Star Trek 50

50 Years Ago Today-‘The Menagerie’ (GALLERY)

/ Therese / 14 Comments

Hey Kids,

Today is a special anniversary!  It was 50 years ago today, November 17, 1966, that Star Trek aired the first part of it’s only 2-part episode, The Menagerie, on NBC. 

The episode  conveniently helped keep production costs down by recycling Star Trek’s original pilot The Cage into a new story about Spock’s loyalty to his first captain, Christopher Pike. Pretty clever, actually, and aren’t we grateful for it! Gene didn’t want the pilot to be forgotten, and by making it the center of a new episode, it built up the canon of the original series.

But even more importantly, it offered first insights into Mr. Spock’s past, and revealed his devotion to his first captain, now seriously paralyzed, and willingness to risk court martial and even death to give his captain a better life.  It also gave us our first inklings into just how human this logical, stoic Vulcan could be. I’ll discuss more about it in a future post. But for now, I really loved this episode.   A shame there were not more two-parters made.

Do you have a favorite moment?  Here’s some images from the classic episodes – with my silly captions, of course! (Hmm, maybe I should turn this into a full fledged comic…)  But if you haven’t seen it, get thee to thy nearest streaming site! (Netflix, Amazon, etc)

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Fun fact: Did you know that ‘The Menagerie’ and ‘Court Martial’ were filmed back-to-back? Maybe they had narrow window for dress uniform rentals! 😉

Steady As She Goes! Shatner, Koenig, and Takei on the Bridge Again!

/ Therese / 2 Comments

This is all kinds of wonderful.  Just a few days ago at the the Destination: Star Trek Convention in Birmingham, England, the stars the many Trek incarnations as well as special guests posed on a lovely recreation of the Enterprise bridge! But most importantly, Captain Kirk, Mr. Chekov and Mr. Sulu were back at their stations!

This picture got me a little emotional!  Seeing William Shatner, Walter Koenig and George Takei sitting so fine just made my heart swell (and break just a little)!  Unfortunately, Nichelle Nichols couldn’t make it, but I’m sure she was there in spirit.  And as beautiful as this is, it made me miss the crew now watching from above: Leonard Nimoy, Deforest Kelley, James Doohan, Majel Barrett, and Grace Lee Whitney  <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Fortunately, the legendary three here had plenty of support in their Trek family.  Most notable is Leonard’s son,  Adam Nimoy, standing in for his beloved father.  As much as I wish that Leonard was still here, I’m so thankful that Adam was there for him.

I also LOVE that George Takei wore a black shirt with a bright yellow sweater, mimicking his original uniform, and look how proudly his sits back at his helm! Steady as she goes!

Now enjoy this moment of Star Trek Awesomeness!

The many casts and special guests of the Star Trek universe at “Destination: Star Trek” in Birmingham, England, October 7, 2016: Front Row: Walter Koenig (Chekov) George Takei (Sulu) Second Row: Eddie Paskey (Mr. Leslie) William Shatner (Captain James T. Kirk) Robert O’Reily (Gowron/TNG) Armin Shimmerman (Quark/DS9) Colonel Al Worden (Astronaut, Apollo 15) Chase Masterson (Leta/DS9) Marina Sirtis (Deanna Troi/TNG) Alice Krige (Borg Queen/First Contact). Third Row: Dominic Keating (Reed/Enterprise) Nicole deBoer (Ezra Dax/DS9) Max Grodenchik (Rom/DS9) Terry Farrell (Jadzia Dax/ DS9), Adam Nimoy, Conner Trinneer (Trip Tucker/Enterprise, Greg Grunberg (Kirk’s Stepdad,-voice/Star Trek reboot). Fourth Row: Jeffrey Combs (Weyoun/DS9) Garret Wang (Harry Kim/Voyager) Martha Hackett ( Seska/Voyager), Casey Biggs (Damar/ DS9), Eric Pierpoint (Voval/TNG, Sanders/DS9), and Kitty Swink (Rozahn/DS9)

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Wideo Wednesday: Building Star Trek

/ Therese / 1 Comment

This was a wonderful documentary from The Smithsonian Channel that shares the excitement of restoring the original model of the Starship Enterprise for the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, as well as recreating the original bridge for a Seattle Museum, and engineers attempting to recreate some of the legendary devices of the Original Series (tractor beams, tricorders, etc.)   I got the chills seeing the original ship model here 🙂 Lots of great clips from the original series too!  Enjoy!

 

13 Times The Animated Star Trek Mimicked the Original

/ Therese / 4 Comments

Lately I’ve been reacquainting myself with the animated Star Trek series (TAS -1973-4).  I remember being a 12-year old and excited that my favorite show was being brought back (at least in animation) and that maybe the Enterprise could finally finish its five year mission!  For the most part, it was pretty good, I only wished I had a color TV to watch it on!                                                         Anyway, recently I’ve seen a few episodes on Netflix and it really seemed all new to me again, as I hadn’t since the early 70’s.  I was taken by the lovely backgrounds and the simple, but accurate way the animation captured the faces and subtle nuances of the original actors. (Can a cartoon male be handsome? You bet!).  But something that also stood out for me was how the series often mimicked the original (TOS) in angles and style; the creators at Filmation clearly did their homework as you’ll see in these examples.   Lets’ start with some opening Enterprise shots. The makers of the series did a beautiful job recreating the ship.  There’s much more detail in the orbital images than the character scenes, but it’s lovely.  Rotoscoping anyone? thejihadcatspaw                                                                                      magikscage-12

 

 

 

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The Enterprise in its animated form: Top: Orbital views from ‘The Jihad’ and ‘Catspaw’ Center: Clever rotoscoping seen in “The Magicks fo Megus-Tu” taken from “The Cage”. Bottom: Shoulder view of the Enterprise in ‘The Terratin Incident’ and “Who Mourns for Adonais?”

But wait, there’s more.  There were several detail and character scenes that were clearly influenced by the original (if sometimes with subtlety):

Scotty in a shaft in "Once Upon a Planet" and in the Jeffries Tube in "The Naked Time".

Scotty in a shaft in “Once Upon a Planet” and in the Jeffries Tube in “The Naked Time”.

Digital time panel in "The Counter-Clock Incident" and "The Naked Time"

Digital time panel in “The Counter-Clock Incident” and “The Naked Time”

Eyebrow City - Lara from 'The Jihad' and Zora from "The Savage Curtain"

Eyebrow City – Lara from ‘The Jihad’ and Zora from “The Savage Curtain”

Ready for my super close-up: Magna in 'The Time Trap' and Sirah in "The Omega Glory"

Ready for my super close-up: Magna in ‘The Time Trap’ and Sirah in “The Omega Glory”

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They HAD to do this one! Kirk’s booted feet with tribbles in “More Tribbles, More Troubles”, and in “The Trouble with Tribbles”

In Once Upon a Planet, the Enterprise crew visits the amusement park planet again as they did in Shore Leave – so of course Alice and the White Rabbit are there, but then there’s a clear reference to Catspaw, when a giant cat menaces the crew from a doorway:once-shorejpg onceshore once-capspaw

Another  revisited character was Harry Mudd – this time in Mudd’s Passion, peddling love potion to Nurse Chapel in her eternal quest for Spock’s affections.  Here, he offers her pills, just as he did to his ‘cargo’ in Mudd’s Women: muddspassionwomenjpg

Finally, this one surprised me the most: In Albatross, Nurse Chapel checks on  sleeping patient Kol-Tai in practically the same angle she checks in on a sleeping Spock in Amok Time!  albatross-amokjpg

Well, this was a fun visit to the Saturday morning cartoons of my youth (modern kids don’t know what they were missing!)  If anyone here knows of any more similarities between TAS and TOS, let me know! I’ll post them!

Next Time: The Backdrops of TAS.

Happy 50th Star Trek! (My Tribute Poster!)

/ Therese / 1 Comment

Sorry this is a day late, but it is no less sincere!  It took longer than I imagined,   probably from colorizing the uniforms!)   For this celebration, everyone’s a captain! And special halos for our beloveds watching from above <3

What a dull world it would have been without Star Trek.  Aren’t we lucky? Thanks to all who made and make this dream come true, and may the message of Trek’s human harmony Live Long and Prosper!  Love, Therese xo50

 

50 Years Ago Today, September 8, 1966…

/ Therese / 6 Comments

Hard to believe it’s been 50 years ago this very day, September 8, 1966, that a little science fiction show called Star Trek premiered on the NBC television network.  And the world of Sci-Fi entertainment was never the same!

The first episode aired was actually the seventh episode filmed: The Man Trap.  Probably not the most cerebral of Season One episodes, but it did strike a balance between the action associated with the genre and the emotional  strangeness of the unknown. One felt the terror facing  an unknown shape-shifting, salt vampire, but also felt the emotional tug of a last of its species just trying to survive.  We also had the conflicting drama of McCoy’s feelings for his old love, who wasn’t what she seemed.  It’s really a great tragedy, even with it’s campy elements.(Spock belting Nancy is so bizarre, but I know Spock wasn’t fully developed yet!)   I always wished the vampire could have just been stunned instead of killed.

I’m working on a 50th Anniversary poster right now, and hope to have it finished before the day is through.  But for now, here’s my movie-style poster from 2011 for the episode that introduced Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy, and the stalwart crew of the beautiful U.S.S. Enterprise.  Long may she ‘trek’!  Live Long and Prosper!    love, Therese xo

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Heading to Star Trek: Mission New York!

/ Therese / 4 Comments

Hey all!  I’ll be heading to Star Trek:Mission New York this coming Sunday!  Looking forward to it! Any of you going?

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Therese as Rand on her way to last year’s RoberCon in Binghamton NY

I’ve been to a few conventions in my time, but I realize the last time I was in at a major convention in NYC was 40 years ago this month!  It was Star Trek Bi-Centennial-10 in 1976, a when I was 15!  So much has changed in that time.  With the advent of Comic-Cons and such, there is more emphasis on all different types of fantasy and sci-fi creations (and that is great), but it’ll be really fun to be among mostly Trekkies here   🙂   I admit, when I’ve gone to our local ‘RoberCon’ in the past few years, it’s a tad frustrating (or at least a reminder that I’m getting old!) that the younger kids have no idea who I’m dressing up as.  Kids thought I was an elf from Lord of the Rings when I dressed up as T’Pau the other year, and you’d be amazed how many people thought I was Nurse Chapel when I dressed up as Yeoman Rand last year!

But at Star Trek Mission New York, I’m sure that true Trekkers will know that I’m Dr. Miranda Jones from “Is There in Truth No Beauty?”  (Assuming I finish my costume on time!!)

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Dr. Miranda Jones (Diana Muldaur) in “Is there in Truth No Beauty?”

I’ll be getting a few photo ops with several of the celebs (will post as soon as I get them)!  Should be a blast!

Are any of you going?  Let me know, I’d love to meet you!!!  See you Sunday, I’ll be wandering around! 😀

Have fun and LLAP, Therese

 

Update! 9/3 — I just finished my ‘sensor robe’ like Miranda’s but I’ll be wearing black under it (didn’t finish the blue in time)  Here’s my bargain basement version of the sensor robe   🙂

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I’ll look better with the black pants and shirt under it!

Video — 1979 Star Trek TMP Premiere!

/ Therese / 1 Comment

A fair quality video with lots of good stuff here – Gorgeous Leonard Nimoy appears @ 8:00 (and a bit later) — poor Sandra looks terrified through most of this.  Poor woman, I think she never got used to the publicity. (a fan gives Leonard a gift)  Great to see our old friends here — Dig Majel Barret’s ‘spiderweb neckline!  And Sweet De Kelley!