Of Movies And Cubes

posted by Tygrrius @ 5:02 PM

"Thanks to my solid academic training, today I can write hundreds of words on virtually any topic without possessing a shred of information which is how I got a good job in journalism."
--Dave Barry (Dave Barry is from Mars and Venus)

I need a break from what I'm supposed to be working on right now, so I thought I'd come by and ramble on for a bit about nothing in particular.

It's funny, when this year started, I was most excited about seeing Star Trek XI, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, The Dark Knight, and Get Smart, in that order. Now, the list has almost turned upside down.

Star Trek XI was bumped to next year, so that's out of the running for now. The Indy IV teaser trailer seems to have deflated some of my enthusiasm for that movie. I'm still looking forward to it, just not as much for some reason. The death of Heath Ledger has dampened my enthusiasm for The Dark Knight.

That leaves Get Smart as my most anticipated movie for this year. All of the clips I've seen from this one, in both trailers, have looked fantastic. Both Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway seem to be taking the right approach to the characters. Who knows what I'll be doing three months from now, but I sure plan to find the time to have a seat in a theater that weekend to check this one out.

Of course, there is also the unexpected gift of Star Wars: The Clone Wars this year, but that animated movie just doesn't take the spotlight away from Get Smart for me. Besides Star Trek in 2009, a movie I'm really waiting for is the sequel to Superman Returns - maybe 2010.

* * *

Do you know that I have two, count them, two Rubik's cubes here on my desk? One is the standard version and the other is a miniature keychain version. Both share one thing in common, though: They are unsolved. They will likely remain that way, too, as the only reliable way I've found of solving a Rubik's cube is to disassemble and reassemble it. (Sure, you could take the stickers off and reapply them, but that's not a very elegant approach.) The only other way I've found is to work step-by-step through a solution book or site. It's a lot more efficient to just disassemble it, though.

I found that trick in a solution book I read when I was a kid. I also worked through the manual solution portion, but found the disassembly trick to be a lot more convenient. It all comes down to the fact that, when it comes to Rubik's cubes, I'm pretty much an idiot. I've never been able to beat the cube without cheating. I doubt that will change anytime soon. Maybe I should get one of those new 2x2 versions - but what if I can't even solve that? Better not to know.

The Essential Star Trek (Part 3)

posted by Tygrrius @ 6:45 PM

"In every revolution, there's one man with a vision."
--Captain James T. Kirk (Star Trek, "Mirror, Mirror")

Last year, I started a list of the must-see episodes of the original Star Trek.

· The Essential Star Trek: Part 1
· The Essential Star Trek: Part 2

Here is part three of that four-part series. As before, episodes are in production order—which I recommend for best understanding the evolution of the series and characters. Disc references are to the DVD season sets released in 2004.

#35 The Doomsday Machine
Season 2, Disc 2
"The Doomsday Machine" was one of those episodes that could have been expanded into a breathtaking film. The Enterprise encounters a robotic "planet killer" capable of destroying entire solar systems. Already crippled by the planet killer is the USS Constellation; her sole survivor is her commander, Commodore Matt Decker. Decker is obsessed with destroying the ultimate weapon.

While "The Doomsday Machine" is full of effects, ultimately the top-notch writing and acting have made the episode so memorable over the years. "You mean you're the lunatic who's responsible for almost destroying my ship?" demands Kirk of Decker at one point after he assumes command of the Enterprise and takes her on a suicide attack run.

Decker later pilots a shuttlecraft into the machine's maw. When contemplating the death of his friend, Kirk says, "He gave his life in an attempt to save others. Not the worst way to go." Appropriate from the man who would years later give his own life to save millions in Star Trek Generations.

#39 Mirror, Mirror
Season 2, Disc 1
Kirk, McCoy, Uhura, and Scott are victims of a transporter mishap and arrive in a parallel universe where the Federation is a savage empire, and Kirk rose to command the Enterprise by assassinating Captain Pike.

Besides displaying the "evil" alter egos of various crewmembers, this episode contains lots of attention to detail. The Enterprise sets are redressed to represent the mirror version of the ship. Uniforms are also slightly redesigned, giving a feeling of authenticity to the episode.

While most things in the mirror universe are inverted, it is notable that the Halkans - the residents of the dilithium-rich planet in dispute - are a peace-loving people in both universes.

This is a standout episode for Uhura, who unfortunately was rarely featured the way she is here. She outwits the mirror Sulu and even beats the "Captain's Woman." Truly a fun episode.

#40 The Deadly Years
Season 2, Disc 3
After visiting a planet near the Romulan neutral zone, Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scott, and Galway experience rapid aging. The only member of the landing party not affected is Chekov. McCoy runs multiple tests on him to determine why he's immune to the condition, allowing Walter Koenig to provide comic relief.

William Shatner's portrayal of the aging Kirk is quite convincing, which makes the episode all the more realistic. Fantastic makeup effects by Fred B. Phillips also convey the illusion of age. McCoy takes on a thicker-and-thicker Southern accent as he ages, in a wonderful performance by DeForest Kelley. He says, "I'm not a magician, Spock. Just an old country doctor."

"Yes, as I had always suspected," retorts Spock.

To top it all off, there's a showdown with the Romulans. "The Deadly Years" even includes references to previous episodes ("Balance of Terror" and "The Corbomite Maneuver"), a rare touch for the original series. All in all, an episode I'll remember in my old age . . . which won't be for some while I hope.

#42 The Trouble With Tribbles
Season 2, Disc 4
Many episodes of Star Trek had comedic moments, for humor was always an integral part of the original series. However, the show only had three episodes that I would consider outright comedies: "I, Mudd," "The Trouble With Tribbles," and "A Piece Of The Action." Though all are worthy episodes, the most effective of these comedies is "The Trouble With Tribbles."

The Enterprise visits a space station to protect a special shipment of a wheat-like grain from the Klingons. On the station, Uhura is given a small, furry animal called a tribble. Though they seem to make great pets, tribbles consume lots of food and give birth to new tribbles almost constantly. There are lots of great moments in this episode. The banter between Spock and McCoy is some of the best in the series. Spock also gets to display his dry wit.

Kirk: "I heard you."
Spock: "He simply could not believe his ears."

While some people seem to enjoy making fun of Star Trek's original effects, there are actually some great shots in this episode of the Enterprise approaching and later leaving the space station.

#44 Journey To Babel
Season 2, Disc 3
Spock's father takes ill aboard the Enterprise after becoming the prime suspect in a murder investigation. Though they would later appear in the films, "Journey to Babel" is the first and only episode of the original Star Trek to feature Spock's parents. His Vulcan father, Sarek (Mark Lenard), and his human mother, Amanda (Jane Wyatt), display both extremes of his own personality.

In case you were wondering why they didn't show up a few episodes back for the important Vulcan ritual in "Amok Time," we learn that Spock and his father have been feuding for eighteen years over his decision to enroll at Starfleet Academy rather than the Vulcan Science Academy. This episode also marks the first time that Kirk meets Spock's parents, so it will be interesting to see if this remains the case with the Star Trek XI prequel.

#47 Obsession
Season 2, Disc 4
While "Journey To Babel" is an important Spock episode, "Obsession" is an important Kirk episode. It reveals more of Kirk's past, namely his time as a Lieutenant aboard the USS Farragut. When a malevolent, gas-like being attacked the Farragut, the young Kirk hesitated for a split second before firing phasers. Since that time, he has blamed himself for the subsequent loss of life. When the Enterprise crew encounters a similar cloud, Kirk seemingly becomes obsessed with hunting it down.

Scott is extremely pushy and annoying in this episode, constantly reminding Kirk that the Enterprise needs to rendezvous with the Yorktown to pick up perishable medical supplies. He even breaks in on a communication that Kirk is having with someone else to remind him of this. Kirk shows a lot of restraint by not throwing him in the brig.

While one minor character is annoying, another one getting the rare chance to shine offsets it as Nurse Chapel uses a prescription card bluff to get her way with a patient.

#48 The Immunity Syndrome
Season 2, Disc 5
This is a terrific but often overlooked episode that aired just three months after the similarly-themed "The Doomsday Machine." While "The Doomsday Machine" featured a planet killer constructed by a warring civilization, "The Immunity Syndrome" features a naturally-occurring, living organism that presents as much, if not more, of a threat. The gigantic "space amoeba" of this episode can reproduce, resulting in enough offspring to destroy the entire galaxy. Like "The Trouble With Tribbles," this episode contains some of the best effects work of the original series.

When the USS Intrepid goes missing, the Enterprise is diverted from shore leave to find out what happened. Fearful of facing the same fate as the doomed Intrepid, some suggest fleeing the area. "Our orders do not say 'stay alive' or 'retreat.' Our mission is to investigate," Kirk admonishes them. They soon discover they are being drawn towards the space amoeba.

McCoy, Spock, and Kirk argue with each other over which of them gets to take on the suicide mission of investigating further with a shuttlecraft. The episode includes some classic McCoy vs. Spock moments, and the Vulcan seems quite pleased when Kirk picks him over McCoy for the mission. Spock points out that it is not the first time that superior capability has won out over higher credentials. It's a bumpy ride as Spock flies into the amoeba, and he notes, "Oh, and Dr. McCoy, you would not have survived it."

"Wanna bet?" Bones answers.

When the Enterprise takes the shuttle in a tractor beam (against Scott's wishes, I might add, for the chief engineer appeared perfectly content to leave Spock behind), Spock complains that they should release the shuttlecraft rather than risk the starship to save him. "Shut up, Spock. We're rescuing you," McCoy tells him.

Sounding almost amused, Spock actually gives in, "Why thank you, Captain McCoy."

#49 A Piece Of The Action
Season 2, Disc 5
The Enterprise discovers a planet of mobsters who have patterned their lives on a book called Chicago Mobs of the Twenties. The book was among the items left behind by the USS Horizon, which visited about a hundred years ago and prior to the adoption of the non-interference directive. It's up to Kirk, Spock, and McCoy to undo some of the damage.

William Shatner proves yet again that he's great with comedy, when given the right material. As Spock, Leonard Nimoy is the ultimate straight man. In fact, much of the back and forth between Kirk and Spock in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, the pinnacle of Star Trek comedy, is reminiscent of "A Piece Of The Action."

After riding along in a 1920s style car driven in fits and starts by Kirk, Spock dryly notes, "Captain, you are an excellent starship commander but as a taxi driver, you leave much to be desired."

Later, when they need the car again, Spock hesitates and notes that it's not as safe as walking.

"Are you afraid of cars?" asks Kirk.

"Not at all. It's your driving that alarms me."

The mildly insulted look on Kirk's face after Spock's retort is priceless, as is this episode.

How To Spend An Extra Day

posted by Tygrrius @ 11:05 AM

"The only thing worse than watching a bad movie is being in one."
--Elvis Presley

Finally, February is over and spring is almost here. Now that we've made it to another month, it's time for me to once again apologize for neglecting this section of The Film Frontier. I've had a hard enough time keeping up with all of the news lately, much less add in reviews and my idiosyncratic thoughts on life.

Though I'm no fan of February, it does have one redeeming factor: Leap Day. I spent part of 2008's extra day watching Superman Returns. February 29 is Superman's kinda-sorta birthday, after all. It's been nearly a year since I last watched this movie and I continue to be impressed by it. I hope that both Bryan Singer and Brandon Routh will return for a sequel within the next two or three years. I've seen rumors on both sides, but no confirmation either way.

I also watched some Star Trek episodes on Leap Day. No real connection there, I just felt like watching. I watched the original versions of "The Apple," "Mirror, Mirror," and "The Deadly Years." Turns out that "The Apple" is also this weekend's episode of Star Trek: Remastered. This means I won't be watching, though, because "The Apple" isn't an episode I could watch twice in the same weekend.

No Star Wars on Friday, but I did sneak in an Elvis movie - Harum Scarum. Definitely not one of his best, but interesting to me as an Elvis fan since I haven't watched it in a long time. Mary Ann Mobley sure made a beautiful princess in 1965. Earlier that same year, she had a smaller role in another Elvis movie, Girl Happy.

When I was a kid, the local UHF syndicated station seemed to show Elvis movie marathons nearly every Saturday afternoon. Coming from a family of Elvis fans, I spent a lot of time watching them. I won't lie to you and tell you that Elvis made the best movies, but most of them do have a quirky fun about them. He had a real gift for comedy that a lot of the mainstream really doesn't know about. Check out Viva Las Vegas, for instance.

Elvis made 31 movies as an actor, but some of them seemed to turn up on those Saturday afternoons more often than others. Harum Scarum and Easy Come, Easy Go, for instance received a lot more airplay back then than, say, Jailhouse Rock or Change of Habit.

When the UHF station wasn't playing Elvis movies, it filled Saturday afternoons with Godzilla and other monster movies instead. I watched a lot of those, too. My favorite of these was Godzilla vs. King Kong-mostly because of the epic nature of such a bout. Elvis never made any monster movies, but it sure would've been cool to see him take down Godzilla with a karate chop and then nurse the beast's wounds with a song in Elvis vs. Godzilla. You know, maybe I watched too much TV as a kid.

Hey, I wonder if Quantum Leap fans use Leap Day to celebrate their franchise? There's even an Elvis connection to Quantum Leap. The last episode before the series finale featured Sam leaping into the body of none other than Elvis Presley, on the brink of being discovered. Though filled with inaccuracies regarding Elvis, it's still a fun episode.

One neat bit of trivia is that when Sam looks in the mirror to see the face of the body into which he has leaped, Elvis is portrayed by Michael St. Gerard - who had also played him on the short-lived but excellent ABC television series Elvis. He also appeared as Elvis in the Jerry Lee Lewis biopic Great Balls of Fire. St. Gerard actually looks enough like Elvis that my local paper once accidentally put a small picture of him next to an article about the real Elvis, with the caption: "Presley."

Due to an unforeseen circumstance, I had the day off on Leap Day this year (though I probably would've requested it off anyway), but doesn't it seem that Leap Day should be a worldwide holiday for everyone?

Does your employer or school really deserve an extra day of your life? It's the perfect day to catch up on time, life, and movies. Let's start the Leap Day Holiday movement right here on The Film Frontier. We'll all work really hard on it - every four years or so.

The Film Frontier 2007 Christmas Gift Guide

posted by Tygrrius @ 4:57 AM

It's December already, so that means it's time for The Film Frontier's annual Christmas Gift Guide for the Star Trek, Superman, and Star Wars fans in your life.

Gifts for Star Trek fans

Star Trek: Academy-Collision Course by William Shatner and Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens: Due mostly to school, which took away much of my leisure reading and blogging time, I've not finished reading this one yet. The good news is, I'm on winter break as of yesterday so look for a review soon. In the tenth novel of their team-up, Shatner and the Reeves-Stevens set the clock back to the 23rd century and we see the first meeting of Kirk and Spock prior to their time at Starfleet Academy. This is not to be confused with JJ Abrams' Star Trek Babies (AKA Star Trek XI), which hits theaters next Christmas.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan-USS Enterprise 16" electronic starship: For those of us who are not model-building experts, those frustrating days of attempting to align our warp nacelles while trying not to pass out from glue fumes are over. Continuing their "starship legends" line, Art Asylum has released a Star Trek II version of the USS Enterprise. Yes, technically the Star Trek II version of the ship could just as easily be called the Star Trek: The Motion Picture version, but Star Trek II is the superior movie, after all, and is celebrating its 25th anniversary. If you can't find the Enterprise at your local toy store, StarTrek.com has it a reasonable price. I have the Star Trek IV (or was it Star Trek VI?) version of the Enterprise-A by Art Asylum. It's not perfect, but it at least allows me to continue procrastinating on that Polar Lights Enterprise-A model kit currently sitting in my closet.

Star Trek: The Original Series-Remastered 10-disc set: All 29 episodes of the 1966-1967 first season of the original Star Trek are presented in remastered, high definition format with new special effects. For most, this HD DVD/DVD combo set is a budget-buster, but it is certainly worth buying if you can squeeze it in. On the plus side, this new set has led to massive price reductions on the unaltered episodes released on DVD back in 2004. In fact, you could actually buy your favorite Star Trek fan all three unaltered seasons for about the same price as this one remastered season. Take your pick, as both incarnations feature Star Trek at its best.

Gifts for Superman fans

Action Comics and Superman comic book subscriptions: Though it seems it will be years before the next Superman movie, keep up with his monthly adventures in Action Comics, Superman, and other titles without the hassle of visiting a comic book store. The DC Comics subscription service delivers issues to your door only a couple weeks after they arrive in stores and at less than cover price.

Superman vs. Doomsday Collector's Action Figure Box Set: These action figures of Superman and Doomsday are sculpted to look like the comic book art from The Death of Superman, a reprint of which is also included in the set. Be warned that there's also a Superman: Doomsday action figure set floating around out there with the figures sculpted to look like the awful 2007 direct-to-DVD movie.

Superman: The Ultimate Collector's Edition 14-DVD set: This is the one holdover from last year's list. Since it completely sold out last Christmas, Warner Home Video re-released this set in May of this year. You can still find it in stores now. It includes Superman Returns, all four Christopher Reeve Superman movies, Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, and tons of other features. Value-priced at well under $100, this is a must-have for all Superman movie fans.

Gifts for Star Wars fans

Star Wars stamps: This year, Star Wars finally joined the ranks of Superman, Star Trek, George Washington, Elvis Presley, Ronald Reagan, and other legends. Star Wars imagery now graces official US postage stamps. Choose from a sheet of 15 different images or a sheet of 20 Yoda stamps. Both should still be available at your local post office, or order online from the United States Postal Service.

R2-KT action figure: Sales of this action figure, which honors a young Star Wars fan who passed away in 2005, benefit the Make-A-Wish foundation. Click the link to read more about the story behind R2-KT. The limited edition figure is still available from Hasbro's online store.

The Making of Star Wars book by J.W. Rinzler: An in-depth account of the making of George Lucas' 1977 classic, Star Wars. Features many never-before-published interviews conducted prior to the movie's release. This is the definitive look at the movie that started it all, and a must-have for Star Wars fans that enjoy going beyond just watching the film.

In Search Of . . . Sci Fi Channel

posted by Tygrrius @ 4:18 PM

Wow, seems like forever since I've had time to work on the site. I was in a minor car accident last week that sidelined me from the computer for a bit. Let's just say that a minor accident can result in a major pain in the neck.

On the plus side, I was able to use some of my non-computer time vegging out in front of the TV watching digital cable. The price of digital cable dropped within a dollar or two of our standard cable rate so we finally took the plunge. We also sprung for the HD package while we were at it. It's nice to be using our HD television to its full advantage after owning it for over three years. It is not without coincidence that the classic Star Wars trilogy first hit DVD just over three years ago, I might add.

Anyway, the hookup was so simple for digital cable that parts of it refused to work. We had four service calls in three days. And six different boxes. It does work now, though. They even threw in free DVR for awhile. Yeah, I know it's a trick. Get us hooked on it for free and then take it away until we pay. Still, it's pretty cool. No more missing Star Trek: Remastered by forgetting to tape it in the wee hours of the morning!

The Sci Fi Channel still eludes me, though. For years, my cable company didn't offer it at all. Finally, the Sci Fi Channel arrived (I may have even written a letter, I used to do that kind of thing). It wasn't long, though, before they made it exclusive to the digital cable package.

About five years ago, I moved across town. On this side of town, Sci Fi Channel was still part of standard cable. I was back in! Again, it was short-lived. The cable provider from the other side of town bought this one, and moved Sci Fi over to digital only.

So, finally, I have digital cable and . . . still no Sci Fi Channel. It seems Sci Fi Channel was bumped up to a higher package of digital cable than we have. I am quite certain that were we to upgrade to that package, Sci Fi would move yet again.

Oh well, it is not meant to be. Most of the shows I wanted to watch on Sci Fi Channel I own on DVD these days anyway: Star Trek, Twilight Zone and Buck Rogers. I still wouldn't mind flipping by an occasional episode of The Incredible Hulk or Knight Rider, though. Just for old time's sake.

Speaking of Star Trek, I can hardly believe that I'll be watching Star Trek: The Menagerie in a movie theater in just a couple of days. It'll be great to see Shatner, Nimoy, and Kelley together again on the big screen. Star Trek movies just haven't been the same without that trio. I don't think we can give them enough credit for the greatest series ever.

Will Pine, Quinto, and Urban be able to recapture that magic for a new generation? Let's hope they check out Star Trek: The Menagerie for a look at how the masters did it.

Galloping Around the Cosmos

posted by Tygrrius @ 9:18 AM

Wow, I can still hardly believe it. Star Trek has a new cast.

I know, it may not seem like such a novel concept anymore to announce a new Star Trek cast. In the last twenty years, we've had four new casts prior to this one.

This is different, though. This cast simply isn't playing previously unknown characters in the Star Trek universe. We're not talking inventing roles like Picard, Sisko, Janeway, or Archer here.

We're talking about reinventing true legends now. After 41 years, we have a new James T. Kirk.

A new Spock. A new McCoy.

And new faces for Scotty, Uhura, Chekov, and Sulu as well.

Now that director JJ Abrams has found his Kirk, Star Trek XI is finally real. After twenty years of occasionally entertaining but more often nauseating sequels and prequels featuring other characters, Star Trek is going back to its foundation.

Not everyone is happy about this, of course. TNG fans are understandably disappointed that their franchise has been put on hold. To them, I say, be patient. I still do not think we have seen the final TNG adventure. Let us TOS fans take the ol' girl out for a few spins around the block first, though.

In the comment sections of Star Trek mega-sites like TrekWeb.com and TrekMovie.com, some extremely vocal William Shatner fans are disappointed that he apparently will not be in the new movie alongside Leonard Nimoy--who will appear in an integral role as an older Spock. Some have so narrowed their stance on this issue that it won't even be enough for Shatner to be in the movie, but his appearance also has to somehow undo Kirk's 24th century death in Star Trek Generations.

Anyone who spends any time on The Film Frontier knows that I'm a William Shatner fan. Kirk is my favorite character and Shatner is, of course, a huge part of that. Though Gene Roddenberry may have created the character, William Shatner is the man whose talents breathed life into Kirk and gave him a soul.

That's why it's hard for many of my fellow fans to let go. They want Shatner's Kirk to live forever, and I understand that feeling.

Here's the thing, though. For the first time in twenty years, we have an entirely new creative team working on Star Trek XI. Abrams and writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci have a story to tell.

As fans, rather than thrusting pointless ultimatums in their faces, let's give them room to tell their story. It is not up to Abrams, Kurtzman, and Orci to fix what some perceive as the mistakes of the past. They did not, after all, kill Kirk in Star Trek Generations.

Unless undoing Kirk's death is the story they intend to tell, and I doubt it, I am against wedging this sort of fan-demanded subplot into the movie. If this recasting of legends is to work, the Star Trek XI creative team has to tell the very best story possible. It has to be one that they believe in. Let's give them a chance to do that. Sit back and allow their movie to entertain you (or not) based on its own merit.

The original Star Trek series and movies take place in the 23rd century. Star Trek: The Next Generation, its movies, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager all take place in the 24th century. The more recent Star Trek: Enterprise takes place in the 22nd century.

Though official plot details are few, it is probably safe to assume, based on the characters and ages of the cast, that Star Trek XI will shift the focus of the Star Trek timeline back to the 23rd century. Will we be in the same universe or an alternate one? Only time will tell.

The point is, though, what does it matter anymore if Kirk is alive at the end of the 24th century? He's very much alive in the 23rd century, his most interesting adventures take place in the 23rd century, and that's where Star Trek is once again focused.

Those who have fought for so long for the return of Kirk have won, and they don't even realize it.

* * *

The legacy of Shatner's Kirk is firmly established in 100 live-action and animated episodes, seven movies, and hundreds of novel, comic book, and other tales. In less than a month, Star Trek: The Menagerie will even hit theaters for a limited engagement--though tripled due to higher than expected ticket demand.

No matter what happens in Star Trek XI or any other movie, Shatner's Kirk will live forever.

The Essential Star Trek (Part 2)

posted by Tygrrius @ 7:32 AM

Back in April, I started listing what I consider the "must see" episodes of classic Star Trek. Since then, you have been anxiously waiting for the next installment. Finally, your wait is over. Here is part two of that four-part series.

As before, episodes are in production order--which I recommend for best understanding the evolution of the series and characters. Disc references are to the 2004 season sets.

#18 The Squire Of Gothos
Season 1, Disc 5
A fun adventure of the kind that only classic Trek can pull off, this episode features Trelane--a godlike being who amuses himself by toying with Kirk and his crew. Though "The Squire of Gothos" is a superior tale, it is reminiscent of "Charlie X" only ten episodes earlier. Trelane (William Campbell) is just a slightly older version of Charlie Evans, yet just as immature. Even the ending is remarkably similar.

The childish god theme often recurs on Star Trek. Trelane later inspired the character of Q (John de Lancie) on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Some fans theorize that Trelane is actually a member of the Q Continuum, while others theorize that the writers of early TNG episodes had few original ideas.

#19 Arena
Season 1, Disc 5
One of the most action-packed episodes of Star Trek, "Arena" has it all: ground combat, ship-to-ship combat, and, finally, man-to-man combat (or man-to-Gorn combat, as the case may be). This is one of many episodes that disprove one of the two great myths about James T. Kirk, in this case that he shoots first and asks questions later.

And I have to give the creators some credit for attempting a truly alien species with the reptilian Gorn. Sure, we all know it's just a guy in a rubber suit but I still find it far more effective than the nose-job-of-the-week that certain other shows with "Star Trek" in the title tend to feature as "aliens."

#24 Space Seed
Season 1, Disc 6
"Space Seed" begins a string of five top-notch episodes produced in a row, near the end of the first season. No big surprise that this episode, featuring Khan Noonian Singh (Ricardo Montalban), makes the list. Without it, we would not have the greatest Trek of them all, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. It's not just its movie sequel that makes "Space Seed" compelling, though. Montalban's performance in this episode is effective and chilling.

Unlike the movie, we even get to see a Kirk versus Khan face-off. Let's just say the winner isn't afraid to pick up the 23rd century equivalent of a club and beat his physically stronger opponent to the ground in order to save his ship. Plus, the ending sets up the movie so well that you'd almost think they planned it -- except for the fact that the movie was made 15 years later by an entirely different creative team.

Oh, and for you nitpickers out there, it is quite true that Chekov (Walter Koenig) does not appear in this episode though Khan recognizes him in Star Trek II. Though Koenig didn't join the series until the second season, there's absolutely no reason to think that Chekov could not have been aboard the Enterprise during this time.

They did not, after all, trot out each of the 430 people on board in every episode. Khan memorizes the ship's schematics and, evidently, the crew rosters. Even in this episode, he recognizes Lieutenant Marla McGivers (who sets the women's lib movement back about 300 years, by the way) without having previously met her. So, take that you nitpickers.

#25 This Side Of Paradise
Season 1, Disc 6
After being infected by strange spores on planet Omicron Ceti III, Spock experiences happiness and love for the first time. The spores eventually infect the entire crew of the Enterprise, who mutiny and beam down to live on the planet. Kirk is left alone on his ship, but soon becomes infected as well. This is a key episode for the character of Spock. I always hated this one as a kid ("the one where Spock climbs the tree"), but I've grown to appreciate it in my adult years.

#26 The Devil In The Dark
Season 1, Disc 7
Again, the "shoot first, ask questions later" reputation is refuted here as Kirk seeks out and protects new life. Though Kirk uses violence when necessary to defend his ship and crew (unless he thinks their sacrifice is for a greater good), he doesn't tend to go in with guns blazing. In "The Devil In The Dark," it is notable that Kirk seems to reach a kind of understanding and bond with the Horta, even before Spock comes along, and won't allow the angry miners to kill it.

#27 Errand Of Mercy
Season 1, Disc 7
"Errand of Mercy" is notable for the first appearance of the Klingons, though the Organians take all the fun out of their impending war with the Federation ("Effects sequence narrowly averted"). This includes a classic Kirk line, "I'm a soldier, not a diplomat," a bit of a take-off on McCoy's "I'm a doctor, not a ...." catchphrase. Jon Colicos guest stars as Kor, perhaps the best portrayal of a Klingon on the original television series.

#28 The City On The Edge Of Forever
Season 1, Disc 7
By law, I am required to mention this episode in my "Best of Star Trek" list. I generally hate going with the masses, but sometimes the masses are right. This is a terrific installment, and a key one for Kirk. In a career of great work as Kirk, this is one of William Shatner's finest performances.

Incidentally, Kirk's other undeserved reputation is that he goes after every green-skinned babe that happens along. This episode is a rare case where Kirk is shown falling in love, for "The City On The Edge Of Forever" is ultimately a Star Trek style romance. It's interesting that Kirk's true love interests are always quite intelligent, not space bimbos. The example here is Edith Keeler (Joan Collins). Another example is Dr. Carol Marcus (Bibi Besch) in Star Trek II.

#31 Metamorphosis
Season 2, Disc 3
It's another Star Trek romance as we meet warp-drive creator Zefram Cochrane of Alpha Centauri, thought to have been dead for 150 years. Cochrane (Glenn Corbett) has been marooned on a small planetoid and cared for by "The Companion," an energy life form.

When Cochrane mentions that he will die without human contact, the Companion crashes an Enterprise shuttlecraft with Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Commissioner Nancy Hedford aboard so that he won't be lonely. Though honored to meet the legend, Kirk isn't inclined to spend the rest of his life there.

The character of Cochrane later appeared in the TNG-era movie Star Trek: First Contact, portrayed by James Cromwell. Notably, the TNG version of Cochrane is from Earth in order to better suit that movie's storyline.

#34 Amok Time
Season 2, Disc 1
Under the effects of Pon farr, Spock will die if he does not return to Vulcan to consummate his marriage with T'Pring, a wife linked to him in childhood.

Starfleet denies Kirk's request to divert the Enterprise away from its original mission to Altair. Knowing what his captain might do, McCoy warns Kirk that disobeying orders will result in him losing command.

Kirk will have none of it. "I can't let Spock die, can I Bones? And he will, if we go to Altair. I owe him my life a dozen times over. Isn't that worth a career? He's my friend." And with that, his mind is made up. Shatner does a terrific job here, and throughout this episode. One of my favorite Kirk moments, showing that not even direct Starfleet orders can shake his intense loyalty.

"Amok Time," of course, is also a standout for Leonard Nimoy as Spock. We feel Spock's struggle as he attempts to hide the eruption of emotions from Pon farr. "Amok Time" is also notable for being the first time we see the planet Vulcan and the first time we see other Vulcans besides Spock. In airdate order, this was the second season premiere and kicked off things quite well.

Random Thoughts From Another Frontier

posted by Tygrrius @ 7:14 AM

I don't have a lot of time this month, so this will be a short entry. Don't expect any kind of theme, either. Brace yourselves for randomness.

I flew for the first time earlier this week. Not Superman-style, but in an airplane. Awesome experience! I looked out the window the whole time for the three-hour flight. The only downside is that I was in a flying sardine can. I was an idiot and brought a book along to read, thinking that I would actually be able to move a muscle in order to flip the pages.

Oh well, it was still incredible to see the United States at 36,000 feet. Flying amongst the clouds was fun. I must admit, I kept hearing the "Love Theme from Superman" in my head as I watched the beautiful clouds. I'm weird like that.

It was interesting to look down and see the shadows on the ground that were in the exact shape of the clouds. You just can't get a feel for that from the ground.

I haven't watched HBO in years, until stuck here at the hotel. Didn't HBO used to show movies? It's Home Box Office, right? It seems all they show now are crappy "original series." I guess that's part of the de-evolution of cable channels. MTV (Music Television) stopped showing music videos. TNN (The Nashville Network) stopped covering country music (but at least eventually changed its name to reflect that).

Though, actually, HBO does happen to be showing a movie at this very moment: Back to the Future, Part III. I loved the first one. They should've stopped there. Still, it's more interesting than the morning news.

JS will be bringing you any stories that catch his eye. Yesterday, he covered that William Shatner will apparently not be in Star Trek XI, while Leonard Nimoy will appear. If the Nimoy appearance turns out to be true, that raises a couple of interesting points.

For one thing, Nimoy has generally been picky about scripts over the years. He turned down directing and appearing in Star Trek Generations, after all, when Rick Berman refused to listen to his script concerns. Veteran TNG television director David Carson eventually took the helm on that film, while the Spock cameo role was slightly rewritten for Scotty (James Doohan). While Generations was an okay movie, we can only imagine what Nimoy would have done if given control.

More recently, Nimoy has also mentioned that he would only be interested in appearing in Star Trek XI if it was more than a cameo. Does this mean he will have a significant, non-cameo role in the film?

If Nimoy and, hopefully, Shatner can get work out of Star Trek XI, that's great. They both deserve it. From an artistic standpoint, though, I think the characters of Kirk and Spock had the best exits possible in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. While I'm excited to see their early adventures, I think the later years have already been perfectly wrapped up.

The Fallacy Of Kirk vs. Picard

posted by Tygrrius @ 12:01 AM

Really, I thought the senseless Kirk vs. Picard debate was put to rest about 13 years ago. Apparently not. CBS is now sponsoring a Kirk vs. Picard fan fiction contest over at FanLib.com.

I don't consider fan fiction, even officially commissioned fan fiction, to be news, so I've not covered any of this over in Frontier News. It's the same reason I don't cover New Voyages, Of Gods And Men, and various other fan films. Yes, I know that some claim these are not fan films but let's not delude ourselves.

Anyway, last week, those participating in Kirk vs. Picard voted on the overall premise from four contenders: The Return of Khan, History Lesson, Prisoner of Time, and The Guardian of Forever.

Though crafted by actual Star Trek writer André Bormanis, none of the concepts were very inspired. Perhaps I should qualify "actual Star Trek writer" a bit. He's written Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise. He also co-produced Enterprise and was a science/technical consultant on various other TNG-era productions.

Had I been forced to vote, I probably would have chosen Prisoner of Time, simply because it seemed to offer the most opportunities for realistic conflict between the two captains. But, really, I just don't buy the overall Kirk vs. Picard concept. It's about as pointless to me as Superman vs. Batman.

Star Trek Generations established, and the Shatner/Reeves-Stevens novels expanded upon, a great working relationship and friendship between the two heroes. Perhaps they have different methodologies (Picard is often more like Spock than Kirk) but their overall values and goals are more or less the same. Generations even went so far as to show that both captains essentially had the same regret in life: no time for an Earth-based home and a family.

Predictably, The Guardian of Forever concept won out. If you put the Guardian in any Star Trek vote, it's going to win. Harlan Ellison's "The City on the Edge of Forever" was, after all, one of the ultimate episodes of Star Trek.

Unfortunately, the Bormanis use of the Guardian is just garbage:

The Guardian of Forever is malfunctioning [...]. Time-quakes are erupting from it, throwing an entire sector of space into chaos. Kirk is ordered to investigate, but the Enterprise becomes trapped in a temporal eddy. A tractor beam from another Federation ship pulls Enterprise to safety. Kirk is shocked to discover that the other ship is Enterprise-D! [...] The time-quakes are becoming more violent, and could eventually spread throughout the galaxy. Kirk wants to destroy the Guardian immediately, but Picard argues that would be immoral - the Guardian is a unique, sentient being. [...]

And right off the bat, Kirk vs. Picard is off to a false start. Bormanis apparently isn't familiar with James T. Kirk so he's bought into the whole "shoot first, ask questions later" myth. While he was at it, I'm surprised he didn't throw in something about Kirk taking time off from the mission to sleep with Ensign Lefler or any/all of the other Enterprise-D beauties.

If we give this pseudo-Kirk the benefit of the doubt, though, and assume that the Guardian really will spread chaos throughout the galaxy and that there really is no other option but to destroy it, then Bormanis is making Picard look like an idiot for saving one sentient being at the expense of how many quadrillions of other sentient beings? Unless this fan fiction is supposed to take place in TNG's first season, I don't remember Jean-Luc Picard being that foolish.

Also involved in this fiasco are George Takei and Wil Wheaton, who act as "hosts." The funniest part of all is the intro on the site:

Star Trek royalty (George Takei, Wil Wheaton and writer Andre Bormanis) and FanLib.com are teaming up with CBS Interactive and the Star Trek franchise for a fan-driven storytelling event that uses scenes written by you and other Star Trek fans to create a new online story.

Star Trek royalty? Takei? Wheaton? Bormanis? Who are we kidding here? Wheaton seems like a nice guy, and I'm one of the few who actually liked Wesley Crusher (though not overuse of the character by lazy writers), and I'm sure Bormanis is, too. But Star Trek royalty? Come on. Did Takei write this?

Incidentally, it doesn't look like Takei is involved with the judging but just in case he is, make sure you always refer to Sulu as a captain. Even if this is set before Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, it doesn't really matter. Never call Sulu anything except a captain. Trust me, you'll win.

Oh, and intrepid writers, be sure to come up with a clever explanation for why Kirk doesn't remember Picard when he meets him in Star Trek Generations. Otherwise, you're leaving a huge continuity error. And you wouldn't want to do that. This isn't an episode of Star Trek: Enterprise, after all.

Think I'm being too hard on Kirk vs. Picard, since it's only fan fiction? Why, thank you for proving my point.

Honest, I Don't Live In My Parent's Basement

posted by Tygrrius @ 12:01 AM

A few months ago, I read an interesting interview with Michael Thau, by Dharmesh over at Superman Cinema. One of Dharmesh's comments has been in the back of my mind ever since.

He watches the first Superman movie only once a year. Every December 24 at 3:35 PM, to be exact. The timing is so that he'll be done in time for Christmas Eve dinner around 6 PM. Limiting his viewing of Superman to once a year is to sustain the magic by not completely memorizing the entire movie, he says.

He touches on an issue that all of us franchise fans face, whether we're talking about the Superman, Star Wars, or Star Trek movies. We love watching these movies so much that we, of course, tend to watch them often. Dare I say, far too often?

I probably watch The Wrath of Khan, The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars, Superman, The Voyage Home, The Undiscovered Country, Return of the Jedi, and Superman II three or four times a year each. I just love these movies, so it's hard to resist indulging in them whenever possible.

While they still have their magic, it is true that my experience is never quite as fun as when I do take a bit more time off between viewings. I think it was Harve Bennett who mentioned that if you eat turkey every day, Thanksgiving doesn't seem so special anymore.

With that in mind, I decided to make a year-long schedule for the movies of The Film Frontier's key franchises, to make my watching them feel like events again. By a sheer stroke of genius, I mean, pure coincidence, each movie weekend occurs just before anticipated publication dates of this blog.

That way, if I don't have an idea for Proverbial Galaxies on a given weekend, I can always just write about whichever movie is on the schedule. You see, I not only offer little resistance to temptation, but I am also quite lazy, uh, busy so it's nice to have a fall-back plan.

So, here's my movie-watching schedule. Just in case you want to play along at home.

May 25, 2007
Star Wars (1977) [Unaltered]

June 4, 2007
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) [Director’s]

Weekend of June 22
Superman (1978) [Theatrical]

Weekend of July 6
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Weekend of July 27
Star Wars: Episode V-The Empire Strikes Back (1980) [Unaltered]

Weekend of August 3
Superman II (1981) [Theatrical]
[I'll probably watch this one out of sequence, though, as I've not yet reviewed the Special Edition DVD. Depends on whether or not my procrastination holds out until August.]

Weekend of August 17
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) [Director’s]

Weekend of August 31
Star Wars: Episode VI-Return of the Jedi (1983) [Unaltered]

Weekend of September 14
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)

Weekend of September 28
Superman III (1983)

Weekend of October 12
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

Weekend of October 26
Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace (1999) [Extended]

Weekend of November 9
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

Weekend of November 23
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)

Weekend of December 7
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)

Weekend of December 21
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) [Director’s]

Weekend of January 4, 2008
Star Wars: Episode II-Attack of the Clones (2002) [Extended]

Weekend of January 18
Star Trek Generations (1994)

Weekend of February 1
Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006)

Weekend of February 15
Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003-2005)

Weekend of February 29
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

Weekend of March 14
Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

Weekend of March 28
Star Wars: Episode III-Revenge of the Sith (2005)

Weekend of April 11
Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)
[I plan to be "sick" and unable to watch movies this weekend. Otherwise, I might really get sick.]

Weekend of April 25
Superman Returns (2006)

Weekend of May 9
Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)

I will tell you right now, though, that I don't have the willpower of Dharmesh. The first time a friend or family member wants to watch one of these movies out of schedule, you can bet I'll cave in. Or if a Special Extendo Ultra Director's Cut is released of one of my favorites, yeah, I'm not waiting til the scheduled date to watch it.

On the other hand, this schedule is a bit optimistic in that real life has a way of interfering with such plans. That's one of the reasons I generally chose to schedule by weekend rather than specific date and time.

Though I was tempted to schedule Superman for 3:35 PM on Christmas Eve, just to see what it was like.

The Essential Star Trek (Part 1)

posted by Tygrrius @ 12:01 AM

It's been over forty years now since Star Trek first hit the airwaves. With heightened awareness due to Star Trek: Remastered and director JJ Abrams' plans to feature classic crewmembers in Star Trek XI, the original series is enjoying a popularity level unseen for twenty years.

In 2004, Paramount re-released the original episodes on DVD with a set for each of the three seasons. Unfortunately, the season sets present the episodes in broadcast order rather than production order. Post-production work took longer for some episodes and, as a result, many were originally aired out of sequence.

Unlike many modern TV shows, the original Star Trek's episodes were almost always self-contained and could essentially be watched in any order. Most of the time, episodes did not specifically refer to earlier shows.

In the first season in particular, however, there were some initial changes to characters, uniforms, and sets that are confusing if watched in broadcast order.

As a new generation discovers Trek's first generation, it can be difficult for newcomers to navigate through the original series' 79 episodes. I've created this essential Star Trek guide for new or casual fans looking to start with only the best and/or most important episodes. This is Part 1 of an occasional series, which will continue every few months.

Episodes are listed in production order, which I recommend for best understanding the evolution of the series and characters. Disc references are to the 2004 season sets. For those that rent the season sets one disc at a time, such as through NetFlix or Blockbuster Total Access, I at least recommend watching the four episodes on any given disc in production order. Season 1 episodes, including uncut versions of those that have been enhanced for Star Trek: Remastered, are also available for download on iTunes.

#1 The Cage (Restored Version)
Season 3, Disc 7 (bonus feature)
Jeffrey Hunter stars as Captain Christopher Pike, commander of the starship Enterprise, in Star Trek's pilot episode. The Enterprise encounters a distress signal from a long-lost vessel and diverts to planet Talos IV. Pike is captured and quickly learns that he has been lured into a trap.

Albeit in a rough, early form, "The Cage" is undeniably Star Trek. It includes a circular bridge, transporters, communicators, and other familiar gadgetry. Leonard Nimoy even appears as science officer Spock, though the character does not yet restrain his emotions.

"The Cage" also features many recurring Star Trek concepts, among them:

Strong female characters: The Enterprise's first officer, Number One, is a woman (Majel Barrett), which is quite revolutionary for 1964. The original TV series itself never pushes the feminist envelope quite this far again, but the movies and sequel series eventually carry on the trend.

Sexist portrayal of women: Pike's fellow prisoner, Vina (Susan Oliver), is forced to appear as a green-skinned Orion slave girl in an attempt to seduce the captain into submission. Despite its breaking of new ground in some areas, classic Star Trek is still often a reflection of its times in regards to women. Perhaps "The Cage" best exemplifies this inherent conflict in Trek ideals in that it contains both progressive and traditional female characters: Women as equals versus women as eye-candy.

Doctors as bartenders: Dr. Phillip "Bones" Boyce (John Hoyt) offers alcohol and counsel to Pike, much like Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy does for Kirk. On TNG, the counselor role is formalized into a separate position apart from the doctor though that seems to disappear on DS9 and VOY.

Beauty as an illusion: The end of this episode is quite similar to "Mudd's Women," among others.

Super-intelligent races compelled to study humans: What makes us so interesting, anyway?

Though the performances of Hunter, Oliver, and Nimoy are strong, NBC famously rejects the pilot for being "too cerebral." In addition to wanting more action, their main request for the unprecedented second pilot is to lose the guy with the pointed ears.

#2 Where No Man Has Gone Before
Season 1, Disc 1
Now under the command of Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), the Enterprise journeys beyond the galactic barrier, which causes first officer Gary Mitchell (Gary Lockwood) and Dr. Elizabeth Dehner (Sally Kellerman) to exhibit godlike abilities and soon become threats to the crew.

Ironically, the only returning crewmember from "The Cage" is, you guessed it, the pointed-eared Mr. Spock. "Where No Man Has Gone Before" displays the beginnings of the friendship between Kirk and Spock. So convincing are Shatner and Nimoy that it is hard to believe this is their first time on screen together.

In addition to Kirk, this episode also features the first appearances of minor regulars Scott (James Doohan) and Sulu (George Takei). With an action-oriented storyline and a new captain, Star Trek's second pilot sells the series--despite the return of Spock.

#3 The Corbomite Maneuver
Season 1, Disc 3
The Enterprise is fired upon and trapped by an enormous, spherical starship from an unknown culture. As his vessel faces destruction, Kirk must find a way to cheat death.

"The Corbomite Maneuver" is the first regular episode of Star Trek, and includes the first appearances of McCoy (DeForest Kelley), Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), and Rand (Grace Lee Whitney). This is also the first time we see Kirk in a starship tactical combat situation, not to mention the debut of the famous Star Trek miniskirts for the female crew (who wore trousers in the two pilot episodes).

#5 The Enemy Within
Season 1, Disc 2
A transporter accident results in two Kirks, representing the "good" and "bad" sides of his personality. As the bad Kirk wreaks havoc, the good, but incomplete, Kirk soon learns that one cannot live without the other.

Written by Richard Matheson, this episode fully introduces the Kirk-Spock-McCoy dramatic triangle that will become such an important part of Star Trek. Shatner delivers a standout performance in the dual role. This also marks the first use of "He's dead, Jim," and the Vulcan nerve pinch.

#7 The Naked Time
Season 1, Disc 1
A virus causes Enterprise crewmembers to lose their inhibitions and slowly go insane. McCoy races to find a cure before the ship is lost.

Often cited as a perfect introduction to the Enterprise crew, "The Naked Time" also features the first use of time travel on Star Trek. An inferior remake of this tale appeared as an early episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, "The Naked Now."

#9 Balance Of Terror
Season 1, Disc 4
With a new device that can cloak their ships, the Romulans begin attacking Federation outposts and the Enterprise must face down an unseen enemy.

With the first appearance of the Romulans on Star Trek, Kirk is in starship tactical combat mode again but on a much bigger scale. Mark Lenard stars as the Romulan Commander, who makes a perfect foe for Kirk.

#12 Miri
Season 1, Disc 2
The Enterprise encounters an Earth-like planet inhabited entirely by children, who are actually thousands of years old. The landing party, including Kirk and McCoy, are infected by the same disease that killed all of the adults and must remain on the planet unless they can find a cure.

#14 The Galileo Seven
Season 1, Disc 4
The Enterprise shuttlecraft Galileo, on a scientific mission led by Spock, crash lands on a planet. Spock soon finds that his Vulcan logic may not be enough to keep the crew alive.

#15 Court-Martial
Season 1, Disc 5
When Kirk makes a command decision that kills a former friend to save the Enterprise, Starfleet accuses him of incompetence. Kirk goes on trial to defend his command and his career.

One of Star Trek's great "mystery" episodes also may have been the source of Kirk's love-hate relationship with computers.

#16 The Menagerie (Parts I & II)
Season 1, Disc 3
The Enterprise is diverted to a starbase when it receives an urgent call from her former captain, Christopher Pike. Upon arrival, Kirk discovers that Pike could not have sent the message for an accident has left him completely paralyzed and unable to speak. As Kirk investigates on the starbase, Spock kidnaps Pike, assumes command of the Enterprise without authority, orders the starship to head for Talos IV, and leaves behind a rather angry Kirk.

This budget-saving two-parter creatively incorporates use of footage from "The Cage," the unaired pilot. There are more recurring themes and concepts here, including emphasis on loyalty, duty, and friendship. Even Spock demonstrates that he believes the needs of the few or the one can sometimes outweigh the needs of the many.

* * *

Next time, on another thrilling installment of Proverbial Galaxies, I'll be locked down in the basement with a bad case of movie madness. Be back here in two weeks to help me escape or to guard the door.

From Small Stories to Undiscovered Countries

posted by Tygrrius @ 9:09 PM

As a lifelong Trekkie, I'm trying to resist the urge to devote an entire blog to over-analyzing the tidbits that Star Trek XI writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci revealed in their recent interview with MTV. Like everyone else, I want to pull apart each quote and consider what they might mean for the future of Star Trek.

Speculating about top secret films is all part of the fun, of course. I remember reading and re-reading a brief article with director Nicholas Meyer from 1990 or early 1991 in which he described his then forthcoming Star Trek VI as "a small story about Spock in love." He went on to say, "I would not like to create a movie that ends with a bang or pulls too much on the heartstrings. I just want to tell a good story that seems to relate to today."

The quote from Meyer, one of the first about the new movie's direction, inspired both disappointment and curiosity in me. On the surface, "Spock in love" just didn't sound that interesting. It brought to mind images of the Vulcan hanging from a tree in "This Side of Paradise." After two comedies in a row, the most recent of which was less than well received, was a love story really going to be Star Trek's saving grace?

On the other hand, this was Nick Meyer after all! Directing Star Trek II and co-writing Trek IV certainly gave the guy a ton of credit in my book. In many ways, Star Trek V tried to be too large of a story. Maybe Meyer was right, a small story was the way to go this time out.

While I'm still not entirely sure if Meyer was a.) joking, b.) tossing out a red herring, or c.) not aware that he was going to throw the love angle out (I suspect "b"), we all know how Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country turned out. It was an epic yet sentimental story that acted as the perfect sendoff for the classic cast. Though the plot had nothing to do with Spock in love, Meyer's quote rang true in two ways.

Star Trek VI did not end with a bang. Instead, it started with one. Did Meyer already know this when making the comment? If so, he was being pretty clever messing with us fans like that.

And Star Trek VI did indeed pull from (and, in some cases, predict) headlines of the day in using the old Federation as USA and Klingons as USSR metaphor.

So, when Christmas 2008 rolls around, we'll likely be seeing these early comments about Star Trek XI in a whole new light. Which reminds me, I've never actually gone to a movie on Christmas Day. This might be the one to change that.

Will Star Trek XI be the perfect gift for Star Trek fans? Or will we be wishing we could exchange it for something else?

* * *

All right, all right, so I can't resist analyzing one small part of the MTV article. I only said I would try to resist. I submit to the pressure, every time.

From the sound of it, fans can rest assured that subtitles about undiscovered countries and insurrections are a thing of the past. Kurtzman and Orci told MTV that their film is titled, quite simply, "Star Trek." "That's the intended title. I don't think we want to put any colons or anything on it," Orci said.

Since it looks more and more like this movie will be a rebirth of the Trek adventures, my initial reaction to the proposed title is that it may be perfect. At least for this movie.

But, this is Hollywood, after all. You have to think about sequels. What would you call the sequel to a movie named Star Trek? Star Trek II? Haven't we already done that?

It seems to me that the colon can't be avoided forever, at least not without dropping Star Trek out of the title all together. Unlike The Dark Knight and The Man of Steel for Batman and Superman, I don't think there's a strong enough fill-in for "Star Trek" to use on sequels.

The biggest alternative that comes to mind is "The Final Frontier" and you can bet they won't use that one (see entry under failed movies). Another possibility is "Enterprise," which of course they won't use either (see entry under failed TV series). So, unless they come up with a title like Star Trek Generations each time, they are stuck with the colon for future sequels.

Though I can see the beauty of using the simple title Star Trek, I say keep the colon and bring back the Roman numeral. That's right, go old-school on the title and call it Star Trek XI: The Adventure Begins. Well, except for that "The Adventure Begins" part.

I can't really suggest a suitable subtitle, without having read the script. I'm sure the writers don't need my help devising titles. But, if they do, I'd be more than happy to send dozens of potential alternatives if they'd only send me a copy of the script.

Just kidding, I actually don't want a copy of the script. I'd rather wait and be surprised by opening the present on Christmas. Even if it isn't until 2008.

The 40-Year-Old Starship

posted by Tygrrius @ 1:34 PM

Welcome to the first Proverbial Galaxies of 2007. I had a fun and relaxing holiday season. As always, it all went by too quickly.

My wife and I have a tradition of giving each other only fun presents for Christmas. For me, this means receiving lots of Superman, Star Trek, and Star Wars stuff. For her, this means receiving jewelry. Lots of jewelry.

One of the many cool gifts she gave me at Christmas was the Hallmark USS Enterprise NCC-1701 ornament. Perfect for Star Trek's 40th anniversary year. Here are a couple shots I took of it (below and near the end of this entry). I rather crudely added in the starscape background using PhotoShop.


Speaking of the good ship Enterprise, I recently received some reader mail questioning some details on our NCC-1701 page. Back on the old version of The Film Frontier, I used to have a "Communications" page to answer these sorts of questions. Since that page didn't make it over to this version of the site, I'll use Proverbial Galaxies every now and then for this purpose.

Conor writes:

I am interested to know how the Enterprise had served for forty years of service, before it was finally decommissioned.

I own and have seen all at least twice, every episode of TOS plus I have seen each movie at least twice also, and I find nothing to dictate "forty" years of service.

[Some claim] the Constitution Class Vessel was deployed in the mid 23rd century, which could be as early as 2245, or as late as 2255 [...] and if we assume that the Constitution Class 'was' indeed introduced into service at the year 2246, then you would be right in stating that it served for forty years, if the Enterprise was one of those first few deployed (along with the USS Constitution).

[There are also] claims they were commissioned at 2240, so by the time James T. Kirk was given command, these vessels had seen 25 years of service already. Does this sound logical to you, that in twenty five years, Starfleet had never introduced a more superior starship to the Constitution Class?

[Another source indicates that] these starships were commissioned in the late 2250s towards the early 2260s, which is by far a most likely scenario, because that would still give time for Christopher Pike to serve as captain on the Enterprise, as well as leave this ship to be a still cutting edge technology when Kirk first comes aboard. Not only does this support my theory, but that of the films, when the [...] Admiral says to Kirk "There will be no re-fit of Enterprise... She's fifteen years old Jim, Starfleet feels she's had her time." Of course I may have misheard him say "fifteen" when he really said "thirty five" and the quote may not be one hundred percent accurate, but I'm sure you get my drift.

However, on another topic, which I find most odd, is the fact that you also mention the Enterprise has had five captains, Spock being number five. Most could only count three. I can count four, those being in order, Pike, Kirk, Decker, and Spock. Who is this fifth captain you speak of? And did he serve before Pike? Somewhere during Kirks first reign? Or at some other point? [...]

In Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country [...] I saw Captain Scott reading a diagram schematic of the Constitution class. [...] You may wish to consider that the Enterprise before Star Trek: The Motion Picture was renamed the Enterprise class, then after its destruction (in STIII) a newer class was built, taking the name of the old Constitution class. I think this may be the answer, as I doubt the film makers would let something like that be a simple mistake in their film, and this supports both our ideas. [...]

Thank you for the great comments and questions, Conor. Since it's been about nine years since JS and I first worked on the Enterprise-A section, which includes the Namesake page for the original Enterprise, I went back and reviewed our information carefully to refresh my memory.

The primary sources for our Enterprise-A section are Star Trek Chronology: The History Of The Future by Michael and Denise Okuda and The Star Trek Encyclopedia: A Reference Guide To The Future by Michael and Denise Okuda & Debbie Mirek. For a complete list of sources, see near the bottom of our Credits page.

Since a standard Earth year for any of Kirk's adventures was never firmly established on the original Star Trek TV series, all talk of dates involves some form of conjecture.

Since they have been more or less the official Trek historians for well over a decade, I generally stick with the Okudas' references unless I have some reason to depart from them. For instance, I have augmented the Okudas' list of mentioned Constitution Class refit vessels with additional vessels from the FASA gaming manuals though Paramount no longer sanctions them as official. My reasoning is that restricting the list to only vessels seen or mentioned on screen makes the fleet artificially small.

Getting back to your first question, though, the Okudas establish 2245 as the launch year of the NCC-1701 Enterprise.

From the Encyclopedia:

We conjecture that Captain Pike commanded two five-year missions of the Enterprise before Kirk's tenure at the helm, and that Captain Robert April commanded a five-year mission before Pike. This is reasonably consistent with a commissioning date of 2245.

The Okuda references also establish 2285 as the year of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, which saw the end of the original Enterprise after 40 years of service.

As for Robert April being the first captain of the Enterprise, this was established by the episode "The Counter-Clock Incident" of the animated Star Trek series. At the time of the Okuda references, Paramount did not recognize the animated series as part of the official timeline. The official Star Trek site recently indicated that the animated series may become official, though.

At any rate, the Okudas made an exception back then regarding April--as noted in the Encyclopedia:

April is, of course, totally conjectural, but is being included at Gene
Roddenberry's suggestion. Gene had used the character name for the ship's commander in his first proposal for Star Trek, written in 1964.

Since Star Trek has had many different production teams and writers over the years, there is often not a completely consistent history. In fact, I was amazed that the Okudas were able to construct one at all.

As you noted, there is a line in Star Trek III that would seem to dispute the 40-year-old starship theory.

Admiral Morrow: "Jim, the Enterprise is 20-years-old. We feel her day is over."

The major refit to the Enterprise (upgrading from the TV series version to the version first seen in The Motion Picture) occurred from 2270 to 2271, according to the Okuda references.

Since this essentially created an almost entirely new vessel, I choose to interpret Morrow's comment as referring to the nearly 20 years since that major refit. In fact, I wrote this snippet of the page as an explanation of sorts for Morrow's line:

Although Kirk requested another refit after returning her to Earth Spacedock, Starfleet instead decided to decommission the Enterprise—since her redesigned components were nearly twenty years old.

Regarding the Enterprise not being cutting edge technology because she had already existed for twenty years by the time of Kirk's adventures on the TV series, I respectfully disagree.

I think it's fair to assume, based on the evidence of "The Cage" vs. "Where No Man Has Gone Before," that there was also a refit between Pike and Kirk's command. The crew capacity, for instance, doubled. The bridge module changed. The warp nacelles changed, as did the navigational deflector.

There is also some evidence that there was yet another refit between "Where No Man Has Gone Before" and "The Corbomite Maneuver" as it featured a third configuration of the Enterprise model.

Since model footage was often re-used in the TV series out of necessity, this gets a little dicey, of course, since "The Cage" version may sometimes show up, as does the "Where No Man Has Gone Before" version, in subsequent episodes.

If we accept April as the first captain, as Roddenberry and the Okudas suggest we do, I think it's also fair to assume that there was an overhaul between April's command and Pike's.

Though it may have been twenty years since her original launch, the Enterprise was very likely cutting edge in Kirk's time as shown on the television series, and hardly the same vessel as April commanded.

To look at a real-world example, the USS Enterprise naval carrier launched in 1960. As recently as 2006 she was still in action as one of the US Navy's premiere vessels, over 45 years old. Don't think of the Enterprise as a car, with a relatively short lifespan and a quick depreciation in value, but rather as a constantly upgraded military vessel.

In the end, though, we could debate the flimsy Star Trek timeline until . . . 2245. Instead, let's both heed Joel Hodgson and Josh Weinstein's wise advice of repeating to ourselves that "it's just a show."


I'm not sure if the scene with Scott and the Constitution Class schematics from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country was a mistake or a choice. Technically, the Enterprise Class had never been officially established in the films for the refit vessels--though the Mr. Scott's Guide to the "Enterprise" book and the FASA gaming manuals called it that. Though Paramount no longer recognizes those references, that doesn't mean we as fans can't recognize them or at least parts of them.

I always liked calling it the Enterprise Class, as I think it makes a nice distinction between the refit/movie style of the vessel and the Constitution Class vessel from the TV series.

Let's face it, as "refits" go this one was pretty major. It appears every single piece of the vessel was replaced. Perhaps, somewhere in the unseen "core" of the Enterprise, she's still the same ship at heart. Other than that, she appears to be a brand-new vessel.

I usually don't pick up on quick text information like that in movies until subsequent viewings, but I remember my eyes happening to catch that one when seeing Star Trek VI in the theater for the first time back in 1991. A minor twinge of disappointment came over me at that moment. I'm pretty sure I heard JS sigh, too.

Of course, since then, that little diagram has established in the eyes of Paramount that even the refit vessel is Constitution Class.

In the Enterprise-A section, I tried to strike a bit of a compromise by noting that the new design was informally referred to as the Enterprise Class; though it was still technically a Constitution Class.

These are the tiny things that Star Trek fans like me and you worry about, Conor. Poor J.J. Abrams!

The Film Frontier Holiday Gift Guide

posted by Tygrrius @ 10:52 PM

You know, I had a streak going for a few years where I had all of my Christmas shopping complete before Halloween. Those days are long gone, though. In the last three or four years, I've joined the rest of mankind in shopping between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve.

While I do approximately half of my Christmas shopping online now, I still like to make an effort every year to get out there with the masses and visit actual stores in person for the rest of it. As to why I like to do this, I have no idea. Once I get to those stores, I often begin to question my own sanity.

Today, I made a vain effort to finish my shopping. I braved the horrible traffic, got run over a couple of times by the same lady in a card store (she was eighty, so I couldn't really do much but give way), but somehow survived. Other than picking up a box of milk bones for JS (who hopefully isn't reading this), I managed to accomplish very little in the process, though.

As I returned home, defeated, I at least came up with a topic for today's Proverbial Galaxies: a holiday gift-giving guide for the film frontier fans in your life.

And by "film frontier fans" I don't really mean a fan of this site, as that would not prove to be a very useful guide since we have no fans. I'm instead referring to people who are fans of Star Trek, Superman, and Star Wars, which are our key topics and do have fans. Lots of them.

I'll also have a gift of sorts for our readers (both of you). Something unprecedented in the nine-year history of The Film Frontier, something no other science fiction site is bold enough to do: the first-ever, never-before-seen, Film Frontier holiday recipe! (Now, I really hope JS isn't reading this--mostly because I don't want him to quit the site out of sheer embarassment.)

Gifts for Star Trek fans

Star Trek: Captain's Glory by William Shatner and Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens: In a time when most Star Trek novels seem to have hit the same wall of mediocrity that toppled the Rick Berman era, a Shatner/Reeves-Stevens book is most welcome. This is the ninth novel in the trio's adventures of James Kirk.

USS Enterprise NCC-1701 Hallmark ornament (2006): Celebrate Star Trek's 40th anniversary in style with a finely detailed reproduction of Captain Kirk's original USS Enterprise. Comes with a great display base, no need to actually hang this on your tree and risk damage. Pressing a button on the base lights up the ship and, unfortunately, plays a pretty bad version of the theme song. Still, a fantastic-looking ship!

Star Trek: The Complete Animated Series 4-DVD set: All 22 episodes of the 1972-1973 Saturday morning cartoon series. Notable for being the last Star Trek production to make it to DVD and unofficially filling in the final two years of Kirk's first five-year mission.

Gifts for Superman fans

Superman: Up, Up & Away! graphic novel: One of the best-written Superman stories ever. Even better than the Superman Returns movie, which I loved!

Superman Returns: Special Edition DVD: Bryan Singer's take on the superhero brought the Man of Steel into the 21st century in a big way, without forgetting his roots. Terrific movie, a real-must have for any Superman fan. Be sure to get the 2-disc special edition, in order to see the excellent 3-hour Requiem for Krypton: Making Superman Returns documentary and deleted scenes.

Superman: The Ultimate Collector's Edition 14-DVD set: Why stop at Superman Returns when you can get bonus-feature-packed versions of all of the Superman movies? Plus, it is much cheaper to buy them this way than individually.

Gifts for Star Wars fans

Sculpting a Galaxy: Inside the Star Wars Model Shop by Lorne Peterson: In the tradition of Industrial Light & Magic: The Art of Special Effects, except focused totally on Star Wars, this book is full of wonderful pictures.

Star Wars: Unaltered DVD: Every Star Wars fan should own the 1977 version of the first movie of George Lucas' saga. Back when it was just Star Wars. None of this Episode blah blah blah stuff. A real nostalgic treat. Also includes the 2004 version, with enhanced visual effects and additional scenes.

The Star Wars Poster Book by Stephen J. Sansweet and Peter Vilmur: This 2005 coffee table book contains many full-page pictures of some of the beautiful (The Empire Strikes Back Style "A" by Roger Kastel) and not so beautiful (just about anything by Drew Struzan) Star Wars posters from the saga's first 28 years. I'm hoping for a Volume 2 in 2007. There are still many more posters to go! ***And now, as promised, my gift to you. Incidentally, if you do not celebrate Christmas, please feel free to substitute your favorite day of winter, holiday or otherwise, in the recipe name. The rest of the recipe should still work the same and be just as tasty.

The Film Frontier's Merry Christmas Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2 ½ cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 sticks butter
¾ cup sugar
1¼ cups brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups Hershey's milk chocolate chips
¾ cup Reese's peanut butter chips

Combine flour, baking powder