Such a flood of emotions on the sudden passing of Dorothy “D.C.” Fontana, our direct pipeline to 1964 and so much roots Trek (and roots TNG as well!). I’ll say more here tomorrow … although I’ve already said a lot: watch today’s Trekland Tuesdays LIVE Ep. 132: Our Guardian of Forever is Gone: RIP Dororthy Fontana. (Apologies for the signal …
Saying “Peldar joi” — with gratitude: Some jumbled Thanksgiving thoughts
Another Thanksgiving season, another jumble of people and places and things and tying them all together … with the new stealing some thunder from the old and challenging us to make sense of it all, even as we try to stop for a day and do so. But I will try. Truly, I am thankful this year for a growing …
Trekland is BACK at FanX Salt Lake this weekend— and I can’t wait to plunge in!
After my fun detour last year post-Labor Day, I’m looking forward to spreading some Treklandia again among the great Trek folks in Utah and Idaho at FanX Salt Lake this weekend (formerly SLCC), back in the great Salt Palace and environs downtown. Just remember: It’s the con that runs Thursday through Saturday. More details coming, including my big booth location …
Visit your Trek outdoor memories *live* with LA Away Days Sept. 14 & 15
We’re back with another shot at your real-life away mission — on a budget! There’s nothing like living your Trek memories of those iconic Hollywood locations first-hand. I always love seeing the joy of Trek fans when they come to L.A. and experience the unmistakable sight of their favorite Starfleet adventures, live and in person, for the very first time. …
Happy birthday, Gene — and Jonathan: What karma the way their paths crossed
It’s come that time of year again — not unlike mid-March — when Trekland enjoys a double whammy celebration— otherwise known as August 19. That’s the birthday of not only The Great Bird of the Galaxy, Gene Roddenberry … but also that of, increasingly, another major player in creating fresh Treks— Jonathan Frakes! Gene would have been 98 today — …
Trek Vegas #STLV gets bigger and funner —and here’s my deets, finally!
Whoosh! The big one in Trekland is back. Here’s a table of my own events — with a special off-grid shoutout to the T-Treks and Portal 47 special “Info-Dive” meetup on Saturday! I have my Trekland table and new swag! I’ll be at the Roddenberry Podcasts booth with new swag! I’ll be on with fellow RPNers … and on main …
I host “The Cage” 1964’s director—and other huge Treks at Comic-Con!
UPDATED with signing added for Robert Butler and I! WHAT a huge year this will be at San Diego Comic-Con for Trek, the largest ever— coming up July 17-21. We’ve come so far since the big modern catch-up for Trek at SDCC in 2016 with the 50th, Discovery‘s first peeks and Beyond‘s outdoor, live-orchestra’d world premiere. And this year I’m …
Just in time for Peak Con season: I host “Instagram 4 Dunsels” live, free & online
Hey quick: Do you have a spare hour THIS Monday evening, July 15? (“STOP TALKING. JUST TAKE ME THERE” > quick click here) Ever wonder what the deal is with Instagram— how it’s different from Facebook or Twitter? Or what good it is for your fandom coolness, or even business? Or how can you keep up with those celebs and …
BookAuthority: “Star Trek: Stellar Cartography” a Top 12 book for 2019!
I must say I was pretty proud to get this news just today—in the cartography division. Thank you, BookAuthority.com! Although the first edition of Stellar Cartography was released in 2013 and the new UPDATED version with dozens of additions (and a few fixes!) came out last fall, I’m delighted that so many Trek fans, astronomy buffs, and fantasy map fanatics …
ICYMI: Here’s a virtual-reality “video” from my Stellar Cartography VR talk!
I love overlapping real astronomy with Star Trek’s fictional spacescape — and have for years, as you Treklanders know. I also love this virtual world — have you heard about it? —that Rod Roddenberry and Co. have cooked up with the Sansar folks as one of many within their virtual domain— in this case, the virtual Roddenberry Nexus museum and …
Booming SoonerCon 28 is June 7-9: join Nana Visitor & I in its new Norman home!
One week to go! I hope to see many of you in Norman (south of OKC) at the great Midwest/Southwest fan extravaganza SoonerCon — Year 28! It’s far more than my visit home once a year. SoonerCon is becoming a great regional con — bigger and yet still just as fannish as ever for all genres, all ages. And SC28 …
Happy 25th, “All Good Things!”: Here’s how OKC pre-covered the TNG finale
Almost overshadowed in the hoopla over the new Picard trailer May 23 was the reason for its timing: the 25th anniversary, in turn, of the finale of TNG, the Hugo-award-winning “All Good Things.” Which is where I always remind fans that May 23, as with all the syndicated, off-network TNG and DS9 episodes, was not a uniform premiere date— but …
Not a Niner? Not even a Trekker? You’ll still LOVE “What We Left Behind” May 13
I don’t need to pile on to what every preview viewer and REviewer has said: But QUICK! Go see What We Left Behind May 13 as a Fathom Event as a (hopefully) theater near you. As a Trek vet and an interviewee who survived the cutting room floor — amazingly, with THIS cast of characters and crew—I had the chance …
The Nichelle Nichols life film ‘sizzle reel’ is over 100%!—but you can still pile on the Indiegogo drive TODAY
I had planned today to help with a last-day BOOST here for the Indiegogo crowdfund drive to film the grand Nichelle Nichols about her life and career and positivism, and create a sales “sizzle” reel from the footage— titled Breaking Barriers. But here comes the news that the drive topped its modest $25,000 goal earlier today, but doesn’t expire until …
LAlert: SciFi Sunday—Our Disco view party & The Improvised Generation too!
I know, I know—you have to be in the Los Angeles area for this. But just for the record: This weekend marks the next —and next-to-last— “SciFi Sunday” at ImproStudio, our master sponsor for this free viewing of the prior two Discovery episodes on a wall-sized “screen” (and snackfests) at 9:45 pm every other Sunday at the Los Feliz improv …
Happy First Contact Day! Here’s a “golden oldie”—and a thought for today
Aside from “Star Trek (Birth)Day” every Sept. 8, our favorite stellar storytelling playground’s other main holiday is of course today — April 5, the day from 2063 that every schoolchild knows as First Contact Day! Sitting here in 2019 it’s fun for me to direct newer fans to my interview a couple years back (below) with Noelle Hannibal, the “first …
WonderCon THIS Saturday: Trekland’s podcast panel & Hot Takeaway meetup!
Are you headed to Anaheim and WonderCon this weekend? (Yes, the photo here is from SDCC, but it fits…) If so, hope you can make it by either Trekland shindig, back-to-back early Saturday evening: —PANEL: My Trek SoCal podcasters’ panel is at 7-8 pm Saturday in Room 211—and audience Q&A is a big part. Here’s where you can click in, …
STV— LAlert: Sundays through April = ‘The Improvised Generation’ new season!
By now it’s a tradition— my annual chat with some of the intrepid crew of the USS McGinley, now in their fifth season of bringing the narrative improv style of fun and pathos to L.A. audiences in the best TNG-era Trek style as “The Improvised Generation.” So check out our visit below this away team of (from left) Paul Hungerford, …
WHO is human Isis?: 50-year mystery is over, thanks to “The Trek Files”
All it took was finding that one piece of paper. 50 years later. Finally, mystery solved: Who WAS Isis the cat in human form, from “Assignment: Earth”? Look, maybe you’re not a “podcast person.” But you should be! The best thing about my weekly podcast The Trek Files from Roddenberry Podcast Network is that, aside from just adding to the …
Yes! Can’t wait to finally hit NYC Trekdom as a guest at Big Apple Comic Con
Just can’t tell you how excited I am to finally visit Manhattan and all our Trek peeps there March 9-10—as a guest of Big Apple Comic-Con at Penn Plaza Pavillion, repping all things Trekland! And hey — there’s still a whole range of ticket types available: click here. It is a broad-brush comic-con, of course, but this clambake has authors …
WHO is a Trekster at Gallifrey One in LA? Come say hi (I’m Friday only)
It’s Gallifrey One “Who-athon” weekend once again in L.A. — the 30th annual!—and once again Shaun and his crew have been good enough to have me in as a guest. “Whovians like other things too!” he always says… and there’s always a couple dozen or more at my Trek panels, yessiree. Just note: This year, I’ll be onsite Friday only …
TONIGHT! Join me in the new Roddenberry VR Theater with classic bloopers/Q&A
Yes, tonight at 7 pm Pacific/ 10 pm Eastern (Jan. 31) I’ll be hosting classic Trek bloopers and talk/Q&A for the grand opening of the Roddenberry VR Theater, the newest addition to the Roddenberry Nexus— and your ticket is either a Windows PC* or a VR headset, like Occulus Rift. And yes— I know it’s new Discovery Thursday. But “Point …
Happy 99, De! Remembering when you were a doctor, not a doctor
It wouldn’t be Jan. 20 without me sharing an image of DeForest Kelley on his birthday… a tradition when I first began Trekland in 2009. So much has changed since then in both Star Trek and Trekland that I bet all our newer readers would welcome me sharing again this photo in good res—the one that’s been the longest unrepeated …
Going going gone! Old Portal 47 rate ends midnight Sunday—and this bonus
UPDATE: This may sound like last month’s news …. but it truly goes away at midnight Sunday Jan. 6, public Treklanders. Happy new year! (from prior post) Most of fall, why not gift a membership, or jump in yourself, to Portal 47—your mini-con all year long no matter where you center seat is (where no savvy fan has gone before …
Looks like “The Brightest Star,” the next #ShortTreks, will make Trek history
UPDATE: “The Brightest Star” is beautiful, an old-school planetary culture exploration disguised as some well-received background on both Saru and his Kelpian people, well-timed in the Prime timeline … while at the same time, raising a host of new questions. It’s bizarrely and freshly off-kilter as to the “predators” of the famously “prey” Kelpians, and exactly who and how the …
Now through #ExtensionWednesday! CyberMonday in Portal 47! Get 2 new features NOW only, before it’s too late
(UDPATE: Due to email tech issues, deal cut-off is now #ExtensionWednesday /28th, midnight local time! ) Treksters, you know how proud and excited I am to keep building Portal 47, my project for Trekland past, present and future. So, what kind of a new, crazy idea can I hatch for Cyber Monday that will grab both your attention and your …
Hard-media holdouts, your wait is over: ‘Discovery’ Season 1 coming Nov. 13
Through the summer and fall, Treklanders on my news list twice reported back on a survey about their thoughts on Discovery and CBS All Access subbing — and around 16-20% consistently said they’d just wait to take their first look by picking up the whole season on DVD or Blu-ray hard media. Well, “20%” — here’s your chance. In case …
Thank you, UK: I’m joining the gang at Destination Star Trek — Birmingham
At LAST I can talk about it! (See schedule UPDATE below) As announced by Showmasters/DST, I will indeed be back across the pond with all our UK Treklanders for Destination Star Trek— and my first time in Birmingham! MY SCHEDULE IN BRIEF: THURSDAY — 9-11 pm, Hilton Metropole Bar: DST version of The Landing Party , hosting this team …
My ‘Stellar Cartography’ maps/book set gets a 2018 update for Discovery—and more
But hurry: The online pre-order special ends soon! Yes, it’s an all-NEW update of the showy Star Trek: Stellar Cartography wall maps and book set — coming Oct. 9 with TEN large 2-D maps from various Trek eras and cultures and a guidebook. The itch that first got me into Star Trek backgrounding is back again, courtesy of the good …
Sputnikfest: More wacky than a con — and my first visit to Wisconsin!
Well, HERE’S something new in the Trekland galaxy for me: Being a guest at a community festival — its FIRST guest. And my first-ever trek to Wisconsin, to boot! But not just any festival— one of the Top Five Funkiest Festivals in the U.S., according to Readers Digest! I mean, come on— what else could Sputnikfest be? Sure, this …
Trek Vegas and so much to share: Star maps, Portal, podcasts, NEW tours!
Wow! #STLV is here again — and beyond the 50th in 2016, and then Discovery’s sneak peek last year…the 2018 edition might just be the biggest ever ! At least for me, everything Trekland will be on display. First of all, CBS has graciously got me back on stage to talk about the NEW Star Trek: Stellar Cartography map/book set …
Star Trek’s big at Comic-Con San Diego—and I will be Treklanding all four days
Hey, it’s #SDCC time again… and Trekland will be there in 2018 in ever-more ways. If you are lucky enough (or crazed enough ) to find yourself around the Gaslamp area (or even just around the fringes), come look me up! I’ll be leading, covering, or taking part in a flurry of Trek-related stuff at Comic-Con … from my The …