This past September marked four important anniversaries in Star Trek history: two most fans are well aware of, one that many may have forgotten, and a fourth the anniversary of an event many fans still regret happened. All are worth noting here.
25 Years of TNG
The first anniversary worth reviewing is the one that received the most media attention: the 25th Anniversary of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Some great articles from Wired, TIME and more were written in celebration of this silver anniversary, and on two separate occasions the full cast of the series took to convention stages to mark the occasion.
The Next Gen anniversary was also celebrated earlier in the year with the release of the amazing remastered Star Trek: TNG Season One blu-ray set. The set was the result of a herculean effort by the folks at CBS-Paramount Home Video to scan all the original elements that were used in the production of the series and the production team essentially had to “re-edit” the series in HD.
Bonus: Cover photo: Check out these 25th anniversary posters from the Official Star Trek Store!
Here’s to the finest crew in Starfleet
46 Years of Trek
The second anniversary of note was the 46th Anniversary of the original Star Trek series, which was celebrated by Google with an interactive doodle on their home page as well as a canny reference on the popular series Mad Men and even a shout out from Oreo.
Lots of shout outs to 46 years of TOS
Did you forget? 11 years since Enterprise
The third anniversary wasn’t noticed, but is still worth celebrating. On September 26th, 2001 Enterprise (later retitled Star Trek: Enterprise) made its debut on the UPN television network. Lasting four seasons, Star Trek: Enterprise made a significant contribution to Star Trek lore and still has many fans to this day. Happy (belated) 11th birthday!
Enterprise began it’s short and sweet 4-year run 11 years ago
A Sad Anniversary: Star Trek: The Experience Closure
The final September anniversary worth noting is an unfortunate one… it’s now been over four years since the closure of Star Trek: The Experience, the much-lauded interactive tourist attraction that was housed at the Las Vegas Hilton.
While there has been Star Trek tourist attractions since (the Star Trek Exhibition is currently in Orlando in a semi-permanent installation, and the Mad Science Star Trek Live education show may return in some form) nothing since has matched the sheer scope and glory of the Experience. Speaking as a fan of the attraction and friend of several people who worked there, we still miss it.
We still miss you, Star Trek: The Experience
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the google doodle.was fantastic!
no comments yet – be the first?
Hmmm,, Im starting to feel old,,
:oZ
In before someone starts crying about a lack of movie update :P
Haha, too true, Remington.
It’s TrekMovie’s should we post a new story flow chart:
WILL TM READERS BE SATISFIED?
Is there news? —> Yes —> Is it about the new movie? —> Yes/NO –> ???
|
No –> Something interesting to write about? —> Yes –> ???
11 years since Enterprise!?
WAT
I feel so incredibly old now that it has been pointed out that Enterprise debuted 11 years ago. I remember the day it aired here in the UK in January 2002 and I was so excited! Now, as I said, I just feel old. Lol.
I still miss the Star Trek: Experience very much.
Went there three times. My wife and I absolutely loved it each time. It was the closest this old fan has ever come to ‘living Star Trek’ in real life. The food at Quark’s was delicious. The costumed staff were fun and really got their characters. The design of the whole thing was simply jaw dropping.
It was a lot of fun.
Enterprise I miss the most…basically because it was prematurely cancelled while it was getting good… In retrospect, it is still my series no. 3, right after TOS and TNG… I’m not a big DS9 fan (it’s a good show but NOT good Trek IMO) and VOY just didn’t live up to its opportunities.
I really hope they will finally release ENT on BluRay some day. It WAS shot in HD, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to bring it out…
There have been countless things written and said about the significance and influence of Star Trek and I don’t really have anything to add to all of that. But the fact that it is still around after 46 years is pretty amazing, especially in today’s attention-deficit world.
Here’s an interesting article about the movie:
http://www.policymic.com/articles/16041/star-trek-into-darkness-movie-spoilers-and-rumors-benedict-cumberbatch-is-gary-mitchell
Regards.
@9. Smike – October 8, 2012
“I really hope they will finally release ENT on BluRay some day. It WAS shot in HD, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to bring it out…”
IT’S HAPPENING! :)
http://ent.trekcore.com/bluray/10062012_entblurumors.html
(although unconfirmed at this stage)
@Lostrod Yes, It DOES make sense! That’s why BC (as Gary Mitchell) was capable of beating the crap out of Spock. Alice Eve as Liz Dehner, hmmmmm…fascinating.
But why go right back to the same storyline of godhood for Kirk’s best friend?
Isn’t the point of an alternate timeline so that we can explore completely different scenarios? Why couldn’t Mitchell just be a good guy (even if he was something of a wiseguy)? It all depends on that one event that occurred in “Where No Man Has Gone Before.” And I would think that with such disruptions as the destruction of Vulcan, that we would be unlikely to end up in the exactly same singular situation that produced godhood for some members of the Enterprise.
Also, isn’t it a little cheesy recycling story ideas, as well as characters, from the old show? Isn’t it a little pat? Doesn’t that reek of fan-fiction?
I miss The Experience as well! We renewed our vows with our kids and a friend witnessing in June of ’08 on the Bridge of the Enterprise and then ate at Quark’s. We’d been there a dozen times over the years but that was the best. And then it closed. Terrible.
I liked the idea of The Experience moving to Disney World (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbOGbkHlyVw) but I though it was cool to when The Tour was at NASA too. Just do something cool with the concept that is permanent. The Tour is a good idea; The Tour going on while The Experience is a fixed part of Disney World or Universal Studios is a great idea.
15/16. Whoops! I appear to be caught in a repeating loop of time.
ALL HANDS ABANDON SHIP!
Repeat… ALL HANDS ABAN—-
[KAAAABOOM]
That’s interesting. Now, all of a sudden, they’re back again.
Sorry for the duplicate. 17 had moved up to 15. It wasn’t there a minute ago, hence the reason why I reposted.
# 14
T’Cal
Agreed.
The Tour was a decent consolation prize. My wife and I saw it in Long Beach back in 2008, and it was nice but nowhere near as fun as STE.
And yes; I would’ve loved to have seen both STE and the Tour co-exist somehow. That would’ve been awesome….
;-)
Happy 11th Anniversary Star Trek Enterprise!
Videos celebrating the series…
http://youtu.be/K3FyRkbRSsI
http://youtu.be/TXVw8RNx8tM (without Faith of the Heart)
http://youtu.be/iZ9nvkv14-U (teaser)
I think Anthony owes us an apology and explanation for this article and the cancellation of Enterprise ;) Look, without US, and the cancellation of Enterprise, there would be no new Trek Movie 09 or otherwise!!!!
Lol, sorry, couldn’t resist.
@19. Bob Orci likes conspiracies. There’s one for him, right there!
Although he probably knows all the gory details.
JJ Abrams in the library, with the leadpipe. Leslie Moonves providing him with an alibi. :-}
Lovely. Kirk vs. God, Part II……sounds like a renter.
here we go again:
http://www.policymic.com/articles/16041/star-trek-into-darkness-movie-spoilers-and-rumors-benedict-cumberbatch-is-gary-mitchell
(Mitchell is one of my three possibilities (the other being Garth or Roger Corby))
They can do the whole Heart of darkness thing with this, too.
Gary Mitchel… hmmm…..! well im patient and ill be happy with the product (i have faith that the end product will be just as good :D )… in the meantime, more wrist exercizes while watching YP…
Lostrod & Tiberius Subprime. That article is just someone’s blog. Someone who can’t spell Khan correctly, or Montalban.
.
Gary Mitchell is a strange choice, because Bob used Gary in the comics and retold the story of WNMHGB. The weird throw-in was that Dr. Dehner backed out since Dr. McCoy was on board (rather than Mark Piper, M.D. in the prime universe). Alice Eve reminds me more of a young Bibi Besch, than of Sally Kellerman, but who knows. Bob loves a remix. I just hope Dr. Dehner is McCoy’s ex-wife — or the reason he ended up with an ex-wife. The “clue” of Urban spouting off Cumby’s a good Gary… is no real surprise: Urban is a KNOWN joker. His “I shall call it: Caesar salad” intentional blooper from Xena is case in point.
Surfin’ McCoy only adds to that reputation.
.
I still think Garth opens up the most story opportunity, particularly going with the Heart of Darkness theme that the title seems to be indicating. Garth is doing something in the Laurentian System that he shouldn’t. Laurentia can be some sort of Vietnam-style conflict with the Klingons. Neural, anyone? Mugato? Dehner the psychologist is sent along?
.
Save Khan for the threequel. End Star Trek Into Darkness with the Botany Bay floating shot.
Enterprise was easily the best of the three Trek series that had a birthday last month. Too bad it was cancelled before its time.
#11 I’ve been, cautiously, saying its going to be Mitchell for months now.
I hope so for 2 reasons. 1, because I think it could make for a great story. And 2, and perhaps more importantly, I want to say “told you so” :))
Nice to see so many warm comments about Enterprise. I really miss that show. Seasons 3 and 4 are actually the most played DVD sets from all the TV series I own….
Enterprise wasn’t a bad show, it just never found it’s legs. It seemed to want to capture the swagger of TOS, while embracing the political correctness of TNG. Unfortunately, it ended up spinning it’s wheels for a good portion of it’s run…
Man, I remember being a kid and the hoopla was all about the TOS celebrating it’s 25th anniversary.
Guys, its going to be Khan. The same sources that confirmed the title are the same ones who determined the villain is Khan. And TrekMovie still hasn’t backed away from that claim.
Also, they already did Gary Mitchell in the comics. He ended up getting killed. Why would they bring him back again to (most likely) kill him off again?
Didn’t the supreme court say that no villain featured in the comics would be in the movie?
Yeah, I don’t think its Gary Mitchell.
31. Red Dead Ryan
” The same sources that confirmed the title are the same ones who determined the villain is Khan.”
Really? The SAME source. I missed that in the article that it was the same source. You sure?
“Also, they already did Gary Mitchell in the comics. He ended up getting killed. Why would they bring him back again to (most likely) kill him off again?”
The ending in the comic was different. It left it open. And I believe it might have posted on Trekmovie: “It’s definitely a character that will make fans of TOS excited. Think along the likes of Harry Mudd, or Trelane, or Gary Mitchell, or the Talosians or the Horta. Actually, it’s one of those that I named.”
“Didn’t the supreme court say that no villain featured in the comics would be in the movie?”
They also said that the villain will be a reboot of an original series character. They also said that the comics hold clues to the movie. To date, no mention of Khan or eugenics have been mentioned in the comics.
So I disagree with you Ryan. It points to Mitchell. BUT, if you are right and it isn’t Mitchell – it still won’t be Khan. You can take that to the bank.
That blog is pure speculation via process of elimination. Why would a God-like Gary Mitchell have a mere fist-fight with Spock instead of just turning him into a toad or something?
It looks like some bizarre take on Khan to me.
#32.
“They also said that the villain will be a reboot of an original series character.”
Yup! And Khan fits that bill perfectly!
“They also said that the comics hold clues to the movie.”
Yeah, that could be anything, not necessarily related to the villain. It’s more likely that other elements, like Cupcake, and the Spock/Uhura pairing, will return for the sequel. That’s probably more like what they were talking about.
With their devotion to total secrecy, I doubt that the Supreme Court would offer any clues as to who the villain in the sequel is in the comics.
“To date, no mention of Khan or eugenics have been mentioned in the comics.”
Exactly!
33. AJ
“Why would a God-like Gary Mitchell have a mere fist-fight with Spock instead of just turning him into a toad or something?”
Why did Mitchell has a fist fight with Kirk and not turn him into a toad or something in the TOS episode?
34. Red Dead Ryan
Highly doubt the clues are to show Cupcake will be back. But all signs point to Mitchell. The way the ending of the comic is laid out with Michell floating in space and not crushed and buried on a planet. As well as Dehner being mentioned in the comic.
35
Montreal_Paul
He created those Kefarian apples, though.
I’m being sarcastic. If his god-like powers just give him mega-strength, it’s kinda ‘meh.’
I don’t see the point of killing Mitchell off in the comics and then immediately bringing him back for the sequel.
The villain will be Charles Evans.
If I were a betting man, I would lay good odds that Cumberbatch is Mitchell.
I would also lay odds on him being Garth.
Either way, I think I’d win.
Can’t wait to see if I do.
If true… the movie universe’s version of WNMHGB will probably be a 10 minute pre-title sequence, like the attack on U.S.S. Kelvin was in the first. The Enterprise going into the great barrier and a reprise of what happened in the comic, would make it decent opening scene.
That introduces Gary Mitchell and a nod to the audience, who were expecting TOS episodes to be rehashed and remade. Before wrong footing everybody…
Sounds very possible.
And a good way to open the new film.
Sorry to interrupt,
but what have all these rumors to do with all that anniversaries from the article?
25 years since TNG! I feel indeed aged. Hope for a quicker release of Season 3 on bluray. December for Season 2 seems very long for me…
11 years since ENT, I’m feeling even older now.
So if the villain is Gary Mitchell, and in ST: TOS, Kirk fought him on Delta Vega, not a moon of Vulcan, is Spock going to fight Gary Mitchell on Delta Vega, now a moon of Vulcan?
>:>|
“Vulcan has no moon. Vulcan needs no moon.”
>;>}
Gary Mitchell is floating in space in a photon tube in this JJ Universe, after Kirk shoots him. Ongoing comic #1 and #2. Dr. Dehner is notably absent from the issue.
Hey, look at this! I might have to buy a plane ticket to London!
http://www.deadline.com/2012/10/paramount-theme-park-london-swanscombe-peninsula/
Here’s some more news about the “Star Trek” theme park in Jordan, though this isn’t necessarily a Trek ride. Interesting, though… I guess I’m buying more plane tickets!
http://www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/15003-jordans-star-trek-themepark-unveils-flight-ride/
Cumberbatch is Charlie X
It seems that September is a big month in the Star Trek world. Also, JJ Abrams officially signed onto being director for Star Trek Into Darkness in September 2011!
Frankly, I just don’t get all the speculation and debate/argument over a couple of outtakes of Quinto/Spock apparently being beaten up by the Cumberbatch character. Sorry, but it is terminally stupid, since we don’t know anything about the story or context.
Since everybody has been in speculation, many insisting that this person must be Gary Mitchell or some augment like Khan…
Here is my explanation – Spock has been afflicted with a disease – either naturally occurring or engineered – see rest of movie to find out.;). This disease has compromised his physical and mental strength and agility, so making him less capable of fighting off an aggressor…I’m sure that Bob Orci and co. will ensure that Spock is restored to his normal human/vulcan hybrid health!
Oh, come on, guys. Shatner had no problem whipping out a novel resurrecting old Kirk after the bridge fell on him. Resurrecting GM after his comic book passing should be no big deal. After all, Trek III and IV dealt with getting Spock back from the dead, so the precedent has been established. Take this with a grain of salt, of course, but a couple of on-line sources had Shatner telling Abrams that his involvement in Trek 2009 needed to include him being resurrected. If true, JJ was wise to abandon the effort to get Shatner in the last movie.