A Thank You from Boston

Hi All,

I made a donation to the Boston Museum of Science supporting the Leonard Nimoy monument that is being fund raised for! They are getting close to their goal, and I truly hope they achieve it! It will be a big crystalized hand in the form of Vulcan Greeting in front of the museum. I received this lovely thank you today from Tim Ritchie, the President of the Museum of Science:

Currently the total donations are $301,789 and it is 60% to reaching its mark (of $500,000) Please consider contributing any amount to can to complete this wonderful project! You can donate here. I am proud to be a part of this undertaking, and I’m sure Leonard is smiling from above!

Deep Fakes and AI in the Star Trek Fan Universe – Is it Real? –(examples and a suggestion)

You have probably heard that the current increase in Artificial Intelligence (AI) may cause may cause great dangers in not just the world of art, but in reality as well, in regards to national security and war. And I agree this is great threat to our perceptions of what we see and hear, and that it should be regulated as soon as possible.

We have all seen manipulated images made for fun for memes and such. But it is unnerving to see something that you know isn’t quite right, yet wondering about it’s legitimacy.

I just came across this image on eBay. Any child of the TOS generation can recognize this instantly as a “deep fake”, that is , a clearly AI-manipulated image. I’m guessing the seller used an original image of Spock then used an AI program to manipulate the face into a smile. The background looks manipulated as well.

Technically it’s not a bad manipulation. The simulated smile and the squinted eyelids almost look like they could be Nimoy’s. But the teeth are a BIG giveaway. Sharp-eyed ‘Nimoyans’ know that Leonard’s teeth were never that white or that uniform. And the final effect is kind of funny if not somewhat terrifying.

Another example from the same dealer on eBay: Miri with Yeoman Rand. Not sure if the creator is making Miri ‘pound’ or just ‘play’ with Rand’s hair. This one is a clear fake. Miri is a reversed image of the original, (see below) and Janice’s eyes are altered to look like she’s rolling them.

To be fair, AI can bee a boon to artists. I have made some fun creations through some family genealogy sites, although it’s not perfect; I’ve had some images come out with three arms or only half a face! I am sure you’ve probably seen some pretty good art created with this process. However, I do not wish to see AI to take over original hand made art, writings or worst of all, fake videos of say, world leaders making totally false statements. (This has happened already)

Now granted, AI technology could help me create a dream episode of TOS with just audio and video clips from the original. And for all we know someone is already doing that. But I bet that would make for copyright infringement and estate problems so I wouldn’t risk it.

Longtime readers of this blog have seen my own collages and posters of Trek images. My creations were and are mostly done with Adobe Photoshop, which in this current atmosphere may become just obsolete. I truly hope not . I use my art for fun, and to make people smile, but never to influence people much beyond a “hey, isn’t this silly?”

But the main concern about AI and Deep Fakes is how technology has advanced to the point where it’s harder and harder to tell what’s real and what isn’t. Truly scary local and world consequences could come from this, and I pray that all who use it will be aware of the influences they create. Fake fan art is mostly harmless, although I prefer the real deal, but I only ask that you BE AWARE.

Happy Creating, Therese

Remembering Leonard Today.

Happy Heavenly Birthday to Leonard Nimoy who would have been 92 today. He was such a wonderful human being; kind, compassionate, caring, and grateful for the life that fame brought him. He never forgot where he came from or took anything for granted. Glad we were along for the ride of the man who brought out the humanity of Spock, and thankful he lived long and prospered.

Seeing Star Trek:The Motion Picture in a New Light

The other night I had a moment to watch a little TV, and thought I’d find a movie. Paramount+ had a list of movies leaving at the end of August, and among them was Star Trek: The Motion Picture. I hadn’t seen it in so long I figured it was a good time.

After years of easily dismissing it I was surprised and delighted to realize that I not only did I like this movie, but LOVED it! Quite a difference from my initial viewing 43(!) years ago.

In December of 1979, I was among the hundreds locally who came out to see it on its first night. Comparing what I saw that premiere night, and what I just watched the other night were of two different people in two realities. How the first Star Trek movie would be reacted to was somehow very personal to me. When I came out of the theater that night, I was happily saying to people in line “It’s great!”. But inside I was not too pleased, an opinion that regrettably stayed with me all these years, to the point of never wanting to see it again.

You see, through my then 18-year old’s eyes, this movie was going to be my redemption, my “I told you so!” to all the people who mocked me for my Trek devotion the whole past decade. But my concern about how non-Trekkies would take it was almost central to my enjoyment of the film. Seeing that attitude now, I admit with slight embarrassment that I was WAY too concerned with physical elements of the movie, than the actual plot. Kind of like not seeing the forest for the trees. My ‘trees’ here were things like:

  1. The Klingons are bumpy!!
  2. Oh, God, is everyone going to like it?
  3. That’s a bad wig, Spock!
  4. Oh, God, the actors look so old!
  5. Why are those uniforms so bland and awful? Where has all the color gone?
  6. Why is the dialogue so soft while the music and sound effects are SO LOUD?
  7. Why is the intro to the Enterprise taking s-o-o-o-o lo-o-o-o-o-ng?
  8. Why is Spock so wooden?
  9. Why did Ilia have to be bald?
  10. Are Ilia and Decker going to take over the Enterprise?
  11. What’s up with Scotty’s mustache?

My 61 year old brain can answer all that now …

  1. The Klingons are what Gene wanted them to be.
  2. Maybe not at the moment, but in time it will age better.
  3. Yes, he needed a better long hair wig, but that’s a minor point.
  4. Wow, they all look so YOUNG here!!
  5. Well, the uniforms were what they were. very 70’s. Fortunately they were all recycled into a better look in the sequels.
  6. This was mostly the fault of the poor audio equipment at the theater I watched it at. I remember many people calling out “Turn it up!!”
  7. The Enterprise intro is a big ‘Welcome back you beautiful ship’ presentation. Still a tad longer than it needed to be, but I get it. That’s what fast forward is for; the same for the long slide into V’Ger’s realm.
  8. He did seem unnaturally stiff before his space walk, but I understand now that Spock’s search for total logic was turning him inward.
  9. After years of seeing new aliens, Ilia’s lack of hair really was no big deal, (and dear Persis was so gorgeous).
  10. Of Course Not!!
  11. It’s the 70’s, man!

I was too ‘stressed’ with these ‘pressing’ concerns to appreciate the beauty of a story I had been waiting for10 years to culminate into reality! Seeing it now, although I still think it needed better editing to move it along more quickly, I appreciate it so much more. My impressions follow.

First of all, this was a beautifully remastered director’s cut of the piece. As your eyes delve into a field of stars, it begins with the graceful and sad, yet soaring overture of Ilia’s Theme by Jerry Goldsmith. Ilia’s theme grew a whole new meaning for me since I had last watched this movie, It really stresses a deep longing, the almost unbearable yearning to find something more that must be out there.

I felt compassion for Ilia this time too instead of seeing her as an ‘other’ or just sexy window dressing. Ilia is tragic because she is swept into the vortex of V’ger before she barely serves on the Enterprise. The small blinks of her real self that flicker from the shell of her V’ger persona are almost heartbreaking. “Deck-Er!” she voices in familiarity as she touches his face. So close yet so far.

Spock too is torn. Feeling a call from V-Ger, he is drawn back to the Enterprise. He cannot focus solely on his devotion to total logic. As he has failed the Ko-li-nahr to rid himself of emotion, so he is now determined to figure out the mystery of V-Ger, even at the risk of his own life to save his fellow crew members. This is a theme that carries through to the sad conclusion of The Wrath of Kahn. After his harrowing space walk into V’Ger, Spock rediscovers and embraces his humanity. The small chuckle he gives recovering in sickbay brings us back to the Spock we knew was still there.

At it’s core, Star Trek: The Motion Picture is very much true to the formula of the original series; set in outer space, but finding ourselves through personal conflict. It is not heavy on action, but it has suspense, which is always favorable, to me at least.

Technically, it was a marvel at the time, and a joy to see the Enterprise stream into warp drive with it’s strobe-rainbow effect. The new Enterprise was beautiful sleek upgrade to the original. Remember this was still a model-driven special effect department, and CGI was still in its infancy. The Klingon ship was ruggedly detailed and far more 3-D than ever before. Spock’s voyage into V’Ger and the steep stair set surrounding V’ger were remarkable, although I was concerned that these ‘ancient’ actors at the time would trip and fall!

Costume-wise were hits and misses. The variety of duty uniforms still didn’t make much sense to me. The beige/gold, pale blue/gray palate was probably considered quite futuristic at the time, al though they still had more of a 70’s Space 1999 vibe at the time. But their blandness made the actors blend in more with the cooler tones of the New Enterprise. Thankfully, Khan brought back more color and a less leisure suit look back to the series* and Star Trek: TNG brought back the classic gold/blue/red department shades. Also, the laughable, sporty, short sleeved uniforms here were so terribly preppy before preppy became a thing in the early 80’s. What, were these the Sunday leisure uniforms? They still make me laugh, and for heaven’s sake, grown men should never wear Penguin Suits and Onesies! (TMI! TMI!)

Thank heaven we had two glorious and elegant costume moments — Spock’s first entry on the bridge in a luxurious black cape and stove-pipe trousers, and Ilia’s white mini-robe with salmon pink stand up collar.

All I can say now , is that if you haven’t seen it in a long time, you might just enjoy it as much as i did. It is still a LOT better than Shatner’s ego-fest of Star Trek V!

And now All 6 Original STAR TREK Films Beam Down on 4K Blu-ray in September, Plus TMP Director’s Edition & Special Longer Version • TrekCore.com

*The reason for the red and black uniforms of STII was budgetary — the ST:TMP uniforms had to be recycled and the only colors they could be dyed were deep red and black!

Would You Pay to See ‘Spock Amok’ ? (Poster!)

I came across the site MyCast yesterday where one can create fantasy story-lines that they’d like to see become a real movie, TV Show or video game.

I couldn’t resist – so I created a story-line, cast and even poster for an imagined biography of Leonard Nimoy called Spock Amok! I would love to see this become a reality, but do you think anyone would be interested in it?

I’ve had this idea for years and actually mentioned this idea to the delightful Terry Farrell (Dax of Deep Space Nine and wife of Adam Nimoy) about a year ago on a live chat, and she said that no one had considered making a Nimoy bio, but I think she liked the idea!

When I made the poster, I thought up the by-line “How does one live in their own Shadow” and the idea of Nimoy’s Spock shading Adam Driver seemed a good option! I was delighted to find a pic of Mr. Driver looking down, a bit sad. It helped that he was dressed a but like Leonard used to also. And by the way, if Spock here looks a little odd, it’s because I photo-shopped Mr. Driver’s eyes, nose, and mouth into the image of Nimoy’s Spock!

I created my fantasy cast too, although I’m sure I can add more. Adam Driver as Leonard Nimoy, Danny Devito and Rhea Perlman as Max and Dora (Spinner) Nimoy, Jessica Chastain as Sandra Zober Nimoy, Michael Douglas as Gene Roddenberry, Kellan Lutz as William Shatner, Sandra Bullock as Susan Bay Nimoy, Karl Urban (of course) as DeForest Kelley and Lauren London as Nichelle Nichols. It would be written by Julie Nimoy and directed by Adam Nimoy! I’ll add more cast as I think of them.

So I have to ask, would you pay to see a Nimoy biopic? Maybe if I get enough people to vote their choices here, we can make it a reality! Please vote here! And enjoy.

Like what you see here? Don’t forget to support trekkerscrapbook and buy me a cup of tea!

Happy New Year from Trekker Scrapbook! Adventures with a Spock Doll.

Hi Everyone! Hoping you had a fun New Year’s Eve and are enjoying a restful first day of 2022! I bet a lot of you watch football. I don’t, but for some reason, well…

Last week for Christmas I received this marvelous 1:6 Spock Head from a dealer on eBay. I knew I couldn’t afford the entire doll, but I could buy a separate body for him on-line and the whole thing would be a fraction of the price of the original.

So first, here’s the marvelous head, that looks so much like Nimoy as Spock it’s astonishing; right down to the tiny extra nub of flesh below his right ear!

Almost creepy, isn’t it? (dealer picture)

Knowing I was going to receive this for Christmas (okay, I bought it and my husband paid for it!) I started looking into little civillian clothes for my new wee Spock. I hadn’t bought a body for him yet, but I figured I could just buy Ken doll body for him and stick it on. Little did I know…

I found an adorable vintage football outfit for a Ken Doll from the early 60’s. Even though I don’t do football, I thought this would be fun for Spock to wear, as I looked forward to dressing and displaying him in un-Spockly fashion. This was a bargain for all the pieces as it wasn’t in the original packaging:

There was a little spot on the 7,but I could fix that. The rubber shoulder pads and helmet cracked me up.

Oh dear, then it was like a can of Pringles… I had to find a few more outfits. Then I had to find a body to add the head to. I found a cheap GI Joe that looked suitable, and a cool vintage Ken Navy blue velvet blazer, a Ken red shawl neck sweater, a Ken collegiate Letterman cardigan and even Ken pajamas! My Spock would be the best dressed ever!

Not so fast.

First, I couldn’t get the head off of the GI Joe, and I didn’t want to ruin it, so he’s back in the box until I sell him. So I delved into the world of 1:6th scale action doll figures, and I found a model that was compatible with the Spock head. So when it arrived, the body had several sets of hands and that could be attached, but the feet weren’t attached either. I got the hands on okay, but the feet were tricky. My husband got them on, but the first time he got them on backward!

So just in time for today, I thought I’d gear up Spock in the ol’ Ken Football uniform. Well, the rubber shoulder pads worked, and I got the red jersey over it, but alas, these 1:6 models are much more muscular in the arms and legs than any early Ken doll would ever be – and the pants were too small for these legs! And not just that — the socks and cleats (shoes) were too small too!! So all the tops for the figure could fit, but not the pants! I’m already searching for appropriate 1:6 jeans and such. I promised myself this won’t be a new obsession. Well not much.

I guess I’ll be selling back the football outfit on eBay, but at least I got a couple cute pics of Spock ready for the gridiron — at least from the waist up!

HA -ha ha ha ha!

I gotta say, the little rubber helmet is just adorable on him. Reminds me of the small role Nimoy had in “Francis Goes to West Point“!

Happy New Year Everyone! Stay safe and well! -Therese xo