Posts Tagged ‘Star Trek Series’
Least favorite Star Trek characters – Part 1
I am a Trekkie. It runs deep within my blood and I have been watching the adventures of Captain Kirk for years. I must say that even though I was a fan of the Original Series, I do like the newer Star trek series even better. But each of the series has characters that just seem to be there for no real reason at all.
The Next Generation: Deanna Troi
The character of Deanna Troi seems to be one of those additions that just did not make sense. Her character is only developed on a small scale and really has a small role in the actual function of the ship. Deanna stands out because she does not seem like an officer. Many times I have thought that the character was only there for romantic involvement and nothing more. Deanna Troi adds little if anything to the depth of the show in any season and is by far my least favorite character in the Next Generation.
Deep Space Nine: Jake Sisko, Rom and Vic Fontaine
My three least favorite characters on Deep Space Nine are Jake Sisko, Rom and Vic Fontaine. Let me say that Deep Space Nine is without a doubt my favorite of all the Star Trek series. However, I never really saw a real purpose for any of these characters.
Jake Sisko was there because his father, Benjamin Sisko, was the commanding officer on the station. I understand why he is there but too many times there is emphasis on things other than his relationship with his father. For instance, the episode The Muse, was about an alien that fed off of the life energy of writers. The whole story was stupid but there was a moment when I was hoping that they might kill Jake off but no such luck.
Rom was the idiot brother of Quark the owner of Deep Space Nine’s bar. Again I never understood why this character was included so much in the series. His role as the lowly or stupid brother does not help his character. However, Rom does develop a backbone and becomes part of the station engineering crew. He does somewhat break out of the dumb brother mold. In the end, his rise to power almost seems fitting. Rom becomes the new Grand Nagus, ruler of the Ferengi alliance.
Vic Fontaine was introduced as a minor character in the sixth season. In fact, Vic is not even real, he is a hologram character. Vic Fontaine is a singer in a 50’s era casino, where he is the opening and only act. The writers used this as a way to include some great classic songs in the series. The only good thing is that Vic is only in a handful of episodes.
Voyager: Commander Chakotay
Of all
The End? When a TV series finale isnt final
There’s good reason why The End isn’t final when it comes to a TV series finale. It comes down to money and ratings. There’s always the chance that another network will pick up the show and commission a continuation of the series or a spin-off show.
A good example of going into the finale frontier is the original Star Trek series which ran from 1966 to 1969. It wasn’t until it went into sydication that it gained a world-wide following. Eighteen years later came Star Trek: The Next Generation, the first of four spin-off television series.
It also inspired an animated series and 6 feature films which allowed the characters from the original series to make appearances. So although Captain James T Kirk may have died, it certainly resurrected the career of William Shatner.
The discovery by new generations of audiences have created a billion dollar industry of merchandising, including DVDs, novels, comic books, toys and video games. So it’s no wonder that many series finale’s aren’t the end, as there’s always the hope that they’ll boldly follow in the footsteps of the Star Trek phenomena.
![Star Trek: The Original Series - Season One (DVD/HD DVD Combo, Remastered Edition) [HD DVD] starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, George Takei](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3441/3771242511_a3927d870c_t.jpg)
Reasons why you should watch (and love) Star Trek – Part 1
The television series, books, and movies of the popular star trek is both amazing, and full of mystery. the good part is that even though its mysterious its good entertainment. the star trek universe is very large and full of unique, and sometimes, scary creatures and species. the main series of star trek, The Original Series. was based on Captain Kirk and crew, though it has come a long way through the years, growing into the series of Voyager, Deep space nine, The Next Generation, and one back in time called Enterprise, not to mention all the movies based on Next Generation. In a personal perspective the most fascinating part of any Star Trek series is the part where they meet a new species, be it a threat or just mysterious. though however many different species there have been discovered the main few that I considered the most developed and enjoyable are the Romulan’s, Klingon’s, Vulcan’s, and the Ferengi (who drive me nuts). the best part I would say about the Klingon’s and Vulcan’s is that they actually have a developed language that you can look into (Klingon was developed by Marc Okrand, and Vulcan (the one I found on the net) was developed by random fans and obsessives). Klingon even has its own few Dictionaries and even a Travel Guide. A good reason for Star Trek fans to get excited however is that a new movie is being developed!(yay) and is supposed to be really amazing (the first time I saw a preview for it was when I went to watch a movie and saw it in theater, I started drooling ). so maybe there will be more star trek universe to be discovered, or you can simply watch the re-runs on Spike Tv.
ever since star trek came out there have been many fans for it, but it has so greatly evolved over the years that its obvious that star trek has more then enough fans to create another series (which I really hope they do, since most of the other shows were before my generation). if its true and the new movie is going to be as good as they say then star trek might gain new fans from my own generation as well as re-discover those of the other generations that enjoyed it so much.
it is easy to say that Star Trek is one of the most amazing science fiction series in the world, also probably safe to say one of the most popular. the best part is the discovering new worlds and races, learning about them and becoming part of the story, in my case star trek is addictive and really good brain candy for the imagination. even though it has a few scientific errors ,such as the sound in outer space and other random affects that could not possibly happen, but with out them star trek would be rather dull thus these affects make it what it is!
I have watched re-runs of star trek ever since I was a little boy who had no time for reality and too much time for imagination. my parents were both science fiction nerds at the time and watched star trek almost every night before bed, this being the reason I have watched every episode of every season and know enough about Next Generation to practically act out the whole series by memory! its full if imagination feeding plots and amazing scenery that anyone who has a good imagination and loves to see new places and new worlds could easily fall in love with star trek.
Should William Shatner return as Captain Kirk in the new Star Trek movie? – Part 1
The original “Star Trek” series with William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk, will forever be etched into the science fiction time capsule as the series that broke the barriers of race, religion, time, conviction and vision. With a white captain, black female communications officer, alien science officer, scotsman engineer, russian navigator, and asian helmsman, the series filled our hope chest with a profound vision of how life could change for all of us if we could simply learn to get along with everyone else.
I grew up with the original “Star Trek” series, and I watched it evolve into “Star Trek, The Next Generation”, “Deep Space Nine, “Voyager”, and every movie that has been made in-between. As a “TREKER” who loves everything that the “Star Trek Universe” has offered, and still has to offer, when Captain Kirk died assisting Captain Picard in the movie “Star Trek, Generations”, the loss I experienced within my emotions at the death of this icon, was just as heart-felt and devastating as if I loss a member of my own family. When people die in the real world they don’t come back, and even with the marvels of the “Star Trek Universe”, in death, some characters actually become larger than life itself because we keep them alive in our memories.
The question is “Should William Shatner return as Captain Kirk in the new Star Trek movie?”
My answer is “no”, he shouldn’t return to the role as Captain Kirk.
During the original series William Shatner portrayed the youthful character and the brilliance of his command ability magnificently The new “Star Trek” movie deals with the “Enterprise” crew as they are fresh out of “Star Fleet” academy. William Shatner has aged to the point where he cannot portray the youthful Captain Kirk that is required to make the movie believable. Only a youthful actor can portray Captain Kirk with the zeal and finesse attributed to the character in the original series.
Does this mean that there is no role for William Shatner? Absolutely not.
One characterization that could bring Captain Kirks entire life to a new meaning would be to cast William Shatner in the role as Captain Kirks father. We all know Captain Kirk to be a brilliant strategist who thinks through every possible scenario, and who improvises to win the game when all hope for salvation appears to be lost. What if this train of thought was driven into “James T. Kirk” by his father throughout his life? What if his father’s wisdom and unique experiences went to the heart of Captain Kirk’s every sense of being to make him the commander and tactician that he eventually became?
We all know that Captain Kirk did not believe in a “No Win Scenario” as he stated in “The Wrath of Kahn”. Maybe his father believed in this and taught James everything he knew to help improve his chances of survival in deep space. Perhaps when he said in the movie “Star Trek V, The Final Frontier”, “I’ve always known, I’ll die alone”, he had a premonition of his death during his childhood, and it scared him so badly that he had to speak with his father, portrayed by William Shatner.
The only role for William Shatner in the new “Star Trek” movie is that of Captain Kirks father. A cameo appearance as Kirks father could tie together everything that we don’t know about Captain Kirk. If I were the director, I would ask William Shatner to make a cameo role appearance as he hugs Kirk closely and says “Never forget what I’ve taught you, because as long as you sit in that chair, you can make a difference!”
Star Trek: Voyager (DVD) Review
Nominated for 30 Emmys, including seven for Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series, Star Trek: Voyager continues the rich tradition of the original 1960s Star Trek franchise. Created by former L.A. police officer Gene Roddenberry, the Star Trek TV series morphed into a franchise famous for the unprecedented fanatical devotion of its fan base. Lasting only three seasons during its original network run, Star Trek struck gold with its syndicated reruns, launching a number of motion pictures featuring the original cast as well as novels, comic books, collectibles, and reams of Star Trek-related memorabilia. The third spin-off from the original Star Trek series, Star Trek: Voyager premiered in January 1995 to modest critical acclaim, but experienced great success with television viewers, slowly increasing its ratings as the series progressed. Following on the heels of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993), the series precedes Star Trek: Enterprise (2001) while boasting an all-star cast that includes veteran actress Kate Mulgrew (whose past TV appearances include such shows as Dallas, Cheers, and Murphy Brown). Yet instead of pursuing the classic Star Trek mission to “boldly go where no one has gone before,” Star Trek: Voyager is more about going where the crew has been before…
Star Trek: Voyager follows the exploits of the crew aboard the starship USS Voyager. As the series begins, the Voyager is on a Federation mission to capture a rogue ship of Maquis rebels (a race first introduced in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine). While in pursuit of the Maquis, the Voyager enters a system known as the badlands, and both ships are instantaneously transported to the Delta Quadrant over seventy-thousand light years away on the outskirts of the galaxy. Soon, both the Maquis and the crew of Voyager learn they were brought to Delta Quadrant by the Caretaker, a mysterious force overseeing the safety of the Ocampan race who live in the shadow on an impending threat from the vicious Kazon. When the Kazon destroy the Maquis ship, the Voyager crew merges with the Maquis crew to defend themselves from the Kazon. Having destroyed the device which could bring them home, the crew of the Voyager – led by Capt. Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), and the crew of the Maquis ship – led by Commander Chakotay (Robert Beltran), must work as a united front in order to meet their mutual goal of finding a way home…
The Star Trek: Voyager DVD features a number of exciting episodes including the series premiere “Caretaker” in which the Federation starship USS Voyager, led by Capt. Kathryn Janeway, is unexpectedly transported 70,000 light years away while pursuing a band of Maquis rebels through an area known as the badlands. The Voyager’s new destination is the Delta Quadrant, an uncharted region of the galaxy overseen by the Caretaker and threatened by the colonial aggression of the Kazon… Other notable episodes from Season 1 include “The Cloud” in which the Voyager accidentally injures an alien life form while searching for an ingredient to boost its energy supply, and “Learning Curve” in which members of Commander Chakotay’s ragtag Maquis crew are given a Starfleet Academy tutorial on how to act properly aboard the Voyager…
Below is a list of episodes included on the Star Trek: Voyager (Season 1) DVD:
Episode 1 (Caretaker: Part 1) Air Date: 01-15-1995
Episode 2 (Caretaker: Part 2) Air Date: 01-15-1995
Episode 3 (Parallax) Air Date: 01-23-1995
Episode 4 (Time and Again) Air Date: 01-30-1995
Episode 5 (Phage) Air Date: 02-03-1995
Episode 6 (The Cloud) Air Date: 02-10-1995
Episode 7 (Eye of the Needle) Air Date: 02-17-1995
Episode 8 (Ex Post Facto) Air Date: 02-24-1995
Episode 9 (Emanations) Air Date: 03-13-1995
Episode 10 (Prime Factors) Air Date: 03-20-1995
Episode 11 (State of Flux) Air Date: 04-10-1995
Episode 12 (Heroes and Demons) Air Date: 04-24-1995
Episode 13 (Cathexis) Air Date: 05-01-1995
Episode 14 (Faces) Air Date: 05-08-1995
Episode 15 (Jetrel) Air Date: 05-15-1995
Episode 16 (Learning Curve) Air Date: 05-22-1995
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Book reviews: Star Trek: Enterprise: The Kobayashi Maru by Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels
Star Trek: Enterprise: The Kobayashi Maru, by Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels, is based on the TV series, Star Trek Enterprise and is the continuation of the storyline that was started in the last Enterprise novel, the Good Things That Men Do and the last Star Trek: Enterprise episode, These Are the Voyages. The story continues the storyline about the Romulans and their plot to start a war with the new Coalition and their allies. Also included in the story line is about the retrofitted Klingon cargo vessel called the
Kobayashi Maru and its effect on history.
We also get to read about Charles “Trip” Tucker III, who is alive and well and living as a Romulan. He is undercover, trying to find out information about what the Romulans are plotting. We saw him apparently die in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode, These Are the Voyages, but we discover later that he did not die. We discovered that he was alive in the Star Trek: Enterprise novel, The Good That Men Do. He is working undercover for what will later become Section 31 in the later Star Trek series, Deep Space Nine.
Captain Jonathan Archer is under pressure and feels the pressure to make sure that the Coalition of Planets is not destroyed by any outside forces. He has a feeling that the Romulans are still up to something and will do anything to disrupt the Coalition. They have used another race in the past to start problems and he feels that they are still trying. He believes this but he can’t get Starfleet and the Admirals to believe him. He wishes he had Trip there with him to talk things through, but he can’t and he feels that he doesn’t have anyone to talk to about the problems at hand.
T’Pol has been getting visions of Trip, which seem to unnerve her, so she makes the decision to find him and make sure that he is alright. Despite the danger involved, she makes arrangements to head into Romulan
space to find him. Along for the ride is Malcolm Reed, who also has the feeling that he needs to make sure his friend is doing ok. So, they secretly leave the ship, without telling their Captain, and head away to find Trip.
Along the way, both the Enterprise and the Columbia encounter problems with the Klingons and find out that the Romulans are behind a plot to disrupt the Coalition by having them go to war with the Klingons. As this is going on, Trip figures out what is going on also and has been trying to figure out how to stop the Romulans from his side. Also Archer, the Enterprise, and the Columbia are trying to help the cargo ship, the Kobayashi Maru, but are unable to do anything to stop the Romulans from doing anything.
This storyline has many hidden factors in it that meets up with the Star Trek history. We meet the Horizon, the crew and we finally find out what happens to them and their part in history. The Horizon was the ship that left a novel about the Chicago Mob of the Twenties on a planet that was later discovered by Captain Kirk and his Enterprise. We also find out that what happened to the Kobayashi Maru was the catalyst for starting the test for Starfleet
and the Academy. We also find out what was the cause of the Romulan War with
Starfleet. This novel was an interesting read and I for one cannot wait for the next novel in the series, which will be called The Romulan War.

Memorable TV aliens from Star Trek – Part 1
One of the nice things about the Star Trek series were all of the nifty aliens we got to see week-in and week-out. A majority of them were just your usual humanoid species with the usual two arms and two legs and on the rare occasion you’d get something unique like the silicon-based Horta or giant Amoeba creatures capable of swallowing starships whole. Being a fan of only the original, The Next Generation, and Deep Space Nine I’m kind of restricted in my preferences, but I still think they’re good choices:
The Ferengi
These guys remind me of what would happen if a society was founded on the concept of bureaucracy, corruption, and greed. They live by a strict code not a code of honor, but of acquisition. Acquiring wealth is the primary focus of all Ferengi males and the focus of all Ferengi females is to please their males until the last season of DS9 when a revolution occurred, but you’ll have to watch it to learn more.

The Q Continuum
It’s amazing how a race of seemingly omnipotent creatures can be so clueless. They spend so much time running around the universe trying to teach people lessons and end up being taught a few on their own. They’re the eternal answer to the question “What would you do if you could do ANYTHING?”
The “Founders” of The Dominion
A race of liquid shape shifters capable of assuming any shape. The most famous of them was Odo of DS9. They look down on any of the “solid” races and seek to enslave them all. Their loyalty is only to themselves. Everything else is expendable.
The Cardasians
More warlike than the Klingons and sneakier than the Romulans, the Cardasians remind me a great deal of the old Soviet Union. They would invade other worlds and try to bleed them dry before moving on. They’re ruthless and efficient and have a very structured society (of course, they do go through no less than three revolutions in four years on DS9).
The Bajorans
A highly religious society that has had to deal with one foreign occupier after another for years and now wants nothing more than to be left alone. They don’t like the presence of the Federation in their space, but know that they’d be easy pickings for another government if the Federation left (remind anyone of any countries popular in the news these day?)
Humanity
I’m talking about the people that live on Earth. They don’t have poverty, money problems, or border conflicts. They’re a perfectly ordered society that only wants peace and prosperity to rule throughout the galaxy That’s about as alien as you get if you compare them to the Earth’s current residents.
Star Trek Celebration in Hollywood Salutes the Women of Trek November 14
We were told that Star Trek would let us “boldly go where no man has gone before.”
But there were women who went into the unknown, too.
These are the women who traipsed among the stars.
Nichelle Nichols was one of the first. Playing Communications Officer Lt. Uhura on the Original Series, she showed women and racial minorities that there was a future for us. Nichols thought about leaving the show after the first series because her role wasn’t very substantial but after talking to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., she changed her mind. He told her that people needed to see a Black Woman when they envisioned the future.
Nichol’s role in space wasn’t over with the cancellation of the show. She has remained active with NASA, helping to recruit women and minorities to the space agency.
On the original pilot for Star Trek, Majel Barrett played Captain Pike’s Executive Officer, a position NBC executives in 1966 vetoed. Barrett was recast as Nurse Chapel in the original series and went on to become the only actor to have a role of some kind in every single Star Trek series.
On The Next Generation, there were two strong women who came to embody the series. While they were still in support roles, Gates McFadden as Doctor Beverly Crusher and Marina Siritis as Counselor Deanna Troi were active participants in the series. Dr. Crusher was gentle. Counselor Troi was insightful.
By the time Deep Space Nine rolled around, it was time to give women a leadership role. Nana Visitor played the prickly Kira Nerys. No longer were women always sweet, all the time, Visitor had a more complex personality.
And then came Voyager. Women made up a large portion of the cast starting with Captain Kathryn Janeway played by Katherine Mulgrew, was a take charge, no nonsense leader who had to guide her motley crew of Starfleet officers and Maquis rebels through the Delta Quadrant back home.
She was assisted by several other strong women. One was B’Elanna Torres played by Roxanne Dawson. Torres was a Maquis rebel who was half Klingon and half human. She was forever battling the two sides of herself.
Jeri Ryan came on mid show playing the famous Borg defectee Seven of Nine. Ryan continues to be among the most popular Trek personalities.
Enterprise had some notable female characters. Jolene Blalock served as T’Pol, the Vulcan science advisor who was onboard to guide the humans. While just an advisor, she was supposed to be the wise advisor. The humans on the crew often chafed under her direction, though. And the Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) often disregarded her advice.
Star Trek women faced the challenges of being women in the 20th century as well as in the 23rd century. That they did it with as much compassion and humanity as they did is a credit to both the actresses who played the role and the men who created them.
On Tuesday, November 14, Majel Barrett Roddenberry joins son Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry and writer/director Nicholas Meyer for a special 40th Anniversary “Star Trek” Celebration at the world famous Grauman’s Chinese Theatres Complex in Hollywood, California following a screening of “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” as part of the “Story Makers Studio” series at the Chinese. Tickets are available at the Chinese Theatre’s box office and online at www.stiylagency.com/startrek

Should William Shatner return as Captain Kirk in the new Star Trek movie? – Part 7
I had not been thought of when the original Star Trek series was screened, but I have seen the odd episode here and there. I have seen every single Star Trek movie too, but I would not class myself as a Trekkie. I am just your average fan.
Shatner in his younger days was slim and very handsome. Today he has put on some weight and he is not the stud he used to be. He has played the role of Kirk before opposite Picard and now I think it is time to move on.
I admire William Shatner as an actor and he is brilliant in Boston Legal. I believe this is his first good TV role since Star Trek. I do think he has great talent and he played Kirk perfectly.
We don’t need to see Kirk, we like the concept and the whole idea of a crew in space fighting or trying to head to earth. We can see this was achieved with great success with all the Star Trek TV series in the 1990’s.
I loved Star Trek Voyager, or as I used to call it “the one with the woman in it!” My favourite has to be Star Trek The Next Generation. I can talk about Picard and no 1 for another 350 words. Why? It is because Star Trek has become a cult; Captain Kirk was just the beginning of a hugely successful formula.
I am not surprised how every single Star Trek show took off. I think space has a mystery about it that is probably one of the most fascinating genres for an author to write about, and for a viewer to watch. We have always been fascinated with alien life and look they are still making Star Trek movies!
I am sure people, who are old enough to recall the series will always have a place in their hearts for Kirk, but we need fresh faces and we need new stories. If Christopher Reeve was able to play Superman in the TV series do you think they would’ve picked him? No way! They wanted someone younger. That’s how I like seeing Kirk. I want to remember when he was a heartthrob.
In any case, I doubt he will still be flying; his passion for the finer things in life have got the better of him. I believe he is somewhere beautiful on earth sipping on some good wine with a beautiful woman beside him or maybe two or three women! He is reminiscing on the good old days but doesn’t miss them now. He wanted this so badly and it has turned out much much better than he ever thought it would be.
I don’t think Kirk wants to come back do you?
TV show reviews: Star Trek – Part 5
What would the world be without Star Trek? Without a doubt the world would be quite a different place if it hadn’t been for Star Trek. The popular vernacular would be absent phrases such as “Beam me up, Scotty”, Warp speed”, and “He’s dead, Jim”. The geek community around the world would be quite a bit smaller and the science fiction universe would most likely be a lot less fun. Star Trek has definitely made an impression on the world in all it’s incarnations.
The original Star Trek series is considered by most to be the best and even manages to appeal to those people who were not die hard fans of the franchise. Billed as a “Wagon train to the stars” by the series creator Gene Roddenberry it was everything that was expected from 1960’s television fair. It was fun, it was campy, and it managed to avoid falling into the pit of being outrightly comical as other shows of the same era like Batman and Lost in Space. Star Trek managed to do some serious storytelling without taking itself to seriously and still allowed Captain Kirk to beat up the bad guys and get the girl. Star Trek was a definite improvement over some of the earlier attempts at science fiction on television and even though it was canceled after three seasons it gathered quite a fan base while in syndication.
Star Trek managed a brief reprieve with a short lived Saturday morning animated cartoon. This incarnation of Star Trek featured the voices of most of the original cast and many prominent science fiction writers from the original show but it was geared toward children so it did not retain it’s entire fan base. Some of the stories were quite imaginative and the show did not have the budgetary constraints of live action filming so it was able to feature much more alien-like aliens and spaceships. Despite the talent involved with the making of the Star Trek cartoon and the fact that it was only half an hour long it was somewhat lacking and the older fans wanted something more.
Star Trek: The Next Generation, another creation of Gene Roddenberry, arose because of the fans hunger for more Star Trek and Roddenberry’s feeling that the original show did not have the chance to reach it’s full potential because the network retained to much creative control. The Next Generation was a syndicated series featuring a different cast and Roddenberry’s attempt to take Star Trek to the next level. Despite a rough first season the The Next Generation managed to last seven years in syndication