This week we bring you the new volume of Star Trek: The Manga, a Next Gen-centric Family Guy, new developments in Trek science, Creative Arts Emmy winners, Colm Meaney’s Oscar buzz, Colbert seeing Klingons in the GOP and much more….
Star Trek (2008 film)
- Actress Jennifer Garner (Alias) stated she would "absolutely" sign on to appear in the film if she were asked.
- Gossip surrounding the Russell Crowe as villain rumor continues to spread with the publishing of an article in the New York Post.
- In an interview with The Associated Press, Zachary Quinto (the new Spock) again discussed his "campaign" for the role of Spock, the Trek/Heroes connection, and his time with Leonard Nimoy.
- There is one thing William Shatner would like to see Boston Legal‘s Denny Crane do next season: "I’d like to see him play Captain Kirk in the new ‘Star Trek’ movie." But guess what?
- You guessed it: William Shatner still isn’t in the movie.
Trek merchandise:
- Tokypop released the second volume of their Star Trek: The Manga, "Kakan ni Shinkou," featuring six all-new stories by such writers as Diane Duane and Wil Wheaton.
- IDW Publishing has released a trade paperback collecting all of the issues of their mini-series, Star Trek: The Next Generation – The Space Between.
- Forget living long and prospering: Eternal Image, a company which designs, manufactures, and markets funeral products, is now licensing Star Trek-themed urns, caskets, and the like. Get those bagpipes ready…
- IDW have put up covers and artwork for their December comics which include "Star Trek Alien Spotlight – Orions" and "Star Trek Year Four #6" (if you missed it, you can still see the preview art for Trek comics coming in September, October and November)
Trek in the world:
- For the September 10th edition of The Colbert Report the WORD was "Honor." Colbert drew some parallels between the current crop of GOP presidential contendors and a certain other group obsessed with ‘honor’. Check it out here.
- The little town of Vulcan, Canada, known for its Star Trek connection, is facing a bit of a problem as population and housing demands increase, according to The Canadian Press.
- An upcoming episode of Family Guy will feature a storyline in which Stewie kidnaps the entire cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation according to Mila Kunis, the voice of Meg Griffin.
- The Wichita Eagle has a piece on The Naughty Astronauts, a space-themed "joke song" band who wear Star Trek uniforms. The band just released their first CD, "Exploring the Depths of Uranus;" see their official site for more.
Party like it’s 2269
Trek science:
- Has impulse drive been invented? California’s Bae Institute has developed a "photonic laser thruster" (is that a cool name or what?) which could permit spacecraft to reach Mars in just one week.
- In the meantime, physicists at California’s University of Riverside have developed a new form of antimatter.
- The ashes of James Doohan (Scotty, TOS) and TOS writer/producer/director John Meredyth Lucas will be part of the "payload" of the Explorer’s Flight, a memorial spaceflight for launch in early 2008. Space Services, Inc., has thus reopened its forum to allow fans to submit tribute messages to Doohan, which will also be included on the flight.
Trek on the web:
- TrekWeb’s Star Trek BBS wants members to submit their own poster art for the new Star Trek movie.
- The Independent briefly discussed the high demand still generated for Star Trek memorabilia.
- Is "the escapist, technologically driven, spandex-clad optimism of Star Trek" finished? A lecturer at the University of British Columbia thinks it is.
- 411mania.com analyzed a scene from Star Trek Generations in this week’s Scene Anatomy 101 column.
- Brian Meskimen of the SyFy Portal wonders if alternate versions of him exist in Star Trek-style parallel universes. Don’t we all?
- LiveVideo has decided to cancel ShatnerVision, the video feature at William Shatner’s official site. However, it is expected to return in another form in the near future.
- A new mod for the video game Star Trek: Voyager – Elite Force is now available, with new features including advanced character animations, more interactive maps, and new character and map cuztomization options.
Fan Productions:
- A new Star Trek audio drama set between the TOS movie era and TNG and starring radio professionals has been announced. The first episode of ‘Continuing Mission’ will be available this Christmas. More at continuingmission.com
- The team behind the ended series Hidden Fronteir have announced the first episode of their new series Star Trek Odyssey will be released September 17th. More at hiddenfrontier.com
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Starship Exeter has finally released part 3 of "THE TRESSAURIAN INTERSECTION." Check it out at StarshipExeter.com
How long will we have to wait for the rest?
Where are they now?
- William Shatner (Kirk, TOS) will be attending the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles tomorrow. He has been nominated for his third consecutive Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Denny Crane on ABC’s Boston Legal. His Comedy Central Roast has also been nominated as Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special. (See The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences website for more details.)
- Star Trek effects alumni Doug Drexler, Gary Hutzel, and Adam "Mojo" Lebowitz were among those who won the visual effects Emmy at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards as part of the vfx team of Ronald D. Moore‘s Battlestar Galactica. Other Trek alumni to walk away with a Creative Arts Emmy included casting directors Junie Lowry-Johnson and Libby Goldstein (for Ugly Betty), Star Trek Nemesis costume designer Colleen Atwood (for Tony Bennett: An American Classic), and Star Trek VI makeup effects artist Ed French (for House).
- Kelsey Grammer (Captain Bateson, TNG: "Cause and Effect") will be among the presenters at the Emmy Awards tomorrow.
- Babysitter Wanted, a horror film starring the likes of Nana Visitor (Kira, DS9) and Sarah Thompson (Borg Queen, VOY), has been accepted into The Festival de Cine de Sitges, a renowned European film festival.
- Patrick Stewart has been confirmed as starring with Doctor Who‘s David Tennant in Hamlet for the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 2008 season. In addition, Stewart will be starring in a West End production of Macbeth at the Gielgud Theatre on September 21st.
- Veteran Star Trek visual effects producer Dan Curry will be among the speakers at AnimFXNZ’s 2007 Symposium in Wellington, New Zealand in November.
- In the meantime, Stewart will also be the voice of Capital One’s World card for TV commercials airing in the UK beginning in October. What’s in your wallet?
- Camille Saviola (Opaka, DS9) is set to star in a production of William Gibson’s Golda’s Balcony from October 6th through October 28th at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts in Palo Alto, California.
- Wil Wheaton (Wesley, TNG) is among those participating in a tour throughout Southern California to discuss and sign copies of the new issue of Star Trek: The Manga.
- TNG’s Jonathan Frakes (Riker) and Marina Sirtis (Troi) will be special guests at this year’s Creation Fan Conventions in Chicago, Illinois on October 6th. Trek guest actors Barrie Ingham, Sean Kenney, Don Marshall, Natalia Nogulich, and William Wellman, Jr. are also expected to be on hand to sign autographs.
- Linda Park (Hoshi, ENT) is a cast member on ABC’s new police drama, Women’s Murder Club, premiering October 1st.
- Avery Brooks (Sisko, DS9) will be playing the title role in the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of Tamburlane, which will perform at the Sidney Harriman Hall in Washington, D.C., from October 28th, 2007, through January 6th, 2008.
- Ireland has selected Kings, a film starring TNG/DS9 actor Colm Meaney (O’Brien), as their entry for Best Foreign Language Filmat next year’s Academy Awards. In the meantime, the film received ascreening as part of Toronto’s Contemporary World Cinema this pastWednesday.
Ah, the luck o’ the Irish…
In Memoriam
- Percy Rodriguez, the actor who portrayed Commodore Stone in the original Star Trek series episode "Court Martial," died of kidney problems on the morning of September 6th. He was 89 years old.
YouTube Video Of The Week
A musical montage to our favorite secret agent
More casting foreplay, isn’t it just fine!
What a shocker, Mr. Shatner still ins’t in the movie. Guess what Bill, neither am I!
Has anyone heard of any news surrounding “Of Gods and Men”?
467 dtST
Shouldn’t they be announcing the rest of the cast soon? Shooting is in about a month. Wouldn’t the actors choosen have to have their scripts by now?
I wonder how long it’s gonna take the crew at Starship Exeter to complete the final credits of this latest episode? You’d think they’d have it as well as the final act done at the same time. Dohhhh!
I’ll be at the Chicago con…anyone else?
And Shatner wont be in the movie… Sorry to burst anyones bubble but its not gonna happen. Most people realized this a while back when they realized Shatner is to money hungry to afford.
Aaron R.
I thought shooting started in November? How about pre-production? Sets, costumes, props, etc? Hoping for some tidbits soon.
Sorry I should have said shooting starts in November. I also wonder if they are done designing the sets, props and customes yet? Is it shooting or set construction starts in November?
Exeter’s latest installment rocked. It gave me a chance to revisit the other previous acts and this latest installment was no disappoinrment.
Anthony, when they finally get that last act out, you should interview some of those guys. . I’m really digging that original score and sound mix as well as much of of the direction. The choice of angles, camera movement, placement etc. is really top notch.
It’s a real pleasure to watch, hats off to all involved.
Jonboc– Agreed I second the notion.
Dirty Dennis Bailey where are you??? Terrific work
I get more excited the more I read about this movie… only 15 months and 10 days till Christmas ’08 *sigh*
#7 Craig — Construction of sets and such should have started in August (https://trekmovie.com/trek-xi-movie-info/); I’m assuming it is all still underway. The film will enter production phase in November, which means principal photography will start at that time.
yea , go Colm Meaney ! you rule !
Exeter has done a bang-up job. They’re the best ‘holding to TOS aesthetics’ fanflic around. The briefing room scenes in Act 3 are just about perfect.
The Naughty Astronaughts seem vaguely interesting, but they’re no No Kill I.
Part 3 of exeter came out huh? Took them, what? A year?
It’s a great piece of fan work, both thematically and the rest, but their time to produce it is a but offputting.
#5 Aaron R:
So how do you know Shatner is not gonna be in the movie is due to him being “money hungry” ? Where’s the proof? Do you work for Paramount? Are you in charge of negotiating fees for the actors appearing in the new movie?
If you’re gonna throw out a piece of information like that you need to be ready to back it up with facts.
#15
Correct. None of us should allow being provoked by mere polemics.
Always remember: He who laughs last laughs longest!
#14, aw c’mon, if someone gives me a free book, what do I care how long it took the author to write it? For such a small crew, the editing and post-production on a project like this has to be a huge undertaking, especially when it is often interupted by that little thing called “life”. It might be a one man show, for all I know, editing it all together.
But I will say this, the selfish part of me wishes for a quicker turn-around, just so I could see more episodes!
As for those who are complaining about not enough tid bits as far as pre-production and casting go…I would like more about the cast, but as for the rest of it. I want to be surprised. I want to be surprised by what the movie is about and what it looks like. One could argue “hey, then don’t read this web site”. I’m just putting it out there to say, quite you’re complaining. It will come. And if it doesn’t, then what’s so wrong about being surprised.
Also, I am very interested about the science bits that get posted on this website. I was intriuged when I read about the posible invention of impulse drive. imagine traveling to mars in a week. that would be so awesome if it could actually happen. then imagine a trip to jupiter. How long would that take? A month? Coooooool !!!!!!!!!!!
You know, these fan films often have delays. Exeter’s was driving me the craziest of any of them. WHY? Because, frankly, I think their work is the BEST at capturing the feel of the original series. Yes, it’s Exeter and not the Enterprise…but it feels right. I had about given up, but it was well worth the wait. Now, Exeter crew, please be nice to me and all who have stuck with you and put up the final act/credits soon, meaning, before 2007 is over or before! Thank you!!!
That Colbert skit was most gratifying.
Im a lil lost as to why when STNV has a showing they get a full thread and EXETER has a release and it gets a lil blurb in the weekly? Whats up with that?.Has anyone else wondered that?
#22 It could be because NV has former Trek stars in it and Exeter doesn’t..
#22-I agree…
#23-You are probably right.
#24 says: But, Exeter deserves the coverage based on the quality of their work!!!!
# 18
nice.
Linda Park back on TV! Empress Hoshi lives!
Wait a minute. Republicans are Klingons? That’s not news.
#22. Well for one thing, NV puts up a whole hour episode, produced by professional industry people that has actual stars in it. Exeter put up a portion of a film that’s been languishing for almost 2 years. The last time they posted a section of this film was around February of 06. Of course, some of the other fin films out there didn’t get much coverage either.
#17. Sure, a free book is a free book. Still, the last time they came out with a section it was Early 2006. I know I sound ungrateful. It just to me seems a bit overmuch timewise.
That said, I have to agree with #20. Exeter is very well done. Both the efects and the music are very much in line with the Spirit of the original series.
Hmmm. Colm Meany’s movie, “Kings” apparently was in Irish Gaelic. I find it fascinating how Ireland has managed to keep the language alive through national efforts.
I agree that the current episode of Exeter is outstanding and, in my view, better than many New Voyages at recreating the feel of TOS.
I do share the frustration at the slow rate of work on finishing it though. Probably be better if they just released new episodes when they’re fnished – it’s just too tantalising this way!
A year? I think it was more like eighteen months to produce Act Three of Exeter.
I certainly hope that we will not take nearly that long to produce Act Four, and I don’t expect that we will.
Thanks to everyone who’s patiently waiting. :)
Dennis, did you just imply that Trekkies are patient?
HAHAHAHAHAHA. Sir, you fill me with mirth.
As I’ve said about NV, I know I don’t have that many committed friends who’d work for nothing to put on a standard-setting production. I’m holding out hope for Exeter.
What Im trying to say is we get Star Trek funerals as a thread and Act 3 finally comes out and gets a ohhhh by the way. Its been up for 3 days and I figured we could count on that news appearing quickly. Dennis is a contributor to this site, figured they’d let him have a thread on here.
Guys – Mila Kunis is a really cute girl that LIKES STAR TREK. DIdn’t any of you other nerdlings look up from your streaming fan films long enough to notice that tidbit?
#33: “Guys – Mila Kunis is a really cute girl that LIKES STAR TREK. DIdn’t any of you other nerdlings look up from your streaming fan films long enough to notice that tidbit?”
I’m not enough of a nerdling to find cute girls that rare or difficult to meet, thanks. :lol:
#33
Absolutely did look up. And Dennis, we have to look out for our socially challenged trekkies and make sure they can enjoy the finer points of life, like dating and female company. Hell, I’ve been married twice. Meeting them hasn’t been the problem. Meeting nice ones has.
BTW, Dennis, loved act III. When is act IV coming out?
A few months, I think. I wouldn’t expect it before the end of 2007, though I’d be happy to be wrong about that.
One wonders if the folks complaining about the slow turnaround on fan films have volunteered their own time and/or financial resources to speed the process along. In any event, I like most others would rather see a quality product that may take time to complete than a rushed product of compromised quality.
#33: Thanks sean, but us nerdlings really don’t need your help.
#35 “”I’ve been married twice”
Hell, marriage isn’t a word, it’s a sentence! Marriage is a fine institution, but so was Alcatraz! When I stood at the altar and said, “I do”, my bride-to-be said, “oh, no you don’t!” Sheesh!!
I just figured it out. Shatner’s in the movie.
They’re absolutely brilliant!
If this “going back and changing history” plot is true, then this comment that Leonard made to Shatner back in July may not be as innocent as we assumed:
“If I had been there, I would not have let you die.”
Spock is going to lose control of his emotions and save Kirk from his death. Shatner will pop in at the end of the movie. The whole “Shatner isn’t in the movie” thing is a song and dance routine that Shatner and Nimoy are only too happy to do, and they’re having fun with it.