Star Trek is headed back to theme parks. Today CBS, along with the Mad Science Group, announced ‘Star Trek Live’ a new traveling interactive stage show which will be combining "science and entertainment" using Star Trek. More details below, plus TrekMovie has the exclusive first look at the logo and marketing brochure.
The two ‘engagements’ of Star Trek: The Exhibition have been traveling the country for the last year, and this month both of them have landed in California. The first opened in Hollywood last weekend, and on Friday the second opens in San Jose. We have photos from the Hollywood engagement below, plus details on the opening in San Jose, where George Takei is going to help kick it off.
Star Trek: The Exhibition, the traveling exhibit of Star Trek memorabilia, is going Hollywood…literally. TrekMovie is first with the news that the engagement of the exhibit which wrapped up its stay at Franklin Institute in Philadelphia in August has moved to Los Angeles and opens up at Hollywood & Highland in Hollywood on October 10th. More details below.
This week it was announced that CBS had granted a license for Star Trek replicas to eFX Collectibles, who also announced their first product will be a Mark IX TNG era Tricorder. TrekMovie spoke exclusively to eFX President Bryan Ono to get more details on that Tricorder and to find out what they have planned next.
In October, Profiles in History is holding the 37th Hollywood Auction, which includes a large number of rare pieces of Star Trek memorabilia, from original photos, props, costumes and more, ranging the entire span of Star Trek history. They are even auctioning off one of the first ever Apple Macintosh computers, which was a gift to Gene Roddenberry.
Citing issues with securing appearances by cast members from the new Star Trek movie, Creation Entertainment announced today that they had to cancel the November Star Trek Grand Slam Convention in November. However, creation has also announced three new Star Trek conventions in 2010 for cities that haven’t seen cons in some time.
Last weekend two lucky Star Trek fans got to have their wedding in the Final Frontier. Brad Siegel and Kate Erwin, winners of a contest held by the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, got married on Sunday on a replica of the USS Enterprise D bridge at Star Trek The Exhibition. The couple has sent TrekMovie a special video telling their story from a proposal at a convention to the wedding itself.
It was 43 years ago today when Star Trek was born, or at least when it aired its first episode on NBC. Since that time Star Trek has been through a lot with ups and downs along the way. Today we take a trip down memory lane, counting the years since Star Trek was new.
This week’s Great Links is all about the conflict of the franchises, with Star Trek taking on all comers. First we have another one of those 100 Best Sci-Fi lists (with some Trekness of course), then we have early voting on the best of 2009, another flare-up in the Star Wars v Star Trek war, and then some signs that the end of the war may be in sight.
Sometimes it seems YouTube was invented just for Star Trek fans to publish creative mash-ups. The new Star Trek movie has inspired a few, with a number of them focusing on how the crews of the ‘prime timeline’ might react to the events of the new movie. Below we have a selection of some of the best (including one just published), and all from YouTubers presented before here at TrekMovie.
Next week is the annual official Star Trek convention in Las Vegas. This year has quite the stellar line-up, including the original Kirk, three Spocks and lots of first-time convention stars like Christopher Lloyd. There are also many night time activities lined up, including a TrekMovie meet-up and a Roddenberry party. Details below.
There may not have been a big Star Trek panel this year at San Diego Comic Con, but Star Trek can’t help but show up at the annual mecca of sci-fi. Below we have some quotes about Trek that popped up, plus photos and videos of some of the Trek celebs, and more.
Over the weekend there were two Star Trek events held in the middle of America, TrekFest in Riverside, Iowa and TrekExpo in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Celebrities attending these events include Leonard Nimoy, Marina Sirtis, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, Denise Crosby, and Walter Koenig. Below we have links and excerpts from news reports, plus images and videos from the events. [UPDATED: Plus new video from VulCon from Alberta, Canada]
Next Generation’s Tasha Yar, and executive producer/host of the two Trekkies documentaries Denise Crosby is is Tulsa, OK this weekend appearing at TrekExpo. The actress has a new interview in the Oklahoma press talking about fans, leaving TNG, the new movie, Trekkies 3 and more.
Since Star Trek first went on the air in the 60s, it has had connections to the real life space program. And today the latest example is a new official poster for the next expedition to the International Space Station which has the crew dressed in Star Trek uniforms Check it out below.
Summer 2009 is shaping up to be a great convention season for Star Trek fans. In addition to the official Star Trek conventions, there are a number of other events (both big and small) which are all about or include Star Trek. As we do each season, TrekMovie provides an easy guide and schedule to all the activities around the world.
Over the weekend TrekMovie provided the first look inside the 2010 Star Trek Ships of The Line Calendar. Today Doug Drexler, a contributor and wrangler of the other artists for the calendar, has put up some additional beautiful images on his blog, check them out below.
2010 will mark the 10th year for the popular Star Trek Ships of the Line Calendar series. Today TrekMovie has an exclusive first look at four months from the new wall calendar, including the first ever look at the USS Aventine.
Last night was the annual Radio and TV Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington DC. Traditionally it is a light-hearted evening attended by the current President with comic entertainment. The Daily Show’s John Hodgman was the entertainment who focused on President Obama’s ‘nerdcore’, including Star Trek credentials. We have video below, plus an infographic analyzing how Star Trek is ‘cool again’.
New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson Jr. a candidate for mayor for the largest city in America and, as revealed in an article to day in the New York Times, he is also a Trekkie. The article also reveals that he has the support of none other than the original Mr. Spock, Leonard Nimoy. Thompson joins what seems to be a growing list of Trekkie politicians.
Paramount Pictures, which holds the exclusive rights to produce Star Trek feature films, could be merging with another major studio, possibly Sony or Universal. The news comes from the latest issue of Barron’s, where a major fund manager (and one of Viacom’s big shareholders) talks about what he is hearing going on with a possible ‘studio consolidation.’
Another great science fiction phenomenon which has featured the talents of Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner is about to get a new life. 20th Century Fox has announced it will produce 26 new episodes of the animated comedy Futurama, to air on Comedy Central (or possibly FOX). Details below, plus a look at some Trek/Futurama connections.
Hallmark Star Trek items have been, well, a hallmark of collecting and family fun since the first USS Enterprise ornament in 1991. This year, Hallmark has many surprises for fans and TrekMovie has been given all the exclusive details and first photos for two new 2009 ornaments.
All Star Trek fans are familiar with the ‘Prime Directive’, which mandates that Starfleet is to not interfere with the natural development of other species, especially primitive ones. For years NASA has been studying Mars and searching for life forms, but a new scientific study suggests they may have actually destroying signs of life…oops.
For decades there has been much discussion and debate about Star Wars and Star Trek, and that has only increased with the new Star Trek movie and all the talk about bringing a little Star Wars into Star Trek. This has even risen to the level that StarWars.com has interviewed Star Trek co-writer. We have that plus some more new Trek/Wars links.
To coincide with the release of the new Star Trek movie Paramount has released the six original cast movies on Blu-ray for the first time in the ‘Star Trek Original Motion Picture Collection.’ Each film comes loaded with extras. There is a lot to cover, so read on to see how Paramount did with the original crew Trek movies in 1080p HD.
Today is the 10th Anniversary of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, which is still the 6th best grossing film in US history. Star Trek and Star Wars have always had a symbiotic relationship (from Lucas’ ILM providing effects to George Takei’s voice in Clone Wars). So today TrekMovie provides some recent SW/ST links and references, including a new interview with Star Wars (and Star Trek) sound designer Ben Burtt.
We have news of yet another sign that Trek is returning to the heydays of the franchise. Trekkies who were fans in the 1990s might remember the QVC (home shopping channel) Star Trek shows which were a sure sign of the popularity of the franchise. Today, TrekMovie confirms that there will be a Star Trek QVC hour with products from Dynamic Forces this May 17th/18th, the first in almost 12 years.
A couple of days ago we pointed to a funny parody news clip at The Onion which poked some good-natured fun at Trek and Trek fans, and how we were up in arms over how the film was ‘fun’ and ‘watchable.’ Trek fans are self-aware and most seemed to get the joke, but in the last day I have noticed a more disturbing Trend from some in the mainstream media trying to to perpetuate the most negative stereotypes of Trek fans, and what is worse they are trying to get me to help them. More below.
Star Trek The Experience closed down at the Las Vegas Hilton last September, but since October we have been reporting that it may have new life at a new location in Vegas. According to the best info we can gather, it looks like a new STTE will be back in 2010 at Neonopolis in downtown Las Vegas. More details below plus a new entry Vernon Wilmer’s STTE Documentary.