STV: Fan film fun—Farragut's "Capt." John Broughton!

I had a chance to chat with John Broughton of the Starship Farragut series, one of the most active fan film groups from Classic Trek going today—and, aside from James Cawley's pioneering New Voyagers/Phase II clan, the only group with its own full-blown '60s Enterprise sets. Meeting up at Trek Trax Atlanta last weekend reminded me I had this in the can from the HD backlog, and needed to share this ASAP....!

So give it up for John and the great Farragut fan film series—in glorious live OR animated color. Take your pick!

See you in the Peach Capital—and more ...

Fer now, sho nuff, hope to see y'all among the other Deep Dixie hard-core Treklanders in Atlanta this weekend in the debut edition of Trek Trax Atlanta, organized by former Dragon*Con Trek track runner Eric Watts.  Tim "Tuvok" Russ and Barbara March & Gwynyth Walsh, the Duras sisters and fan faves all, will be on hand along with a slew of fellow authors and Farragut fan film folks. I hope to have a few choice funsies to share from the weekend here ....  and some big news of my own this weekend. Stay tuned on that>

Bottom line: It's not too late to make it down and get by the Holiday Inn-Atlanta Perimeter starting 6pm for Friday night's shows!

Down the road, we'll be up once again at Seattle's Emerald City ComiCon, too—with the debut of the 2011 "Between the Cracks" show and some more twivia tweet-ups with our podcasting buds Seattle Geekly! More on that later, too ...

And hey: We may be out of town, but if you're anywhere near SoCal this weekend, you better get your butt over to Gallifrey One near LAX to join Shaun Lyon and all the fun tweeps hanging out there. It's NOT just for Whovians anymore, you know... it's where I'd be on any other President's Day weekend!

The OTHER Trek anniversary this week... sorta

While *I* had presumed the focus of attention in Trekland was on the decade birthday of one occasion this week in particular ... it turns out a lot of pop-culture brainpower was devoted to something else:  the annual recall of the first invasion of Beatlemania to America, as the Fab Four landed in New York City on Feb. 7, 1964, for the storied Ed Sullivan Show appearance and debut tour that changed the culture.

So, I guess I can share the bill... since this too is vitally important to Trekland. Thanks to one of my Tweklanders, @Grimation, who jogged my memory—but no, it was not for the Vulcan haircuts. Something much more profound—and I'm just shocked, shocked, that the entire Treknological world missed it. I can even visually chart it in the form of a mathematical progression:

b > d > c

In which b = Beatles, d = Davy Jones (of the Monkees, natch) and c = Chekov (fake Beatle wig, or no.)

Here—let me go to the digital artboard:

Any questions?

STV: IDW's Scott Tipton: The Zombies are coming...at Warp 7?

When it comes to today's big trendy-wendy pop story fads of The New Millenium, zombies are right up there with vampires, pirates and steampunk to provide a goofy twist on everything. So it comes as no surprise there's been buzz for some time now about this wacky mega-crossover conjured up by IDW Comics: bringing zombies to interwoven stories involving four of IDW's licensed franchise comic lines—including Star Trek.

Say what?

Well, I'll let IDW's lead Star Trek writer, Scott Tipton, say it all. The fan world has been all a-twitter (and more) regarding the idea of how zombies work in a "straight" universe like Trek, but here's Scott to talk about it. We chatted recently at Hollywood Xpo, but the two Star Trek "Infestation" chapters are only now just coming to stores this month—this Wednesday, Feb. 9, and then Feb. 23. Liston too for Scott's other recent IDW projects ...

Look who's 10 today! Our phoenix Voyager, "Prophecy"

When you've got 700+ hours of TV and 12 movies piled up from over 45+ years, the anniversaries can come at you thick and fast, and from any direction.

So I should hardly have been surprised at my own shock when I realized only a few days ago what was coming up in Trekland today, Feb. 7.

For it was on this date exactly 10 years ago—a Wednesday then, of course— that we rented a big-screen and hosted a view party for the first-air premiere of our Voyager episode "Prophecy."

Alas, I have no party pics from that night—but the story of "Prophecy" began long before that night, of course—and I mean long. Each of those 700+ hours of Trek in turn have their own tale of coming-to-be—some straight and  easy with one name attached, some over a twisted and agonizing path with more hands involved  than the WGA can ever know about.  Of course, many, many folks have actually sold a story idea to Trek over the years—and, unless they were a seasoned veteran or an on-the-cusp up-and-comer, they never got the script assignment. Most of you know I enjoy telling those "how-to" story tales—my TNG Companion and many, many hours of interviews and writing over the years attest to that.

But this time, it was personal.
 

Plenty of other stories and sellers, yes— but if nothing else, our story is in contention for the title of Longest Gestation—as we used to relate in detail to con fans and script students alike. Its official lifeterm runs from the time of our pitch to Jeri Taylor on Dec. 14, 1994, a month before Voyager even premiered, to the time when last-season show-runner Ken Biller pulled it out of the file six years and seven season later for a big, fat update. (That's Michale Piller's scrawled "OK" on Jeri's memo, right.)

What started out as our token, easy "Klingon B'Elanna" idea  about a generation ship of Klingons deep in the Delta Quadrant, back when all the characters were just babies and the format was in its infancy, was a surprising sell when all our more elaborate ideas went nowhere. First story meeting, though, Michael Piller wants to change our cheap, shipbound "bottle show" idea into an elaborate, planet-bound adventures where we see these Kirk-era Klingons actually subjugate another colony world (even with subtitles for the poor natives' dialogue, with a newly created language).

But by the time of THAT story rewrite, there had been Romulans and Ferengi and one "split B'Elanna" story—and any further Alpha Quadrant aliens like Klingons were pushed back a year to give the Delta Quadrant denizens some room... and then it became two years. And then came Worf and the Klinogns to DS9... another year held back. By then I knew: we'd been paid, but the character were fast maturing, and we'd never see the show on our TV screens. It did indeed sit on the pile another three years—until Ken cleaned out the dead pile for Season 7. Or rather, asked me if I had my original notes on it, since nothing could be found in the Paramount archives. (I swear I saw that box next to the Arc of the Covenant crate...) Of course, by then B'Elanna had been wedded up with Paris over Chakotay and found herself with child—so our tale needed serious updating...and two more pairs of names on the credits. Still, the generational Klingon ship crew and B'Elanna as a focal point was at the core—and the Voyager writing staff was good enough to keep us in the credits.

Finally, we were thrilled that the old custom of a set visit for first-time sellers was revived for us. I'd had my share of on-set onlooking for research, of course, and Janet had previously been right there with the writers in the Hart Building—though they rarely could or would get a hall pass to go over to the sets. This time, though, it was not just any show, it was our show—with six years' worth of updating, of course—and that was a thrill to be another member in that club of famous names and one-hit wonders alike.  Can you spot who signed our script cover (right) that day—Nov. 15, 2000, the eighth and last day of the shoot, ?


There's plenty more tales to tell about the whole process and the rest of the shoot; you'll have to ask us next time we cross paths at a con, or I decide to take my "Star Trek: Between the Cracks" show into our own slant on the world of "Prophecy." But the irony, of course, is that a big, expensive Klingon bridge set and funeral that was supposed to open the show all got cut for time—meaning you never saw this solemn moment, or the Klingon skyward howl of warning to Sto'Vo'Kor that was included:

We went on to pitch many times over the years, and still regret that some of the stories—especially on DS9— never got bought and produced. But "Prophecy"—aka "Reflections," aka "Untitled Klingon Story" ... aka "Now THAT would made B'Elanna really kick-ass in Season 1, if she has to choose whether to shoot either Chakotay or her Klingon lover" ....that will always be ours. Aboard the good ship IKV Nemecek.*



*Sorry. You'll just have to hunt me down and ask for THAT story, too.

"I'm a Wall Decor, not a Doctor!": Lifesize Trek for you!

We may be breaking some kind of sneak-peek today, but who cares? This is cool—partly because it's so dang simple.

Or is it? Need a transporter in your bedroom? Or just a certain Vulcan science officer?

Walls360 is a start-up company already offering durable, re-"stickable" wall art posters from small to mural-size pieces ... and now just guess what their first franchise license is?

Well, take a good guess, Lieutenant, but clear that board.

Of COURSE it's Star Trek—beginning with the original series. The press release announcement is set to hit today...but their site is live NOW. They offer images from characters to ships to gadgets to, well, rooms...these are just three of dozens... and are "contour-cut from a single sheet of repositionable fabric paper for seamless installation."  They stick to almost any surface—from walls and windows to ceilings and around corners—and can be removed and re-hung 100 times without losing adhesion, leaving a mark, or damaging surfaces.

... But best of all, they offer these flat goodies in all sizes and prices from $15 (one-footer) to $155—the biggest at eight feet tall!

"It has been a LOT of fun going into the CBS archives and picking out images that will work for giant wall graphics," John Doffing, the Walls360, told me. "We are starting with TOS, and will be adding a LOT of new content.  We are a brand-new company, and this is our first big branded partner launch." And yes, they do utilize the new higher-res clarity of the Remastered TOS editions to deliver the large-scale sizes.


Stay tuned, and we'll be having our own TREKLAND giveaway of some TREK Walls360 items coming up real quick.