25th anniversary of Star Trek: The Next Generation

Sydney's cinemas hosted the 25th anniversary of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" event last night. Several venues around Sydney (and other Australian capitals), in fact, and the Dendy, Newtown, managed to fill two cinemas in the one complex. So pleased I'd dieted enough to fit into this old favourite top again! It seemed a fitting sweater to wear.
The cinema showed "Where No One Has Gone Before", which introduces the Traveler (and is loosely based on Diane Duane's Trek novel, "The Wounded Sky") and "Datalore", which introduces Lore, Data's evil brother. Selected by Mike and Denise Okuda as good examples of the greatly enhanced special effects footage for high definition Blu-ray. Also showed some "making of the HD" footage and a preview of enhanced "The Measure of a Man" (Season Two) for which they've added previously cut scenes.
And, I just found out that this fan-printed Data "sloppy joe" from 1988 (artwork by Lana Pennington-Brown) is to prominently featured at the beginning of Chapter 12 in the forthcoming book, "The Complete Unauthorized History of Star Trek" by Robert Greenberger!

Unexpected Honor

Either I missed something, or nobody on TrekBBS had mentioned that there is an original short story, derived from the "Star Trek Online" game events and characters, in Titan's recent "Star Trek Magazine", no 40, Summer 2012.

Captain Va'kel Shon.

Author Christine Thompson continues storylines from "Star Trek Online" and features the handover of the Enterprise captaincy from Data (IDW's "Countdown" comic mini-series), now in his professor role from "All Good Things..." episode of "The Next Generation", to the Andorian, Shon, for the launch of the Enterprise-F. Also clarified is the fate of the B-4 ("Nemesis").

The Gandhis sing "Mr Data"

Ah, Mr Data, how we miss you...

Itchy eBay trigger finger!

After selling 40 Hoyts' "Star Trek" logo aluminium water bottles to my friends at the Playtrek toy collectors' listserv, I had some Paypal funds just sitting dormant and burning a hole in my pocket - and my finger just sorta, kinda hit that pesky, tempting eBay "Buy it now" button.

I had accidentally come across a thread, on the Star Trek Prop, Costume & Auction Board I now rarely seem to visit, about someone selling off a "Star Trek: The Next Generation" Pakled costume. With the "It's a Wrap!" eBay auctions no longer running, I keep forgetting to go back there and chat with my fellow costume collectors. It's been to long, but my visit tonight was rewarded!

Now, as a long time Data impersonator in my heyday, a Pakled costume (rather like Data's lookalike evil twin, Lore, wore in "Brothers") was way too hard to pass up. Sadly, I'm carrying enough weight, and am jowly enough, to do the full Pakled these days! (As I found out when I bought my "Enterprise" Tellarite Ambassador costume - and I can wear it without the fat-suit undergarment that came with it!)

From "The Samaritan Snare":

Grebnedlog the Pakled
(He looks for things to make us go - and spend up big.)

The exciting "It's a Wrap!" eBay auctions finished up many months ago now, and I must admit to some withdrawal symptoms. Tonight was chance to grab a fantastic, authentic Trek outfit, at an excellent price, and considerably lower than the seller had paid for it himself two years ago!

The original "It's a Wrap!" listing said:

STAR TREK: TNG "GREBNEDLOG" THE PAKLED FROM "SAMARITAN SNARE"
An elaborate Pakled costume featured in the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episode "Samaritan Snare" for wear by Chris Collins in his portrayal of "Grebnedlog". The costume is a series of thickly padded tan and brown elements consisting of texture patterned trousers, a thick woven sweater, a quilted jacket with brown trim and affixed brown leather straps and buckles, a pair of brown painted rubber boots, fabric gloves, multiple brown leather straps with buckles, and a sash with straps. The costumer's tag reads #143 TNG "Samaratin (sic) Snare" PAKLID (sic) – Grebneblog (sic) Chris Collins. This costume is believed to be one of the last two remaining Pakled costumes. Chris Collins is also known for his portrayal of the voices of "Cobra Commander" in the "G.I. Joe" animated series, and "Starscream" in "Transformers".

The late Christopher Collins did his animated voice work as Christoper Lawrence Latta.







Today's photo of the day, to continue the theme: my Pakled customised action figure from the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episode, "Samaritan Snare", accompanied by an official Playmates' Lore, from "Brothers":




We look for things to make us go - broke.

Data's debut (again, or B-4?)

Great excitement this week, with the release of issue #1 of "Countdown", a four-issue prelude to JJ Abrams' "Star Trek" movie.



Thanks IDW! Looking great. An explanation to the mystery should be here B-4 we know it!?

Update: Ah, the uniform matches with screenshots from the upcoming Star Trek Online!

They've seen it... They love it!

Digging through a pile of old and fading videotapes recently, I found two prime time TV promotions that my Sydney Star Trek club, the now-long-defunct ASTREX, did for the Nine Network when "Star Trek: The Next Generation" was finally able to make its TV debut (1991, dating by my then-new beard). There had been a twelve-month "video holdback" while CIC-Taft/Paramount released monthly two-episodes-per-tape on sell-thru VHS. This angered the Seven Network, who had held the rights to the original series, and had first bite at TNG. The rights sat unwanted until Nine Network boss, Mr Kerry Packer - a big TOS/TNG fan - told Nine to buy the new series.

Essentially, they had seven of us describe our favourite characters and attributes of TNG. Here are a few screenshots from Promo #1:



Ian: "Data, the android... He wants to be human more than anything else."



Scene from "Encounter at Farpoint"; Wesley Crusher's voice over: "Wow!"



Scrolling text at base of screen: "Australian Star Trek fans discuss Star Trek: The Next Generation."

(Nine Network Australia, 1991.)

Pretty cool, eh? I must learn how to upload to Youtube some day...

Dreamland arrives

I forgot to mention that my personalized, autographed copy of Dreamland, a new musical-for-CD by Brent Spiner and Maude Maggart, arrived last week. (Check the great Youtube clip in the above link.)

I'm playing the CD at the moment, and it's delightful! Lots of well-known songs, strung together with new, fun dialogue. Highly recommended! (I can't say too much about the plot without spoiling it.)

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of receiving this CD was when I noticed that the green US Customs Declaration sticker, affixed to the padded postbag, had also been signed... by Brent Spiner!

This CD may get played as often as "Ol' Yellow Eyes Is Back" did in 1991. Brent's first CD of show tunes has become quite a rarity (both publishers went defunct, leaving distribution very spotty) in Star Trek fandom, and it consistently fetches amazing prices on eBay. I've had my copy of that since its first week of release, when Richard Arnold brought a small batch of the very first copies to a Brisbane Star Trek convention.

See you in Dreamland

Youtube has a peek into the making of Brent Spiner's new "Dreamland" CD - a unique combination of old time radio, musical theatre and film noir. A sort of "audio film".
You can buy it at www.therealbrentspiner.com.

Pre-order: $US 19.95
Autographed version: $US 24.95
Personalized version: $US 29.95

This looks great! I've just pre-ordered my copy. It's been a long, long time since "Old Yellow Eyes is Back".

Brent Spiner, of course, played Data on "Star Trek: The Next Generation". And various members of the Soong family of scientists and androids in guest roles across the Star Trek franchise.

Waxing and waning

Last week I complained that my 50-100 visitors per day blog inexplicably fell to about 30 daily hits, which is way below what it even received when I was last on vacation (and nowhere near computer access).

Today, very strangely, and with no additional publicity or potent posts whatsoever, the stats suddenly doubled! Maybe Google Images had been down, or something? I certainly get a lot of site visitors through my Flickr! pics, and these get catalogued by Google. I'm realizing now that it was the referred links from pics that were lacking on the Site Meter data.

I find it quite fascinating, which is making me yearn, even more, for the Sydney-based Webloggers' Meet-up activities. The group has been strangely quiet recently, despite having 133 members at last count, although several are meeting as a spin-off Data Miners' Meet-up group. Now, I'm guessing that the data miners would know what's likely to be affecting my blogsite - numbers are their business, I think - but since I found myself quite out of their league at the regular Meet-ups, I'm not sure the level of conversation at a wholly data miners' meeting would be less scary and/or mathematical.

I'm seriously thinking of trying to run a Hobby Bloggists' Meet-up group through the Meet-up site, since many of those at the regular Webloggers' Meet-ups do their blogging professionally, but I am also having doubts that too many hobby bloggers will be any more free to meet in the CBD for drinks than those at the Meet-ups I run for Star Trek fans or Lost fans.

Lore and Order by Ian McLean

Professional Star Trek authors beware:

... a "Next Generation" fanzine story, in a poetic style that began to feel very reminiscent of Dr Seuss when I was originally composing it. First published in "Klingons over Kiron III", (c) November 1991. It seems somehow appropriate to reprint it in the week of The Cat in the Hat's 50th birthday - which was, coincidentally, the very same day as my brand new Lore action figure (from Diamond Select toys/Art Asylum) arrived from the USA!

LORE AND ORDER
'Twas a sparkling day on Kiron III *
And Lore was living high;
He'd made ten thousand credits, see,
He didn't have to try.
Lore, he was too clever,
The colonists were dim;
Yes, Lore, he pulled the lever,
And his puppets danced for him.

The colonists all brought their queries
On farming or construction.
They paid him well to hear his theories
On preventing crop destruction.
In every answer Lore did sell
There always was 'Plan B';
If people from Lore's favour fell,
He'd wreck their plans with glee.

Lore wrapped his plots in scientific guise,
The farmers never guessed
That the android with the yellow eyes,
Was Kiron III's worst pest!
A ladies' man was Mr Lore,
The women found him witty;
The menfolk, they could take no more.
Soong thought all this a pity.

That his android loved the good life,
Caused Doctor Soong to wonder
How to cope when Lore caused strife?
Soong's experiments went under!
His idea had been a good one -
To create a robot man;
But he gave the thing emotion
And Soong's troubles they'd began!

Lore, he had rejected 'Dad',
No father figure now;
"I will not let my son go bad",
The doctor made his vow.
Doctor Soong discussed his troubles,
The technician's name was Karl;
"Well catch him at his own game",
The man said with a snarl.

If they devised a riddle,
To which they knew the key;
They'd catch Lore in the middle,
The colonists set free
From Lore's manipulations,
And money-making schemes;
But Karl had other reasons:
The end of all Soong's dreams...


Illustration by Paul Beck, aka "Breeze".

For Karl, he was a Klingon spy,
Infiltrating Kiron III;
To steal the android he would try,
Technology for free!
His years of working for the Doc
Had helped him plan the feat:
To make the android's programs lock;
Karl's get-away was neat.

He walked in upon the android,
Who was busy making love;
The woman screamed, she looked annoyed,
Ran to the street above.
The android shook the bed-clothes free,
No fear he would allow;
"I know your plan's to challenge me.
Let's end it here and now!"

They paced each other 'round the floor,
Today would be the day;
If Karl could last ten minutes more,
A Klingon Bird of Prey
Would transport up the android, and
Leave orbit with its prize;
Then Lore began to crush his hand,
Karl could not believe his eyes!

Lore won by using all his strength,
Held the Klingon spy with ease.
Androids could go to any length -
"Your communicator, please..."
Imitating the Klingon's sound,
Lore admitted Karl's 'mistake',
Then smashed his skull into the ground,
One Klingon's life at stake.

And so Lore lived to lie again,
Men petitioned his creator;
Soong disassembled Lore and then
He manufactured Data.
"This new android won't love or hate;
Won't cause Lore's brand of terror.
His quest for knowledge will be great."
The Doc had learned his error.

By Ian McLean, 1991.

* otherwise known as Omicron Theta ("Datalore"). Planet first named Kiron III in David Gerrold's novelisation of "Encounter at Farpoint".