ST: Experience fans: a piece of history from Suzi P.

Lots of fans are still mourning the loss of the beloved Star Trek: The Experience rides/museum/stores and Quark's Bar in Las Vegas ...and the apparent lack of forward momentum on a successor site.

But for now, fan fave Suzie Plakson—K'ehleyr and Mrs. Q to you!— is offering a bit of history and nostalgia on eBay: the heavy metallic combadge she was given to wear as emcee and hostess of the Experience's entire closing ceremony at the LV Hilton on Sept. 1, 2008.

Hurry, if interested: it just went up, but the sale ends Jan. 3, and she's also throwing in a signed, two-page letter about her memories of that weekend (see photos on the eBay page).

If you just can't quite let go of the time-space vortex that was STTE, here's a great collectible or gift memento for a fellow mourner.

Fake visor: The new look of MSM Trek legal reporting

I'm not sure what to make of this story, except that the mainstream media couldn't figure out how to handle it either—but that didn't keep them from blathering on about it beyond its purely news angle.

NEW YORK (AP)— A "Star Trek" fan isn't entitled to millions of dollars in damages for buying memorabilia that he says wasn't as out-of-this-world as it seemed, a court said Tuesday.

Ted Moustakis wasn't promised he was getting a one-of-a-kind plum when he paid $11,400 for a uniform for "Star Trek: The Next Generation" character Data at a 2006 auction, an appeals court said.

The court also said Moustakis is due at most a refund for two other purchases he says were fakes: a $6,000 poker visor supposedly worn by Data and a $6,600 table from the show's set.

Is it just me, or does this AP story's no-nonsense, geekdom-is-mainstream tone just scream with barely concealed regret at its restraint from the cheap "pointed ears" and "basement-dweller" jokes that used to color all mainstream news stories with a Trek angle?

To my knowledge I never got to meet the plaintiff, Mr. Moustakis, but I know I was at the Vegas con when word spread there that Brent told him the Data green-shade visor he'd bid on was not authentic. I still think of the Christies' and It's a Wrap auctions as the new Paramount regime's effort to further show how the "new generation" of Trek had taken over, as if all those items from ST—TMP forward were now obviously useless; it was also a good way to save a lot of monthly warehouse rental, of course.

Now, there has been more than one Data visor—including those used for set decoration in the TNG movies, which were dressing and not props, and thus not actually worn by the regulars; Data never played poker in the four films, for instance. Veteran set dresser John Dwyer tried to echo the regulars' beloved personal effects from the series in those on display in their big-screen quarters even if he didn't have access to those original pieces. And then, for the Nemesis swan song, a lot of his routine work was undone by director Stuart Baird—so even more variations crept in.

Not having access to the piece Moustrakis won, this is all guesswork, to be sure—aside from its pic in the Christies auction catalog. But my point is, there may be lots of wiggle room for everyone to be right. Let's see how this plays out, even as it is out of the courts now.

We're not dead, Jim

Sorry for the lag here in posts. We are not going away quietly into that good night, by any means. House, family, career and yes holiday concerns really ganged up on us.

What's really frustrating is that I have tons of video to put up, and a few interviews to transcribe as well. As well as some pending thoughts I know you're just dying to hear. And yes, some "Ask Dr. Trek" replies to share.

For now I'll leave you with some holiday cheer... and I don't mean Dr. Helen Noel!

Here's hoping you have a restful, fun and reflective season.

LA ALERT: Chase's movie now in theatres TODAY

Six years in the making, the movie I call "metaphysical film noir" is finally in theatres: Yesterday Was a Lie brings you Chase "Leeta" Masterson in a breakout role that builds off the sultry jazz/torchsinger career she's been building in recent years, and then some; for Treklanders, her co-star is Kipleigh Brown, who once guest-starred on Enterprise as Crewman Jane Taylor in "The Forgotten."

The brainchild and labor of love of James Kerwin, who combines his love of science with filmmaking, the picture is like nothing you've ever seen before and at times defies description: what seems a straight-ahead cop mystery at first soon turns into a puzzle of another kind...with layers and layers of it. But you'll be sucked in for sure.

I had the chance to see it a year ago as it made the rounds of the festival circuit and cleaned up on awards, and recently James has announced they got a distribution deal, followed by a DVD release in March. Somewhere there's paparazzi shot of Chase's "ex-husband" Max "Rom" Grodenchik and I during Monday's red-carpet gala at the Cinespace in Hollywood, but apart from that sideshow the film, with some late final tweaks, was a hit, as ever; James, Chase and the chief architects gathered there for a Q&A panel (below) and afterparty.

The film opens today in Los Angeles at the Sunset Laemmle, but you can track future venues off the website, for starters. By all means, if you are reading this and get the chance, be sure not to miss it. just schedule plenty of discussion time with your viewing party afterwards! And hopefully, we will get a future release of the soundtrack, which features Chase on both standards and original music by














James and Chase take questions from the appreciative crowd at the Hollywood Cinespace red-carpet premiere Nov. 7.

LA ALERT!: Big screening, little screening for Trek movie(s) this weekend

If you're in SoCal this weekend and have room for one more look at Star Trek 2009 (and who doesn't?):

--You can catch it no-frills and free Saturday, Dec. 12 at 1:30 p.m. at the North Hollywood Regional Library, 5211 Tujunga Ave., North Hollywood CA 91601-3119 ... (818) 766-7185. The USS Angeles local Starfleet chapter is acting as host with door prizes, refreshments and a little Q&A prior.

—Or if you'd care for a bigger splash, JJTrek opens a double-bill in a special two-day Trek film event at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Santa Monica's historic Aero Theater, sponsored by American Cinematheque, Geek Monthly and trekmovie.com. PineKirk & Co. open things on screen Friday, followed by Marc Altman and Robert Meyer Burnett's 10th anniversary screening of their affectionate Trek homage, Free Enterprise—complete with their cast-crew reunion and panel afterwards. Saturday brings The Film Trilogy—Treks II, III and IV—with a special Q&A session with writer-director Nick Meyer.

So, set sail and take your pick; no 3-D glasses required. 2012, of course, could be a different story...

Kronos Social Networking for Kool Kids

If you Tweet, you need to know this.

If you don't Tweet... you ought to know this exists. (Those ST Online guys at Cryptic and Atari are genius marketers:)

And remember: "4000 tweets may be sent in one night by a running man." (i.e., "loS SaD jaH may taH ngeHta' Daqwa' ram Sum che'lI' loD.")

LA Alert!: Sandra PIller's Toys for Tots holiday concert Dec. 6

All Treklanders know the name Piller, but this time we're not about the late great Michael, writer-producer and arguably "the man who saved Next Generation." Quite apart from his contributions, his widow Sandra Piller has always had a music career in her own right—an L.A. native with plenty of Nashville savvy. And since his passing in 2005, she has plunged right ahead to renew her singing and songwriting: her latest CD Kindred Spirits on Shady Hill Records is now out, a mix of heartfelt country and pop/folk.

This weekend, as part of the holiday cheer, I wanted to help Sandra get word out to the SoCal region: her band's holiday show this Sunday, Dec. 6, at Molly Malone's on Fairfax from 7-10 p.m. carries an admission price of simply an unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots.

Sandra is also introducing her new single, "Mistletoe and You." Go by and give her some support on what will be a fun night with good music and good food, and take another chance to help out Toys for Tots this year.

Facebookers can check out more at her event page here.