Best fan pun ever

OK, well maybe one of the best. And in Europe, no less.

It took me a second, though. Stefano the Italian costume contest MC described Renzo Cornolò's entry as a "Dancing' Brain" ... and I finally realized he meant a dancing BREEN, a la the cold-blooded folks from TNG and DS9—Star Wars-like snout helmet and all).

I'm not sure anyone else on the judging dais ever got it, but it slowly dawned on me when I saw the "overlapped" style of uniform ... and got blasted by the approprite ABBA, as he pulled off his mask and let go with the afro wig and disco moves...














...to "Dancin' QUEEN," of course.

It's a TNG reunion—on Family Guy?

Sure, where else?

Famliy Guy regulars know that TNG bits pop up regularly, and that creator Seth MacFarlane is a true Trekkie with cameo-extra cred from Enterprise; head writer David Goodman wrote the classic Futurama TOS parody and had two years writing on Enterprise as well. (Someday we'll talk about that lost Trek sitcom, Herb 'n'Rita—right, David?)

The show has basically assembled the first-ever TNG reunion (post-Nemesis) when "All Dogs Do Not Go to Heaven" airs Sunday, March 29 at 9 p.m. EDT/8 CDT on FOX. There's been bits out elsewhere, but David sets us up at TREKLAND about his own cameo, too:

LN: So, the name of the TNG episode is “Not All Dogs Go to Heaven"—a reference back to the animated movie …??
DG: Right. There are two stories going on in the episode; it is not exclusively a TNG episode. One story involves Meg and Brian, and the other is the rest of the family, but in that story Stewie didn’t have a lot to do. So we came up with a story to go along with that that just involved Stewie: The family, in the opening of the show, goes to this Star Trek convention, and we have a lot of fun doing that; even though it’s been done before, we did our own spin on it. And I make a cameo appearance!* They drew me; a Star Trek narrative—it’s a real reach for me! (laughs)
And then Stewie’s upset cause he never gets a chance to get his question answered by the cast, so he buys plans for transporter at the convention, builds it, and beams the entire cast of The Next Generation to his bedroom.
LN: As only Stewie can.
DG: As only Stewie can.
LN: Has this become a case of “the B-story that took over the world,” as far as the attention, the publicity?
DG: I wouldn’t say it took over the world. The whole reason we did it was we felt like the original Star Trek’s been parodied on TV a lot, going back to SNL in the ‘70s, going right up to my Futurama episode. But we felt like there hadn’t been a lot of parodies of The Next Generation, and we also recognized just what a popular show that was. Y'know, a lot of people are familiar with that show; a lot of people outside of Star Trek fans are familiar with Star Trek: The Next Generation.

That, plus the fact that Patrick Stewart has been on our show a couple times—and he’s a recurring character on [sister series] American Dad; he’s always been very game for comedy.

LN: And Seth [creator MacFarlane] had done his cameos—

DG: Well, Seth did his cameos on Enterprise, and strictly because I was there; I take full credit for getting him on! And the first episode he’s on was one of mine [Ensign Rivers, “The Forgotten”].

LN: And he had been a fan before that, though; you didn’t hook him?

DG: That’s how I got the job on Family Guy—Seth and I shared an affinity for Star Trek, so that’s how far that goes back. And then I wound up on Enterprise; and he and I were still in contact with people, and Brannon and Rick [co-execs Braga and Berman] were big Family Guy fans, and it was easy for me to get him on the show. And after he was on once, they brought him back on again. Brannon and Seth since have become very good friends.
So—we’d also had Next Gen castmembers on the show. We’ve had Michael Dorn and Marina Sirtis and Jonathan Frakes—we’d had a bunch of them already voice themselves. And they were again all very happy to do it, and game.
LN: Just very little, one-off cameo bits, though—
DG: Yeah,—so we said, let’s just get the whole cast. And it was a blast—everybody was happy to be there, and excited. Wil Wheaton came in and spent the whole day! Recorded his voices, then was hanging out with the artists the whole day! Gates McFadden ended up selling her Star Trek: The Next Generation pinball machine to the episode’s director—it was a machine with a plaque on it, I think it was worth something and he collects pinball machines, so it was a very big thing for him. And then Denise Crosby came in, Marina—and they were all terrific. It was our own little … well, I said it about “Where No Fan Has Gone Before” [on Futurama], but the reality of producing the episode imitated the episode itself—because we basically were having our own little Star Trek convention at the offices.

LN: Doing your own Stewie beam-ins, as it were. … But you were recording the cast one at a time, correct—not in groups?
DG: You had to do them separately, because schedules didn’t permit them all at once. Patrick recorded from London; he was in a booth in London patched into ours here. Jonathan—initially we did him remotely, and then he came in recently to do some pickup lines. But yes, it was all scattered and spread out. … But it was great that everyone had a real sense of humor about it, and were willing to send themselves up.
LN: Did you consider anything else, as far this plot, to use them in?
DG: I don’t want to give away the story, because it takes a surprising twist; what Stewie actually does with the Next Generation cast, it’s definitely a Family Guy-esque twist. I don’t think anyone will see it coming, and we definitely had a lot of fun taking it in the direction it did. It’s not particularly racy or anything, but it’s just a very funny twist on this idea of getting this cast and spending time with the Next Generation cast. So, that was fun, too. It bears no similarity to any other Star Trek parody (laughs), I’m kinda confident.
LN: Stewie doesn’t put on a Barclay uniform and zap everyone into a module, or anything?

DG: Oh, no no… (laughs)
LN: How did the story idea develop? Were there any roads not taken?
DG: It actually started with the writer of the episode, Danny Smith, who came up with the idea with some of the writers. The original idea, what Seth had pitched was much of the first act of the episode—and we often do what we call a “first act mislead,” where the first act of the show doesn’t necessarily connect to the rest of the episode. And originally Seth had pitched a first act mislead that they go to a Star Trek convention; we hadn’t done it—let’s do it! And then it was Danny and a small group of writers who came up with the idea that Stewie doesn’t get his question answered, and he kidnaps the whole cast. So that was how the story developed.
LN: So it was pretty much this story, right out of the box, then.
DG: Yeah.
Well, the very first mention I’d heard was in a comment dropped by Jonathan; I asked you, and you said you should do more publicity on it—
DG: Yeah, we were then in TV Guide, and then FOX sent out a press release and it was picked up…
LN: —because I believe this was the first time, even though they were not physically together, that you had all the cast—even with Wil and Denise, too—for any kind of a production, even as a parody or a sketch.
DG: Yeah, I’m pretty geeky about that kind of stuff and I don’t believe there’s been one. So, doing this has been really fun!

*Nerd alert: David latter clarified that his cameo comes at the convention and he has a couple of lines, but plays a “generic con ATTENDEE, I'M NOT ID'd as a writer at all, I'm a geek in a blue original series shirt.”

Something like this, perhaps?

STV: Ethan Phillips: Next up for "Spirit of Star Trek"

Ethan "Neelix" Phillips is the next to jump into the screen-n-talk series "Spirit of Star Trek" —an evening of fun and thoughtful talk on philosophy, ethics, and spirituality through Star Trek's varied alien lenses ... an event like none other you get at even the biggest convention. If in SoCal, save March 29 for 7-9 p.m.—a screening of Neelix's standout show about shaken beliefs, "Mortal Coil," and then the Q&A, with a short reception afterward.

Here's a sneak peek with Ethan and host Curtis Webster, pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Encino that is home to the series, at 4963 Balboa just south of the 101. If the churchy thing seems a little scary, relax ... as you'll see it's a wide-open discussion—with even some Neelix insights ...

Curtis, of course, will again be joined by Star Trek's makeup guru Michael Westmore as co-host. The opener with Armin Shimerman, Max Grodenchik and "Prophet Motive" was a hit—and if you've ever seen Ethan at conventions you know he is always "on." Coming up: Robert O'Reilly and "Rightful Heir," April 26; Robert Picardo and "Latent Image," May 17; and Rod Roddenberry with a title TBA, June 28 ... with more to come in the fall.

To reserve a seat, they appreciate an RSVP; call Amber at 818-788-1147.

(Oh, and watch for Ethan's "protest shirt"....!)

"Misalliance": Armin does Shaw!

Fresh off his time on the debut session of "Spirit of Star Trek," Armin "Quark" Shimerman passes along info for his next project: an ambitious stage production of George Bernard Shaw's "Misalliance," a delightful romp about the chased and the chaser—and a very modern view of women that's years ahead of its time, but in that crisp, veddy British fun way.

The Rosalind Productions show is done in period style—and as Armin told me, it's a "centennial celebration": the classic first opened in London on May 31, 1909, right at a hundred years ago. At right, Armin plays Lord Summerhays opposite Abigail Rose Solomon (Christopher Moscatiello photo), just one of the English countryside couples who are set into wacky matrimonial motion amid old- and new-money fortunes, a crashed pilot and his Polish acrobat/aviatrix, and some Victorian ideals turned inside out all around!

Fo SoCal'ers who can make plans to go, "Misalliance" opens today with a run through April 19 at the Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles 90025: shows are Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m., with 2 p.m. Sunday matinees. The large cast also include Greg Mullavey (Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and The Bold and The Beautiful) and Nick Mennell (the new Friday the 13th). Tickets are going fast, plus the March 26 show is a "pay what you can" performance. Check out the website or call the theatre at 310-477‐2055, or 310-358-2789 for more info.

The Chair-ies turn proud and loud

Maybe it's the allusion to The Big Lincoln of monument fame, as a seat of not just power but historical power. "Iconic" seems a weak word, indeed.

And of course, thank modern tech and online communities like the propmakers for making this New York Times story about the "Chair Club" even possible: members can now be easily traced.

Even though these guys pooh-pooh the incarnations, I've witness The Chair Effect lure sitters one by one like a magnet many times over on the Picard, Sisko, Janeway, and Archer sets ... as well as the Kirk versions at convention, "Mirror Darkly" Defiant onstage, the Exhibition/Tour and Cawley bridge incarnations...

But am I the eternal nerd for always feeling more comfortable in those latter examples by leaning on the rail just behind, or on the chair arm just to the right, of The Chair? Dammit, Jim, you know what I mean!

Now, if you want to talk building a swivel-down exam bed with the body functions monitor and the surgical support arm—now you're talkin' a geekout.

The Royalties on the Edge of Forever

Well, now we are REALLY in a retro-Star Trek era. Just like old times, Harlan is in a feud with Paramount.... er, Paramount/CBS, on the TV side.

After all these years and talk of having made up with the studio—or just mellowed out—Harlan Ellison is kickin' up a Star Trek ruckus once again and grabbin' headlines. And—can you blame him?—it's all about the offshoot money.

Sure, by modern standards, Harlan was never on staff, and penned only one episode. It's just that that "one epsiode" is perhaps the most iconic of the original series, so much so that it easily clears the bar for even Christmas ornament status...

And now for your moment of zen...

(click for link)

All I can do is think of back in the day when the lit-snobs sniffed derisively at the term "sci-fi" as mundane or media geek code for '50s BEM movies or garish '70s camp, and sealed the deal by pronouncing it "skiffy." So where does "Syfy" leave us?

That was also the time, though, that fly-over media fans (outside LA and NYC) were petitioning their goonie local cable vendors to add Sci-Fi to the cable offerings, since it was seen as such a fringe audience in the Amurikun mainstream (never mind from the fact that cable was supposed to be "narrow-casting" ... ) But, the numbers did, as we know, finally build up to build the juggernaut of B-movie TV movie production (BTV movies?) that Sci-Fi has become today. (Well, OK, and a certain Friday night of other slightly notable classics as well.)

What is anyone supposed to think of this—fan or mainstream viewer? What, the little Saturn logo and a stylized SFC design couldn't be trademarked, too?

Ironic it is that this story about the logo change has hit far more mainstream media outlets than the little channel's founders nearly 20 years ago could ever have dreamed of. Sci-Fi Channel—you have arrived.

Oh—and now left.

No deflector dish on the space station?

Whether it can also be reconfigured to emit an antiproton beam ... or become an interplexing beacon to reach the Delta Quadrant ... this is why we need a main deflector dish "out in front" of the International Space Station!

WASHINGTON — The crew of the international space station had a close call with space junk Thursday. The three astronauts briefly took refuge inside a Russian escape capsule before returning inside the space station. Officials were worried that the orbiting outpost might get hit with a small piece of passing space debris. Tiny pieces of debris could cause a fatal loss of air pressure in the station. ...

By the way—how did we miss the 10th anniversary of the ISS last Nov. 20th? Here's a belated happy birthday wish to this oft-overlooked but ongoing next platform in the final frontier.

Cops, charity, goofiness: This is why Star Trek will never die

So the Eagan, Minn., police department took a dip off frigid Crystal Lake Beach for the annual Polar Plunge fundraiser help out the Minnesota Special Olympics—and wore TOS uniforms to do it.

Let's get this straight: Cops wore '60s Star Trek uniforms (and not bad looks, from the photo). They did it for charity. They did it in freezing water. And their news photos got plastered all over the country, much less the region, for wearing Star Trek uniforms. In a freezing lake. For charity.

Don't tell me this franchise is dying. Or depending on one single movie to "keep it alive."

Looks like it can still make a big splash in a small town.

A good "Spirit" was had by all

I counted right at 50 folks who turned out for the inaugural session of "Spirit of Star Trek" on Sunday—but the crowd should grow once word gets around. Those on hand got an earful and eyeful of the philosophy, ethics and spirituality—and fun— of the alien viewpoints of the Star Trek universe begun by Gene Roddenberry... and what all that really says about us. The location was the First Presbyterian Chruch of Encino, but the tone was anything but "churchy" as the first forum hosted by the Rev. Curtis Webster (right, above) focused on the Ferengi, a big-screen showing of DS9's "Prophet Motive" and guests (from left, above) Max "Rom" Grodenchik and Armin "Quark" Shimerman.

As co-host and Trek's makeup guru Mike Westmore noted, "It ain't your typical convention show"—you'd be hard-pressed to say where you've ever seen such a thoughtful and yet funny talk and audience interaction... and for free, or a donation. Highlights: Max's question about any "universal" ethics among cultures ... Armin's description of fan queries worldwide wondering if the Ferengi are supposed to represent the Jews ... the Irish... the Chinese—depending only on the home of the questioner and the "Other" in that culture ... Mike reassuring Armin that the director, not the actor, was responsible for the Ferengi coming off not as villains but as monkeys on TNG in their debut, his episode "The Last Outpost."

If you missed this one, look for a new one each month or so. Mark calendars now for Ethan "Neelix" Phillips on March 29 and Voyager's "Mortal Coil," your afterlife beliefs shattered; Bob "Gowron" O'Reilly and those spriritual Klingons of TNG's "Rightful Heir" on April 26; Bob "The Doctor" Picardo and the fatal humanity of a hologram in “Latent Image” on May 17; Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry, Gene's son, with an episode TBA on June 14 – and more in the offing.... stay tuned!

Cool con news—and one more change

Five or six years ago, Comic-Con San Diego was almost totally off the Star Trek radar, as was its New York cousin. Even a couple years ago, the "mid-year" WonderCon in the Bay Area by the same folks was much the same: whaaaat?

All that is changed now. The drip-drip-drip news of details and the packed audiences for JJ Abrams' movie advance vanguard at WonderCon last weekend is merely the crest of the overall Hollywood tidal wave that now crashes into these multi-genre conventions and threatens to send their attendance numbers to flood stage. Especially at Comic-Con, where both hotel rooms and panel seating is as scarce as an albino Orion.

What of the traditional fan cons, especially the Star Trek variety, fan and pro? It's obvious that JJ's team comes from the current TV-movie crop of producers who have risen to the heights knowing chiefly the last decade's bi-coastal Comic-Cons— and now WonderCon—as a great way to reach the hard-core faithful and make a big media splash at the same time. The genre, online and geek press, plus the "fringe" of mainstream media, have grown well-equipped to be familiar with those venues and their across-the-board star power moreso than traditional fan cons. (And yes, I know full well that the Comic-Cons and WonderCon sprang full-bore as fan cons and technically still are ... and Atlanta's Dragon*Con is not far behind. It's the obvious beacon to reach the Southern audience. with skyrocketing and crammed attendance numbers of its own.)

For a lot of people, this is not your father's fandom, much less franchise. And the ripple effects are still shaking out, for good and bad. Are we in a transition time for fandom —online geeks versus their elders, a potential two-track population—as much as for the Twitterati versus those still just happy to be emailing in our overall culture?

Comments, anyone?
Stay tuned in any case—and more here on that ripple effect, later ...