After 20 years, "Tribble-ations" is still Trek's best fan film

November 4th is not only the day to say "Happy Will Rogers Birthday!"—yes, there is a physical as well as a philosophical link there—but this year it's the 20th anniversary of DS9's delightfully and awesomely monument anniversary homage show, "Trials and Tribble-ations."

Now this is a valentine to fans. I mean, it's pro-Trek's own fan film, is what it is.

Look, even if you're not a DS9 fan or even an original series fan—you must get  familiar with this episode. It's the "Charlie Brown Christmas" of Trek that transcends everything else ... and when it was made, I dived in to do a two-day set visit for the best bits for a TEN-page feature for the official Communicator magazine (before I was editor)... and wound up helping make a little history myself.

In fact, I've long said this was the most effortlessly fun writing project I've ever had—it's both a diary and an interview digest. That shoot was simply a magical time ..as magical as the final episode preserved on film turned out to be.
Sadly, none of the custom photos I took were used on deadline for the spread, but you can still see and read these original PDF pages here, via my site:

 

What's more, this year's Trekland: On Speaker Vol. 5 "30 at 50" featured my remastered stage visit to "Tribble-ations" (as well as "Flashback"), and there's even more good background there—in 17 of the actual voices, from 1996. It's a great anniversary year gift! The new online order page is coming with the new site in a matter of days, but for now...

When I am live at conventions, as with Northeast Trek Con or Starbase Indy, you can grab one from me there.. as you could since its debut at STLV.

Here's the back cover:

No, it never truly 'ended': Happy 20th, 'All Good Things'

Well, here's a benchmark everyone is talking about feeling "old" over.

For those of you who didn't get your TNG through a Blu-ray or Netflix binge-watch, today marks the 20th anniversary of the week-long birthday of the airing of TNG's celebrated finale, "All Good Things...".*

Yep, TWENTY.


I could only cram in so much for this wonderful and complex show in the TNG Companion show notes... still available on Kindle or the occasional rare paperback that pops up... Which is why I love doing the Trekland: On Speaker CD series now. Funny how we chose "All Good Things..." for our Vol. 2, this year!

Enjoy updates with Ron D. Moore and Brannon Braga for AGT all over the web this year, but if you want to actually hear them... much less showrunner Michael Piller, or director Rick Kolbe, both of whom have passed now... you might check out our great disk of their voices ...from 1994 ... and the liner notes.

Time has been very kind to Ron and Brannon's career milestone, but it only took a year or so before everyone (including the writers) realized, ironically, that the rushed, 24/7 writing job they cranked out on this series-ender was a far more powerful piece than the Generations feature film they'd slaved over for more than a year... for various reasons.

Filming was still mostly secreted to little ol' me, recent;y arrived in LA to write the TNG Companion update, but in my two-month stay I got an awful lot of sneak-peeks, and a look at the script as well, to be able to ask about it in time. I remember standing outside Stage 8-9 the day they shot the "full crew" scene of Past Picard's arrival address to his "new" crew, and seeing buddy and Trek extra Guy Vardeman emerge among the mob after it wrapped—wearing his "Darien Wallace" command red uniform, noticing he was wearing lieutenant commander pips, and getting shushed before I opened my big mouth too loud. Such was the mood and vibe and the way of things, back in the day.

Lots of folks will be hauling it out to watch, today, I'll bet. Just don't forget: you can legally party on this topic for six more days.* Just sayin.'





*I say week-long because, as you should recall, TNG was syndicated, with various markets seeing it on various days of the week... and May 23 was merely the first available date in the week for aiting: a Monday, as the LA and many other affiliates had it. We at the time in Oklahoma City, of course, had to wait til Sunday night as usual... 10:30 p.m. On May 29.