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The validity of any rumor should be taken with several grains of salt.
News:
Star Trek News
April 25th 2008
news report by Diane Doyle
collected from throughout the Internet
The main news about the new Star Trek movie is that primary photography ended in March. However, during early April, some Second Unit filming continued. This filming was of scenes that were to take place in Iowa, the home of James Kirk, and none of the principal cast was involved. The rural settings of Kern County, California, near Bakersfield, were used for Iowa locations. Despite all efforts by Paramount to keep shooting locations secret, the cover was blown when a local official in charge of the location shooting got involved in a car accident and was found by a local TV crew who were covering the accident. The driver and passenger were both taken to the hospital with moderate injuries, but the crash did not disrupt filming. There was a report that during filming of these scenes that an antique red corvette with a kid inside (possibly being Spencer Daniels, the actor playing young George Samuel Kirk) was spotted.
J.J. Abrams has already begun the long post-production process. In an interview with the Los Angeles Daily News, he reports there is more action than is typical for a Star Trek movie but also says the film honors the past and Roddenberry’s vision. In later interviews, Abrams says his movie is targeting a new audience, as in people who love movies, not only people who love Star Trek movies; otherwise, he would be limiting the audience. During an interview while promoting the DVD release of Cloverfield, he revealed that ILM is doing the visual effects for the movie.
In earlier reports, it was announced that Pakistani actor, Faran Tahir, would play a Federation Captain. This month, it was revealed that Tahir’s character is Captain Robau. Tahir described his character as a good guy and that his ship has "muscle." He talked about the significance of his casting in that he is the first person of Middle Eastern descent to appear as a starship captain. Tahir’s film debut was in the live action version of Disney’s The Jungle Book, but has also appeared in many TV and movie roles, most recently in Charlie Wilson’s War and is also slated to appear as the terrorist captor Raza in the upcoming movie Iron Man.
Jeff Quinn, who played Spock in the Star Trek: New Voyages fan film series, will have a small role in the movie. While it is a non-speaking part, he is "front and center" in a couple of shots. While Quinn gave no details on his role, his partially shaved eyebrows are a clue, which likely will be that of a Vulcan or a Romulan. His path to the role started when he responded to the casting call for people with unique features and who were willing to shave their eyebrows.
Both Zachary Quinto and Leonard Nimoy appeared at the Grand Slam Sci-Fi Summit XVI convention that took place from April 11-13 in Burbank, California. During an interview with TV Guide, Quinto and Nimoy covered mostly familiar ground but gave some insight into the character of Spock in the film. While aspects of his half-Human half-Vulcan character were dealt with in the past, never until this script did it deal with the entire history of the character, the growth, the beginnings, and the arrival of the character on the Enterprise. At that same convention, writer Roberto Orci showed the movie trailer and some photos he took on the set. The photos did not reveal any spoilers, except for a chair labeled "Romulans Only" which confirms the fact that Romulans are in the film.
Lastly, it was confirmed that Dominic Keating (who played Lt. Reed in Enterprise) had auditioned for a role in the new movie but did not get the part. He would have played Jim Kirk’s uncle while Jim was growing up--before he went into space.
The latest autobiography of William Shatner, Up Until Now: The Autobiography, is scheduled to be released on May 13. The New York Daily News reported that within this biography, Shatner says that he never realized how much the other cast members disliked him. He described working for years after the show to repair his relationship with the other actors.
Even so, he managed to develop a close bond with Leonard Nimoy, whose alcoholism during the series, he discusses in the book. Nimoy himself admits that he loved to go to the theater in London because the theater there allowed patrons to drink before the show and during intermission. Shatner says Nimoy helped him deal with the alcoholism and drowning death of his third wife, Nerine Kidd.
Other subjects discussed in the autobiography include the fuss made over Shatner's kiss of Nichelle Nichols (Uhura) which was the first interracial kiss on TV.
D.C. Fontana has written a comic book sequel to the original series episode "The Enterprise Incident." It is called "Star Trek: The Enterprise Experiment" and tells the story of the experiment with the Romulan cloaking device stolen in the original TV episode. Carol Marcus and her son, David, appear. This comic is the first of a five volume story and is part of the Star Trek Year 4 series by IDW comics. The comic is drawn by Gordon Purcell, a veteran artist from the days when DC Comics held the Star Trek license.
On April 14, Farragut Films and NEO f/x announced a special 2 episode release of Starship Farragut: The Animated Episodes. These are the first animated Star Trek episodes to be produced since the original series back in 1974. A trailer for the animated episodes can be seen on the Starship Farragut site.
The episodes will take place during the fourth year of Captain Kirk's mission with the U.S.S. Enterprise. The first episode, penned by Deep Space 9 writers Michael Struck and Jack Trevino, will be titled "The Needs of the Many". The second episode, written by Thomas Scott, will be called "The Power Source." In addition to the regular cast of Farragut, the cast list will include some celebrities, including Chase Masterson, Chris Doohan and Vic Mignogna.
In other fan film news, the internet release of the special edition of To Serve All My Days: A Night in 1969 will occur on May 1. However, 500 lucky winners will get a special ‘VIP' premier from Roddenberry.com three days beforehand.
Viacom, parent company of Paramount, has announced a joint venture with MGM, UA, and Lionsgate, forming a new premium channel with exclusive rights for all four studios, as well as a video-on-demand service. This channel is scheduled to be launched in the fall of 2009. Films from all 4 studios, including the new Star Trek movie, will have their exclusive Pay-per-View with this channel and will premiere first on this channel before any other channels get access. This new venture will have access to all films, both old and new, from all four studios.
Special Report & Review:
"To Serve All My Days: A Night in 1969" Premiere
April 2nd 2008
report by Diane Doyle
exclusive to ORION PRESS
On Saturday March 29, 2008, I was party to a very special event: The Red Carpet premiere of the Star Trek New Voyages episode "To Serve All My Days: A Night in 1969" special edition. This premiere was held for two reasons: First, James Cawley (Captain Kirk in Star Trek: New Voyages/Phase II) was not entirely satisfied with the original release of that particular episode. He wished to update the special effects, add original series music, and have the episode appear as though it really were being aired in 1969. Also, the episode was to highlight the campaign for Walter Koenig to be awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. At the moment, Koenig is the only actor from the original Star Trek series to not have a star in his honor. This event took place at the Fine Arts Theater in Beverly Hills, California.
At the beginning of the evening, James Cawley thanked all the volunteers who had helped put the special edition together and had organized the festivities. After that, two short comedy films were shown. One was a mock trailer for Home Alone with Koenig telling McCauley Culkin the news that William Shatner would be directing Star Trek VII, which resulted in terrifying young Culkin. The second was a hilarious video put together by the Koenig children which showed clips from shows in which Walter Koenig had appeared. These clips were presented as an expose -- to prove that Koenig was actually a Soviet spy.
Next, the trailer for the new Star Trek movie was shown. Admittedly, it is the same trailer that has appeared on the internet and before the movie Cloverfield; however, it feels much different to see the trailer on the large screen in an audience full of fans interested in Star Trek. After that, a preview of the forthcoming episode of Star Trek: Phase II, "Blood and Fire," was shown. This preview depicts a very emotional scene between Captain Kirk, Peter Kirk, Spock, and Jenna Yar (an ancestor of Tasha Yar).
Finally, the remastered episode, "To Serve All My Days," was shown. To heighten the illusion of it being "1969," scenes of shows from that era, such as Batman, Rowan and Martin’s Laugh In, and Get Smart were shown. The characteristic NBC peacock logo voiced over by "brought to you in living color" from that era was shown immediately before the teaser. Each act was broken up by "original" commercials from that year to further give the feeling of 1969. As for the episode itself, it is more tightly edited and has included more original series music. The episode appeared to end the same way as before. However, after all credits were shown, came an alternate ending, explaining why Chekov is alive for future episodes.
Following the episode was a Question and Answer session, which included James Cawley, Walter Koenig, and D.C. Fontana. During the Q&A session, Fontana stated she did not agree with the alternate ending and states that all future appearances of Chekov are not of Pavel but rather of his cousin, Sergei. It is likely that that particular comment was made tongue-in-cheek.
In attendance at the premiere were numerous writers and actors from the original series, including David Gerrold, George Clayton Johnson, Barbara Luna and Malachi Throne. Other Star Trek celebrities in attendance included Ronald B. Moore and Alan Ruck. Most of the actors and crew from Star Trek: New Voyages/Phase II were present, besides James Cawley. Jeff Quinn, the original Spock from that series, was in attendance. It was announced that he would be in the new Star Trek movie. The new Spock, Jeff Tolpin, was also there, along with Andy Bray (the outgoing Chekov), Jonathan Zungre (the new Chekov), John Lim (the outgoing Sulu), J.P. Tepnapa (the new Sulu), Julienne Irons (Uhura), and John Kelley (McCoy). Numerous pictures of the cast and crew in attendance are posted on www.startreknewvoyages.com and www.trekmovie.com.
All 420 members of the audience received goodie bags which included a program booklet, a Phase II key chain, a Phase II refrigerator magnet, a picture, and a special effects packet. The program booklet was printed by none other than Fast Copy, the copying service owned by Orion Press editor-in-chief Randy Landers.
All in all, it was a night to remember!
News:
Star Trek Movie News
March 29th 2008
news report by Diane Doyle
collected from throughout the Internet
Admittedly, the news on the Star Trek movie front was not as extensive in March 2008 as it was during previous months. February brought the news that the movie would premiere in May 2009 instead of on Christmas of this year, along with numerous announcements on roles being cast. Yet, March 2008 was not without news.
In one piece of casting news, it was announced that character actor William Morgan Sheppard has a small role in the new movie. The English-born Sheppard has had multiple appearances in Star Trek, with his notable role being that of the Klingon commandant of Rura Penthe in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Sheppard revealed his role in the new movie is a small role, and he plays a race that he has not ever played before. Other Trek roles for Sheppard include the role of Ira Graves in the Next Generation episode "The Schizoid Man" and Qatai in the Voyager episode "Bliss." His non-Trek roles include playing Major General Isaac Trimple in the films Gettysburg and Gods and Generals, Blank Reg on the TV series Max Headroom, a recurring role on the TV series SeaQuest DSV, along with roles in Babylon 5, Transformers, The Elephant Man, Cry Freedom, Wild at Heart, Needful Things, and The Prestige.
In previous months, John Cho had revealed he had done some fight training to prepare for his role as Sulu and that "his" Sulu is a "badass." Sulu's action role may have taken a toll on Cho who injured his arm/wrist on the set and showed up at the San Francisco International Asian American film festival with a bandaged hand. The injury was not considered to be serious and would not affect the shooting schedule. Cho still had scenes to be filmed during March.
Simon Pegg continued to discuss his role as the new Scotty, reporting that his filming in the current movie is now complete. However, he has not revealed any details on the role save that Scotty is very much in the film. He recalled how he learned that the news of his role--from an E-mail from J.J. Abrams. After agonizing about whether accepting the role was the right thing to, he finally accepted the role, deciding it would be fun. The worst that could happen would be getting together with the same people every three years. He admits he was more of a fan of the original series than of the later series. His wife, who is from Glasgow, Scotland, had visited him on set, giving feedback on his Scottish accent.
There was some additional movie news during March. Actor Paul McGillion discussed his role in the movie and reported that he had signed confidentiality clauses but reported that he had a scene with Captain Kirk. Chris Pine, the new Captain Kirk, admitted getting ideas from Harrison Ford's portrayal of Indiana Jones for his portrayal of the iconic captain. Also, scenes at Starfleet Academy were filmed at Cal State Northridge while the institution was on spring break. The campus was not deserted but rather was filled with people dressed in sci-fi looking uniforms and banners bearing a familiar emblem. The Ain't It Cool News site had put up related pictures.
News:
Classic Star Trek Episodes On-Line
March 2nd 2008
news report by Randy Landers
http://www.veoh.com/tv-shows/CBS-Star-Trek
The original, uncut episodes of Classic Star Trek are now available on-line. The quality of the images themselves are top-notch, though the frame-rate leaves a bit to be desired. Still, you can find nearly every episode on-line. Frankly, I'm delighted. Many's been the time I wish I could watch an episode while at work on a slow, rainy day, and now I've had that wish granted. Lord, I hope it doesn't affect the quality of my work, though.
News:
Star Trek Movie News
March 1st 2008
news report by Diane Doyle
collected from throughout the Internet
During February, Paramount announced the new Star Trek movie would not be released on Christmas Day of 2008 but instead be delayed to May 8, 2009. According to the announcement, the delay is not due to any problems with the script or with the shooting schedule, but there are rumors to the contrary. The official position is that the movie would gross more at the box office during May. Director J.J. Abrams claimed that the date change was not his idea but rather that of the studio. With the Writers Strike over, Abrams and writers, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman will now be able to make any tweaks to the script and reshoot any needed scenes.
Numerous additional cast members were announced since late January. Actress Marlene Forte will play the part of the so far unnamed transporter chief. Lucia Rijker, a Dutch actress who has also been a professional boxer and kickboxer, will be playing a Romulan communications officer which is reportedly a decent-sized speaking role. Kelvin Yu has been cast as a medical technician and has already completed his work. English actor Greg Ellis, best known for playing the villain in the third season of 24, will portray Chief Engineer Olsen, who is most likely the person who held that position before Scotty.
Paul McGillion, a Scottish actor primarily know for his role in Stargate Atlantis, had originally auditioned for the role of Scotty but ended up earning another role instead.
Paul Townsend, who previously appeared as a stuntman and featured performer in Star Trek: Enterprise will appear in several scenes as a security officer. Actress Darlena Tejeiro will also appear in the movie, although not much has been revealed about her role, except that it will not be an Orion. Also cast in the roles of the childhood versions of James T. Kirk and his older brother, George Samuel, are 12-year-old Jimmy Bennett and 15-year-old Spencer Daniels, respectively. Leonard Nimoy had earlier hinted that a teenage Spock would be seen. Now that announcement has been made; 12-year-old actor, Jacob Kogan, who played the title role in the 2007 horror film Joshua will play the adolescent Spock. Back in August, it was announced that one of the important roles being cast was of an unnamed Federation captain. That role has also been announced; Faran Tahir, an actor who was born in Los Angeles to Pakistanti parents, will play that role. He has many television and movie credits, including a featured part in the upcoming Iron Man.
Other personnel news, besides new cast members, includes the announcement that Dr. Carolyn Porco has joined the movie as a Science Advisor. Porco is the leader of the Imaging Science team on NASA’s Cassini mission at Saturn. Porco also directs the Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for Operations in Boulder, Colorado. She has made it her personal mission to produce and release for the public, images that are as scientifically accurate, artfully presented, and as true to life as possible.
Most of the remaining news this month includes details about the film revealed by the J.J. Abrams himself and the actors. Abrams has revealed the movie will not suffer from the problem that typical prequels suffer from: knowing all the characters will live. Eric Bana, who is slated to play the villain Nero, has described his role as a cameo, in the sense that the movie does not center on him; his role is a supporting role. Still, he is most likely the main villain. He has revealed that he has not yet filmed his part; his scenes will be filmed at the end. He appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno with a shaved head where he reported that is was for "a secret role." In several interviews, Anton Yelchin, the new Chekov, has revealed a few details about the movie. The story would be an origin story, about how the characters became part of the Enterprise. The new ship is not straight out of the 60’s although certain elements from the original ship were retained. Yelchin reveals that there are aliens assigned to serve on the Enterprise. He also mentions that there will be space battles and that both Romulans and Klingons will appear in the movie. Yelchin also reports that Chekov will not get injured or captured in this movie. Chekov will not be part of the "away team." Yelchin says Spock is the only character being played by multiple actors, despite the casting news listed above.
Other news includes the following: While Ellis is billed as the Chief Engineer, Scotty will appear in that position in the film. Reports are that Scotty appears as a civilian for part of the film. Simon Pegg, who is normally blond, will have darker hair as Scotty and has shaved his beard. His new look was seen on the Encore post-show.
News:
Trailer for Star Trek Now On-line; More Actors Cast
January 27th 2008
news report by Diane Doyle
collected from throughout the Internet
The first trailer for the new Star Trek movie, scheduled to be released in late December 2008 was displayed on January 18, 2008, as one of the previews shown with the movie Cloverfield, produced by J.J. Abrams. This trailer does not seem to give away the plot of the movie. It begins with scenes and quotes from the earliest days of the American space program, including John F. Kennedy’s initiation of the American space program, John Glenn’s flight in the early 60’s and the Apollo moon landing. It also shows scenes of the construction of the starship Enterprise. In the background, we hear the customary theme song and voice over from the original series.
The trailer was available from the Star Trek Movie site http://www.paramount.com/startrek/ since January 21 although a fan did post a bootleg copy on You Tube the very day Cloverfield was released. Most of the Star Trek movie actors attended the premiere of Cloverfield, which took place two days before the actual release where pictures were taken.
During an interview at the Sundance Film Festival, Chris "Captain Kirk" Pine revealed a plot point: he will be in a scene with Leonard Nimoy. This likely confirms a long-standing rumor that older Spock would travel back in time as part of the movie. He also reveals that he plays Kirk as Captain or as he puts in, "the cap."
Other movie news includes some additional casting information. Young actor, Jeffery Hauser, was cast in a small speaking role. This is the 23-year-old actor’s first big break in a feature film, and it has turned him into a bit of a Trekkie. He would not go into detail about his role, but he enjoyed working with J.J. Abrams. He had a background role in the film The Terminal and also had roles on the soap operas General Hospital and Days of Our Lives and will soon appear in the Nickelodeon TV show Zoey 101.
Another person getting a role in the movie is Dr. Randy Pausch, a computer science professor and co-founder of the Entertainment Technology Center at Carnegie-Mellon University. He got a movie role as the result of a very special lecture he had given two months earlier "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams." Pausch was diagnosed with incurable pancreatic cancer. While only 400 students had seen the lecture, it spread across the internet and inspired many people, including J.J Abrams, who decided to cast him in the movie. J.J. Abrams has also explained why William Shatner is not in the movie: it’s because his character has already died.
One intriguing piece of casting news includes the fact that James Cawley, the creator of New Voyages series who plays Captain Kirk in those fan film episodes, will also be in the new Star Trek movie. Cawley, who was on the Paramount lot to meet with someone else, was walking past the entrance to Sound Stages 8 and 9 while J.J. Abrams was walking out the entrance. They started talking and eventually, Abrams invited him to visit the set where scenes on the bridge were being shot. Cawley was favorably impressed by Abrams, considering him a normal, down to Earth person. He also praised the movies sets, costumes, and the actors. Eventually, Cawley was offered a role in the movie; he will be playing a crewmember of the Enterprise and was scheduled to begin work on Wednesday, January 23. While impressed with Abrams, Cawley admits he would not have done everything the same, being as no two people have exactly the same vision.
An additional casting note is the fact that Chris Doohan, son of the late James "Scotty" Doohan, will be in the film. That had been long-rumored but only now confirmed. In interviews, he did not identify his role; however, he did hint that his father would be happy with his role on the ship. Hmm, could that possibly be as an engineer?
J.J. Abrams also revealed that his "good luck charm," Greg Grunberg, who had appeared in many of his previous films, would not be appearing in this one, due to scheduling conflicts with another film. However, Grunberg has reported that other celebrity fans will make cameo appearances.
One last bit of casting news includes the fact that the new movie is looking for "little" people; i.e. people shorter than 4' 4". This is not an open casting call but done using Hollywood casting notices.
Other news includes the "first new look" at the Enterprise, as pictures of the ship were released. On January 25, J.J. Abrams, and other crew members, dropped by Trek Movie and hosted a chat session for fans.
News:
Starfleet Academy and Kobayashi Maru to Appear in Star Trek
December 30th 2007
news report by Diane Doyle
collected from throughout the Internet
It's been reported that Tyler Perry, whose most notable previous roles were in "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" and "Madea's Family Reunion," will portray the head of Starfleet Academy. He will oversee an assembly at the Academy that is to determine on whether Kirk is to get thrown out of the Academy for cheating on the "Kobayashi Maru" scenario. Apparently, this scene was filmed at the Long Beach City Council chamber which was one of the locations used for shooting.
News:
"To Serve All My Days: A Night in 1969" Premier Announced!!
December 28th 2007
news report by Patty Wright
The Cawley Entertainment Company announces the gala red carpet premier of Star Trek: New Voyages' "To Serve All My Days: A Night in 1969" at the Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills, CA on March 29, 2008. This all new, special edition features updated fx, music, and vintage commercials...as well as the promised surprise at the end.
Walter Koenig is the only remaining TOS cast member still without a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and it's time the final star was awarded to the original cast before the new film debuts in December. The WOF committee votes in June on whether to award Walter his star and the Cawley Entertainment Company is going to use this event to spotlight his long, varied television career and head the push to get Walter the votes needed for his star.
This virtual Walter Koenig extravaganza will feature "TSAMD: 1969", rare television footage, and lots of surprises. Invited guests will include Star Trek alumni from across the entire franchise, press, Walk of Fame committee members....and YOU!!!
The internet premier of "TSAMD: 1969" is being delayed to make this event a truly special one. We know that you will understand and join with us in our efforts to get Walter his much-deserved star....and at the theatre in March for this gala event. Watch for a Press Release with more details, and the trailer for "TSAMD:1969" in the next few weeks.
News:
More Star Trek Movie Casting
December 28th 2007
news report by Diane Doyle
collected from throughout the Internet
The main Star Trek movie news for the month of December concerned more casting news. Back in November, there were announcements that actresses, Jennifer Morrison and Rachel Nichols, were cast in the movie; however, their roles had not yet been positively identified. There had been much speculation as to the exact role that Morrison would play. In mid-December, their roles were identified and confirmed. Morrison is playing Kirk’s mother, who is apparently pregnant with him. Meanwhile, Nichols is playing the role of an Orion female member. There is no news on whether or not Nichols’ character is an Orion slave girl, only that it is a new character. This movie marks the first official appearance of Kirk’s parents, as portrayed by Chris Hemsworth and Jennifer Morris. Apparently, they have both finished filming their scenes in the movie.
Other roles cast this month include a Federation captain and an additional henchman for the villain, Nero. However, the actors attached with them have not yet been identified but are reported to relatively unknown. There have been additional actors cast in the movie whose roles have, likewise, not been identified. This includes Paul McGillion, a Scottish actor, best known for his role in Stargate Atlantis. He had originally auditioned for the role of Scotty but got another role, instead. Nonetheless, he is happy to appear in the movie.
In addition, English-born actress, Sonita Henry, appears in the movie, with a small speaking role. Science fiction fans may recognize her from The Fifth Element where she played the role of the President’s aide. She has already finished her work in the movie, mostly working with Jennifer Morris, the pregnant mother of James Kirk. Reports are that her role is extremely important in the history of Star Trek.
Another actor cast in the movie may well be Greg Grunberg as he traditionally has had cameo roles in projects of J.J. Abrams. Grunberg has appeared in Heroes. There is still speculation on whether Shatner will appear in the new movie or not. Other casting news includes the possible appearance in the new movie of a tribble.
News:
Star Trek Movie Casting Continues
December 1st 2007
news report by Diane Doyle
collected from throughout the Internet
With filming for the new Star Trek movie having begun on November 7, more casting news was announced. The actors playing both of Spock’s parents have been announced, along with the actor to play Captain Kirk’s father. In addition, the roles for Captain Pike and one of the villain’s henchmen were announced. There are also cases of actors who are in the movie but whose roles have not been identified.
Spock's father Sarek is being played by Ben Cross, who was born in London, England. Cross’ most notable role was starring in Chariots of Fire, as Harold Abrahams, the Jewish runner. He also played Rudolph Hess in the 2006 BBC mini-series, Nuremburg: Nazis on Trial. Other outstanding roles included Solomon in the movie Solomon, Barnabas in the 1991 remake of the mini-series, Dark Shadows, along with a role in The Exorcist: the Beginning. In addition to acting, Cross is a director, writer, and musician as well. His original works include the musical Rage about Ruth Ellis which was performed in various towns in the London region.
The mother of Spock, Amanda Grayson, is being played by the American actress, Winona Ryder. She has played in a variety of roles during her film career, including starring roles in the black teenage comedy Heathers, the 1994 adaptation of Little Women, a pair of Tim Burton movies Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorshands, Martin’s Scorsese’s The Age of Innocence, and many other roles. Science fiction roles besides Star Trek include Alien Resurrection and an adaptation of a Philip K. Dick novel A Scanner Darkly.
Captain Kirk’s father, George Samuel Kirk, is being played by the Australian actor, Chris Hemsworth who is best known for playing the role, Kim Hyde, in the Australian soap opera Home and Away. He also appeared in Dancing with the Stars in 2006.
The actress playing the role of Captain Kirk’s mother has not yet been announced. The actress, Jennifer Morrison, has been cast in the movie for an unidentified role, with one of the possibilities being Kirk’s mother. Other rumored possible roles for her include "Number One" and Carol Marcus. According to J.J. Abrams, she will NOT be Yeoman Rand. Morrison has starred in House. Another female actor to be in the movie, also in an undefined role, is Rachel Nichols.
Another important role in the movie, outside of the regular characters in the original series and the parents of Kirk and Spock is that of Captain Christopher Pike, Kirk’s predecessor as commanding officer of the U.S.S. Enterprise. He will be played by Bruce Greenwood, a Canadian actor born in Quebec. He also played John F. Kennedy in Thirteen Days, believing that playing Pike is riskier than playing Kennedy, being as Star Trek fans tend to have expectations. Other notable movie roles include playing Professor David McLaren in Eight Below, Truman Capote’s lover in Capote, along with roles in Firehouse Dog and the Bob Dylan bio pic I’m Not There. He acted in the television roles St. Elsewhere and Knots Landing.
In last month’s movie update, it was revealed that Eric Bana would play the role of Nero, the principal villain. This month, it was announced that Clifton Collins would play the role of Ayel, a henchman of Nero. Collins has also acted in Capote and The Rules of Attraction.
Luckily, the script had been written before the beginning of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike. However, Producer J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof support the strike and are not available to do any rewrites to the script. However, on Monday November 26, both sides actually sat down to talk, so there was hope of progress.
Other news includes the fact that there was an open casting call for extras that took place on November 10. They were looking for thin, regal individuals willing to have part of the eyebrow shaved so that could play the part of Vulcans. They also were in search of individuals with interesting and unique features, including long necks, extremely small heads, wide set eyes, bug eyes, etc. to portray aliens.
News:
Star Trek Movie Casting News
November 1st 2007
news report by Diane Doyle
collected from throughout the Internet
As of November 1, 2007, the roles for the Star Trek "regular" characters have been cast for the new movie. For nearly a year, the only news about the movie was that J.J. Abrams, the producer of the hit series Lost was hired to produce and, possibly direct, the new Star Trek movie, due out in December 2008. Throughout the summer and early fall, there were numerous news bulletins about each new series regular to be cast.
On July 26 came the news that Zachary Quinto
(known for playing Sylar, the villain on Heroes) would be cast as the young Spock.
However, he will not be the only actor to play the famous Vulcan. Leonard Nimoy will again
don the ears to play the older Spock. This leads to the probability of the new movie being
a flashback to previous events in the life of the crew. There have been numerous remarks
made on the resemblance of Quinto to Nimoy. Quinto was born in Pittsburgh, and has had
roles in several other television shows including Joan of Arcadia and Crossing
Jordan. Already, Quinto and Nimoy have made joint appearances, including at the
Griffin Park Observatory and a comic book convention.
On August 8 came the announcement that Anton
Yelchin would play Chekov. Yelchin was born in Russia in 1989 but lived most of his life
in California. His parents were figure skaters who had left Russia due to religious
oppression for being Jewish. He parallels the original Chekov, Walter Koenig, in that
respect as Walter’s parents were Russian Jews who were born in Lithuania but had come
to America before he was born. Yelchin has appeared in several movies, including Hearts
in Atlantis, Alpha Dog, Fierce People, and Charlie Bartlett. He
reports planning to immerse himself in watching old Star Trek episodes just before
shooting begins.
Soon after that came the casting of Communications Officer Uhura. As long rumored, the actress to play her would be Zoe Saldana. Zoe was born in New Jersey but is of Dominican descent. She has played roles in several movies including Haven, Guess Who, Six Degrees and Pirates of the Caribbean.
In rapid succession, the remaining roles
were cast. John Cho, a Korean actor, was cast as Sulu. He is currently 35 and will likely
be older than the character he’ll be playing. Cho was born in Korea but to Los
Angeles at age 6 and graduated from University of California at Berkeley. He is the lead
singer in the band Left of Zed. He has appeared in several movie roles including the American
Pie movies and Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle.
After numerous casting rumors, which proved to be false, Simon Pegg, a British actor, was chosen to portray Scotty. He is mostly known for starring in the British comedies Shawn of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. He has previously worked with Abrams in Mission Impossible III, playing the part of the IMF technician, Benji Dunn.
Doctor McCoy will be played by an actor
from the Deep South, as in south of the equator. He is being played by Karl Urban
who’s from New Zealand. He has played several important roles in various films,
including The Lord of the Rings where he played the heroic Eomer, The Bourne
Supremacy where he played Kirill, The Chronicles of Riddick where he played
Vaako, and Doom where he played John "Reaper" Grimm.
Last but certainly not least, hazel-eyed
Captain Kirk will be played by blue-eyed Chris Pine. Originally, other actors had been
rumored to play Kirk. When Pine was offered the role of Kirk, he was also in negotiations
to co-star in the movie White Jazz; however, he chose Star Trek instead.
Pine’s father, Robert, had played parts in two episodes of Deep Space Nine. He
has acted in a wide variety of films, from the Lindsay Lohan vehicle Just my Luck
to a neo-Nazi assassin in Smoking Aces.
Not only all the regulars have been case,
but also the main villain. Eric Bana will play Nero. Bana was born in Australia but is of
Croatian-German descent. Bana is renowned for playing "Hoot" Gibson in Black
Hawk Down, and also as Bruce Banner in the Ang Lee-directed film The Hulk.
No official details have been provided about Nero but an unnamed source has him pegged to
be a Romulan who is attempting to alter the timeline, a plot similar to that of the
notorious Star Trek novel Killing Time
by Della van Hise.
Other roles reported to be in the movie that have not yet been cast include: Spock’s parents, Kirk’s parents, Captain Christopher Pike, another Federation Captain, and two henchmen of Nero. Reports are that William Shatner, the original Captain Kirk, will not be in the new movie. Production begins on November 7.
News:
Casting Announcements Continue,
Vulcan Wants to Host
Premiere
September 25th 2007
news report by Randall Landers
collected from throughout the Internet
In August and September, some casting details have been released. Confirmed is that William Shatner (76) will not be appearing in the film (although he's already made a few comments about how hurt he is by this) and that Leonard Nimoy (76) will be reprising the role of Spock in a sequence that some are suggesting is Spock's lecture at Starfleet Academy about a historic event. (Others are suggesting that it's Spock's death that starts and/or ends the movie.) Confirmed as playing Spock is Zachary Quinto (30) from NBC's hit series Heroes. The movie will also star Anton Yelchin (18) as the young Ensign Chekov and Zoë Saldaña (29) as the young Lieutenant Uhura. It has been suggested that given the ages of the actors so far cast that the studio is planning on a pre-Star Trek movie and/or perhaps a coming together of our heroes to face a dire menace to the Federation. Shatner and Nimoy were both 35 during the first season of Star Trek. It's also been thought that the studio is planning ahead for a series of films, and by choosing younger actors, they can do a series of 4-5 films before age becomes an issue. Substantiating both of these rumors are very credible reports that Matt Damon (37) was simply too old for the role of James T. Kirk. The rumor mill has been running rampant with news that Scottish actor James McAvoy (28) has been cast as Scotty. This was reported in the Sunday Mirror, but has yet to be officially announced.
The casting sheet for the movie allegedly contains these characters and descriptions:
JAMES KIRK: 23-29 Handsome, cocky self assured and earnest. Great physical condition. 6 ft or less.
LEONARD (BONES) McCOY: 28-32 Medic on the Enterprise. Smart, clever and a bit danger-loving. Dark hair, blue eyes.
UHURA: 25ish African American. Brilliant, beautiful, heroic and FUN! Uhura is almost tom-boyish--as if she grew up in a house full of brothers.
SULU: 25-32 Asian American male (preferably Japanese). Helmsman on the Enterprise. Extremely fit, capable and dedicated. A bit of a wildcat.
MONTGOMERY (SCOTTY) SCOTT: 28-32 a brilliant ship's engineer. Must be able to do a flawless Scottish accent!
You can see from the ages listed that we'll be seeing our heroes portrayed by younger actors than we've seen them before (well, that's not quite true--we've seen the entire crew reduced to children in the animated series--and we've seen a number of young Spocks in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock).
Lastly, Vulcan has officially requested to be the site of the grand premiere of Star Trek XI. The small Canadian town (population <2000) has a monument honoring Star Trek, and their tourism bureau would love for the gala to be held in their town. Cute idea, although probably impractical.
News:
Nimoy In, Shatner Out
July 30th 2007
news report by Randall Landers
from Star Trek.com and Comic-Con
Earlier this month, William Shatner reported that he is not in Star Trek XI, but that his friend Leonard Nimoy will be making an appearance in the film. This has been confirmed by J.J. Abrams at Comic-con where he not only confirmed Nimoy has been signed to appear as Spock, and that Zachary Quinto of Heroes has been signed to play the younger Spock, but also that Shatner will not appear in the movie as it's now written. Abrams said, "And, y'know, William Shatner, with whom — I've met him a number of times, and he's, you know, the greatest — and we're desperately trying to figure out a way to put him in this movie. The truth is, it needs to be worthy of him, it needs to be worthy of you, it needs to be worthy of the movie. We can't just shove him in, it would be a disaster. You would hate it, he wouldn't like it, it would be bad. So we're on that. And we're looking for a Kirk. Because that's tough too, so um — Kirks?" While this does hold out some hope that Shatner will be cast, many cynics in fandom wonder if it's just about the money...again.
News:
Confirmed: Star Trek XI Script Complete,
Casting Underway
June 22nd 2007
news report by Randall Landers
from IGN, Sci-Fi Wire
and IESB
Robert Orci, the screenwriter for Star Trek XI, has confimed what we reported on June 4th. "We're casting and hoping to have somebody by Comicon -- we'll find out." Orci also confirmed that the film will start shooting in November with a goal of having the film come out in December 2008. "We're in preproduction right now and just started."
In interviews at IGN, the Sci-Fi Wire and even IESB, Orci revealed has finished the script, but would not divulge anything about the film's plot. He admitted that writing for Star Trek presented quite a challenge. Say "you're a fan who's been tracking a lot of questions about people's histories and about the history of Starfleet, there's various gaps in the canon that if you were to get online and sample what people would want to see, you'd see some overlap in terms of what any fan who knows Trek would see. But the flipside of it is we want to make sure that this movie is absolutely for nonfans as well. In a way it's going to be two different movies -- if you're a fan, you're going to see a different movie. If you're a fan, you're seeing the black stripes of the zebra, and if you're not a fan you're going to see the white stripes. That was actually an amazing challenge, to see if that was even possible, and I think, hope, pray that we did it."
Regarding the rumors about Matt Damon and other big name stars, Orci replied with a grin he'd "read all those rumors, too." He even went so far as to suggest that J.J. Abrams might not want to cast such celebrities in the roles, saying that the "star of the movie is Star Trek, you know, so another way to think of it is we feel confident in what the material is." He insisted that they're "not trying to shove an Academy Award winner down your throat to sell it" but conceded that they may well end up with a big name star or two. It "doesn’t mean that we might not end up there, but it's not our first place to go there" with them.
When asked whether the film was being seen as a pilot for a possible new TV series, Orci admitted "I'm sure CBS is thinking about that," but insisted that it's not something the production crew is thinking about. "We're just thinking about the movie. Certainly, I don't know how they could not think about that."
Rumors being what they are suggest otherwise. Still, this film has been rumored to be a reboot and complete reimaging of Star Trek, possibly akin to the new Battlestar Galactica. However, in recent interviews, Orci and the other writers and production staff insist otherwise. That it will be completely true to the original series. Whether that's true or not and whether or not fans of the original series will accept it remains to be seen.
News:
Walter Koenig Not Among Hall of Fame Stars
June 21st 2007
news report by Randall Landers
from Hollywood Chamber
of Commerce
Star Trek's own Walter Koenig was not among the 2008 Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Walk of Fame recipients. The nomination will remain active for another year, but it was a disappointing blow to be sure. Koenig remains the only series regular not to be honored with his own Walk of Fame star. Fans can express their disappointment by writing to Johnny Grant, Chairman of the Walk of Fame Committee, and Ann Martinez-Holler, the Walk of Fame contact person, at Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, 7018 Hollywood Boulevard, 2nd Floor, Hollywood, CA 90028.
UPDATE: JULY 1st 2007: When asked, Ms. Martinez-Holler has said that Walter Koenig's nomination will be good for another year. If fans wish to honor Mr. Koenig, they've now got one year to do so.
News:
Star Trek XI Casting Underway
June 4th 2007
news report by Randall Landers
from articles in Entertainment Weekly, The Hollywood Reporter, Star Trek Magazine and
Variety
As confirmed by Paramount Pictures, Star Trek XI is under production, although actors for various roles have not been confirmed. While rumored that Matt Damon would be appearing as James T. Kirk, that has not been confirmed. In fact, the only thing that has been confirmed is that the movie will be released Christmas, December 25th 2008, and that James T. Kirk will appear in the film. The film will be directed by J.J. Abrams.
Sorry for the lack of news lately, but for the most part, what's being published cannot be confirmed at this time. Hopefully, once the casting is complete, we'll have a better idea of what this film is going to look like.
News:
Star Trek XI Script Completed
January 13th 2007
news report by Randall Landers
from articles in Entertainment
Weekly, Variety
and IGN
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Star Trek producer J.J. Abrams has confirmed that the script for the next Star Trek movie (which is a return to the original series characters) has been completed, and expects to start "trimming" the script soon. Rumors from Variety magazine report that the script features a younger James Kirk and Mister Spock than we've seen, possibly at the Academy or early in the Five Year Mission. According to the EW article, it's a story that even non-fans could enjoy: ''On the one hand, for people who love Star Trek, the fix that they will get will be really satisfying,'' Abrams says. ''For people who've never seen it or know it vaguely, I think they will enjoy it equally, because the movie does not require you to know anything about Star Trek. I would actually prefer [that] people don't know the series, because I feel like they will come to it with an open mind.''
William Shatner, in a recent interview with IGN, reported, "They're working very hard on a story. They seem to be going in the direction of putting in [Leonard] Nimoy and myself. But in order to do that, it's a difficult story to write. So they're in the midst of wrestling with all of that." When asked whether or not they would be, as rumored, in a framing sequence, Shatner was unsure. "I'm not sure what they're going to do. But in order to entice Leonard and myself into the movie, it has to be meaningful in some way, so I don't know what they're gonna do."
The movie is expected to be completed in 2008.
News:
Walter Koenig Fans Reaching for a Star
January 13th 2007
news report by Patricia Wright
Did you know Walter Koenig is the only one of the original
"Star Trek Seven" not to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?
It's time for the fans to unite and help correct this ridiculous oversight!
Walter's been nominated for a star and the Walk of Fame Committee will be voting in June
2007 on whether to award it to him. A letter-writing campaign to convince the committee to
vote for him has started, and you can help!
Walter's official website -- www.WalterKoenigSite.com
-- has all the information. Here is the link to the "Star" page: www.walterkoenigsite.com/waltersstar.html
Thank you for your help and support!
News:
Jane "Lady Amanda" Wyatt Passes Away
October 28th 2006
news report by Randall Landers
from a report on AP via MSNBC
Jane Wyatt, probably best known as Margaret Anderson on Father Knows Best, died of natural causes in her sleep, according to her son in an interview with Associated Press. Wyatt, who had suffered a stroke in 1995, remained in good mental condition. She was a beautiful woman whose roles included the Lady Amanda on Star Trek's "Journey to Babel" and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. She was also Ronald Colman's romantic interest in in the 1937 classic film, Lost Horizon. Wyatt's warmth was always genuine, and she was awarded with three Emmys in 1958, 1959 and 1960 for her performance. Among her costars were Elinor Donahue who played "Commissioner Nancy Hedford" in Star Trek's "Metamorphosis." Wyatt is survived by sons Christopher and Michael; three grandchildren Nicholas, Andrew and Laura; and five great grandchildren.
News:
Animated
Star Trek Series on DVD
October 28th 2006
news report by Randall Landers
from StarTrek.com
CBS DVD and Paramount Home Entertainment today will release a four-disc set of the animated Star Trek series on November 21, 2006. The collection will contain all 22 episodes which were originally shown on NBC on Saturday mornings in 1973 and 1974. Fans will recall that the three stars and nearly the entire supporting cast of the original series were involved in the production which went on to win both an Emmy award in 1975 in the category of Outstanding Children's Series and a Peabody award for the episode "How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth." Most of the episodes were written by veterans from the original series, including series story editor D.C. Fontana, David Gerrold, Margaret Armen, Walter Koenig,
According to the StarTrek.com website, confirmed special features for the Animated Series include:
· "Drawn to the Final Frontier - The Making of Star
Trek: The Animated Series"
· "What's the Star Trek Connection?"
· Storyboard Gallery
· Show History
· Wallpaper
· AIM Icons
· Audio Commentary by David Wise ("How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth")
· Audio Commentaries by David Gerrold ("More Tribbles, More Troubles" &
"Bem")
· Text Commentaries by Michael Okuda and Denise Okuda ("Yesteryear," "The
Eye of the Beholder," "The Counter-Clock Incident")
The suggested retail price is $62.95, but Amazon is pre-selling the DVDs at a really low price ($38.49!). Click here to pre-order!
News:
Star Trek to Receive CGI Makeover
Wednesday, September 6th 2006; updated Monday, September 18th
2006
news and commentary by Randall Landers
from a report on E!Online by
Natlie Finn (c) 2006
CBS Paramount, the new folks in charge of the Star Trek franchise, announced on Thursday, August 31st, that "all 79 episodes of the original Star Trek are being digitally remastered and will be heading into syndication next month for the first time in 16 years in honor of the sci-fi classic's 40th anniversary." The visual effects of the original series will be completely redone in HD CGI in an attempt to appeal to the Modern Trek fans who have been unable to get past what were, 40 years ago, state-of-the-art award-winning special effects. In a George Lucas-like move, the visual effects (spaceships, alien landscapes, space battles, etc.) will be redone in order to appeal to the fan-boys. And sadly, after viewing those special effects in their first effort, I was far from impressed. The fan films like Starship Exeter and Star Trek: New Voyages have better special effects.
This isn't the first time a Star Trek product has been madeover. Fans will recall how they were promised that the re-imaged Star Trek: The Motion Picture would simply be more truer to the concept Gene Roddenberry and Robert Wise had intended. Instead, they were treated to the nonsensical removal of certain sound effects, visual effects at less-than-impressive quality levels, and even wholesale changes in dialogue. Sadly, the ABC-TV edited version with the extra footage (sans special effects in some scenes—anyone remember seeing the set and the wires as Kirk leaves the Enterprise?) remains the superior version of the film. In addition to this, the model of the Enterprise at the Smithsonian was "restored" in a highly fan-boy manner, complete with wholesale changes to the original painting scheme. Fans cannot help but be concerned about what might be done with this makeover of their favorite episodes. I was concerned that Wah Ming Chang's beautiful Romulan bird-of-prey be fan-boyed into a post-TNG styled Romulan warbird, complete with glowing lights, doodads and other atrocities. Fortunately, that didn't happen, but I was really disappointed with the renderings. I think the original model just cannot be digitally replicated with its beautiful fiery bird of prey on its underside.
"We're taking great pains to respect the integrity and style of the original, "Michael Okuda, a scenic-art supervisor on the Star Trek films and spinoffs for the past 18 years," told TVGuide.com. "Our goal is to always ask ourselves: What would Roddenberry have done with today's technology?" The problem we fans have to ask ourselves is "Is this what should be done with the original series?" Are they going to CGI wholesale changes akin to the scene in Star Wars where Han Solo now shoots Greedo in self-defense (after artfully dodging a laser beam) instead of as in the original, without warning? Are they going to change the canon of the episodes with their efforts?
When the first ‘revamped' episode, "Balance of Terror," aired this weekend, I made the effort to stay up to 2:00am to watch the show on KWGN (Denver's station). I was disappointed. The special effects were not impressive. The images of the Enterprise looked almost cartoonish to me, and the episode was chopped to hell. Give me my original VHS recordings of the episode, with its completed scenes, any day of the week over this chopped up, ‘souped up' version.
Lastly, the episodes are not being "improved" in production order nor in the order in which they originally were aired. Instead, Okuda, his wife Denise, and producer David Rossi chose to unveil the revamped series starting with what they perceive as the fans' favorites. And the reason behind these changes? No doubt about it: it's to appeal to the fanboys, and to try to get Classic Trek fans to buy yet another copy of each DVD or HD-DVD. Don't buy into it, folks. Trust me, if "Balance of Terror" is the example, it ain't gonna be worth it. They're just trying to milk the cow again.
New:
TV-Land to Celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Star Trek
Wednesday, September 6th 2006
as reported by Randall Landers
Starting at 8pm on Friday, September 8th, TVLand will be launching a mini-marathon of Star Trek. At 8:00pm, they've got a 40th Anniversary Special, followed by "The Man Trap," "The Trouble with Tribbles," "The City on the Edge of Forever" and "Plato's Stepchildren." Later, in November, Star Trek will become part of the regular TVLand schedule. There will even be guest appearances by the Star Trek actors (possibly the footage from the SciFi Channel presentations). TV Land will also be rerunning William Shatner's Living in TV Land, an excellent look at the man who will always be James T. Kirk in the minds of many (scroll down for more info), and the network will be airing Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan during the week of November 17th. Check your local listings for more information, or visit TVLand.com.
News:
Shatner to Reprise His Character in Star Trek Video Game
Monday, August 14, 2006
from a report posted on Fox News (c) 2006
According to the Fox News website, William Shatner will be providing the voice of Captain James T. Kirk in a new video game. The game from Bethesda Softworks, Star Trek: Legacy, due out in October, will let players captain more than 60 starships, including the Enterprises of Captain Kirk's command, in combat against the Klingons, Romulans and even the Borg. Other Star Trek actors (Patrick Stewart, Avery Brooks, Kate Mulgrew and Scott Bakula) will be providing the voices of the other Star Trek captains. In a recent phone interview with Reuters, Shatner said he doesn't play video games but has a grandson who is eager to teach him. "The interest in Star Trek has waned in the last couple years. It's been around a long time, it's a staple of American life, and I think we need something new and different in Star Trek. I couldn't imagine someone else playing Captain Kirk, even in a video game, so I kind of got a little territorial," he said. "If it's a good game, keeping true to the characters the best they can and having an interesting story that branches, I think a game can bring a freshness to a franchise like Star Trek," Shatner said.
News:
Star Trek Returns!
Monday, April 24th 2006
reported by Randall Landers
from an article in The Daily
Variety (c) 2006
As reported by "Mr. Garrison" in a rumor in January (scroll down), Paramount has decided to proceed with their plans for a Starfleet Academy series of films featuring younger versions of Kirk and Spock, including their first meeting at Starfleet Academy and their first mission together. The news comes with the announcement that J.J. Abrams will be the "next Gene Roddenberry." Abrams (who recently helmed Mission: Impossible III) will produce and direct the Trek movie, aiming for a 2008 release. Two of Abrams' fellow production teammates (Damon Lindelof & Bryan Burk) from Lost will be joining him on the as-yet untitled feature. The film is to be written by Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. According to the article, "Star Trek has been Hollywood's most durable performer other than James Bond, spawning 10 features that have grossed more than $1 billion and 726 TV episodes from six series. Decision to relaunch Star Trek comes less than a year after UPN pulled the plug on Enterprise amid dismal ratings following a four-season run and four years after Star Trek: Nemesis turned in the worst performance of the 10 films with $43 million domestic."
This whole process should probably be considered as good news to fans of the original series. No mention is made whatsoever of Rick Berman or Brannon Braga, who are now being castigated for their general incompetence in the direction of the Star Trek franchise.
News:
William Shatner in Living in TV Land
Friday, April 13th 2006
reported by Randall Landers
broadcast © 2006 by TV Land
William Shatner's been a busy fellow lately. Not only has he won an Emmy for BOSTON LEGAL, not only did he star in the rather insipid How William Shatner Changed the Universe, his production company put together an outstanding one-hour long special for this new television series on TV Land. Unlike the "Changed the Universe" nonsense, this was a genuinely interesting look at the star of the original series and what he's doing now. You see him react to his lively conversation with Leonard Nimoy, with his newest wife, with the studio audience, and perhaps most interesting, to the birth of his grandson. Viewers see more of the William Shatner that his fans know and love than the strawman those who love to bash the man ever portray him as being. Highly recommended!
News:
Scotty's Memorial Put on Hold
Sunday, March 4th 2006
reported by Randall Landers
condensed from an article © 2006 by This
Is North Scotland
History repeats itself. Following the lead of Riverside, Iowa, Aberdeen councillors were planning on creating a memorial honloring Star Trek Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott, based on a line from "Wolf in the Fold" where Scotty admits to being "an ol' Aberdeen pubcrawler." Unfortunately, the councillors have received a report that suggests that "copyright and design issues" would prevent the monument from being built, and "instead suggests asking bars and clubs in the city to create a range of "space-related drinks" in honor of the popular spaceman."
Lord Provost (the Scottish equivalent of a mayor) John Reynolds started the campaign last summer to have a permanent memorial to Scotty. He reportedly "even wrote to Nasa asking for a used rocket that could be the centre of a tourist attraction." Two other cities, Elgin and Linlithgow, have apparently joined Aberdeen in claiming Scotty was born in their towns as well, despite the complete lack of canonical evidence to support their contentions.
Unfortunately, Riverside has been unable to create the 40' bronze sculpture of Captain Kirk because Paramount wants them to purchase a license for the image, at a cost of thousands of dollars. Aberdeen would no doubt face the same sort of legal hurdles. One Aberdeen official has suggested it would be too expensive a project, but Lord Provost Reynolds still "believes that the connection can still be a great economic boost for the city" and has not given up on the idea of a statue. He added, "Maybe the way forward is with drinks promotions and this sort of thing. I would think there are a heck of a lot of trekkies in Britain - the ones who like dressing up, not the ones who just enjoy watching it like me - who must hold conferences all of the time."
News:
Paul Carr Dead
Sunday, February 19, 2006
© 2006 by Randall Landers
Long time actor Paul Carr, who played the likeable character Lieutenant Lee Kelso, died from cancer on February 17, 2006. Carr was an occasional guest at Star Trek conventions, and was always remembered fondly by fans. Carr also went on to star in a number of other science fiction productions, perhaps most notably as the navigator Lieutenant Devlin on the second season of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.
It's been a while since Leonard Nimoy played Mr. Spock in Star Trek. But fans of the show were thrilled to see Nimoy's commercial for Aleve, an over-the-counter pain reliever. Nimoy said he was eager to do the commercial because he uses Aleve, and apparently likes it. The story line has to do with Nimoy being unable to go on stage because "it hurts." The mystery was what hurt, and what performance was at stake. He takes his Aleve, and walks out onto the stage of a Star Trek convention. At first, he's unable to give the ta'al, the Vulcan hand sign. Suddenly, his Aleve kicks in and he displays the ta'al with a flourish to his cheering fans. "Fortunately, Aleve allows Leonard Nimoy to be his best self," said an executive at the drug company.
The ashes of Gordon Cooper, who was part of NASA's Project Mercury that sent the first Americans into space, will join those of Star Trek actor James Doohan on a Falcon One rocket launched from California in a yet to be determined date, said Susan Schonfeld of Space Services. "Gordon always would have taken another space flight had he the opportunity," his widow, Suzan Cooper, told AFP. "This was the next best thing. He certainly wouldn't have said 'No'."
"Gordon firmly believed that after you die you can still observe what was most important to you in life," said Cooper, who was married to him for 32 years. "I have a feeling he will be very much aware of what's going on."
Cooper died in his home in Ventura, California, in October 2004 at the age of 77.
LOS ANGELES — An online casino has a piece of Captain Kirk. Actor William Shatner has sold his kidney stone for $25,000 with the money going to a housing charity, it was announced Tuesday. Shatner reached agreement Monday to sell the stone to GoldenPalace.com. "This takes organ donors to a new height, to a new low, maybe. How much is a piece of me worth?" he said in a telephone interview.
GoldenPalace.com is noted for its collection of oddities, which includes a partially eaten cheese sandwich thought to contain the image of the Virgin Mary. "This is a bold new addition to our fleet," GoldenPalace.com Chief Executive Officer Richard Rowe said in a statement.
The money will go to Habitat for Humanity, which builds houses for the needy. "This would be the first Habitat for Humanity house built out of stone," joked Darren Julien, president of Los Angeles-based Julien's Auctions, which handled the sale.
Shatner, who played Kirk on the original Star Trek TV show and won an Emmy for his role on Boston Legal, passed the stone last fall. The stone was so big, Shatner said, "you'd want to wear it on your finger. If you subjected it to extreme heat, it might turn out to be a diamond," he added.
Shatner said the idea of selling the stone came up after Boston Legal raised $20,000 for Habitat for Humanity. With the money for the stone, Shatner said there is about enough funding to build half a house.
GoldenPalace.com originally offered $15,000 for the stone but Shatner turned it down, noting that his "Star Trek" tunics have commanded more than $100,000. His counteroffer was accepted.
LOS ANGELES — Coming in the wake of Patrick Stewart's December 2005 revelation that he had been approached by Paramount to again take the center seat in a Star Trek movie and Stewart's subsequent announcement that it would have to wait three years before such a project could even start, rumors are beginning to surface again about the possible return of Admiral James T. Kirk as an instructor at Starfleet Academy. The rumors seem to be reflecting the pitch Shatner made to Paramount in 2004 about a new Star Trek television series called The Academy which would feature adolescent versions of Kirk, Spock and McCoy. These rumors also coincide with the forthcoming two-book project about the same premise, developed by Shatner and his writing partners, Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens. It should also be noted that Harve Bennett made an almost identical pitch in 2003. Whether or not this will lead to a new Classic Trek-based series remains doubtful to most, but hopeful to some.
George Takei returns to the role of "Hikaru Sulu" for the third episode of Star Trek: New Voyages, "World Enough and Time". In an e-mail to STNV Executive Producer James Cawley, Mr. Takei writes:
Dear James,
Life is so full of unexpected new challenges. Your invitation for me to re-engage with the character of Hikaru Sulu after more than a decade is very exciting. To have Marc Zicree write and direct the project makes the invitation that much more thrilling. Walter Koenig has told me about his experiences with his New Voyages participation and how personally fulfilling it was for him. Thank you for creating this totally unanticipated opportunity for us as artists and for the fans whose love and devotion to Star Trek has made this journey truly a phenomenal continuation of a great adventure. Together, we will 'boldly go' where we have never taken Star Trek before."
George Takei
"I can not say how much of an honor and privilege it is to be able to work with George. It is the thrill of a lifetime!" enthused James Cawley.
Legendary Star Trek author David Gerrold announced today that he would be joining the production team of New Voyages. "New Voyages is produced by fans for fans, and they are great!" he exclaimed excitedly.
David has two stories on line. "The first is a re-worked Blood and Fire, which was originally pitched for TNG, but ultimately rejected for its controversial storyline, dealing with an AIDS-like virus and homosexuality."
"This is a real coup for all of us here at New Voyages. David's involvement will give us the opportunity to deal with socially relevant topics, just as the original series did," enthused Executive Producer James Cawley.
Mr. Gerrold also plans a sequel to what is arguably the most famous Star Trek episode, "The Trouble With Tribbles." "I've had this idea for a long time, but we were never able to do it on the original series. There is a twist," explained Gerrold with a mysterious smile. "What starts out funny won't be for long."
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