Star Trek 10 | ***Dave Does the Blog

Kid Stuff

Via Les: List 5 things you still do, that you did when you were a baby/little kid. Some of the below stretch “little kid”dom, but not by all that much…..

Via Les:

List 5 things you still do, that you did when you were a baby/little kid.

Some of the below stretch “little kid”dom, but not by all that much..

I still avoid bananas and raw tomatoes like the vile and disgusting things they are.
I still watch Star Trek. Though having a DVR makes it easier to time-shift.
I still sleep well at night, usually. I was (I’m told) a placid baby
I still don’t keep my desk / room clean.
I still read. A lot.

I dunno — maybe my Mom can think of a few other things. 🙂

Won’t tag anyone, but feel free to take up the thread …

Steady as she goes, Mister Sulu

Oodles of Star Trek star charts. (via GeekPress)…

Oodles of Star Trek star charts.

(via GeekPress)

Lock and Load

I really wanted this list of the top 50 fictional weapons to be really cool, but instead, it’s really dorky, too pop-culturish, too video-game-oriented, too “here’s where to buy a…

I really wanted this list of the top 50 fictional weapons to be really cool, but instead, it’s really dorky, too pop-culturish, too video-game-oriented, too “here’s where to buy a replica,” and just … goofy.

Any list that includes the really stupid “Golden Gun” (of Bond fame) is just wrong.
Any list that ranks He-Man’s Power Sword over Glamdring, Stormbringer, or the Sword of Omens is hard to justify, too.
And lightsabers get on there twice?

There are a few good elements, and a few nice reminders of items I would have forgotten, but …

On the other hand, this list of 10 Cheesiest Creatures from the original Star Trek is modestly funny … if sometimes cruel (especially if you’re just critiquing late 60s TV SFX). And actually there are some pretty cool critters there …

(via Neatorama and Neatorama)

The world catches up to Star Trek

Any article about “di-positronium” and “anti-matter” and “gamma-ray annihilation lasers” has got to be worth reading! Fragile particles rarely seen in our Universe have been merged with ordinary electrons to…

Any article about “di-positronium” and “anti-matter” and “gamma-ray annihilation lasers” has got to be worth reading!

Fragile particles rarely seen in our Universe have been merged with ordinary electrons to make a new form of matter. Di-positronium, as the new molecule is known, was predicted to exist in 1946 but has remained elusive to science.
Now, a US team has created thousands of the molecules by merging electrons with their antimatter equivalent: positrons. The discovery, reported in the journal Nature, is a key step in the creation of ultra-powerful lasers known as gamma-ray annihilation lasers.

Which have military applications, of course (“set gamma-ray annihilation lasers to ‘deep fry,’ Mr. Sulu!”), but could also be a big jump-start on laser-triggered fusion energy generation. Spiffy!

Saturday Super-Stars

Steve asks:Were Saturday morning cartoons a part of your weekly routine? What do you recall of them? Do you remember when you stopped watching them? Oh, yeah. Oh, my…

Steve asks:

Were Saturday morning cartoons a part of your weekly routine? What do you recall of them? Do you remember when you stopped watching them?

Oh, yeah. Oh, my heavens, yeah.

I can recall being a wee tot (1st Grade or younger), sitting in front of the TV the living room on Montalto Drive, watching The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure, drawing endless stick figure super-heroes on pieces of typing paper on a metal TV tray.

Underdog. Tennessee Tuxedo. Bullwinkle and Rocky. Jonny Quest. Super President. Space Ghost. Shazzan. The Herculoids. The Fantastic Four. Hoppity Hooper. Jetsons. Go-Go Gophers.

I can recall doing my best ninja creep down the hallway in Diamond Bar to get out to the family room to watch cartoons without waking my Dad (not that he objected to the cartoons, he objected to being awakened on a Saturday morning). My brother and I would watch, through my parents arising, through breakfast, all the way up to when cartoons would change to live action shows, like The Monkees (yeah). Shortly thereafter, Dad would want to watch sports.

Bugs Bunny / Road Runner. Fantastic Voyage. Spider-Man. Scooby-Doo. Land of the Lost. Sea Lab 2020. The Banana Splits. Pink Panther. Lancelot Link: Secret Chimp. Bugaloos. Lidsville. The Wacky Races. Fat Albert. The Double-Deckers. Star Trek TAS. The Saturday Superstar Movies. Josie and the Pussycats. Thundarr the Barbarian. The Superfriends.

I never really gave up on Saturday morning cartoons — they more gave up on me, becoming more sparse, less amusing, and even more crudely crafted. There were a few exceptions, but I tended to watch more reruns of stuff outside of Saturday mornings. That went on into adulthood.

My interests were revived with my daughter (which meant it was my turn to be dragged out of bed on an early schedule), both in terms of acquiring copies of my old cartoons to share with her, scoping out the new cartoons being made — and, best of all, getting a DVR to be able to watch Saturday cartoons (and everyday ones) whenever we wanted.

(For a trip down Memory Lane, let me suggest this site.)

The Ghastlycrumb Tribbles

Having read that Edward Gorey was a huge Star Trek (TOS) fan, and that, as of the time of the late 70s article Gorey was pining for never having…

Edward Gorey's The Trouble with Tribbles

Having read that Edward Gorey was a huge Star Trek (TOS) fan, and that, as of the time of the late 70s article Gorey was pining for never having seen “The Trouble with Tribbles,” Shaenon Garrity has put together an utterly hilarious spot-on rendition of how Gorey might have adopted the famous episode.

(via BoingBoing)

In space, nobody can hear you click to the next slide

Starfleet Analytics — looking at the issue of Red-Shirt fatalities on Star Trek, complete with a PowerPoint presentation. (A very amusing article, only marred by misrepresenting the colors –…

Starfleet Analytics — looking at the issue of Red-Shirt fatalities on Star Trek, complete with a PowerPoint presentation.

(A very amusing article, only marred by misrepresenting the colors — yellow is Command, and red is Support; Engineering and Security are both red-shirt professions.)

(via Neatorama)

Book Review: Missing in Action (Star Trek: New Frontier)

Peter David’s Star Trek: New Frontier series is a guilty pleasure of mine. It’s vaguely embarrassing to be caught reading Star Trek stuff, but David’s wit, his great ear for…

Peter David’s Star Trek: New Frontier series is a guilty pleasure of mine. It’s vaguely embarrassing to be caught reading Star Trek stuff, but David’s wit, his great ear for characters (many of the originally secondaries from TNG) and love of using the plot elements of the STU makes each new installment a joy.

The latest (and don’t ask me what number it is — #17, I think) of the series finds things in media res, its laundry list of characters scattered to the four winds (and multiple empires, not to mention dimensions), continuing plot lines from the previous After the Fall. Alas, this is not one of the better chapters in the long series.

Missing in Action (Star Trek: New Frontier) by Peter David (2006)

Overall		Story
Re-Readability		Characters

Story: David tends to write multi-volume arcs in his series — essential, given a cast that keeps growing. By coming right in on the unexpected conclusion of the previous book (don’t worry, no spoilers here), David runs the risk of confusing folks. And, honestly, that’s what happened to me. Who was this? Ah, I remember that happening, vaguely. But where was — oh, okay, I guess I recall that.

The story arc here — the creation off the New Thallonian Name-TBD and the intervention of some Mysterious Nasties in same — is not one of the better ones of the series, especially as it drags the characters in a multitude of different directions. Like most of David’s work, a lot of the best parts of the story come in-between the action sequences, with folks talking. Unfortunately, here the PoV shifts around so often, we lose a lot of those moments. In fact, a couple of key scenes are rushed through, mentioned in retrospect, and given an odd short shrift — including the death of a key, long-term character. It’s an strange, underplayed moment in a very busy book.

By the time the novel is over, the current loose ends are fairly cleaned up, with the setup of some elements for the next book. Which is fine, but in the course of doing so, this book feels way too much like we came in on the last act, and one that was a bit hurried, even at 400 pages.

Characters: This is where David’s strengths usually lie, with spot-on (yet witty) dialog for his various characters. But he’s managed to build something of a monster here, with all of the normal cast of dozens, and more — the crew of two starships (present and past), the crew of another ship, some alien leaders, a shapeshifter or two, various other major alien antagonists, etc. That means most of the characters are liable to be noteworthy just for a few quips and the like. Unfortunately, David spreads things even thinner, giving us very little to chew on with the vast majority of the characters. It’s still rollicking fun and action, but anyone who picked this bookup as their first volume would be completely lost as to who these people are, why they’re doing what they’re doing, or why others are reacting the way they are.

Re-Readability: It’s a fast read and tolerably entertaining. At such time as I do my beginning-to-end series reread I’ll include this volume — but I won’t go out of my way to pick it up just to read it on its own.

Overall: I think the above pretty much says it all. Missing in Action is too fast, too full, too middle-of-the-action to showcase David’s strengths with character, and the plot is, if not poor, not as inspired as many of his other arcs.

I was jazzed to see the book on the shelves. I was less jazzed by the time it was over. But … I’m looking forward to the next. ‘Nuff said.

Where No Man Has Silently Gone Before

Steam Trek: The Moving Picture (via BoingBoing)…

Steam Trek: The Moving Picture

(via BoingBoing)

Potpourri for $517, Alex!

I’m struggling a bit with the Potpourri entry names (no kidding, Dave). I realize that if I’m doing them on a regular basis, I don’t want to just say “for…

I’m struggling a bit with the Potpourri entry names (no kidding, Dave). I realize that if I’m doing them on a regular basis, I don’t want to just say “for Tuesday” or something. Giving the date in the name seems redundant (unless done “cleverly” like the above), and will still potentially end up with dupes. And my other idea (church feast day names) is … well, maybe a bit more religion than even I’d think of putting up here.

Ideas are welcome.

Meanwhile …

I’ve joked about the Olden Days use of Lysol as a feminine hygiene product. Here’s an interesting article that puts it into perspective within the history of birth control in the US (“feminine hygiene” evidently being something of a code phrase in those days of federal and industry restrictions on interstate commerce in contraception).
Design and typeface — Choosing the right typeface for the right job — and how you go about doing it. “Then, after a decade, I left my first job. Suddenly I could use any typeface I wanted, and I went nuts. On one of my first projects, I used 37 different fonts on 16 pages. My wife, who had attended Catholic school herself, found this all too familiar. She remembered classmates who had switched to public school after eight years under the nuns: freed at last from demure plaid uniforms, they wore the shortest skirts they could find. ‘Jesus,’ she said, looking at one of my multiple font demolition derbies. ‘You’ve become a real slut, haven’t you?'”
I feel so much better about airport security requiring photo IDs, now that I know you can just make your own and nobody will apparently be the wiser.
What happens when ask some designers to identify pieces of technology that influenced them? You get some very cool, classic items that were both attractive and had a lot of popularity. I’m proud to say I was a Palm V user, and I did indeed love it.
For the obsessive web designer — making form buttons look the same in IE, Firefox, and Safari.
Ah, the Daily Show … integrating news as disparate as Iraqi press crackdowns, Milblog restrictions, and the latest YouTube nuttiness — “Ottoman-humping gigolos! You’re ruining troop morale!”
Samples (with a UK flair) of website disclaimers, T&Cs, and privacy policies. On my list of things to do.
Kottke points to a YouTube collection of the last ten seconds of every Season 1 episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Why? Why not?
Negotiating a salary. Nothing earth-shattering — just solid advice. “My single most important piece of advice about negotiating is to know what you want and be happy if you get it. The biggest mistake I know of is worrying that you might have been able to get more.”
How to view Wikipedia on a PDA. This came up for me the other day. Wapedia looks to be the way to go.
Larry Flynt on Jerry Falwell. Falwell sued him in 1983; the case went all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled unanimously that public figures couldn’t sue over satire. “My mother always told me that no matter how much you dislike a person, when you meet them face to face you will find characteristics about them that you like. Jerry Falwell was a perfect example of that. I hated everything he stood for, but after meeting him in person, years after the trial, Jerry Falwell and I became good friends. He would visit me in California and we would debate together on college campuses. I always appreciated his sincerity even though I knew what he was selling and he knew what I was selling.”

“I cannae change the laws o’ physics!”

In an odd twist to an odd story, Scotty’s not in trekking toward the stars. James Doohan’s cremated remains were supposed to be launched into space along with about…

In an odd twist to an odd story, Scotty’s not in trekking toward the stars.

James Doohan’s cremated remains were supposed to be launched into space along with about two hundred others. The launch of the private UP Aerospace SpaceLoft XL rocket was successful, and all went well with flight trajectory, for some unknown reason the payload ended up parachuting back down into rough New Mexico landscape, where it’s yet to be found.

Scotty always did get in trouble on landing parties …

(via BoingBoing)

The Sci-Fi 25

EW identifies its picks for the top 25 SF TV/movies of the past 25 years. Interesting. 25. V: The Mini-Series (1983) – Watched bits of this at times, but never…

EW identifies its picks for the top 25 SF TV/movies of the past 25 years. Interesting.

25. V: The Mini-Series (1983) – Watched bits of this at times, but never got into it. Appreciated the “big story” SF on the small screen, though. Joe Straczynski cut his teeth on the related TV series.

24. Galaxy Quest (1999) – A brilliant send-up of 60s-70s SF (Trek in particular) and fandom (Trekdom in particular) that still managed to be a rippingly good tale that validated and lauded what it spoofed.

23. Doctor Who (1963ff) – The current stuff is faboo. The older stuff shows that you can build a successful franchise through imagine, persistence, appreciating your fanbase, and remembering that great FX are not the highest priority.

22. Quantum Leap (1989-93) – I missed this when it first broadcast, but caught quite a bit of it later in rerun. It’s almost unfair to call this an sf show — aside from the metaplot, it’s more about period drama and the use of modern sensibilities to address the problems of the past. Makes you wonder what sort of “problems” Sam would be called upon to fix today.

21. Futurama (1999-2003) – Simpsons sensibilities meet SF. Fight! More theme/story-oriented than the parent Groening cartoon, Futurama is still a damn lot of fun. Never joined the cult, but I enjoyed taking occasional sips of the Kool-aid.

20. Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003-05) – Since the first two of the original trilogy were beyond the 25-year scope, the authors chose this iteration of the SW universe. And that’s hard to argue with, showing both style, plot, and action sensibility, the three of which were hard to find all together at any given point of later SW flicks.

Continue reading “The Sci-Fi 25”

Fight fiercely, Bloggers, fight, fight, fight!

Ginny points to Accordion Guy’s suggestion that the “Vulcan Fight Song” (played during the famous Spock/Kirk struggle in Star Trek’s “Amok Time” episode) should be … … the official…

Ginny points to Accordion Guy‘s suggestion that the “Vulcan Fight Song” (played during the famous Spock/Kirk struggle in Star Trek‘s “Amok Time” episode) should be …

… the official song of internet discussions and blog comments. Like the Vulcan ritual that the music underscored, most internet arguments are triggered by a response in the most primitive parts of our brains, look silly to outsiders and seem to be taken up by people who are slated to have sex once every seven years.

Bring forth the Trackback!

Bonus points if you don’t have to go to Accordion Guy’s site to be reminded of the music. And bonus points if you have any idea of the episode I’m talking about.

I’d go a step further than that — the Vulcan Marching Song (played as T’Pau is carted in) would serve as a fine Pomp & Circumstance for most blog sites before they degenerate into atavistic conflict.

Star Trek XI

Paramount has announced the director (J.J. Abrams) and release date (Christmas 2008) for the next Star Trek movie. The movie is supposed to harken back to the early days…

Paramount has announced the director (J.J. Abrams) and release date (Christmas 2008) for the next Star Trek movie. The movie is supposed to harken back to the early days of the Kirk era. The lead roles haven’t been formally cast, but …

IGN reported yesterday that Paramount was eyeing Matt Damon, Adrien Brody and Gary Sinise for the key roles of Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy, respectively. With a director and start date now set, we’ll soon know for certain who will play the Big Three.

I do like the logo/poster. Very classic.

(via Doyce)

Booky Meme of My Own

It’s the meme that’s sweeping the circle of blogs I read! And write. Anyway, here are “51 (I like being odd) of my favorites” (as Kate put it) … feel…

It’s the meme that’s sweeping the circle of blogs I read!

And write.

Anyway, here are “51 (I like being odd) of my favorites” (as Kate put it) … feel free to copy and do the Booky Meme bits with them, too:

Bold the ones you’ve read, ~~strike-out~~ the ones you hated, italicize those you started but never finished and put an asterisk (*) beside the ones you loved.

For me, of course, all of the below would be bolded and starred (hence the purpose of the list). For the most part, consider these books I’ve liked enough to read multiple times (sometimes having to graduate to second or third paperbacks, or even a hardcover). They’re all fiction, and intended as stories.

It was actually a tough call — in some cases, I lump together a series under a single volume, in other cases I actually single a couple out because, in a series I like, I like them best. And, of course, I make no pretense to these being “great literature,” profound, or anything else. I find them entertaining, moving, amusing, interesting, and/or possessing of other attributes that leads me to pick them up time and again. Your mileage may (should) vary.

Going through my book shelves to make this list, I realized (a) I have quite a few books I will likely never read again, and so should clear off of my shelves, and (b) I have quite a few books I’ve not read in some time and really should.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
Operation Chaos, by Poul Anderson
The Devil’s Game, by Poul Anderson
I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov
The Caves of Steel, by Isaac Asimov [best of the trilogy]
The Going to Bed Book, by Sandra Boynton [any any other of hers]
The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury
Martians Go Home, by Fredric Brown
Jhereg, by Steven Brust [Taltos series]
The Andromeda Strain, by Michael Crichton
The White Mountains, by John Christopher [Tripods trilogy]
Childhood’s End, by Arthur C. Clarke
Sten [series], by Allan Cole and Chris Bunch
Star Trek: New Frontiers, by Peter David [series; actually, any PAD ST book]
Ship of the Line, by C.S. Forrester [Hornblower series]
Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaiman
Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman
Good Omens, by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
The Case of the Careless Kitten, by Erle Stanley Gardner [Perry Mason series]
The Princess Bride, by William Goldman
The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman
Guilty Pleasures, by Laurell K. Hamilton [Anita Blake series,up thru Obsidian Butterfly]
The Maltese Falcon, by Dashell Hammett
The Stainless Steel Rat, by Harry Harrison [series, the earlier the better]
All Creatures Great and Small, by James Herriot [series]
Friday, by Robert Heinlein
Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein
Revolt in 2100, by Robert Heinlein
The Jungle Books, by Rudyard Kipling
Arrows of the Queen, by Mercedes Lackey [trilogy; the Valdemar series is hot/cold for me]
A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle [favorite of the series, but there are other inter-related books I enjoy]
Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey [series, the earlier the better]
The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis
Silverlock, by John Myers Myers
Dream Park, by Larry Niven and Steven Barnes [series]
The Mote in God’s Eye, by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle [better than the sequel]
Inferno, by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
The Zero Stone, by Andre Norton [and sequel]
Moon of Three Rings, by Andre Norton [and sequel]
The Crystal Gryphon, by Andre Norton [better than the sequel]
Year of the Unicorn, by Andre Norton
Psi High and Others, by Alan E. Nourse
The Widening Gyre [Spenser series], by Robert Parker
A Morbid Taste for Bones, by Ellis Peters [Cadfael series]
Justice, Inc., by Kenneth Robeson [Avenger series]
Callahan’s Cross-Time Saloon, by Spider Robinson [series, the earlier the better]
The Doorbell Rang, by Rex Stout [Nero Wolfe series]
Prisoner’s Base, by Rex Stout [another NW]
The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Honor of the Queen, by David Weber [Honor Harrington series]
Nine Princes in Amber, by Roger Zelazny [series]

There may be other books I love as much, or even more — but these are the ones that leapt out at me from the book shelf (figuratively speaking).

Prime (Directive) Real Estate

A massive map of the United Federation of Planets. Like most translations of multi-decade, multi-creator, multi-media worlds, don’t poke too closely at the details for consistency. (via GeekPress)…

A massive map of the United Federation of Planets. Like most translations of multi-decade, multi-creator, multi-media worlds, don’t poke too closely at the details for consistency.

(via GeekPress)

Movie Soundtrack Meme

IF YOUR LIFE WAS A MOVIE, WHAT WOULD THE SOUNDTRACK BE? So, here’s how it works: 1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc) 2. Put it…

IF YOUR LIFE WAS A MOVIE, WHAT WOULD THE SOUNDTRACK BE?
So, here’s how it works:

1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)

2. Put it on shuffle/Random

3. Press play

4. For every question, type the song that’s playing

5. When you go to a new question, press the next button

Opening Credits:

“7 O’Clock News/Silent Night” – Simon & Garfunkel – Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme
Faith and tranquility juxtaposed against reality and horror. Nice.

Waking Up:

“7 Chakras of the Body – Chakra 1” – Mannheim Steamroller – Fresh Aire 7
Arrhythmic and incoherent, which is just about right for my waking up.

First Day At School:

“Newhart (Arrangement A)” – Henry Mancini – MyThemes.tv
That’s the “Vermont Hotel” series, and deceptively calm for such events.

Falling In Love:

“Chrysalis (3)” – Christopher Franke – Babylon 5
This varies from mysterious and disturbing to tense to exultant and back and around. Hmmmm …

Breaking Up:

“The Threat to the Governor of Harfleur – Katherine of France – The March to Calis” – Patrick Doyle – Henry V
Big dramatic sections interspersed with quiet but ominous elements along with lots of minor keys. Yeah …

Prom:

“Lifted” – Eurhythmics – Peace

Well, at least it’s a nice slow song. And kind of encouraging …

Life’s OK:

“Poor Unfortunate Souls” – The Little Mermaid

Hmmmmmm …doesn’t sound particularly okay to me …

Mental Breakdown:

“The Yew Tree” – Battlefield Band – Anthem for the Common Mans
Well, I guess talking to a tree isn’t terribly healthy … especially if you expect an answer. Great song, though. If I do have a breakdown, I’ll probably start speaking in a Scots brogue.

Driving:

“Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Min” – Chopin
Oh, this truly sounds like a marvelous drive.

Flashback:

“Night Ride Across the Caucasus” – Loreena McKennitt – Book of Secrets
Yeah, I could see a sequence of flashbacks under this. Lots of flashbacks. Fairly dramatic ones, at that.

Getting Back Together:

“Mhorag’s na horo Gheallaidh” – Clannad – Fuaim
Not sure about the mostly a capella chant in an unintelligible language. Or maybe that’s fitting. Tight harmony works, and rhythmic, and fun to listen to.

Wedding:

“Take Me in Your Lifeboat” – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – Will the Circle Be Unbroken
Nice, given that Margie’s mine. Certainly a great pick-me-up tune.

Birth of Child:

“Water Music St 2 – XVIII” – Handel

Fast and exciting, a well-meshed combination of themes and players. But way too short.

Final Battle:

“Card Sharks (arrangement A) – MyThemes.tv
Ended up with a lot of TV themes in here. Interesting. That said — a darned odd choice.

Death Scene:

“For Your Own Good” – Pet Shop Boys – Nightlife
An ominous start and a typically grim undertone to the bouncy tune. Yow.

Funeral Song:

“Police Squad” – Ira Newborn – MyThemes.tv
Laughs and laughs and laughs …

Sex Scene:

“Star Trek: Nemesis – Suite” – Jerry Goldsmith – Forty Years of Film Music
Good Lord — I hope sex with me isn’t quite this … highly dramatic and action-oriented. Well, maybe action-oriented. And there is this big urgent driving beat, striving toward a climax, followed by quiet, contemplative bits, finally wrapping up with a rousingly optimistic thematic send-off to the future.

Dance Sequence:

“Nutcracker – March” – Tchaikovsky
Far too rhythmic and spritely to apply to my dancing.

End Credits:

“Otoko to Megami no Love Song” – Aa! Megami-sama – Complete Vocal Collection
Perky, poppy, not quite understandable but fun. Why the hell not?

(via BD)

RIP Jane Wyatt

Yeah, the headlines all talk about her “Father Knows Best” role, but I’ll always remember her as the utterly dignified (if occasionally exasperated) Amanda Grayson, wife of Sarek, mother of…

Yeah, the headlines all talk about her “Father Knows Best” role, but I’ll always remember her as the utterly dignified (if occasionally exasperated) Amanda Grayson, wife of Sarek, mother of Spock.

To boldly fork over what no man has forked over before …

Okay, if I had $567,000, there are things I would probably do with it other than buy a 6-foot-long model of the USS Enterprise-D, used on Star Trek: The…

Okay, if I had $567,000, there are things I would probably do with it other than buy a 6-foot-long model of the USS Enterprise-D, used on Star Trek: The Next Generation. But it probably wouldn’t be nearly as cool as that, either.

The 78-inch-long miniature of the “Enterprise-D,” built by Industrial Light and Magic, debuted in 1987 in the episode “Encounter at Farpoint,” and then was used in many subsequent episodes, as well as the film “Star Trek Generations.”
More than 1,000 items from the archives of CBS Paramount Television Studios went on the block over three days at Christie’s auction house, and by early afternoon on Saturday fans of the series had forked over more than $4.9 million for set furniture, pointy Vulcan ears and other props.
Other top sellers on Saturday’s auction included a replica of Capt. James T. Kirk’s command chair from the bridge of the spaceship on the original “Star Trek” series.The painted wood chair was only a re-creation for a 1996 episode of “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” that mixed action from that newer series with old footage, but it still sold for $62,400.

Now, see, that would be practical. I mean, mount it in the family room and watch TV from it? Classic.

The Original Series

Okay, it gets poked fun at a bit today — but when Star Trek debuted forty years ago (!) tonight … egads. SF on TV to that time had…

Okay, it gets poked fun at a bit today — but when Star Trek debuted forty years ago (!) tonight … egads.

SF on TV to that time had been in a couple of forms: kiddy shows (Space Patrol), anthologies (Outer Limits, Twlight Zone — but both had gone the way of all TV anthologies), and goofy dreck from Irwin Allen (Lost in Space, Time Tunnel, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea). Star Trek was something different — SF that took itself seriously, that pulled in real SF writers, that considered human problems from the perspective of alien situations.

ST:TOS was hardly the perfect SF series of all time. From the perspective of today, it’s melodramatic, crudely crafted, facile, and a host of other sins. But the same could be true of practically any other TV series from 1966-68.

There’s a reason it still holds such influence, even today, forty years later.

I have two memories of ST:TOS during its original run. The first is an image of a huge plasma bolt hurtling toward the viewer’s perspective — probably one of the ones fired by the Romulans in Balance of Terror. And I also remember how upset I was one evening that I wasn’t allowed to watch the show (bear in mind I was about Kitten’s age then), and, when sent to bed, I locked the door in the hallway, so that when my parents retired for the evening, they found themselves locked
out of the back of the house. (To add insult to injury, their tapping on the window could only wake up my brother, not me, who needed a chair and special coaching to get the door back unlocked.) Yes, I have always been a fanatical geek.

At any rate, my congratulations and appreciations to the creators and talent of the Original Star Trek. You really did take us someplace where no one had gone before — and we’ve enjoyed the trip ever since.