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, …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Kurtzman showruns Discovery for now—with a CBS deal that includes NEW Trek
Of COURSE this news breaks as I am packing for SoonerCon, and doing a Portal 47 guest show on the road… but I have a word or two (below). But between last week’s showrunner firing on Discovery and Alex Kurtzman’s new deal in takign solo control of DSC, with sources running amok with unconfirmed but plentiful stories about new Trek …
Off to WonderCon: On the hunt for Discovery-First Fans—and a P47 brief-up!
I’ve been talking here and there around the Interwebs lately of my big mission this year: To find and talk with new fans who came to the Trek family via Discovery only—Discovery First Fans! —without bridging over or carrying baggage from any prior Trek.* And my first chance is Anaheim’s WonderCon, the “little brother” to sprawling San Diego Comic-Con. —At …
LAlert: For TNG-style narrative improv, “The Improvised Generation” launches Season 4
The crew of the USS McGinley is back for Season 4! And I caught a pre-launch visit with four of them (video below) . Yes, if you’re in SoCal on a Saturday night anytime from March 3 through April 28, you’d better grab a ticket early. Otherwise, come 9:15 pm you might not have a seat for the next …
No, I Am Not Making This Up. Again.
No amount of either lying or birthday cake will ever change this for me, on this day. Just as when I first realized it….five years ago. And I’ve never even set foot at Pomona College.
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 …
Happy Thanksgiving! With new dressing for the original old bird of Star Trek
And no, I don’t mean the Great Bird of the Galaxy—though I don’t blame you for going there first. I’m talking about this funky little number I whipped up especially for today… here in Trekland, remembering how Star Trek originally was glimpsed to NBC viewers … because I too am thankful for all we have, what a growing year of …
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 …
Happy birthday TNG—A look back at 30, just as the new kid on the block takes off
It’s officially The Next Generation‘s 30th birthday today, counting its on-air premiere—even as, we always say, it actually “premiered” across a whole week until Oct. 4, Monday through Sunday, in various markets. And later to the rest of the world, of course. I said as much on TNG‘s 25th anniversary —and wow, look: we’ve been in the Blog Era that …
After 12 years, the Fallow Times are finally over—and check the visual irony
It hit me last night: the irony imagery is amazing—intentional or not. Those of you who’ve read or listened in Trekland lo these many years since 2005 have often heard me talk about The Fallow Times of no Trek since Enterprise‘s demise. (Yeah, yeah the JJ movies—but I mean real Trek: that is, episodic TV Trek.) On many podcasts or …
Happy 51, Star Trek—and Discovery’s shoutout makes even more media history
Yes, just as we always do: Happy birthday, Star Trek— you look great for 51! We wondered about topping the Big 5-0 last year, and nothing will ever compare—but what just hit me today, after a bit of reflection, really hit home. And it deserves more than a Facebook post. CBS released a new video of many of the Discovery …
From blogs to Facebook LIVE—are you catching my comments every Tuesday?
You may have noticed a lot fewer blog posts here recently—but no, I’m hardly giving it up. The blog is still a good way to keep you up on what Star Trek projects I’m doing or where I’ll be… even though other events do get intrusive, and distractions pull me away. But to fight that time crunch more efficiently and …
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 …
Hey, Greater Detroit: #Trek2Michigan is back in a library near you THIS week
Things have been so busy in Trekland I have neglected to let our Michigan friends know I was in their backyard this week—at cozy, nearby and free public libraries, just like last summer. Trek2Michigan II is going on tonight and tomorrow night, Aug. 15 and 16, at two of Greater Detroit’s fine public libraries. If you are in the lower …
Catch up, catch on each week to shorty Trekland Tuesdays LIVE on my Facebook!
Can’t believe I haven’t posted here yet about my newest “little” channel, Trekland Tuesdays LIVE. Each week at 1 pm Pacific/4 pm Eastern / 9 pm UK time at Larry Nemecek’s Trekland on Facebook, I’m now bringing out a little more “face to face” commentary, as it were. This week’s piece was my angle on the echoes of recent Trek …
FLASH: CBS “Discovery” plans @ San Diego Comic-Con explode with more events, galleries
For all those (weirdly and wrongly) claiming “CBS botched the 50th”… as I debunked on my very first Trekland Tuesday LIVE, and elsewhere… comes exciting news today that, though late, CBS is really on its game in the San Diego Comic-Con arena for getting fans (and maybe fans-to-be!) excited for the Sept. 24 debut. We knew about the big Ballroom …
UPDATED: My San Diego Comic-Con: A Trekland double-dose and a Portal 47 newbies bonus!
UPDATE! Now with SDCC app links… NEWS ANNOUNCEMENT coming… CBS #DSC events update … a new Facebook fan page for Trekkers bound for SDCC … AND BONUS club meetup for new Portal 47 signees! Hey! Here’s my San Diego Comic-Con plans! Can it be a year since the biggest Trek footprint at SDCC in history? Wow. Well, CBS has …
Even if the Star Trek: Discovery info drought ends at the Upfronts… just chill
Well—will this period of Trek history be remembered five years from now, much less 10 or 15? I’m talking about the relentless Discovery drumbeat of doom and even anger at the lack of info (aside from casting and some early-early trailers, of course… aside from that) that has permeated the interwaves for some time. I mean, I know delays and …
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 …
57 times on Trek.fm since 2011? Seriously, you have to be kidding
My how time flies. My buddy and On Speaker collaborator Chris Jones, the founder/head honcho of the incredible Trek.fm podcast network, first snagged me to join him back in 2011 on Episode TWO of The Ready Room, his flagship show on the network. Apparently I’ve now done a total of 56 more across the network since then— over two …
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 …
Need a worthy tax deduction for 2016 today? Enterprise in Space can help!
Hey, it’s Dec. 31—looking to help out a 501(c)3, save on your taxes, and help the future too? Well, Enterprise in Space is a perfect match! I haven’t talked about EIS here in a long time, but the program to put 100+ student STEAM projects aboard a custom-designed orbiter in 2021 is simply booming, including the addition of over a …
As you trek out to the polls today…
Thank the (Vulcan) gods for the Internet. (And if you ask me for realz, of course, I’ll give you my opinion.)
A rare political move: Trek Against Trump takes a stand
Well, this is unprecedented. Nearly 100 names and faces who brought Gene Roddenberry’s hopeful, future universe to life over five decades are diving into Campaign 2016 with “Trek Against Trump.” From the original series right through to the Kelvin timeline films and even Discovery—before and behind the camera alike, and alongside too. And, I’m proud to say, me too. It’s …