The holidays can be stressful, but not as stressful as being stranding on the other side of the galaxy! Despite the hectic events of the holiday season—such as fighting off Kazon for half-price bottled water or camping out to be first in the door at Vidiian’s Organ Emporium, the Voyager crew still found time for fun. And just to prove it, Trek.fm Voyager editor Charlynn Schmiedt snuck up behind each crew member and stuck a Santa hat on their head.
Read MoreCharlie X: A Review /
Thanksgiving is a time, well, to give thanks. One thing I am sure we are all thankful for is Star Trek. And in honor of that I decided to review the TOS episode “Charlie X,” which actually takes place at Thanksgiving.
Read MoreSpook Treks: A Selection of Star Trek Episodes for Halloween /
Over the years Star Trek has had its share of creepy moments, and we’re not just talking about that guy in the skant who roams the Enterprise-D corridors in “Encounter at Farpoint.” Long before the man dress was unveiled The Original Series set the tone for spooks in space with the episode “Catspaw.” While this was the first and only real Star Trek Halloween special (it aired October 27, 1967) there have been many more thrills and chills worthy of All Hallows Eve.
Read MoreHow Much for Just the Planet? (Book Review) /
Prized by all post-warp societies, dilithium is the mineral that runs the galaxy. If it were not for dilithium crystals, we would have no Federation and no Klingon Empire as we know them. And if it were not for dilithium, we would not have the Federation-Klingon power struggles in TOS, or in John M. Ford’s novel How Much for Just the Planet?
Read MoreDeForest Kelley: The One and Only /
He’s a beloved fan favorite, and he was also a favorite of his Star Trek co-stars. He was considered a quintessential Southern gentleman, and a selfless, intelligent actor. DeForest Kelley took the character of Dr. McCoy and made him his own. He developed McCoy from the ground up, and when you’re watching Bones be Bones, you’re watching Kelley be Kelley. Dr. McCoy is also a true Southern gentleman because of the man portraying him.
Read MoreThe Best of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine /
Asking a fan to name the five best episodes of a Star Trek series is like asking Quark which Rules of Acquisition are the best. There are too many that lead to profit to choose just five. Neverthless, I’m going to set out to name five of the best episodes from DS9.
Read MoreThe Best of Star Trek: The Next Generation /
Asking a fan to name the five best episodes of a Star Trek series is like asking Barclay which holodeck program is the best escape from reality. There are too many good ones to choose just five. Neverthless, I’m going to set out to name five of the very best episodes from each of the series and explain why I feel they are some of the greatest examples of Star Trek. In this first installment my focus was on The Original Series, and now I’m moving on to the first of the modern series, The Next Generation.
Read MoreThe Best of Star Trek: The Original Series /
Asking a fan to name the five best episodes of a Star Trek series is like asking Troi which chocolate dessert she likes best. There are too many good ones to choose just five, although the Spock’s Brain Sundae is one you’d be willing to pass over after most meals.
Read MoreVulcans Running Amok: The Pon Farr /
Send the children into the other room for an episode of SpongeBob if you would, please. Actually, if any Vulcans are in the room, they may wish to join the children, as they may find SpongeBob preferable. Come to think of it, you might go too and make it a party. Just keep it down.
What is being written here today, no outworlder must know. Vulcans do not even discuss it amongst themselves!
Read MoreBorgified! The Assimilation of Star Trek: Voyager /
“We are the Borg. Lower your shields and surrender your episodes. We will add your series distinctiveness to our own. Your show will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile.”
If there’s one distinct impression that Star Trek: Voyager left on the audience, it’s that perhaps the series should have been called Star Trek: Borg. But is this really true?
Read MoreThere’s An Orb for That... /
Wanna find out the truth? There’s an Orb for that. How about traveling back in time to meet your hero? There’s an Orb for that, too. In fact there are Orbs for all sorts of things you may want to do… if you’re Bajoran.
Read MoreA Q&A with Eddie Paskey—Star Trek's Ubiquitous Lieutenant Leslie /
Although he might be considered a “minor” character in Star Trek, Eddie Paskey’s Lt. Leslie had a major role in the series. He appeared in 57 episodes, more than Walter Koenig’s Mr. Chekov or George Takei’s Mr. Sulu!
Read MoreDon't You Forget About Me: Coming of Age for Star Trek The Animated Series /
Enterprise is often referred to as the fifth Star Trek series. In reality this is not true. There was a series between TOS and TNG that often gets overlooked. One that was created with ink and paper rather than cameras and lights. One that broke new ground for the franchise and kept Star Trek alive before the big screen voyages began. This was, of course, The Animated Series.
Read MoreIt Takes More Than a Few to Make a Crew /
The Constitution Class Starship USS Enterprise 1701 boasts 430 crew members. Of these 430, viewers are well-aquainted with Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy. Lieutenant Uhura is the trusty communications officer, and Mr. Chekov navigates while Mr. Sulu operates the helm. Scotty is the stalwart in the engineering department and Nurse Chapel is a competent presence in sickbay. Most people even remember Yeoman Janice Rand with her incredible basket weave hairdo, even though she didn’t last beyond the eighth episode of the series.
Read MoreAssignment: Earth /
It’s the Star Trek episode that isn’t quite Star Trek.
At the end of itssecond season, the return of The Original Series was in doubt and creator Gene Roddenberry wanted to find something to replace his imperiled show. In 1966 he had unsucessfully pitched a pilot script to Desilu studios entitled “Assignment: Earth.”
Read MoreBroken Bow: Looking Back at My First Impressions of Enterprise /
The fifth live-action Star Trek series came about at an interesting time. It was a time that for some may be seen as the twilight of the franchise—at least the franchise that so many of today’s fans grew up with. I myself was feeling a bit of fatigue creeping into Trek back in 2001.
Read MoreRanking the Star Trek Film Franchise /
After more than three decades of big screen voyages, the Star Trek film count has now grown to eleven, with a twelfth installment on the way. We’ve been taken on quite a ride along the way, and have traveled from the 23rd century to the 24th and back again. In the second episode of The Ready Room Greg Harbin and I covered the Trekathon event in which 23 Trek fans screened all eleven movies over the course of two days and ranked them all. So where do I stand? Which are the best and which are the worst? Let’s find out…
Read MoreFrom Unfinished Alien to Pure Vulcan, Or How Mr. Spock Got Cool /
If Vulcan has a cucumber equivalent, Mr. Spock would be as cool as that. With his slightly-upturned eyebrows just right for lifting in wry fascination at the absurdity of human behavior to his understated utterance of “fascinating” often targeting same, Mr. Spock is one calm, collected and unfazed alien.
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