Watch Trek faves, help out a good cause: Trek*Talks 2 is back Saturday, Jan. 14

It’s back! And channeling the best spirit of Star Trek and its fans for a good cause: fighting food and wellness insecurity. ***Trek*Talks 2*** is back as a online 8-hour telethon, founded in 2022 by Trek Geeks & Roddenberry Podcasts (including The Trek Files!) to benefit Hollywood Food Coalition —as championed in Trekworld by  John “Dr. Phil Phlox” Billingsley. It’s …

It’s Trek Vegas time!

Here we go! We have to put up with the bi-level stages and elevators of Bally’s…but can we get back to almost-normal STLV now? What a big year for everything Trekland! Look at all that. Check it out:

VGR doc, Life Support sampler, fan voices: My WonderCon @Home v-panels

This time, they’re a little more planned and a little more polished: But the COVID-cancelled 2021 edition of WonderCon — little brother to granddaddy San Diego Comic-Con— is back in virtual form March 26-27 (for starters). And Dr. Trek is proud to be moderating/co-hosting and taking part in THREE fun, thought-provoking pre-recorded virtual Trek panels with many friends and colleagues, …

Not more panels—it’s a virtual Star Trek cocktail party Sunday! Come be my guest

I am so excited to co-host this— and no, it’s not more virtual panels. How about three hours of  the “Trek family,” wandering around a virtual cocktail party while your hosts make introductions and get the latest news, check-ins and chitchat? With a streaming chat room and the chance to toss in your own questions? It’s coming up this Sunday, …

RIP DCF: Where to hear Dorothy Fontana on The Trek Files—plus, today’s LIVE

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 …

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 …

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, …

STV: Olivia d’Abo brims with Trek cred, recalling her time as ‘True Q’ Amanda

So many interviews in the can— here’s another with the smart and sexy Olivia d’Abo, sharing the latest about her podcast, her music, her acting process and of course, oiur Trekland connection: Amanda Rogers from TNG‘s “True Q.” I had the great chance to sit down with her just a few minutes to recall those days— back in 1993!— when …

TODAY IS THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF “THE DOOMSDAY MACHINE” DEBUT, Y’ALL

Drama, pathos, sister ships, most visual effects ever, a bittersweet tragic hero of such gravitas in a bravura ballsy performance rivaled only by Ricardo Montalban’s Khan, a Top Five (Top Two?) Best McCoy Scene Ever in the series, and best score ever and Jaws’ ripoff, er, inspiration. And THAT is why “The Doomsday Machine” by Norman Spinrad, guest starring William …

STV: Meet David Mack, NYT best-seller who pioneered the first Discovery novel

I’ve known David Mack for years long-distance until we can meet-up at cons and such, but what an honor for him to be chosen the first author of a new Trek series’ original novel, Desperate Hours, which went on sale two days after Discovery‘s US premiere. Especially this time, since Discovery is pioneering a closer connection than ever before between …

LA Alert! This SUNDAY join me, Gene Coon protege Andreea Kindryd—and The Improvised Generation

Save the date, SoCal Trekland: I am so excited for our first Trekland/Portal 47 production! THIS SUNDAY at 6 pm in Los Feliz, I get to present an unheralded witness to little-known Desilu Trek and ’60s history— live, and partnered with an incredibly talented pro Trek improv troupe… with hosted after-show meet-n-greet photo opps! But hurry—it’s only 45 seats (see …

STV: Quick chats with our new Discovery cast & crew from San Diego Comic-Con

Finally— here’s most of my 20 minutes on video with the Discovery folks we were able to grab in the red-carpet rope line at DSC’s post-panel press events. We had no clue what had been said in the Ballroom 20 mass panel, but I wanted to get at my subjects with typically Trekland angles—or so I hoped. Enjoy! And just …

STV: Mike Westmore on his aliens *and* classic Hollywood on exhibit, Part 3

Such a great visit and personal tour that Star Trek makeup icon Mike Westmore gave us at his career retrospective at his alma mater that it took up three online visits! (See below the fold) But yes, even as the “Lifeforms” exhibit wraps April 30 at UC-Santa Barbara’s Art Design & Architecture Museum on campus, these online visits will live …

STV: Noelle Hannibal, 1st Vulcan woman on Earth*, says Happy First Contact Day!

Happy “First Contact Day!” Want to hear from a witness? I mean, it’s only 46 years until the T’Plana-Hath catches Zefram Cochrane’s pioneering warp trail while passing nearby to Sol, and its Vulcan crew decide they better check it out… and humanity’s first First Contact (on the record!) makes history. So here‘s a celebration today you weren’t expecting, (below the …

STV: Athena Massey ‘Remembers’ Jessen on Voyager in new vidchat

“Remember” was a slyly powerful little third-season Voyager episode about repressed cultural shame, and I had a chance last year to vidchat with the lovely and thoughtful Athena Massey about her pivotal guest role as Jessen in that episode. And about how fandom surprised her at first, though she’s now seen often at conventions and signing shows. Athena, as you …

STV: Michael Westmore walks us through his exhibition at UC-Santa Barbara, Part I

Finally! A new “Switching to Visual” vidchat…and what fun: Part 1 of a personal tour by Trek makeup legend Michael Westmore of “Lifeforms,” his career retrospective now on view at his alma mater, University of California at Santa Barbara, through April 30. Get there if you can! My thanks to Mike and to UCSB’s AD&A Museum assistant curator Rebecca Harlow …

If it’s Christmas, it must be Hallmark Trek ornament time with Kevin Dilmore!

No, it’s not too late to grab an official Trek ornament for the tree from Hallmark again this year. Most of all, it’s not too late to check in on our annual visit about all things Hallmark Trek with none other than Kevin Dilmore! I mean, Trekland growing pains and video tech issues are one thing… but it just wouldn’t …

‘The Roddenberry Vault’ is a jaw-dropper! My vidchat with Roger, Denise & Mike Pt I

Quick! If you don’t have a copy yet of The Roddenberry Vault, the perfect cherry on top of this year’s 50th anniversary dessert… you can still likely order one for Christmas gift-giving! It actually sold out in 36 hours at Amazon last week, but has since been mercifully re-stocked—largely due to the huge fan word-of-mouth and, as you’ve seen by …

STV: Happy 50th from Star Trek crews past

YES! Finally, new Trekland video—and a brand-new intro! But the 50th celebration has only just begun … for a whole year, yes? So here’s some faces and voices I’ve been holding back for the Happy 50th party—just the kind of behind-the-scenes insight that I love recording and revealing… from the TNG Companion where I met many of them, to our …