#startrek

Why Is the Bridge of the Enterprise Set at an Angle?I’ve watched Star Trek for four decades, but I’ve never noticed until today that the bridge of the pre-refit Enterprise from the original series is not centrally aligned with the bow of the ship. This is to say that the characters, when they look forward toward the viewscreen, are actually angled 36 degrees to port. In this video, YouTuber We Travel by Night explains why this is necessary, both for the design of the ship and for effective storytelling.The turbolift at the rear of the bridge is off to the right side, just off the left shoulder of the person sitting in the captain’s chair. To fit this set design into the exterior images of the ship and the exterior bulge created by the turbolift shaft, it’s necessary to angle the bridge.But more importantly, the set design reflects a classical stage. The captain’s chair, which is the center of attention, is at the center of the stage. Kirk’s interaction with Spock at the science station directs attention to stage-right. To introduce new characters to a scene via the turbolift, the set designers prudently set its doors at up-stage. To place it anywhere else would cause narrative confusion.These are subtle placements that demonstrate the mastery of storytelling that the directors of the original series possessed.-via Boing Boing#StarTrek #stagecraft
Goober Was Offered the Role of SpockThere’s an internet rumor that is not entirely unreliably sourced*: George Lindsey, the actor who is most famous for playing the role of Goober Pyle on The Andy Griffith Show, was offered the role of Spock before it was given to Leonard Nimoy.MeTV asserts that in a 2006 interview upon the 40th anniversary of Star Trek, Nimoy said that Gene Roddenberry offered the role to Lindsey. In his autobiography, actor Earnest Borgnine wrote that Lindsey, his friend, was definitely offered the chance to play Spock.I’d like to see some more sourcing on the claim, hopefully from the late George Lindsey or Gene Roddenberry themselves, but have been unable to do so.I do, though, believe that Lindsey was up to the task. Although he was famous for playing the bumbling, dim-witted Goober, I recall a 1963 episode of The Rifleman in which Lindsey guest starred as an ex-con. In an impressive scene, Lindsey convincingly depicts a sexual predator looking forward to his next hunt. I’m convinced that Lindsey’s acting range could have handled the role of Spock.*I’m a librarian, so I have to talk this way.#StarTrek #Spock #TheAndyGriffithShow
The Brilliance of Bringing Back Khan in The Wrath of KhanIn 1967, Ricardo Montalban played a villain named Khan in an episode of Star Trek called "Space Seed." I remember seeing that episode, because Montalban was a well-known movie star and that didn't happen on Star Trek. My parents thought it was a cool bit of casting. Years later, I couldn't tell you much about the character. But then Khan reappeared in the 1982 Star Trek movie The Wrath of Khan with a very updated 1980s look, and I wasn't the only one who vaguely recalled his role from 15 years earlier. However, Star Trek fans who didn't recall "Space Seed" at all saw The Wrath of Khan and became convinced that the bad blood between Khan and Kirk had been a festering wound for years, and that he had been the most important villain in the original series. Den of Geek takes a deep dive into how the movie arranged that, glossed over a few continuity errors, and introduced a method of bringing back a villain that the audience felt they knew even when they didn't. The same technique worked for Palpatine in Star Wars and with Thanos in The Avengers. You'll be glad you read it.-via Digg ​#StarTrek #Khan #TheWrathofKhan #filmmaking
A Video Tribute to Lieutenant UhuraNichelle Nichols, who portrayed communications officer Lieutenant Nyota Uhura in the Star Trek universe, died Saturday at age 89. John DiMarco, who has given us so many Star Trek supercuts, put together a tribute to her character with a series of Star Trek clips in chronological order. First there was Star Trek: The Original Series, which ran from 1966 to 1968. Nichols also gave Uhura a voice in Star Trek: The Animated Series in 1973 and '74. Then she reprised the character in six Star Trek feature films between 1979 and 1991, during which Uhura was promoted to lieutenant commander and then full commander. -via Laughing Squid#StarTrek #Uhura #NIchelleNichols #JohnDiMarco #supercut
Pull This Uhura Pie out of the ReplicatorNichelle Nichols, the actress who played the pioneering television role of Nyota Uhura in the Star Trek franchise, has passed on to the ages at the age of 89.As a tribute, the master pie chef Jessica Leigh Clark-Bojin has composed this work. We have often featured Clark-Bojin’s past work, such as this pie for the Chinese Year of the Tiger.The Star Trek pie pictured above shows Uhura back when she was a full lieutenant working the communications station on the bridge of the old Enterprise. Clark-Bojin does not describe the ingredients or composition of her pie, for now is a time to celebrate Nichols more than pie.#ThePieous #StarTrek #Uhura #NichelleNichols
Star Trek: Voyager Animated in the 70s StyleThe long neglected and often forgotten Star Trek: The Animated Series was an attempt to revive the franchise during the middle of the 1970s. It's comically awful, but it did inspire YouTuber Gazelle Automations to create a brief Next Generation episode using original sound and the 70s animation style. Now it's back with a fresh episode of Voyager using sound from the bizarre story "Threshold."Critic Richard Eisenbeis comments that Gazelle Automations chose to animate the worst Star Trek episode ever made. I'd dispute that assertion, as "Code of Honor" should probably get slot of "worst episode". But "Threshold" is certainly within the bottom twenty within the franchise. So it's proper that an awful story gets awful animation.#StarTrek #StarTrekVoyager
Leonard Nimoy's Spock Ears Donated to the SmithsonianIn Star Trek, Mr. Spock was the beloved half-Vulcan, half-human science officer known for his intellect, his cool logic, and his pointed ears. His elf-like ears are probably one of the most recognizable sets of ears in science fiction. And now, the Smithsonian announces that one set of Spock’s iconic ears, from the personal collection of Spock’s original actor Leonard Nimoy himself, will be part of their collection.The prop was worn during the filming of the original series from the 1960s and was taken by the actor as a memento after filming concluded in 1969. His children Adam and Julie have now donated their father’s keepsake to the National Air and Space Museum.Image: Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum/Eric Long#Spock #StarTrek #ear #Vulcan #sciencefiction #Smithsonian
Spock's Full Name Finally Revealed, Or Maybe NotFor more than 50 years, the Star Trek character Spock has just been called Spock, Mr. Spock, or one of his various Starfleet ranks plus Spock. One time in the original series, he mentioned that his full name is unpronounceable, but he never gave it a try, so neither did we. But it appears that will change. Spock will be one of the main characters of the new series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, premiering May 5. It is set in the period between Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: The Original Series. According to TrekCore, on posters released for the Star Trek Mission: Chicago convention, Spock's full name was revealed as S’chn T’Gai Spock. Yeah, that's fairly unpronounceable. The reveal may have been premature, though. Almost immediately, CBS/Paramount+ issued a statement that the posters were incorrect in revealing the names of Spock and another character, M’Benga. The statement implied that the names themselves are incorrect, not that they were never going to be revealed. Or could it be that the names will be changed because of the premature revelation? Only time will tell. -via Uproxx#StarTrek #StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds #Spock
Introducing Star Trek: Strange New WorldsThe newest Star Trek series is a prequel, but it will seem familiar to longtime Trek fans. If you recall, Captain Christopher Pike led the crew of the USS Enterprise before James T. Kirk was appointed captain. Pike was captain in the pilot for the original Star Trek in 1965, entitled "The Cage." That pilot was rejected by NBC, but footage from it was resurrected for the later episode titled "The Menagerie." Captain Pike was enshrined in Star Trek lore from that moment on. now we get to see what that period of the Star Trek universe was like. Pike will be played by Anson Mount, who you may remember as Cullen Bohannon on the AMC series Hell on Wheels. The series will also star Rebecca Romijn as Number One and Ethan Peck as young Science Officer Spock. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will premiere May 5 on Paramount+. -via Gizmodo​#StarTrek #StrangeNewWorlds #CaptainPike
The Star Trek Catchphrase That Will Never Die"I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer!" In the original iteration of Star Trek, Dr. McCoy always had an objection to being asked to do anything other than standard medical care. By the end of the show's three-year run, it had become his catchphrase, only varying by the occupation -or object- he was not. He's not the only doctor who is not something else. The phrase was resurrected for later Star Trek series: Deep Space Nine, Voyager, First Contact, and Enterprise. The exception was Dr. Beverley Crusher, who never turned down an opportunity to work outside her specialty. By now, you'd think Federation recruiters would specify that medical personnel need to be flexible in their duties. The catchphrase was not limited to doctors, either, although that's what we recall most often, thanks to McCoy. Memory Alpha has a list of instances in which the phrase, or something close to it, was used. It's a long list. -via Laughing Squid#StarTrek #DrMcCoy #Imadoctor #JohnDiMarco
Hilarious, Unmade Episodes of Star TrekThe concept is not new. Mike McMahan, the comedy writer who created the Star Trek sitcom Lower Decks, spent years proposing funny ideas for Next Generation episodes in @TNG_S8, which later became the book Warped: An Engaging Guide to the Never-Aired Eighth Season.The Twitter feed @FoundEpisodes likewise has many odd 90s-era Star Trek episode pitches from an alternate universe. He photoshops them into print listings from TV Guide, the backs of VHS cassette cases, and on-screen cable TV show times.What sets Found Episodes apart from McMahan's work is the partial listings of other TV shows and movies teasingly offered below and above the Star Trek listings. Never mind Star Trek (I can't believe I'm saying that)--I want to watch a Richard Pryor/Gene Wilder comedy set during the Jefferson administration. Then I'll try to record Marc Singer of Beastmaster fame in a Muppet movie.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of MuppetsStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was arguably the best of the Star Trek movies focusing on the cast of the original series. The most famous scene is, I think, the conversation between Khan and Admiral Kirk after Kirk finds himself marooned on the Regula planetoid with no way to escape.Comic book artist Bruce McCorkindale offers this mashup of that scene showing the Shatneresque Muppet Link Hogthrob and, in the role of Khan Noonien Singh, Pepe the King Prawn.McCorkindale is fond of Muppet movie mashups. You can see more on his Instagram page, including those for Doctor Strangelove, Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet, and M*A*S*H.-via Josh Hadro#Muppets #StarTrek #BruceMcCorkindale
Camping Trailer Looks Like a Star Trek ShuttlecraftBecause you can’t use the transporter to get everywhere, you need some way to camp in places where your ship won’t go. That’s where this shuttlecraft comes in. Redditor /u/hickerroy1201 made this teardrop camping trailer to resemble the F-class shuttlecraft Galileo from classic Star Trek.It’s small, but fits neatly into the hangar bay in his home. The interior is unfinished, but hickerroy1201 promises to share photos when that process is done. Hopefully it will be roomy enough to accommodate the Galileo Seven. It might help if he follows the suggestion of another redditor and add warp nacelles to serve as cargo pods.#StarTrek #camping #camper
How Star Trek's Replicators May or May Not WorkOne of the great games the internet gives us are deep discussions of hypotheticals, in which every point of view adds a new dimension to something that doesn't matter at all. The future envisioned by Star Trek includes amazing technologies, some that have been developed in real life since the franchise first aired in 1966. But we also know that most Star Trek technology was designed to make filming or storytelling easier. The transporter, the universal translator, the holodeck, the tricorder, and the replicator were all shortcuts that we nevertheless became fascinated with.
The Wit and Wisdom of Chief Petty Officer Miles Edward O'BrienYou know Miles O'Brien as the engineer on the USS Enterprise in the series Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space 9. He is also pretty active on Facebook. The account called The Same Photo Of Chief O'Brien Every Day posts a picture and a thought for the day. Yeah, like the title says, it's the same picture every day, but if you scroll through the years of photos, you'll see that that's not exactly true. However, what's pertinent is the text.  One time on the Enterprise we had to repair Commander Data, but he was missing some parts. It was ok though, because as scientists we‘re used to extrapolating from incomplete data.I messed up and brought Captain Sisko the wrong kind of coffee. He told me not to let it happen again because it was grounds for termination.Not everyone on DS9 likes my sense of humor. I know my jokes can often be cheesy, but I don’t think they’re that grating!And those are just from this past week! If you want to start your day with a Star Trek joke, a one-liner, a dad joke, or a horrible pun, or maybe all three in  the same day, you'll want to follow or bookmark The Same Photo Of Chief O'Brien Every Day. -Thanks, Brother Bill!#StarTrek #StarTrekjoke #MilesOBrien
William Shatner is Going into SpaceJohn Glenn became the oldest person to fly into space when he rode on the space shuttle in 1998. He was 77. Wally Funk recently beat that record, when she flew on Jeff Bezos' private rocket in July at age 82. But now William Shatner, who is 90 years old, is booked to fly on Bezos' New Shepherd capsule. According to TMZ, Shatner, who played the original captain Kirk on Star Trek, will take a 15-minute ride into space in October. It is unclear whether Kirk, er, Shatner paid for the ticket, which can be as much as $20 million, or whether he is riding free. The publicity would be well worth it for Bezos' Blue Origin space tourist business. The flight will be filmed inside and out for a documentary.
William Shatner Judges William Shatner ImpressionsFrom the first Star Trek episode in 1966, viewers have taken note of Captain Kirk's choppy and dramatic delivery. Trying to copy it has been part of every Star Trek parody in the years since. You can even do it in text, by putting a period after every word. William Shatner, who played the part, doesn't quite get it. In this video from Vanity Fair, Shatner watches and critiques those various impressions, from John Belushi to Chris Pine. -via Digg​#StarTrek #Shatner #WilliamShatner #CaptainKirk #JohnBelushi #ChrisPine
Gene Roddenberry Biopic on the WayIn honor of the 100th anniversary of Gene Roddenberry's birth, the announcement comes down that a new movie will tell the biography of the Star Trek creator. It will not only cover the Star Trek years, but also his time as a fighter pilot and a Los Angeles policeman.Roddenberry Entertainment has been working quietly on a feature biopic of the sci-fi TV icon, and there is a script by Adam Mazer, whose credits include the Emmy-winning script for the 2010 HBO movie You Don’t Know Jack which starred Al Pacino as Dr. Jack Kevorkian.Producers include Star Trek caretakers Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth, who executive produce all current franchise series including Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Picard. Next up the development will be finding a director and actors.No word yet on who might play Roddenberry. Oh, they are also going to have to find actors to play young William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Nichelle Nichols, and the other Star Trek actors. This could be fun.Read more about the upcoming movie at Deadline. -via io9 ​#GeneRoddenberry  #StarTrek #biopic #sciencefiction