Watch “Star Trek” Free on Hulu This Week
Posted on March 26, 2013 at 4:45 pm
The original “Star Trek” series is free on Hulu this week and Slate has a great list of the essential episodes everyone needs to see.
But — what, no tribbles?
Posted on March 26, 2013 at 4:45 pm
The original “Star Trek” series is free on Hulu this week and Slate has a great list of the essential episodes everyone needs to see.
But — what, no tribbles?
Posted on September 7, 2012 at 3:57 pm
Be sure to check out Google’s adorable tribute today to the original Star Trek. Entertainment Weekly
spoke to Ryan Germick, who headed up this particular Google Doodle, about Star Trek’s pop-culture significance. “We often talk at Google about how awesome it would be to talk to a computer and get exactly what you want and have that kind of engagement, where the computer just knows all , and that’s what we’re moving toward,” Germick said. “Other than that, it just seemed like a perfect fit. There are so many Star Trek fans, myself included, it seemed like such a fun thing to celebrate.”
If you click on each of the little arrows, you will find all of the ingenious surprises tucked inside by the devoted fans at Google.
Posted on November 30, 2011 at 2:40 pm
Roger Ebert reports that “Star Trek” captain William Shatner and “Star Wars” princess Carrie Fisher are engaged in a battle bigger than anything involving Klingons or The Empire — the relative merits of their two franchises. Check out the warring YouTube videos on Ebert’s blog — lots of fun for fans of either and both.
Posted on November 30, 2011 at 8:00 am
Join George Lucas, J.J. Abrams, Seth MacFarlane and Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry Jr. for “Trek Nation,” tonight at 8 (Eastern and Pacific) on the Science channel for “Trek Nation,” with never-before-seen footage in a 45th anniversary of one of the greatest television franchises of all time, Star Trek. This tribute follows Gene Roddenberry’s son, Rod, as he explores the deep impact of his father’s singular vision for the future through interviews with fans and many notable Star Trek alums. The show draws on hours of exclusive footage, including never-before-seen home movies from the Roddenberry family collection and the first-ever Star Trek convention.
If you enjoy this, be sure to watch one of my all-time favorite documentaries, Trekkies and The Captains – A Film By William Shatner, Captain Kirk’s own take on the commanders of the Starship Enterprise.
Posted on November 17, 2009 at 8:00 am
A-Lowest Recommended Age: | Middle School |
MPAA Rating: | Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action and violence, and brief sexual content |
Profanity: | Brief strong language |
Alcohol/ Drugs: | Scenes in bar, drinking |
Violence/ Scariness: | A lot of sci-fi and action violence, |
Diversity Issues: | Diverse characters |
Date Released to Theaters: | May 8, 2009 |
Date Released to DVD: | May 13, 2013 |
Amazon.com ASIN: | B001TH16DI |
Get ready for this week’s “Star Trek” release with another look at this splendid reboot of the 40-plus year old “Star Trek” series. By boldly going where many, many have gone before, J.J. Abrams of television’s “Lost” and “Alias” has managed to make a thoroughly entertaining film that respects the fans but stands on its own.
Those who will nod knowingly (or shiver with excitement) at the appearance of Captain Pike or the reference to dilitheum crystals and those who remember that Sulu can fence will be reassured that any anomalies or inconsistencies with canon are cleverly explained away and by the appearance of one key member of the original cast. Those who are new to the franchise will be reassured that the story is self-contained. They may wonder why people applaud and laugh at a few in-jokes or the inevitable origins moments of first encounters between characters whose future interactions and relationships are as well known as their own (possibly better), but there is so much happening on screen they will not have time to wonder what they are missing. Indeed, there is so much that I have seen it twice already and look forward to seeing it again. I loved it so much I wanted to Vulcan mind meld with it.
Some things will always be true. The crewman you’ve never seen before who transports to a remote location with two of the lead character is not going to last long. In the future, women will all wear very short skirts and be extremely beautiful. All planets are congenial for human life, with just the right atmosphere and gravity. Fights usually occur on catwalks and other locations with precipitous drops. Kirk has to be hanging from a ledge at least three times and have an encounter with an exotic but very beautiful lady. And everybody speaks English, except when Uhura has to show off her translation skills.
Fans are in for some surprises, especially with one romantic relationship. But Abrams is very consistent with the original show’s tone and humanistic themes. Bad guy Nero (Eric Bana) would be right at home with Khan. The characters and the actors who portray them find the right balance, portraying rather than imitating. I say this with the most tender regard for the television series — every one of these performances is better than the original, especially Zachary Quinto as the half- human, half-Vulcan Spock, Chris Pine as Kirk, Karl Urban as the perpetually choleric McCoy, Simon Pegg as a cheerful Scotty, and Zoe Saldana as Uhura. And of course even the series’ biggest enthusiasts would not claim that the special effects were its strong point. This movie’s are stunning. The story wobbles a bit, especially when one decision with potentially catastrophic consequences is explained away as a life lesson for two of the characters. But it is funny, smart, exciting, purely entertaining and enormously satisfying, and sure to be one of the year’s most enduring popcorn pleasures. The cast has signed on for two sequels and all I can say is, live long and prosper and they can beam me up any time.