Great Links: Brown Bag Edition December 16, 2008
by Anthony Pascale , Filed under: Great Links , trackback
It’s quiet out there…too quiet, but Star Trek is still showing up around the nets and The Great Links catches it all up. We have Trek getting respect at EW, another Trek riff at Big Bang Theory, a mashup of TAS and Star Trek 09, the Lego front of the Trek v Wars war, and Khan on a lunch bag, how cool is that?
EW gets it
Last week The Links called out AOL’s MovieFone for not giving Trek the proper respect in their Top 25 SciFi movies list. But this week Entertainment Weekly shows they understand the Trek. In their "Sci-Fi 25: The Genre’s Best Since 1982" Star Trek The Next Generation is ranked 8th, and Wrath of Khan comes in at 5th…that is more like it (although TNG being beat out by Ron Moore’s BSG?…we may still have some words with EW). And with an eye for the future, EW picks Chris Pine, Star Trek’s new Kirk,as one of nine ‘Rising Stars To Watch in 2009‘
Top 10 sci-fi of last 25 years…worth celebrating
Sheldon Gets A Big Bang Surprise
The gang at the CBS sitcom Big Bang Theory have dipped into Trek again with a tribute to the original Mr. Spock. (by the way, note the CBS synergy with the onscreen promo for store.startrek.com). [Thanks to all those who sent in this tip]
Star Trek Gets Re-animated
In the last ‘Great Links’ there were a couple of new animated mashups of the new Star Trek movie trailer, and I noted that no one had yet done a version using Star Trek The Animated Series. Sure enough, I got an email the next day from Michael Struck of NEOfx, the guys working on the new animated version of "Starship Farragut", telling me the NEOfx guys whipped up a pretty cool TAS version of the trailer.
Fan art of the week: Lunch with Khan
Lunchbagart.com is a site made by a dad who draws new cartoons on his kids lunchbags every day (and posts them online). And here is what he had for December 11, with the note ‘for Grandpa Dave.’ [Thanks to Arnaldo for the tip]
Yours is a superior sandwich
Video of the week Classic: Star Trek v Star Wars…The Lego Front
The never ending war between the franchises has opened a new front, thanks to Dan Miga and the fine folks at Half Star Films.
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Comments»
The word “franchise” really needs to go.
Anthony:
I have to disagree with you about Ron Moore’s BSG. I think that the new BSG is much better than TNG. Don’t get me wrong I love TNG, but BSG makes it look like a cartoon.
In my humble opinion Ron Moore’s BSG is one of the greatest programs of any genre ever made.
The Trek vs. Wars thing is stupid! The E-D would kick those x-wing’s @$$!
BTW LOVE that Animated XI trailer and can’t wait for animated Farragut!
God, CBS or Paramount or whoever REALLY needs to get someone to reanimate the animated series. In this day and age, how hard would it be to make serious-looking CGI video to replace the horrible Filmation drawings? As still caricatures they are pretty good, but they are lifeless and flat as cartoons. The animation practically destroys any watchability. Throw it all out, I say, and lay new video on top. Keep the stories and voice work, except re-record Doohan’s and Nichols’ attempts to do other characters besides Scotty and Uhura. That was just to save money, and they generally sound bad because they are trying to disguise their voices.
On the other hand, the chubby vulcan kid in the trailer mashup is pretty amusing to look at. But not enough to make TAS watchable.
The Trek vs. Wars thing is awesome! The X-Wings would (and did) kick the E-D’s @$$!
“Yours is a superior sandwich.” Good one! Got a good laugh.
To: Number 1 (The poster not Riker)
Yeah, “Franchise” needs to go. Star Trek is not McDonald’s.
Big Bang Theory, ugggghhhh!
First reason I don’t watch sitcoms anymore and second watching that makes it harder to admit to being a Star Trek fan, it just makes us look stupid and dufy……
Darth “Big Kiss my Ass Theory” Ballz
The Big Bang Theory is great! Awesome cool!
Must buy EnsignR more blocks for Christmas so he can build me some of those ships.
Folks,
Wow, if the Trek Trailer had the same production design as the animated series, instead of filming their engineering section in a brewery, I might be more interested.
And…doesn’t the Enterprise look GREAT?!?
Robert April to boot!
That whole thing is CANON!
Love the TAS trailer.
that TAS trailer was perfect
You young whipper snappers might not like the look of TAS, but when you were 12 or 13 when TAS came out and starving for anything Trek other than reruns,the cartoon was a Godsend. And quite frankly, some of the stories were on par with TOS.
“I posess the DNA of Leonard Nimoy?!”
I love that show. :)
It’s a good thing that some peoples parents have cable in there basements……….
Darth “Parents ‘R’ up” Ballz
The lunch bag art is great. Did you catch November 27? Go look if you didn’t.
That TAS trailer is fantastic! Major kudos to whoever put that together!
Love the TAS trailer. Some of the TAS episodes are hard to sit and watch narratively, but I’ve always loved the look of them.
I am glad folks are enjoying the TAS trailer. Anthony is really the one to thank for motivating me to create one.
I am also encouraged by number of you that enjoy the Filmation style of animation. This is exactly how the animated Farragut episodes will look. And, they will have guest voices such as Chris Doohan, Tim Russ, and Chase Masterson. We are on track to release them before the JJ movie is released in May.
Stay tuned…
Loved the TAS trailer.
20 – Michael, it was the best mock-up trailer I’ve seen yet.
Look forward to your future work.
This is going to sound SOOO Simpson’s Comic-Book Guy…
But the Lego film (cute as the little Lego Scotty is) does blow… The Enterprise could squish most of the Star Wars Fleet. Phasers, as Worf told us, outgun Lasers any day. The Enterprise could level a planet… had to build a Death Star for that purpose!
but then, I am a biased fan ;)
There’s also a “No Kill I” reference on another lunch bag… though, I did go to prom…
LOL! I really let out a laugh at while viewing TAS “mashup”
Very creative guys!!
I’ve seen the lunchbags before, that guy does some really nice work!
The ST:TAS version was excellently done! Such great mouth synching!
Kudos from Kang and Kodos!
I posted an old Starlog article on TAS recently on my blog, I have a real affection for that show.
http://www.mystartrekscrapbook.blogspot.com
Ron Moore’s BSG placed second? Sorry, but that show is absolutely horrible… nothing more than an overrated self-indulgent sex-crazed emo soap opera in space. As for the ‘writing’, I’ve heard better dialogue in a George Lucas love scene. People tell me the special effects are decent, but I can never get a good look at them because the DAMN CAMERA WON’T STOP SHAKING! To summarize, Ron Moore’s BSG is utter crap. Any incarnation of Star Trek easily blows BSG away.
Has anyone else noticed this?
The line “I like this ship” from the trailer is NOT Simon Pegg as Scotty!! It’s another voice!
Of course, “This is exciting” is spoken by Scotty, but someone else entirely says the “I like this ship” line! I can’t identify the voice, though.
Listen to it and you’ll hear it!!
Big Bang Theory is great! As a Trek and sci-fi geek in general I’ve never felt slighted or insulted by the writing on this show. The segment above was especially well done.
Oh, and Penny’s hot.
I’m so confused. The Lego video has both TOS and TNG characters together. What?? and their phasers miss? I want a Lego Enterprise
29. Jon S. –
While I don’t necessarily agree on the special effects points you made re: BSG, I completely agree that it is mopey, self-indulgent and repetitive. Not to mention it is completely laced with dumb-chief storytelling (Homer Simpson can tell you all about that) and some of the most cliched characters I’ve ever seen (Adama, Tigh, Michelle Forbes character, Starbuck, etc.). I find it unwatchable.
Yeah, that Lego thing was odd. It looked like a Voyager ship with weird characters on it, and it didn’t look like the Enterprise D at all. And why would X Wings attack anyway? Aren’t the Rebels good guys?
I used to be one of those Trek fans who spit at the new BSG…but then I watched a the mini series and I can honestly say that after being a Trekkie for 16 years the new BSG blows Trek out of the water.
The TAS mashup made me LOL. Have to FWD that to a few people. Great work!! :-)
The new BSG is everything Trek said it was and wasn’t.
It is the commentary on humanity that Trek was missing for 15+ years. It reflected the times in which we live like unlike Trek since 1996.
BSG is everything Trek should have been and wasn’t.
While BSG was busy making good television…Trek was writing stories around Seven of Nine and T’Pol’s cat suits.
Let me be clear, i love BSG. And Galactica Fridays are coming back when BSG goes back on the air
http://trekmovie.com/category/bsg/
I only feel that for its time TNG is more significant. They both deserve to be in the top ten, as does DS9 in my book.
14 – Richard Daystrom
Whee, I’m a 47-year old whippersnapper! Actually, I’m a fan of classic animation, so even back in the 70’s as a teen, it hurt to look at Filmation and HB product. It was cheap schlock, and the people that worked on it are the first to admit it.
I do appreciate the recent adaptations of the general style for nostalgic purposes, just as people are amused by custom Mego’s. But that’s just because they’re fun, not that they are high quality depictions. I’m looking forward to animated Farragut. The TAS stories were good, and they could even be resyndicated to modern audiences, and more widely appreciated by fandom, with replaced, quality, modern animation. It just feels like a shame to waste those good stories and original cast performances behind Harlem Globetrotters-level animation.
all I want to say is that I don’t find it hard at all to enjoy BSG and Star Trek at the same as I find they have different but equaly valid takes of the future. Am I totaly lame?
BTW I know that BSG isnt supposed to represent our future. Or is it? As a Sci-Fi fan having two different flavors of sci-fi is just a bonus.
Yeah, 24 is right, there seems to be another reference on what appears to be a Thanksgiving bag, with the phrase “No kill I.” May not actually be from Trek, but it seems likely given the other sorts of things the fellow has drawn on the bags.
24 and 41, that’s what I was referencing in 17, but wanted it to be a surprise. I guess the cat’s out of the bag, if you’ll forgive the pun. And 41, it WAS a Trek reference – look at the note and link underneath the pic.
TAS!
TNG beat out by BSG? Rightly so!
Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE TNG. I believe it has produced some of the best Trek episodes ever, and while nostalgia keeps me pining for my childhood days watching TOS, I believe TNG was far ahead of the original series in terms of character development and creativity, not to mention believable settings and special effects.
And yet, the truth must be told – new BSG is to TNG wgat Art Asylum’s line of Trek ship toys/models is to Playmates Playskool offerings of the 90’s. It’s more mature, realistic and creatively daring in every respect.
Too sex-intensive? Too dark and brooding? Might I suggest that TNG, much as I loved it, was just too dang happy-doody (Borg episodes excluded) and sexually sterile?
Just my 2 cents’ worth.
re: Big Bang Theory
“I possess the _DNA_ of Leonard Nimoy?”
ROTGLMAO.
re: TAS
haha. nice.
re: KHAN
“Yours is a superior sandwich”
Montalban is still the man.
I luv that Big Bang Theory clip. Classic reaction for any Star Trek fan in that situation!
Cool TAS version of the trailer for the new movie as well!
Gotta love the genetically engineered lunch bag there. And sorry, no form of BSG should go above TNG, which to many, including me, is the top of Trek. As for the lego bit, its…i dont know, cute, but if you put some real science into play the D would win. X wings have lasers, just intense light beams, against…phasers, actual energy, and shields that are meant to deflect similar weapons. Some trek website did some in depth cross over and went into the scientific detail of it which put the technology of Star Wars way behind that of star trek, even 23rd century stuff. Then again, not much of star wars is based in any real science.
#14
Amen to that brother. It’s the same reason that it’s impossible for anyone who did not live through those years to understand why the advent of ST:TMP was such an incredibly moving moment.
That TAS trailer is probably the best parody I’ve ever seen on YouTube, sheer genius!
CBS remastered TOS, why not “remaster” TAS with computer animation? I think it would be great and to some fans it would be all new episodes since some have never seen the original TAS episodes.
Big Bang Theory: Is there a laugh-track free version?
“Oh good, Penny. You’re here to exchange gifts.” Followed by canned laughter. Why?
The TAS trailer was brilliant, can’t believe you matched up all the sequences to the right characters, great!
The TAS clip just made my day! Nice! I certainly do save a special little corner of my heart for the animated episodes.
BSG’s commentary on humanity lacks the subtlely and perspective of Trek’s. I like my commentary less ham-handed and facilely obvious than Ron Moore seems capable of making it. I want to have to think about it instead of having it written on my face with a Sharpie. I like it to have some creativity – I like to be given credit for recognizing it even if it doesn’t look exactly like the world outside my window, wear a three-piece suit, and call itself Bill.
Call me a geek, but that TAS trailer was really well done.
When I first found this site over a year ago I was excited but nothing has come of it so far…
http://www.ptrope.com/Star_Trek_Reanimated/
: )
And now a quote from Star Trek II: The Lunch of Khan
“I’ll chase him round the moonpies of Nibia and round the Antares salad and round perdition’s flame hot barbecue sauce before I give him up!”
That is all.
51. Gary… “Oh good, Penny. You’re here to exchange gifts.” Followed by canned laughter. Why?”
You have to watch the entire episode. It started with Sheldon’s dismay that Penny had bought him a Christmas present, which meant that he had to reciprocate, but Sheldon has a very hard time buying presents. So in the course of the episode he went from “Oh no! She bought me a present!” to “Oh good, you’re hear to swap presents!”
Sheldon had an elaborate plan to give her the right gift based on what she gave him, so he bought a series of progressively more expensive bath item baskets, would quickly check the web to see the value of her gift to him (hence his “I may have to excuse myself for a moment” line) and then give her the basket of the nearest value (and return the others after Christmas.) But his sheer joy at getting Mr. Nimoy’s autograph caused him to give Penny all the baskets and even that was not enough, so he hugged her, something Sheldon had probably never done before in his life.
#37
“The new BSG is everything Trek said it was and wasn’t.
It is the commentary on humanity that Trek was missing for 15+ years. It reflected the times in which we live like unlike Trek since 1996.”
Quoted for truth.
While I enjoyed moments of the post TNG spin-off’s, not ONE of them was in any way socially relevant.
Both the original Trek and TNG had moments of bold social commentary using sci-fi to help address issues that were a little touchy for the day.
By the time DS9 rolled around, there were no issues that couldn’t be or hadn’t been, addressed by any show set in a contemporary time period. T.V shows were no longer afraid to discuss anything and do it a direct head on fashion. The idea that it had to be “dressed up” to get it past the censors no longer existed, though Trek seemed to have not gotten the memo.
Perfect example….Remember when DS9 had the ep where Jadzia kisses that other woman? I think it was supposed to be discussing the taboo or stigma of homosexuality in society or something.
But t.v. shows set in the current time, across any number of genre’s had already addressed the issue head on.
Ditto for yet another DS9 ep “Far Beyond The Stars”. Never I have seen a Trek episode pat itself on the back so hard for being irrelevant. Great, it’s showing what racism was like decades before most of the people watching the show were born. It didn’t have the guts to address racism in the time contemporary to it’s airing.
I guess showing modern ghettos, gangsters and thugs would’ve been a little too gritty, and dirty and real for the Trek producers and their audience. No, instead we got a nice slick, clean, idealized version of the 50’s.
So we could feel like that kind of stuff doesn’t happen in our time despite the fact that the Rodney King incident was a relatively recent event. No, better to blather on about how the ep could be relevant regardless of time period…but it wasn’t. Both blacks and women were at totally different places at the time of that episodes airing, than the era depicted.
And it should’ve been addressing racism in OUR time as other cop, doctor, etc shows had ALREADY done in far bolder fashion. Not racism in the 50’s as many, many, many, many shows, books, etc had already done over the decades.
I remember at the time telling a friend that Star Trek, as social commentary, was a pathetic joke that was no longer relevant. And that it really needed to decide what it wanted to be: socially relevant or pure escapism…..even though the producers had already decided on the latter course, they just were under the delusion that they hadn’t.
The much lauded DS9 may have been bold for TREK, and that’s debatable, but it was in no way, shape or form, bold T.V.
Like it or hate it, nuBSG has been pretty bold t.v. It has addressed any number of issues and it wasn’t always comfortable viewing either. Especially the episodes that addressed torture. And they shouldn’t be comfortable viewing…..unlike Trek issues dealing with that same subject.
Trek is enjoyable, but it hasn’t been relevant in any way, shape or form, since TNG went off the air.
Regarding TAS…..
Yeah, it has a special place for me as I was a wee child when it first aired. About five or six. It was new Trek, though I’m not sure if I understood at the time that no new live action Treks were being done. I certainly hadn’t seen all 79 eps at that point.
Having said that, yes, they need to remaster it with new visuals, while keeping the audio tracks.
The Big Bang Theory? It’s on par with that Jim Belushi sitcom…..it sucks.
It doesn’t offend me in it’s presentation of geeks or fandom or whatever it’s called, it offends me because of it’s shitty writing, and lame characters.
Not only do I not fit the sterotypical depiction of the genre fan as super introverted nerd, but I can’t remember the last time I met a fan that was anywhere near what’s being depicted.
This isn’t the 70’s or 80’s. The geeks have inherited the earth so to speak. Sci-fi, fantasy and other genre stuff is so pervasive and accepted nowadays because as my generation grew up, they watched this stuff with their kids, who grew up to make this stuff mainstream.
One need only look at the plethora of super hero, sci-fi or fantasy movies that have come out in the last eight years.
Most everybody is a fan on some level nowadays of something once considered only for a small group of “nerds”.
DS9 may not have been the relevant TV you wanted it to be, but then again I don’t believe it ever set out to do so. DS9 as a whole dealt with a lot of issues you didn’t name like religious persecution (Cardassian/Bajoran), terrorism, war, etc…
It may not have been as blatant as BSG is now, but then again we don’t live in the same times anymore. Something like DS9 wouldn’t survive in today’s TV schedule, the same with BSG in the 90s.
Great job on the animated TAS trailer, Michael.
I’m really looking forward to the Starship Farragut episodes. It was fun working with you, Tim and Chase on the project.
Chris
Well, I’ve just clicked back all the way through the lunchbags, and they are all awesome. That guy has talent.
And the TAS trailer is brilliant.
that lego video was made by a total moron.
enough of this…SHOW US THE DAMN SHIP!!!…
59. The Lensman
Another excellent example of DS9 is ‘In the Pale Moonlight’ when Sisko gives an account of his efforts to draw the Romulans onto the Federations side. Very good viewing!
#59
Well said!
You’re absolutely right. I believe Rod Serling was the first to, out of necessity, skillfully veil socially relevant subjects under the guise of science fiction in The Twilight Zone. Star Trek did the same, and if you read any of the behind the scenes books for TOS you’ll find that the censors were incredibly restrictive. Ie-”Don’t let Kirk get kicked as it would be too violent to the viewer”
It was this censorship and political correctness that FORCED writers to be clever about how they presented their socially poignant ideas. As you pointed out, that is no longer relevant.
So now what?
It is in the face of resistance or adversity that we are at our best, especially in creative sense, as the situation forces us to rise to our very best (like a body builder, if the weights aren’t particularly heavy, then he doesn’t need to try as hard)
If Star Trek becomes a series again (and you KNOW it will) what then?
What does Star Trek need to do to be socially relevant again?
What do you guys think?
Um, two Paul Verhoeven schock-fests and no Babylon 5? Glad I let the EW subscription run out…
I loved the TAS trailer, too funny. Also I went thru all of the lunch bag drawings. Very creative and shows he cares. I hope the kids appreciate it.
Oh God, TAS clip was gold!
I agree – just how much would it cost to re-animate the TAS with updated CGI? Not even Pixar, just use RDS (Simpsons, Futurama, almost everything on Adult Swim) – it would be a vast improvement. And fer God’s sake, get rid of Arex and put Chekov back at the Navigator’s station.
BBT will go crazy with Trek refreneces in May.
The AS preview is great! Makes me even more excited for the new movie.
To put the voices with the drawings of the orginal actors makes me want the movie out NOW!!! (but not animated)
Im glad to see that this topic shifted to what will make star trek relevant again. I think there’s a lot of new things it can deal with, even if theyve been dealt with before on TV, star trek has always had a way of dealing with these things in a unique way…in the right hands. Here in the US we live in a still divided nation, and not just politically. Right now the rest of the world isnt exactly too stable either, especially in the middle east. For that matter, I dont think Ive seen a star trek that’s dealt with that topic head on yet, and maybe this new movie will. After all, it does show Nero drilling into Vulcan for something as well as messing up the world pretty good. Maybe that’s a start to dealing with a relevant issue.
BSG’s a fad, Tony. It’ll pass.
59… “Like it or hate it, nuBSG has been pretty bold t.v. ”
I like the scantily clad women (Helfer, primarily) as much as the next guy, but don’t let your hormones decide what is good and what isn’t. Moore & Co. know their audience is primarily teen boys and young men, and they really pump up the sex factor. That’s not “bold TV” that’s pandering to your audience.
I think the miniseries and Season 1 of BSG were excellent. It has unfortunately been in a quality free-fall ever since.
That TAS trailer makes me want to buy the DVDs!
the TAS trailer is a thing of beauty!!!
#75. Peter N “That TAS trailer makes me want to buy the DVDs!”
For what you get, I’d say they are totally worth it considering most of us willingly went out and paid for TOS season 3 on DVD. Sure, some of the TAS episodes are stinkers, but there are some really good ones as well.
wow, love Star Wars Vs Trek!
Wow Big Bang Theroy is funny! I’d probably would lose it if I got any thing singed by the Mr. Spock!
#68 – It’s an interesting thing about Babylon 5 and I. It was one of my favorite TV experiences of all time, and never stopped blowing end engaging my mind the whole time it was on. Certain scenes haunt me to this day.
But I just can’t go back and watch it again. It’s too big a mental and emotional investment. I don’t think I could casually watch a rerun here and there without needing to sit down and watch the whole story arc. The thing that made it so great also had a negative imapct on its replay value.
74.
“I like the scantily clad women (Helfer, primarily) as much as the next guy, but don’t let your hormones decide what is good and what isn’t.”
Dude, that says more about how YOU see the show than it does me. Where the fuck did I even reference T and A besides nowhere? In fact, you clearly missed the words “bold social commentary”….in addition to the fact that damn near the entirety of my post was about modern Trek’s inability to be relevant as regards to it’s social commentary.
#79
“I don’t think I could casually watch a rerun here and there without needing to sit down and watch the whole story arc.”
Agreed with your post as regards to B5, but this line….actually I have been able to watch an ep here and there and fight off the urge to watch it all again.
I’ve watched the entire story 3 times. The first time around, which was nothing short of an amazing 5 year experience. I doubt I’ll ever experience anything like that again, or at least for a good while.
The second time around was when TNT got the show and re-broadcast them. It was awesome being able to watch it everyday! Plus you pick up on so many things that you missed the first time around, either because you weren’t really paying attention, didn’t really know the significance or were just plain ignorant of some important fact until later.
When Kosh first meets Sinclair in the pilot ep, he greets him with some funny Kosh speak gibberish. Watching the whole shebang the second time around I understood what Kosh was saying and I was like “HOLY SHIT!! They foreshadowed something major, so quickly that early!”
IIRC, he says “Entil’za Valen”.
I remember someone saying that B5 is meant to be watched at least TWO times around because you’ll pick up on so much foreshadowing and things you missed the first time around because now you have a better frame of reference and know what’s coming.
The third time was this year, in fact, because every 6 months or so, Best Buy will sell the season sets for 20.00 per season. As that deal was too good to pass up, I got all five seasons for 100.00 bucks.
This time around, I bought it all. Crusade, the movies, Legend of the Rangers, all of it. And then, just for laughs, I watched it all in “in-universe” order. So I didn’t end with “Sleeping In Light”. But with the last half of “Deconstruction Of Falling Stars” as it moves centuries into the future, ending a million years later.
Sure, it lacks the emotional impact of SiL, the best series finale ever IMHO, but still…..even that was an awesome experience, just to be able to do something like that with something so epic.
And like Season 1 of B5, I actually came to really enjoy Crusade and felt a little sad that we’ll never get the rest of the story.
What an awesome experience all three viewings of the show have been for me.
And the weirdest thing? Every viewing makes me appreciate Season 1 that much more. The last time around I was struck by how hard sci-fi-ish it was and really wanted to see the show stay like that, despite the awesomeness that was coming. All the cool touches in S1 that really made the station feel huge, like the Dockers Guild ep and so on.
Although I have found that watching eps on DVD, back to back, makes it feel a little rushed, as opposed to watching it once a week and then having to wait three or four months between seasons. It just felt alot more epic that way.
And weirder than that? I was ready to watch it all over again just recently.
Like any good, huge novel, it’s good to read all the way through every few years.
#80 – Yeah, I’ve seen the whole thing through twice and a half. And, like you said, SO many little things you pick up on the second time around!!!
I’m also disappointed that we never got to see everything they had planned for Crusade. Until it came out on DVD and I listened to the commentary, I hadn;t realized there was so much in the works, and it really put every odd moment of S1 into perspective.
Back when it first aired, I had a few giggles at Gary Cole’s expense simply because I was expecting a carbon copy of O’Hare or Boxleitner. But on second viewing I came to love the character and the performance on its own merits, and it gave me a whole new appreciation for the rest of Cole’s work.
Maybe some day, another James Cawley will come along and film the unused scripts as a fan production. ;-)
Also – I’ve always thought that Babylon 5 is the show DS9 wanted to be, but just didn’t make it. Berman and Moore both said that it was their original intention to make a non-Star Trek show, but that the backing wasn’t out there for them, and that it was too hard to not rely on the Trek “vocabulary” (transporters, phasers, Federation, etc.)