I can’t believe it’s been 25 years ago today that we lost De. I mean DeForest Kelley, of course— the humble working actor who parlayed a resume of playing the heavy during the boom era of the Westerns into galactic fame as Dr. Leonard McCoy, the heart of Star Trek. (That’s the one that created its own paradigm, and the …
Star Trek: The Motion Picture is best-ever at 44 — and so is its birthdate
Once again, Dec. 7 rolls around… and as much as we celebrate The Motion Picture on its birthday for what it is, and the changing opinions and critical debates then and especially now… I still can’t unsee the meta impact of what TMP has done for, simply, the date. This may sound odd, but within a generation Star Trek has …
Headed for WonderCon in Anaheim? Let’s talk about Trek locations Saturday
Just down the road for me, WonderCon in Anaheim is always a lark. And this weekend, I’ll be there on Saturday (only) with a solo panel this year: One I’m calling “Beyond Vasquez: Star Trek’s Big and Little Location Filming Sites “. Check it out at 5-6 pm, in Room 213CD. Sure I offer the Trekland Treks customized day tours …
Happy birthday, De! And what could have been: your career as a model
Here it is — another Jan. 20, and you longtime Treklanders know what that means: Another homage to my guy, my original Star Trek fave, Dr. McCoy’s own DeForest Kelley, on his memorial birthday. Happy 103rd! I’ve done this ever since we started Trekland back in the Fallow Times, in 2009 — and I’ve usually shared a rarer shot of …
Happy birthday, DeForest Kelley — the animal lover you need right now
You longtime Trekland readers know that every year about this time, I take a pause on Jan. 20 and make sure to remember my original Star Trek fave, DeForest Kelley, on his birthday. Happy 102nd, De! I always root for the underdog, and De’s been my hero ever since I took up the mission to claim a share of the …
This weekend: Nichelle’s Farewell finally happens as an L.A. ComicCon adjunct
Twice delayed by COVID, the Nichelle Nichols Farewell Event first planned for May 2020 is finally about to bloom as an adjunct of LA ComicCon Dec. 3-5 at the LA Convention Center downtown. And I’m thrilled to be there to honor Nichelle, her career and fans, and even her loved ones … amid an emotional atmosphere, in all phases of …
Happy 100! Join the Gene Roddenberry Centennial birthday bash now—and later
Well, here it is at last: COVID couldn’t dim it and revisionists couldn’t dent it. It’s the day, and the kickoff of reflections and celebrations, to mark the birth centennial of The Great Bird of the Galaxy, Gene Roddenberry: Aug. 19, 1921, one hundred years ago. For all you lurker mundanes out there, Gene is of course — quite …
Hey, it’s the DeForest Kelley Centennial — De is 100, but there’s no stamp
Happy birthday, Jackson DeForest Kelley ! Treklanders of any tenure know that I call out De’s birthday every year—he’s my guy in Trek, among the icons. But lo and behold, 2020 marks De’s 100th birthday. A century! His centennial! And while there’s no postage stamp, or no historical marker anywhere — either in Hollywood, or in Georgia — there is …
Going meta with Dorothy: why her passing leaves us so gobsmacked
You can’t talk about her obviously classic, huge contribution to all things Spock and Vulcans — creating Sarek and Amanda, too! — without putting Dorothy Fontana in the Top 3 or 4 or 5, at most, of who Made Star Trek What It Is Today. She died Dec. 3 after I mean, if Ron Moore became TNG‘s “Klingon guy” and …
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 …
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. …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Happy birthday, De — 98 is nothing!
Happy birthday, De! As I have done ever since I started Trekland: The Blog, I don’t allow January 20 to pass without a remembrance for my first real Star Trek “favorite” every year on his birthday: Jackson DeForest Kelley, BTD in 1920. Which mean, I guess, this is my TENTH nod to DFK on his day. Wow. I’ve said and …
Happy 50th to all the tribbles—prrr!—with a witness to their longevity
So, it’s been 50 years since “The Trouble With Tribbles” first purred and multiplied their way across a TV screen—and no, I was not there to see it.* I was a rerun baby, remember? It’s remarkable as an outing of original Trek, or any entry of the successors, to show how Star Trek’s classic crew-and-mission format could do comedy (as …
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 …
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 …
Leonard’s loss to us, two years later: Guest thoughts from Bonnie Moss
It really has been two years today since Trekland — and all the world, really — were stunned by the loss of Leonard Nimoy, just shy of having him here for Trek’s big upcoming 50th birthday? The moment made me reexamine my thoughts and feelings for Spock, Leonard, and indeed my perception of all Star Trek, as I wrote at …
Happy birthday, De! Please, share your day’s spirit — this year of all years
Those of you who have been around Trekland for a year or two or maybe even longer know well that I always mark every Jan. 20 as the birthday of one beloved Jackson DeForest Kelley, aka the first and legendary Leonard McCoy, MD of that little sci-fi show a lot of people still remember, with a moment and a peek …
‘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 …
After 20 years, “Tribble-ations” is still Trek‘s best fan film
November 4th is not only the day to say “Happy Will Rogers Birthday!”—yes, there is a physical as well as a philosophical link there—but this year it’s the 20th anniversary of DS9‘s delightfully and awesomely monument anniversary homage show, “Trials and Tribble-ations.” Now this is a valentine to fans. I mean, it’s pro-Trek’s own fan film, is what it is. …
Portal 47 Hosts Trek’s First Director in a Virtual “Open House”
My baby is one year old! Portal 47, the monthly insider deep-dive to more in-depth Trek, was launched a year ago this month—and we had a party to celebrate! Well, a virtual open house, actually: On Oct. 12, we hosted a special edition of one of our guest telebriefings. And in the spirit of #StarTrek50, it was a doozy: None …
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