It’s probably redundant to explain where the title of this Star Trek 60th anniversary column comes from, since other old-as-dirt Star Trek fans like myself have probably seen “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock” more times than we care to admit (even to our therapists). However, for this landmark year of the franchise, Kirk’s…
Tag: Star Trek The Next Generation
Why “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” (1979) is the greatest love story of the Star Trek movies…
******STARSHIP-SIZED SPOILERS!****** After seeing “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” (TMP) theatrically in the late 1970s at age 13, the last thing I would’ve labeled it was a love story. There are no cute-meets of characters spilling coffee on each other in turbolifts. We don’t even see Captain Kirk romance a single green-haired alien woman. In…
Star Trek: The Next Generation’s “Relics” builds a sentimental bridge to the past…
******STARSHIP-SIZED SPOILERS!****** It’s been nearly 33 years since I eagerly rushed home from work one night in October of 1992 to catch a new, special “Star Trek: The Next Generation” (TNG) episode. From its teaser trailer airing the previous week, “Relics” promised to be a well of classic Star Trek love, with the return of…
No, Star Trek: Discovery hasn’t been ‘erased,’ nor has any other Star Trek…
******STARSHIP-SIZED SPOILERS!****** In light of the wildfire emergencies here in SoCal–the worst of which are about forty-odd minutes northwest of me–I’ve been reluctant to punch out another column just now, in case my electricity is suddenly cut to prevent sparking from fallen power lines. However, since I need the diversion, here goes. For this column,…
Tony Todd (1954-2024); the “Candyman” who trekked to the stars…
This has been a very tough week. For reasons I don’t want to get into now, I wasn’t intending to write anything at this time. In fact, I was in the middle of a much-needed break. But then I read that actor Tony Todd passed away, and it was my motive to exit my ennui…
“Star Trek: Very Short Treks” (2023) are single-joke shorts that miss more than they hit…
*****STARSHIP-SIZED SPOILERS***** To fans of Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973-4) like myself, I was delighted to see the opening of the first of five Star Trek: Very Short Treks unveil recently, as I loved its tongue-in-cheek reimagining of the Paramount+ Star Trek into, which is now rendered in nostalgically cheesy, Filmation-style animation. The short…
Star Trek: Picard, S3.10: “The Last Generation” is a sentimental sendoff, slathered in fan service…
*****STARSHIP-SIZED SPOILERS!***** The season (and, presumably, series) finale of Star Trek: Picard (PIC), titled “The Last Generation,” has streamed, and I debated whether to do a recap of the entire season, or just a review of the final episode. Deciding that I didn’t have the energy (or patience) to review all ten, I went with…
Scanning all Star Treks (1966-present)…
*****STARSHIP-SIZED SPOILERS AHEAD!***** With the annual Star Trek Las Vegas convention (aka “the 56 Year Mission”) right around the corner, I thought this might be a good time to take an overview of the entire televised Star Trek franchise. I’d previously examined all of the Star Trek feature films, so I thought I might explore…
From Jack the Ripper to Bob Cratchit; the legacy of David Warner (1941-2022)…
Range. This week saw the loss of renowned British actor David Warner at age 80, from cancer complications, just five days shy of his 81st birthday. Sadly, I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting David Warner, as I’d hoped to meet him at a convention a year ago, but he cancelled due to health reasons….
Star Trek: Singing the Body Electric…
*****STARSHIP-SIZED SPOILERS AHEAD FOR TOS, TNG, PICARD, DISCOVERY***** With apologies to both Walt Whitman and Ray Bradbury, Star Trek’s attitudes on ‘the body electric’ have undergone a paradigm shift from 1966 to 2021. The season one finale of Star Trek: Picard, S1.10: “Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2″ saw Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) awakening…
Star Trek going forward: ‘Tomorrow isn’t Yesterday’–nor should it be…
Not Yesterday’s Enterprise. This is one of those columns I wish I didn’t have to write, but I wanted to make a one-stop column addressing much of the simmering, seething anger I see online for just about any Star Trek made beyond 2005—or beyond 1987, for some. For as long as I can remember, each…
Is Star Trek’s transporter room a chamber of horrors…?
Trauma of the G-rated “Star Trek: The Motion Picture.” When I was a kid, some million and a half years ago, “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” (1979) made its big screen debut. The film took the low-budget spartan sci-fi TV series and upgraded it into an A-list Hollywood feature…even going so far as to hire…