After taking a weekend off for 4th of July, the Summer STAR TREK Simply 70 Spectacular-Spectacular Saturdays continues tonight at the Royal Theater in West L.A. with a 70 MM showing of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, preceded by a Q&A session with Uhura herself, Nichelle Nichols. More details below, plus a new video interview with Nichelle.
See the final ‘Genesis Trilogy’ film in 70MM tonight with Nichelle Nichols
Tonight Laemmle Theaters (in conjunction with Ledjer Film & Theater services and TrekMovie.com) runs the fourth of the original crew Star Trek features in a series of midnight movies at the Royal Theatre in West L.A. See the final chapter of the ‘Genesis Trilogy’ on the big screen, with a big guest star. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home will be shown in 70mm and 6-channel Stereo. Leonard Nimoy’s time-travel movie brings Kirk and crew to 1980’s San Francisco for the most light-hearted of the original Trek films, and the most successful. As we do with each film, the screening is proceeded with a Q&A session and tonight I will be talking with Nichelle Nichols, who of course played Uhura on the original series and in the six TOS movies.
See Star Trek IV in 70MM with special guest Nichelle Nichols at the Royal Theater in West LA tonight Saturday July 10th
And to get you started here is a video interview from the Crazy Sexy Geeks with Nichelle at a recent convention.
More 70MM Trek
The Simply 70(mm) Spectacular Saturday series is passing the half way mark. Here is the remaining schedule.
| Date | Film | Guest |
| July 10 | STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME | Nichelle Nichols (Uhura) |
| July 17 | STAR TREK V: THE FINAL FRONTIER | Walter Koenig (Pavel Chekov) |
| July 24 | STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY | George Takei (Hikaru Sulu) |
EVENT DETAILS
What: Simply 70 Star Trek movie series
When: Saturdays at midnight in June and July (see above schedule)
Where: Laemmle’s Royal Theatre is located at 11523 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025, (310) 478-3836
Tickets: $10 for general admission. You can buy tickets at the box office or online at www.laemmle.com.
She’s still gorgeous after all these years!
I’d love to be there for the showing and to hear her insights.
JJ — Get Nichelle in the next movie!! C’mon!!!!!
IV was fun. This was the one that really reached out to non-Trekkies. Still a fun day in front of the tube or puter.
I would die to see all 10 Trek movies on the big-screen.
Not to seem shallow, but I must agree with Message No. 1 — NN still looks awesome.
And what a treat to be able to see all the Trek movies on the silver screen. I hope the projection and sound systems are completely up to date to allow maximum fidelity to the source.
3. jas_montreal – July 10, 2010
I would die to see all 10 Trek movies on the big-screen.
I totally agree. I’ve only been a Trekkie since 2000 (got hooked on the seventh season of Voyager) and Nemesis was the only film I saw in theaters until ST09. The only other Trek film I saw in theaters was Trek VI because my theater was sometimes plays old films. I would love to see II-IV and First Contact up on the big screen.
As an undergraduate many years ago, I saw a back-to-back screening of “Space Seed” and “Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan” as a student union special presentation.
It was a nerd’s paradise.
Those were the days.
3 and 5
First Trek movie I saw in cinema was Undiscovered Country and I would love to see to see the first 5 on the big screen. Would love to see them all on big screen again.
Wis I was at these events.
I wonder if the TNG movies will have a season as well as the Original Crew movies?
If TNG was to have their movies shown, They might want to stick with Generations and First Contact. Otherwise the theater would be over run by sleeping people. And yes I fell asleep during Insurrection. Before that, The last 2 movies I fell asleep in were, TMP back in ’79 (during the V’ger flyover) and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome in ’84. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ…..
Incidently I worked at a drive-in in 1982, Wrath Of Khan, The Road warrior, And Raiders of the lost ark were playing simultaniously on different screens..Talk about a magic movie summer!
7
Hey, Undiscovered Country was my first Trek to see on the big screen too. I was eight years old then, and I still remember the rumors leading up to the movie’s release of Kirk being killed in it (confusion with the shapeshifter’s death) and being so relieved when I saw it wasn’t true… Then they killed him off in the next one. :( Fortunately I was a little older then and able to take it.
Oh, and I also remember being grossed out by the floating Klingon blood, covering my eyes from those unbelievable realistic (to an eight-year-old) CGI globules. Great movie! And a great time with my Dad and our neighbors at the little one screen theather in my home town. I’ll never forget it.
Star Trek 4 is being shown on Mainstream British Television tonight at 11pm.
Still my joint favourite Trek film along with Wrath of Khan.
Greg
Being 55 i was able to see all the Trek films on the big screen when they first came out. I know it’s all subjective, but here is my perception at the time:
TMP: Boring, but nice to see ANY new Trek at that point.
TWOK: Awesome! Loved it!
TSFS: Great drama: Death, honour, friendship, resurrection. What’s not to like?
TVH: Stupid! No drama. Just played for laughs. Big mistake.
TFF: Right up there with Plan 9 From Outer Space as worst film ever!
TUC: Dull. Murder She Wrote In Space. Who cares?
Generations: Horrible! Went to midnight screening when it opened and heard audible groans from the audience. When Kirk says, “something’s missing…” in the cottage with Picard, somebody in the audience yelled, “Yeah! A Plot!”
SO STUPID! EVERY TREK FILM SHOULD HAVE BEEN A MASTERPIECE!
11
I disagree about Voyage Home. The jokes were mostly good and it was one of the few times the writers were brave enough to try for a unique threat to Earth besides the villian with a chip on his shoulder (or a chunk out of his pointed ear).
But I do agree with you about Generations. Kirk is killed on a bridge that’s not on a starship and the Enterprise-D is destroyed by a couple of Klingon hoochy-mommas and a Betazoid gearjammer who couldn’t dodge a planet. How depressing.
Vultan, I understand your position and appreciate that we each have our own taste on all things Trek. I was simply expressing my opinion, but certainly appreciate your point of view.
IDIC and all that, right?
13
Sure thing, Harry. IDIC all the way. I appreciate your points as well, and I can certainly see how some fans might not like Voyage Home or Undiscovered Country. I suppose they’re really more a sentimental thing for me, having been addicted to Trek since… well, since as long as I can remember. Some kids go the ballpark with their dads; my old man and I had Trek.
But, hey, we can both agree Generations was pretty bad. Even Moore and Braga rip it to pieces in the commentary. I remember walking out of the theater when I was ten or eleven and thinking, “Data was pretty funny, but the rest of it was… well… hmm, I hope Q or the Borg are the next one.”
Vultan, it’s a pleasure to have someone embrace different viewpoints. Tell me, what’s your favourite TOS episode?
I had my niece and nephew over the other day for dinner and then Wrath of Khan.
They had not watched trek before but they loved it. My nephew was surprised at how good it was for an old film.
Not sure wether to go search for Search for Spock or just skip right to The Voyage home on their next visit.
They are 13 and 15
Any thoughts?
Chris,
yes, of course you MUST show them Search For Spock to continue the chronology. They must see it in sequence. Roger Ebert once gave the opinion/review that TWOK and TSFS was probably four hours of the best science fiction in film ever produced. Obviously meant to be watched back-to-back.
Need I say more?
Do you have a link to Ebert’s comment. All i could find was “good, but not great” from him.
It has been too many years for me to remember but i would hate to put them through something that might bore them when two back to back trek films that they enjoy could be the start of something.
I would go and watch it but then i would not want to see it with them.
Perhaps i could just fill them in on what happens between 2 and 4.
Still open to thoughts though.
Harry,
I take it that you didn’t enjoy many of the Trek films apart from II, III and XI.
Do you feel that Star Trek is better suited to the small screen?
I happen to enjoy ALL the Trek films, with TWOK,TSFS,FC and XI being my favorites.
But I have to say that Trek works better on tv because of the nature of the premise, ie exploration, seeking out new life, exploring a bit of science and focusing on characters and backgrounds. A two hour film doesn’t leave much room for those things, plus for Trek to succeed on the big screen visual effects and action are essential. Twenty-plus hours every year allows for more storytelling possibilities.
15
Favorite episodes of TOS:
-Doomsday Machine (for the suspense and, of course, crazy Decker)
-City on the Edge of Forever (an obvious choice)
-Spectre of the Gun (because I like westerns)
-A Piece of the Action (because I like gangsters)
-Mirror, Mirror (Long Live the Empire!)
I have many more favorites but I think these are the cream of the crop.
19
Agreed. Trek seems to work better on the small screen, which is exactly why we need a NEW SERIES!!! C’mon, Paramount, what are you guys waiting for? Don’t be like MGM with the Bond movies and play with your bangs until it’s too late and you’re out of cash. Move it!
Can’t you just send an email to the visitors of this site who live close to the event? It always makes me sad when I miss these.
Vultan
Good choices!
Here’s some more:
Space Seed–Introduction of Khan. Need I say more?
Arena–Kirk fighting a Gorn. Kirk being innovative against a far stronger opponent. Defeats the alien but refuses to kill him.
Where No Man Has Gone Before–An episode of “going where no man has gone before”!
The Man Trap– Salt Vampire.
Balance Of Terror–Great face-off between to characters who are quite alike in many ways (Romulan Commander being the Romulan version of Kirk, Kirk being the human version of his Romulan counterpart).
Amok Time and Journey To Babel–Both episodes flesh out the character of Spock and give Vulcans more depth.
The Tholian Web–Great character moments between Spock and McCoy.
A great alien threat. Suspenseful. And a great “reverse sequel/prequel” to the Enterprise episodes, In A Mirror, Darkly Pts One and Two.
I could go on and on myself, but you get the picture!
23
Good choices, sir! I was thinking of many of those same episodes earlier; I just couldn’t remember the titles. Space Seed and Amok Time are essential episodes for any Trekkie.
Another one I’ve always liked is Bread and Circuses. It has that great scene in the jail where Bones really gets under Spock’s skin. And the lampooning of television as a sort of electronic Coliseum was great, too. Probably had the execs at CBS squirming back then. “You foul this up and we’ll make a special of you!”
I feel that Trek works on both the small and the silver screens. It can offer many different types of stories.
I think the movies have generally chosen some themes suitable for the silver screen (ST:TMP, STIV: TVH, STVI:TUC, ST:FC, ST2009, just to take a few examples).
A few whose premise might possibly have been better served as a television episode include STIII:TSFS, ST:INS, and ST:NEM. However, even these contained some fairly cinematic themes (e.g., death and resurrection, Starfleet as the enemy, and genetic engineering).
Of the above, I think that ST:INS and ST:NEM lacked mostly in execution. They both felt like TV episodes writ large. But this needn’t have been the case.
While we’re talking about this, by the way, I feel that both of the main guest stars in ST:INS seemed somewhat underused. F. Murray Abraham and Anthony Zerbe are both great actors, but somehow their characters were not nearly as compellingly projected as the late Ricardo Montalban’s Khan in STII:TWOK.
I also feel that the direction of ST:INS was flat compared to ST:FC, which is unusual because Jonathan Frakes directed both movies. ST:FC was also far more cinematic in overall feel.
The direction in ST:NEM needs little further comment.
That said, I loved every single one of the movies, bar none.
My ratings for the Trek movies, out of five stars.
Star Trek: The Motion Picture- ***
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan- *****
Star Trek III: The Search For Spock- ****
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home- *****
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier- ***
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country- *****
Star Trek Generations- *** and 1/2
Star Trek: First Contact- *****
Star Trek: Insurrection- ****
Star Trek Nemesis- ***
Star Trek- ****
They need to make a movie with my daddy, and his crew, I know Uncle Rick Berman messed up the cannon violation when he created Enterprise
What do you all think
*bark*
(Like captain_neill) My ratings for the Trek movies, out of five stars.
Star Trek: The Motion Picture- **
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan- *****
Star Trek III: The Search For Spock- ****
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home- *****
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier- ***
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country- **** and 1/2
Star Trek Generations- ** and 1/2
Star Trek: First Contact- *****
Star Trek: Insurrection- ****
Star Trek Nemesis- *** and 1/2
Star Trek- *****
^^I think you should avoid people with Scottish accents who are eager to play with transporters, Porthos.
OOPS, my bad…meant to give TMP 3 stars. TYPO!!!
19
Ryan, I like Trek on TV and the big screen. I just felt that when Paramount hit it big with TWOK, and with the original cast aging, they should have set up a team at the studio to methodically crank out an epic masterpiece of Star Trek every two years. From 1982- 94 we could have had 7 great films in our collection. They could have had a dramatic story arc a la Star Wars or Harry Potter, with major box office receipts in return. But, no, that makes too much sense!
I’M REALLY FED UP WITH THE INCOMPETENCE IN HOLLYWOOD!
18
Chris, I apologize. Now that I think about it, it was Leonard Maltin, not Roger Ebert who made the remark. And, no, sorry, I read this years ago in a book with a compilation of his reviews. I wouldn’t know where to find a link.
Movie review aside, I still think it makes good sense to show them TSFS if they just finished watching TWOK. Then viewing TVH would complete the trilogy.
i’ve met nicelle & seen all the trek movies on the big sceen several times, once all 10 -in a 22hr marathon…
#28 – V better than GEN? Riiiiight.
I wonder if the screening will be 70MM Dolby SR or plain Dolby 70MM. Dolby SR has much higher dynamic range and 70MM SR actually can outperform some uncompressed digital formats.
STAR TREK IV was *the* first film in 70MM Dolby SR (at the time it was called “Dolby Spectral Sound”). V & VI also used it, with VI being the first film that tested Dolby Digital. STAR TREK VI was also the first TREK film with split (stereo)-surrounds (5.1). It was also the *last* STAR TREK film that you could go see in 70MM. GENERATIONS and onwards were 35MM with digital format sound only.
The Blu-rays are in lossless 24-bit Dolby TrueHD and the first 6 have been remixed into 7.1, so technically you’re getting better sound than these theatrical presentations…if your home theater is up to snuff.
31
Harry,
We have the ‘Supreme Court’ to give us big, epic Trek films every three years potentially. Its possible they will do more than three depending on how good the sequel is and how the fans and the general audience responds. So here’s hoping!
Here’s mine…
Star Trek: The Motion Picture *****
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan *****
Star Trek III: The Search For Spock ****
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home ***
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier ****
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country *****
Star Trek Generations ***
Star Trek: First Contact *****
Star Trek: Insurrection ****
Star Trek Nemesis **
Star Trek **
@ 11 Harry ballz
Your review of the classic Trek Movies is spot on mate .
When the humour overrides the drama it’s not a movie for fans, it’s an ego trip for the staff.
Star Trek alot of times has timely messages, we sometimes agree with them, sometimes maybe not.
Whaling continues today, although there have been moratoriums to try and halt commercial whaling. Most all countries obey the moratorium, but there are those who don’t. Japan does quite a bit of it and having a Japanese pilot fly and block the harpoon was a great symbol. Might have flown past some viewers, but I remember every time I have seen this movie with an audience there is great applause at the thwarting and intimidation of the whalers.
I hope that the next Trek movies will continue with reflections on some modern issue and not just rely on solely on action/adventure.
1. I have a real soft spot for TMP, in spite of it’s problems. I find it to be an ideal late-nite movie, and have watched it more times than I could count in the wee hours of the morning.
2. No doubt, TWOK is not just great Trek, it’s a great movie, period — again, despite its problems. Apart from the technical issues, the biggest gripe I have is that I didn’t care for the “Marcus” scenes. I didn’t care for Kirk’s son’s character — thought he was a bit lame. And Carol Marcus is not the sort of woman I imagined Kirk would go for. IMO, of course.
3. I think of TSFS much the same as TWOK — I think the movie had some fabulous moments in it, but really didn’t care for Kirk’s son. I thought this movie had Shatner and Kelley at the absolute tops of their game.
4. I think TVH is a classic film with an important message that didn’t hit me over the head. IMO, it contained everything about Star Trek that made it the great franchise it is.
5. TFF is disappointing, but still contains enough elements of a decent episode that I can live with it.
6. TUC is a superb Star Trek adventure, although there are parts of it that drive me crazy. The whole conspiracy/mystery thing really stretched things a bit much, for Star Trek, IMO.
7. GEN’s opening with Kirk, Scotty and Chekov was the only good part of the film. The rest — nah.
8. FC was, without a doubt, the best TNG film, and Frakes did a fantastic job. I didn’t care for Troi’s “drunk” scene, nor did I care for the Borg Queen seducing Data.
9. INS was literally a tv episode blown up for the big screen, IMO. Nothing new here, nor particularly memorable.
10. NEM was, IMO, a chaotic mess.
11. ST is a breath of fresh air. New ideas. New “eyes.” New perspective. New blood. That says it all, as far as I’m concerned.
The best Trek movie? Today I might say TWOK. Tomorrow I might say ST. Next week I might say TSFS. It changes for me as I change. The bottom line is: it’s ALL Star Trek. It’s all the best there is, even when it falters.
When IV opened up here in the DC area, it had the widest 70mm release of the Trek films. I’m guessing at least 4, maybe 5 places. 3 in VA at the then new National Amusement multiplexes, 1 at the KB Montgomery Mall and 1 someplace in DC. I’m guessing Wisconsin Ave but maybe it was the now closed Jenifer.
I remember the opening tribute to the Challenger crew, which drew applause and Nimoy’s direction credit.
The cool sound fx were Spock’s mind games with the four computers on Vulcan as the computer comes at him with brain teasers almost simultaneously…and the ending that stumps Spock with the question “how do you feel?” You hear at at different points onscreen.
The Bird of Prey’s warp jump. It was cool to have it jump at you and back with the accompanying travelling sound whooosh. The subsequent time warp sound fx…sound effect ripples and the sound of the ship almost falling apart were cool to the point the ship does the slingshot thing around the sun. I didn’t like the subsequent crew morphing..that didn’t make sense. I was hoping for a more exciting light show. I guess the budget wasn’t there for that.
The earth scenes don’t lend itself to anything extraordinary as, afterall, they are on earth. The injection of fx such as the transporter, cloaked ship landing and McCoy’s medical tricorder used to repair Chekov’s brain were decent sound fx.
Overall, the film is enjoyable and more accessible to the general public but I still have gripes about certain scenes. Given the fact that the previous three films did well, couldn’t they have spent more money on that alien ship? It looks just like a cylindrical cigar. There’s no mystery or beauty to the thing at all.
The scene where we meet Gillian for the first time and she ends her little speech by saying..”whoever said the human race is logical?” That should’ve brought out a response from Spock. Even a “mmhmm” or some Meyer-type witticism should have been uttered. :P
The ending that has the whales talk to the alien ship takes too long. It almost harkens back to the Vger flyover. Trim, please.
At the very end of the movie, we see the gorgeous Enterprise-A again and then it warps off into space. It isn’t the glorious rainbow colored send off of TMP, but the cheap cartoonish 3 streak ship blur. ILM did better in II when it imitated Trumbull’s warp in TMP. In fact, they could’ve inverted the same scene in II for the ending in IV as it looks much better.
Did you all notice during the end credits there are some bloopers. When they show the scene of the bird of prey in SF bay, Scotty loses his footing and slides all the way down the ship to the water! Also, there seems to be a shot of Shatner trying to force Nimoy to lose his hold on the bar to drop him into the water, too.
#37
OLLEY, thanks for the compliment, mate!
My rating for TMP goes for both version. However, the Director’s Edition is the better cut.
I can’t believe some are bashing TVH?! That is a terrific movie, totally deserving of its success. The message wasn’t about whaling per se, it was about mankind’s relationship with the environment, a timely message for any era. And as someone pointed out, it took bravery to tell a story where, as Leonard often notes, “nobody died.” I doubt they could get away with that today! As for the humor, that had ALWAYS been a part of TOS and the movies, there was just a bit more of it here. That was a conscious choice on the part of the filmmakers because parts II and III had included so much death and sorrow. And the humor was subdued and in character, not forced like it was in later movies.
The story could have worked on screen even if it wasn’t a Star Trek story, yet was still classic Trek all the way and loaded with precious moments. Too many to list here, but what’s better than, “Captain Kirk, you and your crew have saved this planet from its own shortsightedness. And we are forever in your debt.”? Nothing’s better than that!
Here is my take, having seen all the films in the theater when the opened, and many prior to their openings, as I worked at Paramount at the time:
TMP: Slow and a Changeling rehash but it had the benefit of being the first
TWOK: Great trek, recaptured the magic and chemistry of TOS. Kirk and Khan are never in the same room together and the movie is better for it.
TSFS: Good but suffered from limited production values. Would love a few replacement CGI shots of the Genesis planet landscape.
TVH: GREAT, Trek for Trekkies and the general public. It marks the true Golden Age of Trek
TFF: A huge debacle. Bad script, worse effects, a few nice character moments between the big three.
TUC: Ended the TOS run on a good note. Not great, but the sign-off and music at the end left a great taste for Trek
GEN: Everything but the kitchen sink, too many subplots forced into the hands of new writers who didn’t know how to say “no”. A fun ride, but not a blockbuster. Three old men fighting on scaffolding
FC: TNG movies at their best, but still not equal to TWOK of TVH for hitting a chord with the general public. An old man and woman fighting on scaffolding.
INS: Bland and dissapointing. This movie takes place DURING the Dominion War, and I wish I was watching that. We saw the same plot in TNG with Paul Sorvino, and it was a better story. Old men fighting on scaffolding
NEM: A wasted opportunity with two sets of duplicates? That’s a stretch even for Trek. Old men fighting on scaffolding again, this time Riker.
Ah, from here on to be known as the “old men fighting on scaffolding” syndrome!
45 lol Yes! or as we call them here, the TNG films…. ;)
46
Look the TNG are great as well.
First Contat is a better movie than the latest one.
captain_neill
how do you deal with the HUGE plot loophole in First Contact where, if the Borg can go back in time that easily, why didn’t they simply go back in time while still in the Delta quadrant and then assimilate Earth at their leisure in the past?
That ONE point alone ruined the movie for me!
The sloooooow zero G scene in FC almost ruined the film for me. If I didn’t like the Zeph Cochrane stuff so much, I would rate that one so much lower. The had a chance for an action scene, and they went with zero G spacewalk that looked worse than the film 2001 and 2010? Please.
48
The new movie has more glaring plot holes yet you seem to love that one?
I mean Kirk dumped on the same planet that Nero dumped Spock Prime on that also houses Scotty at the starbase.
And don’t even quote QM, it’s still a plot contrivance.
Yet I still love the new movie, just First Contact is better film.
But Harry if you love the new movie how do you get past this plothole where as you you let this one ruin First Contact?
Despite liking the new movie I do feel annoyed at all the TNG hate on this site.