Official ST Shop helps with post-Vegas fan expression! Here's my picks

Today I'm a day away from heading into the ultimate Trek experience that is, of course, Creation's Vegas Khhaaann!  (And I'm not the only one.) But then what, Treklanders? After Vegas and all the other summer cons before, fandom's summer pretty much calms down... and many turn to thoughts of cooler days, school and such.

The Trek never stops, of course—it just manifests itself differently in the new season. Your Trek pride doesn't end with the slowdown of summer conventions ... It's time to head back into crowds of the unwashed at school, work, concerts or football games, and spread the Trek word. More and more, fans in that mode like the subtle approach in displaying their fandom—subtle, that is, or unaltered.

And in a movie year like 2013, any mass mainstream audience thoughts turning to Star Trek turn to Star Trek Into Darkness, of course. With its intensive and long media blitz worldwide, the latest film is the surest way, short of original Kirk and Spock, to get across your personal preference in pastime passions.

All this is to say that just because Into Darkness has come and mostly gone in theaters, though, is no reason that the title and design are not still "hot"...and it will already be Blu-ray/DVD release time come Sept. 10, anyway.

That's why, given the chance to pick out a few items from the official Star Trek Shop at shop.startrek.com— exclusive items from STID, and with many characters and slogans— I kept it simple and went with the basic. And by basic I mean unaltered.

Such as: your basic T. No catch phrases for me—just that original ad image of Harrison atop London rubble in the outline of an insignia patch.

And what better way to get the message across than that original STID teaser image—the "poster" version of the T-shirt, when you order it at the Trek store online. Sure, you can catch the manicure models donning it, but here's how mine looked: it's a quality garment and one





Next up, your fandom-display options expand when school's back in session—whether for you, or one of your kids. Proclaiming your faves via notebook cover is an old hallowed tradition in those first back-to-school days. Establishes your identity in the ego pool, right? So I also chose this basic-teaser option ... Into Darkness journal book: More the scope of college students and pros. but it gets the point across to anyone sitting across from you: "Shall We Begin?"





Finally, nothing is more personal and telling these days than the cover one chooses to sheath a smartphone in. For me, my iPhone 5 can sit tight in this STID case—again, basic and unadorned with extra wordage, but what a tough little side tri for ruggedness. But hey, there's plenty other designs to pick from: Your mileage may vary. (And it makes a statement to those who no longer look at your notebook.)










The official store has a whole slew of exclusive and basic fun gear heralding Into Darkness—and some oldtimers, too. Take a peek, get on their list, and get first dibs when a rock-out sale pops up!

NPR and me, etc: It's that mainstream media Trek again

UPDATE: You can catch the aired 20-minute NPR segment here ..... and the Voice of Russia "Prism" show here.

FLASH: I'll be on LIVE and in-studio Friday with SoCal NPR's KPCC and AirTalk host Larry Madden— 11:40 am PDT until the end of the show. If you aren't local, the station streams online, too.

Rumor has it we'll be talking about that Star Track thang—past, present and on down the road.

Which brings up the topic of the Mainstream Media —because, in case you hadn't noticed, we're tunic-deep in that special time again when they (or at least the closet-Trekfan hosts and producers sprinkled among them) can safely talk Star Trek beyond the latest science breakthrough or second-degree Trekland obituary.

I've been hit up by a number of media outlets to gab on about Gene's sandbox and JJ's corner of it, thanks to the media blitz of the Into Darkness premiere and hoopla. Aside from KPCC, I've also spoken with the Voice of Russia and Prism host Andrew Hiller in Washington, D.C. for a brief segment on his show online Friday and can be heard at that link.

So far, the print media has grabbed me for a bit in the Miami Herald already in a Sunday piece by Rene Rodriguez (left).... and there's more outlets out there who haven't sent me links yet—but I'll share them, in the next day or two... a couple from around the globe. It's all about everyone wanting opinions and context about THIS movie for the layman, and how it fits into the big 50-year Trek tableau. And, as we stay out of a time of active "aired" production, it's what we have to bite into.

It's a big-picture I continue to stay interested in, since there's so much "daily shiney" out there already to steal our attention elsewhere—a big picture I have written about already for years. Me love the canon details, yup ... but the long-view eddies and floes are good to keep in mind as well. It's fun to use the mainstream medial channels for that.

Plus, you never know just what mundane corner will yield up the next anal canonista or bigtime fan of Captain Proton, right?

Into Darkness: The Story So Far ....

Or, make that: "the reviews so far."

Many of you know that I have commented on STID only once ... a non-spoiler observation on the Uhura/McCoy marketing shift a week ago ... and yet I saw a screening of it waaay last Wednesday at Paramount.

However, as those who are close Tweetsy followers of mine or Facebookers of Trekland know, I have made a few side comments as well.

I'm going to see STID a second time tonight just to keep ruminating on it before I comment ... So I wanted to recap for everyone my thoughts that have slipped out on all fronts, before it gets any later and it's too hard to claim them (again, all non-spoilers):

—This sucker will sell a TON of tickets. More than ST09.

—Maybe even more OVERSEAS than '09 did, hopefully. (Mexico is up 300% over 2009).

—Because—and this is hardly any amazing insight on my part to say so (ie, see Paramount quotees)—the global market is driving a lot of what this film is. As it is with all flicks in the "studio blockbuster" category these days, or even the wanna-be blockbusters.

—Which is why I tweeted: "Even more reason to have a Trek TV series back on again. No foreign masters." As in the kind that drive box-office profits.

—My first sum thoughts after the first screening: "Well, THAT was a really long way to go to keep a franchise viable."

But again—I want to take a second measure before I say any more. Its not like you can't be drowned in STID commentary everywhere already, and it's not all even still spoiler-free (ie, check out any Facebook page now from around the world, even if legit reviewers are still honoring the US debut before dishing in detail.)

A U.S. opening day which, by the way, is now officially THURSDAY—a day earlier than long heralded.

Overall ...With the ALT timeline of the JJverse, I tend to take the big picture and the long view in a lot of my feelings and observations on the new movie series... and its fans, yea and nay.  In fact, I also know that I'm not the target audience here (but I might get sneaked in the back door when no one's looking). After all, what can you say? Short of comment on Mr. and Mrs. Chekov's revised birthing frequency, or wonder why Captain Pike didn't usually have his bridge crew scan in multi-layer smart graphic mode.

So, stay tuned.

And if you want something worthwhile to spend the time in line with Thursday or Friday at your local cinema ... why not get the the single source of all your essential Into Darkness info? Even my regualr column is in there. Choose either the dead-tree version, or download it to your PADD or other interface.

 

That third "Disruptions" teaser for INTO DARKNESS

So, I'm headed to a STID screening tonight ... eight days prior to the formal May 16 opening, with more screening to follow... and with considerably less angst that I did four years ago with ST09.

You TREKLAND readers know I've barely touched on Into Darkness so far—my reason being you can get drowned in that everywhere else and I'll stick to the unique takes on "everything else" I want to bring you instead.

In fact, I'm almost regretting finally seeing the damn thing after all the wait... it's going to cut off my "virgin" perspective on all the passing speculation, and also the untainted questioning of marketing goals and ambitions.

In that vein, then yeah—let's talk about that little trailer, the "Third Disruptions Teaser." (see it below) The one that caused such a brouhahah last week among Klingon fans online for its glimpse of a "non-canon" departure in Klingon look.... Really? You're upset about this? Isn't that just Chang's family? Bear in mind, too, that just as not all surviving Romulans have a tattoo—only Nero's miners-turned-henchmen—not all Klingons look lke this, nor have "glowy eyes." Do we know what they're on? Or what they might be wearing? Well, we'll find out soon enough—and have another 30 years to fix it, if we need to. But I doubt it.

No, what got my attention in that third "Disruptions" teaser was a single word—and I bet it flew right past you, saying a ton without saying it out loud: the re-drawing of Trek's troika. Listen here (below) as Uhura is described as the ship's "soul" —to cap off, on the other two "Disruptions,"  Kirk being the "heart" and Spock being the "mind." Right there, ladies and gentlemen, far more than any Klingon makeup tweaks, you have confirmed the major affect of a 21st century feature producer's take on Gene's classic sandbox: Kirk/Spock/McCoy is now Kirk/Spock/Uhura.

Or... maybe that's just marketing by a bunch of after-market editors with access to Cumberbatch's "promo extras" contract. Maybe it's a bow to perhaps endless focus groups who want a female lead in their flicks in general, and McCoy's place truly is still the third seat in the Trek triumvirate (as some early-bird reviewers have said.) And not to say that Trek shouldn't have strong female leads, obviously;  there was a lot to beef up with Nyota "And how often do I get shore leave?" Uhura that poor Nichelle would have gladly loved to take on in her "sub-second banana" days of pre-ensemble 60s TV formats. The TOS movies made up a little of that ground for her, but not much.

But it sure looks like modern movie format sensibilities have taken over "Row, Row, Row Your Boat." In any case, even for marketing's sake for English-language consumers, it's as interesting a perceived plot for success as that pedal-to-the-metal global hoopla tour to again try to crack open a Trek worldwide audience beyond the known UK, Australian and German outposts.  Karl Urban's McCoy is one of the quiet gems of the JJVerse, and neither one has really gotten much overt love in any of the posters, trailers, and press clambakes so far that I can see.

Then again, that's just about the way it always was with De and his McCoy.

We'll soon see.

So bring on The Darkness... and maybe I'll see you at the Khan.