This Week in Trek brings an exhibit for Scotty, a heroic role for Data, a nomination for Picard, a lawsuit for Colbert, and what could be the next best thing to Geordi’s VISOR.
…and much more…
Star Trek (2008 film)
- Less than three weeks after trekmovie.com first announced she had been offered the role, it was confirmed that Zoe Saldana will be playing the role of Uhura.
- The small Canadian town of Vulcan, Alberta is hoping to host the world premiere of Star Trek. See trekmovie.com’s report for more information.
- William Shatner still isn’t in the movie. And neither is Mugatu.
Trek Stuff
- Details for Star Trek: The Next Generation Box Set and a preview of the set’s special features have been released. The box set ships on October 2nd.
- And you thought tribbles were trouble before? Star Trek Online‘s Executive Producer, Daron Stinnett, has revealed more details about the highly-anticipated game — including a plan to introduce killer tribbles from the Mirror Universe!
- Enhancements for the video games Star Trek: Armada II and Star Trek: Starfleet Command III: Orion Pirates are available from The Open File.
- Bathesda Software has released new screenshots for their upcoming Nintendo Wii game, Star Trek: Conquest.
The Enterprise-D battles a D’kora class Ferengi Marauder
in this new screenshot of Bathesda’s Star Trek: Conquest.
Trek in the World
- This past weekend, a commemorative plaque and exhibition honoring James Doohan (Scotty, TOS) was unveiled by Doohan’s widow, Wende, in Linlithgow, Scotland, which has declared itself the future birthplace of Scotty. Doohan’s son, Chris, was also in attendance.
- Television network Virgin 1, which has acquired rights to air a number of Star Trek shows, will launch in the UK on October 1st.
- Boldly go, for real: NASA is now accepting applications for astronaut candidates, who will be trained to work on the International Space Station. In other words, applicants may soon embark on their own, real-life star trek.
- Tonight’s Wørd: Uh-oh. Cenk Uygur of Air America’s The Young Turks radio program claims he is suing Stephen Colbert for $65 million for allegedly stealing the Klingons in the GOP joke he used on The Colbert Report, which we mentioned in last week’s summary. The lawsuit itself is also likely a joke, but even the AP picked it up.
- The art of late Star Trek: The Motion Picture production designer Harold Michelson and two other Hollywood illustrators will be featured in a new exhibit at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences opening September 28th.
Trek Science
- Hailing frequencies, open: the staff of Southhampton University Hospital Trust will soon be communicating through the use of wireless network devices similar to Star Trek’s commbadges… just, not as shiny.
- Clint Elston has designed a self-contained water recycling system similar to the protein resequencer mentioned on Star Trek: Enterprise.
- Researchers at Purdue University have come one step closer to making tricorders by combining ectrospray ionisation and desorption electrospray ionisation methods in a handheld mass spectrometer… or some technobabble like that. Geordi La Forge must be part of the research group…
- A photon torpedo molecule? Physicists at the University of California, Riverside, claim to have found a way to create molecules of equal parts matter and antimatter. Of course, the molecules tend to annihilate in less than a nanosecond, but hey, it’s a start.
- An Arizona healthcare provider uses what is being labeled as Star Trek technology to improve healthcare services. This technology apparently allows for more informed medical decisions by having a patient’s bodily signals be detected by a computer.
- Vuzix has introduced the VR920 video eyeware, a pair of video-project goggles which bare similarity to Geordi La Forge’s VISOR from the TNG days. Just don’t expect them to transmit signals from across the EM spectrum into your brain.
Trek on the Web:
- Members of Star Trek wiki Memory Alpha have begun a Star Trek Auction Listings Archive, containing information on all the memorabilia sold at the three main Star Trek auctions, Christie’s, Profiles in History and It’s a Wrap! Online.
- AfterEllen.com listed Uhura’s presence on the original Star Trek, Dr. Crusher’s brief relationship with a female Trill (TNG’s "The Host"), and Jadzia Dax’s "reassociation" with Lenard Kahn (DS9’s "Rejoined") as "taboo-smashing television moments."
- The Next Chamber has an interview with Star Trek: Titan – Sword of Damocles author Geoffrey Thorne.
- Analyzing the old feud of Star Trek vs. Star Wars, American Chronicle‘s Darrell Mays found that both franchises are "equally good." Of course, Trekkies know which one is really the best.
- 411mania.com analyzed a scene from Star Trek: Insurrection in this week’s Scene Anatomy 101 column.
- Exactly how federal is the United Federation of Planets? One blogger at The Volokh Conspiracy attempts to answer this question.
- iDNES.cz examines the phenomenon and appeal of Star Trek.
- In honor of Star Trek: The Next Generation’s 20th anniversary, Entertainment Weekly counted down the top 10 episodes of the series.
- Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was #1 on Cinema Blend’s list of the Top 5 Revenge Flicks.
…best served cold
Trek Celeb Watch
- William Shatner (Kirk, TOS) was nominated for his role on Boston Legal at last Sunday’s Emmy Awards ceremony, but lost the award to TNG guest actor Terry O’Quinn (Admiral Pressman, "The Pegasus"). The award was co-presented by DS9 guest Vanessa Williams (Arandis, "Let He Who Is Without Sin…"); Shatner himself co-presented an award, as did LeVar Burton (La Forge, TNG) and other cast members of Roots. See trekmovie.com’s coverage of the Emmys for more information.
- Dominic Keating (Malcolm Reed, ENT) will have a recurring role on the FOX series Prison Break, in addition to his role on Heroes, according to Variety.
- George Takei (Sulu, TOS) is serving as narrator for the Seattle Symphony Orchestra’s Sci-Fi Favorites concert at Benayora Hall this weekend.
- The Edmonton Sun has posted an interview with Jeri Ryan in which she calls her character, Seven of Nine, "an incredibly well-written and well-developed character" and compares her work on Star Trek to her work on Shark. It appears, though, that the former Star Trek: Voyager actor has forgotten exactly which Star Trek show she was on.
- Patrick Stewart (Picard, TNG) has been nominated for a Theatrical Management Association (TMA) Theatre Award in the Best Performance In A Play category for his portrayal of Macbeth at the Chichester Festival.
- The Times Online has an interview with Tom Hardy (Shinzon from Star Trek Nemesis) in which the actor discusses his latest project, BBC’s adaptation of Stuart: A Life Backwards.
- "City on the Edge of Forever" story writer Harlan Ellison was in attendance at a screening of the documentary Dreams with Sharp Teeth: A Film About Harlan Ellison at the Cleveland Public Library on September 21st.
- Marina Sirtis (Troi, TNG) will be among the guests at this weekend’s CzechTREK 2 convention in Prague.
- Garrett Wang (Harry Kim, VOY), TOS guest stars Barbara Luna (Marlena Moreau, "Mirror, Mirror") and Mary Rice (young T’Pring, "Amok Time"), and TNG/VOY guest star Craig Richard Nelson will be among the guests at this weekend’s Mountain-Con III in Salt Lake City, Utah.
- Race to Mars, a Canadian miniseries depicting the first manned mission to Mars and written by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens (writers of many Star Trek novels and fourth season Star Trek: Enterprise episodes), will be airing in Canada on the Discovery Channel tomorrow at 8pm EST. Audiences in other countries can expect to see it later in the fall.
- The Honolulu Symphony Toyota Pops will be performing the music of Lost as composed by Michael Giacchino, the composer of the upcoming Star Trek film. The event will be held tonight at the Waikiki Shell in Hawaii.
- Brent Spiner (Data, TNG) is currently working on Dimension Films’ comic book movie spoof Superhero, along with one-time TNG guest Christopher McDonald (Castillo, "Yesterday’s Enterprise").
Spiner is very happy to be working again.
In Memoriam
- Robert Sabaroff, a television writer whose credits include the original Trek series episode "The Immunity Syndrome" and the first season TNG episodes "Home Soil" and "Conspiracy," died of leukemia on September 19th according to Mark Evanier on his News From Me blog. His age was not available.
YouTube Clip of the Week – Widescreen Trek
Alan Rhodes points us of his "Star Trek – Renewal" – an envisioning of TOS in widescreen
What a fascinating video! J.J. Abrams should be encouraged to watch it, just to give him a taste of what it means to revisit this world!
Very respectable and true to the places and the faces via viewscreen, The video would make a good menu screen for a dvd or even…the new box set coming from CBS-D!
while you’re in a generous mood, why not buy me a set? I wouldnt have to get out of my chair and find my wallet or credit card, besides I think you should buy it:)
There’s a Salt Lake City, Ohio?
#3 steve623 — Of course there isn’t, why would you say such a thing? Honestly!
;-)
That widescreen trek video is downright EERIE. It reminds me of the 1st scene in “Alien.”
Who’d have thought it would look like Forbidden Planet… ;)
Nice work Alan.
459 dtST
That new VR device reminds me more of the Dominion’s view-screen thingy than Geordi’s visor. The visor and that thing just look similar, that’s all.
desorption electrospray ionisation methods in a handheld mass spectrometer
(best Maxwell Smart voice:) Of course! The old desorption electrospray ionisation methods in a handheld mass spectrometer trick.
Funny, I have the Starfleet Technical Manual (as seen in Renewal.) I don’t remember seeing that in there. If I remember, phasers include such bits as “photon emitters,” which my friend pointed out when we were 14 is a light bulb. Funny how little techno I needed back then to enjoy Trek. (Oh, and my Tech Manual is autographed by Scotty and Uhura, so it’s one of my treasures.)
Very nice round-up , Anthony.
As for Jerri Ryan and which show she was on, I would bet my quatloos that the author of the article is the one who got the show wrong. He probably put in the wrong name in her quote, and again in the article…
Just a guess…
Excellent video Alan. Even Mugatu had a cameo in it.
I have checked out the VR glasses and must say, if I had the money to spare, this would be an essential purchase.
62″ widescreen TV at 9 feet? Wow!!!!! Be watching all my favourite DVDs again
3D games – I remember having some NVIDIA goggles which did this using the monitor, was quite good I recall.
Sensors to track head movements and translate that to the screen? Bring it on!
Perhaps I will get one, it’s my birthday soon…….
#9 CmdrR — Thanks, but my name’s not Anthony. ;)
#10 Kirk — That is most likely, hence why I said it “appears” she forgot. It was meant in a jokey type matter; I’m pretty sure she knows full well what show she was on.
Speaking of Jeri Ryan, the new season of her series Shark begins tonight at 10pm EST on CBS. Hmm… probably should have mentioned that in the summary.
Yeah, definitely should have mentioned that…
Mugatu won’t get the casting call until he’s got a three month sobriety button. Him and Shatner should join forces: The Visionary Alliance- Shatner & Mugatu ’08! No way JJ can keep both of ’em off his back at the same time, especially if Shatner sucker punches him and then Mugatu bites him on the head. Down he goes, and we all get what we want, our two favorite characters back on the big screen, larger than life and twice as ugly.
Loved your video clip at the bottom Alan. Very nicely done indeed.
Makes me wonder just what the production design in the new Movie will turn out, and I wonder how the japanese TOS ‘widescreen’ release looks…