I remember it well, that day I saw the Starship Voyager set course for the Badlands to make history as the title ship of the unprecedented third Star Trek spin-off. It was a chilly January day back in 1995, and a group of friends and I had just returned from a trip to see Generations on the big screen.
Read MoreChristopher Jones
Rewriting Trek /
The fictional universe of Star Trek represents one possible future. That future has been assembled by numerous writers over the course of 45 years, six television series, and eleven feature films. When dealing with such a long span of time, so many contributors, and the evolving nature of society, it’s only natural that elements of this universe will change, stories will contradict one another, and early ambiguities will be filled in by later treks.
Read MoreRiker! Riker! Won't You Please Sit Down? /
William T. Riker always wanted his own command. It was his Number One priority—in terms of his career anyway. It’s hard to imagine the allure of the captain’s chair winning out over Minuet, Etana Jol, or certainly Deanna Troi. Yes, Riker’s love of women has been well documented over the years, but there is one other thread that ran through all of TNG: Riker’s desire to one day command his own ship. Fortunately, in the end, he didn’t have to choose. He got his ship and his Imzadi, too. But the road to that final destination was a long and winding one
Read MoreJust My Type: Kardashev Civilizations in Star Trek and Beyond /
We often hear scientists throwing around the fashionable statement that any alien civilization is going to be far advanced beyond our own. Such civilizations, they say, could be millions of years ahead of us. But what does it mean for a civilization to be a million years old? In this Captain’s Log we’ll examine an established method for classifying civilizations and find out where we are, where we’re headed, and just how far ahead of us those like the Iconians or that ancient humanoid played by Salome Jens may be.
Read MoreSpook Treks: A Selection of Star Trek Episodes for Halloween /
Over the years Star Trek has had its share of creepy moments, and we’re not just talking about that guy in the skant who roams the Enterprise-D corridors in “Encounter at Farpoint.” Long before the man dress was unveiled The Original Series set the tone for spooks in space with the episode “Catspaw.” While this was the first and only real Star Trek Halloween special (it aired October 27, 1967) there have been many more thrills and chills worthy of All Hallows Eve.
Read MoreThe Best of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine /
Asking a fan to name the five best episodes of a Star Trek series is like asking Quark which Rules of Acquisition are the best. There are too many that lead to profit to choose just five. Neverthless, I’m going to set out to name five of the best episodes from DS9.
Read MoreThe Best of Star Trek: The Next Generation /
Asking a fan to name the five best episodes of a Star Trek series is like asking Barclay which holodeck program is the best escape from reality. There are too many good ones to choose just five. Neverthless, I’m going to set out to name five of the very best episodes from each of the series and explain why I feel they are some of the greatest examples of Star Trek. In this first installment my focus was on The Original Series, and now I’m moving on to the first of the modern series, The Next Generation.
Read MoreThe Best of Star Trek: The Original Series /
Asking a fan to name the five best episodes of a Star Trek series is like asking Troi which chocolate dessert she likes best. There are too many good ones to choose just five, although the Spock’s Brain Sundae is one you’d be willing to pass over after most meals.
Read MoreBorgified! The Assimilation of Star Trek: Voyager /
“We are the Borg. Lower your shields and surrender your episodes. We will add your series distinctiveness to our own. Your show will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile.”
If there’s one distinct impression that Star Trek: Voyager left on the audience, it’s that perhaps the series should have been called Star Trek: Borg. But is this really true?
Read MoreThere’s An Orb for That... /
Wanna find out the truth? There’s an Orb for that. How about traveling back in time to meet your hero? There’s an Orb for that, too. In fact there are Orbs for all sorts of things you may want to do… if you’re Bajoran.
Read MoreDon't You Forget About Me: Coming of Age for Star Trek The Animated Series /
Enterprise is often referred to as the fifth Star Trek series. In reality this is not true. There was a series between TOS and TNG that often gets overlooked. One that was created with ink and paper rather than cameras and lights. One that broke new ground for the franchise and kept Star Trek alive before the big screen voyages began. This was, of course, The Animated Series.
Read MoreBroken Bow: Looking Back at My First Impressions of Enterprise /
The fifth live-action Star Trek series came about at an interesting time. It was a time that for some may be seen as the twilight of the franchise—at least the franchise that so many of today’s fans grew up with. I myself was feeling a bit of fatigue creeping into Trek back in 2001.
Read MoreRanking the Star Trek Film Franchise /
After more than three decades of big screen voyages, the Star Trek film count has now grown to eleven, with a twelfth installment on the way. We’ve been taken on quite a ride along the way, and have traveled from the 23rd century to the 24th and back again. In the second episode of The Ready Room Greg Harbin and I covered the Trekathon event in which 23 Trek fans screened all eleven movies over the course of two days and ranked them all. So where do I stand? Which are the best and which are the worst? Let’s find out…
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