Articles by Anthony Pascale




Happy Star Trek VI Day

Today is the 15th anniversary of the release of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. STVI is in my top 3, and some days is my favorite Trek film. At a recent event I attended, director Nicholas Meyer said of the three Trek films he worked on (II, IV and VI) Star Trek VI was also his favorite. The site with the best Trek artwork, TrekCore.com has put up a nice gallery of rare images to honor the last film for the original crew.   Click here to see the TrekCore STVI Gallery  If you don’t own Star Trek VI…BUY IT!!


Abrams Still Not Confirmed To Direct

In the recent story about comments from Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman we noted that Variety had stated that JJ Abrams was ‘slated to direct’ Star Trek XI. This of course would be newsworthy if it were true because just recently Abrams told TrekMovie he had not yet decided and would not decide until the script was complete. Some other sites have taken the Variety article as confirmation from Dauman that Abrams has made that decision, but it appears that this is a bit premature. TrekMovie has a transcript of Dauman’s comments to the CSFB conference and he made no mention of Abrams at all. The ‘Abrams directing’ line was added by Variety, something which they have done before and to which Abrams has noted they were wrong on. TrekMovie has also checked with a source inside Paramount who attributes it to ‘lazy journalism’. Although everyone assumes Abrams will be the director, it is still officially undecided.


Star Trek Legacy Ships

After being delayed, the much anticipated new game ‘Star Trek Legacy’ has shipped. Bethesda Softworks has announced that the PC version has just been sent out to retailers and the XBox 360 version should ship next week. Legacy is the biggest thing in Star Trek gaming in years and sports a story written by DC Fontana as well as voice acting by all 5 Trek captains. The buzz on the game is quite good and TrekMovie awaits its review copy with anticipation.


TrekMovie.com is Excellentia

The venerable Trek site Ex Astris Scientia has named TrekMovie.com it’s ‘Ex Astris Excellentia‘ award winner of the month. The Trek Movie Report was launched just a couple of months ago as a hub for announcements and rumors about the upcoming feature film "Star Trek XI", as well as for news and reviews regarding remastered TOS episodes, DVD and game releases. Webmaster Anthony Pascale has created a cutting-edge Trek news site of a new kind. Aww shucks guys…you are making me blush. Bernd Schnieder’s EAS site is definately an essential site for any Trekkie. On behalf of myself, Matt and all the other contributors, we are honored.


Viacom Chief Trumpets ‘Revitalized’ Trek [UPDATED]

In speech to investors, Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman named Star Trek in his list of key components of Paramount’s future. Apparently JJ Abrams really sold the new cheif of Viacom on  Trek when he spoke to him last month (story). Specifically on Trek the executive said "we’re revitalizing it in a new and interesting way." This shows how Trek has again moved to the front burner for Viacom and Paramount. Also of note is how the article states a Trek XI release date as ‘2008 or 2009’. It also claimed that Abrams would be directing the film. Abrams recently told TrekMovie that he still was not sure if he would direct and that they will start shooting in Spring 2007 to meet a Summer 2008 release date. TrekMovie will try and clarify these two issues, but it is good to see that Trek has support all the way to the top.Full story in Variety UPDATE: Abrams still not Confirmed To Direct


TNG to get the G4 2.0 Treatment

In April G4 TV created a new way to watch the Original Series called ‘Star Trek 2.0’. The new format presented the show in a ‘window’ surrounded by ‘interactive content’ in the form of chat, trivia, stats and a stock market type ticker called a ‘Spock Market’. Trek purists consider it butchery, but apparently it has been their top rated show amongst the key young male demographic. Now G4 is announcing that they will do the same for TNG with the launch of the somewhat redundantly titled ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation 2.0’ in January. More info at G4.    


Grunberg Co-Star Quinto Wants To Be New Spock

Zachary Quinto, who plays the villain Sylar on the hit show ‘Heroes’ wants to be the new Spock. In an interview with the Pittsburg Post Gazette Quinto says "I missed the ‘Superman Returns’ boat, so I’m angling for ‘Star Trek.’ People are constantly telling me I bear some resemblance to Leonard Nimoy." He also joked about how he would get Heroes co-star (and Abrams best friend) Greg Grunberg to get him an in with the producer of Trek XI: "Maybe Sylar should tell Greg, ‘I promise I won’t kill you if you get me an audition,’ …We’ll see what happens." So add his name to the long list of those who want to be in Trek XI. If Abrams doesn’t opt for big name stars for Kirk and Spock he could do worse than Quinto. (thanks to Steve M. for sending in a Quinto/Spock photoshop image) 


Frakes Available To Play Riker Again…Thinks It Could Happen

Jonathan Frakes (TNG: Riker) seems to be one of the only ‘Next Gen’ actors who is ok with JJ Abrams plans to go back to the TOS era for the next Trek film. But in a new interview with IF Magazine he still thinks that we will eventually see some of the familiar faces from the recent Trek shows, and makes it clear he is ready as well. iF: Do you think there will ever be a return of NEXT GENERATION crew in one form or another?FRAKES: I think probably, they’ll use STAR TREK actors from different crews, based on whom they can get and whom they’ll want to use for a story. I think the audience really likes to see people again whom they have identified with. I could be wrong, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they tried to use some of us in something.  iF: Sort of like you coming onto ENTERPRISE for the final episode?FRAKES: Yeah. Marina [Sirtis] and I are always available.


Remastered Menagerie Part II Airs Today

Spock tries to talk his way out of the death penalty with a AV presentation of Captain Pike’s strange adventure on Talos IV(sorry no video preview this week…maybe the preview guy got fired) / Local Station & Showtimes / More at Memory Alpha Trek’s only two parter comes to a close. Part I had most of the new effects but you can expect a few things: new Rigel VII matte new Mojave City backdrop matte for Pike’s picnic more shots of Talos IV and Enterprise maybe some new effects around the (Dr Evil voice) Giant Laser …and an Orion Slave girl looking greener than ever  


Is There An Agreement For No Trek On TV Until After Trek XI?

Many have wondered when (or if) Star Trek will return the the small screen after an 18-year run ended with the cancellation of ‘Star Trek Enterprise’ in 2005. According to TrekMovie.com sources it certainly will not be until after 2008 and the release of Star Trek XI. Sources tell TrekMovie that there is some kind of deal between CBS and Paramount Pictures where no new TV projects will be developed now that Paramount is developing a feature film. Apparently this deal was part of the convoluted license sharing deal struck when Viacom split-up and separated the TV and film elements of Trek between the two companies. Although there is no indication that there was a new TV series in development, TrekMovie has learned that there may have been one or more smaller scale projects being considered. It appears that after Trek XI was announced any Trek on TV work at CBS was ‘frozen’. "It is in a holding pattern now" said a source inside CBS regarding Trek TV projects. Obviously this agreement does not effect the remastered Star Trek series project because it is not actually ‘new’ but a  restoration of the original series. None of this is really a big surprise, as another insider put it "it makes sense, Paramount is about to pump a lot of money into the brand so CBS is better off waiting for that." When asked about the deal CBS’s official spokesperson only replied ‘no comment’ so for now file this under rumor, but TrekMovie will continue to look into it.  


New Trek Game To Be ‘A Whole New Series’ – But With Some Cameos

If you haven’t heard of it yet, ‘Star Trek Online’ is a new MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) being built by Perpetual Entertainment. The game allows players to create characters and ‘live’ in the Trek Universe. One of the big decisions was regarding where exactly to set the game in the centuries-long Trek timeline, and the designers decided on 25 years after ‘Star Trek Nemesis’. This is a different approach than other licensed games, for example the  ‘Star Wars Galaxies’ MMORPG is set between episodes IV and V of the saga. In an interview with STO Galaxy the executive producer for the game, Daron Stinnett, explains that they chose the post Nemesis era to allow themselves artistic freedom to create new Trek stories.


Some HD Remastered Trek Showing Up On XBox Live

We reported a few weeks ago that Microsoft was touting ‘remastered Star Trek episodes’ as part of the offering for their new TV download service with XBox Live. Now that the service has gone live we can report that there are a total of 2 HD versions of the remastered Original Series available: ‘Miri’ and ‘The Naked Time’. These two remastered HD episodes are mixed in with the 27 other non-remastered SD versions of the entire first season of the Original Series. All episodes are uncut and cost $2 with the HD versions taking up a signficant 2.5 gigabytes of the 20 GB hard drive (the SD versions take up half a gig).  To make things even stranger, the two HD TOSR episodes have the expected ‘pillar box’ for all live action shots, but all the new effects (including the opening credits) are presented in 16:9. This means that the black bars on the left and right appear and disappear as you watch.  Sources in CBS seem to be just as confused about all this as we are, and it is unclear if this is the way they want it to be shown and if more episodes will become available. So far only two Star Trek films are available (in SD): ‘The Wrath of Khan’ and ‘Generations.’ Regardless this still makes XBox Live the only way to get TOSR in HD for now, but due to the storage and availability limitations it is hard to recommend buying an XBox 360 just to watch Star Trek.TrekMovie.com will continue to keep track of XBox Live and will report any changes.


Abrams To Direct Episode Of ‘The Office’

Star Trek XI  producer JJ Abrams remains coy about whether or not he will direct the next Trek feature, but he has committed to do some directing in 2007. Abrams is already slated to direct an episode of his hit series Lost this season and according to TV Guide will also direct an episode of the NBC comedy ‘The Office’ in January. TV Guide reports that Abrams is a big fan of the show. TrekMovie.com can confirm this, in fact we got him on tape saying so during our recent interview with him.



Trek XI Scribes Invited Innovative Input Session on Transformers Script

TrekMovie has reported how Star Trek XI co-writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman have sought out fan input for their Transformers Movie script. The LA Times is now reporting that they also used an novel approach to get peer feedback on the script as well. Apparently in May (right before shooting began) they held a ‘brainstorming session’ with a number of other writers to help give the script a final polish. From the article: Kurtzman and Orci’s dream team included David Ayer ("Training Day," "Harsh Times"), Rawson Marshall Thurber ("Dodgeball"), stand-up comedian Patton Oswalt ("MADtv"), Jon Hurwitz ("Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle"), Lona Williams ("Drop Dead Gorgeous"), Jeff Nathanson ("Catch Me If You Can") and Don D. Scott ("Barbershop"). While all of the screenplay’s major elements — structure, plot, characters — were locked down, these writers were asked to double check its logic and help squeeze whatever additional humor they could from potentially comedic moments.


Remastered Menagerie Part 1 Airs Today

Spock hijacks the Enterprise for his old pal Captain Pike(sorry no preview this week…blame the holiday) / Local Station & Showtimes / More at Memory Alpha The Menagerie is Trek’s only two part episode which cleverly uses the (at the time) unaired pilot ‘The Cage’.  The enhancements to expect: new Starbase 11 matte paintings new Starbase 11 planet and new Talos IV various new shots of the Enterprise a new (seen for the first time) shuttlecraft tracking zoom-in shot of Pike’s Enteprise (with CGI crew transitioning to live action crew) various view monitor shots  …and look for tiny versions of the Trek Remastered Producers and Effects Team in the background at Starbase 11  


Find Files For Fan Films Featuring Familiar Faces

Two of the big fan film projects have new releases out, both featuring original series talent. Star Trek New Voyages has the full episode of ‘To Serve All My Days’ featuring Walter Koenig in an episode written by Trek vet DC Fontana. And the web miniseries project ‘Of Gods And Men’ has an extended 5 minute trailer now available. OGaM features Koenig along with Nichelle Nichols and a myriad of other Trek luminaries behind and in front of the camera. Both STNV and OGaM aspire to become officially sanctioned Trek projects, but for now remain ‘fan films’. Although both still fall short of TV budget production values, they both are raising the bar for ‘independent’ Trek films. Click the the images below for their respective download links…          


Frakes OK With Trek XI As A Prequel, Not OK With TOSR Edits

The man who directed two out of the 4 TNG era Trek films seems OK that their reign is over. In an interview with the Indiana Star Jonathan Frakes (TNG: Riker) admitted that he doesn’t know anything more about Trek XI than what is rumored, but didn’t understand those fans who are against a Kirk & Spock prequel: Seems like a perfectly good idea. . . . (The movie’s producers) just need to remember Gene Roddenberry’s vision It is good to see that he hasn’t joined the chorus of other TNG actors (Sirtis, Spiner and Dorn) who are slamming Star Trek XI for its rumored premise (and presumably for not including them).  


Abrams Gushes Over Nimoy and Shatner

3 months ago TrekMovie confirmed that both William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy have some sort of contractual involvement in Star Trek XI. In the latest issue of Dreamwatch Magazine, producer J.J. Abrams talks up how happy he is to have them around… the involvement of William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy means a great deal to us on many levels, not the least of which is just the respect of who they are and what they do. They are the carriers of this torch and, without being too reverential; we want to show them the kind of appreciation and admiration they deserve.


Bennett Sees Parallels With His Star Trek VI and Star Trek XI

Harve Bennett was the producer for the golden age of Star Trek films back in the 1980s. After the lackluster performance of Star Trek V in 1989, Bennett (along with writer  David Laurie) developed a script called ‘Star Trek: The Academy Years’ which was to reboot the franchise with younger actors playing Kirk and Spock at Starfleet Academy. In the end the studio decided to give the original cast one more go and Bennett left the franchise. Earlier this year when Variety broke the first news about Trek XI and used the word ‘Academy’ in their brief plot outline many thought that Bennett’s script was back. Even after J.J. Abrams called the Variety article ‘not entirely accurate’ many still speculated there was some link, including Mr. Bennett himself.


Happy Thanksgiving from TrekMovie.com

This Thanksgiving us Trekkies have much to be thankful for. Just a year ago you could easily conclude our favorite franchise was dead or at least dormant. Now in 2006 we have seen Trek return to both gaming and comics. We have also seen the original series reborn in Trek Remastered. And last, but not least, the film franchise has been handed off to a new team to bring us Trek XI in 2008. It appears our 40 year old franchise has a few more tricks up its sleeve…and for that I am thankful


Fixed Mirror Mirror Replaced Space Seed In Some Markets

Last week we reported on how there was an errant editing goof in ‘Mirror Mirror’. This is something that CBS readily admitted and committed to fixing. In fact they sent out the fixed version to all of their affiliates right away. Unfortunately some of their affiliates mistook this fixed version of Mirror Mirror as the episode that should air next. TrekMovie has received a number of reports that say the fixed ‘Mirror Mirror’ was shown instead of ‘Space Seed’. Unfortunately there really isn’t anything CBS can do about this, this was done by a handful of affiliates. Producer Mike Okuda recommends that if you didn’t see Space Seed last weekend to contact your local station and ask them to use Space Seed for their second broadcast (many stations repeat episodes on the following weekend). For the rest it looks like you will have to wait until March 7th when ‘Space Seed’ is repeated. Regardless it can’t hurt to call your local affiliate and tell them you love the show, and if you get it in an undesirable timeslot let them know that too.


Behind the Scenes at CBS Digital

The folks at CBS Digital were kind enough to let TrekMovie.com visit CBS Television City to get a behind-the-scenes peek at how they are breathing new life into Star Trek.   Getting chosen as the effects house to create the new CGI effects for the remastered Star Trek was quite the coup for CBS Digital. As Craig Weiss, Director of CBS Digital says "it is huge deal – the biggest thing we have done so far.” Every single one of their twenty artists does at least some work on Trek, with over half of them dedicated full time. CBS had to bring on about 8 new people in order to meet the rigorous work schedule. Most of the new people are crowded into a single dimly lit (to avoid glare) room that used to be called ‘the morgue’. It is quite a thrill to look around the workstations and see the various bits and pieces of recognizable Star Trek elements being worked on. It is clear from just a quick visit that  each member of the team is dedicated to their craft and to digitally recreating the magic of Star Trek.  


Takei Wants A New TAS – Will Appear on NBC’s Heroes [update: also wants in on Trek XI]

As part of the promotion for the DVD release of Star Trek: The Animated Series StarTrek.com has a new interview with George Takei. The original Mr Sulu talks about his experiences working on the animated show, and speculates on the potential of doing a new TAS based on the Original Series …the original is what is undebatably the most popular of all the series. So yeah, I’d like to see our generation of Star Trek revived in animated form. And, our voices more-or-less still resemble what we sounded like 40 years ago, so I think the original actors couldbe brought back for that. 




More From Shat On Coming Back From The Dead

Things were a bit quiet from the Shatner camp since his odd ‘gas’ statement a few weeks back, but now he is again talking up JJ Abrams and Star Trek XI. Shat is promoting his new gameshow ‘Show Me The Money’ but interviewers always get around to asking about Trek. The Shat tells UGO I met with Mr. Abrams, and they’ve got a really good plot going, and they’re trying to find Mr. Spock and Captain Kirk, the elderly ones. How you get a dead Captain to communicate with himself, younger, is going to be a very arduous plotting, and I’m going to be interested to see how they solve it.