Star Trek: The Original Series

Need I say more? The main, if not only Theme of this Blog!

Have You Heard ‘Enterprise Incidents’ with Scott and Steve? Get this Podcast NOW!

/ Therese / Leave a comment

Hi Everyone,

I recently became acquainted with a remarkable podcast that debuted last year and I am enjoying it SO MUCH!

Enterprise Incidents with Scott and Steve, is the best thing to happen to Original Series fans since Star Trek Continues! No, it’s not a fan series, but even better; two super Trek fans ‘deep diving’ into all of the original 79 episodes.

Scott Mantz is an award winning Film Critic and host of moviemantz.com. Steve Morris is a Film maker and film historian as well as the host of The Cine-Files. Between these two movie-loving wizards, one gets insights into TOS that they may have never considered before!

And best of all, they are reviewing each episode in production order; that is the way they were originally produced, not aired. (Like the way I created all my Star Trek posters!) This gives the listener a chance to grow along with Trek as it buds into the first real adult-themed science fiction drama. This was no Captain Video or Lost in Space, it was truly first drama series set in space, often mirroring the turbulent times in which it was created, with with modern commentaries wrapped in the wings of sci-fi. We see how the characters develop week to week, and how (thankfully) some ideas were rejected (so glad Spock was not painted red!).

Scott and Steve are several years younger than I am, and like them, I am part of what they have cleverly dubbed “The Syndication Generation”. These were the middle-schoolers and teens that caught up with Star Trek when it first hit syndication in the early 70s. And as you may know, it was the syndication of Trek that launched it into the TV legend it is today!

I totally identify with these guys. When I hear their excited and almost brotherly banter, I’m thinking – “Yes! Yes! That’s what I thought too!” They each have a backlog of Trek minutiae, but their clear love and devotion to TOS will make any fan feel right at home. But the most astonishing thing about these dives is how much even die-hard fans will find new and enlightening about Trek.

Consider this — You learn not only what went on during productions of TOS, but what real-life events were happening the week of that production and sometimes how it affected the stories. I have also learned some of the production lingo – like a musical “sting” which is when you hear a blast of music at a tense time in the drama (often just before a commercial break).*

They also consider points like the following:

How different the series was in The Cage and what a different series it would have been had the the first pilot had become the series. (Honestly, although The Cage was brilliant, Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Pike would have given it a totally different vibe).

What would have happened to Yeoman Rand if Grace Lee Whitney wasn’t (shamefully) fired? Consider all the stories that involved Yeoman’s in season 1 after she left; a LOT of these stories were originally written for Yeoman Rand, which surely would have given her a much stronger presence, not to mention a closer relationship with Captain Kirk.

What single direction did Leonard Nimoy receive early on gave him great insight into the Spock character?

Was Lieutenant Charlene Masters supposed to fall in love with Lazarus?

Was Lt. Kevin Riley supposed to be a regular character?

Why didn’t they just use a shuttlecraft in The Enemy Within? (that’s easy!)

One thing I really love about the podcast is how these two dive into the often incredible dialogue and mindsets of the characters that one may have never noticed before or forgot. You’ll be delighted to hear their insights into how and why episodes were written and produced, and these guys pull no punches either. If there is an episode they love, you’ll know, and if it’s one that that they consider the worst, they tastefully and succinctly describe how and where it went wrong and how it could have been so much better under different circumstances. But regardless of quality, they clearly LOVE The Original Series.

I do wish we could also have a female point of view here — but they have occasional guests, and I haven’t heard all the episodes yet** so they might have a woman on in the future. — Heck, I’d LOVE to have a deep dive into TOS with these guys! Gentleman, I congratulate you on this fine euphoric podcast!

So hop on board with Scott and Steve – you’ll be in Trekkie heaven!

Drinking game – You’ll have to swig a Tranya whenever you hear “You’re so right!” and “I agree 100%!” 😉

  • * My Son is taking film-making and it helps me to understand his courses!
  • **I’m up to episode 15 – Court Martial.

My Leonard Nimoy Tribute Collage!

/ Therese / 5 Comments

Finally! It is Finished!

Here is the link to my ultimate Leonard Nimoy collage! It was so darn BIG it wouldn’t fit here! I had to shrink down the original to post it here.

A Long and Prosperous Life: Leonard Nimoy
(Be sure to click on the link to see it in full size)

As you may know, I’ve been working on this collage for quite a while now, and whoa, I am spent! But working on this has been worth every moment, and even though we are past what would have been his 90th Birthday, I think this speaks well for the incredible life Leonard Nimoy lead!

I really didn’t think it would take nearly four months to complete this, as my Shatner Birthday Tribute only took about two weeks to make. But this was different; Nimoy’s life was so active and diverse, like an octopus with a three dozen tentacles, the more I researched pictures to use, the bigger and bigger it got!

I like to tell stories with my collages as opposed to just slapping random pictures together. And Nimoy’s life tells quite the tale.

It seemed easy enough to start with the basics, family, early career, StarTrek, and hobbies. But I found myself getting new ideas with every new picture I’d find. (e.g., There would be a picture of him in real life that correlated with a role he had on screen, or similar candid poses, or a particular laugh). Then there were his public appearances, promotions, conventions, charities, bloopers and of course dozens of images of him giving the Vulcan Peace Sign. So many I had never seen before, and I added some from my own personal collection as well (and some of m They all twirled together in my mind as well as my poor computer. Lots and LOTS of editing, from cropping and color balance, to making a 3D-ish banner and stacking pictures so they’d meld and compliment each other, as well as making ‘mini-collages’ to complete portions.

And then the ultimate choices, which pictures should I use? I think I found a lot of Spock/Nimoy greatest hits. Often I’d think “Oh I have to use that one!” and sometimes “How could I have forgotten that one?” Indeed, just as I proofed the final piece before publishing this here, I found a theater reference lacking that I know was very special to Mr. Nimoy, and I’m glad I caught and added it before posting it here!

You will find a lot of tongue-in-cheek humor throughout too; Spock as a hood ornament? Nimoy getting ‘pinched’? Who’s in the back of that limousine? You might need a magnifying glass to see some tiny details, but it’ll be fun 😉 Like I said, the ideas kept coming. I might have to start a business of memorial collages; I love making these.

As ever, you are welcome to share this, just please don’t edit it in any way. I make no money on this, it is for pure fun and enjoyment. Thank you my friends, Therese 🙂 <3

For Valentine’s Day — 14 Star Trek TOS Romances; Both Awful and Wonderful.

/ Therese / 7 Comments

Star Trek could be awfully romantic at times. And although most of the love stories featured Kirk, there was an occasional nod to lesser character’s love life. In honor of Valentine’s Day, I present to you 14 relationships that warmed or chilled our hearts. Be sure to relate your faves in the comment section. Happy Valentines Day <3

Eve Huron and Ben Childress: Not the best love match. Why Eve stays with grumpy Childress is beyond me. She’s tough and has independence in her blood. She deserves better than a man who admired her only on face value and bitched about her cooking.
So let me get this straight–she knew and said outright that Ben was looking for a woman who was “selfish, vain, useless” yet since she ‘believed in herself’ she could look as beautiful on the outside without the Venus Drug? True love knows no ugliness. You’ll never convince me that in the whole universe there isn’t a better man for her than Childress! I’d like to think she ditched him after a year or so and started her own agricultural empire.
Khan and Marla McGivers: Alas, Marla is so enamored of this ‘superman’ from the past, she cannot see that he’s a total megalomaniac. Their first meeting in sickbay should have been a huge red flag as he totally disregards her professionalism, grabs her by the arm and plays with her hair. Sure, he might be a passionate lover, but playing passive-aggressive mind games with her later and forcing her to kneel before him and demanding her loyalty would make for a hellish, toxic marriage. If she accepted her court martial instead of exile with him, she very likely would have lived longer. And happier.
Spock, T’Pring, and Stonn: Marriage by decree and selective politics. Despite their great intelligence, Vulcans still would insist on antiquated arranged marriages for their progeny; giving no choice in their children’s lives as to who they might marry. It might be logical to help carry on the family line, but it is such an archaic and patrilineality system I doubt there would be any (secret) joy in it. I applaud T’Pring for listening to her heart, selfish as it was. I’m pretty sure Spock knew he didn’t want to marry T’Pring from the start, but came out of duty and the threat of death. As for T’Pring; Stonn wanted her, she wanted him.
Logical. Flawlessly Logical.
Kirok and Miramanee: Free of any Starfleet responsibilities, let alone his memories and actual name, Jim was free to have a truly loving and devoted marriage with Miramanee. Although she married him out of duty, you could see they were blissfully happy (despite Salish’s jealously). In the original script, Miramanee survived the stoning and gave birth.
I wish the the original script had held; imagine Kirk being a Daddy/Captain and running the Enterprise as well.
Zephram Cochran and The Companion: Zephram Cochran is initially appalled that the companion is a female and that he let her “…crawl around inside me, into my mind, my feelings? … It fed on me. It’s disgusting!” Yet once The Companion inhabits and revises the dying body of Nancy Hedford, suddenly he “knows that I love her”. As Spock states “The matter of gender could change the entire situation.” This brings to mind the idea of unconditional love. No doubt it is very romantic and satisfying that The Companion united with a lovely, yet lonely young woman who had ‘never had love’ and as both entities finds lasting love with Cochrane. I bet if Metamorphosis was written today, Hedford could have been a non-human or even a human male and I’d like to think the result would be the same. For as the Companion/Nancy said: To touch the hand of man; nothing is as important.“ <3
Nona and Tyree: What Nona wants, Nona gets. This Kanutu Woman had power and passion. Did Nona love Tyree? Certainly she was aroused by him, as she did put him under a spell to make him want her, and uses certain herbs from “The night of madness” to ‘keep him’. However she wasn’t loyal, toying with Kirk right under Tyree’s nose. Did Tyree really love Nona? His anguished cry and passion for vengeance at her murder answer that question.
Spock and Leila Kalomi: Darn fun while it lasted wasn’t it? A blast of pollen was worth it just to see Spock cavorting in the woods and swinging from a branch! Although all this lusty playfulness was brought out by the spores, you cannot deny that under all the stoicism, Spock’s human half is not only as playful and joyous as any child, but to his astonishment, devotedly in love. You can see that he truly loved her and was happy. I wonder what happened during the transfer of Sandoval’s people to Starbase 27? Did Leila and Spock have more conversations? Did they settle on a (perfectly logical) friends-with-benefits package? Did Nurse Chapel climb the walls? Which brings us to…
Christine Chapel and Dr. Roger Corby: Christine tends to fall for men who love their work more than her. Roger is a brilliant scientist, but one has to wonder if he really loved Christine so much, WHY didn’t he make an android that looked like HER instead of Andrea??? You could understand Chapel’s jealousy of the scantily-clad, submissive Andrea. Would the real Roger have expected Christine to be the same? Turns our Roger was an android replica too, so you dodged the bullet on that one, Christine!
Christine Chapel and Spock: Pity the heart of unrequited love. Roger Who? Well, once she got over her late fiancé she couldn’t help but notice that tall glass of Plomeek Tea that was Spock. McCoy chided her “You never give up hoping do you?” (Shame!) but I have no doubt her love for him was real. When forced to kiss him by the Platonians, she protested, but you know darn well she was delighted. She slobbers all over his hands in The Naked Time declaring her love, to which Spock sincerely replies “I’m sorry, I am sorry!” for even if he consented to loving Christine his heart may be elsewhere.
Carolyn Palamas and Apollo: Honestly, if you had the choice between and Engineer married to his work or a Gorgeous Greek God, well Carolyn initially is very cool toward Apollo, but he charms her into his arms. She is dazzled by his glory and falls for him, and they are one. hot. couple. But does he really love her? I’m on the fence, on one hand he truly seems devastated when his power is taken away, yet he is still another power-hungry dictator who actually rapes Carolyn (in the original script, Carolyn becomes pregnant). Carolyn, stick with Scotty.
Spock and Zarabeth: Another case of Spock forgetting who he was, and Zarabeth was all the luckier for it! True, Zarabeth set her cap for the handsome Vulcan within moments of seeing him, and she was a tad manipulative (stressing ‘alone’). Again, Spock is astonished that he feels attraction to this woman, and together they indulge in bliss. Saddest part is he couldn’t take Zarabeth with him, but he couldn’t deny he had regressive passion for her. I wonder how it could have evolved if Spock and McCoy stayed stranded? Would Spock have killed McCoy? How many children would have been born between the three of them?
Amanda and Sarek: Opposites attract! Well, you know darn well that Sarek’s beloved human wife Amanda was not chosen for him by his parents! Despite knowing that he’d most likely outlive her, Sarek followed his heart and married the loving, no-nonsense Amanda. She knew it wouldn’t be easy married into the Vulcan culture, but her heart ruled too for this most elegant and remarkable Vulcan. The were in for the long haul. And Sarek loved
Amanda so, his next wife was also a human. (I deny that Star Trek V and Sybok ever existed—it was just a fever dream of Kirk’s!)
Jim Kirk and Edith Keeler: I have no doubt that Edith and Miramanee were Jim Kirk’s dearest loves. Plenty of flirtations of course, but these two each took his heart. But his romance with Edith would be disastrous even if she lived. Since she died, time was restored to it’s proper place, but had she lived, Kirk, McCoy and likely Spock, would cease to exist in the first place. Could Kirk take her with him to the future? That would likely open a whole new can of Space/Time/Continuum worms. So Kirk was fated to only have Edith in his memories and dreams. But he’d never forget her.

Kirk and Spock: Okay, I know. Diehards would say that Kirk and Spock were the best of friends, like brothers. A true Bromance. (And I agree) But considering how the original fanzines of the 1970s pretty much invented “Slash” and “Spirk” this ‘relationship’ has been a fan-fic trope ever since. Check out any of the Star Trek fan art on DeviantArt.com and you’ll find half of it devoted to these ‘space husbands’. And you must admit there are times in TOS one can see Kirk gazing at Spock in pure awe, if not affection! A while back, Shatner was asked by a fan who was Kirk’s greatest romantic conquest? “SPOCK!” Shatner joked. Now, the theory goes that Kirk is Bisexual while Spock is Gay (i.e. Spock: “Jim, when I feel affection for you, I’m ashamed!”) I say that I have no doubt that Kirk and Spock are loving brothers. But I say that while since Jim with his rampant hormones could possibly be Bi, Spock is merely Logical.
Happy Valentine’s Day Everyone! <3

Happy Thanksgiving!

/ Therese / Leave a comment

Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Americans, and I wish a peaceful blessed day to all the world. Please remember the victims of the awful fires in California, and be thankful for the brave firefighters who are risking their lives to contain the fire and save as many lives as possible.

Today we take time to reflect on the blessings in our lives, and how grateful we are for them.  Despite hard times, we do have so much to be thankful for, and the turkey is a bonus!

Bless you all as we head into this blessed Holiday season, and don’t sweat the small stuff.  Reflect on the little blessings and the love we have.  love, Therese 🙂

My Weekly Spock: Friendship

/ Therese / 1 Comment

This week in America is Thanksgiving, and I’m sure Leonard was thankful for all the friendships in his life. Yeah, I know that his relationship with Shatner soured at the end, but you cannot deny that they were very close.  He loved his all his Star Trek friends, especially  De Kelley, and I’m happy that he found a family in  his cast-mates. <3  Be sure to check the funny captioned photo below where Leonard doesn’t quite help De do the Vulcan salute!

(Another BeatleTrek) Captain Kirk’s Comely Starfleet Brand…

/ Therese / Leave a comment

Hi Everyone,

Here’s an idea I’ve had for a LONG time and I finally got it to come to fruition.  As I’m sure many of you have seen, in the past I have made many silly collages which combine the two best pop culture phenomenons of the 1960’s; Star Trek and The Beatles!  You can see my previous ‘Beatle Trek’s’ here.

Anyway, for ages I wanted to recreate the famous Sgt.Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band except make it with memorable Star Trek Characters. As the centerpiece,  Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Scotty replace  the Fab Four, and I poured over many pictures to find just the right character to fill in for all the originals (and a few more) for this cover.

You’ll note that the Klingons replace the waxworks figures of The Beatles, Mohammed Ali’s robed boxer is replaced with robed Lord Garth from Whom Gods Destroy, glamorous Droxine and Carolyn Palamas take over for Marlene Dietrich and Diana Dors.  I’ve added many other characters in positions close to the originals: notice Miranda Jones’ hand behind Kirk, just as Issy Bonn’s hand was behind Paul McCartney’s head in the original!   I also have many more women in this version than the Pepper album.  But as The Beatles chose their favorite heroes for their album, I chose my favorite characters for this.  And of course you will find our dear Celeste Yarnall (Martha Landon in The Apple)  in the mix.  Although she sadly passed before she could see it, her widower, Nazim assured me she would have enjoyed it. Indeed, I have always found creativity a balm for sorrow, and I recommend creating something yourself, anything with your heart and hands, to help you at your sad times.

You’ll notice that most of these characters are not crew members, as I did a massive collage of as many Enterprise members as I could in the past.  I also intentionally posted some characters in black and white instead of color, like on the original.  If you look closely, you’ll see Alexander from Plato’s Stepchildren in Shirley Temple’s place and Balok from The Corbomite Maneuver flopped out like the doll in Rolling Stones sweater too! I even used Star Trek plants to replace the flora of the original. And be sure to look out for 4 hidden Spocks (as well as the main one in the center)!

If you can’t identify all the characters, I created a numbered key for the poster below.   Enjoy, and please let me know what you think!  Thanks, Therese <3

     Key to Characters in“Captain Jim Kirk’s Comely Starfleet Brand

  1. Ruk (Ted Cassidy) in What are Little Girls Made Of?
  2. Khan Noonian Singh (Ricardo Montalban) in Space Seed
  3. Kara (Tanya Lemani) in Wolf in the Fold
  4. T’Pring (Arlene Martel) in Amok Time
  5. Zarabeth (Mariette Hartley) in All Our Yesterdays
  6. Bela Oxmyx (Anthony Caruso) in A Piece of the Action
  7. “Koik” (William Shatner) in A Piece of the Action
  8. The Prosecutor (Kermit Murdock) in All Our Yesterdays
  9. The Keeper (Meg Wylie) in The Cage
  10. Marta (Yvonne Craig) in Whom Gods Destroy
  11. Harcort (‘Harry’) Fenton Mudd (Roger C. Carmel) in Mudd’s Women
  12. Yeoman Martha Landon (Celeste Yarnall) in The Apple
  13. Commissioner Bele (Frank Gorshin) in Let That Be Your Last Battlefield
  14. Ayelborne (John Abbott) in Errand of Mercy
  15. Dr. Thomas Leighton (William Sargent) in The Conscience of the King
  16. Lt. Uhura (Nichelle Nichols)
  17. Street Girl #1 (Dianne Thorne) in A Piece of the Action
  18. T’Pau (Celia Lovsky) in Amok Time
  19. Kissy Spock (Leonard Nimoy)
  20. Evil Sulu (George Takei) in Mirror, Mirror
  21. Ambassador Petri (Jay Robinson) in Elaan of Troyius
  22. Leila Kalomi (Jill Ireland) in This Side of Paradise
  23. Serious Spock (Leonard Nimoy)
  24. Jojo Kracko (Vic Tayback) in A Piece of the Action
  25. Number One (Majel Barrett) in The Cage
  26. Blasted Crewman in Arena
  27. Cyrano Jones (Stanley Adams) in The Trouble with Tribbles
  28. Mr. Atoz (Ian Wolfe) in All Our Yesterdays
  29. Sylvia (Antoinette Bower) in Catspaw
  30. Vina (Susan Oliver) in The Cage
  31. Zabo (Steven Marlo) in A Piece of the Action
  32. Miranda Jones (Diana Muldaur) in Is There in Truth No Beauty?
  33. Miranda Jones’ Vulcan Salute (Diana Muldaur) in Is There in Truth No Beauty?
  34. Kalo (Lee Delano) in A Piece of the Action
  35. The First Fop (Ed Bakey) in All Our Yesterdays
  36. Surak (Barry Atwater) in The Savage Curtain
  37. Andrea (Sherry Jackson) in What are Little Girls Made Of?
  38. Lenore Karidian (Barbara Anderson) in The Conscience of the King
  39. Joe Tormolen (Stewart Moss) in The Naked Time
  40. Alice  Series #3 (Alyce Andrece) in I, Mudd
  41. Stella Series #1 (Kay Elliot) in I, Mudd
  42. Alice Series #99 (Rhae Andrece) in I, Mudd
  43. Adam (Charles Napier) in The Way to Eden
  44. Sargent (Lincoln Demyan) in Assignment: Earth
  45. Trefayne (David Hillary Hughes) in Errand Of Mercy
  46. Claymore (Peter Brocco) in Errand Of Mercy
  47. Nils Barris (William Schallert) in The Trouble with Tribbles
  48. Flavius Maximus (Rhodes Reason) in Bread and Circuses
  49. The Romulan Commander (Joanna Linville) in The Enterprise Incident
  50. Vulcan Executioner (Russ Peek) in Amok Time
  51. Sister Edith Keeler (Joan Collins) in The City on the Edge of Forever
  52. General Trelane, Retired (William Campbell) in The Squire of Gothos
  53. Elaan (France Nuyen) in Elaan of Troyius
  54. Lord Garth ( Steve Inhat) in Whom Gods Destroy
  55. Korax (Michael Pataki) in The Trouble with Tribbles
  56. Captain Koloth (William Campbell) in The Trouble with Tribbles
  57. Commander Kor(John Colicos) in Errand Of Mercy
  58. Captain Kang (Michael Ansara) in The Day of the Dove
  59. Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley) in Operation: Annihilate!
  60. Commander Montgomery Scott (James Doohan) ) in Operation: Annihilate!
  61. Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) in Operation: Annihilate!
  62. First Officer Spock (Leonard Nimoy) in Operation: Annihilate!
  63. Mary (Pamelyn Ferdin) in And the Children Shall Lead
  64. Droxine ( Diana Ewing) in The Cloud Minders
  65. Balok’s Puppet (voiced by Ted Cassidy) in What are Little Girls Made Of?
  66. Lt. Carolyn Palamas (Leslie Parrish) in Who Mourns for Adonais?
  67. The Bartender (Guy Raymond) in The Trouble with Tribbles
  68. Evil Spock (Leonard Nimoy) in Mirror, Mirror
  69. Alexander (Michael Dunn) in Plato’s Stepchildren
  70. The Real Balok (Clint Howard) in The Corbomite Maneuver
  71. Magda (Susan Denberg) in Mudd’s Women
  72. Captain Kirk’s Aztec Fertility God
  73. Mr. Spock’s Vulcan Harp
  74. Mr. Sulu’s Beauregard and other plants from The Man Trap
  75. White and Brown Tribbles from The Trouble with Tribbles
  76. Mercury Bust from Space Seed and Mirror, Mirror
  77. Captain Kirk’s Golden Box from his quarters
  78. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) on monitor from The Corbomite Maneuver
  79. Ruth Bonaventure (Maggie Thrett) in Mudd’s Women
  80. Grey Tribbles from The Trouble with Tribbles
  81. Starfleet Delta formed in gold carnations
  82. Deadly Flower from The Apple
  83. The USS Enterprise in golden carnations
  84. The Spores from This Side of Paradise
  85. Eve McHuron (Karen Steele) from Mudd’s Women
  86. Sayana’s Headdress from The Apple
  87. The Horta’s Eggs from The Devil in the Dark

 

A Day at TreKonderoga Part One: Welcome to TreKonderoga!

/ Therese / 5 Comments

Hi Everyone!

Hard to believe a week has passed already since my wonderful visit to Ticonderoga, NY to attend TreKonderoga with my great friend Bobbie.

TreKonderoga  is the annual mini-Trek Convention that takes place annually at the marvelous Star Trek Original Series Set Tour in the middle of Ticonderoga, NY.   How did this incredible recreation of the TOS set come about?  Well, as Wikipedia so deftly puts it:

In the middle of Ticonderoga lies the wonderful Star Trek Original Series Set Tour! Built by James Cawley, the sets were built to make Star Trek: New Voyages was created by James Cawley in April 2003. Jack Marshall came aboard as a producer with the idea to market the series on the internet.[3] The first episode, “Come What May” debuted on the internet on January 2004. The first episodes were filmed on new sets at a long-shuttered car dealership in Port Henry, NY,[4] but production eventually moved to a former Family Dollar store at 112 Montcalm St. in downtown Ticonderoga, NY.[5] This facility is currently open to the public for tours and is officially licensed by CBS. Tour information is available at http://www.startrektour.com

I took a zillion pictures so I’ll be breaking this report up into several sections – Enjoy!    First up: Welcome to TreKonderoga!   Part II -Touring the Enterprise! –  next!

Another Trek Photo Treasure Trove – In Color!

/ Therese / 1 Comment

Hey Kids, I’m back!

Thanks for your patience, for it is truly rewarded today!

A while back I posted some wonderful black and white photos from the eBay dealer rexliv who had come across rare negative directly from the original series sets, taken by studio photographers to capture rehearsal and publicity photos for the series.  Just when I thought these were the holy grail of Trek memorabilia, rexliv strikes again with COLOR NEGATIVES!

How the dealer describes his find is nothing short of miraculous, and the fact that these have not been destroyed in over 50 years and are in remarkable condition is astonishing.  As the dealer states in his descriptions:

This authentic Color original Film Negative from the Original Star Trek TV Series is in excellent Condition for its age. During the Production of Star Trek, Photographers were hired to take Publicity Photo’s of the Series for magazine distribution and for advertising purposes. I recently obtained quite a few of these Publicity Negatives from a woman in new York City. She stated that she obtained them from a friend who worked in a professional Photo Lab as a Custom Photo Printer in New York City during the Mid-1980s. He stated to her that he was assigned to clean out the Dead Photo Files at the Lab when he found the Star Trek Negatives. The woman had kept them in their original envelopes along with their original Contact Sheets ever since the Mid-1980s when her friend had given them to her. Each five frame negative strip was enclosed in a clear plastic sleeve. Since the negatives were taken by an On Set Photographer, they are obviously a “One Of A Kind” Film Negative and display different angles of the actors as they posed for Publicity Photo’s and during live action scenes from the Episodes. They are quite RARE indeed.

Well Yes indeed! Welcome to Trekkie Heaven Everyone!

NOTE:  Currently many of these negatives are NOT up for sale, and some of them have been sold. However, they are VERY LIKELY to go back up for auction. So for you diehards, I highly recommend you check out the dealer’s current auctions here.  You can see the completed (and may unsold) auctions here.  He is also currently  selling positive contact sheets of the full  color negatives.  These auctions will end TOMORROW  (Friday, October 27)  So check it out before they end!

I’ve posted the photos of the positive images that the dealer posted that are not included in the actual auctions but used as examples of how the negatives would look when processed.  I’ve enhanced a few of these positive images to improve their tone and contrast.  And man, what a find!  From De Kelley’s incredible baby blues to Shatner’s smirks and the occasional Nimoy grin, it’s like I’ve traveled in a time machine back to 1966!

Wow. Just Wow.  You can see why not all of these were used (lighting off, or someone coughed)  But they are totally iconic, regardless. Man, how I would have loved that job!  I’ll post more in the coming weeks. Enjoy!