Closer look: That TNG/Reading Rainbow clip

Reading Rainbow may be gone, but its iconic TNG episode is a landmark.

Yes, Anthony's trekmovie.com and other sites picked up the end of LeVar Burton's Reading Rainbow this week after 26 years on PBS—premiering four years before TNG began—and linked you up to that classic TNG show in two parts that I too, yes, duly have around here on its original VHS cassette.

But here's some Trekland context about that episode—aside from "Gee, look how young they are all":

In the You Tube Part II clip, check out the funnies at 5:22 (above) and realize you are watching the very first bloopers of any kind made available to any audience from the TNG era onward. Until the onetime leak of the TNG 1st season party bloopers a few months later, this was *it* for fandom who'd been used to the infamous TOS outtakes as a convention staple for a decade.

Then too, gentle Internet/DVD generation: after the hoopla coverage of the series launch in September 1987 on ET and elsewhere, this was the only backstage look available for fans for years—and this "gold" is just simple behind-the-scenes footage, much less Rob Legato's visual effects world. Note their gear, too: still very much an analog world!

BONUS ROUND: Three gold stars to the first who can post the name of the episode being shot when the RR film crew comes calling on the bridge; double it if you can name the red-headed female stand-in in teal on the bridge, doing her job as a shot is set up and lit! Answers by Wednesday.

Another Trek shake-up, another veteran gone

Recent whispers of cutbacks at Pocket Books reaching to Margaret Clark, the 13-year veteran and last of the specialized Trek editors (for now), finally burst out on the record this week as part of a larger overall cut at Simon & Schuster. It's similar to the one that claimed her colleague Marco Palmieri a year ago, and the 2007 wipeout of the longtime startrek.com staff at CBS Interactive I worked with most recently. It's all unsettling news in what we'd prefer to have as a cozy little status quo in Trekland.

With this last cutback, Pocket/Simon & Schuster pledges to carry on the Trek license, hold to plans already made, and announce the new assignment among its remaining editors soon, but for now we tip our hat to Margaret for her years at the helm—including interfacing on the last edition of the TNG Companion and, to a smaller extent, our help on Geoff Mandel's Star Maps, much less the magazines' news and blurbs over the years.

It's not always an easy job, working under such a harshly specialized microscope while guessing at the growing or shrinking Trekfan market demands and answering to all those involved on the business side. We wish all good things for both Margaret, as she finds her next calling, as well as the Trek line's future at Pocket—and any potential changes in process it may take.

Trek-style planet disaster—but a looong episode!

Since the days of "All Our Yesterdays" and "True Q" and even Star Trek-2009 style, our fictional planets have found themselves in fictional trouble. One of the coolest contributions Mike Okuda and Rick Sternbach made for the TNG writers as part of their technical consulting was a "Celestrial Bestiary" in the writer's in-house technical guide, offering real-life science disasters when such potential backdrops are needed behnd the character plots of scripts.

But now here comes word of what's loosely called a "suicide planet": a huge gas giant being pulled into its star from an insanely close and speedy orbit to begin with:

Suicidal Planet Seems On Death Spiral Into Star

... So why hasn't WASP-18b already gone "poof"? Hellier's team figures that the solar-type star (spectral type F6) is about a billion years old. Yet tidal theory argues that the big planet will edge close enough to be torn apart in well under a million years....

Don't set your DVRs to record this story any time soon, though: Note that the Big Finale is not expected to arrive for a million years, at least...!

It was 400 years ago today: the lenses that shook the world

As we await the hoped-for launch of Discovery this week through another delay ...

Thanks to my old buddy Kevin for reminding me—he was far more than a shuttlecraft namesake:

400 Years Ago Today, Galileo Invented Astronomy and Modern Science

A wonderful "down to earth" essay from Astronomy Today, short of any pretentiousness puffery:

... Being a professor, he really just wanted to make some extra cash, and the telescope was marvelously useful to sailors, soldiers, and craftsmen alike.

Sound like a certain warp pioneer to you?

Seriously, take a read—and let's renew again the power of observational and empirical science over hearsay and myth. It's where Gene came from.

Snaps from the Days Missing launch bash

I stopped by Golden Apple Comics in L.A. Wednesday to help support Rod Roddenberry and partner Trevor Roth launch Issue 1 of their comic mini-series Days Missing that Trevor created, but they hardly needed me! The shop was hoppin' with plenty of fans and guests alike, scooping up freebie Trek posters and Days Missing T-shirts and snapping up copies of #1 to be signed...and incidentally celebrate what would have been Gene's 88th birthday. The five-book issue is not Trek, but Trevor envisioned it to carry forth the "Roddenberry vision" in an all-new story about a being who subtly influences human history, produced in tandem with Archaia Comics. Here's the standard cover (left) by Dale Keown, plus limited edition cover by Frazer Irving, available at cons and other events; Phil Hester wrote #1 with Frazer's art. Rob Levin is editor, with Rod, Trevor and Stephen Christy as executive editors.

Trevor (left) and Rod signed for a line of fans that went on for 2+ hours.


Tim "Tuvok" Russ (foreground) is almost swallowed by the crowd midway through the evening.


Trevor takes time to answer questions with interested fans ...


... while Rod thanks Mike and Densie Okuda for dropping by. Apparently, the president had a presence as well!

Days Missing #1 from Roddenberry/Archaia is available now.

The EMH gets closer: Tactile holograms!

Holograms are one thing, but can they hold tricorders and hypos? Looks like now we're a baby step closer to "magnetic cohesion fields" ...

When in L.A. or IA: Gene's birthday and Comics launch

For friends in the L.A. area Wednesday night:

Rod Roddenberry and partner Trevor Roth are marking both GR's birthday Aug. 19 and the launch of the new Roddenberry comics mini-series Days Missing, partnered with Archaia Comics, at Golden Apple Comics on Melrose from 7-9 p.m. Check out the free posters, shirts and stuff. The books got a great reception at a sneak peak panel and signing at Comic-Con last month.

Meanwhile, back in Iowa, Days Missing Issue 1 writer Phil hester will help mark the occasions too at Mayhem Comics and Games in Des Moines

Awwwww. We lost our (admiral's) good hands

I had no idea he was still with us. But today comes word that Ed Rheimers, for Treklanders another of those flag-rank viewscreen guys—but one of the best known due to lucking out by drawing "The Trouble With Tribbles"—has passed away at the age of 96.

Rheimers is probably better known for what he didn't do on the air—but instead on scratchy faded film (check the 0:28 mark) ...



...that happened to be squirreled away and preserved as part of Star Trek's rebirth. I'm talking about the infamous blooper reels—back in the day when you didn't have to preface that with an acronym, especially "TOS"—and his seconds of fame when he mocked his own reassuring "good hands" Allstate persona of 22 years.

Will Dennis Haysbert ever top that record? We'll see. Maybe J.J. can get him into the gold cuffs, too.

But for now, Starbase Allstate will miss those mellifluous tones of Ed's.

Shared Stuff: Remember Universal's "ST Adventure"?

Before the Experience in Vegas, from 1988-1994 vicarious Starfleet thrills by fans were first available at the Star Trek Adventure at Universal Studios Hollywood. I recently got to chat with my pal Ken Paulin, then and now the president of LA Promo, and he offered to share some rare behind-the-scenes pics of the giant inflated Enterprise that graced the kick-off PR hoopla for the attraction. I'll let him explain as we time-jump back to 1988:


This was during a test of a 150' long cold-air inflatable (with working phasers) at Universal Studios Hollywood when we launched the Star Trek Adventure attraction. I designed and exec-produced it along with all the marketing/promotions for the opening. This was me with my then 5 year-old son Kenny:



And this is of my kids on the (upside down) saucer section during in-factory tests. The cold-air inflatable had a 3-ton steel super-structure that was bolted to the 6-story parking structure at Universal overlooking the Hollywood Freeway. The Enterprise was built in top secret conditions in San Diego, CA near the TOPGUN base at Miramar. In order to get clearance to arm it with phasers (lasers) we had to get both CalTrans and FAA approval to determine the precise beam termination points. This was all, again, in support of the opening of STAR TREK ADVENTURE at Universal Studios Hollywood:


Thanks for sharing, Ken!

Memory Wall 2 in Vegas: Spontaneous Experience!

Remember the incredible "memory wall" as Quark's counted down to closure last summer?

Followed by that bare board of billboards we saw in February, covering up the old ST: Experience gateway like a crude Band-aid over an open wound?

Now we have "Memory Wall II" from the Vegas weekend (above): someone provided the Post-Its and pens, and fans did the rest. From a half-dozen notes on Wednesday night, to this mushrooming mass by Sunday—here's just a sample of comments:



(Klingonese for "*CURSE!* Where's Quark's?")

Another icon coming true?

Is the PADD next in line for "realification?"

About those Apple rumors, this Wired columnist says it all—and even gives a rightful nod to Mike Okuda and Rick Sternbach:

What I do know is that for a geek like me, another little piece of sci-fi futurism from my youth is about to hit the market, and I couldn’t be more excited. ... due to having been a huge Star Trek: The Next Generation fan.

Not a trivial apology—and thanks

I won Creation's Adam and Gary over to the idea a couple years ago of continuing on with the Vegas trivia event that we used to do under the late, great startrek.com banner, and we've all had a good time with it.

Apparently, though, it was not fun for at least one young lady/fan who had the guts to get in line Sunday in our one-on-one format. I heard later on she might have been upset with the toughness of the question... so if anyone who reads this can pass along my "sorry," then please do so; I can only plead last-day fatigue at being a Herbert in not gauging that better for her. We'll do better for all our upright youngsters taking part next year.

Despite that, and a tough round this year, I want to thank the 150+ who came out at noon Sunday to either belly up to the bar and try, or cheer on those who did. We had a lot more time than usual, too, and barely had prizes for all the questions we covered.

Two special shout-outs: thanks to John van Citters of CBS Consumer Products, who again furnished all our cool prizes—as well as to Televixen Mary of dvdgeeks.tv for not only running our prizes out, but expertly matching each one to question and winner—on the run!

Yay, team!

Vegas: First thoughts

Quick thoughts from a Vegas survivor: If you didn't laugh at Trek's many doomsday death notices back in 2005, you can safely chortle and guffaw now.

Fully half of the steady-to-higher turnout at Creation's annual Vegas shindig were either first-timers or those coming back to the fold after 15 or 20 years. And this with no ST: The Experience to visit at the Hilton... or anywhere ... yet. I heard it over and over again from the folks who stopped by my table—many of them true stereotype-busters. I even saw an honest-to-goodness Barbie-and-Ken who'd be totally out of place if not for their wide-eyed stares as they paced the dealer's room—and they were on Day 2 of their honeymoon!: he the armchair fan who stumbled into the con with no advance idea, she the patient one who "gave him one day" to indulge.

Credit J.J.'s Star Trek '09, of course, and the energizing new green blood it pumped into not just fans but mainstream media and public perceptions.

More proof: The "side room" at Vegas notoriously draws maybe 30 or so fans between all the bigger events elsewhere; this year, a thrown-together panel on the new movie I co-guested with Anthony Pascale of trekmovie.com and host Doug Murray had 300+ ... who were, by shows of hands, a room HALF-full of first-time Vegas attendees, about HALF-full of first-time con attendees anywhere, and somewhat less half a room of completely new fans brought in by the movie.

And not just questions, but testimonials. From adult NEW fans who say they've gone to check out the TOS DVDs, or even moved on to TNG and later shows. From preteens who, somewhat stillin shock, said they are no longer the "outcast Trekkies" of their class but the "cool kid" with all the info on teh hot new summer movie.

My friend Dr. David Williams even reports the same for his real science visual talks on the NASA science missions he works on: 300 for Friday, 150+ Saturday, from the routine 30 or so. Even the larrynemecek.com --AKA "startrek.com Memorial"--trivia quiz Sunday morning had 50-60 in line and 150+ in the seats for over an hour...

As I said at the panel—this is music to a lot of folks' ears. Pointed or otherwise.

It’s ALIVE!

And so we go live as Vegas ’09 unfolds—finally, the birth of my site. Welcome aboard!

My thanks to webmeister deluxe (and former senior startrek.com producer) Marc Wade for his initial role in all this, and especially now Lee and Amy and the good folks at Counterintuity of Burbank and beyond for working with me to finally get this off the ground. Gracias to all the great Treklanders who have shared and helped out so far—not to mention my very patient family.

You know, we soft-launched the “Welcome to Trekland” blog way back in May 2008 and barely told anyone about it, so this week's full website launch is a bit of deja vu.

What I wrote in that very first entry is still the welcome I want to offer everyone who’s just now finding it all now at site launch time: a personal, non-manufactured site with lots of Trek fun both old and new... much of it first-person.

But what that longevity of blog months means for you, gentle reader, is a chockful backlog already in place as we get off the ground— well over a hundred entries and nearly two dozen videos.

And beyond Trekland, which will update mostly daily, we are setting sail today with a holdful of basics—the gallery is but a bare start-up, and the polls and archives will not exactly stagnate, either. Who knows what more will turn up as we grow this puppy.

So please, sign up now to stay on top of it all. I promise—no floods of emails, no spam, no sales to others.

And please—we live for feedback. Comment away, and keep those e-cards and letters comin’!

I never forget a promise! Vegas '08 winners

Just as with this year, at Creation Vegas '08 our pre-launch event to promote site sign-ups likewise featured a daily drawing for Trek goodies. We duly recorded the winners and I promised them all we'd save it for posterity when we launched.

So my very special thanks to the daily winners of Vegas 2008:

THURSDAY—Alfredo Ruanova (of Mexico City!)



















FRIDAY—Beth Olliges














SATURDAY—Brent and Heather Bristow (showing off not prizes but their autographed car tag!)















SUNDAY grand prize: Season 1 TOS DVD set (courtesy DVDGeeks.tv): Ben Rissky

Zack the heist honcho

Looks like Zack Quinto just wanted some fresh material for his Vegas audience next week ...

Star Trek star's spoof stuns diners
By WENN.COM

Zachary Quinto stunned diners in Los Angeles when he toted a gun as part of a comedy sketch - and his act was so convincing, terrified onlookers called the police.

....

Trek2Chuck IV: Comic*Con edition

One of the guilty pleasures this old cynic still allows himself is NBC's Chuck, whose fans just helped fight for a third season (midyear premiere). And that attraction is not just due to the many Treklanders who work there now, as I have shared here—including Robbie McNeill.

At the Comic*Con Chuck panel, though, producer-director Robbie was content to just chat from the sideline ...("Hi to all," he tells me, "and watch CHUCK!")

...while his cast and bosses crowded the stage (he's done his share of these things before, you see, from some old show or another).

Anxious Chuck fans should know: the Chuck panel had 4500+ SRO crammed into Balltoom 20 and hundreds turned away, the cast and head writers overflowed their stage table main panel, and their press post-room was literally crammed with print, video and bloggers coming to an interface point near you already. NBC has the panel video up.

We've got video of the chaotic press room scene to post as soon as we can... Meanwhile, cast and crew report back to film the new season Aug. 6.

Beyond the Trek connection, it really is a fun, adorable and deceptively complex show—check out the official fan site Chuck Me Out or the best real fan site, ChuckTV.net.