Happy Fiftieth Anniversary To Star Trek!

As everyone and their dog has already pointed out by now, today marks the 50th Anniversary of Star Trek. The very first episode of the series premiered at 8:30 pm on Thursday, September 8, 1966. Why 8:30 instead of 8:00? Because back in those days, prime time began at 7:30 for some odd reason, so many hour long shows actually started on the half hour.

The first episode that aired was The Man Trap, aka The One With The Salt Vampire. It was actually the sixth episode filmed, but NBC decided to air it first because they thought it was the most "exciting." Plus is featured a cool monster.

Most critics of the time weren't impressed. Variety said the show "Won't work," and that it was "An incredible and dreary mess of confusion and complexities." Which just goes to prove that critics have never known what the hell they're talking about.

The first episode came in at #1 in its time slot, probably because it was up against reruns of The Tammy Grimes Show on ABC and My Three Sons on CBS (believe it or not, there were only three networks in those days). Unfortunately in its second week, the competition aired brand new episodes, and Star Trek fell to second place, and two weeks later it was ranked 51st in the ratings. Which just goes to prove that the ratings system is flawed and meaningless, and doesn't judge the true popularity of a program.

I didn't really watch the show when it was first broadcast. Like most families, we only had one TV set back then, which my Dad controlled with an iron fist. He thought Star Trek was "stupid," so the instant it came on, he changed the channel to something else. I have some vague, foggy memories of seeing it a couple of times though (probably at someone else's house). I remember seeing a couple guys— one with pointed ears— walk into a room and disappear. I was way too young to understand what I was watching though.

When I was in junior high my local UHF station started running the show in syndication, and that's when I really discovered it. By then I was old enough to understand and appreciate the series, and it quickly became a huge part of my life. I've seen every episode more times than I can count, and bought enough tie-in merchandise to fill a modest-sized home (as one look inside my modest-sized home can attest).

I dutifully watched all the various spin-off series, and even though some of them were excellent, they never quite managed to recapture the magic of the Original Series. There's something about that Kirk/Spock/McCoy triumvirate that just can't be topped.

I've written numerous posts about how Star Trek and its characters affected my life, so I won't go over that well-worn ground again. But I will wish Star Trek a Happy 50th Anniversary. Here's to fifty more!

To Blankly Go

Last week Paramount Pictures released a series of nine character posters for their upcoming film Star Trek Beyond.

They're definitely colorful and striking, and reasonably well designed. That said, after I saw them altogether like this, something about the layout jumped out at me. There's something... missing from the posters. Can you spot what's been left out?

THE TITLE'S MISSING! There's no title on any of the posters! Sure, they're emblazoned with a big, bold BEYOND, which is the subtitle of the film, but nowhere on any of the posters does it say "Star Trek!" What the hell?

Why, it's almost as if Paramount was ashamed of their long-running cash cow of a franchise!

The omission is especially puzzling considering this year marks the 50th Anniversary of the original TV series' premiere. Surely some sort of commemorative Star Trek 50th logo was in order here?

Maybe Paramount thinks these characters are so iconic and instantly recognizable that the posters don't need a title. If so, they're dead wrong. This is only the third time around the block with these particular versions of the characters. Without any context, I seriously doubt the general public is going to know who they're all supposed to be.

OK, so most people would probably recognize the Spock poster because of the Moe haircut and the ears, but what about the Dr. McCoy one? You can't see his blue uniform under all that visual static, so to the average moviegoer, it just looks like a poster of a mildly annoyed Karl Urban staring into the distance. And only the most rabid of fans would be able to identify Anton Yelchin as Chekov.

And what the hell's going on with this Scotty poster? Is that John Hamm as everyone's favorite excitable engineer, or a horribly Photoshopped and virtually unrecognizable Simon Pegg?

There definitely needs to be some sort of identification here. Whoever thought it was a good idea to release nine title-less posters is an idiot and needs demoted to the mailroom.

Buy your tickets and get in line today for Beyond!

Out Of Context Star Trek Moment

I've been an avid Star Trek fan for many decades, but even I have to admit that certain episodes could get a little silly now and then, especially when viewed out of context.

So sit back and enjoy these historical Out Of Context Moments!

This particular episode, The Savage Curtain, is an absolute gold mine of out of context moments. 

"Um... Captain, sensors indicate there's a president dead ahead."

"Gentlemen, permit me to introduce myself. I'm Space Lincoln."

"Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?"

"You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the.. ehh, you know how that one goes!"

"Awk-warrrrrrrd!"

"I don't understand, my good Captain. Why are we entering this rounded chamber?"

"Energize."

"Oh sweet Jesus! MO-MEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"I don't see why I can't have one of those fancy pistols you're both carrying."

Dia De Los Trek

Over the weekend these new action figures were announced at the annual San Diego Comic Con. According to the press release:

"Space... the final frontier." What started out as a five year mission became over 40 years of intergalactic adventures - and now Star Trek is once again going where no one has gone before! Skele-Treks combine urban vinyl with the Mexican tradition of Dia de los Muertos for a lively and colorful look that collectors will love."

Spoken like a true marketing blurb.

I'll be honest here-- I'm having a really hard time deciding if these are really cool or just colossally stupid.

Coming this December: Just in time for Hanukkah, it's the Star Trek Menorah! What better way to celebrate the miracle of the oil and the victory of the Maccabees over the Greeks than with the most famous faces of the 23rd Century!

Out Of Context Star Trek Moment

I've been an avid Star Trek fan for many decades, but even I have to admit that certain episodes could get a little silly now and then, especially when viewed out of context.

So sit back and enjoy this Out Of Context Star Trek Moment!

Yikes! Let's hope Captain Kirk put the safety on his phaser before he started scratching with it!

KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!

Unbelievably this summer marks the 30th anniversary of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. 30 years! That's three whole decades! That just doesn't seem possible.

Anyway, in honor of the anniversary, here's my rendition of Khan himself.

Khan first appeared in Star Trek's first season episode Space Seed. According to the episode, in the far off futuristic year of 1996, Khan Noonien Singh was a genetically engineered superman who conquered and ruled one quarter of the world. He was overthrown during the Eugenics Wars (I must have been asleep that day; I seem to have missed the headlines in the papers). Rather than execute him on the spot as you'd expect would happen, he and 80 of his followers were placed in cryogenic suspension, loaded into an multi-million dollar spaceship and shot into outer space, where they'd never cause any trouble or be heard from again.

Flash forward forward to the 23rd century when Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise just happen to find Khan's ship. Naturally they can't leave well enough alone and thaw him out. He then proceeds to use his smoldering good looks and sexy accent to take over the ship and unfreeze his remaining followers. Luckily for NBC Kirk eventually gets the upper hand and defeats Khan. Once again, instead of just cutting off his damned head as logic would dictate, Kirk decides to exile Khan and his followers on an uncolonized planet, where he'll never cause any trouble or be heard from again.

In Wrath of Khan we learn that shortly after being marooned by Kirk on Ceti Alpha V, an environmental cataclysm occured, turning the planet into a harsh and violent hellscape. All but twenty of Khan's followers are killed, including his wife. Seeking revenge, he finds a way off the planet, commandeers a Starfleet vessel and goes gunning for Captain Kirk, the man he blames for destroying his life.

Ricardo Montalban portrayed Khan in the TV series and the movie, as you no doubt know by now, and turned in quite a powerful performance. Many have speculated that Khan's impressive pectorals were in fact a rubber prosthetic, but cast and crew alike swear that he was just in great shape and his chest was indeed the real thing.

It seems unbelievable, but at no time during Wrath of Khan do Kirk and Khan ever appear together. They communicate through view screens and communicators only.

Many fans have objected to the fact that Khan recognizes Mr. Chekov, telling him that he never forgets a face, even though Chekov didn't join the series until the second season. This used to bother me as well, but now...eh. I'm OK with it. Yeah, it's a mistake, but I'm willing to go along with it because it gave Chekov something to do besides sit behind a desk for the whole movie.

According to legend, the original title of the movie was actually Vengeance of Khan, but George Lucas reportedly objected because at the time he was developing Revenge of the Jedi and was afraid there'd be audience confusion, despite the fact that Jedi wasn't due to come out until the following year. So the Star Trek producers graciously changed the title to Wrath of Khan. Then someone over at Lucasfilm opened their desk drawer, took out a bottle, poured themselves a good stiff shot and pointed out to Lucas that Yoda himself said in the previous film that Jedi use the Force for knowledge and defense, never for revenge. So Lucas changed the title of his next opus to Return of the Jedi, making the whole name changing debacle moot.

To my knowledge this is the first time I've ever drawn Khan. I never realized what a complicated little outfit he wore. His little brown space cardigan is full of all kinds of fiddly little details. As I was looking for reference photos, I realized for the first time that Khan also carried a little man purse! Who knew? I guess even space despots need someplace to keep their keys and cell phone. I ended up having to leave out a few details and simplifying it a bit, or else I'd still be sitting here drawing him a month from now.

Director Nicholas Meyer told Montalban not to take the glove off his right hand throughout filming, to "add some mystery to the character," and no doubt inspire the King of Pop to do the same.

That's quite a magnificent mullet Khan is sporting too. According to the series timeline, only 15 years passed between Space Seed and Wrath of Khan. I guess it's possible for Khan to go from jet black hair to totally grey in 15 years, but it seems like a fancy superior lab-grown superman would have better genes. I guess life on Ceti Alpha V really was hell!

Although it's never stated onscreen, the creature he's holding is called a Ceti Eel.

Khan is a vector drawing, done all  in InDesign.

Here's the original sketch I did of Khan. At first I was just going to have him making a fist with his gloved hand and have the Eel crawling around his foot. Then I scrapped that plan and drew him holding the Eel by the tail.

Out Of Context Star Trek Moment #10

I've been an avid Star Trek fan for many decades, but even I have to admit that certain episodes could get a little silly now and then, especially when viewed out of context.

So sit back and enjoy these Out Of Context Star Trek Moments.

Once again this scene is from the third season episode Plato's Stepchildren, which is an absolute goldmine of bizarre out of context moments. This is the last time I pick on this poor episode, I promise.

Here we see Captain Kirk slapping his own face.

Followed by Captain Kirk wearing laurel leaves and showing his dentist his teeth.

And lastly Captain Kirk in a toga getting mugged by a dwarf.

Farewell, Plato's Stepchildren! It's been fun shredding you to bits!

Out Of Context Star Trek Moment #4

I've been an avid Star Trek fan for many decades, but even I have to admit that certain episodes could get a little silly now and then, especially when viewed out of context.

So sit back and enjoy this totally Out Of Context Star Trek Moment.

Ach du lieber! Who knew Spock was a Nazi? And a member of the S.S. to boot! I know Vulcans had a strict and ordered society, but this is ridiculous! Come to think of it, that V-shaped Vulcan hand gesture looks suspiciously like the Sieg Heil salute.

I bet Spock is quoting Mel Brooks and saying to Kirk, "Don't be stupid, be a smarty. Come and join the Nazi party!"