she looked hot as hell in that catsuit, so shut up about it, and remember why you saw Batman Returns. Hint: It wasn't to leer at Danny Devito.
What happened here? I'll tell you what happened. Berman & company lost their balls. So, DS9's ratings were lower than Next Generation's. Oh, woe is me. C'mon, if there's anything they should have learned it's that STAR TREK IS NOT ABOUT RATINGS. They wanted a show to replace Next Generation when it went off the air. That was the wrong mindset from the very start. Nothing will ever replace TNG. You can stick the Borg into as many Voyager or Enterprise episodes as you want, but the Borg are linked to Picard, both figuratively and literally. What the folks at Paramount have never understood is that the Borg are not great villains. Khan is a great villain. Q is a great villain. Dukat is a great villain. Hell, Harry Mudd is a pretty good villain. But the Borg are not great villains, because you have to have a personality to be a great villain. The Borg resonate with us because of what they did to Picard, and we care about Picard. To this day, Paramount is pushing the Borg on us. Voyager had more Borg episodes than Next Gen. Enterprise had them on a show, 200 years before humans were supposed to have met them. And now the Las Vegas ride is featuring them. Paramount execs think that First Contact was a big hit because it was about the Borg. Bullshit. First Contact was not about the Borg. Sure, they were an important part of the story, but it wasn't about them. It was about Picard. It was about Data, it was about the difference between heroes and flesh & blood people. We learned more about our characters through the Borg, but the movie was not about the Borg.Anyway, um…Like I said, I'll get to the movies later. What was I talking about? Oh yeah, Voyager. Sorry I lost my train of thought, but can you blame me? On the grand scale of things Trek, Voyager is pretty damn easy -and sometimes preferable - to forget.Say what you may about Voyager, there were some really good things about the show. Kathryn Janeway was a great character, and Kate Mulgrew played her to the hilt. The holographic doctor was a brilliant creation. B'elanna Torres---a conflicted human/Klingon half-breed right up there in the Kira Nerys/Ro Laren tortured Trek chick vein. And Seven of Nine saved the show. More about her in a minute.Voyager had some really good characters, and some really good episodes, some really cool entries in the mystique that is Trek lore. But let's face facts: When looked at as a whole package, Voyager is ultimately a disappointment - a show that failed to live up to the promise of its challenging concept, and that failed to live up to the lofty standard set by its predecessors- namely, the previous Trek shows.It had a spectacular pilot episode. Spectacular, I tell you. What a fantastic idea. It drew upon established Trek lore, giving us a Maquis crew and a Starfleet crew, and forcing them to work together, braving dangers that, since we were thousands of light years from home, we had never seen before. Ooh, it sounded so exciting. Almost makes you weep.With a frustratingly few amount of exceptions, Voyager was essentially a half-baked retread of TNG. And that's a shame. TNG did plenty of TNG. Voyager should have done more Voyager. Voyager should have done what DS9 did, taken its concept and pushed it as far as it would go. Chakotay should have been in conflict with the captain, like, a lot? It's terrible how quickly he relinquished his position to her….there could have been lots of stories there. They were friends too quickly. Come to think of it, everyone was friends too quickly. My favorite example of this is the potentially ambitious and interesting second season story arc in which Tom Paris was butting heads with many of the characters, and seemed on the verge of leaving the ship. Now here was someone interesting. Turns out though, that he was faking it all, in order to expose a double agent. And after they caught this bad guy, who we didn't really know or care that much about, Tom went right back to being the good Starfleet officer. The writers may have patted themselves on the back for fooling the audience into thinking Tom was back to being a screw-up, but did it ever occur to them that the character was more interesting as a screw-up? They effectively castrated this guy in terms of his complexity by telling us all this conflict we thought he'd been going through had been bogus. Voyager also had the annoying habit of giving us episodes which involved time travel or alternate timelines, which while on the surface were sometimes decent stories, would end with the crew setting the regular timeline back on course and thereby forgetting everything that had happened to them in the story. See, guys, a neat subplot about Tuvok and Seven of Nine bonding during a hellish year on the ship has no resonance with us if at the end of the episode the characters erase that year from existence, go on their merry way and don't remember that it happened.And why didn't they get home earlier? OK, the final shot of the show, with the ship being escorted back to earth is effective, but when you think of all the lackluster, run-of-the-mill stories that were told in the last few seasons of Voyager, it just makes you want to puke. If they'd gotten home, say, at the end of the fifth season, or the sixth, or even halfway through the seventh season, we could have seen them trying to readjust to life on earth. Now that would have been uncharted territory as far as Trek stories go. Again, it's another example of Voyager's missed opportunities.One thing though. The addition of Jeri Ryan in the fourth season was a masterstroke. The show was going down, baby, you know it and I know it. And when Seven of Nine stepped out of her alcove and started making life on the ship interesting, suddenly people were watching again. Admit it. She was Spock. She was Data, she was Odo. She was the outsider who commented on the human condition through her inability to understand it. She was a compelling character and she brought some juice back into the show, for awhile at least. And lay off the crap about her outfits, OK? Hey, is it against the law to be a sexy babe? We saw as much Nichelle Nichols thigh and Marina Sirtis cleavage as we saw Jeri Ryan T & A. And she looked hot as hell in that catsuit, so shut up about it, and remember why you saw Batman Returns. Hint: It wasn't to leer at Danny Devito.
Guest Trek blogging #6
Enterprise.
I think the most telling sign that Paramount has lost confidence in this show is that it is, as of early in the third season, now officially called "Star Trek: Enterprise."The absence of the "Star Trek" moniker filled me with hope. This show ain't gonna be anything you've seen before…that's what that said to me. But as soon as the ratings started to dip, It could've worked. Maybe it still can. It seemed like it was for awhile. Its first season had a lot of buzz. A prequel, set before Kirk's time? Great idea. Scott Bakula as the captain? Sure, why not? At least you know Quantum Leap fans will watch, right? Conflict with the Vulcans? Bring it on. Where are the Romulan wars? And let's talk about T'Pol. Let's just put it right out there for everyone to see, as Jolene Blalock does almost every week on the show. They wanted another Seven of Nine, OK? I'm sure the Paramount honchos said it to Berman in exactly those words. So they gave us another hot chick in a tight outfit, with a severe personality, to feed all the Trek male fans' brains with that insatiable "I want be the guy to shake her out of that cool exterior - and out of those hot, hip-hugging clothes - and bring out the libidinous sex animal lurking underneath" feeling. Hey guys, I'm a guy, too. I felt it. Don't be ashamed. But ask yourself this, should we really accept that kind of empty eye candy at the expense of good characterization? I thought I liked T'Pol at first. But let's be honest, she's pretty one-note. Whenever they want to vamp up the sexual tension on the show, she takes off her top and massages Trip with oil. Now, while this may be a more or less completely successful attempt to play into the Trek male geek fantasy of a Vulcan love slave, does it really advance the story? Has the Trip/T'Pol romance ever seemed like anything other than a contrived attempt to inject some love scenes into the show?
I think the most telling sign that Paramount has lost confidence in this show is that it is, as of early in the third season, now officially called "Star Trek: Enterprise."The absence of the "Star Trek" moniker filled me with hope. This show ain't gonna be anything you've seen before…that's what that said to me. But as soon as the ratings started to dip, It could've worked. Maybe it still can. It seemed like it was for awhile. Its first season had a lot of buzz. A prequel, set before Kirk's time? Great idea. Scott Bakula as the captain? Sure, why not? At least you know Quantum Leap fans will watch, right? Conflict with the Vulcans? Bring it on. Where are the Romulan wars? And let's talk about T'Pol. Let's just put it right out there for everyone to see, as Jolene Blalock does almost every week on the show. They wanted another Seven of Nine, OK? I'm sure the Paramount honchos said it to Berman in exactly those words. So they gave us another hot chick in a tight outfit, with a severe personality, to feed all the Trek male fans' brains with that insatiable "I want be the guy to shake her out of that cool exterior - and out of those hot, hip-hugging clothes - and bring out the libidinous sex animal lurking underneath" feeling. Hey guys, I'm a guy, too. I felt it. Don't be ashamed. But ask yourself this, should we really accept that kind of empty eye candy at the expense of good characterization? I thought I liked T'Pol at first. But let's be honest, she's pretty one-note. Whenever they want to vamp up the sexual tension on the show, she takes off her top and massages Trip with oil. Now, while this may be a more or less completely successful attempt to play into the Trek male geek fantasy of a Vulcan love slave, does it really advance the story? Has the Trip/T'Pol romance ever seemed like anything other than a contrived attempt to inject some love scenes into the show?
Guest Trek Blogging#7
The Trek Movies.
Insurrection killed the Trek movie franchise. Bold statement? Not really. Think about it. Now don't get me wrong. Insurrection, while my least favorite of the Next Generation films, is not a bad movie. On the contrary, it's pretty solid stuff. A firm three out of four stars. But it was rushed out too soon after First Contact, to capitalize on that film's enormous success. But hey, you say, First Contact came out two years after Generations, and Insurection came out two years after First Contact, so how can you make that argument? Here's why: First Contact had to come out soon after Generations if the Trek movies were going to survive. Generations was a decent-size hit, but it was slammed by critics and a lot of fans. The emotion chip was gimmicky, the nexus was nonsensical technobabble; Shatner upstaged Stewart. There was serious doubt as to whether the Next Gen crew could hold a film on their own, with no help from the original series. First Contact quickly proved that they could…Star Trek clearly still had a future on the silver screen.What should they have done then? They should have let the movie series rest awhile. Let some anticipation build for the next installment. But those Paramount execs, they can always be counted on to do whatever they think will make them the quickest buck. What did they do? Salivating with the success of the "Borg movie," as I'm sure they inaccurately called it, they threw loads of dough at Stewart and Spiner and they filmed the first story Michael Piller could come up with. And what happened? Insurrection, while entertaining and modestly successful at the box office, failed to generate the excitement a Trek movie should. It was a fine story, but it was pretty forgettable. And c'mon, "Insurrection?" It was a horrible title. Really, in all seriousness, "Insurrection?" What the hell does that mean? It sounds like one of those lackluster one-word technobabble titles from some TNG or Voyager episodes, where you get the idea that they didn't feel like coming up with something good. "The Devil in the Dark," "The Changing Face of Evil," The City on the Edge of Forever," "Far Beyond the Stars," those are Trek titles. Insurrection underperformed, and that was possibly a good thing, cause it made Berman & Co. realize they needed to take more time to think up something better for the next one. And you know what? They did. The ho-hum response to Nemesis confounded me. At the time, I tried to explain it away with bad timing. Well, there was a Lord of the Rings, a Harry Potter and a Bond film out at the same time. Well, you know what? Those excuses didn't work with Star Trek V, and they don't work with Nemesis either. It goes deeper than that. Some people didn't like Nemesis, but I although I think they're wrong, I don't think they're the problem. I think the people who didn't SEE Nemesis are the problem. When a film like Star Trek V underperforms at the box office, it's easy to explain. It was a bad movie. When A a really cool film like Nemesis (and it was really cool) underperforms, it means, interest in the Trek films is waning. Interest in Trek in general is waning. Oh, I hated writing those last words I just wrote. But it's the only explanation. The future of Trek. Enterprise will not last seven years.
Insurrection killed the Trek movie franchise. Bold statement? Not really. Think about it. Now don't get me wrong. Insurrection, while my least favorite of the Next Generation films, is not a bad movie. On the contrary, it's pretty solid stuff. A firm three out of four stars. But it was rushed out too soon after First Contact, to capitalize on that film's enormous success. But hey, you say, First Contact came out two years after Generations, and Insurection came out two years after First Contact, so how can you make that argument? Here's why: First Contact had to come out soon after Generations if the Trek movies were going to survive. Generations was a decent-size hit, but it was slammed by critics and a lot of fans. The emotion chip was gimmicky, the nexus was nonsensical technobabble; Shatner upstaged Stewart. There was serious doubt as to whether the Next Gen crew could hold a film on their own, with no help from the original series. First Contact quickly proved that they could…Star Trek clearly still had a future on the silver screen.What should they have done then? They should have let the movie series rest awhile. Let some anticipation build for the next installment. But those Paramount execs, they can always be counted on to do whatever they think will make them the quickest buck. What did they do? Salivating with the success of the "Borg movie," as I'm sure they inaccurately called it, they threw loads of dough at Stewart and Spiner and they filmed the first story Michael Piller could come up with. And what happened? Insurrection, while entertaining and modestly successful at the box office, failed to generate the excitement a Trek movie should. It was a fine story, but it was pretty forgettable. And c'mon, "Insurrection?" It was a horrible title. Really, in all seriousness, "Insurrection?" What the hell does that mean? It sounds like one of those lackluster one-word technobabble titles from some TNG or Voyager episodes, where you get the idea that they didn't feel like coming up with something good. "The Devil in the Dark," "The Changing Face of Evil," The City on the Edge of Forever," "Far Beyond the Stars," those are Trek titles. Insurrection underperformed, and that was possibly a good thing, cause it made Berman & Co. realize they needed to take more time to think up something better for the next one. And you know what? They did. The ho-hum response to Nemesis confounded me. At the time, I tried to explain it away with bad timing. Well, there was a Lord of the Rings, a Harry Potter and a Bond film out at the same time. Well, you know what? Those excuses didn't work with Star Trek V, and they don't work with Nemesis either. It goes deeper than that. Some people didn't like Nemesis, but I although I think they're wrong, I don't think they're the problem. I think the people who didn't SEE Nemesis are the problem. When a film like Star Trek V underperforms at the box office, it's easy to explain. It was a bad movie. When A a really cool film like Nemesis (and it was really cool) underperforms, it means, interest in the Trek films is waning. Interest in Trek in general is waning. Oh, I hated writing those last words I just wrote. But it's the only explanation. The future of Trek. Enterprise will not last seven years.
Monday, September 19, 2005
Another Emmy
for Mr. Shatner. I am staying silent about what I think of this. Just thought I should mention it.
Friday, September 16, 2005
Threshold
A new speculative series is debuting as I type on CBS....There's a smart "little person," on there that tickles my sense that the acting profession needs to include "different" people like myself.
TNG alumni, Brent Spiner is anything but robotic, playing a cynical, crass, bitter physician.
It's "Invasion" without the juvenile sensibility. I think it will be a good show.
TNG alumni, Brent Spiner is anything but robotic, playing a cynical, crass, bitter physician.
It's "Invasion" without the juvenile sensibility. I think it will be a good show.
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Miracle Worker
James Doohan, the man who played "Scotty" on the original Star Trek Series has passed away. From what I understand complications from pneumonia and the alzheimers that he was struggling with were the cause.
The word is given...warp speed.
The word is given...warp speed.
Monday, June 20, 2005
A Shatner note:
regarding his appearance this evening at the AFI tribute for George Lucas.
Shatner will do positively *anything* for face time. Anything.
(and I'm a Kirk person, I really am.)
Shatner will do positively *anything* for face time. Anything.
(and I'm a Kirk person, I really am.)
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Off Topic and Puzzling
I havent got a problem with what George Lucas said at Cannes, I can see that people on the opposite side of the question would take issue
But "Star Wars" the film is now on a list to be *boycotted* by certain Republicans...
These must be the spiritual desendants of the folks that wouldn't broadcast Trek on certain stations during its initial run.....
I am speechless. I can't even rant about this it's so nuts. More after next Monday when I have seen the film.
But "Star Wars" the film is now on a list to be *boycotted* by certain Republicans...
These must be the spiritual desendants of the folks that wouldn't broadcast Trek on certain stations during its initial run.....
I am speechless. I can't even rant about this it's so nuts. More after next Monday when I have seen the film.
Friday, May 13, 2005
Spoilers---Let's go Mind the Store
So....
This takes place during the Enterprise D's missions...
Brent must have recorded "Data's" lines either while doing his own guest stint or as a later unanounced bit.
If the entire episode had been about the NX 01's crew I would have liked it better... I'll take what I can get. Shran and his beautiful little daughter. Tucker and Malcom speculating about possible future Enterprises. Archer being self deprecating and gentle, both about Tucker's death and his own speechmaking ability. T'Pol was written grossly emotional (for a Vulcan) and I agree Jolene Blalok and John Billingsley who went on record as being dissatisfied with the way their characters, indeed the whole NX crew took a backseat to the framing Riker/Troi story.
I was all ready to hate the framing story with the hottest hate I could muster, but Riker's just so damn congenial it's hard to dislike him. After all it's not Frakes and Sirtis' fault they've been asked to upstage Phlox's compassion, T'Pols prickly behavior, or the worst upstage of all, Tucker's death being marginalized by making the whole thing just a holographic simulation...
The only thing that made the framing worth it was the end sequence and even that was two shots shy of perfect...The ships (but where was Voyager?), the spacescape (but where was DS9?) and the complementary voice overs.
Ah, well, engage...
This takes place during the Enterprise D's missions...
Brent must have recorded "Data's" lines either while doing his own guest stint or as a later unanounced bit.
If the entire episode had been about the NX 01's crew I would have liked it better... I'll take what I can get. Shran and his beautiful little daughter. Tucker and Malcom speculating about possible future Enterprises. Archer being self deprecating and gentle, both about Tucker's death and his own speechmaking ability. T'Pol was written grossly emotional (for a Vulcan) and I agree Jolene Blalok and John Billingsley who went on record as being dissatisfied with the way their characters, indeed the whole NX crew took a backseat to the framing Riker/Troi story.
I was all ready to hate the framing story with the hottest hate I could muster, but Riker's just so damn congenial it's hard to dislike him. After all it's not Frakes and Sirtis' fault they've been asked to upstage Phlox's compassion, T'Pols prickly behavior, or the worst upstage of all, Tucker's death being marginalized by making the whole thing just a holographic simulation...
The only thing that made the framing worth it was the end sequence and even that was two shots shy of perfect...The ships (but where was Voyager?), the spacescape (but where was DS9?) and the complementary voice overs.
Ah, well, engage...
Halfway through
Loved the rocking, rolling shuttle ride...to the end emphasizing the fact that this is not the cushy 23rd or 24th century..."When *I* walked to school through twelve feet of snow," etc. These ancestors of the Starfleeters we know had to have it rougher or one of the few positives of a prequel just falls flat.
"Her name is Elizabeth."
Perhaps some of Phlox's record keeping gets studied by the Vulcan geneticists when a certain Vulcan diplomat and his human lady wife decide to have a child :)
Tucker's emotions at the end of this episode were/are right on target.
And Archer's final speech at the conference. Lord, no wonder Kirk was such a pompous **** by his time.
One down One to go.
"Her name is Elizabeth."
Perhaps some of Phlox's record keeping gets studied by the Vulcan geneticists when a certain Vulcan diplomat and his human lady wife decide to have a child :)
Tucker's emotions at the end of this episode were/are right on target.
And Archer's final speech at the conference. Lord, no wonder Kirk was such a pompous **** by his time.
One down One to go.
These Were The Voyages
No copyright infringment is intended or implied all characters are copyrighted by Paramount
"It's happening Captain....the rift showing the past, the future....that we've had access to for decades now. Decay rate constant. Closure imminent."
"Isn't there anything that can be done for them?"
"Your concern is noble and notable Doctor, but they have sealed their fate. Outside this rift their reality lies on a perilous course. It is logical that," he paused and admitted, "many...positive things...would be left behind."
"It's just one of those moments in history," the Captain(s) said,"We've tried every scheme possible, and we are simply unable to stop it."
"Do they forget," asked the Prophets of the Sisko, "Or do they reject?"
"I am uncertain," said Ben.
"Today," rumbled Worf, "Is not a good day to die."
"Like my people though, " noted Myles, "They'll keep on writing."
"And dreaming," murmured Janeway, "Perhaps too much."
"I believe," said the machine, "That there are always alternatives."
"Intriguing," opined the Vulcan.
"We'll go on whether they do or not," said the youngest of the Captains.
"And you wouldn't have it any other way," interrupted the Frenchman sourly.
He had never gotten used to the other's pronouncements. And where in the hell was Q?
Archer was bemused and annoyed by turns "You say that, " he quipped to young Kirk , "when your voyages ended before their time as well? At least yours weren't hijacked by a pair of-"
"Temper, Temper, " said the Denobulan, smiling. He turned to the Southerner and asked, "How do you account for such volatility in a leader?"
"Comes with the territory," the Southerner answered gruffly. "Hush now. It's beginning..."
"It's happening Captain....the rift showing the past, the future....that we've had access to for decades now. Decay rate constant. Closure imminent."
"Isn't there anything that can be done for them?"
"Your concern is noble and notable Doctor, but they have sealed their fate. Outside this rift their reality lies on a perilous course. It is logical that," he paused and admitted, "many...positive things...would be left behind."
"It's just one of those moments in history," the Captain(s) said,"We've tried every scheme possible, and we are simply unable to stop it."
"Do they forget," asked the Prophets of the Sisko, "Or do they reject?"
"I am uncertain," said Ben.
"Today," rumbled Worf, "Is not a good day to die."
"Like my people though, " noted Myles, "They'll keep on writing."
"And dreaming," murmured Janeway, "Perhaps too much."
"I believe," said the machine, "That there are always alternatives."
"Intriguing," opined the Vulcan.
"We'll go on whether they do or not," said the youngest of the Captains.
"And you wouldn't have it any other way," interrupted the Frenchman sourly.
He had never gotten used to the other's pronouncements. And where in the hell was Q?
Archer was bemused and annoyed by turns "You say that, " he quipped to young Kirk , "when your voyages ended before their time as well? At least yours weren't hijacked by a pair of-"
"Temper, Temper, " said the Denobulan, smiling. He turned to the Southerner and asked, "How do you account for such volatility in a leader?"
"Comes with the territory," the Southerner answered gruffly. "Hush now. It's beginning..."
Saturday, May 07, 2005
Friday May 6th "Enterprise"
I put the title that way because I actually missed the title of last night's episode.
It was so dark and sketchy I won't be writing much about it. Whatever gimmick they come up with next week to produce a little Tuckerette via T'Pol who never got pregnant (cloning, stolen genetic material from both parents without their knowledge) I won't buy it, it's ridiculous period.
Peter Weller is scary because he's understated, not over the top.
and the rhetoric is so heavy handed in its comparisons to many of the debates going on in America today that it overkills its case and interferes with any enjoyment of the "story" such as it is. I do too much of that over at my other blog to have any desire to see it when I switch over to my fun TV
How can it be good writing when you "knew" the reporter chick was a plant! Poor Boomer.
This is the depressed part of the wake.
Also I'm peeved at the programming decision to attach the Berman/Braga finally (as in finally after this they'll shut up!) on top of the second half of this episode. It creates the idea of a false continuity, as if one really has anything to do with the other.
Pfft. My fictional friends are leaving my screen and doing in in a dark and listless kinda way.
It was so dark and sketchy I won't be writing much about it. Whatever gimmick they come up with next week to produce a little Tuckerette via T'Pol who never got pregnant (cloning, stolen genetic material from both parents without their knowledge) I won't buy it, it's ridiculous period.
Peter Weller is scary because he's understated, not over the top.
and the rhetoric is so heavy handed in its comparisons to many of the debates going on in America today that it overkills its case and interferes with any enjoyment of the "story" such as it is. I do too much of that over at my other blog to have any desire to see it when I switch over to my fun TV
How can it be good writing when you "knew" the reporter chick was a plant! Poor Boomer.
This is the depressed part of the wake.
Also I'm peeved at the programming decision to attach the Berman/Braga finally (as in finally after this they'll shut up!) on top of the second half of this episode. It creates the idea of a false continuity, as if one really has anything to do with the other.
Pfft. My fictional friends are leaving my screen and doing in in a dark and listless kinda way.
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
I know I'm about 27 years late
to this debate, but I'm going to try to put it in a different framework.
Star Trek and Star Wars aren't or shouldn't be polarized fanbases that chant "Either Mine or Thine" endlessly.
They're actually kind of symbiotic.
1. First connection. Whether Lucas *intended* it or not, in 1977 when the first film aired the most organized, committed group of fans for TV or film fantasy were the Trek fans. They wanted new Trek, and while this wasn't Trek it was surely "new," enough to warrant their interest.
I believe that without Trek, there would have been much less interest in Star Wars, and the series could have died on the vine after the first film.
2. Once Star Wars became the first summer mega-hit, the money to be made from it convinced Paramount that a new Trek film, far from being an albatross around their necks, might bring home some amazing amounts of bacon. Problem was they tried to use the "OOHHHH AHHH" factor in the opening sequence of "Star Wars," to disastrous results. Star Wars is, as a columnist friend of mine wrote, visually stunning. But Star Trek, to succeed, has to be more about characters and their inner conflicts, than about the awesome size of an Imperial Star Destroyer. Lucas himself learned what fleshed out characters and some angst could do for his franchise with 'The Empire Strikes Back.' Star Wars, the original film is sheer fun with template characters, The Boy Hero, The Rascal, and the best Villan to come along in a long time. Star Trek makes you *think.*
Thankfully, Paramount for whatever reasons felt gambling on a second Trek film was worth it. 'Wrath of Khan' did Empire one better. It didn't freeze a beloved character. It killed him. 'Khan' had important links to the franchise's TV past, and made the mover of the story Kirk's big mistake: at the end of 'Space Seed' he left Khan alive.
The committed Star Wars fan and surely some rejuvinated Trekkers combined to make 'Return of the Jedi' a success.
Then for Star Wars fans: The Long Wait, similar to (and longer than!) the filmed Trek drought of the mid Seventies. Detailed novels fleshed out Lucas' vision, but *where* was that new film?
During the 14 year Star Wars wait: Trek flourished with TNG, its *best* incarnation, DS 9, and the less beloved Voyager. Enterprise somehow went backwards, as the Star Wars franchise revved up its latest and last film.
Lucas made great use of the leaps ahead in SFX technology that he himself had started, and the two newest Star Wars films are things of beauty, with a satisfactory tinge of dread. Because they are the story of the triumph of anger over compassion, power over pluralism, and young Vader randomly using his abilities *just because he can.*
I also find it oddly interesting that these two great fantasy franchises will go down together (at least on film) in the same month.
I'll be watching *both* with interest, thank you.
Star Trek and Star Wars aren't or shouldn't be polarized fanbases that chant "Either Mine or Thine" endlessly.
They're actually kind of symbiotic.
1. First connection. Whether Lucas *intended* it or not, in 1977 when the first film aired the most organized, committed group of fans for TV or film fantasy were the Trek fans. They wanted new Trek, and while this wasn't Trek it was surely "new," enough to warrant their interest.
I believe that without Trek, there would have been much less interest in Star Wars, and the series could have died on the vine after the first film.
2. Once Star Wars became the first summer mega-hit, the money to be made from it convinced Paramount that a new Trek film, far from being an albatross around their necks, might bring home some amazing amounts of bacon. Problem was they tried to use the "OOHHHH AHHH" factor in the opening sequence of "Star Wars," to disastrous results. Star Wars is, as a columnist friend of mine wrote, visually stunning. But Star Trek, to succeed, has to be more about characters and their inner conflicts, than about the awesome size of an Imperial Star Destroyer. Lucas himself learned what fleshed out characters and some angst could do for his franchise with 'The Empire Strikes Back.' Star Wars, the original film is sheer fun with template characters, The Boy Hero, The Rascal, and the best Villan to come along in a long time. Star Trek makes you *think.*
Thankfully, Paramount for whatever reasons felt gambling on a second Trek film was worth it. 'Wrath of Khan' did Empire one better. It didn't freeze a beloved character. It killed him. 'Khan' had important links to the franchise's TV past, and made the mover of the story Kirk's big mistake: at the end of 'Space Seed' he left Khan alive.
The committed Star Wars fan and surely some rejuvinated Trekkers combined to make 'Return of the Jedi' a success.
Then for Star Wars fans: The Long Wait, similar to (and longer than!) the filmed Trek drought of the mid Seventies. Detailed novels fleshed out Lucas' vision, but *where* was that new film?
During the 14 year Star Wars wait: Trek flourished with TNG, its *best* incarnation, DS 9, and the less beloved Voyager. Enterprise somehow went backwards, as the Star Wars franchise revved up its latest and last film.
Lucas made great use of the leaps ahead in SFX technology that he himself had started, and the two newest Star Wars films are things of beauty, with a satisfactory tinge of dread. Because they are the story of the triumph of anger over compassion, power over pluralism, and young Vader randomly using his abilities *just because he can.*
I also find it oddly interesting that these two great fantasy franchises will go down together (at least on film) in the same month.
I'll be watching *both* with interest, thank you.
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Hilarity
I was unprepared for the Futurama episode that came across my TV last night...but I had never seen it before. It is perhaps the best send up of Trek that I've seen in awhile.
One of the main characters utters the banned words 'Star Trek' and we're off. The show is against the law in the 31'rst century. We get the grumpy, but heroic heads (minus bodies) of the TOS crew in life preserving jars, mouthing off and taken away on a space adventure (with a gleeful Riker head being moved to the front of the shelf when the TOS heads are removed.)
Trek as religion complete with a Christine Chapel.
Shatner, Nimoy, Takei, Nichols and Koenig giving unashamed send ups of themselves.
Shatner, "...In Star Trek V I got such a good performance out of me, because I respected me so much."
Nimoy: "I'm in a gefelte fish jar."
Takei: "Check out these abs."
Fan to Koenig: "Say Nuclear Wessels" Koenig "No!"
Nichols: (on the most heroic thing she did on the series) " In the third season I kissed Shatner."
I promise I'll record it the next time around and write a better column on it...but I laughed the entire time.
One of the main characters utters the banned words 'Star Trek' and we're off. The show is against the law in the 31'rst century. We get the grumpy, but heroic heads (minus bodies) of the TOS crew in life preserving jars, mouthing off and taken away on a space adventure (with a gleeful Riker head being moved to the front of the shelf when the TOS heads are removed.)
Trek as religion complete with a Christine Chapel.
Shatner, Nimoy, Takei, Nichols and Koenig giving unashamed send ups of themselves.
Shatner, "...In Star Trek V I got such a good performance out of me, because I respected me so much."
Nimoy: "I'm in a gefelte fish jar."
Takei: "Check out these abs."
Fan to Koenig: "Say Nuclear Wessels" Koenig "No!"
Nichols: (on the most heroic thing she did on the series) " In the third season I kissed Shatner."
I promise I'll record it the next time around and write a better column on it...but I laughed the entire time.
Friday, April 29, 2005
"In A Mirror Darkly," Part II
Ah, the sound of 23rd century phasers.
And what a lovely painting of the Defiant in the Briefing Room.
"People have some strange ideas about uniforms."
Oh, you have no idea :)
"Shakespeare is equally grim in both universes."
Not quite. :)
I seem to recall that Shakespeare was, well, nastier on the Mirror-side.
Loved the shot comparing the sizes of the two classes of ships.
I thought the CGI work on the Gorn was wonderful....too bad we couldn't have seen the Gorn on our side. :(
Things that irritated me: Why the "my sane alter made me crazy" subplot? Archer doesn’t need the excuse of madness to do what he’s doing here. It’s standard operating procedure in Mirror-space. Or, if you’re going to make him nuts, no need to have anyone whispering in his ear. We get it. We're Trekfans which means, automatically, not stupid.
Ambassador Saval! And, in a way, he dies a hero's death in a small rebellion that never succeeded. Perhaps mirroring Spock's failed attempt a century later...and don't get snarky with me about 'how do I know Spock failed?' I have two words:
The Intendant
I was amused at the Vulcans' recruting techniques towards Phlox...now... that’s nasty. Hitting Phlox right where he...well...loves :)
We also got to hear 23rd century torpedoes.
And a Mirror-Orion chick. Nice touch.
And...that ending....priceless. One wonders what Marlena Moreau did when Mirror Kirk returned from our side...Something similar perhaps? Hmmm.
And what a lovely painting of the Defiant in the Briefing Room.
"People have some strange ideas about uniforms."
Oh, you have no idea :)
"Shakespeare is equally grim in both universes."
Not quite. :)
I seem to recall that Shakespeare was, well, nastier on the Mirror-side.
Loved the shot comparing the sizes of the two classes of ships.
I thought the CGI work on the Gorn was wonderful....too bad we couldn't have seen the Gorn on our side. :(
Things that irritated me: Why the "my sane alter made me crazy" subplot? Archer doesn’t need the excuse of madness to do what he’s doing here. It’s standard operating procedure in Mirror-space. Or, if you’re going to make him nuts, no need to have anyone whispering in his ear. We get it. We're Trekfans which means, automatically, not stupid.
Ambassador Saval! And, in a way, he dies a hero's death in a small rebellion that never succeeded. Perhaps mirroring Spock's failed attempt a century later...and don't get snarky with me about 'how do I know Spock failed?' I have two words:
The Intendant
I was amused at the Vulcans' recruting techniques towards Phlox...now... that’s nasty. Hitting Phlox right where he...well...loves :)
We also got to hear 23rd century torpedoes.
And a Mirror-Orion chick. Nice touch.
And...that ending....priceless. One wonders what Marlena Moreau did when Mirror Kirk returned from our side...Something similar perhaps? Hmmm.
So...I'm taking bets.
The second half has not yet shown here...for any that haven't seen it yet, who will bet that Hoshi kills Archer...but that T'Pol gets to *keep* the Defiant, take it home to Vulcan and have the Mirror-Universe's version of the Science Academy pick it apart and learn it's secrets quite quickly...Thus by the time we have Mirror-Spock, he's no slave or second class citizen...
First there's Mirror-Sulu snarking at Spock about how Sulu would be a formidable opponent. Spock answers confidently, "I trust that you are aware of the reverse.
...My operatives would avenge my death...and some of them are Vulcans." His people are equal partners in pillage with the Terrans by that time, or i'll eat my plomeek soup.
First there's Mirror-Sulu snarking at Spock about how Sulu would be a formidable opponent. Spock answers confidently, "I trust that you are aware of the reverse.
...My operatives would avenge my death...and some of them are Vulcans." His people are equal partners in pillage with the Terrans by that time, or i'll eat my plomeek soup.
Friday, April 22, 2005
"In A Mirror, Darkly" Part I
"It was much easier for [us] as civilized men to behave like barbarians than it was for [them] as barbarians to behave like civilized men." Spock, " in STAR TREK TOS episode "Mirror, Mirror."
No frame story, no lead-in, no garbage :) Just out and out barbarism and one hell of a good time:)
I *loved.* Zephram Cochrane as 'enforcer.'
Hoshi and Archer. Well....Damn!
TPol. Way more than meets the midriff here. Her casual usurpation of Tucker is more than Mirror Spock did, even in an emergency. He only went in for info. She marched Tucker around like a marionette.
Phlox! "Think you're angry now..."
Dissecting a Poor! Defensless! Lifeform! Bwahahaahahahaa!
"Please kindly DIE."
Boomer in soldier-drag.
What didn't seem to fit:
Archer's mercy to Forrest. Are you up for the captaincy or not? If so...he should have died with the takeover by Archer.
The men's uniforms. No Fun. At. All. At least a silver glitter-sash to go with the blue. Not an earlier version of the "Yesterday's Enterprise" arms' harness.
Enquiring minds wanna know:
Who Are The Reptillians in the Defiant's nacelle? Zindi? Gorn? "Founders?" temporarily shifted into reptiles?
Favorite Next Episode Teaser Line:
"What ARE YOU wearing?"
Great fun, and a good testament that the bean counters at Paramount should *never* have cancelled this show.
More next week for Barbarism Part II
No frame story, no lead-in, no garbage :) Just out and out barbarism and one hell of a good time:)
I *loved.* Zephram Cochrane as 'enforcer.'
Hoshi and Archer. Well....Damn!
TPol. Way more than meets the midriff here. Her casual usurpation of Tucker is more than Mirror Spock did, even in an emergency. He only went in for info. She marched Tucker around like a marionette.
Phlox! "Think you're angry now..."
Dissecting a Poor! Defensless! Lifeform! Bwahahaahahahaa!
"Please kindly DIE."
Boomer in soldier-drag.
What didn't seem to fit:
Archer's mercy to Forrest. Are you up for the captaincy or not? If so...he should have died with the takeover by Archer.
The men's uniforms. No Fun. At. All. At least a silver glitter-sash to go with the blue. Not an earlier version of the "Yesterday's Enterprise" arms' harness.
Enquiring minds wanna know:
Who Are The Reptillians in the Defiant's nacelle? Zindi? Gorn? "Founders?" temporarily shifted into reptiles?
Favorite Next Episode Teaser Line:
"What ARE YOU wearing?"
Great fun, and a good testament that the bean counters at Paramount should *never* have cancelled this show.
More next week for Barbarism Part II
Denny Crane's Coming to Denver
April 29-May 1...going to have to miss that convention no bucks....Jeffrey Combs will be there too...now *he's* worth seeing :) Shran is the *best* character he's ever done, and it is one of the small joys of Enterprise.
I'll be talking about the Mirror Universe Episode tonight after 10 eastern time...
I'll be talking about the Mirror Universe Episode tonight after 10 eastern time...
Monday, April 18, 2005
Latest on the campaign for a 5th Season
from www.trekfansunited.com
"Our final proposal was knocked down by Paramount. We will not see a season five for Star Trek Enterprise. "
Not like I really thought it would happen but...damn.
"Our final proposal was knocked down by Paramount. We will not see a season five for Star Trek Enterprise. "
Not like I really thought it would happen but...damn.
Friday, April 15, 2005
"Bound"
Ok, so far I only have two questions:
1. Couldn't they get green to match the original color of the Orion girl in "The Cage?" This coloring is consistent with split pea soup, the same lovely shade of Orion's used earlier in "Enterprise," but is nowhere near the color of Vina-as-an-Orion in "The Cage."
2. It's a lousy episode...but I wonder how Phlox will react to these wenches....
Ok, something we didn't know....something about the women, their past owner, or his ship is driving the men to be not just affected by the women, but aggressive, and/or ill.
(sigh.) If this is all we're getting, I'll be glad when its over.
Lamest justification for an epi in a long time. If the Orion syndicate wanted Archer, all they needed to do was take him, not dump three babes on board and freak out the crew.
Maybe the mirror episode (that I thought would air tonight) will have a teaser.
(It did! It did Bwhaahahahahaha! Bad uniforms! Agony Booths! Phlox as Mad Scientist...*That* will be more fun : ) )
And, BTW "Trek United" has a Canadian producer in talks with Paramount about a possible fifth season. Nothing about the story makes me think it has a chance, but the execs at least agreed to meet with the producer.
1. Couldn't they get green to match the original color of the Orion girl in "The Cage?" This coloring is consistent with split pea soup, the same lovely shade of Orion's used earlier in "Enterprise," but is nowhere near the color of Vina-as-an-Orion in "The Cage."
2. It's a lousy episode...but I wonder how Phlox will react to these wenches....
Ok, something we didn't know....something about the women, their past owner, or his ship is driving the men to be not just affected by the women, but aggressive, and/or ill.
(sigh.) If this is all we're getting, I'll be glad when its over.
Lamest justification for an epi in a long time. If the Orion syndicate wanted Archer, all they needed to do was take him, not dump three babes on board and freak out the crew.
Maybe the mirror episode (that I thought would air tonight) will have a teaser.
(It did! It did Bwhaahahahahaha! Bad uniforms! Agony Booths! Phlox as Mad Scientist...*That* will be more fun : ) )
And, BTW "Trek United" has a Canadian producer in talks with Paramount about a possible fifth season. Nothing about the story makes me think it has a chance, but the execs at least agreed to meet with the producer.
Just a note: I'll be talking about
tomorows "Enterprise" after it has aired in my timezone, from 7-8 pm Mountain. Spoilers can come here, but if you can afford to wait until after 10:00 Eastern I'd appreciate it.
Evidently we're going to be treated to a shipful of green Orion Women--sigh. "Mudd's Wenches," anybody?
Evidently we're going to be treated to a shipful of green Orion Women--sigh. "Mudd's Wenches," anybody?
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Just think about the basics for a minute
Let's look at it by decade:
From 1964 (first shooting date for "The Cage" until 1968 or 1969) a series named "Star Trek" was in production. It was created by a buncha flawed interesting people, mainly to sneak in some social comment in the guise of science fiction. People actually wrote letters to try to keep it on the air, something that is commonplace now but was unheard of then. It had hand held communicators, medical diagnostic beds, and lasers...very impossible stuff, no?
Many of the actors on the show were underappreciated but most days, they really worked at it... (and the industry rewarded most of them with typecasting and some level of obscurity.)
In 1972, people actually paid to get together, dress up stupid, and talk about the show. These gatherings have continued, and become very um, corporate.
In 1973 Star Trek: The Animated Series debuted, with the voices of the original cast.
From the original series cancellation, fan fiction, convention gatherings and speculation on a possible film kept the franchise on life support.
In 1979, a lackluster movie did poor box office, but just enough to warrant a second film.
in 1982 the "Wrath of Khan" became the first successful Trek film, even while killing off a main character.
Two more films followed, continuing to draw fans and fan interest.
in 1987 "Star Trek: The Next Generation updated the original concept...it strugged to find it's voice, but became an incredible hit in its own right, perhaps making a permanent place on solid ground with the arrival of cybernetic villains known as "Borg"
Anyone wishing to discuss "Final Frontier" can do so in comments. Not me.
In the early nineties, the original cast got a gripping last film with "Undiscovered Country."
In January 1993, a second spinoff series would take the franchise in new directions. Deep Space Nine became known for maturing the view of the Federation. Problems weren't solved in one hour anymore and the Feds had blood on their hands sometimes, no longer the unquestioned "good guys" of space. This is my favorite of them all.
More films arrived: "Generations," a fair bridge film between the 23rd and 24th centuries "First Contact," a Borg epic, "Insurrection, " which is another "discuss amongst yourselves because I don't care to." and the earnings loser "Nemisis," which I liked a bunch.
In 1995, Voyager spun off with a leaner starship, an unexplored quadrant of space, and Kate Mulgrew as the take no crap Captain Janeway, along with the most bland first officer of the franchise, Chakotay. The Borg babe Seven of Nine attempted to spice up the show and draw veiwers but ....the dowslide began when Voyager hit the Delta Quadrant, in an uncomfortably "Lost in Space," fashion.
Enterprise's last year has been great for me. I call this last year an unqualified sucess...even though I didn't think much of the first three. The prequel has really found its voice...too bad it's too little too late.
From 1964-2005 one self perpetuating idea about our future has held the interest of a lot of people. If the number of people involved has lessened, it doesn't diminish the size of the achievement as a whole. No one in television and films did this before Trek, and it's my bet that it will be a long time before anyone can do it again.
I'd raise a glass if I had one.
From 1964 (first shooting date for "The Cage" until 1968 or 1969) a series named "Star Trek" was in production. It was created by a buncha flawed interesting people, mainly to sneak in some social comment in the guise of science fiction. People actually wrote letters to try to keep it on the air, something that is commonplace now but was unheard of then. It had hand held communicators, medical diagnostic beds, and lasers...very impossible stuff, no?
Many of the actors on the show were underappreciated but most days, they really worked at it... (and the industry rewarded most of them with typecasting and some level of obscurity.)
In 1972, people actually paid to get together, dress up stupid, and talk about the show. These gatherings have continued, and become very um, corporate.
In 1973 Star Trek: The Animated Series debuted, with the voices of the original cast.
From the original series cancellation, fan fiction, convention gatherings and speculation on a possible film kept the franchise on life support.
In 1979, a lackluster movie did poor box office, but just enough to warrant a second film.
in 1982 the "Wrath of Khan" became the first successful Trek film, even while killing off a main character.
Two more films followed, continuing to draw fans and fan interest.
in 1987 "Star Trek: The Next Generation updated the original concept...it strugged to find it's voice, but became an incredible hit in its own right, perhaps making a permanent place on solid ground with the arrival of cybernetic villains known as "Borg"
Anyone wishing to discuss "Final Frontier" can do so in comments. Not me.
In the early nineties, the original cast got a gripping last film with "Undiscovered Country."
In January 1993, a second spinoff series would take the franchise in new directions. Deep Space Nine became known for maturing the view of the Federation. Problems weren't solved in one hour anymore and the Feds had blood on their hands sometimes, no longer the unquestioned "good guys" of space. This is my favorite of them all.
More films arrived: "Generations," a fair bridge film between the 23rd and 24th centuries "First Contact," a Borg epic, "Insurrection, " which is another "discuss amongst yourselves because I don't care to." and the earnings loser "Nemisis," which I liked a bunch.
In 1995, Voyager spun off with a leaner starship, an unexplored quadrant of space, and Kate Mulgrew as the take no crap Captain Janeway, along with the most bland first officer of the franchise, Chakotay. The Borg babe Seven of Nine attempted to spice up the show and draw veiwers but ....the dowslide began when Voyager hit the Delta Quadrant, in an uncomfortably "Lost in Space," fashion.
Enterprise's last year has been great for me. I call this last year an unqualified sucess...even though I didn't think much of the first three. The prequel has really found its voice...too bad it's too little too late.
From 1964-2005 one self perpetuating idea about our future has held the interest of a lot of people. If the number of people involved has lessened, it doesn't diminish the size of the achievement as a whole. No one in television and films did this before Trek, and it's my bet that it will be a long time before anyone can do it again.
I'd raise a glass if I had one.
Why is this here?
None of the work on this blog is intended as copyright infringement. All of the series and characters discussed here are the property of Paramount Pictures.
There are only two purposes for this site.
1. To keep my Trek musings off of my regular blog, as a courtesy to those who wouldn't know a Cardassian from a Tholian
2. At least as its primary intent, to provide a place where the end of the franchise can be mourned properly. I assume if more people find out about it there will be some negative fangriping. I'm not looking for that. I'm looking for like minded folk to discuss what we loved about the *entire* franchise.
There are only two purposes for this site.
1. To keep my Trek musings off of my regular blog, as a courtesy to those who wouldn't know a Cardassian from a Tholian
2. At least as its primary intent, to provide a place where the end of the franchise can be mourned properly. I assume if more people find out about it there will be some negative fangriping. I'm not looking for that. I'm looking for like minded folk to discuss what we loved about the *entire* franchise.
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