Spelunking down-under: "Q'apla!"

Yes, this story hit the interwaves a couple of  weeks back... and if you did miss it, it's worth a smile and a read—and my added note, below:

nuqneH! Australian cave tours available in Klingon

SYDNEY (AFP) – An Australian cave system is offering tours in Klingon, the alien language featured in cult science fiction series Star Trek, in what is believed to be a world first.

Jenolan Caves west of Sydney, the inspiration for Star Trek spacecraft the USS Jenolan, will offer audio guides in the fictional language from August 22, catering for the show's fans who flock to the attraction.  ...

BTW--Then-TNG writer Ron D. Moore had vacationed there in Australia over the 1992 hiatus, then came back and did name Scotty's transporter-loopy craft after the caves he had visited—but he misspelled it accidentally in the script for "Relics." Thus, that ship is officially the Jenolen, while the caves are actually Jenolan.

But how far have we come such that even the tourism folks see fit to play up that obscure Trek connection? The Intertubes is an amazing thing, even Down Under....where they apparently read the TNG Companion, too.

LA ALERT!: Ethan Phillips in world premiere "WIREHEAD", closes March 14

Hey, our own Ethan "Neelix" Phillips is currently in the world premiere of Echo Theatre's "Wirehead," running at Stage 52 (5299 W. Washington Blvd. in LA, 90016) and the reviews are raving. Ethan sat down to talk before the premiere about this rarest of plays, a sci-fi story, and his "shock jock" role as Rip—plus lots more work... so much so that here's just Part I:



We want to thank Ethan and Stage 52's Chris Fields for having us in for "Wirehead" on opening night: it's funny but edgy, with some barebones but clever staging and effects. Stop me if you've heard this before, Treksters, but the play follows two work buddies and their women forced to ponder how we hang on to our humanity in the midst of rampant technology and change? And is too much a danger—especially if it "improves the species"?

But let Ethan tell you all about it, and then hurry for tickets: with perfs on Fridays, Saturday and Sundays, this "comedy thriller" has just six shows left until its scheduled closing on Sunday, March 14. A great way to spend some weekend hours in gutsy live theatre with a rare sci-fi core.

And stay tuned for Part 2 with Ethan, and his thoughts on Trek then and now.