Great Links: Spock Advice For 60s Troubled Teen + Uhura v Slave Leia + Google Making Trek Real + more

TrekMovie’s column looking at Star Trek in the zeitgeist has returned. This week’s Great Links has Leonard Nimoy offering Spock-ish advice to a "teenage outcast in 1968, Google inspired by Star Trek (again), The Big Bang Theory getting early Trek toys, Uhura taking on Slave Leia, Star Trek fighting for Best Sci-Fi TV show, and more. Check it all out below.  

 

1968 ‘Teenage Outcast’ Letter From Spock (Nimoy) goes viral

Last month our friends over at My Star Trek Scrapbook posted an article about Leonard Nimoy replying to a letter written to the teen magazine FAVE. Nimoy was responding to a letter written "To Mr. Spock" from a reader from a mixed race family who was struggling and thought that the half-human/half-Vulcan would be able to help. Nimoy’s letter to the troubled teen offered genuine advice like "Spock learned he could save himself from letting prejudice get him down. He could do this by really understanding himself and knowing his own value as a person. This It’s Get Better like letter from 1968 has gone viral, picked up by the Huffington Post, Buzzfeed and elsewhere. Visit
MyStarTrekScrapbook to read the full letter.


Leonard Nimoy offers Spockish advice to a "Teenage Outcast" in 1968

KREO Enterprise shows up on ‘Big Bang Theory’

Strangely Thursday’s episode of the CBS comedy The Big Bang Theory contained no references to Star Trek, which is unusual for the show. However, eagle-eyed John Tenuto spotted a Trek object on the show. Apparently Howard Wolowitz has some connections as he had a Hasbro KREO USS Enterprise toy in his closet – and that toy wont be released until May. You can watch the full "The Closet Reconfiguration" online at CBS.com.


Howard got early version of KREO Enterprise

Cosplay of the Week: Uhura v Slave Leia

This photo was offered without comment via Chickopolis Facebook page.


Star Trek and Star Wars together at last

Star Trek marching to best Sci-Fi TV show in io9 March Madness

io9 is holding a "March TV Madness" mega-poll with various brackets deciding the greatest sci-fi TV show. Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine are all included (even though they don’t allow spin-offs). All three shows easily beat their competitors in the first round.

  • Star Trek (TOS) beat Alf 95% to 5%
  • Star Trek: DS9 beat Dark Angel 78% to 22%
  • Star Trek: TNG beat Eureka 85% to 15%

They started with 30 shows so there are six more rounds to pick a winner with polls being held every few days in March. Visit io9 to keep up with the next round and vote for the Treks.


The Star Treks are marching towards dominance in race for Best Sci-Fi TV series

Quote of the Week: Google’s Vision Is To Make Star Trek real

Speaking at the by South By Southwest event this week, Google Senior VP Amit Singhal talked about the future of the company and its vision for search, saying (via Forbes):

Our vision of Google is things you need to know just come to you… Our dream is for search to become the Star Trek computer. That’s what we’re building today.

Singhal specifically pointed to Google Now which is designed to send users information before they even search for it (see video below via CNET).


Google Now – inspired by Star Trek

Craft of the Week: Star Trek Crew Cushions

The favorite bit of fan-made Star Trek fun this week comes from Barcelona artist Fabi Phil who sells these Worf, Picard and Data inspired pillow cushions (for just €47 for all 3). More info at Etsy.com. [UPDATE: They also offer a pair of TOS Kirk and Spock cushions for €30]


TNG crew cushions


TOS crew cushions

 

That’s it for this week’s Great Links. If you see something fun about Trek out there, send in a tip to tips@trekmovie.com.

 

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Why is Picard pink?

First!

There are many things to be said about that Uhura vs Leia pic…

Battlestar Galactica needs to make the jump to the big screen,,

The original posting of that picture on Facebook from ‘Ladies of Science Fiction and Fantasy’ on FaceBook came with the tagline

“Whoever loses, we win!” :)

oops. Meant to put the link and put it in my name! Doh!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ladies-of-Science-Fiction-Fantasy/402069189889265

WillH85 – as the Andorian on ENT lovingly called Captain Archer “Pink Skin,” clearly these pillows were designed by an Andorian ;)

Nyota : Who came first?

Leia : …Well, last time we both…

Nyota : THAT is NOT what I meant !

Leia : …Oh…Honey…Star Trek came first…

Nyota : That’s right b*tch….

:)

It’s a touching write-in and response. Nimoy advises the girl to listen to her inner voice, to be true to it, and have the courage to be a lone-wolf and cast off the need to be popular and a member of the “wolf-pack” until people realize her true value.

And on the very next column (of the second page of the article) is an advertisement urging the reader to conform with group fashion trends, “be in” and buy a Monkees sweat shirt, thoughtlessly misprinted as “sweat shift.”

Ah, cheers Anthony :) Wherever it came from, kudos to the creator. It’s great!

Those pillows are fantastic too.

@9. Cygnus-X1

…actually is it a sweat SHIFT… A shift is a type of dress, which this plainly is. It’s far too long to be a shirt.

I agree that the juxtaposition of the advertisement with the article is tacky.

I wonder what became of the person who wrote that letter.

@#1
In ENT the Andorians called the humans “pinkie”

Is that a shadow, or is Uhura’s neutral zone showing? O_O

Dat “Trek vs. Wars” photo… bunch of bollocks! Everyone knows that Uhura wore RED knickers!

Ladies of Sci-fi…! When does that movie come out!!??

Did anyone else catch the $”47″ for all 3 pillows. I wonder if that amount was chosen on purpose.

14 – Nothing neutral about Nyota.

Crew we are crossing the zone, on my authority as captain of the Enterprise!

That pic of uhura and leia just became my new iPhone wallpaper.

Uhura and Leia. Hmm. I’ll have to think about that.

:-D

Uhura in mirror universe garb would have been sexier.

Anthony,

I have nothing but reverence and respect for you.

This site is consistently truly excellent and fascinating!

May I also add… so are the many, many very bright fans of Star Trek
who are compelled to visit every day or two.

(Much affection for those who strive to move beyond name calling, low shots or bigotry when difference of opinion of this beloved franchise and it’s characters runs high! ;-)

Thanks Sir!

TOS 4 EVER

Dear Mr. Roberto Orci,

Do Paramount Pictures, the very amazingly talented Mr. JJ Abrams and all of your awesome and open eared creative team know how important it is to Star Trek’s ongoing amazing legacy to ‘right the wrong’ and honor Captain James T. Kirk (Prime Universe) and the legendary actor to play him… Mr. William Shatner?

When I say ‘honor’ Captain James T. Kirk Prime… I think we the fans truly deserve to see this character alive, free of the death shown on Veridian III in ‘Star Trek: Generations’… acknowleging this canon… but bringing Mr. Shatner and Kirk back for a chance to ‘ride into the sunset’ after being crucial to help save the day, or the ship, the Federation, Starfleet, Mr. Nimoy as Spock Prime, Mr. Zach Quinto’s Spock, Mr. Pine as his younger, alternate self, all of the above… or the two Universes?

Would the creative staff entertain the idea of making Captain James T. Kirk Prime (Mr. William Shatner) as real, current, alive, and relevant as Mr. Leonard Nimoy’s phenomenal Spock Prime? Side by side… one last time?

I cannot speak for all fans… but I myself will be hurting if this has not been addressed in ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’. What about a teaser dropped at the end?

“There are always possibilites, Spock said.”

Thank you for all your talents, efforts, and for listening and valuing what us, the fans… are thinking and feeling!

Yours Most Sincerely,

Mark

(TOS 4 EVER)

To Mr. William Shatner: “The fate of Two Universes… Two Parallel Realities hang in the balance. The only man who can save both would first have to ‘cheat death’… with some help from his closest, most logical friend.”

“trangely Thursday’s episode of the CBS comedy The Big Bang Theory contained on references to Star Trek, which is unusual for the show.”

what are you talking about??

#1 If I remember the winning entry from “Captain Picard Day”, isn’t Picard supposed to be orange?

Hi, my name is Fabiana from Morondanga, first of all I thank the publication of our cushions. I would tell WillH85, we use the color pink in all cushions where the character has white skin, it seems funny, as in the case of Spock and Kirk.
Soon we will have the cushion of Uhura, and we will have the trio along with Spock and Kirk.
Again, thank you very much for posting our creations.
regards

Fabi and Phil

@22. No. A thousand times, no.

If you’re going to be re-posting pictures like that Uhura and Leia one because they’re ‘great’ (as opposed to probably the exact opposite of what Nichelle Nichols would have wanted for Uhura back in the ’60s), I expect to also see gay cosplay and/or the male Star Trek cast members’ next shirtless/underwear/homoerotic photoshoots here as well. Keep that in mind.

The Uhura vs. Leia thing looks like it was found on some high quality adult entertainment site somewhere….

I assume the remark about Star Trek references in TBBT is meant to be facetious?

The Uhura/Leia photo was uncalled for, and I agree with Nony that there is a level of sexism being displayed not just by those who took the photo, but by the person who posted it on this site. It was clearly poornographic in nature, and wasn’t needed here.

That io9 poll is clearly messed up. They include the spin-offs, but they don’t allow spin-offs? WTF??

@22 Yes. A thousand times, yes.

Here is an unrelated but funny Star Trek youtube video I happened across:
“High School Never Ends”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sV_oPBNF_jk

#22

I’m sure you are a very nice person, but you’ve really got to let that go. The ship has sailed.

#22.

Hate to tell you this, but Shatner isn’t coming back.

@17. William

We’ll have to wait ’till next year to see if they go up to $48 :-)

@22

Here you go, Kirk survives Veridian 3.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2M47diM41nA

:)

In the spirit of balance I would like you, Anthony Pascale, to know that I fully endorse pictures such as the Uhura/Leia pic above being posted to this site. I am not offended in the least by a bit of “Uhura Neutral Zone” in the photo. And if it makes a difference to anyone I say go right ahead and post Spock/Han Solo pics. It’s a great big world. Sex is part of it.

Uhura vs Slave Leia ??? serious???… Gosh… but think I’m in bad mood today!

I do like the Uhura/Leia photograph. Excuse me, I think I need to be alone for a while…

I want to hear no complaining when the Kirk/Skywalker photo shows up…

*sigh* Glad I wasn’t in my office when I checked this site for updates today. And that I brought my tablet with me for lunch. That picture of Uhura and Leia is not something I’d like anyone to see me viewing were they to come into my office to ask me a question.

Way too tired to go into the inappropriateness of it (had a wretched night’s sleep last night), so I’ll just say I second what Nony and Red Dead Ryan said.

The Nimoy article, however, was wonderful and the pillows adorable. If I knew it wouldn’t cause my husband to roll his eyes over my distinct taste in decor, I’d inquire about the possibilities of a Kirk, Spock and McCoy version. What? They’d go well with our blue sofa. ;)

@42: I don’t think anyone would implicate you for doing anything other than viewing a picture of Sci-Fi most iconic female characters, as a fan, of course…

Daaang… there ain’t nutin’ wrong with that picture. Heck I sent over the company wire to all my frieunds. It’s more awesome than my metorite was, well before I found out it was a from ball of poo.

Honestly, I don’t see why some are getting in a lather over what is, a bit of fun photograph which is in no way pornographic. It might raise an eyebrow or two, but it is certainly “safe for work”. I’ll definitely be showing it all my work mates, male and female alike.

YMMV of course, although as a great man once said;
No matter where you go, there you are…

To those of you who are up in arms over the Uhura pic, let me quote William Shatner when he said, “Get a life!” There’s nothing pornographic about it so get over yourselves. Hell, Nichelle Nichols posed topless. What do you have to say about that?

Oh dear…There is nothing wrong with posting that photograph of Uhura and Leia. The TOS character Uhura was always wearing that attire – it was Starfleet regulation uniform for women then. Princess Leia was often wearing that attire we see in the photo as well. The two women met up, got into an altercation over whatever and Uhura got the better of her. The fact that some people may find the photo a bit sexy – so what? Hell, in the early 1900s women could not even show an ankle lest someone complain about her lewd behaviour and a man get “over-excited”.

I am really sick of this nonsense.

Interesting photo of a young William Shatner or was it? It was definitely his face, but I would not be so sure about the rest of the picture. A lot of photoshopping is done with actors’ faces being put on (naked) male model bodies of a similar height and body shape to the actual actors’ physique.

Yep, Picard, Kirk… are “pink skins”, hence the pillow colour for Picard. Love the cushions!

So when are we going to see the Star Trek / NuBSG crossover?

The two series are related through Ronald D. Moore (zero degrees of separation). By rights, they need to be in the same universe at least once.

#46. BiggestTOSfanever:

Thanks! So cute… tempted to buy these, yes I am.

#45 Keachick:

While I agree that the women in TOS wore suggestive costumes in the form of really short dresses, they also wore some sort of hot pants, shorts or underwear beneath them. Just saying.