The Great Links took a week off to decompress after Comic Con, but its back with lots of Trek going on out there in the world. This week two themes have been emerging on the web, a couple of new skirmishes in the ongoing battle of Star Trek vs. Star Wars (where TrekMovie’s ‘Foolerprise’ makes a surprise cameo). Plus Mr. Spock has been making the rounds from Sex Symbol, to art, to a real life equivalent. Pics, vids and more below,
Spock – Sex Symbol
Our friends over at io9 have posted a rant Spock is Sexy? Illogical! where Graeme McMilan found some posts on the net and just can’t figure out why some people find Leonard Nimoy’s Spock sexy asking "where does this idea of the uber-sexy Spock come from?" The short answer is pretty simple, he is mysterious and word on the street is that some chicks dig that. By the way, McMilan is the same guy that grabbed a TrekMovie.com comment quote and turned it into the now infamous Star Trek Cake Upsets Nerds, so why don’t you go over to his Spock article and set him straight on why Mr. Spock gets all the ladies going.
Spock is ‘too sexy’
Spock art
And it looks like the allure of Spock is already hitting the Zachary Quinto version. UK pop artist Adrian Patrick has turned the new Spock poster for Star Trek 2009 into a painting.
New Spock already a work of art
Quote of the week
I would describe my dad in all seriousness as Spock from Star Trek — very articulate, calm, rational, dispassionate. Friends would come up and say, ‘Wow, your dad’s an astronaut, what was it like to be in space?’ and I would think, ‘That’s a point, he never told me’.
– Gaming guru Richard Garriott, who is headed to space privately, describing his astronaut father Owen Garriott. [UK Times]
Astronaut Owen Garriot, real life Spock
Star Trek inspired the light saber?
George Lucas says that Star Wars ‘stands on the shoulders’ of Star Trek, but was its signature weapon actually inspired by Trek? The GeekInHeels blog has a new post, Top 5 Star Wars Designs and What Inspired Them, and it notes that the light saber was inspired by Asimov’s ‘force-blade’ but also notes the design has some similarities to Star Trek TOS items (notably the universal translator and phaser).
May the Trek be with you
Video of the week: Trek Wars
Speaking of Star Trek and Star Wars, a group of teen filmmakers at the New England Film Academy’s Young Filmmakers movie camp put together this romantic comedy short film, which is the latest front in the never ending battle of Star Trek vs. Star Wars. Look closely and you will spot a cameo from Jason ‘Vektor’ Lee’s Foolerprise from TrekMovie.com.
Picture of the week: Captain no intelligent life at Comic Con
Writer and artist Rebecca Hicks found an impressive looking group of Star Trek cosplayers at San Diego Comic Con.
Captain, I am not detecting a Star Trek trailer, very illogical
QuickLinks
- Los Angeles Examiner ponders Star Trek The Motion Picture vs. 2001: Survival of the Snooziest.
- SyPortal looks at the ‘hunkiness’ of TOS stars with Star Trek Within Pass The Cheesecake.
- Star Trek makes an entry in io9’s How Can We Revamp Democracy 5 Answers From Science Fiction.
Spock is sexy. What woman wouldn’t find a man that doesn’t lie, is loyal and intelligent to be anything but sexy.
leonard is sexy heres proof!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-Vc4AJvojU
Pon far (sex) every 7 years is it? My trekie is a little lacking…
[Hailing Frequencies Open]:
TOG to Spockanella and Denise,
This is a “Spock is Sexy” thread. Please report to this location immediately!
Spock is most definitely sexy. There’s just something about a guy in blue, with that elegant, warm, yet cold grin… and those ears! They just scream “put chocolate on me and then [CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED dandelion CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED his CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED Chili Peppers CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED potato CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED honey up CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED platypus on Rigel VII!”
Need I say more?
go on >.>
The voice is a big part of it. Soft and low…
Oh come on. The Universal Translator inspired the design of the lightsaber? That’s just silly. The lightsaber needed a hilt so the actors could have something in their hands, and so they put one together from an old camera part – flash tube or some such.
I love Star Trek and I love Star Wars. But sometimes the desire on the part of Star Trek fans to act as if TOS inspired every single item of sci fi that came afterward is one of the biggest turn-offs to getting into any sort of discussion about the show.
I remember some claim that cell phones were the direct descendant of the communicator. Poppycock. Cell phones are the direct descendants of military communications networks. The flip phone design might have been inspired by the communicator at some point (aside from the fact that it allowed a way for more hardware in the same space), but the flip phone came along quite a while after the original cell phones had made their mark already.
And even while in some ways Star Wars ‘stood on the shoulders’ of Star Trek, the success of Star Wars saved Trek from permanent obscurity. Koenig is, to this date, the only TOS cast member even to publicly acknowledge that the success of the original Star Wars is what moved Paramount into high gear since they owned the Star Trek property and wanted to make bucketloads of money, too.
Yes, this type of stuff bothers me. TOS *didn’t* spawn every damned good idea since 1966. I love that show, but come on already. Enough.
TOG#4- LOL! My question is: How can anyone NOT find Spock to be sexy? Those ears, those eyes, those hands…excuse me whilst I go to a lovely place for a moment’s fantasy of Spock during Amok Time…
Trekkie 16,
I can assure you that many women dont find a man that doesn’t lie, is loyal and intelligent far less sexy, than stupid guys that are showoffs and treat them like trash.
Highly illogical.
Perhaps this is because the biggest mystery of the universe is not the big bang, but the question about how women think.
“People stand around, and people lay down in Star Trek the Motion Picture.”
Cracked me up.
cool Trek Wars video :)
“even star trek is better then lord of the rings ”
“star wars maybe but definitely not lord of the rings ”
sci fi < fanasty
and why do people keep sayin’ their undershirts are grey when they be clearly lavender and purply and…
Oh, wait… sorry… I thought I wuz still in tha’ costume spoiler thread from a few days back…
So, what’s this thread aboot? Let me go peruse tha’ article…
Hmmmm…
….
….
OK… uh, wit’ apologies ta’ Denise, I never- until comin’ ta’ this webbypage- ever thought aboot Spcok bein’ all sexy beast at all…
Sure that is a transy-later he got thar’? And- and thar’ be no type-os here…
Followin’ tha’ Top 5 Link and then I clicked tha’ artist Frank’s Link offa tha’ girlee costume… as I don’t recall tha’ books or magazines much, I do recall many o’ them paintings and sketches used as cover-arrrrt-
erotic yet villainous, desirable yet dark… there’s indeed somethin’ very seedy and farrrr bad in those works but undeniably alluring… like witchcraft in her lips…
Arrrrrrrr…
BND#12- You would look good in a pair of Spock ears, my darling. After seeing your pictures, I know you would be a natural.
#9 – Those woman are not Star Trek fans. Any woman who loves Star Trek can’t help but find intelligent, loyal and strong men that respect woman sexy: Spock, Kirk, Picard, LeForge, Ryker, Sisko, Bashir etc.
Maybe those woman that like showy guys need to go thru “Trek Training” to help them see the light.
14:
Spock is different than all those other guys. Spock’s allure to women, I think, is that he is completely unavailable. Women seem to want to dive into the depths of his soul, but they hit a brick wall every time. It just makes them come back for more. Check out “This Side of Paradise.”
There is a lot of erotic fanfic about Spock out there, and it’s almost wholly written by women.
As I understand it, the main inspiration Star Wars took from Star Trek (okay, maybe apart from the Proton/Photon torpedoes thing) was marketing. Prior to the success of Star Wars, the only successful tie-in toy lines had been for television shows; movies just weren’t considered toy-line goldmines. Star Trek, in particular, had an enduring success with toys and bric-a-brac, and Lucas believed he could have something similar, hence his deal with 20th Century Fox where he gave up some of the usual payoffs in exchange for full cut of the tie-ins (a gamble that paid off for him, and for Kenner and a lot of others …)
At least, I’ve read that someplace. Wasn’t there myself; dunno :)
It’s more likely that a flashlight inspired the lightsaber than the UT.
@13
good god !!! you can cut the sexual tension in this thread with a phaser
AJ#15- If poor Leonardo were aware of the most miniscule amount of erotic fanfic going on in my head he would refuse to let me get within 100 feet of him at the con.
this group picture of star trek fans is amazing. well done guys. good to see you all in TOS unforms.
Greg
UK
Irish#18- I usually reserve that type of repartee for 69 Forward – a giddy mood predominates today as it is only 48 hours until the con for me…
Denise,
If Quinto had read even a single line of the things that we’ve said about him, he wouldn’t have let you within a mile of him, much less touch him. Still, I am remarkably jealous.
Denise:
Go look up Kirk/Spock on Wikipedia. Roddenberry, Shatner and Nimoy were well aware of it. Roddenberry at the time was worried that, if word got out, it could kill the show given the atmosphere at the time.
Leonardo knows, my dear. Klackity-klack
I’d Like to Hear From Mongo on this one.
AJ#22- MY head, My head…
Remember this little ditty, from STV?
Kirk: “I… thought I was gonna die.”
Spock: “Not possible. You were never alone.”
(Kirk is about to hug Spock)
Spock: “Please, Captain… not in front of the Klingons.”
Shatner was certainly aware ;-)
AJ#26- hehe… le giggle…
TOG: Reporting for duty, sir! Eagerly and alertly!
I will try not to drool.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…Spock made one heck of an impression on a certain prepubescent girl. I had a gym teacher in middle school that had a certain Spockian look about him…tall, lithe, brown eyes, similar haircut…it took me years to figure out why I fell so in love with the poor guy. He looked like my Spockie!
The marionettes have been secretly transferred to this thread, which we have apparently hijacked.
Here’s my Spock assessment, for what it’s worth. Part of the appeal of Spock is that he embodies the internal struggle in all of us. Most of us secretly feel like we’re “different”, that our outer selves don’t match the way we feel inside. With Spock we got to see that struggle personified. His struggle between logic and emotion is the struggle we all experience between our ideal selves and our real selves. Seeing him persevere and even begin to learn to reconcile those parts of his self gave us all hope. What isn’t appealing about that kind of integrity and courage?
Hey, look! That psychology degree was good for something, after all.
Y’know, not that I’d kick Kirk out of bed for eating space crackers, either.
AJ, yes, I do believe that we have hijacked this thread.
Spockanella,
Spock is one of the few characters that almost everyone can relate to; almost no one doesn’t. Spock is the “outcast” from the group. He is very much different than the rest, yet he is still an integral and necessary part of… everything. He is the one voice of logic that is often cast aside for pure emotion and indulgence. All too frequently we go for the things we want the most, rather than what we need. Spock encompasses pure necessity, and sets aside the “wants.” Kirk is the one who embodies pure impulse. He is the “rogue” that so many people in this day and age mimic.
Spock and Kirk are, in theory, a perfect couple. They are two halves to a much greater whole. While Kirk’s whole personality makes up impulse and desire, Spock’s personality focuses solely on the forgotten voice of logic. When these two are added up, the relationship between them is incredibly strong. This is both including their actual friendship and the many “fan fiction” relationships that they go through.
In my previous relationships, I have often noted that my boyfriends tend to be on the impulsive Kirk side of the equation, while I am the logic. If an activity is dangerous or risky, I will often put in a word of advice that I would not recommend it. Naturally, no one listens to me, and I get to “I told you so” when they end up in the hospital and/or in jail. So far, I have never actually said it, but it is tempting.
——————–
“Bridge Diving is incredibly dangerous, not to mention illegal. If you want to do it, that’s fine, but I would not personally recommend it.”
[2 HOURS LATER IN THE COUNTY JAIL]
“Fortunately you were not injured. We should get home.”
“The force” from Star Wars may have been inspired by Gary Mitchell’s powers in TOS, “Where No Man Has Gone Before.”
yea i knew it ,
we are only a few posts away from someone linking some hot steamy kirk/spock fan fiction. well i for one am not having none of it. now if it was seven/janeway kira/mirror kira , t’pol/sato , i would be more then o.k. with that.
Irishtrekkie, you should come on Chat more often. Seven/Janeway was ages ago.
K/S stuff is easily Googled, and the stuff I’ve read makes me laugh out loud.
I think a part of the appeal of Spock (to women) is that he exudes such control over so many aspects of his life, and most women like a man who’s in control.
@35
wow Aj i did not know i was so out of touch , oh well another year and the new movie
and i am sure there will be lots of Zoe Saldana(Uhara) / Jennifer Morrison (Winona Kirk) / Lucia Rilker (Romulan Women) and Rachel Nichols (Orion Women) , Fan fiction. so that something to look forward to :).
you may notice i left out Winona Ryder (Amanda Grayson) , but some things are just too weird for me lol.
new-Battlestar Galactica vs. Star Trek!
@7: Thank you. Exactly what I was thinking, and much better phrased than anything I could have written. I, too, tire of the “Star Trek predicted/inspired cell phones” nonsense.
It’s worth noting that in Ralph McQuarrie’s original painting for Star Wars, lightsabers were short hilts with big dishes on top where the blade came out, looking more like a cross between a fencing hilt and a flashlight. The only reason they ended up looking the way they did in the final film is because, as you noted, they were made of 1930’s press camera flash parts. I highly, highly doubt anyone at the British prop house hwich supplied the props for the Star Wars production were even remotely familiar with the details of classic Trek props. So unless the classic Trek Universal Translator design traveled 30 years back in time to be seen by the Folmer-Graflex company…
37: Irishtrekkie
What about that Transporter Chief in the new film? She’s on the list…
#4 You bad, BAD, boy! But do go on!!
Back to Spock. I think Spockanella has hit the proverbial nail on the head at Post #30 as far as general fan appeal. However, it doesn’t take into account the erotic appeal of the character. I mean, for me it’s the ears, the eyebrows, THOSE HANDS! Basically the whole visual package.
Attraction and chemistry are weird phenomena, not easily explained. If looked at from the pure Hollywood-glam criteria, it’s easy to see why folks don’t get it. Spock is not a classically handsome being, but his appeal to women is undeniable.
And I’m sure Denise will chime in here eventually with a much more *articulate* (ahem) reason as to why the chix grok Spock.
Peace. Live long and prosper
The Vulcanista }:-|
Damn. I really should read ahead before posting.
{waving at Denise!}
Peace. Live long and prosper
The Vulcanista }:-|
Vulcanista,
I think Denise has rightly distilled it down to the actor himself. Nimoy as Spock is perfect, because he is Spock. No huge pecs or bulging bis, he had super-strength in his nerdy body, and “that great mind of his.”
You girls are all the Romulan Commander, or Droxene, or Leila. The show did a good job of conveying Spock as desirable, and you girls all took the bait ;-). And you owe it to Nimoy in that it worked incredibly well.
@ 40
of course how could i forget the Transporter Chief ,
well thats a perfect 5 way , actually i think i would add Winona Ryder back in now just to have a 6 , a perfect number for the transporter pad.
#39 – “So unless the classic Trek Universal Translator design traveled 30 years back in time to be seen by the Folmer-Graflex company…”
Which is, of course, JUST the sort of thing it would do!
I’d have a fling with Kirk, and sigh and pine over Spock for a good long while, but I’d settle down and grow old with my sweet babboo McCoy.
#43, AJ: Spot on! And …
… DIBS!! I call Romulan Commander!!
Peace. Live long and prosper
The Vulcanista }:-|
Fans at a con with unis that actually fit! Amazing!
Vulcanista — good to see ya, gal. Harry has been pining away in the chat.
Vulcanista#42- Great minds, my sister. Wish you, Spockanella, krikzil and I could all invade Vegas together to breathe Leonardo’s air on Sunday. Krikzil and I will send pictures and video to someone – BND is probably the most, dare I say, logical choice.
Ha!! I always thought the Universal Translator looked a lot like a lightsaber – so I photoshopped this picture!!
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38/Deloravius/Star%20Trek/TOS%20Lightsabers/Metamorphosis_157.jpg
“Impressive, Mr. Spock…most impressive.”
;)