Tag: Star Trek

  • Star Trek 3: Shat Happens?

    Spock_and_Kirk,_1986

    Star Trek 3 writer and director Roberto Orci is wanting to bring back William Shatner for a part in the third revamped Trek film. The original Capt. James T. Kirk was supposed to have a cameo in the J.J. Abrams 2009 reboot, but was cut which led to Shatner doing his Shatner thing and getting pissed.

    Orci’s script has a scene which reunites Leonard Nimoy’s Spock and Kirk, whether it will really happen is anyone’s guess. I am of the thought that you can not have enough Shatner (of which I might be the minority).

    With Star Trek 3 releasing in 2016 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the original series it would be a nice callback to the show’s history. Just keep Nichelle Nichols away from ever doing this again.

  • Nerd Is As Nerd Does- Wanderings

    forest-path_002900561

    I just got back from a late-afternoon walk, something I’m trying to do now that winter has released its grasp from “North of the Wall.” At a recent physical, the doctor told me that I am in moderate shape, but I need more physical activity; unsurprisingly, hours spent in front of a television, monitor, or even a good book do very little for the physique. So I found a nicely-sidewalked road running back behind my townhouse and have been spending at least half an hour each Sunday walking it down to a certain point and back.

    Along the way, I just kind of let my mind wander, mostly because my iPod can’t hold a charge, but also because I hope doing so will let my brain unwind, and maybe even have a creative idea or two. Nothing overly structured, mind you, just some light brainstorming, or thinking about some work or another I’ve been enjoying of late.

    Several times now, I’ve found my thoughts drawn to small patches of woods that stretch off one direction or another from the road I’m following. These are large patches of wilderness, mind you; I doubt you could go far enough in any direction to become lost, out of sight or sound of civilization. Still, they’re little patches of thick trees, bushes, and the like that haven’t been forcibly smoothed over for progress.

    I first noticed them because I was re-reading Lord of the Rings, and my mind came upon the thought that almost all of the places Frodo journeys through would be untamed, trackless wilds. Not only that, but he and Sam journeyed over a thousand miles in this fashion, and repeatedly came upon areas where they weren’t really sure how to proceed.

    the-lord-of-the-rings-gollum-mordor-samwise-gamgee-the-return-of-the-king-frodo-baggins-3007x1563_www-wallpapermay-com_42

    It would be like me deciding to travel from here to Dallas, on foot and occasional horseback, without any help, other than the guidance of a few people who knew some of the areas. Also, I had to use Google maps to find a city that was a comparable distance away. I thought California to begin with, but that’s another extra thousand miles.

    An extra thousand miles that, as it stands, people in recent history have crossed in a fashion very similar to what I just described. From 1804-1806, the Lewis and Clark expedition was tasked with travelling from St. Louis to the west and back, while also exploring, learning, and documenting what they found. This was at a time when people still thought there could be a “northwest passage” waterway that would allow for direct sea travel from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

    With the technology we have these days – GPS on handheld devices, 3D-modeled satellite maps, etc. – it’s difficult to imagine a time when people thought such things possible, even though it was a scant two-hundred ten years ago. I know there are still trackless, uncharted parts of the world, but they are fewer every year. On a tangential note, while watching a Batman film today, I realized that the secret road way leading into the bat-cave would no longer be feasible; someone would spot it on Google maps, and then “POW!” teenagers are taking selfies there.

    Without these places left to explore, our imaginations have turned to the sky, to “the final frontier” as it has been put on more than one occasion. Star Trek, as it was originally conceived, tapped into that same kind of explorer spirit; the Enterprise travelled countless light-years from Earth, into completely uncharted space, so that the crew could visit unknown worlds. I’m trying to fathom the concept of stepping onto a world that I have no information about, with nothing already there to help me get a sense of direction, bearing, or orientation; I can’t really make that conception work, to be honest.

    star-trek-hd-wallpaper-download

    Probably the closest I have ever gotten in my life is video games, especially ones where you are expected to explore an open-ended game world; things like Metroid, Zelda, Final Fantasy, and the like spring to mind from the past, while new additions like Dark Souls and The Elder Scrolls have carried on the tradition. I always like reading about people who are going through old things and find graph paper with maps of Zebes drawn on it, or scribbled notes about what directions to take and commands to use from a text-based adventure.

    Sadly, player accessibility has started to cheat us out of these experiences, and the internet provides instant relief even when the game may not. Yes, Skyrim is an amazing open-ended world, and it can be fun to just set off in a direction for adventure. But almost all of the quests give you a location marker to go by, and fast-travel allows you to zip back and forth between places you have already been.

    Dark Souls helps mend this a little, by having almost no sort of mission structure or hand-holding in terms of location marker; Hell, there’s not even an in-game map you can use. Still, if you get frustrated, there are entire websites – most accessible from a data-enabled phone – devoted to helping guide you through Lordran, complete with descriptions, screenshots, and digital maps of each area.

    namco_bandai_12992751601464

    I’m not trying to decry anyone else for wanting to make things easier; I personally have never managed to beat Dark Souls largely because there is so little guidance; yet in my lifetime I have beaten games that offer as little or less guidance, and done it simply by learning the game, or making my own notes and hand-drawn maps; a lot of game used to have both lined and blank pages in the back of the manual intended for that very purpose!

    I’ve done a bit of wandering in my life, though admittedly almost always within civilization. When I moved away from home, I traveled 800+ down roads I had never seen, with just some hand-written direction to go by; I arrived in a brand new city, to move into a house I had never visited. I have travelled to Europe on several occasions, once to spend three months livings – albeit with people I knew – in a completely different city, in a country thousands of miles from home.

    Probably my favorite thing I’ve done was during that trip, when on my own I took a train, and then a bus to get to Paris, where I spent several days just walking around. I plotted my own course from Sacré Cœur, down to the Arc de Triomphe, and then past the Louvre to Notre Dame. I read maps, talked to people, stayed fed and safe, and even navigated the metro without getting injured, robbed, or hurt worse than some sore feet.

    Each time I walk by the woods on the road during my Sunday walks, part of me wants to tramp down into them just for the Hell of it. I might get scratched, bitten, and dirty; people would most assuredly wonder what I was doing if they saw me; yet part of me really feels it would do me good in the long run. If my hope is that my mind might become unburdened by these little strolls, the first thing to do might be drop some of my reservations and expectations. After all, it is supposed to be a dangerous business, going out your door.

     

  • Frozen’s “Let It Go” Becomes Much More In Star Trek’s “Make It So”

    The “in” thing recently is making all types of different versions of “Let It Go” from Disney’s Frozen. Some are good, some are shit.

    Then there are very few that are as good as taking footage from Star Trek: First Contact and writing and entirely new song called “Make It So”.

    Geek band Debs & Errol gain extra pips on their collar for this effort.

  • J.J. Abrams Apologizes For Overuse Of Lens Flare. Finally People Can Shut Up About It

    Photo courtesy nytimes.com
    Photo courtesy nytimes.com

    Alright J.J. Abrams complainers, the director has seen the error of his ways. Your four year mission of pissing and moaning about lens flare may finally be over. Let’s forget that both Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness were wonderful movies that brought the crew of the Starship Enterprise back into mainstream pop culture after not mattering for almost a decade.

    Abrams admitted he had a problem in an interview with Crave, even admitting that his wife was annoyed.

    “I know I get a lot of grief for that. But I’ll tell you, there are times when I’m working on a shot, I think, ‘Oh this would be really cool… with a lens flare.’ But I know it’s too much, and I apologize. I’m so aware of it now. I was showing my wife an early cut of Star Trek Into Darkness and there was this one scene where she was literally like, ‘I just can’t see what’s going on. I don’t understand what that is.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, I went too nuts on this.’”

    “This is how stupid it was,” J.J. Abrams added. “I actually had to use ILM [Industrial Light & Magic] to remove lens flare in a couple of shots, which is, I know, moronic. But I think admitting you’re an addict is the first step towards recovery.”

    You see! People can change! Now shut the f*** up.

  • Amazon’s Deal Of The Day Is The Undiscovered Country Of Blu-Ray Deals

    Photo courtesy amazon.com
    Photo courtesy amazon.com

    Ok, first off, that title was like the 14th pun I thought of and my brain was hurting so it is the one I went with.

    Amazon is making it hard to resist your inner Trekkie (or Trekker, don’t get uppity) with the Gold Box Deal of the Day which has the Star Trek Original Motion Picture Collection for only $29.99 on Blu-Ray and $21.49 on DVD. For those of us that do not do math well that is $55.00 off the regular price and the cheapest I have seen the collection since its release.

    A deal this good is worth adding Star Trek V to your Blu-Ray collection when it is this cheap. I don’t know why God needs a Starship, but I know that I need this.

    Check out the deal here.

    81GbhNKTqeL__SL1500_

  • Kirk’s Top Ten Methods Of Beatdown In One Handy Video

    Photo courtesy rabittooth.com
    Photo courtesy rabittooth.com

    You can’t deny the pure animalistic fury that is James T. Kirk. Now this video showcases his top ten fighting moves that he utilized during The Original Series run. My personal favorite has always been the “Kirk dropkick” followed closely by the “see how quickly I can make Nichelle Nichols uncomfortable by rubbing my crotch against her”.

  • Behold The Wonders Of Starcher Trek!

    Photo courtesy fanpop.com
    Photo courtesy fanpop.com

    Whoever came up with this idea to merge the Star Trek Animated Series with the voices from Archer are some kind of wizards that should only be spoken about in hushed tones of reverent myths. They are to be applauded and celebrated for the geniuses they are.

    And if you have never watched either show…seriously? They are both on Netflix right now. 8 bucks a month or I will let you borrow my copies.

     

  • Star Trek Into Darkness Blu-Ray Release Date Announced, Features Listed

    Photo courtesy giantfreaking robot.com
    Photo courtesy giantfreaking robot.com

    J.J. Abrams’ [amazon_link id=”B00CTSDDVO” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Star Trek Into Darkness[/amazon_link] will be making its way to Blu-Ray 3D, Blu-Ray and DVD on September 10th. The sequel did not live up to lofty box office expectations, but did surpass its predecessor in its worldwide total. We gave the film a stellar 9/10 review and can not wait to experience it again.

    Check out the list of special features below:

    -Creating the Red Planet – Experience the creation of a never-before-seen alien world, as featured in the action-packed opening sequence of the film.

    -Attack on Starfleet – Go behind the scenes with the cast and filmmakers and witness the creation of the shocking attack on Starfleet Headquarters.

    -The Klingon Home World – Discover the stunning world of Kronos, and see how the filmmakers reinvented the Klingons for a new generation.

    -The Enemy of My Enemy – Find out how, and why, the identity of the film’s true villain was kept a mystery to the very end.

    -Ship to Ship – An in-depth and thrilling look at the filming of the iconic space jump sequence, which both defied the laws of physics and pushed the limits of visual effects.

    -Brawl by the Bay – Sit in with Zachary Quinto and Benedict Cumberbatch as they revisit their intense preparation for the film’s breathtaking climax.

    -Continuing the Mission – An inspiring look at the partnership between the film’s crew and the organization that assists returning veterans to find meaningful ways to contribute on the home front.

    A Limited Edition Gift Set, which you can see below, will also be available featuring a full-size phaser replica. You can pre-order it here.

    Photo courtesy amazon.com
    Photo courtesy amazon.com
  • Literary Nerdery- May 28, 2013

    Photo courtesy blogofthehobbit.blogspot.com
    Photo courtesy blogofthehobbit.blogspot.com

    1. [amazon_link id=”0544115899″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]The Fall of Arthur[/amazon_link]- J.R.R. Tolkien- $25

    The Fall of Arthur, the only venture by J.R.R. Tolkien into the legends of Arthur King of Britain, may well be regarded as his finest and most skilful achievement in the use of the Old English alliterative metre, in which he brought to his transforming perceptions of the old narratives a pervasive sense of the grave and fateful nature of all that is told: of Arthur’s expedition overseas into distant heathen lands, of Guinevere’s flight from Camelot, of the great sea-battle on Arthur’s return to Britain, in the portrait of the traitor Mordred, in the tormented doubts of Lancelot in his French castle.
    Unhappily, The Fall of Arthur was one of several long narrative poems that he abandoned in that period. In this case he evidently began it in the earlier nineteen-thirties, and it was sufficiently advanced for him to send it to a very perceptive friend who read it with great enthusiasm at the end of 1934 and urgently pressed him ‘You simply must finish it!’ But in vain: he abandoned it, at some date unknown, though there is some evidence that it may have been in 1937, the year of the publication of The Hobbit and the first stirrings of The Lord of the Rings. Years later, in a letter of 1955, he said that ‘he hoped to finish a long poem on The Fall of Arthur’; but that day never came.

    2. [amazon_link id=”1594746168″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]The Resurrectionist[/amazon_link]- E.B. Hudspeth- $24.95

    The Resurrectionist offers two extraordinary books in one. The first is a fictional biography of Dr. Spencer Black, from a childhood spent exhuming corpses through his medical training, his travels with carnivals, and the mysterious disappearance at the end of his life. The second book is Black’s magnum opus: The Codex Extinct Animalia, a Gray’s Anatomy for mythological beasts—dragons, centaurs, Pegasus, Cerberus—all rendered in meticulously detailed anatomical illustrations. You need only look at these images to realize they are the work of a madman. The Resurrectionist tells his story.

    3. [amazon_link id=”1613776128″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Star Trek: The John Byrne Collection[/amazon_link]- John Byrne- $49.99

    Comics legend John Byrne has taken on 4 Star Trek titles, and they are all collected here, in one oversized hardcover collection. “Assignment Earth” recounts the adventures of interstellar agent Gary Seven, “Crew” recounts a tale from the very beginnings of the United Federation of Planets, “Leonard McCoy: Frontier Doctor” is a collection of tales from the member of the Frontier Medics Program, and mystery, intrigue, and war abound in “Romulans.”

    4. [amazon_link id=”0425264181″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]The City[/amazon_link]- Stella Gemmell- $26.95
    In the center of the City lives the emperor. Few have ever seen him, but those who have recall a man in his prime, though he should be very old. Some grimly speculate that he is no longer human, if he ever was. A small number have come to the desperate conclusion that the only way to stop the war is to end the emperor’s unnaturally long life.

    From the mazelike sewers below the City, where the poor struggle to stay alive in the dark, to the blood-soaked fields of battle, where few heroes manage to endure the never-ending siege, the rebels pin their hopes on one man—Shuskara. The emperor’s former general, he was betrayed long ago and is believed to be dead. But, under different aliases, he has survived, forsaking his City and hiding from his immortal foe. Now the time has come for him to engage in one final battle to free the City from the creature who dwells at its heart, pulling the strings that keep the land drenched in gore.

    5. [amazon_link id=”0544003470″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]The Asylum[/amazon_link]- John Harwood- $25

    Confused and disoriented, Georgina Ferrars awakens in a small room in Tregannon House, a private asylum in a remote corner of England. She has no memory of the past few weeks. The doctor, Maynard Straker, tells her that she admitted herself under the name Lucy Ashton the day before, then suffered a seizure. When she insists he has mistaken her for someone else, Dr. Straker sends a telegram to her uncle, who replies that Georgina Ferrars is at home with him in London: “Your patient must be an imposter.”

    Suddenly her voluntary confinement becomes involuntary. Who is the woman in her uncle’s house? And what has become of her two most precious possessions, a dragonfly pin left to her by her mother and a writing case containing her journal, the only record of those missing weeks? Georgina’s perilous quest to free herself takes us from a cliffside cottage on the Isle of Wight to the secret passages of Tregannon House and into a web of hidden family ties on which her survival depends.

  • Deleted Scene From Star Trek shows Benedict Cumberbatch in the Shower

    photo courtesy of celebuzz.com

    Apparently in the light of recent nudity complaints about Star Trek: Into Darkness, J.J. Abrams decided to share one of the deleted scenes: a rather short shot of Benedict Cumberbatch in the shower (looking quite miserable, I might add).

    Though after watching the following clip, I must admit that Conan’s version of the scene is much more amusing than Abrams’.

    To see the clip from Conan, click here.