This Week In Trek – President Picard, Guinan & Uhura Chat, Trek Taxis, and 7 of 10?

As we celebrate the 41st anniversary of Star Trek, this week’s wrap-up brings news on why Picard should be president, a controversial debut for a certain Ten Forward bartender, a Star Trek-inspired cab company, Nichelle Nichols on Heroes, news of Patrick Stewart appearing in a big budget prequel, a singing TNG episode guide, and much more.

 

Star Trek (2008)

  • The search for Scotty continues: The Daily Record is reporting that Monarch of the Glen actor Martin Compston is among the contenders for the role of Scotty in the new film.
  • Tim Kring (creator of Heroes) talked to Voices From Krypton about the decision to allow Zachary Quinto (Spock) to take a hiatus to shoot the new Star Trek and how they will deal with it it on the show.
  • A video clip on YouTube shows Quinto talking about getting the role of Spock at a recent appearance in Toronto promoting Heroes.
  • In a new video blog Rod Roddenberry (son of Trek creator Gene Roddenberry) shares his thoughts on the new Star Trek film and also discusses how his family is no longer directly involved in Trek.
  • William Shatner still isn’t in the movie.

     

Trek merchandise:

  • New artwork for Star Trek Online and new screenshots of Star Trek Conquest are available for view here at trekmovie.com.
  • IDW Publishing wrapped up its Klingons: Blood Will Tell comic book mini-series with the publication of Issue #5 (read a review here). They also released the second issue of their Star Trek: Year Four series. (both have previews available at IDW)
  • Diamond Select Toys & Collectibles has released "retro" Kirk and Klingon figures, first of a series of new figures modeled after the classic Mego Star Trek toys of the 1970s.
  • Toshiba and CBS Home Entertainment are offering a free remote control shaped like a Star Trek phaser for those who buy a Toshiba HD DVD player with the first season of the original Star Trek series on HD DVD.
  • Original molds for 5 prototype busts (for an unreleased series from the Franklin Mint) depicting characters from Star Trek: The Next Generation went up for auction this week on eBay.


Starting bid $15,000

Trek in the world:

  • On September 2nd, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra performed music from Star Trek and other Paramount films at an event called The Big Picture: The Films of Paramount Pictures.
  • The Charlotte Observer has a piece on a local nonprofit Star Trek fan club called the Klingon Assault Group.
  • Fallen Angels, an independent film starring TNG and DS9 star Michael Dorn (Worf), has been picked up for distribution by Warner Bros.’ Polychrome Pictures division.
  • Cab hailing frequencies open: A new taxi service inspired by Star Trek, called Star Taxi, is expected to have three cars on Bucks County, Pennsylvania roads by late September.
  • A charity golf tournament in Glendale, California, in which the likes of John Billingsley (Phlox, ENT), Dominic Keating (Reed, ENT), Connor Trinneer (Trip, ENT), and Garrett Wang (Kim, VOY) were to participate has been postponed from October of this year to May of next year.

 

Trek science:

  • The Toronto Star has an article on nanotechnology — you know, like the kind the Borg use.
  • Scientists are developing sensing devices that are as close as we’re going to get to tricorders for now, according to The Guardian.

 

Trek on the web:

  • The latest episode of Star Trek: New Voyages, "World Enough and Time," is back online after high demand forced its temporary removal. In addition, trekmovie.com has an exclusive update on what’s ahead for the popular internet fan series.
  • Speaking Klingon is among the topics discussed in an article on invented languages.
  • 411mania has posted an analysis of a scene from Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
  • Star Trek‘s Scotty ranked #3 on David Allen’s list of the five best fictional heroes.
  • Comic book and video game writer Evan Skolnick gave a presentation at GDC Austin entitled "Everything I Needed To Know About Game Writing I Learned From Star Trek", in which he listed five ways video game writers can learn from the Star Trek franchise.
  • The Shatner Show (art show inspired by William Shatner) has a new promo video on YouTube
  • In honor of the 20th anniversary of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Huffington Post blogger Marty Beckerman compares Captain Jean-Luc Picard to President Bush and lists reasons why Picard would make a better president.
  • Time Magazine named the original series "Star Trek" as one of the 100 top TV shows of all time – none of the other Trek series made the list.
  • The results are in for a contest held by The Columbus Dispatch for which readers sent photos of themselves dressed as Star Trek characters with the grand prize being a copy of the poster for next year’s film.


Columbus Ohio Trekkies show off for chance at a poster

Where are they now?

  • Obsessed With Film reports that Patrick Stewart (Picard, TNG) is indeed set to reprise his role as Professor Charles Xavier from the X-Men films for the prequel film, Magneto, centered on the X-Men’s arch-enemy and Xavier’s former friend (played by Sir Ian McKellen in the X-films). Like the upcoming Star Trek movie, Magneto will require some roles to be recast with younger actors while original actors will play older versions of the characters in framing scenes — in this case Stewart and McKellen will be reuiniting to play older Xavier and Magneto, respectively.
  • Stewart is also set to co-star with Doctor Who actor David Tennant in a production of Hamlet for the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 2008 season.
  • Leonard Nimoy (Spock, TOS) hosted the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra’s Big Picture: The Films of Paramount Pictures on September 2nd.
  • Whoopi Goldberg (Guinan, TNG) made her debut as a moderator of ABC’s The View on September 4th… and after just one show, she already had to defend herself.
  • Walter Koenig (Chekov, TOS) are among the celebrities pressuring the United Nations to secure the release of Myanmar’s democratic leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.
  • During a call to Whoopi Goldberg’s morning radio show, Wake Up with Whoopi, on Wednesday, Nichelle Nichols (Uhura, TOS) told listeners that she has filmed two episodes of Heroes and will begin shooting a third Friday (yesterday).
  • Three years after production ended, the movie Fierce People — which stars then-15-year-old Chekov-to-be Anton Yelchin — is finally released in New York City and Los Angeles theaters. See the official movie site for more details.
  • Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine, VOY) is expecting a baby, her first with husband Christophe Emé. She is due to give birth in March 2008.


Jeri Ryan is about to increase the size of her collective

 

In Memoriam 

  • Bill Catching, who did stunt double work on the original Star Trek series, died on August 24th at the age of 81 according to The Yuma Sun.
  • Another Trek alumnus we lost on the 24th is Denny Martin Flinn, who co-wrote Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country with director Nicholas Meyer. Flinn, a former actor and choreographer who made a name for himself as an author in recent years, died of complications from cancer at the age of 59, according to Broadway World.
  • Variety reported this week that TNG and DS9 key costumer Jerry Bono passed away on August 31st. He was 65 years old.

 

YouTube video of the week:

Building an Enterprise! Video chronicling building an Enterprise using the Star Trek Enterprise NCC 1701A model kit.

(more: Part 2 of build   |   ‘clearing moorings’)

Special thanks to everyone who submitted tips for This Week in Trek.

 

Photo of Jeri Ryan & Christophe Emé by Jon Kopaloff / Filmmagic

 

 

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Too bad about Denny Martin Flynn. I remember reading an interview where he related how his friend Nick Meyer had offered him the Trek VI writing gig in part as therapy to get his mind off of his cancer treatments, which Flynn apparently somewhat credited for his recovery. And while I have considerable reservations about The Undiscovered Country as Star Trek, as pure cinema it’s easily the best of the TOS cast films. Bon voyage and Godspeed, Mr. Flynn.

first ;)

TNG was my favourite :)

congratulations 7 of 9

Very cool video! :-)

I spoke to Mugatu recently and he recounted a humorous yet tragic story that many of his fans might not know about. As he sat back in his easy chair made of authentic Hill People skin and sipped his scotch on the rocks, Mugatu took us back to a time as an eager, and hairy, young starfleet cadet. I was astonished to learn that this icon had actually been at the academy as this piece of history had been unknown to his adoring public. Mugatu laughed at this as he polished of his scotch and poured another. ” yeah I was at the acadamy, but it didn’t end particularly well” Being a renound ladies man admired for his gigantic horn, by his female academy classmates made focusing on his courses rather dificult. “well yeah, I was kind of a hell raiser” admited Mugatu. ” But my instructors cut me some slack because they really felt I was Starfleet material” He went on to tell me that on the day of his Kobyashi Maru test that he had gotten little sleep as the night previous he had entertained a number of Andorian exchange students at an Academy hotspot. ” Oh Lord, I must have done 30 tranya shots and I woke up the next morning wearing one of the Andorian girl’s bra and panties” He continued ” I was still wasted and had only 20 minutes to get my head straight and get over to the simulator for my no win scenerio test but ya know I thought I would be ok, I was so charged up for the KM that i felt adrenelen would get me through” He then poured his third scotch and told me about the test. ” Man it started out ok, we recived the distress signal and I ordered the ship into the neutral zone..” His hand began to shake violently and he took a deep breath, I asked him if he wanted to take a break from the interview but he patted me on the back and flashed that million dollar Mugatu smile. ” No , No it’s alright I need to talk about this” “Everything was going ok, when the Klingon battle cruisers showed up, I thought I could handle it but the nights of endless partying, booze, pills and women came crashing down on me at that moment and I just blew a gasket.” (Expletive deleted) ” My science officer kept badgering me about being in violation of treaty and we were getting pummeled by disrupter fire, I just saw red you know, just snapped” He paused to take a huge sip of scotch and continued ” And it just happened, I didn’t mean it, I just couldn’t help myself, I…ah..I ate my science officer” He then began to cry hysterically for nearly 5 minutes until he regained his composure. “God, Admiral Komak was so pissed he had me thrown off the academy grounds on the spot and they wiped any history of my time there from the data banks in the coverup” I tried my best to comfort him as shocked as i was at his awful admission. ” I just wanted to get away from there, away from everything, I jumped on a freighter and made my way across the galaxy before I ended up in the Zeta Bootis star system” He finshed the rest of the bottle and began weeping about what could have been but wasn’t and slurring nearly incoherently under his breath that JJ promised a call and has all but blown him off. I must admit that it was hard seeing such a magnificent icon in this state, broken emotionally and very drunk but in my mind it adds to his humanity, and most certainly to the legend of our beloved Mugatu.

“Another Trek alumni we lost on the 24th is Denny Martin Flinn, …”

“Another Trek _alumnus_ we lost on the 24th is Denny Martin Flinn, …”

re: the video..

umm.. wow..

;-)

OK i moved the TNG video to the front page cause i thought it was pretty cool…put in a new video of the week for those model fans

Congratulations to Jeri and Christophe!
I’m pretty sure his name is Christophe and not Christoper.
Anyway, she is absolutely glowing in that picture.

Just an add-on to the Denny Martin Flinn note, I thought I would share this:

http://mwma.org/news/content/view/186/2/

Flinn’s death was originally reported as an apparent suicide rather than complications from cancer. I’m not 100% sure which cause of death is correct, but I’m more inclined to think it was cancer as stated in the later report in BroadwayWorld since more time has passed to allow for more thorough research. Also, BroadwayWorld just seems more informed to me.

Also, more sad news: Percy Rodriguez, who played Commodore Stone in TOS: “Court Martial,” has died, apparently of kidney problems. He was 83.

http://www.sharkisstillworking.com/default.asp?c=percy

Rodriguez’s passing will be included in next week’s summary.

wow Patrick Stewart in the Magneto film with McKellan? that is great….

Isnt the Wolverine movie due out next year as well? its a prequel leading up to X1 so i hear..hopely Brian Cox will be in that as Stryker

I find it interesting that all the bullets in this thread, list things that DID happened this past week in the Trek world. Except one.

It lists something that did not or has not happened yet. (Not that the implication that it will happen either). It is the smallest bullet, yet stands out like a sore thumb.

Not that I mind, because I don’t, I find it humorous, I suspect this will possibly annoy a few people out there like rubbing salt in a wound. I suspect this entry will be there next week as well, as I look forward to it!

473 dtST

Yeah, pizza hotdog, The Shat is still not in the movie. And I have to say, i don’t think it needs him. However, if they don’t cast Tom Cruise as the Mugatu there’ll be hell to pay from the scientologists (huge Mugatu fans).

the word is given – warp speed!

Sad to hear about Denny Martin Flynn. He was a gifted scripter. I truly enjoyed ST6, and I also was rather impressed with Flynn’s take on Doctor Who in the film script that never got produced (the one that Nimoy was attached to direct).

He’ll be missed.

#16/Snake: I had no idea. Thanks for posting that; I’m off to track it down!

–c