Star Trek 11 | ***Dave Does the Blog

Star Trek gets a Star Wars make-over

Is nothing sacred? The original 1960s Star Trek series will receive a high-tech makeover and return to broadcast syndication for the first time in 16 years, with digitally remastered episodes,…

Is nothing sacred?

The original 1960s Star Trek series will receive a high-tech makeover and return to broadcast syndication for the first time in 16 years, with digitally remastered episodes, Paramount announced. In honor of the show’s 40th anniversary, CBS Domestic Television is releasing all 79 episodes with new special effects and music on 200 stations, beginning Sept. 16. The first batch of episodes will be chosen from a list of fan favorites.
The original special effects will be replaced with computer-generated images, including the exterior of the Starship Enterprise, based on the exact measurements of the original model, now resting in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The main title sequence will also be redone with new effects and a new digital stereo soundtrack re-recorded by an orchestra and a female singer. William Shatner’s classic original recording of the 38-word “Space, the final frontier …” monologue has been remastered
and continues to open each episode.
All of the space scenes, alien landscapes and ships—including the Romulan Bird of Prey and Klingon Battle Cruisers—will be updated as well. The remastered episodes have been converted from the original film into a high-definition format, which gives viewers a clearer, crisper, more vibrant picture, even when viewed in standard definition.

Um … guys, what’s the point? Really? I confess to a fascination to see what they end up doing — but, jeez, the cutting-edge-1966 SFX are part of the charm of the show. What next — digitally remastering away Shatner’s end-of-season guts?

Okay, I’ve vaguely comforted that Michael Okuda is involved in the project.

Longtime Trek crew member Michael Okuda, who is also a visual-effects producer of the remastered episodes, added: “Basically, the approach is that Star Trek is a period piece, albeit a period in the far future. So all the decisions are being made to honor the production style, the style of cinematography, the style of editing. And with that as our guidance, using the original decisions made by the directors and the editors, it follows very logically trying to recreate the look and feel of the original
series.

Of course, having said that, they are cherry-picking episodes and broadcasting them “out of order.”

CBS Paramount Domestic Television will release the digitally remastered episodes for air on more than 200 broadcast stations, starting Sept. 16. The first episodes to be remastered include “Balance of Terror,” “Journey to Babel,” “Mirror Mirror” and the two-part episode “The Menagerie,” said John Nogawski, president of CBS Paramount Domestic TV. All told, about half of the original series’ 80 remastered episodes will be released this year and half next year.

Next up — colorized original Outer Limits, with a CGI version of the late Joseph Stefano introducing each episode. Feh.

The No-Win 25 Favorite TV Characters List

Via Doyce, or maybe KTBuffy, the List o’ 25 Favorite TV Characters. It’s No-Win because — I know as soon as I save it, or someone comments on it, that…

Via Doyce, or maybe KTBuffy, the List o’ 25 Favorite TV Characters.

It’s No-Win because — I know as soon as I save it, or someone comments on it, that I’ll think of a dozen more. Dammit. And, then, of course, there are any number of one-off characters from anthology shows, or character actors, whom I simply cannot justify calling my “favorite TV charactrer” in and of themselves. And it would probably be unfair for me to identify more than one person in a given TV series …

The following is no particular order except where they occured to me.

Lt. Commander Montgomery Scott (James Doohan). The Lord of the Geeks. Second banana on Star Trek, to be sure, but not only did Scotty get a few episodes “of his own,” he had a ton of fun supporting roles as well.
Laura Petrie (Mary Tyler Moore). Loving wife, great housekeeper, dancer, and more-than-adequate domestic foil for Dick Van Dyke on his eponymous show.
Londo Mollari (Peter Jurassik). Buffoon, monster, good guy, bad guy, the tragi-comic centerpiece of Babylon 5. (Honorable mention to his Serpent, the inimitable Mister Morden.)
The Doctor (Chris Eccleston, Tom Baker, John Pertwee, et al.). ‘Nuff said.
Number 6 (Patrick McGoohan). The Prisoner sometimes went from surreality to incoherence, but the iron-willed prisoner of conscience and independence was a faboo character.
Doctor Miguelito Loveless (Michael Dunn). If a hero is defined by his villain, Dr. Loveless was the perfect pseudo-Bond villain — a sociopathic mad genius who loved children and fine music and who constantly proved himself a bigger man than his erstwhile Wild Wild West foes.
Doctor Mark Craig (William Daniels). Best (or most accurate) portrayal of a heart surgeon evah. (St. Elsewhere)
Robert McCall (Edward Woodward). The trying-to-atone spy-in-from-the-cold on The Equalizer. Classy, clever, and deadly.
Shepherd Book (Ron Glass). He’s a priest! He’s a philosopher! He’s a pacifist! He’s got a sense of humor! He’s got a secret that makes you pretty certain most of those didn’t used to be the case! A great, understated character from Firefly.
The Riddler (Frank Gorshin). The one Batman villain one could actually believe was insane. I loved the laugh, I loved the sheer physicality of the (acted) character. (Honorable mention to the many faces of Catwoman).
Columbo (Peter Falk). Still — and ostensibly doltish — waters run deep. “Oh, just one more question …”
Brother Cadfael (Derek Jacobi). Yeah, originally a book character, but a splendid rendition of the monkish detective.
Harley Quinn (Arleen Sorkin). How can a character (even a cartoon one, on Batman: The Animated Series) be so naive, pitiful, zany, and psychopathic?
Ben Stone (Michael Moriarty). Sure, Jack McCoy’s been on Law & Order longer, but Stone tops my list of DA’s I would not want gunning for me. McCoy might cheat, but he’d also eventually admit defeat; Stone would hunt you to the grave in his moral outrage.
Steve Taylor (Jack Davenport). Amidst nuanced extremes, Steve’s first-among-equals protagonist on Coupling manages to ground the series in reality without being a stick in the mud.
Commander Adama (James Edward Olmos). Manages to be the down-to-earth, reliable, moral paterfamilias of Battlestar Galactica the fleet — and then turns around and shows that he’s got feet of clay and a pragmatic streak a centon wide. And he does it in an incredibly understated fashion.
Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin). Half X-Files, half Buffy, with a rumpled suit, shady ethics, a cheap camera, and more unbelieved secrets than you could shake a stick at.
Lisa Simpson (Yeardley Smith). For anyone who ever felt that they were surrounded by idiots, Lisa is your patron saint. But she’s not a shrew — she can have fun and play music and be a kid, even as she learns grunting lessons from her mom.
Mrs. Emma Peel (Diana Rigg). Classy, clever, lethal, and a real dish in a leather catsuit (The Avengers).
The Narrator (Rod Serling). Voice of God or … whatever. He had all the best lines on The Twilight Zone.
Xena (Lucy Lawless). As kick-ass as Hercules without being all namby-pamby nice about it. Swords, redemption, and bad mythology — triffic stuff.
Rupert Giles (Anthony Head). Human, earnest, intelligent, and regularly outgunned and outsmarted by Buffy and the Scooby Gang.
Velma Dinkley (Nicole Jaffe, et al.). Speaking of Scooby, the smart one of Mystery, Inc. Yes, I have a thing for smart characters, especially smart women. Got a problem with that?
Race Bannon (Mike Road). CIA agent, world adventurer, crack shot, judo expert, and bodyguard to the son (Jonny Quest) of the smartest man on the planet. Oh, and he got to flirt with Jezebel Jade and wear that really cool red shirt.
Q (John de Lancie). The nigh-omnipotent villain everyone loved to hate, but who was a great foil to the often-too-pompous Star Trek: The Next Generation cast.

And that’s (God help me) 25.

The Final Inspirational Frontier

Star Trek “Inspirational” Posters. Pretty funny. If I were in the Inspirational Poster biz, I’d be really worried, because the proliferation of this meme as “something to poke fun…

Star Trek “Inspirational” Posters. Pretty funny.

If I were in the Inspirational Poster biz, I’d be really worried, because the proliferation of this meme as “something to poke fun at” is getting pretty wide-spread.

(Of course, I should be worried that not only did I instantly recognize the episode from above, but music and dialog started playing in my head. And I’m pretty certain the fellow’s name wasn’t “Ensign Ricky,” but that makes the joke better.)

(via Amanda)

Star Fleet of the Round Table

Monty Python’s “We’re the Knights of the Round Table,” as (ostensibly) sung by the crew of the original Star Trek. Never mind the Vader thing — this is freaking hilarious….

Monty Python’s “We’re the Knights of the Round Table,” as (ostensibly) sung by the crew of the original Star Trek. Never mind the Vader thing — this is freaking hilarious.

(via Solonor)

TV Time

The latest meme: Bold all the shows you’ve watched at least three full episodes of: 24 7th Heaven Adam-12 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Alias Angel Arrested Development Battlestar Galactica [1 and…

The latest meme: Bold all the shows you’ve watched at least three full episodes of:

24
7th Heaven
Adam-12
Alfred Hitchcock Presents

Alias

Angel

Arrested Development
Battlestar Galactica [1 and 2]

Baywatch

Beverly Hills 90210
Bonanza

Boy Meets World
Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Bug Juice
Chappelle’s Show
Charlie’s Angels

Charmed
Cheers

Columbo

Commander in Chief
Coupling

Cowboy Bebop

CSI: Miami
CSI: NY
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Danny Phantom

Dawson’s Creek
Dead Like Me
Deadwood
Degrassi: The Next Generation
Desperate Housewives
Doctor Who

Entourage
ER
Everwood
Family Guy

Farscape

Father Ted
Fawlty Towers

Felicity
Firefly

Frasier

Friends

Futurama

Get Smart

Gilligan’s Island

Gilmore Girls
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.

Grey’s Anatomy
Gunsmoke

Hannah Montana
Happy Days

Hogan’s Heroes

Home Improvement

Homicide: Life on the Street
House
I Dream of Jeannie

I Love Lucy

Inuyasha
Invader Zim

Invasion
JAG
Jackass
Joey
Little House on the Prairie

Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman

Lost
Lost in Space

Love, American Style

M*A*S*H

MacGyver

Malcolm in the Middle

Married… With Children
Melrose Place
Miami Vice

Mission: Impossible

Monk
My Three Sons
My Two Dads
NCIS
Nip/Tuck
Numb3rs
One Tree Hill
Oz
Perry Mason

Pokemon

Power Rangers

Prison Break
Rescue Me
Roseanne

Roswell

Saved by the Bell
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?

Scrubs
Seinfeld

Sex and the City
Six Feet Under
Smallville

So Weird
South Park

Spongebob Squarepants
Star Trek

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Star Trek: Voyager

Stargate Atlantis
Stargate SG-1

Superman

Supernatural
Surface
Taxi

Teen Titans

That 70’s Show

That’s So Raven
The 4400
The Addams Family

The Andy Griffith Show

The A-Team

The Avengers

The Beverly Hillbillies

The Brady Bunch

The Cosby Show

The Daily Show

The Dead Zone
The Flintstones

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Honeymooners

The Jetsons

The Love Boat

The Munsters

The O.C.
The Office
The Shield
The Simpsons

The Six Million Dollar Man

The Sopranos

The Suite Life of Zack and Cody

The Twilight Zone

The Waltons

The West Wing
The Wonder Years
The X-Files

Third Watch

Three’s Company

Twin Peaks
Veronica Mars
Whose Line is it Anyway?

Will and Grace
Wings

Make of all that what you will.

(via Scott)

A new Star Trek flick?

Word has it that a new ST movie is on the way for 2008. The as-yet-untitled “Star Trek” feature, the 11th since 1979, is aiming for a fall 2008 release…

Word has it that a new ST movie is on the way for 2008.

The as-yet-untitled “Star Trek” feature, the 11th since 1979, is aiming for a fall 2008 release through Paramount Pictures, the Viacom Inc. unit looking to restore its box-office luster under new management, the trade paper said.
The project will be directed by J.J. Abrams, whose
Tom Cruise vehicle “Mission: Impossible III” will be released by Paramount on May 5. Abrams, famed for producing the TV shows “Alias” and “Lost,” will also help write and produce.
Daily Variety said the action would center on the early days of “Star Trek” characters James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock, including their first meeting at Starfleet Academy and first outer-space mission.

It may be that, by breaking away from ties to a particular ongoing TV show (or cast thereof), they might be able to do a decent job. How they will go about recasting Kirk/Spock (and how they’ll do so without drifting into Shatneresque self-parody) will be interesting to see.

(via GeekPress)

Theme sets for TV series

This isn’t exactly a new idea, but it’s one of the bigger pushes for it: the Star Trek “Fan Collective” DVD sets, pulling the “best” episodes from the various ST…

This isn’t exactly a new idea, but it’s one of the bigger pushes for it: the Star Trek “Fan Collective” DVD sets, pulling the “best” episodes from the various ST series that deal with a particular theme. The annouced sets are the Borg and Time Travel. I could imagine “Q” sets and “Data” sets as well (actually, character-focused box sets have been not uncommon on TV DVDs). Or “Klingons.” Or “Omniscient Beings (Other Than Q) That Screw Around With Us.”

Hmmm.

On the one hand, yeah, I could see doing something like that. Certainly I’m not going to go out and buy all the ST series DVD collections, so if I wanted to zero on a particular plot element like this, matrixed collection of this sort makes sense. On the other hand, something like this is more often than not going to be a compromise. An episode will be left out, or two. Or the aftermath of an event (e.g., does the episode detailing Picard’s mental and emotional recovery from being a Borg count? Should it?) or later significant references to it.

Heck, 7-of-9 was a Borg. Any number of Borg-related bits regarding her are going to be left out unless you include quite a few episodes that don’t really focus on the Borg.

Similarly, there’s the risk of highlighting (in an multi-year/multi-series franchise like ST) inconsistencies between presentations of certain things (e.g., the Borg) over the years.

Still, those who are looking for that sort of thing will probably find it the sort of thing they like.

(via Steve)

Geek Rivalries

It’s the Geek Rivalries meme: The rules: You must choose one. If you like both, decide which one you like better. If you don’t like either of them, figure out…

It’s the Geek Rivalries meme:

The rules: You must choose one. If you like both, decide which one you like better. If you don’t like either of them, figure out which you dislike less.

Star Trek or Babylon 5? Babylon 5, no question.
Windows or Linux? Have to go with Windows, since I have no experience with Linux worth mentioning. I certainly root for a strong Linux presence in the marketplace.
Windows or Macintosh? I have a fondness for the Mac going back many years, and design-wise I admire it most. On the other hand, I’m a lot more comfortable with Windows, Have to vote Mac here.
Farscape or Stargate? Farscape. Never have gotten much into Stargate — no particular objection to it, but it seems terribly pedestrian compared to the craziness and cliff-hangers on Farscape. Hmmm. I need to start watching those DVDs I borrowed. In my copious free time.
Linux or BSD? Linux, but that’s splitting hairs.
Intel or AMD? AMD as the underdog. Nothing particularly wrong with either.
Star Trek or Star Wars? Star Trek. Star Wars went wrong exactly where B5 went right: a strong creative vision that drove the final product. ST had no such vision (esp. post-Roddenberry), and so was neither driven marvelously upwards or terribly downwards beyond a single episode or two.
Firefox or Internet Explorer? Firefox, duh.
Firefox or Opera? Firefox, but my experience with Opera has been very limited.
WordPress or Movable Type? Movable Type, but that’s at least in part due to familiarity and commitment. Plenty of good WP sites out there.
Marvel or DC? Marvel still stirs the blood from the old days, but I’ve been enjoying DC more for quite a number of years.
Neanderthal or Neandertal? Neanderthal (I haven’t gotten pedantic enough to pronounce it the latter way_.
Slashdot or Digg? Slashdot, I guess. I don’t really frequent either.
Anime: Dub or Sub? Subtitled, which is one reason I don’t watch as much anime as I’d like.
Dr. Pepper or Mountain Dew? Dr. Pepper, if compelled to choose. I’ll take Coke (or Pepsi) over either.

Some of these are so non-issues to me that it causes me to doubt my geekiness. On the other hand, they didn’t ask about “GURPS or D20?” or “WoW or Everquest?” or “Penny Arcade or PvP?” and the comic book question was terribly simplistic (“Batman or Superman?” “Avengers or JL?” “Thanos or Darkseid?”) so I guess I still have some areas of geekiness I’m more into than the test makers.

Five Guilty Pleasures

Culinary guilt: Mother’s Taffy Cookies Explain yourself: Yes, they are as horrid and tasteless and bad for you as any other mass-produced shelf cookie in the store. But you know…

Culinary guilt: Mother’s Taffy Cookies

Explain yourself: Yes, they are as horrid and tasteless and bad for you as any other mass-produced shelf cookie in the store. But you know that cliche about folks under stress eating a whole pint of ice cream? That’s me and Taffy Cookies. Don’t ask me why.

Literary guilt: Military Space Opera

Explain yourself: Actually, space opera in general, but slap on some military ranks and some technobabble, and I eat it like candy. Yes, I’ll take David Weber over Philip K. Dick or Kurt Vonnegut or William Gibson or Olivia Butler any day. Not that I think that the former is more thoughtful or clever or wise or profound or more likely to be read in fifty years than any of the latter — but I don’t read to be edified, I read (usually) to be entertained. My tastes are quite plebeian, to be honest.

Audiovisual guilt: Nostalgia for 60s-70s TV.

I have a great fondness for the favorite shows of my youth. Actually, they were (mostly) crap. Even the good stuff was (mostly) crap. The last decade has been the golden age of TV SF, for example. Nevertheless, I love watching reruns (or DVDs) of old favorite TV shows from that era, even when they make me cringe. ST:TOS, Buck Rogers, Battlestar Galactica TOS, etc. I channel the little boy I was when those came out and I just can’t help getting giddy. Even over the crap.

It’s not just genre stuff, of course. Gilligan’s Island was, at times, brilliant (and I still sing the songs to the “Hamlet” they did).

Musical guilt: Soundtracks over Music Tracks

Explain yourself: I’d rather listen to the soundtrack of a movie (or TV show) I love than listen to the latest cool tracks downloaded by my various much-more-hip friends.

Actually, that ties into my own personal taste for music, which is, “Anything I’ve heard a lot of already.” When I get a CD (and, yes, I am unhip enough that I have never bought a track via download), I tend to listen to it over and over and over until it’s oozing out of my pores. At which point it’s my faviorite, sound track or not.

I suspect there’s a bit of OCD involved.

Celebrity guilt: Old SF Genre Show Personalities

Explain yourself: For shows of my youth, trivia about the actors therein was — and is — of endless fascination. I’m more fascinated by Frank Gorshin’s appearances as the Riddler on Batman (or Commissioner Bele on ST:TOS) than on what Brittany Paris is doing with Sean Cruise, or whomever are the glitterati of the week. Which is one (sad) reason why I tend to run so many obits here.

(via Brian; LiveJournal folks, there’s a form you can fill in here)

Farewell, G’kar

Andreas Katsulas, RIP. Katsulas had a varied movie and TV career, but the geek factor for him stemmed from … … his portrayal of the One-Armed Man in the Harrison…

Andreas Katsulas, RIP.

Katsulas had a varied movie and TV career, but the geek factor for him stemmed from …

… his portrayal of the One-Armed Man in the Harrison Ford remake of The Fugitive.

… his occasional appearance as Romulan Commander Tomalak on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

… and, most of all, in his pivitol role of Narn Ambassador G’kar on Babylon 5.

The latter was what brought him to my attention. He was one of a very few actors to go through the entire series (1994-98), and his nuanced and evolving character was part of the bedrock of that show. Evidently a consummate professional as an actor, he convincingly carried G’kar along from poncy schemer to fierce warrior to unexpected religious and political icon.

He will be missed, though his work will remain.

The Canon of SF Films

John Scalzi, who’s just publishing the Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies, puts out the canon of most significant SF films: All of this is designed to be both interesting and…

John Scalzi, who’s just publishing the Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies, puts out the canon of most significant SF films:

All of this is designed to be both interesting and informative, but the part of the book that’s going to get most people’s attention — and raise hackles — is The Canon, which features the 50 science fiction films I have deemed to be the most significant in the history of film. Note that “most significant” does not mean “best” or “most popular” or even “most influential.” Some of the films may be all three of these, but not all of them are — indeed, some films in The Canon aren’t objectively very good, weren’t blockbusters and may not have influenced other filmmakers to any significant degree. Be that as it may, I think they matter — in one way or another, they are uniquely representative of some aspect of the science fiction film experience.

Scalzi had final say on the list (reasons for each are in the book), but he solicited input from others. His list (with the ones I’ve seen in bold):

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension!
Akira
Alien
Aliens
Alphaville
Back to the Future
Blade Runner
Brazil
Bride of Frankenstein
Brother From Another Planet
A Clockwork Orange
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Contact
The Damned
Destination Moon
The Day The Earth Stood Still
Delicatessen
Escape From New York
ET: The Extraterrestrial
Flash Gordon: Space Soldiers (serial)
The Fly (1985 version)
Forbidden Planet
Ghost in the Shell
Gojira/Godzilla
The Incredibles
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956 version)
Jurassic Park
Mad Max 2/The Road Warrior
The Matrix
Metropolis
On the Beach
Planet of the Apes (1968 version)
Robocop
Sleeper
Solaris (1972 version)
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
The Stepford Wives
Superman
Terminator 2: Judgement Day
The Thing From Another World
Things to Come
Tron
12 Monkeys
28 Days Later
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
2001: A Space Odyssey
La Voyage Dans la Lune
War of the Worlds (1953 version)

An interesting list. One could do worse than bringing those along on desert island exercise.

(via BoingBoing)

The Top Sci-Fi

Yet another lengthy list of the Top 50 SF Shows of All Time. Not bad, but … Les is irked by ST:TOS making #1 on the list. As a ground-breaker,…

Yet another lengthy list of the Top 50 SF Shows of All Time. Not bad, but …

Les is irked by ST:TOS making #1 on the list. As a ground-breaker, and as ongoing (if more than a bit cheesy) entertainment, I don’t cavil at that nod. However …
ST:TNG as #3? Give me a break. Especially with …
B5 as #5? B5 is not without faults, especially early on, but season by season it beat the pants off of TNG for story, characterization, and sfx.
Battlestar Galactica (the new one) is certainly worthy, but it’s way too early on (and we’re way too close to it) to give it the #2 place.
For the record, Xena was fantasy, not sf. Actually, Twilight Zone was fantasy at least as often, but I’m willing to stretch the point. For that matter, Quantum Leap was pretty much fantasy, too. As was Buffy (which gets beat by … Andromeda?!)
Alien Nation should have ranked higher (certainly much higher than Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea).
Firefly (#17) gets beat out by ST:Voyager (#14) and, for the love of God, Logan’s Run (#15)? Jesus wept.

Okay, so it is kind of bad. But rantworthy, which is almost as good, and it’s an fun list to read through (if you ignore the order).

Star Trek Business Cards

Too. Much. Fun. (via BoingBoing)…

Too. Much. Fun.

(via BoingBoing)

Good-night, Scotty

RIP, James Doohan. He’d been in failing health for some time. A WWII vet (and D-Day survivor), he was a talented voice artist (and did a number of voices on…

RIP, James Doohan. He’d been in failing health for some time.

A WWII vet (and D-Day survivor), he was a talented voice artist (and did a number of voices on Star Trek besides the one he was famous for, usually the big, booming disembodied ones like the Guardian of Forever and Sargon, as well as dozens of others on the animated series), but he’ll always be the passionately geeky and stand-up Star Fleet engineer Mr. Scott to me.

(via BoingBoing)

Riddle me this

According to the Dead People Server, Frank Gorshin passed away yesterday. One of my favorite character actors from days gone by (particular his work in Batman, of course, not to…

According to the Dead People Server, Frank Gorshin passed away yesterday. One of my favorite character actors from days gone by (particular his work in Batman, of course, not to mention his Emmy-nominated turn on Star Trek), it’s a shame to see him go.

Babylon Trek

From Joe Straczynski’s B5JMS group (Digest Vol. 24, Iss. 4): I don’t normally do this…in fact, I don’t think I’ve ever done this in any group before, because I’ve always…

From Joe Straczynski’s B5JMS group (Digest Vol. 24, Iss. 4):

I don’t normally do this…in fact, I don’t think I’ve ever done this in any group before, because I’ve always kind of waited to make sure it was worth doing, and that it would make a difference.

I’m sending this to both the B5 folks reading this and any Trek fans looking on.

Continue reading “Babylon Trek”

It’s dim, Jed

Enterprise has been cancelled, ending 18 years of various Star Trek shows. I wish I could say I was heartbroken — but maybe that’s indicative of the problem. Some folks…

Enterprise has been cancelled, ending 18 years of various Star Trek shows.

I wish I could say I was heartbroken — but maybe that’s indicative of the problem.

Some folks are coming up with suggestions for how to revive the franchise, though.

(via The Beat)

Katherine X

Okay, home sick today (rrg), watching the Star Trek Season 1 DVD set I got from my folks (thanks, guys!). Strip out the “love-sick adolescence” bit, and Katherine behaves a…

Okay, home sick today (rrg), watching the Star Trek Season 1 DVD set I got from my folks (thanks, guys!).

Strip out the “love-sick adolescence” bit, and Katherine behaves a lot like Charlie X. Or the other way around.

Makes me glad she wasn’t raised by ultra-powerful aliens who could teach her how to make things Go Away.

What a difference a decade makes

An striking (if narrow) video look at the difference between the George W. Bush of ten years ago — as a candidate for Texas governor — and the sitting candidate…

An striking (if narrow) video look at the difference between the George W. Bush of ten years ago — as a candidate for Texas governor — and the sitting candidate for president today.

In the July/August Atlantic, James Fallows wrote an illuminating piece on the then-upcoming debates between George W. Bush and John Kerry. For his article, rather than talking to campaign spinners for each side and reporting what they said, he dove into the archival record of each man’s debates, and made an astonishing discovery: 10 years ago, George W. Bush was an articulate, forceful debater. Tough to believe, but when Fallows reviewed the tapes of Bush’s 1994 debate with Anne Richards, he found that not only did Bush win the debate, but he spoke well.

And, yes, the video shows a bold, forceful, polished speaker at the Texas debate, a true “Yale graduate and Harvard MBA” — intercut with more recent appearances of a greyer, slower, more word-stumbling Dubya as we’ve come to know him.

Pre-senile dementia, as one quoted doctor suggests? It seems far too easy to toss around diagnoses like that with limited proof (and in the course of a couple of edited minutes of video) — though the question of when Alzheimers began to strike down Ronald Reagan — and who knew about it at the time — should make us at least a little careful.

Still, the Bush of a decade ago was “merely” a candidate. He could rest, prepare, focus on debate speeches to his heart’s content. The Bush of today has, at a minimum, gone through three years of one of the toughest jobs on the planet, one well known for wearing down and aging a man (take a look at Bill Clinton in 2000 vs. Bill Clinton in 1990 as an example, though you can see it in pretty much all presidents). For all that people joke about it, Bush still has that job, and its effect on his ability to focus on debate prep has to be substantial.

It is ironic that while some folks attack Bush as someone who’s always been dim, poorly spoken, and a dolt, the video’s hypothesis is that, only a decade ago, he was sharp, fluent, and erudite, and only now is dim, poorly spoken, and a dolt. Despite the “before” and “after” clips being highly selective, it does make one wonder.

Of course, now I’m waiting for the John Gill comparisons (“with Skip Homeier as Karl Rove!”) …

(via BoingBoing)

“I canna change the laws o’ physics!”

Nor of biology, alas. James “Scotty” Doohan gave his last con appearance over the weekend, and Tuesday will mark his final planned public appearance, as he accepts a star on…

Nor of biology, alas. James “Scotty” Doohan gave his last con appearance over the weekend, and Tuesday will mark his final planned public appearance, as he accepts a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The 84-year-old actor, who played “Scotty” on the ’60s TV series, decided to retire after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease several months ago. He blew kisses to a crowd of Trekkie faithful gathered at Sunday’s finale of a two-day tribute held at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel.
Doohan, who also has Parkinson’s disease and diabetes, mingled with fans at the convention and spoke at a news conference between Scotty impersonation contests and a panel discussion titled, “The Influence of Scotty on Society.”

Scotty was always one of my favorites, too often pushed out of the spotlight by the Big Three, but, on those occasions when he got to be in charge, or got a good line — “Wolf in the Fold,” “The Trouble with Tribbles,” “Mirror, Mirror,” “Friday’s Child” come immediately to mind — always showing fiery determination, an effacing sense of humor, and a deep loyalty to Star Fleet, his ship, and his Captain. That was Doohan’s doing, and he was a fine character actor and, from all I’ve read, quite a nice fellow. He’ll be missed.