TrekHQ » Editorial http://trekhq.com Star Trek XI news, rumors, info and downloads Fri, 19 Oct 2007 06:50:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.2 en Time To Form Starfleet? http://trekhq.com/2007/06/03/time-to-form-starfleet/ http://trekhq.com/2007/06/03/time-to-form-starfleet/#comments Sun, 03 Jun 2007 22:22:10 +0000 Anthony Pascale http://trekmovie.com/2007/06/03/time-to-form-starfleet/ In the world of Star Trek we know that eventually the Earth is united both with a single government and a single space agency. This agency called ‘The United Earth Space Probe Agency‘ and ‘Starfleet‘ even predates the formation of the United Federation of Planets. To date in the real world there have been many forays into international cooperation between agencies, but they are still fully independent. Now comes news that some of that may change. This week thirteen space agencies (including those of the USA, Russia, Europe, China and Japan) have agreed to co-ordinate future exploration - including the Moon and Mars. They have agreed to a (sadly non binding) document called "The Global Exploration Strategy: The Framework for Co-ordination." It is said to help with the exchange for information and most importantly "identify gaps, duplication and potential areas for collaboration."

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]]> http://trekhq.com/2007/06/03/time-to-form-starfleet/feed/ Keeping ‘Trek’ flying Without Tube Power http://trekhq.com/2007/01/07/keeping-trek-flying-without-tube-power/ http://trekhq.com/2007/01/07/keeping-trek-flying-without-tube-power/#comments Sun, 07 Jan 2007 20:49:36 +0000 Brian Lowry http://trekmovie.com/2007/01/07/keeping-trek-flying-without-tube-power/ Reprinted with permission from Variety

For anybody looking to start the year on a hopeful note, consider this: "Star Trek: The Experience," a theme-park-style attraction at the Las Vegas Hilton, does a brisk wedding business, allowing happy couples to get hitched or renew their vows on the bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise.

Now just consider the odds against this: Not only do such unions require a big enough "Star Trek" enthusiast to want to be married on a mock starship (up to four extras in full Klingon, BORG or Ferengi regalia, by the way, are part of the "Admiral’s Wedding" package), but said party must find someone willing to become Mr. or Mrs. Geek under these circumstances.

Clearly, there are no quadrants of the galaxy where love doesn’t reach.

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]]> http://trekhq.com/2007/01/07/keeping-trek-flying-without-tube-power/feed/ Editorial: Star Trek Lives! http://trekhq.com/2006/12/10/editorial-star-trek-lives/ http://trekhq.com/2006/12/10/editorial-star-trek-lives/#comments Sun, 10 Dec 2006 11:28:32 +0000 Mark A. Altman http://trekmovie.com/2006/12/10/editorial-star-trek-lives/ on J.J. Abrams taking the helm of the Star Trek franchise
It was 40 years ago that Gene Roddenberry first taught the band to play. It was a seminal science fiction series called Star Trek. And despite having spawned a succession of spin-off’s and sequels, the original Star Trek, remains the most prescient and entertaining series of all by far four decades after it first aired on NBC. Ironically, while it’s nearly impossible to watch Next Generation or Deep Space Nine these days, both which seem hopelessly dated relics of the bland 90s; Classic Trek, with its 60s fuelled New Frontier zeal, despite its Styrofoam sets and dated visual effects, remains amazingly potent largely because of the inter-personal dynamics of its troika of leading men; Kirk, Spock and McCoy. It’s because of them I’d rather watch the worst episode of Classic Trek than the best of Enterprise or Voyager.

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]]> http://trekhq.com/2006/12/10/editorial-star-trek-lives/feed/ Editorial: JJ, Don’t Forget About the “Old School” http://trekhq.com/2006/10/22/editorial-jj-don%e2%80%99t-forget-about-the-%e2%80%9cold-school%e2%80%9d/ http://trekhq.com/2006/10/22/editorial-jj-don%e2%80%99t-forget-about-the-%e2%80%9cold-school%e2%80%9d/#comments Sun, 22 Oct 2006 21:15:04 +0000 Michael L. Wentz http://trekmovie.com/2006/10/22/editorial-jj-don%e2%80%99t-forget-about-the-%e2%80%9cold-school%e2%80%9d/

Since the announcement of Star Trek XI there has been a frenzy of both excitement and anxiety. Scores of people are speaking up with their opinion on how J. J. Abrams should craft the story, with some championing strict adherence to the Trek canon, while others wish he would throw it all out with the bathwater much as Ronald D. Moore’s re-imagining of Battlestar Galactica. But in all of this, the truth is that the Trek franchise began dying more than a decade ago as viewership declined from a peak during the height of Next Generation to the abysmal ratings of Enterprise and poor box office results for Nemesis. Mr. Abrams has a massive task ahead of him. He must breathe life into a franchise that has lost its fan base by finding a way to open Trek up to an entire new generation. However, I believe that in order for the movie to be successful, he must also find a way to also connect with ‘old school’ fan base. There are a lot of us out here with purchasing power of a demographic that spans every generation. J. J. Abrams will have to pull out those things that were great about Star Trek and “reboot” the franchise in such a way as to attract a mainstream audience. It is a monumental task, but one that could be accomplished simply by talking with the “Old School.” 

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]]> http://trekhq.com/2006/10/22/editorial-jj-don%e2%80%99t-forget-about-the-%e2%80%9cold-school%e2%80%9d/feed/ Debunking ‘Go Forward Not Backward’ http://trekhq.com/2006/10/01/editorial-debunking-go-forward-not-backward/ http://trekhq.com/2006/10/01/editorial-debunking-go-forward-not-backward/#comments Sun, 01 Oct 2006 21:56:48 +0000 Dennis Russell Bailey http://trekmovie.com/2006/10/01/editorial-debunking-go-forward-not-backward/ This editorial is the first of a series from Dennis Russell Bailey on ‘Bad Reasons for not doing a TOS movie’

Based on published reports, it appears likely that the storyline J.J. Abrams has conceived for his “Star Trek” movie takes place in Trek’s 23rd century and revolves at least partly around youthful versions of James Kirk and Spock.  Some long-time fans of the Franchise are excited by this possibility, and some are dead-set against it.

Those fans who dislike the TOS-based movie premise have been active out on the Web advancing a number of assertions-passing-as-arguments as to how the premise somehow violates basic principles of “what ‘Star Trek’ should be about.”  There are several themes that crop up again and again on blogs and message boards. 

Here’s one of my favorites: “Star Trek is about the future.  It should move forward, not back.”

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]]> http://trekhq.com/2006/10/01/editorial-debunking-go-forward-not-backward/feed/ JJ Abrams: The New Roddenberry or The New Meyer? http://trekhq.com/2006/08/12/jj-abrams-the-new-roddenberry-or-the-new-meyer/ http://trekhq.com/2006/08/12/jj-abrams-the-new-roddenberry-or-the-new-meyer/#comments Sat, 12 Aug 2006 07:08:23 +0000 Anthony Pascale http://trekmovie.com/2006/08/12/jj-abrams-the-new-roddenberry-or-the-new-meyer/ twokirks.jpgVariety first announced Star Trek XI with this sentence “J.J. Abrams is becoming the next Gene Roddenberry.”, referring to the late creator of Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation as well as producer and co-writer of the first Trek feature film Star Trek: The Motion Picture. In the recently reported debate, Free Enterprise producers (and big time Trekkies) Rob Burnett and Mark Altman agreed on one thing: Paramount did the right thing by bringing in a new team headed by JJ Abrams. Burnett went on to say that Abrams and his team “bring Star Trek creative blood not seen since Nicholas Meyer“. Meyer is the writer and/or director of the Trek classics Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. So which is he…the new Roddenberry or the new Meyer?

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]]> http://trekhq.com/2006/08/12/jj-abrams-the-new-roddenberry-or-the-new-meyer/feed/ Free Enterprise Duo debate ‘Pro & Khan’ of STXI http://trekhq.com/2006/08/04/free-enterprise-duo-debate-pro-khan-of-stxi/ http://trekhq.com/2006/08/04/free-enterprise-duo-debate-pro-khan-of-stxi/#comments Fri, 04 Aug 2006 19:04:09 +0000 Anthony Pascale http://trekmovie.com/2006/08/20/free-enterprise-duo-debate-pro-khan-of-stxi/ Mark A. Altman and Robert Meyer Burnett (the team behind the 1998 cult hit Free Enterprise) may be friends but they don’t see eye to eye on a Star Trek XI. Their semi-autobiographical indie film about two struggling filmmakers who meet their childhood hero William Shatner (who plays himself) demonstrates that these two take their Star Trek very seriously. In the latest issue of CFQ (of which Altman is a co-Publisher) the pair square off…

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]]> http://trekhq.com/2006/08/04/free-enterprise-duo-debate-pro-khan-of-stxi/feed/ Recasting…does it work? http://trekhq.com/2006/07/31/recastingdoes-it-work/ http://trekhq.com/2006/07/31/recastingdoes-it-work/#comments Tue, 01 Aug 2006 03:54:20 +0000 Anthony Pascale http://trekmovie.com/2006/07/31/recastingdoes-it-work/ One of the issues that many Trek devotees seem to be fixated on is that of recasting. The assertion of these fans is that audiences will not accept new actors in the roles made famous by William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. But Hollywood has never shied away from recasting roles…even iconic ones. This week the top film is Miami Vice, in which original show creator Michael Mann has recast quintissential 80s stars Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas with Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx. The film made over $25 million in its first weekend in the US (The LA Times saying it is on track to exclipse Mann’s 2004 hit Collateral). Are Kirk and Spock any more iconic than Crockett and Tubbs? (more…)

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