TREKTODAY.COM - View Archives: February 2000
News headlines from February 2000:
| Saturday February 26, 2000 |
Christian (8:19 pm CST)
After an absence of more than half a year, we've finally been able to relaunch one of the most exciting features at the Trek Nation - the Community Profile! In this (hopefully weekly) series of interviews, Sebastian Lorenz will be interviewing leading figures from the online Trek world, so that you will be able to find out precisely who are behind all those Trek sites you visit so often. To kick off the new series of profiles, Sebastian has interviewed David E. Sluss, episode reviewer at the Cynics Corner. Below are a few snippets from the interview:
David: I watch each episode twice; usually the first time I just watch and occasionally take notes, while the second time i take fairly extensive notes that become the basis for my items of the week. When I sit down write a review, it takes, on average, two to three hours to complete. It's a lot easier now that DS9 is gone, especially since I have a lot less free time now than in past seasons.
Sebastian: Do you actually like "Voyager" and all the other shows you're reviewing?
David: Sometimes. I always felt that DS9 was worth watching, though it kind of came apart at the seams in its last two seasons, which was when I reviewed it. DS9 had its share of unwatchable dreck, but each season had shows ranging from decent to the occasionally brilliant. I almost feel that I watch Voyager out of a sense of inertia more than anything. Unfortunately, Voyager disappoints more often than not. Sad to say, I usually enjoy shredding the episodes more than watching them. The only other shows I've reviewed up to this point are a few episodes of "Babylon 5" and "The X-Files." I was never a hardcore B5 fan, though a number of episodes are outstanding. I used to enjoy "X- Files" quite a bit, but it hasn't been good in years. That's another show that I watch out of habit and for the occasional good episode. For what it's worth, my favorite show is not a show I review, nor is it SF: "Law & Order."
Sebastian: You are writing your "Voyager" reviews on a weekly basis (if we leave out reruns and summer repeats). How much time does it take you to get the worst out of each episode? ;)
Read lots more about Sluss in the full interview, where he talks about everything from reader feedback to his favourite sites to German beer.
The Cynic To Quit?
Christian (8:18 pm CST)
And of course right after we completed our first Community Profile with him. David E. Sluss at the Cynics Corner has put up his review of 'Spirit Folk', along with the following rather startling post:
Gentle reader, you came very close to losing your beloved Cynic as a reviewer this week, as I was about this close to quitting Voyager for good as a result of the "Spirit Folk" travesty, on top of so many others. At this point, just barely, I enjoy writing and discussing these weekly hatchet jobs enough to justify subjecting myself to the show week in and week out, but if there's much more shit of this sort in the remainder of the season, there's a good chance I'll be bailing out after the Sixth Season Summary. Stay tuned (or better yet, in Voyager's case, don't).
Not surprisingly, in his actual review 'Spirit Folk' is awarded the title of worst Star Trek episode ever made. Let's hope the quality of the episodes will improve somewhat for the final part of the season - I'd hate to see the Cynic go.
Tim Russ To Release Album
Christian (8:18 pm CST)
GNP Crescendo, the company responsible for the Star Trek soundtrack CDs, is reporting the following:
Tim Russ (Tuvok of Star Trek Voyager) is completing his first full-length album to be released in March, 2000. It features material from Robert Johnson, Randy Newman, and Tim himself. Neil Norman is producing with his Cosmic Orchestra providing backup.
Thanks go out to Gustavo Leao for this!
Wolfe Talks 'Andromeda'
Though the scripts are written by different people, Wolfe noted that the episodes are first developed during group story breaks, after which the writers go to write their scripts, which is similar to how episodes were developed on DS9. 'Under The Night' and 'An Affirming Flame' are actually a two-part episode, offering an introduction to the series. All other episodes currently in existence are standalone episodes, though they will also contribute to the overall story of the show. Here are Wolfe's thoughts on how similar to DS9's handling of a story arc 'Andromea' will be:
As for the "arc," personally I have no idea how this show
is going to end. I don't even want to know at this stage. I
want to see how it evolves. Follow the characters and the
premise and see where it takes us. All I can promise is that
we'll do everything we can to make it a great ride.
Christian (8:18 pm CST)
On Usenet, series executive producer Robert Hewitt Wolfe just posted a whole bunch of new information about 'Andromeda', the upcoming SF series based on Gene Roddenberry's work. He mentioned that four scripts have already been completed for the series, with another five stories currently being worked on. Below you'll find a list of the current titles of the first nine episodes, plus the episodes' writers:
Similar. Probably less arc than DS9 due to the fact that we'll
be on a ship so there will be less of an opportunity for
characters to recurr with the regularity of, say, Rom or
Eddington (or Weyoun for that matter).
'Andromeda' will begin shooting in May, and will premiere on US television in Fall. Thanks go out to Michael Hinman for the pointer.
'Good Shepherd' Spoilers
Again, this is where you need to click to avoid being spoiled.
This has actually been up for a few days already, but unfortunately I forgot to mention it here yet. Michael Iversen at the Universe has posted the following summary for 'Good Shepherd':
Christian (8:18 pm CST)
NOTE: Below you will find spoilers for 'Good Shepherd', an upcoming Voyager show. Click here to avoid these.
Janeway discovers that there are three 'outcasts' on her ship that have never been on an away mission, and who have fallen through the cracks as far as receiving her 'personal attention. To fix this, she forces the 3 of them to accompany her on an away mission with the Delta Flyer to investigate a newly forming star cluster (or something). But they are attacked by some unseen force/alien, who beams one of the crew members off the Flyer, and actually enters his body. When the crewman goes right through a force field and claims he is not in control of his body, Janeway shoots him. When he is hit with a phaser blast, it forces the creature out, where another panicing crewman kills it. The alien should look like a sort of 'walking stick' looking insect thing.
'Good Shepherd' will air on the 15th of March. It is not, as was previously reported, the episode featuring the return of Kes - that one is titled 'Fury'.
'Elite Force' Comic Preview
Christian (8:17 pm CST)
Over on Raven's official Voyager: Elite Force site, they've put up a six-page preview of Wildstorm's upcoming comic based on the game, showing some rough artwork. You can find the preview here. Thanks go out to Evil Avatar for the link!
Section 31 Book Info
Christian (8:17 pm CST)
David Henderson just made an update to Psi Phi's Star Trek Book Database, including an announcement by Trek novel editor Marco Palmieri about the upcoming Section 31 novel series. Here are the titles and authors of the four books, scheduled to be released in June and July of 2001:
Book One (TOS): "Cloak" by S.D. Perry
More information about the books and their authors can be found in the full announcement. Also online now at the Book Database is the back cover description of the Deep Space Nine Companion, by Terry J. Erdmann with Paula M. Block.
Book Two (TNG): "Rogue" by Andy Mangels and Michael A. Martin
Book Three (VGR): "Shadow" by Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Book Four (DS9): "Firewall" by David Weddle
New Sev Trek Cartoon
Christian (8:16 pm CST)
Star Trek Communicator Site Opens
Christian (8:16 pm CST)
It appears that the official Star Trek Communicator has just opened an official web site, offering fans the opportunity to subscribe to the magazine or to buy Trek merchandise. You can find the site by following this link. Thanks go out to TrekWeb for this!
9 New 'Klingon Academy' Shots
Christian (8:15 pm CST)
Over at Interplay's official site, they've posted nine new screenshots of 'Klingon Academy', Interplay's upcoming space simulator. Furthermore, in a post to the game's discussion forums, Interplay has announced the demo will probably be released somewhere between Monday and Wednesday. Thanks go out to Blue's News for this!
Jammer's 'Collective' Review
Christian (8:15 pm CST)
Over at Star Trek: Hypertext, Jamahl Epsicokhan has put up his review of 'Collective', last week's Voyager episode. Awarding the episode 2.5 stars, Jamahl wonders if the Borg have perhaps been a little over-used in the past few years. He also talks about the episode itself, though, as you can see from the below conclusion:
Bottom line for "Collective": The general theme here that examines drones hanging with uncertain self-identities was done in fifth season's "Drone" (and to a lesser extent in this season's "Survival Instinct")--and I assure you it was done with much greater insight. "Collective" is reasonable, but it probably works best as stage setting. Now let's just hope the players actually decide to show up.
Click here for a more detailed analysis.
Mulgrew In Political Spot
"Traficant thinks it's cute to say 'Beam me up, Scotty,' on the floor of Congress. Sen. Hagan thinks educating our children, protecting our seniors, and fighting for jobs for the valley is why we elect a congressman. Hagan is right. Vote Bobby Hagan in and beam Traficant out. Just do it," she says in the ad.
Christian (8:15 pm CST)
Michell Erica Green at AnotherUniverse's Daily Buzz is reporting about a new TV spot featuring Kate Mulgrew, which was created for the Congress elections in Ohio. Two of the candidates are the Republican James A. Traficant, who often uses the plea 'Beam Me Up' when making complaints before Congress, and the Democrat Robert Hagan, Mulgrew's brother-in-law. In the TV spot, Mulgrew voices her support for Hagan:
Mulgrew cut a 30 second TV spot currently airing in Ohio, written by Mulgrew's husband, former Cuyahoga County Commissioner Tim Hagan, the candidate's brother. Dressed in a Starfleet uniform and standing on the Voyager set, Mulgrew describes herself as a "loyal Democrat" and says she's not impressed by Traficant.
The original news bit can be found here.
Beta Test 'Armada'
Each site will post a signup page on Monday the 28th and 20 testers will be randomly selected from each site's list. This means that if you signup on more than one site you do increase your chances of getting in. Those people who are selected to test will be contacted sometime during the week of February 28th.
To clarify, there will be no preference for or against current multiplayer betatesters.
Christian (8:15 pm CST)
Over on the official 'Star Trek: Armada' site, Activision just announced the following:
I know many of you doubted it would ever come but we are finally ready to have signups for the single player beta test. Signups will occur on Monday February 28. The test will have 100 slots divided evenly between each of our partner sites, www.cdmag.com, www.dailyradar.com, www.gamecenter.com, www.gamespot.com and www.ign.com.
You can find the original post on this here. Thanks go out to Blue's News for this!
Stewart Amnesty Scholarschip Article
Christian (8:15 pm CST)
Erik Syverson of Michigan's The State News has written an article about Amnesty International's 'Patrick Stewart Human Rights Scholarship', which is presented for the fifth time this year. The scholarship, sponsored by Patrick Stewart (Jean-Luc Picard), is offered to "any youth displaying a strong commitment to human rights work." You can read more on the scholarship in the actual article.
Happy Birthday!
Christian (8:14 pm CST)
Today is the 37th birthday of Chase Masterson, who had a recurring role on DS9 as Leeta.
Today On TV
-On Sunday in Canada, Space! will be showing the Original Series' 'The Tholian Web' at 10:00am Eastern Time.
-On Sunday in the United Kingdom, Sky One will be showing DS9's 'Destiny' at 16:00 GMT, while BBC Two will be showing Voyager's 'Timless' at 18:45 GMT.
-On Sunday here in The Netherlands, RTL 5 will be showing DS9's 'Body Parts' at 17:50 CET.
-On Sunday in Belgium, Kanaal 2 will be showing DS9's 'Call To Arms' at 18:05 CET. Thanks go out to StarTrek.nl for these last two items.
Christian (8:14 pm CST)
-On Sunday in the United States, the Sci-Fi Channel will be showing the superb Original Series episode 'The City On The Edge Of Forever' at 11:00am Eastern Time.
Trek BBS Today
-How many actor autographs do you have?
-Please welcome the new co-moderator of the Voyager forum!
Find more topics at the Trek BBS!
Christian (8:14 pm CST)
Below are some of the topics currently being discussed at the Trek BBS:
Hello World!
Link of the Day: University of California researchers mate human cells with circuitry. Could this be the next step towards the Borg? Thanks David Henderson for this!
Christian (8:14 pm CST)
Hello, Spring! It really is amazing to think that it's only February - today was an incredibly sunny day here in the Netherlands, and apparently this weather will be persisting at least for a few more days. It's great to see al that carbon-dioxide dumping in the atmosphere finally paying off with some real greenhouse effects :-).
| Friday February 25, 2000 |
Christian (7:59 pm CST)
Jeff Bond and Anthony C. Ferrante at Eon Magazine have put up a new interview with Brannon Braga, Voyager's executive producer. In the interview, Braga talks about internet fandom, his own love for Star Trek, and the future of Voyager:
"We talked about doing that," Braga acknowledges. "We talked about bringing the ship home this year or doing it as the last episode, or the sixth to last episode, and we see good possibilities in all these directions. I don't mean to sound wishy-washy but I just haven't decided. But we're continuing to talk about it and I think it's safe to say that the ship will continue to have contact with Earth, at the very least, the way we've established this season.
"The only thing I can say for certain is we'll continue the contact with Earth and you'll see Barclay again and we want to keep expanding upon that," he says. "How quickly that expands into Voyager getting home we don't know. I think we'd like to push it off as long as we can for obvious reasons. But we will continue with that, it was very successful."
The big question is (hasn't it always been) when and if will the Voyager crew find their way back to the Alpha Quadrant, and will the show's producers bring the ship home with enough episodes to spare so that the complex issues raised by the crew's seven years on the other side of the galaxy can be answered to fans' satisfaction.
For the full interview, follow this link. Thanks go out to Gustavo Leao and Elaine Butler for this!
IGN 'Spirit Folk' Review
Christian (7:59 pm CST)
Blake Fischer at IGN Sci-Fi has put up his review of Voyager's 'Spirit Folk', awarding the episode just 2 out of 5 stars. Here's a snippet from the review:
Now, admittedly I hate holodeck episodes and consider them a weak way for the writers to fill in some time while they try to think of a sci-fi related episode. This season's previous holodeck episode, "Fair Haven", was actually one of the few exceptions to this, because it tried to deal with some very valid issues that would come up if a holodeck really existed, like, can a human have a relationship with a hologram? Now, I was originally delighted to see the crew actually deal with the town again, since there was obviously some emotional depth there, but instead we get this rip-off of the famous ST: TNG episode where Moriarty takes over the Enterprise. Tragically, this time around the writers don't even try to grapple with the issue of the holograms trying to comprehend the fact that they are not real -- which would actually have turned the tables nicely after "Fair Haven". Instead I get a shallow episode where characters generally act quite silly and nothing really happens. Yup, pretty much your average holodeck experience.
Here's the full review.
Burton Wins Grammy
Christian (7:59 pm CST)
The official Star Trek Continuum is reporting that, this Wednesday, LeVar Burton (Geordi LaForge) was awarded the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Recording for his performance of 'The Autobiography of Martin Luther King'. THe site is also reporting that Burton is the director for the upcoming Voyager episode 'Live Fast and Prosper'.
Electric 'Hidden Evil' Review
Christian (7:58 pm CST)
Electric Games has put up its review of 'Star Trek: Hidden Evil', the Activision adventure game based on 'Insurrection'. Awarding it just 2 out of 5 stars, the reviewer wasn't impressed:
The biggest disappointment I had with this title is the fact that it had potential. It looks good, it sounds good, and it even started off well. For a while, I was expecting the "real" storyline to kick in and the game to take off. This never happened, and was a huge letdown. On the technical side, all it needed was a control facelift. The creative side is the biggest problem, unfortunately. Adventure titles need a good plot, and one of decent length at that. Hidden Evil has neither of these very important elements.
Read on here.
UPN Rebound Article
It's one of the few times in its five-year history that UPN's Nielsen trend line is pointing up rather than down. ``We've compensated for the loss of distribution (from the defection of several Sinclair stations to the WB in 1998) so that we're back to where we were two years ago,'' said Valentine. ``Plus, we now have a more diverse audience, a more desirable demographic and much better prospects for the future.''
Christian (7:57 pm CST)
Rich Kissell and Josef Adalian at Variety have written a new article about UPN's rather succesful year, describing the network as achieving "one of the more astounding Nielsen rebounds in recent memory". Here's a snippet:
With ``WWF Smackdown!'' producing staggering gains of 171% in households and 1,025% in male teens Thursday nights, and the spill-over effect lifting programming on other nights to loftier Nielsens, UPN's primetime lineup is looking alive just nine months after the close of a disastrous 1998-99 season. This season, UPN is averaging 3.95 million viewers weekly and a 1.6 rating in the key adults 18-49 demographic, edging the WB (3.86 million, 1.5 in adults 18-49) in both categories. The results reflect UPN gains of 43% and 45%, respectively, and WB losses of 16% and 17% compared with year-ago figures.
Read the full article here.
Robinson Directs 'Waiting For Godot'
Christian (7:57 pm CST)
The official Star Trek site is reporting about a new version of the classic Samuel Beckett play 'Waiting For Godot', directed by Andrew Robinson (Garak). The play is currently running at the Matrix Theatre in Los Angeles, until the 30th of April. For more information, read the full article at the Continuum.
'Spirit Folk' Tube Review
Christian (7:57 pm CST)
Jeff Bond at Eon's Tube Reviews has put up his review of Voyager's 'Spirit Folk'. Perhaps not surprisingly, Bond didn't like the episode at all:
I hereby place a bounty on the head of the person or persons who invented the holodeck and the holodeck malfunction, otherwise known as "the crutch." Is there no greater admission that you're completely out of ideas than trapping starship crewmembers aboard the holodeck again? This is a conceit that can trace its way all the way back to the 1973 animated series (Dr. McCoy and some other crewmembers get trapped on a holodeck-like Enterprise recreation room in "The Practical Joker"), and "Spirit Folk" is in essence nothing more than a rehash of early TNG episodes like "The Big Goodbye" and "Elementary, My Dear Data." Other antecedents are "Who Watches the Watchers," in which superstitious aliens mistake Federation scientists for gods, and of course, VOYAGER's "Fair Haven," the Irish period holodeck tale seemingly told only a few weeks ago.
In the full review the episode is awarded a D+.
'Galaxy Quest' Debuts In France
Christian (7:57 pm CST)
Rita Kempley has just written a new article for the International Herald Tribune, reviewing the recent 'Galaxy Quest' film, which has apparently just debuted in France. 'Galaxy Quest' is a Star Trek spoof starring Tim Allen.
Today On TV
-On Saturday in the United Kingdom, Sky One will be showing DS9's 'Heart Of Stone' at 16:00 GMT, followed an hour later by Voyager's 'Prey'. Thanks go out to Kathryn Hughes for this!
-On Saturday in Germany, Sat.1 will be showing the Original Series' 'Miri, ein Kleinling' (Miri) at 14:00 CET, and DS9's 'Kampf mit allen Mitteln' (Extreme Measures) at 16:00.
-On Saturday here in The Netherlands, the AVRO on Nederland 1 will be showing Voyager's 'Dragon's Teeth' at 18:07 CET.
Christian (7:57 pm CST)
-On Saturday in Canada, Space! will be showing DS9's 'Past Tense, Part Two' at 04:45am Eastern Time. At 10:00, they'll be showing the Original Series episode 'The Empath'.
Trek BBS Today
-Do you think we should have a new Trek Art forum at the BBS, or should fan art just be posted in the fan fiction forum?
-Are there any often criticised Voyager episodes you really like?
Find more topics at the Trek BBS!
Christian (7:56 pm CST)
Here are a few of the topics currently being discussed at the Trek BBS:
Hello World!
Christian (7:56 pm CST)
I just came back from what has got the be the worst theatre show I've ever been to in my whole life - 'Hamerliefde' (Hammerlove) from the Dutch writers Ronald Giphart and Joost Zwagerman. I haven't got a clue why they actually called the show that, though perhaps it was a reference to the fact that most sane people would love to hammer them on their head after the show. The problem was mainly that the show was so enourmously unfunny it actually had its humourous sides to it again, though most of the duo's attempts at humour consisted of cheap tricks to get attention or were simply banal - I for one do not need to hear so-called romantic poems which have lines such as "My Marc for your Dutroux", that's just in extremely bad taste. The really bad thing is I'll now not even be able to enjoy their books anymore - after this evening I've really lost all the respect I might have possibly had for them.
| Thursday February 24, 2000 |
Christian (6:16 pm CST)
Chris Harrison and Brigitte Kiefer sent along word that John DeLancie (Q) appeared in last Wednesday's episode of NBC's 'West Wing' series as a Democratic Party pollster.
Beltran On 'Night Of The Comet'
I told them that if I could play it much differently than as written I would do it. They squirmed in their chairs. I said, "Look, this guy is basically the male hero of the film and since he's the only surviving man on earth he represents every man. I want to play him like Gary Cooper, the reluctant hero." They finally agreed.
After we signed the contracts the director said to me, "You know Robert, if you hadn't done the role we were going to get a regular American guy to do it!"
Christian (6:15 pm CST)
The Official Robert Beltran site has put up a new Self Portrait by Robert Beltran (Chakotay), in which the Voyager actor looks back at his 1984 film 'Night of the Comet'. In the film, Beltran played one of the few survivors on Earth after a huge meteor crashed on Los Angeles. Here's the start of the entry, in which he talks about being cast in the starring role:
This is a role I turned down three times. I turned it down because the director and producers wanted me to play Hector pretty much the way I had played Raoul. I've never been one to be happy with repeating something just because it was successful, but they kept insisting that I meet with them. They offered me more money and even top billing, so I met with them.
Pictures from the film can be found in the actual self portrait.
Extremely Poor 'Spirit Folk' Ratings
CBS' broadcast of the Grammy Awards, as usual, was responsible for much of Voyager's ratings collapse this week. The music awards show peaked during Voyager's first half-hour with a 21.3/30. The WB chose to sacrifice two reruns to the Grammies and finished behind Voyager in 6th at 9 p.m. with an "Angel" rerun taking a 2.9/4.
Christian (6:15 pm CST)
Greg Fuller at the Star Trek Nielsen Ratings Information Database just posted the overnight ratings report for 'Spirit Folk', containing some pretty bad news:
Spirit Folk" performed extremely poorly for Voyager, only managing a 3.6 rating, 5 share -- one of Voyager's lowest overnight ratings ever. That rating places "Spirit Folk" below last week's 4.8/7 from "Collective" and was in fact outperformed by some of this year's reruns.
In the full report, Greg offers a few explanations for the low ratings, and also speculates that this might well translate into Voyager's lowest national rating ever.
'Voyager: Elite Force' Interview
Steve Elwell: The story begins when the Voyager responds to a distress call from a seemingly derelict ship. As they draw closer to the ship, it suddenly springs to life and fires upon the Voyager. Voyager returns fire and the ship explodes, releasing a huge sphere of energy that envelops the Voyager and her crew, transporting them to a mysterious ship grave yard.
It's the Elite Force's job to discover the mysterious force that created the ship graveyard and find a way to escape from it. The player plays the role of Alexander (or Alexandria) Monroe, second in command and point man (or woman) for the Elite Force. The EF is basically a special ops team formed by Lt. Commander Tuvok to handle extreme situations.
Christian (6:14 pm CST)
Apache at Gamefan has put up an interview with Steve Elwell, the Activision producer responsible for 'Voyager: Elite Force'. Here's how the interview starts:
GameFan: For people who've never heard of the game before, what's the basic story behind Star Trek: Elite Force?
For the full interview, go here. Thanks go out to Federation HQ for the link.
Mania 'Spirit Folk' Review
Christian (6:14 pm CST)
Michelle Erica Green over at AnotherUniverse's Mania Magazine has put up a new edition of her 'Hailing Frequencies' column, also including a short review of yesterday's 'Spirit Folk'. Perhaps not so surprisingly, Green wasn't impressed by 'Spirit Folk':
This episode had a few lines that made me scream aloud with laughter. Unfortunately, I don't mean that in a good way. I was so embarrassed for Kathryn Janeway, and by extension anyone who still admires or relates to her, that I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. For all the problems with holographic love, it is supposed to offer one unfailing advantage: privacy. No one has to know, when you leave the holodeck flushed and glowing, whether you've been making love or playing Velocity. So how come Janeway, who's too uptight to give her junior officers hugs, has no problem with her crew ridiculing her romance with an inflatable man?
The full edition of the column contains the rest of the review, a plot summary, a review of the first two 'DS9: Millennium' novels, and a round-up of the latest Trek news.
'Ashes To Ashes' Promo
Christian (6:14 pm CST)
Mr. Video Productions has put up the official UPN promo for 'Ashes to Ashes', next week's Voyager episode. The video runs for 22 seconds, has a file size of 4 MB, and actually succeeds in making this episode look rather well. You can download it on Vidiot's site, or via the perhaps somewhat faster local TrekToday mirror.
Sorbo Talks 'Andromeda'
Sorbo, who admits "Hercules was sometimes an eighth of a degree away from Gilligan's Island," hopes this dramatic role will earn him the respect of those who think he's just another hunk. "After Hercules I needed to do something serious," he says. "I'm very competitive. I need to succeed to prove it to the people who didn't think I could. Ninety - nine out of a hundred people can tell me I'm a good actor, but what really fuels my fire is the one who says, 'You're just another Malibu Ken.'"
Christian (6:14 pm CST)
The new edition of TV Guide contains an interview with Kevin Sorbo, in which he talks about the new 'Andromeda' series. Here's what Sorbo has to say about the series:
"It's actually a combination of two ideas - Andromeda and Starship - that were buried deep down in the Roddenberry vaults. [The series] concerns the Commonwealth, a government based on Earth and consisting of thousands of planets, that has been ruined by civil war. It will be more in the spirit of the original Trek, with Hunt and his crew visiting all these wild worlds as they try to restore peace."
The full interview, conducted by Michael Logan has been reposted here on TrekWeb.
'Klingon Academy' Demo Info
Christian (6:13 pm CST)
At the official Interplay discussion boards for 'Klingon Academy', developer Brian Christian recently posted the following:
Our testers and internal teams have played the demo and enjoyed it, but have also provided us with some vital feedback that we feel will make the demo better. We are working very hard finishing some minor tweaks and when they are done we will release the demo. We expect this to happen shortly. This message board and chat room will be the first to know when and where the demo will be available. Thank you for your patience.
Thanks go out to Federation HQ for this!
Cinescape 'Spirit Folk' Review
Christian (6:13 pm CST)
Regular Star Trek contributor Michael Marek at Cinescape has put up his review of 'Spirit Folk', yesterday's new Voyager episode. Here's a short snippet from his review:
[Long] time Star Trek fans will see several problems. The "Problem on the Holodeck" script has become one of the most overused formulas in Star Trek. We saw it last season on Voyager with the Captain Proton story. We saw it near the end of Deep Space Nine when the Las Vegas lounge program started doing goofy things. The formula, and this variation in which holodeck characters become self-aware, goes all the way back to the beginning of The Next Generation and the Moriarty and Minuet characters. I can't call the formula "tried and true" because it is tiresome. "Yet Another Holodeck Malfunction." Ho, hum.
For the full analysis, go to Cinescape.
Disappointing 'Collective' Final Ratings
Christian (6:13 pm CST)
Not much good ratings news today. Take a look at how Greg Fuller starts his 'Collective' national ratings report for the Star Trek Nielsen Ratings Information Database:
Coming off a strong showing from "Tsunkatse," "Collective" earned a fairly disappointing 3.5 rating, 5 share. That's Voyager's lowest mark since "Fair Haven" only drew a 3.4. "Collective" was also off from last year's "Bliss," which earned a 3.9/6 this week last year.
Timeslot competition info can be found in the full report.
'Star Trek: Hidden Evil' Review
Christian (6:13 pm CST)
Bernard Dy at PCGamePro, apparently not the quickest site on the net, has just put up a review of 'Insurrection: Hidden Evil', the Activision adventure game. Here's how he starts his review:
A few legendary curses haunt the PC games industry. One claims a good superhero game will never see the light of day. Another taunts that a creative license pinned on a game will help as much as a tick on a dog. No franchise tries more at striking gold in the games market than Star Trek, a statistic befitting the TV series known for optimism. Star Trek: Hidden Evil has the pedigree for success, but ultimately disappoints.
For the full review, follow this link.
Berman Interview, Part Two
Berman: Obviously, the ratings aren't what they were for The Next Generation, but I believe that's the nature of the beast. Gene created that show, and it was the first Star Trek on TV in almost 20 years. After four seasons of TNG, we created another one, DS9. And then as soon as TNG ended, we developed Voyager. All of a sudden, there were three Trek shows on the air, not including the original series. You reach a saturation point and, obviously, the numbers begin to diminish. In terms of developing the new show, we are hoping to come up with something that's going to bring back the Next Generation audience we've lost.
Christian (6:13 pm CST)
Over at Cinescape, they've put up part two of their interview with Rick Berman, the man currently in charge of modern Trek. In this part, they ask him three questions about Voyager's ratings, and about the next Star Trek film. Here's the first question, and Berman's answer:
Cinescape: Are you worried that ratings for Voyager are nowhere near as high as they were for The Next Generation?
For the full interview, follow this link.
'DS9: The Fallen' Staff Departures
Two other level designers have left our company over the course of the last 4 months for their own personal reasons and to pursue other opportunities. They had completed their work on The Fallen and were about to be reassigned to other internal projects.
The design staff on The Fallen are currently focused on fleshing-out and play-balancing the gameplay in all of the levels (the overall design, modeling, and texturing has been completed for some time).
Christian (6:12 pm CST)
Yesterday, Evil Avatar posted a short news bit about some staff departures at Collective Studios, the developer of the upcoming 'Deep Space Nine: The Fallen' game. Take a look:
Elliot Cannon has left The Collective to pursue his dream of working on a massively multiplayer project-- an opportunity that he couldn't refuse given his passion for this genre. Elliot has been an enormous help directing the level design push for The Fallen and we wish him continued success in his career. However, the completion timeframe for the The Fallen will not be effected by Elliot's departure.
Over the coming weeks, the Collective will release the first gameplay movies from the game, to sites such as Evil Avatar.
UPN & WB Share Markets
Under the deal, the Paramount-owned UPN stations in Columbus, Ohio, West Palm Beach, Fla., and Providence, R.I., will carry some WB programming out of pattern. At the same time, Acme's WB stations in St. Louis, Knoxville, Tenn., and Champaign-Decatur-Springfield, Ill., will air some UPN skeins.
Christian (6:12 pm CST)
In yesterday's edition of the Daily Variety, Michael Schneider wrote an article about a new deal between the WB and UPN, giving them access to an extra 3.8% of the country:
There's a slight thaw in the bitterly cold battle between the WB and UPN. Jamie Kellner's Acme Communications and the Paramount Stations Group will soon begin sharing programming in six markets where the two weblets don't compete.
This move is great news for Voyager fans in these areas, as they will now again be able to see the show (as well as 'WWF Smackdown!'). Thanks go out to Steven Milmine for this!
'Elite Force' Comic Announced
Christian (6:12 pm CST)
Gamespot is announcing that Activision and DC Comics will soon be co-publishing a comic book based on Raven's upcoming action game, 'Voyager: Elite Force':
The comic book will be 48-pages long, and will be drawn by Jeff Moi and W.C. Carani of Wildstorm Comics. The plot of the book coincides with the game's story and sees Captain Janeway's crew trying to free the Voyager from a sea of derelict ships. The book will also contain helpful hints and tips for Raven's game, and it will arrive in stores this summer, before the game's release.
A sample page from the comic can be found in the full news item.
High School Sci-Trek Night
Christian (6:12 pm CST)
The Los Angeles Times is reporting that the Costa Mesa High School, presumably located somewhere near LA, held a Sci-Trek night yesterday at 7:00pm. The evening's featured guest was André Bormanis, who is Voyager's Science Advisor. The event was a fund-raiser for the school's science fair, and allowed attending students to dress as their favourite Trek characters, as you can read in this short announcement.
Sound Source Financial Results
Christian (6:12 pm CST)
Sound Source Interactive, the computer game company responsible for products such as the 'Star Trek Game Show', just posted its financial results for the quarter which ended on the 31st of December, 1999. During this period, the company achieved net sales of $353,454, substantially lower than the achieved during the same period in 1998. One of the reasons cited by the company for the lower sales are disappointing sales of several products released during the quarter, including the 'Star Trek: Trivia Challenge' (which isn't that disappointing, considering this is the first time I've heard of the product). The full financial report can be found here.
Art Guild Awards Date
Christian (6:11 pm CST)
The Fourth Annual Art Directors Guild Excellence in Production Design Awards will be presented this Saturday, the 26th of February, before a black-tie industry gathering of 650 guests. One of the nominees this year is Rich D. James, for the Voyager episode '11:59'. Read more about the ceremony in the full press release.
Correction
Christian (6:11 pm CST)
About a week ago, we reported on the local UPN affiliate in Detroit, which had a newscast about the filming of 'Collective'. The newscast described the experiences of Ryan Spahn, a Detroit native, who played the adolescent Borg in the episode. It also supposedly mentioned that Spahn was accompanied to the set by 'his uncle', a big Star Trek fan, who had also given Spahn several Trek episodes featuring the Borg to watch, so that he could prepare for his role. Now, I just received an email from John Homeister, Ryan Spahn's step-father, stating that it was he who accompanied Spahnn to the set, and not an uncle. It's unclear if the original UPN newscast actually mentioned an uncle, but, in any case, it's corrected now.
Happy Birthday!
Christian (6:11 pm CST)
Today would have been the 66th birthday of Glenn Corbett, who appeared as Zefram Cochrane on the TOS episode 'Metamorphosis', had he not sadly passed away in 1993. Also, yesterday was the 61st birthday of Majel Barrett Roddenberry, the widow of Gene Roddenberry, who has appeared on Star Trek as Number One in the original TOS pilot, Nurse Chapel in the Original Series, Lwaxana Troi on TNG and DS9, and the computer voice on every incarnation of Star Trek. She's currently overseeing the 'Earth: Final Conflict' and 'Andromeda' shows.
Poll Results
Christian (6:11 pm CST)
Below are the results of the most recent TrekToday poll, asking when you first started visiting TrekToday:
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20.7% - (62
Votes)
I'm really intrigued by the large number of people who apparently first visited in February 1999, considering we then had a *lot* less visitors than 14% of what we have now. Anyway, please also participate in the new poll, asking what you thought about Voyager's 'Spirit Folk'.
Today On TV
-On Friday in Canada, Space! will be showing DS9's 'Past Tense, Part One' at 4:00am Eastern Time, the Original Series' 'Is There In Truth No Beauty?' at 10:00am and at 4:00pm, and DS9's 'Past Tense, Part Two' at 10:00pm.
-On Friday in the United Kingdom, Sky One will be showing Voyager's 'Hunters' at 17:00 and 0:00 GMT. Thanks go out to Kathryn Hughes for this!
-On Friday in Germany, Sat.1 will be showing Voyager's 'Tattoo' at 15:00 CET.
Christian (6:10 pm CST)
-On Friday in the United States, the Sci-Fi Channel will be showing the Original Series' 'The Alternative Factor' at 4:00pm Eastern Time.
Trek BBS Today
-Read da Woim's review, Cureboy's review and Russel Christiansen's criticism of 'Spirit Folk'
-What happened to the Klingon/Romulan alliance mentioned in the third season of the Original Series?
Will Benjamin Sisko ever return?
Find more topics at the Trek BBS!
Christian (6:10 pm CST)
Below are some of the topics being discussed at the Trek BBS:
Hello World!
Christian (6:10 pm CST)
Nothing like a day off to refresh oneself completely. Still, now that I look at the amount of news that was able to accumulate in just one day I again realise why I shouldn't do this too often :-).
| Tuesday February 22, 2000 |
Christian (6:10 pm CST)
After the first anniversary of TrekToday yesterday, I figured I deserved a break :-). Updates will resume tomorrow again.
'Andromeda' Shooting Date
[...]
Logistics are tough, but like I said, we're working hard on keep the process effective and efficient. So far, so good. Of course, the real trial by fire will start on May 8 when filming begins. No plan of battle ever survives the first engagement with the (in this case
metaphysical) enemy.
Christian (6:10 pm CST)
On Usenet, Robert Hewitt Wolfe just answered a few fan questions about his own role on 'Andromeda', the upcoming series based on Gene Roddenberry's notes and starring Kevin Sorbo. When asked if he would be commuting back and forth from Los Angeles (where he lives) to Vancouver, where the show will be shot, he answered:
[Yes], I'll be going up there a lot, especially for pre-production and production of the first 3 or 4 episodes.
Then, when asked if he would have an associate on site who would relay info to him, he said:
I'm the co-executive producer and head writer. One of the other executive producers, Allan Eastman, will be running the set up in Vancouver. We're very much partners in the creative process, along with the other executive producers, Majel Roddenberry, Kevin Sorbo, and Eric
Gold. Andromeda is a highly collaborative show and a lot of extremely talented people are working very hard to make it into something we can all be proud of.
'Andromeda' will premiere on television stations throughout the country in Fall 2000.
New Star Trek DVDs Released
Christian (6:09 pm CST)
Daniel Kikin sends along word that Paramount Home Video released three more Original Series DVDs today, each storing two Classic Trek episodes. Out now are Volumes 6 (with 'Miri' and 'Conscience of the King'), 7 ('The Galileo Seven' and 'Court Martial') and 8 ('The Menagerie, Parts One and Two'). The DVDs are selling exceptionally well on Amazon.com, as these three discs are all in the top-35, with volume 7 and 8 even being at no. 15 and 16, respectively.
'Tribbles' CCG Expansion Tested
While the set will contain a variety of cards from throughout the Star Trek universe, we were most intent on testing the gameplay of the expansion's main theme: tribbles and the "crossover" Deep Space Nine episode, "Trials and Tribble-ations," bringing the DS9 crew together with the classic Trek crew on Station K-7. Federation and Klingon decks were understandably popular, but we also checked out how other affiliations such as the Romulan Star Empire, the mighty Dominion and the implacable Borg would fare against the furry nemesis as well. My first day deck pitted a Romulan mission-solving deck laced with tribbles against several Klingon decks, with and without tribbles; the second day I tested a variety of other cards including some new dilemmas and Q-icon cards, and a couple of homeworld-related cards. Here's a sneak peek behind the scenes of our tribble hunt. (Just remember that it's still early in the development process and not everything you see here may appear in exactly the same form in the final set Ð that's why we're playtesting!)
Christian (6:09 pm CST)
Over at Decipher, the publisher of the official Star Trek Customisable Card Game, they've put up a report of a playtest of the upcoming 'The Trouble With Tribbles' expansion set. Here's how they start their report:
A couple of weekends ago, the intrepid field operatives of the Holographic Tal Shiar Barbering and Engineering Guild from numerous regions throughout two quadrants converged on Central Command Headquarters (aka the Office of Praetor Holland) in Sector 001. Our mission: to investigate the incursion of small, furry alien lifeforms that reproduce at an alarming rate and make strong Klingons hyperventilate. Or to put it another way, to playtest the next expansion, The Trouble with Tribbles. Hip-deep in tribbles and taking appropriate security precautions to keep the pesky critters from consuming our stocks of soda, Ho-Hos, chips, peppermint patties, donuts and pizza, we began building decks.
Look here for the full report, containing lots of info on the set.
Berman Talks New Trek
Christian (6:09 pm CST)
Cinescape has just put up an interview with Star Trek's Executive Producer Rick Berman, in which he talks about internet rumours and the current state of Series V:
"We're very enthusiastic about this new concept. I don't think it's a show that will go on the air any sooner than January or February of 2001 or quite possibly September of 2001, which would mean a year and a half from now," Berman told Norris and Van Vleet. "But I feel this next series, which I'm not prepared to talk about just yet, is going to be a crucial step for the survival of Star Trek. I am not saying this in any way to put down Voyager, which I think is going as well as it ever has. But I think that the survival of the franchise could hinge upon it. It has to be something unique and fresh and it can't be a rehashing of one of the previous series."
Berman's not-so-surprising opinion of internet rumours can be found at Cinescape. They'll be publishing the second part of the interview tomorrow.
'Klingon Academy' Terrain Guide
Christian (6:09 pm CST)
Klingon Academy News has put up a special Klingon Academy Terrain Guide, featuring info on all the spatial phenomena you'll be encountering in Interplay's upcoming space simulator. You can find the guide, which was written by Nightmare, by going here.
Delta Blues 'Collective' Review
And don't even get me started on the science. Anyway. Call it two and a half stars (out of four).
On second thought, call it two stars. Maybe this was TPTB's attempt to appeal to the nurturing side of the audience...but for my money, I'd rather rewatch "Tsunkatse." For those griping about the violence in that episode, I point out that NOBODY DIED last week, but we had a couple of fairly gruesome deaths this time out. I know I'd rather get smacked down in a blue match than humiliated, alienated, and electrocuted....
But maybe that's just me.
Christian (6:09 pm CST)
Jim Wright at Delta Blues has put up his review of last week's new Voyager episode, 'Collective'. As the original analysis was lost in a system crash, the version posted online is somewhat short, but Jim still makes a few interesting points:
All in all, this episode was pretty darned dull. There are good uses of the Borg--but this did nothing for me. There wasn't any real suspense concerning the hostages, and the tiny shock the girl gave Tom Paris got zero follow up. There was pretty much zero relationship commentary from either Paris or Torres; Tom seemed more concerned about Harry. The lead drone annoyed me; I found myself begging the television for them to get it over with and kill him already. It wasn't even all that entertaining or meaningful as demises go.
Read the complete analysis, pluss the usual enourmous synopsis, by going here.
Trek Film Franchise Editorial
Christian (6:08 pm CST)
AntonyF over at Fandom's Star Trek Central has put up a new editorial at his site, dealing with the future of the Star Trek film franchise:
What other franchise has 9 films under its belt and still has life in it? Not many. James Bond is still going strong and shows that a franchise can survive. However James Bond hasn't stayed with the same actors, and neither should the Trek franchise. I know Trek well, and am usually quite good at predicting what's to come. So here's my take on what's going to happen with the Star Trek film franchise. Most of it is personal opinion and not news, so don't take it as the truth. Only time will tell in the end.
In the actual article, Antony looks at a few options for the future Trek films, and also examines how likely it is that each cast member will return for more films.
Happy Birthday!
Christian (6:08 pm CST)
Today is the 32nd birthday of Jeri Ryan, who stars as Seven on Nine on Voyager. It's also the 72nd birthday of Paul Dooley, who appeared on several DS9 episodes as Garak's former mentor, Enabran Tain. And, last but not least, it's of course TrekToday's first birthday :-)!
Today On TV
-On Wednesday in Canada, Space! will be showing DS9's 'Defiant' at 4:00am Eastern Time, the Original Series 'And The Children Shall Lead' at 10:00am and at 4:00pm, and DS9's 'Fascination' at 10:00pm.
-On Wednesday in the United Kingdom, Sky One will be showing Voyager's 'Waking Moments' at 17:00 and at 0:00 GMT, while BBC Two will be showing DS9's 'Change of Heart' at 18:45. Thanks go out to Kathryn Hughes for this!
-On Wednesday in Germany, Sat.1 will be showing Voyager's 'Der Höllenplanet' at 15:00 CET.
-And tonight at 8:00pm (7:00pm Central Time), NBC will be airing an hour-long episode of the sitcom '3rd Rock From The Sun', featuring a guest appearance by William Shatner (James T. Kirk) as Big Giant Head.
Christian (6:08 pm CST)
-On Wednesday in the United States, the Sci-Fi Channel will be showing the Original Series' 'Devil in the Dark' at 4:00pm Eastern Time.
Trek BBS Today
-What did you think about X-Cops, this weekend's episode of the 'X-Files'?
-Was Star Trek: Insurrection unfairly condemned?
-Did you see the surprising news about Harry Kim in yesterday's 'Ashes to Ashes' episode descriptions.
Find more topics at the Trek BBS!
Christian (6:08 pm CST)
Below are some of the topics currently being discussed at the Trek BBS:
Hello World!
Of course, perfectly following Murphy's Law, not everything went as planned for this year's anniversary celebration: as you may have noticed the UGO ad server has been experiencing a few problems over the past few days, and unfortunately my own mail server was also down for a few hours. I also didn't yet manage to put up the updated TrekToday design, but I'm quite confident it'll be up within the next two weeks.
Thanks again to everyone for visiting, and especially to all those people who took the effort over the past year to mail me with news, suggestions, questions or just compliments for the site - TrekToday would never have been able to get as big as it is now without you!
Christian (6:08 pm CST)
Yeehaa! TrekToday is now officially one year old! Exactly a year ago (or at least, a year and about 8 hours ago, as at the beginning TrekToday actually used to be updated around 5:00pm CET) I opened the site, following a week-long test run about a week earlier. Of course, those first days there weren't very many visitors yet - just 19 on the 22nd, 28 on the 23rd, and then, after registering the site at the major Trek search engines and posting an announcement to Usenet, 77 visitors on the 24th and even 205 visitors on the 25th. After that there were of course several other major milestones in the development of the site, such as the opening of the Trek BBS and later the Trek Nation, but no day was quite as exciting as that first day.
| Monday February 21, 2000 |
Christian (8:43 pm CST)
Over at Starbase Armada, they've added two more installments in their series of beta reports. In the first one, they talk about the importance of the crews in the game, while in the second one they deal with the issue of movement in the game. Both reports are accompanied by new screenshots. Click here to read them.
Kes, Voyager's Graduate
Now, the behind-the-scenes rumors about why Jennifer Lien left the show suggest many different scenarios. Was she mad? Did the producers treat her unfairly? I don't know. I doubt people when they tell me they do know. There can be no doubt that bringing Seven on the show boosted the ratings, but that doesn't mean Kes had to leave to make Seven "work."
But ultimately, none of this behind-the-scenes stuff matters anyhow. In many ways, the full gamut of Kes' characterization is both unique to Star Trek and darn good storytelling. It works better, of course, when people on the ship actually mention her name, but they've started doing that recently -- Have you noticed? -- and now that it looks like she's finally going to be remembered properly, it's time to enjoy all she brought us.
Christian (8:42 pm CST)
Julia Houston at About.com's Star Trek Fans has put up a new feature article, looking at the character of Kes:
There's only one character in Voyager's history who fully realized their "potential," and though we might miss her, looking at the range of her character development over the show's early seasons, there may have been no place else for Kes to go but off the ship.
Read more about Kes in the full article.
Cinescape 'Collective' Review
Way back in Star Trek: the Next Generation we met Hugh, a teenaged Borg who had been disconnected. His story was poignant and popular enough that the producers brought him back for an encore, in which we met a whole group of Borg who had become disconnected from the collective. In Voyager, the theme has cropped up again and again -- but just with the appearance of the popular character Seven of Nine but on several other occasions. It's starting to wear very thin.
Christian (8:42 pm CST)
Over at Cinescape, regular Star Trek contributor Michael Marek has put up his review of 'Collective', last week's new Voyager episode. Here's how he starts his review:
The theme of Borg drones disconnected from the Collective has been very popular in Star Trek, but the concept is tarnishing through frequency of use.
Find the full review at Cinescape.
'Ashes To Ashes' UPN Description
Again, this is where you need to click if you do not want to be spoiled.
UPN has put up the official episode description for 'Ashes to Ashes':
Christian (8:42 pm CST)
NOTE: Below you'll find spoilers for 'Ashes to Ashes', an upcoming Voyager episode. Click here to avoid these.
To the shock and disbelief of the crew, their colleague, Ensign Lyndsay Ballard, returns to the Starship after having been killed on a mission long ago. Pursued by her alien Kobali abductors, whose reproductive system is centered on reanimation of the dead, she rekindles her former relationships with Janeway and the crew of the Voyager, hoping to reverse the effects of the alien genes implanted in her system. Her old friendship with Lieutenant Harry Kim ignites and deepens until the moment in his quarters when she realizes the horror and extent of her Kobali genes. Harry's support and affection complicates Ballard's final decision as to whether she will remain human or return to the Kobali homeland with the alien family that loves her.
The first photo from the episode, showing Ensign Ballard, can be found here. 'Ashes to Ashes' airs on the 1st of March.
New Sev Trek Competition
Christian (8:42 pm CST)
John Cook at Sev Trek has put up a new edition of the 'Write Your Own Sev Trek' competition:
Here's what this week's competition deals with:
Beta's bizarre lifeform song.
Submit your punchlines here.
This is one of those weird moments from Sev Trek 7: Degenerations where Beta's emotion chip was malfunctioning (not the only thing that was malfunctioning in that scene, I think). Perhaps the writers were practising for the even more surreal Gilbert and Sullivan singing scene in Sev Trek 9: Indigestion.
'Spirit Folk' Promo Online
Christian (8:41 pm CST)
Actually Mr. Video Productions has had it online for quite a while now, but due to connection problems I haven't been able to put up a mirror until now. Anyway, available now is the official UPN promo of 'Spirit Folk', next Wednesday's Voyager episode, featuring a return to Fair Haven. As usual, the video comes as a 4.0 MB file, with a runtime of 22 seconds. You can download it at Vidiot's site or via our local TrekToday mirror.
Happy Birthday!
Christian (8:41 pm CST)
Today is the 63rd birthday of Gary Lockwood, who appeared in the second TOS pilot as Gary Mitchell. It's also the 45th birthday of Kelsey Grammer, star of 'Frasier' and long-time Star Trek fan, who appeared in TNG's 'Cause and Effect' as Captain Morgan Bateson. A long-time rumour holds that he also provided a voice-over as Captain Bateson for 'Star Trek: First Contact'.
Today On TV
-On Tuesday in Canada, Space! will be showing DS9's 'Meridian' at 4:00am Eastern Time, the Original Series' 'The Enterprise Incident' at 10:00am and at 4:00pm, and DS9's 'Defiant' at 10:00pm.
-On Tuesday in the United Kingdom, Sky One will be showing Voyager's 'Mortal Coil' at 17:00 and at 0:00 GMT. Thanks go out to Kathryn Hughes for this!
-On Tuesday in Germany, Sat.1 will be showing Voyager's 'Die Raumverzerrung' at 15:00 CET.
Christian (8:41 pm CST)
-On Tuesday in the United States, the Sci-Fi Channel will be showing the Original Series' 'This Side Of Paradise' at 4:00pm Eastern Time.
Trek BBS Today
-How would you feel about someone you knew being shot out of a torpedo tube, instead of getting a proper burial?
-Take a look at some schematics of the timeship Relativity.
Find more topics at the Trek BBS!
Christian (8:41 pm CST)
Here are some of the topics currently being discussed at the Trek BBS:
Hello World!
Christian (8:41 pm CST)
Just one more day before the official first anniversary of TrekToday. I still remember the night before I actually opened TrekToday, when I was really nervous if the site would have any chance of succeeding at all - I knew I wanted to read daily Trek news, but would anyone else also be interested in that? About a million visitors later, it seems that I wasn't the only one who was interested :-). Thanks again for your support, everyone!
| Sunday February 20, 2000 |
Christian (6:20 pm CST)
Christopher Howell at the Great Link has put up an interview with Robert Picardo, who stars n 'Voyager' as the Holodoc. The interview first appeared in the March 2000 edition of the Star Trek Monthly Magazine. Here's a short quote from the interview, in which Picardo talks about being recognised:
"I get that reaction still from The Wonder Years, because that plays a lot in re-runs. And then, curiously, I will get recognised for being in Innerspace, and they have no idea about any other credit I have, but I get recognised for playing the Cowboy. So that's another one that always strikes me as just being bizarre."
Although the role of the Doctor on Star Trek: Voyager is Picardo's highest-profile character turn to date, he's still recognised by fans for these earlier roles : "I went to [the Netherlands] about two-and-a- half weeks ago to open the STAR TREK: Federation Science museum exhibit in Rotterdam, I was in line, waiting to change money at the airport and there was this little hubbub when they saw me. A gentlemen said, 'You are the doctor... on China Beach!' And I said, 'Yes, I am.' And he said [indicating a woman near him], 'Oh, she didn't believe me. She thought you were just the man who trained us here 10 years ago.' Everyone thinks I'm somebody they know, but [these two] had no idea that I had done anything other than play the doctor on China Beach."
Find the full interview by following this link.
'Armada' Beta Report Starts
Christian (6:19 pm CST)
Starbase Armada has started it series of reports about the beta test program of 'Star Trek: Armada', Activision's upcoming real-time strategy game. Over the course of the next few weeks, they'll be providing detailed new info about the game's gameplay, but for now they've already put up a description of the various intro movies. Click here to go to the report.
Bryan Fuller Interview
As for those crewman who were Maquis rebels, including Chakotay (Robert Beltran), Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill), Fuller figures that they'll get off with reprimands. After all, they were ultimately right about the Cardassian threat and they helped Janeway and the others survive their adventures in the Delta Quadrant.
"It would be nice to bring them all back with enough time to develop the effects of getting home," Fuller concludes. "And then I'd like to send them all out on another wonderful journey."
Christian (6:19 pm CST)
The Great Link has put up an interview with Voyager staff writer Bryan Fuller, which first appeared in issue #258 of Starburst Magazine. In the interview, Fuller talks about how he managed to keep this job for so long, his favourite episodes and story edits, while he also mentions what he thinks will be happening when Voyager finally gets home:
Fuller's phone has buzzed several times during this conversation and it does so again now. This time, Fuller groans audibly. He's got to head into a meeting. And so the discussion ends with a few quick thoughts about the end of Voyager, about whether or not the ship should be brought home. Fuller points out that if the ship got home, Janeway would probably not be disciplined, as she managed to bring two crews together and keep them together for seven years.
Click here for the full interview.
Voyager Episode Schedule Updated
Christian (6:19 pm CST)
Though delayed by a massive server crash (which apparently wiped out all the updates over the past two weeks at the site), David Henderson at Psi Phi has updated his Voyager episode schedule. The schedule contains confirmed airdates until the 12th of April, when UPN will be showing 'Equinox' and 'Equinox, Part Two'.
European Trek DVD News
Christian (6:19 pm CST)
According to the British DVD Reviewer, Star Trek DVDs will finally be made available in Region 2 (Europe), as Paramount Home Video is reportedly planning a Star Trek boxed set in April. In other DVD news, DS9 is currently at #7 on the 'Most Wanted' list of the DVD Times, selected by readers. Thanks go out to the Great Link for these two items!
Cynical 'Collective' Review
CONTRIVANCE OF THE WEEK: All of the Borg cube's devices are failing and/or being used incorrectly by the brats, except for the masking gizmo that hides the cube from the Delta Fryer until the shocking "Borg cube through the windshield scene" in the teaser can be completed. Any reason why that device isn't standard issue on all Borg cubes?
Christian (6:19 pm CST)
David E. Sluss at the Cynics Corner has put up his review of 'Collective', last week's new Voyager episode. Here are two of his comments from the review:
MISSED OPPORTUNITY OF THE WEEK: It's not clear what happened to the cube in the end; you'd have to hope that Janeway wouldn't just leave it floating around. But did Voyager's crew attempt to salvage anything, like transwarp coils? A mention in Janeway's closing log entry might have been appropriate. I can accept that nothing functional was found on the cube, but I can't accept that no one even looked, not when Janeway was willing to steal tech from a populated cube in "Dark Frontier."
In the full review, the episode is awarded a 5.0.
Poll Results
Christian (6:18 pm CST)
Below are the results of the most recent TrekToday poll, in which you were asked what you thought about Voyager's 'Collective':
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Thanks for voting, and please also participate in our new poll, asking you when you first visited TrekToday.
Today On TV
-On Monday in Canada, Space! will be showing the Original Series' 'The Apple' at 10:00am and at 4:00pm Eastern Time, and DS9's 'The Maquis, Part One' at 10:15pm.
-On Monday in the United Kingdom, Sky One will be showing Voyager's 'Concerning Flight' at 17:00 and at 0:00 GMT, and DS9's 'Strange Bedfellows' at 20:00. Thanks go out to Kathryn Hughes for this!
-On Monday in Germany, Sat.1 will be showing Voyager's 'Der Zeitstrom' at 15:00 CET.
Christian (6:18 pm CST)
-On Monday in the United States, the Sci-Fi Channel will be showing a Star Trek Chain Reaction, beginning at 9:00am Eastern Time with 'Balance of Terror' and ending at 6:00pm with 'Errand of Mercy'.
Trek BBS Today
-What day of the week is your Star Trek day?
-How do you think the upcoming Voyager episode 'Spirit Folk' will turn out?
Find more topics at the Trek BBS!
Christian (6:18 pm CST)
Here are some of the topics being discussed at the Trek BBS today:
Hello World!
Christian (6:18 pm CST)
Apologies for not getting a mirror of the 'Spirit Folk' promo up yet - my net connection has been really slow over the past few days, so I haven't yet been able to download it and transfer it to the site.
| Saturday February 19, 2000 |
Christian (7:21 pm CST)
After already featuring an appearance by Voyager and Wesley Crusher a few weeks ago, the daily online comic strip Down To Earth once again deals with the adventures of everyone's favourite ensign, Wesley Crusher. This time, the Enterprise and the Next Generation crew are also featured in the cartoons, which you can find here.
Roddenberry Jr. Talks 'Andromeda'
Having spent more time with the people involved and reading the material released thus far, I am very pleased with the direction the series is going. I feel strongly that it will be a great sci-fi action series that promotes interest and thought.
Christian (7:20 pm CST)
A few months ago, Eugene W. Roddenberry did not react very enthusiastic in an interview about 'Andromeda', the new series based on his father's notes and headed by former DS9 writer Robert Hewitt Wolfe. Now, SyFy World has posted an email from Roddenberry Jr., in which he explains this reaction:
[For] the most part, the rumor that I am disappointed is false. Being so emotionally involved in these series simply causes me to have great concern when someone else is running the show. It's defensive, almost like an involuntary response.
You can visit SyFy World by going here.
'Armada' Borg Collective Page
Christian (7:20 pm CST)
Over at the official 'Star Trek: Armada' game site, they've put up a page with info about the Borg Collective, including a first look at many of their ships and weapons. Some of their units look really great, such as the obvious 'Assimilator', but also the Borg's apparent ability to use Nanites. The info page can be found here.
Struycken On Dutch Television
Christian (7:20 pm CST)
According to the Dutch free newspaper Sp!ts, Carel Struycken, who appeared as Lwaxana Troi's assistant Mr. Homm on several episodes of 'The Next Generation', has just signed a contract to appear as host of a popular science program on Dutch television. The show he'll be hosting is called 'Space Bar', 13 episodes of which will be aired by the television association BNN. Thanks go out to Dick de Jager for this!
New Sev Trek Cartoon
Christian (7:19 pm CST)
Roddenberry Assistant Launches Site
The serialized, online book will be published in twice-monthly installments. There is no charge for the first several installments; to read the entire book, fans will be able to purchase a membership/subscription. It will take nearly a year for all 24 chapters, or "Log Entries," to be posted. Paid members will also be able to "Email Susan" and receive a personal response.
Christian (7:19 pm CST)
TrekWeb is reporting about a new site opened by Susan Sackett, former assistant to Gene Roddenberry, which will be centered around her personal memoirs from her years working with Roddenberry. Here's part of the press release received by TrekWeb:
Ms. Sackett served as Gene Roddenberry's personal assistant from 1974 until his death in 1991. During their years together, these two dynamic people developed an intimate and loving relationship. "Inside Trek" will be an interactive, online book recounting their experiences during those years. Set against the giltz and glamour of Hollywood of the '70s and '80s, "Inside Trek" covers the struggles to get the "Star Trek" movie launched, as well as the development of the highly popular series, "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Her journal will relate the many joys and sorrows the two shared, including never-before-revealed stories from behind the scenes at "Star Trek." Imbedded in the text will be hundreds of clickable photos, links and tidbits of information.
Read more in the full article, or just visit the new site itself.
Upcoming Naomi Wildman Episodes
Christian (7:18 pm CST)
The Official Scarlett Pomers Homepage is reporting that Scarlett Pomers (Naomi Wildman) will be appearing in at least three more 'Voyager' episodes this season: the two Borg episodes 'Ashes To Ashes' and 'Child's Play', and the episode featuring the return of Kes, 'Fury'. The site has also launched its massive Spring giveaway, offering you the chance to win several great prizes.
Starfleet Command Bonus Missions
Christian (7:18 pm CST)
IGN PC, they've put up two sets of new missions for 'Starfleet Command', Interplay's recent strategy game. The sets come as 700K zip files, and offfer you three new Romulan or seven new Hydran Elite missions. Click here to download them. Thanks go out to Evil Avatar for the link!
SciFi.Com Interviews Takei
Takei: I do a guest appearance on [the video game] Klingon Academy. There's also an SF genre feature film called Overload, with a very interesting cast. ...[Leave It to Beaver star Tony] Dow is directing it, and [Babylon 5 star] Bill Mumy has co-written the script. ... I'm also very active in the non-profit arena as well. I'm serving as chairman of the board of the Japanese American National Museum. ... I'm also serving as a commissioner on the Japan-U.S. Commission, appointed by President Clinton, which will be taking me to Tokyo in June.
Christian (7:18 pm CST)
Over at SciFi.com, the official web site of the Sci-Fi Channel, Patrick Lee has put up an interview with George Takei (Hikaru Sulu). The interview appears to be a fleshed-out version of several recent articles on the Sci-Fi Wire, but it does include a few new questions, including this one:
Are you working on any other SF or Trek projects?
For the full interview, follow this link.
Today On TV
-On Sunday in Canada, Space! will be showing the Original Series' 'Elaan Of Troyius' at 10:00am Eastern Time.
-On Sunday in the United Kingdom, Sky One will be showing DS9's 'Life Support' at 16:00 GMT, followed an hour later by Voyager's 'Random Thoughts'. At 18:45, BBC Two will be showing Voyager's 'Once Upon A Time'.
-The Sat.1 web site appears to be inaccessible at the moment, so there won't be any German TV data today.
-On Sunday here in The Netherlands, RTL 5 will be showing DS9's 'The Quickening' at 17:50 CET.
-On Sunday in Belgium, Kanaal 2 will be showing DS9's 'In The Cards' at 18:05 CET. Thanks go out to StarTrek.nl for this!
Christian (7:17 pm CST)
-On Sunday in the United States, the Sci-Fi Channel will be showing the Original Series episode 'A Taste Of Armageddon' at 11:00am Eastern Time.
Trek BBS Today
-What do you think about yesterday's IGN report about the new series?
-Wasn't the idea of self-replicating mines on DS9 simply ridiculous?
Find more topics at the Trek BBS!
Christian (7:17 pm CST)
Below are some of the topics currently being discussed at the Trek BBS:
Hello World!
Christian (7:16 pm CST)
Public Announcement: This weekend, UGO are performing some service on their ad servers, so if the ads at the top of the page don't load you know the reason. According to the mail they sent out to all their affiliates there shouldn't be any disruptions of ad service, but I thought I'd warn you just in case.
| Friday February 18, 2000 |
Christian (8:07 pm CST)
IGN Sci-Fi has put up a news report which, if true, would mean big news:
Today, reliable reports indicate Paramount has finally zeroed in on the prequel series. Whether or not this series will employ younger versions of characters established in the original series is still unknown, although sources characterize the notion of younger Spock and Co. as "dubious".
The full article on this can be found here. Interestingly, it was written by Glen Oliver, who used to run Ain't It Cool's Coaxial News until a few months ago, which is also the reason I'm reporting about it here. Still, remember that this should still not be considered as anything more than a rumour. Keep in mind that this isn't the first time a Series V concept has been reported to be approved - even Brannon Braga was claiming that months ago, though in the end he appeared to have spoken too soon. Again, hopefully Paramount will put out an official announcement about the new series soon.
Marc Wade Leaves Continuum
Christian (8:06 pm CST)
Following the departure of Guy Vardaman a while ago, Supervising Producer Marc Wade has now also left the staff of the official Star Trek Continuum. Wade has been working on online Star Trek projects more than almost anyone else in the world, according to the farewell article:
Marc came to Paramount from Apple and joined a fledgling unit called the Paramount Media Kitchen in Palo Alto, California. While in Northern California, Marc was a key player in the group that was responsible for creating the first Web site to tie in with a new movie release - "Star Trek Generations." Marc was also instrumental in developing a Web site for what was then a brand new Star Trek show - Star Trek: Voyager.
You can read more in the full farewell message at the Continuum.
Space.com 'Collective' Review
Christian (8:06 pm CST)
Kenneth Silber at Space Imagined has put up his review of 'Collective', Voyager's most recent episode. As usual, the review is split up in a short summary, quotable moments, 'dangling plot threads', and an analysis:
"Collective" is a surprisingly absorbing episode, considering that Borg-related themes have been repeatedly explored on Voyager. The turmoil of adolescence injects a volatile element into the now-familiar psychodrama of post-Borg life, and Seven growing into her maternal responsibilities will be interesting to observe.
Read on here.
Brent Spiner Project Info
But the big news is that he's in talks with various Internet companies for a deal that would make use of his technological persona from Trek in the Net world, reports his manager, Bryan Zuriff. Seems like an ideal fit for a yellow-eyed android! Stay tuned for that news. And for any wedding announcement, since that has yet to transpire.
Christian (8:06 pm CST)
Today's edition of the USA Today includes a short column by Jeannie Williams, in which she answers reader questions about the world of entertainment. Today, a reader asked her if Brent Spiner (Data) had any projects lined up after 'Gepetto', and if he had finally married his longtime girlfriend Loree McBride. Here's what Williams answered:
Yes, Star Trek's Lt. Cmdr. Data indeed is in the Geppetto cast, along with Drew Carey and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. That's due May 7 on ABC. He also has signed for a project directed by Martha Coolidge. And I hope you didn't miss him last year in Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (for which Halle Berry won an Emmy); he was excellent as her longtime agent.
Click here for the original column.
Takei Ready For 'Excelsior'
Nor has Takei held any official talks with Paramount or Rick Berman and Brannon Braga, executive producers of Star Trek: Voyager, the only Trek series currently in production. "It's always [only] after the fans have accomplished their goal that they get in touch with us [actors]," Takei said.
Christian (8:05 pm CST)
Surprise, surprise! George Takei (Hikaru Sulu) mentioned in an interview with the Sci-Fi Wire that he'd be willing to take on the role of Captain Sulu in a 'Star Trek: Excelsior' series, should Paramount actually be convinced by the new fan campaign:
Takei added that he has been contacted by and supports the fans who are organizing a worldwide demonstration April 22 to persuade Paramount Studios to base a new Trek series on the exploits of Capt. Sulu and his starship, the U.S.S. Excelsior. But Takei said he's not active in the effort.
Still, according to Takei the series would have a definite chance of succeeding, as you can read in the full article. Thanks go out to Elaine Butler and Kai Alexis Price for this!
'Secret Agent Man' UPN Premiere
Christian (8:05 pm CST)
AnotherUniverse's Daily Buzz is reporting that UPN will be premiering 'Secret Agent Man', the television show originally scheduled for a Fall 2000 debut, on Tuesday the 7th of March, at 8:00pm. Two weeks later, the new 'The Beat' cop show will launch in the 9:00pm time slot.
Poll Results
Christian (8:04 pm CST)
Below you'll find the results of our most recent TrekToday poll, asking which of the last five Voyager episodes you liked best:
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To compare, here are the average TrekToday poll ratings these 5 episodes scored when they first aired:
- 'Fair Haven' - 6.09
- 'Blink of an Eye' - 8.50
- 'Virtuoso' - 6.59
- 'Memorial' - 7.61
- 'Tsunkatse' - 6.75
The big winner of the poll is clearly 'Blink of an Eye', gaining nearly 50% of all the votes. When comparing the episode ratings over the year, this episode ranks as the third best episode so far, just below 'Pathfinder' (8.61) and 'One Small Step' (8.58). Unfortunately, none of the other recent episodes appeared to be real winners, as 'Memorial' only occupies a shared 8th place in the year's top-15, and 'Fair Haven' and 'Virtuoso' actually got the worst fan ratings of the season so far. Lastly, 'Tsunkatse' didn't fare much better, occupying a fairly bad 11th place.
In other statistics, the news is equally bad, as the average rating for these five episodes was just a 7.11, compared to a 7.58 for the first five and a 7.82 for the second five episodes. After Voyager's great start this year, the quality of the episodes seems to have taken a major turn for the worse - hopefully the show will do better in the final ten episodes of the season.
Today On TV
-On Saturday in the United Kingdom, Sky One will be showing DS9's 'Past Tense, Part Two' at 16:00 GMT, followed an hour later by Voyager's 'Year Of Hell, Part Two'. Thanks go out to Kathryn Hughes for this!
-On Saturday in Germany, Sat.1 will be showing the Original Series' 'Der alte Traum' (What Are Little Girls Made Of?) at 14:00 CET, and DS9's 'Ein Unglück kommt selten allein' at 16:00 CET.
-On Saturday here in The Netherlands, the AVRO on Nederland 1 will be showing Voyager's 'Riddles' at 18:09 CET. Thanks go out to StarTrek.nl for this!
Christian (8:03 pm CST)
-On Saturday in Canada, Space! will be showing DS9's 'Civil Defense' at 4:45am Eastern Time and the Original Series' 'Spectre of the Gun' at 10:00am.
Trek BBS Today
-What is your favourite planet or ship ever seen on Star Trek?
-Which one of the three TNG movies did you like best?
More topics can be found at the Trek BBS!
Christian (8:03 pm CST)
Below are some of the current Trek BBS threads:
Hello World!
Christian (8:02 pm CST)
Short update, again. Will make up for it tomorrow, again. Sigh. Again.
| Thursday February 17, 2000 |
Christian (7:54 pm CST)
Federation HQ is reporting that Interplay's 'Klingon Academy' demo, originally scheduled for yesterday, has been pushed back a few days due to a few last-minute bugs the development team found. On the official Klingon Academy forum, developer Ron Hodge just posted a message explaining the reasons for the delay:
Now, I'm gonna break the situation down for you. During testing today we discovered a repeatable crash and a couple of mission breaking bugs-the kinds of bugs that you don't want to release in your product, at least if you want to build consumer interest in it. We are getting another executable tonight and we will be spending another couple of days testing it. Such are the vagaries of software development, and it cannot be avoided.
A more extensive explanation can be found in the full post.
'Tsunkatse' Final Ratings
Christian (7:49 pm CST)
As was to be expected, last week's 'Tsunkatse' scored a pretty high national rating, according to Greg Fuller's report at the Star Trek Nielsen Ratings Information Database:
"Tsunkatse" gave Voyager an excellent jump on February sweeps, taking a season-high 4.1 rating, 6 share. That's Voyager's highest mark this year and best performance overall since "Dark Frontier" last February. "Tsunkatse" was up from last week's 3.8 mark set by "Memorial" and up from last year's performance from "Gravity," a 4.0/6. Excluding "Dark Frontier," "Tsunkatse" was Voyager's brightest spot since early December, 1998.
Timeslot competition info can be found in the full report.
First Wildstorm TOS Comic
Christian (7:48 pm CST)
The official Star Trek Continuum is reporting that Wildstorm has just released a new Prestige Format comic called 'Star Trek: All of Me', the first TOS comic published by Wildstorm. Here's a short summary of the comic's story:
In "Star Trek: All of Me," the Starship Enterprise is assigned to guard the universe-spanning invention of Armand St. John, an egomaniacal acquaintance of Spock's from his Academy days. St. John long has believed that only Spock even approaches his own brilliance and is eager to demonstrate his masterpiece to the First Officer. But Spock soon realizes that the potential of the invention (designed to seek individuals from alternate universes and draw them to our own) is far outstripped by its risks. "Star Trek: All of Me" will be in comic shops on February 23.
The original article can be found by following this link.
Full Starburst Frakes Interview
Christian (7:48 pm CST)
Nikolas Haynes at Trek Galaxy sends along word he's put up the full version of the Starburst interview with Jonathan Frakes (William T. Riker) mentioned yesterday. In the interview, Frakes also talks a bit about Trek's future:
In a moment, Frakes will have to race into his office for a meeting, so the conversation turns briefly to Star Trek. And it does so briefly not just because Frakes's time is short, but also because there's precious little Trek for Frakes to discuss. He has made it clear that he's open to directing Star Trek X if it ever comes to pass, but that he'd prefer to helm a non-genre film beforehand, lest he forever be labeled a genre director. Given his busy slate of self-generated projects, it's also unlikely that Frakes will be directing episodes of Voyager any time soon. Frakes, however, knows that he owes much of his current success to Star Trek. And, as a result, he remains deeply loyal to the franchise, to Trek boss Rick Berman and to the fans that are supporting him as he jumps from one project to the next. "I've heard 2001 for the next series and next film, if Paramount gives Rick [Berman] the OK," Frakes concludes. "I think a year off, without a Star Trek series, would make the audience hungry for more. Don't you? I thought they might have gone to the well once too often when they had Deep Space Nine, Voyager and The Next Generation films all going at once. A break could be a good thing. That would also create more excitement for the next movie, whatever it is."
Find more in the full interview.
Spahn On Local UPN Station He described the first day of work as very difficult. He was accompanied by his Uncle who is a very big "Star Trek" fan and provided his nephew with several episodes of "Star Trek". After having studied the Borg, Ryan Spahn was surprised to learn that he wasn't suppose to play the typical monosyllabic emotionless drone. When speaking about his future in Hollywood, he mentioned that a single roll isn't going to secure his future in the business but 'it all helps'. He's currently in Hollywood searching for other career opportunities because it is 'pilot season'.
In addition, the news program reported from a large party at a local restaurant in which many of Spahn's family and friends, including his uncle, were dressed up in costumes and makeup and watching the episode and news report on a big screen.
Christian (7:48 pm CST)
BORG just sent in the below report, dealing with an appearance by Ryan Spahn (from 'Collective') on the local UPN affiliate in Detroit:
Ryan Spahn, the brown wavy haired 19 year old actor who played the adolescent Borg who assumed the command roll of the collective in "Collective" was featured on the 10 O'clock UPN 50 news here in Detroit Michigan because he is a native. The report featured a brief interview with the actor who spoke about the costume and his future in Hollywood. He mentioned how the costume simultaneously pulled down on his shoulders while pushing up from his abdomen. And everytime he tried to sit down, something would rip.
The official web site of the television station can be found here. Major thanks go out to BORG for sending this in!
Jeri Ryan Chat Transcript
TVG Jeri: Hi Guys. It's actually basically a cameo in the movie. It's just a few scenes with Bruce WIllis and one with Larry King. I've only shot one day on it so far. I go back next month to finish up.That's about all I've had time for during the shooting season.
Question: Ms Ryan: How do you feel about the likelihood that Voyager will be brought back to the Alpha quadrant at the end of this season or early next? How will Seven adapt?
TVG Jeri: Someone obviously has more info than I do. I don't know that we're getting back to the Alpha quadrant. I think it would be great. The producers are interested for a while now, but the studio is putting the brakes on getting us home. I love to see it happen sometime before the series finally. I'd want to see what happens to Seven and undoubtedly see how her relatives on Earth would react to her and what would she do with herself.
Christian (7:47 pm CST)
Over at the official Jeri Lynn Ryan Homepage, they've put up the transcript of yesterday's AOL chat with Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine). Here are two of the most interesting questions from the chat:
Question: Hi, Jeri. This is Greg and Angela with your official fan club/homepage. Can you tell us more about The Kid?
It's interesting to hear that it's actually the studio that's preventing Voyager from coming home, and not the producers. Anyway, click here for the full transcript, which I was pointed to by Gustavo Leao.
'Collective' Tube Review
Christian (7:47 pm CST)
Over at Eon Magazine's Tube Reviews, Jeff Bond has uploaded his review of 'Collective', yesterday's new Voyager episode. Awarding it a C, Bond wasn't too happy with the episode:
Ah, STAR TREK and kids...they go together like, uh, matter and anti-matter. Ever since the fifth year of TNG, TREK has been tempted by the appeal of adorable moppets, something the original series wisely kept to a mere two episodes out of 79 ("Miri" and "And the Children Shall Lead"). Unfortunately, while it's wise to acknowledge that youngsters do have a place in the STAR TREK universe, using them for easy sympathy and taking advantage of their irrepressible cuteness can only lead to disaster...or at least annoyance. "Collective" seems to be skirmish number ten or so in TREK's strange campaign to demystify and declaw the once mighty and terrifying Borg.
The full review can be read by following this link.
'Armada' Designer Diary
Christian (7:47 pm CST)
Computer Games Online has posted the second installment in a series of 'Star Trek: Armada' development diaries, written by the game's Lead Programmer Ian Davis. In the diary, he mentions that the game is actually pretty close to being finished:
With less than a month left, we're still busy as hell, but the accomplishments dwarf the tasks left. I've had the rare opportunity to play the game a fair amount in the last two weeks while testing AI in multi-player games, so I have some perspective on the game, and I can tell you that I can't wait to finish writing this so I can go force Matthew Nordhaus to take his Borg-ass ships out of my Federation neighborhood in a multiplayer game. Of course, the AI Klingons might just mop up the galaxy with the both of us.
Click here for the full diary. In related news, the game's official site has put up a 640*480 version of the game's trailer. Thanks go out to Blue for this!
Mania 'Collective' Review
Instead we have Momma Janeway, Sweetheart B'Elanna, and now Nanny Seven. Forgive me, but watching her with the Borg kids, all I could think about was Babysitter Barbie, who comes with a cute little baby doll but wears outfits about as appropriate for watching kids as Seven's is for fixing warp conduits. The emerging arc with the kids may add a new dimension to her character, but must the writers confine all women into nurturing roles? No matter how sick I was of the all-powerful Seven of Nine who saved the ship every week, I've never wanted to see her give it up to raise babies.
Christian (7:47 pm CST)
Michelle Erica Green at AnotherUniverse's Mania Magazine has put up a new edition of her Hailing Frequencies column, also featuring a review of yesterday's 'Collective'. Here's how she starts her review:
One of the oft-heard criticisms about the women of The Next Generation is that, once Tasha Yar was killed off, all the major female characters were defined primarily as nurturers. Troi and Crusher had their moments of strength, but to a large degree they were limited by their sensitive, coddling, maternal roles. When Voyager came on the air, Kes was the only female in such a position; ironically, I feared that with her loss, all the women would become stereotypes of tough gals, with the rigid Captain, the angry Klingon, and the stronger-than-steel Borg overwhelming the Samantha Wildmans of the 24th century.
The full column also contains a 'Collective' summary, a review of last year's 'Double Helix' novel series, and several assorted Trek news bits.
'X-Men' Trailer Released
Christian (7:46 pm CST)
During yesterday's edition of Entertainment Tonight, the trailer of the upcoming 'X-Men' film was finally shown. At the same time, two versions of the trailer were posted on the official web site. Of course, the trailer includes lots of shots showing Patrick Stewart (Jean-Luc Picard), who stars in the film as Professor X. You can find the trailer at the official site, or read a summary on Cinescape.
Starfleet Command Wins EA Award
Christian (7:46 pm CST)
The people at gaming site Evil Avatar just announced their 1999 Game of the Year awards, and Interplay's 'Starfleet Command' was chosen as the year's best strategy game:
Now here's a surprise! The first good Star Trek computer game in one long-ass time! And good enough to snatch our first award for Strategy Game of the Year, to boot! What with all the recent flops being Next Generation era crappola, it was a double bonus that this game focused on the good old Kirk and Spock days, when diplomacy via Phaser fire was the order of the day (you younger punks are probably laughing, but Kirk and Spock would mop the floor with the likes of Picard and Riker, Sisko and Kira, or Janeway and Chakotay, so don't push us!).
Click here for the full list.
Stewart Hosts Windows 2000 Launch
Christian (7:46 pm CST)
During the official product launch of Microsoft's new Windows 2000 operating system, Patrick Stewart (Jean-Luc Picard) apparently appeared to co-host the event, along with Microsoft chairman Bill Gates. Stewart acted out several short comedy skits, some of them consisting of interplays between Stewart and Gates. A report on the launch by Reuters can be read here, while a webcast of the actual event can be found here. Thanks go out to Jose Gonzalez for this!
UPN Dumps 'Dilbert'
Christian (7:46 pm CST)
Michael Schneider and Josef Adalian at Variety have written an article about several program cancellations by the WB and UPN. UPN has apparently decided to cancel the animated 'Dilbert' series:
As for ``Dilbert,'' UPN recently announced plans to put the show on hiatus next month to make room for new cop drama ``The Beat,'' leaving open the possibility that the toon would return at a later date. ``Dilbert'' may still return for a summer run, but UPN is no longer expected to order additional episodes of the show, essentially killing it.
More on the WB's program purges can be found here. Thanks go out to Jeff 'Koganuts' Koga for the link!
Decent 'Collective' Overnight Ratings
Christian (7:46 pm CST)
Greg Fuller at the Star Trek Nielsen Ratings Information Database just put up the Overnight Ratings report for yesterday's 'Collective'. Though the episode didn't perform as well as 'Tsunkatse', it still achieved some pretty good ratings:
"Collective" earned a respectable mark for Voyager, logging a 4.8 rating, 7 share. That's significantly down from last week's show (either reported rating), but still above the ratings Voyager was turning in before sweeps began.
Click here for the full report.
Happy Birthday!
Christian (7:46 pm CST)
Today is the 33rd birthday of Michelle Forbes, who appeared several times on 'The Next Generation' as the Bajoran Ensign Ro Laren.
Today On TV
-On Friday in Canada, Space! will be showing DS9's 'The Abandoned' at 4:00am Eastern Time, the Original Series' 'Assignment: Earth' at 10:00am and 4:00pm, and DS9's 'Civil Defense' at 10:00pm.
-On Friday in the United Kingdom, Sky One will be showing Voyager's 'Year Of Hell, Part One' at 17:00 GMT. Thanks go out to Kathryn Hughes for this!
-On Friday in Germany, Sat.1 will be showing Voyager's 'Elogium' at 15:00 CET.
Christian (7:45 pm CST)
-On Friday in the United States, the Sci-Fi Channel will be showing the Original Series episode 'Space Seed' at 4:00pm Eastern Time.
Trek BBS Today
-Here's the first 'Collective' spoiler thread from nearly a week ago, as well as a more recent review thread. Lastly, here's a little nitpick of the episode.
-What are some of your favourite canceled television shows?
More topics can be found at the Trek BBS!
Christian (7:45 pm CST)
Below you'll find some of the topics currently being discussed at the Trek BBS:
Hello World!
Grumble of the Day: Remember me talking about winning my first game of 'Colonists of Catan' a few days ago when a friend had just taught me the game? Well, e played again. I lost. And I had a bet I'd post a public congratulation if that friend won. So here it is. Grumble.
Christian (7:45 pm CST)
Today I crossed the line. As of this afternoon, 16:26 CET, I have no other choice but to think of myself as a geek. At that time, I was working on the new server, and wanted to visit the TrekToday site, so I typed in the site's IP number. It was only after reaching the site that I realised that, for the first time, I actually knew my own IP number by heart. I wonder what's next... maybe a month from now I'll actually be typing this in Linux or FreeBSD or another such obscure operating system. (Hmmm... I wonder what the fact that I even know those operating systems exist says about me)
| Wednesday February 16, 2000 |
Christian (6:56 pm CST)
Michelle Erica Green has put up a fascinating interview with Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, in which she talks about her producer job on 'Earth: Final Conflict' and the upcoming 'Andromeda' series, as well as her thoughts on the current state of Star Trek. The interview contains some very interesting new information about 'Andromeda':
[...]
The series, continues Barrett, "totally lends itself to excitement. The ship is a very strange ship - it's alive - so one of the most important characters is going to be the character of Andromeda. There will be an actor involved who might look like a hologram; we're not sure exactly how she's going to look but she will definitely be there. That's the way Gene wrote it, and we're finding out that it's an awful lot of fun to work with."
The premise? "It's getting back to the Commonwealth," Barrett explains. "The Commonwealth was a beautiful organization of worlds 300 years ago, when the captain went to sleep. Now that he has woken up, there is no Commonwealth - it's been rent asunder. So his goal is to put the Commonwealth back into good shape again, to make sure that all of the galaxies can have a central point to operate from. We'll be meeting a lot of strange people, a lot of strange animals. We've got some really wild characters!"
Barrett describes the series as action-adventure about a starship captain who has had one of the biggest, most powerful ships in the universe. "But he's been in a long sleep - a three hundred year sleep. He's a real Rip Van Winkle, because he slipped into a slipstream that held him for 300 years. He comes back to life through this group of mercenaries who get on board and think it's plunder, and they find out, uh-oh, we just woke up the sleeping giant!"
In the full interview, Barrett also talks about the recent Series V report (which she apparently also just heard as rumours), and how she feels about the future of the Trek franchise.
Jammer's 'Tsunkatse' Review
All things considered, "Tsunkatse" is surprisingly okay. I'm hardly thrilled with it, but as an hour of lightweight entertainment, it fares reasonably and is not quite as dumb as the trailers make it look. It's average fare--a workable mix of lowbrow action-violence exploitation and middlebrow (if way-too-familiar) themes on violence.
Christian (6:56 pm CST)
Jamahl Epsicokhan at Star Trek: Hypertext has put up his review of 'Tsunkatse', last week's new Voyager episode. Here's how he starts his review:
When you have an episode that comes billed by its trailers as "America's Smackdown Hero takes on Voyager's Battlestar Babe," let's just say that one doesn't exactly go in with the highest of expectations. I'll be honest: I was expecting this episode to be a cynical ratings-stunt disaster. (And besides, with this episode having aired the same week as Homicide: The Movie, how can I honestly say I cared about what Voyager was up to?)
In the full review, the episode is awarded 2.5 out of 4 stars.
Julia Houston's Wishes Come True
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not so far gone as a fan that I think Star Trek is reading my mind -- let alone my articles -- and I certainly had no intentions of making predictions. But one of the best things about loving a show is having hopes about what might happen in the future, and one of the even better things is noticing when some of those hopes are coincidentally realized. Besides, maybe some of my hopes have matched some of yours, so why not celebrate together?
Christian (6:56 pm CST)
Over at About.com's Star Trek Fans, Julia Houston has put up a new featured article, praising Voyager for making many of the fans' long-time wishes come true this season:
Last week, to my surprise, my over-two-years-old article on Seven of Nine was featured in About.com's newsletter. In the article, I praise Seven's character, but complain that the show pushes her at us too insistently as an object of sexual beauty instead of a personality-driven character. When I reread the article last week, I realized that I haven't felt that way about Seven in quite a while, and I started wondering what other complaints and wishes I've had about Voyager have either become obsolete or come true in Season Six.
Click here for the full article.
Berman On Series V
Christian (6:56 pm CST)
Section 31 just posted an excerpt from issue #127 of the official Star Trek Communicator, which featured a short interview with Trek's Executive Producer Rick Berman. When asked if the new series would be set on a starship, Berman responded: "One could make a pretty safe bet that the show would take place on a starship." Furthermore, he mentioned that they should know if the 'one and only' Series V concept has been approved within 4-6 weeks, though considering the Communicator issue is dated January 7th that Paramount should have made a decision by now. Lastly, he expected the series would premiere either in January or in Fall 2001.
New 'Take On Trek' Online
With any luck, the writers of Voyager will keep us "asking and observing" the band of Maquis, Federation and Borg on their way across the galaxy. Before now, I never really seemed to care if these "Lost In Space" pioneers ever made it home. Sometimes I hopped they didn't. But now...here in February 2000, I find myself beginning to grow an attachment. As these character's finally start to develop in the way's we've been waiting for during the last six years, I actually start to think I might miss them in two years.
Christian (6:56 pm CST)
Over at the Trek Nation, Fred Shedian has put up a new edition of his 'A Take On Trek' column, talking about how his opinion of Voyager changed over the past few months:
Since August, we have seen quite quality writing and horrible writing. As Voyager moves on to it's next episode, at it's roots dealing with outcasts and unwanted children, I still hold the positive attitude I first displayed many months ago. Although it has taken longer in the Delta Quadrant than it did in the Alpha Quadrant, I believe this show is finally beginning to come into focus. Although I can still see the "stress" and "bickering" onscreen that Ron Moore mentioned occurring behind the scenes, as a whole I find myself wishing Season 6 was actually Season 2.
Read on here.
Starburst Interviews Frakes
Christian (6:55 pm CST)
The new edition of Visual Imaginations' Starburst Magazine contains an interview with Jonathan Frakes (William T. Riker), talking about all his current projects, including 'Roswell' and 'Total Recall 2'. You can read the interview here. Thanks go out to Gustavo Leao for pointing me to this!
UPN 'Spirit Folk' Details
Again, this is where you need to click to avoid being spoiled.
Over at UPN, they've put up the below official episode description of Voyager's 'Spirit Folk':
Christian (6:55 pm CST)
NOTE: Below you will find spoilers for 'Spirit Folk', an upcoming Voyager episode. Click here to avoid these spoilers.
Captain Janeway re-visits idyllic Fair Haven, a charming holographic Irish town created by Paris as a fantasy diversion for the crew, but after Paris and Kim inadvertently use their technology in front of some wide-eyed villagers, the superstitious townsfolk suspect them of being from the 'otherworld" and imprison them. When Janeway cannot transport her crewmates back aboard, she dispatches The Doctor to pose as a priest with a plan to get them out.
Two pictures from the show can be found here.
CCG Championship Rules
Christian (6:55 pm CST)
The people at Decipher, the publisher of the Official Star Trek Customisable Card Game, have posted an extensive article detailing exactly who is allowed to play in which CCG tournaments:
Here are the facts about who may play in any of this year's State, National, Regional, Continental or World Championship events. Because most of the events are defined by political boundaries, eligibility for the majority will be defined by your primary (if not permanent) legal residence. We've considered how some of our players who are military or studying away from home are affected, so you may go directly to that area if you have that special status.
The full rules and regulations can be found here.
Viacom Q4 Financial Results
The earnings edged analysts' expectations of 14 cents a share, as reported by First Call/Thomson Financial, but the company's stock slipped $2.371/2 to $56.811/4 on the New York Stock Exchange in midday trading. Revenue rose 7 percent to $3.57 billion from $3.34 billion.
Christian (6:55 pm CST)
Viacom, parent company of 'Star Trek' studio Paramount, just announced its financial results for the final quarter of 1999. The company did pretty well, according to the AP report:
Viacom earned $133.1 million, or 19 cents per share, in the last three months of 1999 compared to $18.5 million, or 5 cents a share, a year ago, when results were dragged down by a one-time loss of $74.7 million. Without the loss and other extraordinary factors, the year-ago earnings were $89.8 million, or 15 cents per share, meaning this year's results were up 48 percent.
A readible summary of the financial report can be found here. Also available is the actual report, which reports that the start of Voyager's syndication run was one of the factors contributing to higher television programming revenues.
Higher Q4 Profits Chris-Craft
[...]
BHC's 50% share of UPN's fourth-quarter losses dipped to $23 million from $36 million as the net achieved a significant increase in primetime audience during the fourth quarter. However, the company added, ``UPN is still in its development and is expected for the next several years to incur substantial additional losses.''
And the network's losses still widened for the full year -- to $97.3 million from $88.6 million -- reflecting the expansion of UPN's primetime schedule to five weekday evenings from three during most of 1998, as well as ratings shortfalls earlier in the year and expenses related to canceled programs.
Christian (6:54 pm CST)
Chris-Craft Industries, co-owner of 'Voyager' home network UPN, today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter of 1999, during which it achieved a strongly higher profit, mostly due to a better performance by UPN:
Chris-Craft profits in 1999 rose 44% to $42 million as revenue gained 5% to $460 million. TV station group earnings rose 7% to $132 million and operating income for the Television Division nosed up by 5% to $115 million. Fourth-quarter net income soared to $27.2 million from $1.1 million.
A bit more on this can be found in the full Variety article by Jill Goldsmith.
Excelsior Campaign Press Release
Christian (6:54 pm CST)
The people at the Excelsior Campaign sent us a press release announcing the start of their letter-writing campaign to persuade Paramount to develop a Captain Sulu series. Here's how the release starts:
The fan-organized Excelsior Campaign began their first letter-writing drive to Paramount Studios today to request that the next Star Trek television series be based upon the adventures of the U.S.S. Excelsior under the command of Captain Hikaru Sulu (George Takei). Captain Hikaru Sulu might be best remembered as the helmsman of the U.S.S. Enterprise in the original Star Trek series and in the first five Star Trek movies, and he was first seen in command of the U.S.S. Excelsior in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. This phase of the Excelsior Campaign will last for four weeks and is expected to generate over ten thousand letters, and Star Trek fans everywhere can help by visiting the Campaign's web site .
Click here to read the full press release.
Insane 'Hidden Evil' Review
Christian (6:54 pm CST)
Wes Harris at Insane Gamers has put up a review of 'Star Trek: Hidden Evil', last year's Activision adventure game based on the 'Insurrection' film. Unlike most other reviewers, Harris was very impressed by the game, especially by its gameplay:
When in comes to any game the most important aspect is game play. It is the skeleton that holds everything together in a game. If the gameplay is weak, the game will falter and be a failure. In some genres the gameplay alone is enough to hold everything together, which is why it is more important then any other single aspect. The gameplay of Star Trek Hidden Evil is done amazingly well. The most exciting part of the game play is how the Story Line flows. Each mission is built upon the back of last. A lot of games have a separate story line for each mission creating no effort to connect each mission's storyline. This leaves the games disconjointed and sometimes hard to follow. This alone gives makes Star Trek Hidden Evil much more enjoyable then it could have been, if the story line would have been laid out in the 'standard' way. The gameplay for ST:HE like any game is not bullet proof, there are some definite holes. The main one being that some of the missions can be somewhat hard to figure out, which in the end will turn people away from this title. There is only one other grievance that I have with this game, and that has to do with the controls.
The full review can be read by following this link. Thanks go out to Blue's News for this!
Continuum 'Life Line' Details
Again, this is where you need to click if you want to avoid being spoiled.
The official Star Trek Continuum has put up some info on 'Life Line', the sequel to Voyager's 'Pathfinder'. Here's their info on the episode:
[...]
"Life Line" began filming this week and is tentatively scheduled to air in May. Star Trek: Voyager airs Wednesdays at 9:00 PM on UPN. (Title and air date subject to change.)
Christian (6:54 pm CST)
NOTE: Below you will find spoilers for 'Life Line', an upcoming Voyager episode. Click here to avoid being spoiled.
The story of "Life Line" continues where "Pathfinder" left off and features new developments in the life of Dr. Lewis Zimmerman, the creator of the Emergency Medical Hologram (EMH).
The Continuum's full report can be found here.
Trek RPG Distributor Bought
Christian (6:53 pm CST)
SyCoNet.com, a U.S. distributor of Anime videos and DVDs just announced it will be taking over Zocchi Distributing, a distributor of games and Science Fiction/Fantasy products. Several of the products Zocchi distributes are the Star Trek role-playing game created by Last Unicorn Games. Read more about this in the full release.
Oracle Advertises With Trek
Christian (6:53 pm CST)
Oracle Corporation just sent out the following press release, filled with Star Trek-references:
Remember those old Star Trek Enterprise-shaped label-makers? idmarket.com, a new web-enabled marketplace, is providing the ``next generation'' of product identification by automating the sourcing and procurement of customized identification products such as labels, decals, tags, nameplates, overlays, membrane switches and packaging. idmarket offers buyers of identification products an easy-to-use, powerful design specification generator. This tool allows the buyer to submit exact technical specifications to the converter, accelerating the procurement of these customized products. Their e-business technology had to be able to move at warp speed, too, so idmarket.com chose Oracle8i(TM) over Microsoft SQL Server and Informix. With e-business under control, idmarket.com can move forward with their plans to serve as a news and information resource for OEMs, suppliers, distributors, brokers and converters for identification products faster than you can say, ``Beam me up, Scotty.''
More about Oracle's technology can be found here, while the original press release is also available.
Happy Birthday!
Christian (6:53 pm CST)
Today is the 43rd birthday of LeVar Burton, who starred as Geordi LaForge on 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'.
Today On TV
-On Thursday in the United States, the Sci-Fi Channel will be showing the Original Series episode 'Return of the Archons' at 4:00pm Eastern Time.
-On Thursday in Canada, Space! will be showing DS9's 'Second Skin' at 4:00am Eastern Time, the Original Series' 'The Omega Glory' at 10:00am and at 4:00pm, and DS9's 'The Abandoned' at 10:00pm.
-On Thursday in the United Kingdom, Sky One will be showing Voyager's 'Scientific Method' at 17:00 GMT, while BBC Two will be showing TNG's 'Lower Decks' at 18:00. Thanks go out to Kathryn Hughes for this!
-On Thursday in Germany, Sat.1 will be showing Voyager's 'Das Holo-Syndrom' at 15:00 CET.
Christian (6:52 pm CST)
-Tonight at 9:00pm (8:00pm Central), UPN will be showing the new Voyager episode 'Collective'. Here's how UPN describes the episode:
Thanks go out to Mr. Video Productions for the picture, which is of course copyrighted by Paramount Pictures.
When a shuttle carrying Chakotay and other crew members is captured by a hostile Borg ship, Janeway offers a trade for the hostages but soon discovers that her rival ship is manned by a handful of unpredictable but deadly Borg youths intent upon assimilation. Janeway is not serious about agreeing to exchange Voyager's navigational deflectors for her missing crew, but to stall for time, she dispatches Seven of Nine to the alien craft to assess the situation. While the Captain prepares a devastating virus to use against the immature Borg if necessary, Seven of Nine experiences compassion for the pitiful youths who would gladly give their lives for the Borg Collective.
Trek BBS Today
-25% of all children believe the Star Trek transporter will become reality in the future. What do you think about this?
-Is anyone else unsettled by the bloody track left behind by the U.S.S. Voyager in the Delta Quadrant?
Find more topics at the Trek BBS!
Christian (6:52 pm CST)
Here are some of the topics currently being discussed at the Trek BBS:
Hello World!
Christian (6:52 pm CST)
I finally seem to have somewhat caught up with the news again. Phew. Bed, here I come :-)!
| Tuesday February 15, 2000 |
Christian (6:48 pm CST)
A new Reuters/Variety report has some pretty bad news for William Shatner (James T. Kirk):
[...]
Costner, the former Prince and Stallone are joined in the worst actor of the century category by William Shatner of "Star Trek" fame and potential worst new star designee Pauly Shore.
Kevin Costner and Sylvester Stallone are slugging it out with the thespian formerly known as Prince for the dubious distinction of "Worst Actor of the Century" as the latest "Razzies" nominations list for cinema's worst was released Monday.
Thanks go out to John A.D. Holt for the link!
James Doohan Interview
Christian (6:47 pm CST)
Matthew Klaehn at SciFi Headquarters has put up a video interview with James Doohan (Montgomery Scott), in which the Original Series star talks about having another child at his age. You can find the video, which is presented as a 2.1 MB RealVideo, by going here.
'Armada' Valentine's Day Shots
Christian (6:47 pm CST)
Yesterday, the official Star Trek: Armada site was updated with three special Valentine's screenshots, showing an ususpected romantic side of the game's creators. Click here to see them. Thanks go out to Jeff 'Koganuts' Koga for this!
Auberjonois In Mini-series
Christian (6:47 pm CST)
René Auberjonois (Odo) recently had a guest appearance in the CBS miniseries 'Sally Hemings: An American Scandal', which is based on the reported affair President Thomas Jefferson had with a slave. He played a reporter who threatened to break the news of the scandal if Jefferson didn't appoint him to a postmaster position. Thanks go out to Michael Hinman at SyFy World for this!
Barrett Talks 'Andromeda' Name
Also in the interview, which will appear in the February edition of the publication later this month, includes more details about the new show, plus Roddenberry's further insights on Star Trek.
Christian (6:47 pm CST)
Michael Hinman at SyFy World just put up a short report about the name of the 'Andromeda' lead character:
After a couple weeks of conflicting reports, it may be finally safe to say that the lead character of Andromeda, played by Kevin Sorbo, is going to be named Dylan Hunt. While talking to SyFy World webmaster Michael Hinman for the Earth: Final Conflict Galactic Newsletter, Majel Barrett Roddenberry -- without hesitation, referred to the character as Dylan Hunt.
SyFy World can be found here.
Official DS9 Game Site Opens
Christian (6:47 pm CST)
I just noticed on Blue's News that Simon & Schuster Interactive have opened an official web site for their two upcoming Deep Space Nine games, the shooter 'DS9: The Fallen' and the 'Dominion Wars' strategy game. The page contains basic info on both games, as well as new 'DS9: The Fallen' shots. You can find the site at DS9games.com, though when I tried it the site was done, thanks to Simon & Schuster's rather unreliable web server.
Hello World!
Anyway, the film was at times hilarious, often powerful (especially the first kiss between the two), and it certainly seemed very realistic. The audience was also great - for the first time in ages, everyone actually remained seated until all the credits were over. And as an extra bonus, one of my favourite bands (the Swedish Gyllene Tider) provided one of the songs on the soundtrack :-).
The movie was actually so good that I decided I wanted to see it again, so I did a search on the net and noticed on Boxman that in Sweden the film was actually released on DVD back in December. Unfortunately I'm not sure if this also includes foreign subtitles, so I was hoping that maybe one of the Swedish TrekToday readers (there are about 15 of you everyday, apparently) could help me out on this - do you know if the film is available with foreign subtitles? If that is the case, please do let me know, and you'll have my eternal gratitude :-).
Unfortunately, going to this film also meant I had a lot less time for TrekToday this evening, so it's only a mini-update today. Wednesday will finally be a normal-sized update again (or, considering the amount of news still waiting for me, a really huge-sized update).
Christian (6:46 pm CST)
European cinema isn't dead! This evening I saw what is easily my favourite film in at least a year or so - the Swedish 'Fucking Åmål' (which refers to the little village of Åmål, in case you were wondering). I believe it also had a limited distribution in the United States under the somewhat more politically correct title 'Show Me Love', though the subject matter (two teenage girls who fall in love with each other) probably prevented a large success in the US. You can read what the film is about in this Salon review.
| Monday February 14, 2000 |
Christian (6:57 pm CST)
Over at Delta Blues, Heather Jarman has put up a special guest column, entitled 'Perchance to Dream: A Tribute to Explorers'. In this highly personal column, Heather looks at exploration, how it is portrayed in Star Trek, and a specific spiritual exploration about her father. Click here to read it.
Season Six Cast Photo Blooper
Christian (6:57 pm CST)
Over at the Coffee Nebula's discussion board, Carol just posted a new Voyager cast photo from the recent series of out-of-uniform, 'crew in black' pictures. On this photo, something apparently went slightly wrong, as Roxann Dawson (B'Elanna Torres) seems to be collapsing in giggles. Click here to see the photo.
McFadden On 'The Practice'
Christian (6:57 pm CST)
Yesterday, Gates McFadden (Beverly Crusher) guest starred as a judge on ABC's 'The Practice' as Judge Emily Harrison. Jason Davidson at Star Trek News speculates that this might well be a recurring role, as this is often the case on this show, and the ending of this week's episode implied a rivalry between Judge Harrison and Helen Gamble, a series regular played by Lara Flynn Boyle. Thanks go out to JayCor for this!
'Spirit Folk' Official Press Release
Again, this is where you need to click to avoid being spoiled.
Michael Iversen at the Universe has posted the below official log line and guest cast info for 'Spirit Folk', the sequel to 'Fair Haven':
Michael: Fintan McKeown.
Christian (6:57 pm CST)
NOTE: Below you will find spoilers for 'Spirit Folk', an upcoming Voyager episode. Click here to avoid being spoiled.
A return to the hologram village of Fair Haven alarms the superstitious locals when a glitch in the computers allows them to observe the crew's ability to alter their world at will.
The original announcement can be found here.
Seamus: Richard Riehle.
Milo: Ian Abercrombie.
Doc: Ian Patrick Williams.
Maggie: Henrietta Ivanans.
New Sev Trek Competition
Christian (6:56 pm CST)
John Cook at Sev Trek has just uploaded a new edition of the 'Write Your Own Sev Trek' competition:
Here's what this week's competition deals with:
We'll decide Naomi Wildman's sevname at the next judging session after this round so suggest your sevnames on the Ideas Board now (and try and post on current threads).
The cute Naomi Wildman. She's cute. She's bright. She's grown 10 years in a third the time! If she isn't a child genius "Measly Cruncher" in the making, I don't know what is (actually, Wendy and I like her - think she's a cute character).
As usual, you can submit your punchlines by going here.
'Preserver' Cover Art
Christian (6:56 pm CST)
David Henderson at Psi Phi has made an update to his Star Trek Books Database, adding the cover of the new William Shatner (James T. Kirk) Star Trek novel, 'Preserver'. The cover image, which features some incredibly bad renditions of Kirk and Picard, can be found here.
Galaxy Quest Still In Top 10
Christian (6:56 pm CST)
Cinescape just posted the box office results from the past weekend, and 'Galaxy Quest', Tim Allen's Star Trek spoof, is still in the top 10, albeit at a low 9th place. The film took in $2.2 million this weekend.
Trek Cursors On Homestead.com
Christian (6:55 pm CST)
Comet Systems, the developers of the Comet Cursor web plug-in, just announced that they've entered in a deal with free webpage provider Homestead.com to provide the three million Homestead web sites with their special customised cursors. Comet Cursors allows people to display special cursors on their web page, including, for instance, Star Trek cursors. Click here to read more about how Homestead users will be able to benefit from Comet.
Happy Birthday!
Christian (6:55 pm CST)
Today is the 58th birthday of Andrew Robinson, who had a recurring role on 'Deep Space Nine' as Garak, and is currently writing 'A Stitch In Time', described as Garak's autobiography. Also a happy 25th birthday to Michael Iversen at the Universe, and of course a happy Valentine's Day to all of you!
Today On TV
-On Tuesday in Canada, Space! will be showing DS9's 'The House Of Quark' at 4:15am Eastern Time, the Original Series' 'Patterns Of Force' at 10:00am and at 4:00pm, and DS9's 'Equilibrium' at 10:00pm.
-On Tuesday in the United Kingdom, Sky One will be showing Voyager's 'Revulsion' at 17:00 GMT.
-On Tuesday in Germany, Sat.1 will be showing Voyager's 'Die 37er' at 15:00 CET.
Christian (6:55 pm CST)
-On Tuesday in the United States, the Sci-Fi Channel will be showing the Original Series episode 'Tomorrow Is Yesterday' at 4:00pm Eastern Time.
Trek BBS Today
-Does William Shatner really wear a toupee?
-What do you think were the best CGI effects ever used on Voyager?
Find more topics at the Trek BBS!
Also, here are some of the topics being discussed at the German Trek BBS:
-Was wäre so schlecht an einer Academy-Serie?
-Wie war die "Deep Space Nine"-Episode vom vergangenen Samstag?
If you're German, please do participate at the German BBS - let's make it just as popular as the regular BBS!
Christian (6:54 pm CST)
Below are some of the topics currently being discussed at the Trek BBS:
Hello World!
Christian (6:54 pm CST)
For a while there I actually thought I'd get in bed before midnight. Why do bugs always turn up right when you don't need them?
| Sunday February 13, 2000 |
Christian (6:39 pm CST)
Some great news today, as the first spin-off of the Trek BBS has launched! Together with our German partner site TrekZone.de we've opened the German Trek BBS, one of the first places on the net to talk about Star Trek in German. Though the BBS has only been open for a few hours, several interesting topics are already being discussed there, including the following three:
-Was meinen Sie zur DS9-Episode vom vergangenen Samstag?
-Ist "Klingon Academy" das meist unterschätzte Spiel des Jahres?
-Was soll man von Voyager halten?
If you're from Germany and you enjoy talking about Trek, please do register at the new German BBS - hopefully this one will get as popular as the internation version!
SyFy World Joins Trek Nation
Christian (6:39 pm CST)
You may have noticed the site moving over the past month or so, but as of today it is official - Michael Hinman's SyFyWorld has moved to its new address right here at the Trek Nation! SyFy World is one of the best SF news sites on the net, focusing mainly on Star Trek, though it's also one of the biggest news sites for 'Earth: Final Conflict'. In addition, webmaster Michael Hinman is one of the Trek Nation's most frequent contributors, who has written several very popular articles, and will soon even join the site as article editor. Be sure to visit SyFy World at its new address of www.treknation.com/syfyworld/!
Fed HQ Interviews
Well, the title of the game is DS9: dominion wars. Obviously based on the DS9 Star Trek series, and we're concentrating on the middle to the later part of the DS9 series. Basically the game is a real time tactical space combat game and we're different from other real-time strategy games because there's no base-building. What you can play are three sides, and four races. You can play the Federation, the Klingons, and the Dominion side is made up of the cardassian and the Jem'hadar. in multiplayer you'll be able to play all four sides, in single player the Cardassian and Jem'Hader are combined into the Dominion. So the concept behind the game is that you're in the middle of the Dominion Wars.
Fed-HQ: So how closely does it follow the plot of the television series?
Well what it does is, the game takes place in sectors of the universe that people will be familiar with from the show. What we're trying to do is show battles and missions that might have been mentioned on the show but were never seen, as well as some of the battles people will be familiar with from the tv show. But whe want to kinda dig into the background as well, that's the fun of building a game so you can deviate a bit from what was show on television. And we're really happy to be working with Simon and Schuster on the DS9 license. A lot of the star trek titles were just based on one film or one specific area, whereas we have the entire history of DS9 to work with.
Christian (6:39 pm CST)
Over at Federation HQ, they've put up new Trek game interviews, one focusing on the 'Dominion Wars' strategy game and one focusing on 'Starship Creator: Warp 2', the sequel to last year's starship building program. Here's a snippet from the first interview, in which they talk to 'Dominion War' producer Gary Wagner:
Fed-HQ: Could you talk a bit about the premise behind the game? Concept, plot, etc.
Read more in the full 'Dominion Wars' and 'Starship Creator: Warp 2' interviews.
Delta Blues Reviews 'Tsunkatse'
There were some nice scenes unassociated with the Tsunkatse--the Paris/Torres/Kim/Chakotay mess hall scene, the space battle scenes, Neelix and the Doctor in Sickbay, the Doctor/Seven scene in the corridor. The Paris/Seven scene was cute but a little grating--why is Tom sharing so many personal details about B'Elanna to her sworn enemy?
All in all, I enjoyed it quite a bit. It wasn't the Anti-Trek episode so many seemed prepared to hate.
Christian (6:38 pm CST)
Jim Wright at Delta Blues has written his review of 'Tsunkatse', the infamous wrestling episode which apparently didn't turn out to be that bad:
The performances were quite good. The Rock was generally pretty good, though more effective when he was fighting than when he was talking. Combs was good as Penk, and Hertzler was very nicely effective as the tired old hunter. Jeri Ryan did a terrific job in a demanding role.
In the full review, the episode is awarded 3.5 stars. Of course, it also includes the usual huge synopsis.
Short Trek Convention Report
Again, if you wish to avoid being spoiled, this is where you need to click.
A TrekToday reader just sent in the following convention report:
Also they confirmed that 'Fury' will be the title of the Kes Episode. She isn't getting revenge on her evolution, she is getting revenge on her lost youthful bliss that she believes Janeway influenced.
Also they said that the next Trek movie will most likely be a TNG based movie, but possibly some cameo's from other series in it. There is no plot being thought of yet. They expect a new series before a new movie. Speaking of New Series, they have given some thought into it and have given it to Paramount, but none of the ideas that they gave have been accepted. So
right now there is no plot to the next series yet.
They see Voyager ending in Year 7 as planned. Roxann Dawson will direct one episode so far next year.
Christian (6:38 pm CST)
NOTE: Below you will find spoilers for several upcoming Voyager episodes, including 'Fury'. Click here to avoid those.
At a recent convention, Robert Picardo mentioned that his episode he pitched to Paramount is called 'Life Lines', not 'I, Zimmerman' as previously reported. Robert Picardo, Ethan Phillips, Robert Duncan McNeil, and Roxanne Biggs Dawson were there. They said they have to be at the studio Monday morning at 6:00 AM for Role Call. They are filming that episode starting Monday.
Thanks go out to the (anonymous) TrekToday reader who sent this in!
SNL Spoofs Shatner
Christian (6:38 pm CST)
BORG just sent in a news report stating that yesterday's edition of 'Saturday Night Live' featured a spoof on the new series of Priceline.com commercials featuring the singing talents of William Shatner (James T. Kirk). The part of William Shatner was performed by Darrell Hammond.
More On Melbourne Trek Ride
As a new Victorian Government takes the reigns, the threads holding the state together have come loose, many of the developers having Union problems, delaying construction and causing many financial supporters to pull out of the project. A victim of this state of affairs is the Paramount Theme Park, which was to include a Star Trek themed ride. A step back, the Paramount is now looking for financial backing for the project, with the possibility of the huge Theme Park development being scaled down, to meet funding.
Melbourne's most respected newspaper, The Age, reports, "Parties close to talks aimed at resurrecting the Studio City theme park project at the Docklands after the collapse of its float earlier this week said the search for new private backers was continuing. However, the consortium remains at long odds to revive the project."
Christian (6:38 pm CST)
Over the past week we've been reporting several times about the Paramount Theme Park which was going to be constructed in Melbourne, the future of which may now not be as certain anymore. First, Julian Barendse sent in news that according to an Australian TV station, union disruptions caused investors to withdraw from the project, which would now probably be scrapped. Then, Ben Kwakernaat sent in an update to this, stating that even though some investors did withdraw from the project (partly because of the union action, partly because of the Melbourne location), Viacom hadn't yet dropped the project, and the state government was prepared to invest quite a few million in the project to keep it going. Now, the Star Trek Singularity has posted another news item about this:
The previous Victorian State Government left deals for the development of a multi-billion-dollar "Docklands Development" in a precarious position, and Unions in an even more uncomfortable situation. A $500 million portion of this deal involved the development of Paramount Theme Park and Film Studios in a precinct of the huge development, Studio City.
Also according to the Singularity, the location of the park in Melbourne apparently wasn't a factor in any of this, as other studios have successfully been located there. A bit more on this can be found on the Singularity's news page, which I was pointed to by Michael Hinman.
Cynics Corner 'Tsunkatse' Review
ODD TACTIC OF THE WEEK: Weyoun wants to recruit able-bodied aliens to fight in the Tsunkatse; so he beams a bomb into a potential recruit's vessel and detonates it???
Christian (6:37 pm CST)
I've been looking forward to this one ever since I first heard about the episode. David E. Sluss at the Cynics Corner has put up his review of 'Tsunkatse', last week's new Voyager episode. Though awarding the episode a relatively postive 7.0, the review still includes several points of criticism, including these two:
ROCKET SCIENTISTS OF THE WEEK: Kim and Torres, with their brilliant deduction that if you connect the stars on a starmap, you get a flight path. It's hard to think of a Voyager scene that's makes a character look any dumber, and that's saying something.
More can be found on this page.
Robert Picardo Interview
On faking the battle scenes when voyager comes under fire:
Christian (6:37 pm CST)
The April 2000 issue of Sci-Fi Magazine contains an interview with Robert Picardo (the Holodoc), written by Melissa J. Perenson. In the interview, he talks about his character, the episode 'One Small Step' (which he directed), and the current season. The interview also includes some of Picardo's thoughts on the Major Things in life:
On an alternate use of his action figure likeness:
The full interview has been put online on the Voyager's Delights web site - read it here.
I gave my action figure to my children. What they often do is sit them riding shot gun in the Barbie car, next to a cute young doll that I'm happy to be with. And it's also a way to take the temperature of your currant state of your relationship with your children. If your children have you tied your action figure to the hood of the car and are ramming it repeatedly to the wall, then something may be wrong. [Laughs]
I am the worst jolter in the cast, in my opinion. I do not jolt well. I look silly. Kate [Mulgrew] is quite balletic. I am usually off from the rest of the cast, so I jolt early or to often late. But we have some excellent jolters, Garrett [Wang], Tim [Russ] and Robbie [McNeill] are world class jolters. You have to work on the bridge full time to be a good jolter.
'DS9: The Fallen' Interview
Myscha: Users can and always will be able to modify game content to whatever they wish! That's part of the attraction for many hard core gamers, knowing that they can take the Unreal technology and make their own thing. (levels, models, sounds, textures)I think this is one of the things that makes Unreal Technology ideal for a 3d game. You can have so much fun with it if you teach yourself. Every gamer dreams of being a game designer, doing so as a hobby will only increase your skillset and make you better.
Obviously we have no control over what folks imagine and we would never try to control that.
Christian (6:37 pm CST)
Over at the Unreal Universe, they've put up an interview with Elliot T. Cannon, better known as Myscha the Sled Dog, currently working as lead level designer on the Collective's 'Deep Space Nine: The Fallen' game. Though most of the interview deals with his history in game design, it also includes a few questions on the DS9 game, such as this one:
Unreal Universe: Will users be able to create their own levels and models or are there issues with the Star Trek guys about letting users create their own mods? A buck naked Kira might not go down well with them for instance.
Click here for the full interview. Thanks go out to Evil Avatar for this.
'Tsunkatse' Ratings Confusion
Christian (6:37 pm CST)
There appears to be some confusion over the ratings achieved by 'Tsunkatse', Voyager's most recent episode. On the one hand, all the regular ratings sources (the Star Trek Nielsen Ratings Information Database, UltimateTV and the Universe are all reporting a 5.5 rating / 8 share, but Variety just sent out an article claiming the episode achieved a 6.6/10, which would be its best ratings since 'Dark Frontier' in February. Here's what Greg Fuller at the Nielsen Ratings Database had to say about this:
I assume it was another breakdown of the rating and Variety misnoted it as the overnight household mark. Unfortunately, without paying lots and lots of money, it's difficult to
confirm whih rating is correct with Nielsen Media Research. So, to answer your question, I'm not really certain why the difference exists.
Whichever rating is the right one, let's hope it translates in a very high final rating.
Happy Birthday!
Christian (6:37 pm CST)
Today would have been the 63rd birthday of Susan Oliver, who appeared as Vina in the first TOS pilot, had she not sadly passed away in 1990.
Poll Results
Christian (6:36 pm CST)
Below you'll find the results of the most recent TrekToday poll, in which you were asked what you thought about 'Tsunkatse', last week's new Voyager episode:
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Thanks for voting, and please also participate in our new poll, asking which recent Voyager episode you liked the best.
Today On TV
-On Monday in Canada, Space! will be showing the Original Series' 'Return To Tomorrow' at 10:00am and at 4:00pm Eastern Time.
-On Monday in the United Kingdom, Sky One will be showing Voyager's 'Nemesis' at 17:00 GMT. Thanks go out to Kathryn Hughes for this!
-On Monday in Germany, Sat.1 will be showing Voyager's 'Erfahrungswerte' at 15:00 CET.
Christian (6:36 pm CST)
-On Monday in the United States, the Sci-Fi Channel will be showin the Original Series' 'Arena' at 4:00pm Eastern Time.
Trek BBS Today
-How come there aren't any different races in alien species?
-Where exactly is the wormhole located in the Gamma Quadrant?
More topics can be found at the Trek BBS!
Christian (6:36 pm CST)
Here are some of the topics currently being discussed at the Trek BBS:
Hello World!
Christian (6:36 pm CST)
As I'm sure you've read, we just opened a German version of the Trek BBS at http://trekbbs.com/de/. You may be wondering why I've been constantly calling it 'the German BBS' or other such terms, instead of just using the German name. Well, unfortunately it was only after opening the BBS that I realised the literal German translation of 'The Trek BBS' might be misinterpreted in an entirely wrong way by English-speaking people: it's 'Die Trek BBS'.
| Saturday February 12, 2000 |
Christian (7:06 pm CST)
Julia Houston, official Guide at About.com's Star Trek Fans, has uploaded her review of 'Tsunkatse', Voyager's most recent episode. It appears Julia isn't too concerned about the episode being a ratings ploy:
And so we've had episodes where the crews visit the Earth of our own time, walking around in San Francisco or Venice Beach and noting the peculiar behavior of the natives. We've had women and men in tight, skimpy clothes. We've had wars and big-ship-go-boom space battles and tons of episodes featuring popular races like the Klingons and the Ferengi and the Borg. As long as we keep getting good scripts too, no one should mind the attraction of spectacle or a little smackdown between friends.
The fact that the show is itself a ratings ploy keeps this episode from ever getting close to preachy. The episode cheerfully acknowledges that Star Trek's search for ratings is as much a part of its own culture as pointed ears and phasers on stun. TOS died, after all, in that very arena.
The full review can be read on this page.
New Sev Trek Comic
Christian (7:06 pm CST)
No Death For Wildmans
Christian (7:06 pm CST)
In a recent interview with the British Starburst Magazine, Voyager writer Bryan Fuller said that, for a while, the writers were considering a storyline in which Ensign Wildman was killed, only to return from the grave in an attempt to kill her own daughter, Naomi! Thanks go out to the Great Link for this!
Five New 'Elite Force' Shots
Christian (7:04 pm CST)
The Adrenaline Vault received five new 'Voyager: Elite Force' screenshots from Activision, showing off some new areas, weapons and characters from the upcoming first-person shooter. You can see the shots by following this link. Thanks go out to the newly revamped Evil Avatar for this!
Enhanced Continuum Ends
We will disable the enhanced version of CONTINUUM on the morning of Wednesday, February 16. After that time you will be directed to the HTML version of CONTINUUM. If you wish to visit the "lite version" you may make the selection in the lower right corner of the personal briefing page.
Christian (7:04 pm CST)
As part of their rebuilding and improvemal process, the people at the official Star Trek Continuum have announced that, as of Wednesday the 16th of February, the enhanced Flash version of their site will cease to exist:
As explained in our open letter to the fans, we at Paramount Digital Entertainment are undertaking bold moves to rebuild and enhance your on-line Star Trek experience. As we begin the process of improving STARTREK.COM and STAR TREK: CONTINUUM, Paramount Digital Entertainment has made the decision to remove the enhanced (Flash enabled) version of CONTINUUM.
The Continuum is located at www.startrek.com.
Frakes & Francis On 'Oh Baby'
Christian (7:03 pm CST)
TV Guide is reporting that Jonathan Frakes (William T. Riker) and his wife Genie Francis will guest-star on the March 4 episode of 'Oh Baby', on Lifetime. In the episode, they play a married couple who consider investing in TrustMom.com, the new company of one of the series' main characters, Tracy. Frakes & Francis also recently appeared on 'Third Rock From The Sun' as a married couple.
'Experience' Lawsuit Background Article
In a complaint filed recently in federal court in Los Angeles, Universal claims it owns a patent for a domed projection screen and a moving vehicle that creates the illusion of being part of an action-adventure movie. In court papers, Universal says the Star Trek simulator, which has been operated since 1998 by Paramount and Hilton Hotels Corp., infringes on its 1993 patent.
Christian (7:03 pm CST)
Di Mari Ricker at Cal Law has written a new article about the Star Trek: Experience in Las Vegas, which is being sued by Universal Studios over patent infringement. The article contains some information on what exactly the lawsuit deals with:
Universal Studios has sued Paramount Parks (an amusement company owned by Paramount Pictures' parent, Viacom) and the Las Vegas Hilton over "Star Trek: The Experience," an interactive adventure at the hotel. But unlike standard studio battles, the issue isn't the standard copyright or trademark fight over the lucrative Star Trek franchise. That is clearly the property of Paramount, which has long controlled Trekkie film and television rights. Rather, Universal is taking an innovative approach - patent infringement - to try to grind the hotel's tourist attraction to a halt.
In the full article, Ricker looks at what this lawsuit may mean for the future - there might be many more court cases over patent infringement as technology progresses, she argues.
Happy Birthday!
Christian (7:03 pm CST)
Today is the 34th birthday of Raphael Sbarge, who appeared as Michael Jonas in several episodes of Voyager's second season.
Today On TV
-On Sunday in Canada, Space! will be showing the Original Series' 'By Any Other Name' at 10:00am Eastern Time.
-On Sunday in the United Kingdom, Sky One will be showing DS9's 'Past Tense, Part Two' at 16:00 GMT, followed an hour later by Voyager's 'Day of Honor'. At 18:45, BBC Two will be showing Voyager's 'In The Flesh'. Thanks go out to Kathryn Hughes for this!
-On Sunday here in The Netherlands, RTL 5 will be showing DS9's 'To The Death' at 17:50 CET.
-On Sunday in Belgium, Kanaal 2 will be showing DS9's 'Empok Nor' at 18:05 CET. Thanks go out to StarTrek.nl for these last two items!
Christian (7:02 pm CST)
-On Sunday in the United States, the Sci-Fi Channel will be showing the Original Series' 'The Squire Of Gothos' at 11:00am Eastern Time.
Trek BBS Today
-Who are more fanatic: the 'Trekkies' or the 'Warsies'?
-What do you think about the recent spoilers for 'Fury', the episode featuring the return of Kes.
Find more topics at the Trek BBS!
Christian (7:02 pm CST)
Take a look at some of the active topics at the Trek BBS:
Hello World!
Christian (7:02 pm CST)
If all goes well, the German Trek BBS should be up and running sometime early tomorrow afternoon - I'll update this Hello World! with the site's address once we've launched it.
| Friday February 11, 2000 |
Christian (7:28 pm CST)
Over at Deciper, the publisher of the Official Star Trek Customisable Card Game, they've put up a fun user-created design giving you one goal - to kill Wesley Crusher as many times as possible, with the current record apparently being 111 times. Click here to see this CCG design, developed by Johnny Olson.
Braga Says Season 7 Planned
Braga says the writing staff and producer have already plotted out the general arc for the nextseason and a half. ("Gilligan will, and he'll be with the Skipper, but Mary Ann does not get off the island," he jokes.) During that period, there'll be a lot of loose ends to wrap up.
"The Maquis are criminals, Tom Paris is supposed to be in jail ... the possibilities are absolutely endless," Mulgrew ponders.
Christian (7:27 pm CST)
Tyler McLeod, writer for the Calgary Sun, has written a new background article on the episodes Voyager will be bringing to viewers during the February sweeps, based mostly around a set visit during the filming of 'Tsunkatse'. In the article, McLeod provides some info about episodes such as 'Fair Haven', 'Tsunkatse' and 'Collective', for which he is joined by Kate Mulgrew (Kathryn Janeway) and Executive Producer Brannon Braga. In the article, these last two also talk about Voyager's future:
"The big question, I guess, is always, 'Will Voyager get home and when?' " begins executive producer Brannon Braga on the deck of Voyager. "It may never get home. It may get home in the sixth season. It may get home at the beginning of the seventh, it may not get home until the end. It may get home in the episode after the final episode."
A detailed set report, as well as info on some upcoming episodes can be found in the full article.
'Armada' Beta Status
Christian (7:27 pm CST)
According to Federation HQ, the beta test CD for Activision's 'Star Trek: Armada' has been sent out to manufacturing, and will probably be sent out to the people participating in the 'Armada' beta test this Monday.
Jammer's 'Memorial' Review
Christian (7:24 pm CST)
Jamahl Epsicokhan at Star Trek: Hypertext has uploaded his review of 'Memorial', last week's new Trek episode. In his review, he mostly analyses the message the episode was trying to get across:
While watching Voyager's "Memorial," it occurred to me that the message behind the episode wasn't really behind the episode. It was right up front, decidedly obvious, where there could be no chance to make a mistake about it. It's not about subtlety. When the payoff arrives, characters argue the moral lessons for the audience's benefit in search of the Greater Meaning. It's the classic Star Trek approach: The science-fiction device is a means to a lesson's end.
An analysis of the actual quality of the episode can be found in the full review, where Jamahl awards the episode 3 our of 4 stars.
'Klingon Academy' Demo In 5 Days
Christian (7:24 pm CST)
Legate Damar at Federation HQ has posted some great news which he picked up in the recent Omega Project 'Klingon Academy' chat. In the chat, an Interplay representative apparently said the following:
Well, I have some great news for you all. We will be shipping the demo in 5 days. Now, before you all get worked up in a tizzy, I would like to say one thing. Multiplayer is having problems so for this initial demo release it has been removed. But have no fear, we have plans to release a second version of the demo that includes the multiplayer, just as soon as the multiplayer code is ready.
Thanks go out to Federation HQ for this!
Communicator DeBoer Interview
Christian (7:24 pm CST)
NikkiDeBoer.com has put up the transcript of a recent article in the Star Trek Communicator, which described the GenCon '99 convention. The convention was also attended by Nicole deBoer (Ezri Dax), and the part of the article which has been put online describes DeBoer's appearance:
The popular and effervescent Nicole deBoer was also in attendance, signing autographs for fans and leading a one-hour Q&A session for Gen Con attendees which was more like a min-con than a press conference. The subjects covered were as diverse as her experiences auditioning for Deep Space Nine, the longer hair style she sports when she is not working, the various roles she played in The Kids in The Hall, Cube and Senior Trip, her role in the upcoming Showtime movie in which she stars with Charlie Sheen, and her being quiet and shy as a child.
The full article text can be found here, while pictures from the article are also available.
'Fury' Plot Summary
Again, this is where you need to click to avoid being spoiled.
Michael Iversen at the Universe has posted an exclusive plot synopsis of 'Fury', the episode featuring the return of Kes. The episode looks to have several major things happening, including time travel, the return of the really cool Vidians, and of course the return of Kes, who does suddenly seem to have undergone a major personality change. You can read the report by visiting the Universe's Voyager news page.
Christian (7:23 pm CST)
NOTE: Below you'll find major spoilers for 'Fury', an upcoming Voyager episode. Click here to avoid these.
Hertzler On 'Tsunkatse'
"When you're playing football, you're performing for a very big audience. Your name is called out when you do something good and there are cheers. The same muscles are being flexed when you're performing on stage. Theatre is about emotion and if you capture the same amount of emotional participation that you get in a sporting event, you have a great hit."
Christian (7:23 pm CST)
Debora Fischer at the official Continuum has put up another background article about 'Tsunkatse', this time interviewing J.G. Hertzler (Martok), who played the Hirogen Hunter in Wednesday's new Voyager. The article contains some interesting info on how the Hirogen actually started:
Star Trek: Voyager Executive Producer Brannon Braga came up with idea for the Hirogen after watching Monday Night Football. Coincidentally, Hertzler credits his college football experience with getting him started as an actor.
For more on 'Tsunkatse' and Hertzler himself, click here.
Beltran Remembers 'Gaby'
Christian (7:22 pm CST)
The Official Robert Beltran Site has put up a new 'self portrait' entry from Robert Beltran (Chakotay) himself, in which he remembers working on the 1987 film 'Gaby, A True Story'. Here's how he starts his self portrait:
Flying into Mexico City to start shooting the film, I still hadn't crystallized in my mind how I was going to play my role. During the flight I was nervously poring over the script. My scenes were few and came at the end of the film. I knew if I found the secret I could serve the story much better, plus create a memorable character.
If you want to read how Beltran overcame this problem, please read the full article, which is also accompanied by many photos from the film. According to the IMDB, the film chronicled the life of Gaby Brimer, a girl physically handicapped, who finally gets her goals of study and triumph.
IGN Reviews 'Tsunkatse'
As you all probably know (thanks to weeks of heavy promotions), WWF superstar 'The Rock' guest-starred in this episode of Voyager -- proving that February is indeed sweeps month. Unfortunately, this episode turned out just how you might expect: very little plot, some average choreography and a screenplay that must have taken 30 seconds to write -- after they signed the Rock.
Christian (7:22 pm CST)
Over at IGN Sci-Fi, Blake Fischer has put up his review of 'Tsunkatse', apparently not his favourite Voyager installment:
Is this what Star Trek has come to? Are the days of innovative science fiction over? Have we been reduced to watching B movie, kung fu-inspired episodes starring professional wrestlers?
In the full review, the episode is awarded just one out of five stars.
Andromeda In Cinescape Poll
Christian (7:21 pm CST)
Over at Cinescape, they've put up a new fan poll, asking which upcoming TV show we're most eager to see. The five choices presented are Mr. Blackheart, Queen/Swords, Lone Gunmen, Witchblade and Gene Roddenberry's 'Andromeda', which after nearly 3500 votes occupies a third place with 24% of the votes. You can still vote for 'Andromeda' by going to Cinescape.
'Tsunkatse' Tube Review The show is helped enormously by the presence of two beloved DS9 alumni: Jeffrey Combs as the shady fight promoter and J. G. Hertzler as a Hirogen warrior who helps Seven train for her bouts. Both men are perhaps overly familiar to TREK viewers due to the impression they made as Vorta Weyoun and General Martok, respectively, but their deft performances help ratchet up the VOYAGER acting levels considerably. In fact, director Mike Vejur gets good performances out of everybody, particularly in early scenes in which the crew (under Chakotay's command as Janeway is off in the Delta Flyer) are relaxed and playful with one another, showing the kind of familiar interaction that they should have evinced a long time ago.
Christian (7:21 pm CST)
Over at Eon's Tube Reviews, Jeff Bond has put up a fairly positive 'Tsunkatse' review:
[There's] something about blending the high-minded ideals of STAR TREK with the Barnum and Bailey atmosphere of pro wrestling that sent shivers of ugly anticipation down my spine. Imagine my surprise when "Tsunkatse" turned out to be a fairly decent episode. While "Memorial" took an ambitious concept and sapped its power with a muddled execution, "Tsunkatse" takes a shopworn premise (crew member forced into gladiatorial games) and adds just enough craft to make it work.
The episode is awarded a B+ in the full review.
Happy Birthday!
Christian (7:20 pm CST)
Today is the 47th birthday of Philip Anglim, who appeared several times on DS9 as Vedek Bareil.
Today On TV
-On Saturday in the United Kingdom, Sky One will be showing DS9's 'Past Tense, Part One' at 16:00 GMT, followed an hour later by Voyager's 'The Gift'. Thanks go out to Kathryn Hughes for this!
-On Saturday in Germany, Sat.1 will be showing the Original Series' 'Die Frauen des Mr. Mudd' (Mudd's Women) at 14:00 CET, and DS9's 'Im Angesicht des Bösen' (The Changing Face Of Evil) at 16:00 CET.
-On Saturday here in the Netherlands, the AVRO on Nederland 1 will be showing Voyager's 'Alice' at 18:09 CET.
Christian (7:20 pm CST)
-On Saturday in Canada, Space! will be showing DS9's 'The Search, Part Two' at 4:00am Eastern Time and the Original Series' 'A Piece Of The Action' at 10:00am.
Trek BBS Today
-What do you think about the Strange New Worlds anthologies?
-Should we have a set of mini-series instead of Series V?
Find more topics at the Trek BBS!
Christian (7:20 pm CST)
Here are some of the topics currently being discussed at the Trek BBS:
Hello World!
Christian (7:19 pm CST)
If you're a reader from Germany, you're in for a treat in a few days, as together with our partner site TrekZone.de we'll be opening a German version of the Trek BBS! If all goes according to plan, the German BBS will already be opening tomorrow afternoon - be sure to watch this space tomorrow for information on how to reach the site!
| Thursday February 10, 2000 |
Christian (6:15 pm CST)
As was already expected, yesterday's new Voyager episode, 'Tsunkatse', did pretty well in the ratings, according to Greg Fuller's report for the Star Trek Nielsen Ratings Information Database:
"Tsunkatse" grabbed one of Voyager's best overnights of the season, earning a 5.5 rating, 8 share. That's up a ton from "Memorial"'s lower 4.3/6 showing last week and even up from "Blink of an Eye" and "Virtuoso"'s better marks the last few weeks.
Timeslot info plus a look at the rest of the February sweeps for Voyager can be found on this page.
'Chicago' Advertisement
Christian (6:14 pm CST)
The Intendant Kira Homepage has put up a scan of an advertisement for the 'Chicago' musical, which first appeared in the December 12 edition of the Washington Post. The ad shows the musical's two main stars: Vicki Lewis and Nana Visitor (Kira Nerys). Click here to see it.
'Armada' Development Diary
While every asset needed to be approved by Paramount, the production team still has had more than its share of creative freedom. The true Trekkers on the team salivated over the opportunity to create new ships and buildings within the Star Trek gaming universe and they were not disappointed. My favorite ship created by the design/art team is the USS Premonition, a prototype Federation ship from the future who's third Nacelle gives it time travel capabilities. The Borg and Romulan sides required many more ships than were established on the television shows and movies thus the team had the chance to add to their armadas by creating new ones. Paramount was very helpful in this process by telling us where the Star Trek Universe was headed so our designs could reflect these advances.
Christian (6:14 pm CST)
Over at the official Star Trek: Armada game site, producer Marc Turndorf has put up the first in a series of development diaries, this time talking about the relationship between Activision and Paramount:
Paramount, to assure the game would ring true to the franchise, supervised an approval process that not only looks at the game as a whole, but also every individual asset. This was very helpful in defining each individual race visually. When the art team was creating Klingon, Romulan, Borg and Federation ships and buildings not already existing in the Star Trek universe there was a tendency to inadvertently blur the lines between Klingon and Romulan architecture. (Not to mention squashing the Cardassian fetish our art team seemed to be partial to.) The people at Paramount were instrumental in guiding us through these changes. Paramount did a terrific job of pointing us in the right direction by suggesting and showing us examples of Klingon and Romulan architecture. Usually by the second pass both sides were happy. When the design team was writing dialog for existing Trek characters Paramount kept close watch to make sure the text stayed true to the character. However when the design team was creating new characters, Paramount gave us more room to improvise.
You can read more about this by going here. Also available are 3 new screenshots, all showing Ferengi Marauders.
Voyager Schedule Updated
Christian (6:14 pm CST)
David Henderson at Psi Phi has updated the Voyager episode schedule with the syndicated schedule for the third week of February. Click here to see the update.
More On Melbourne Theme Park
Christian (6:14 pm CST)
Yesterday, we posted a report stating that the Paramount Park in Melbourne (including the Trek ride the theme park was going to feature) would be scrapped following 'industrial action in the building industry' and a withdrawal of investors from the project. Today, Ben Kwakernaat sent in an update on this:
The Studio Melbourne project, which Viacom was the major backers for was floated and fell quite short of the $450-500 million required. Part of the speculated reason was union disruptions, but most of it was to do with it being located here in Melbourne. It is most likely that the project will be revised downward, maybe scrapped, but Viacom have not dropped it yet. The state government want it to go ahead, because it will be a boon to the local film industry, and are prepared to throw in quite a few million.
Thanks go out to Ben for sending this in! Needless to say, as soon as I hear more about this I'll be posting it here.
'Memorial' Final Ratings
Christian (6:14 pm CST)
Greg Fuller at the Star Trek Nielsen Ratings Information Database has posted the nation ratings for 'Memorial', last week's Voyager episode. News was very good:
Contrary to what I reported last week, Voyager's sweeps doesn't start until Wednesday the 9th with "Tsunkatse." That said, "Memorial" provided a nice launching point for Voyager's February, pulling a 3.8 rating, 6 share. "Memorial" peaked in its second half-hour with a 3.9/6 and was slightly down from last year's "Gravity," which managed a 4.0/6 this week last year.
A bit more on this surprisingly good performance can be read in the full report.
Wolfe On 'Andromeda'
[When asked about the male-to-female ratio:] Define male. Define female.
Christian (6:13 pm CST)
Robert Hewitt Wolfe, executive producer of the upcoming 'Andromeda' series, recently posted some interesting new info about the series to Usenet, talking about the crew size of the Andromeda Ascendant:
Full complement is about 4000 organic sentients, one inorganic sentient (the ship's AI) and several thousand assorted semi-sentient semi-autonomous nanobots, drones and robots controlled by the AI.
Kevin Sorbo's character is captain of the Andromeda Ascendant.
'Tsunkatse' Background Article
"I tried to make Penk a little more slippery with a vocal pattern more staccato and precise. The costume is very interesting. It's very sleek and tight, kind of Bobby Darren-esque. If you think of Weyoun as Kabuki, then Penk is more like a lizard-smooth, sleek and slippery.
"But you're always flying by the seat of your pants."
Christian (6:13 pm CST)
Debora Fischer at the official Continuum has put up a new behind-the-scenes article looking at 'Tsunkatse'. In it, she interviews Jeffrey Combs (Brunt, Weyoun), who played Penk in the Voyager episode. Though in most of the interview Combs says pretty much the same things as in the Mania interview we reported on yesterday, he also talks a bit about his role in the actual episode:
How did Combs create Penk? "Fear is a great motivator. You get these jobs, but you don't the get the script terribly early. You look for clues-what does the character want, what does he look like? With Penk, it was all last minute. I showed up at 4:30 a.m. on the first morning for makeup and had no idea what process I'd go through. I looked in the mirror when they were done and said 'Oh, that's what he looks like.'
Read more here.
Mania 'Tsunkatse' Review
Christian (6:13 pm CST)
Michelle Erica Green at AnotherUniverse's Mania Magazine has put up a new edition of her 'Hailing Frequencies' column, including, besides a review of the new Klingon Hamlet, a review of yesterday's new Voyager episode:
Fans of martial arts probably will get a bigger kick out of this episode than Voyager fans - it's nearly the antithesis of Gene Roddenberry's Trek, using a shameless commercial crossover with UPN's WWF Smackdown to attract viewers to this floundering series. "Tsunkatse" featured much more violence than usual - though largely bloodless, like Kirk's fights with aliens in episodes like "The Gamesters of Triskelion." Yet it struck me as grotesque to watch a crew which a week ago lived through a holocaust cheering happily for competitors in the hideous arena. Did they happen to miss all the death matches, or is it infinite diversity in infinite combinations to celebrate alien blood sports? I kept thinking of the Tosk on Deep Space Nine, and wishing Voyager's crew responded as strongly to the suffering of others in the context of an acceptable alien athletic event.
You can find the full analysis, plus a short plot synopsis, by following this link.
Happy Birthday!
Christian (6:13 pm CST)
Today is the 71st birthday of Jerry Goldsmith, who composed the soundtrack for 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture', 'Star Trek V: The Final Frontier', 'Star Trek: First Contact' and 'Star Trek: Insurrection', as well as the theme music for the Next Generation and Voyager.
Poll Results
Christian (6:12 pm CST)
Below are the results of the most recent TrekToday poll, asking you what you thought would be the best name for the lead character in 'Andromeda', the new SF series starring Kevin Sorbo (from 'Hercules'), based on Gene Roddenberry's work and currently headed by former DS9 writer Robert Hewitt Wolfe:
| ||||||||||
Well, the difference in popularity between the two names currently under consideration (Hunt and Shephard) is really small, so it doesn't seem like the creators' job has gotten any easier.
Today On TV
-On Friday in Canada, Space! will be showing DS9's 'The Search, Part Two' at 4:00am Eastern Time, the Original Series' 'The Immunity Syndrome' at 10:00am and at 4:00pm, and DS9's 'The Search, Part Two' at 10:00pm.
-On Friday in the United Kingdom, Sky One will be showing Voyager's 'Scorpion, Part Two' at 17:00 and at 23:30 GMT. Thanks go out to Kathryn Hughes for this!
-On Friday in Germany, Sat.1 will be showing Voyager's 'Dr. Jetrels Experiment' (Jetrel) at 15:00 CET.
Christian (6:12 pm CST)
-On Friday in the United States, the Sci-Fi Channel will be showing the Original Series episode 'The Galileo Seven' at 4:00pm Eastern Time.
Trek BBS Today
-Read da Woim's review of 'Tsunkatse'. After that, criticise the promo or talk about The Rock's performance.
-What do you think about the effort by the Digital Streams company to create a Star Trek Special Edition?
Find more topics at the Trek BBS!
Christian (6:12 pm CST)
Fantastically, the Trek BBS is actually up again, in upgraded form, and it's now going to stay online for good! Here are some of the topics currently being discussed there:
Hello World!
Christian (6:11 pm CST)
Do any of you know the card game 'The Colonists of Catan'? I believe it's originally a German game, and it really is great fun. A friend taught it to me this evening, and I was amazed by how similar the game actually was to strategy games on the computer. Maybe because of this, I was able to crushingly defeat him in the first (and only) game we played this evening, though there probably also was a large amount of beginner's luck involved. Without a doubt he'll be able to take horrible revenge on me the next time we play, but fortunately he doesn't have a web page where he can then gloat about it :-).
| Wednesday February 9, 2000 |
Christian (8:06 pm CST)
Michelle Erica Green at AnotherUniverse's Mania Magazine has put up a really huge interview with Jeffrey Combs, who appeared on DS9 as the Ferengi Brunt and the Vorta Weyoun, and tonight on Voyager's 'Tsunkatse' as Penk. Here's what Combs had to say about the appearance of The Rock on 'Tsunkatse':
Combs adds that when he went to work on Voyager, he walked up to the wrestler and greeted him: "Yeah, The Rock! And he said, 'Just call me Duane.' Duane. No wonder he calls himself The Rock!"
Labeling the merger of Star Trek and the WWF "a savvy maneuver," Combs laughs, "Pull those fans in! Somebody came to the table with this cynical notion. UPN has the contract for the WWF and Star Trek, so they figure, what a nice marriage."
The actor is not a wrestling fan, but the week before getting called about Voyager, he was channel-surfing and stumbled across a WWF show. "They had this limo pull up outside the stadium, and they had this remote camera, and I see this guy in shades. He starts doing this rap, and I think, who's this guy? He's actually pretty good! And it turned out to be The Rock. He's very suave, very cool, he knows that a little bit goes a long way - most of those guys, the veins are popping out, but he knows how to tone it down. He knows all that he needs."
In the rest of the interview, Combs talks about working on DS9, the convention circuit, and his other projects besides Trek.
Australian Trek Ride Scrapped
Christian (8:05 pm CST)
A few weeks ago, we were reporting about a $500 million dollar theme park being built in Melbourne, Australia, based around several major Paramount franchises. One of the things the park was going to include was a Star Trek-themed ride. Unfortunately, it seems that none of this may actually be happening, according to the following report sent in by Julian Barendse:
Since the election of a new leftist Labour Government here recently, there has been much industrial action in the building industry (over demands for a 36-hour working week). As a result, investors in the park have withdrawn their committment, and it was just reported on the TV news that plans for the park will probably now be scrapped. Needless to say, this is quite a blow for Australian Star Trek fans, particularly those living in Melbourne.
Thanks go out to Julian for sending this in!
Voyager Season Six In Germany
Christian (8:05 pm CST)
Our German partner site TrekZone.de is reporting that Voyager's sixth season will be shown on the pay channel 'Premiere World' starting in June, on the 'Sci-Fantasy' sub-channel. The first episode shown will of course be 'Equinox, Part Two', after which Premiere World will show the first ten episodes of the season in just as many weeks, before waiting for October to show the rest of the season, in order to allow for the episodes to be dubbed in German.
Captain Sulu Campaign Delayed
Christian (8:05 pm CST)
According to the Sci-Fi Wire, the start date of the Excelsior Campaign has been pushed back by about a month. Originally the campaign organisers, who want to pressure Paramount into creating a Captain Sulu series, were planning to hold a 'worldwide public demonstration' on the 18th of March, but now they've set the demonstration date at the 22nd of April, in order to allow them more time to get support from the fans:
In advance of the public demonstration in front of Paramount Studios in Los Angeles and elsewhere, the campaign is handing out flyers and recruiting supporters at Trek conventions. That includes ones in Northern California, Arizona and Oregon this month. Campaign organizers also plan a major push at The Grand Slam convention, the biggest Trek con in the country, in Pasadena, Calif., March 31 through April 2.
For the original article, which I was pointed to by Elaine Butler, click here.
'Voyager' Coming To Home Video
Christian (8:05 pm CST)
Cinescape is reporting that on the 4th of April, 3 Voyager tapes will be available in video stores throughout the country. On that date, Paramount Home Video will be releasing the first six episodes of Voyager's first season, bundled per two. Presumably not entirely coincidentally, this is also the date 'Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace' will debut on video. Thanks go out to Gustavo Leao and Elaine Butler for this!
More On UPN Lawsuit
The UPN contract includes a stipulation that neither partner can own or control any competing network, which would include CBS, through Jan. 15, 2001. The prohibition remains in effect until that date even if one of the partners has withdrawn from the joint venture. ``The merger agreement has put UPN in the position of a second-rate subsidiary of an organization that is and will be focused principally on the success of CBS,'' the complaint reads.
Christian (8:04 pm CST)
Jill Goldsmith at the Daily Variety has written a somewhat more in-depth article about the lawsuit filed by Chris-Craft Industries against Viacom and CBS, seeking to prevent the merger of these two companies. The article has some more information on what actually the lawsuit is based on:
BHC alleges that the proposed combo, unveiled in September, violates a noncompete clause that's part of the BHC/Viacom partnership for UPN, the 5-year-old network that has become a real thorn in Viacom's side. According to BHC's complaint, the planned Viacom/CBS merger ``breaches explicit fundamental terms of the joint venture agreement between Viacom and plaintiffs.''
Read on here. Thanks go out to Jeff 'Koganuts' Koga for the link!
Today On TV
-On Thursday in the United States, the Sci-Fi Channel will be showing the Original Series episode 'Shore Leave' at 4:00pm Eastern Time.
-On Thursday in Canada, Space! will be showing DS9's 'The Jem'Hadar' at 4:00am Eastern Time, the Original Series' 'Obsession' at 10:00am and at 4:00pm, and DS9's 'The Search, Part One' at 10:00pm.
-On Thursday in the United Kingdom, Sky One will be showing Voyager's 'Scorpion, Part One' at 17:00 and at 23:30 GMT. Thanks go out to Kathryn Hughes for this!
-On Thursday in Germany, Sat.1 will be showing Voyager's 'Von Angesicht zu Angesicht' at 15:00 CET.
Christian (8:04 pm CST)
-Today at 9:00pm, UPN will be smacking you down with the showing of 'Tsunkatse', in which you'll be able to witness the epic battle between 'America's Smackdown Hero' and 'Voyager's Battlestar Babe'. Here's the official network description of the show:
Thanks go out to Vidiot for the above image, which is of course copyrighted by Paramount Pictures.
While on shore leave on an alien planet, the Voyager crew enjoys the popular bloodsport known as Tsunkatse, unaware that Tuvok and Seven of Nine have been kidnapped by a diabolical promoter who sees box-office appeal in coercing a Borg to battle. When he threatens to harm the wounded Tuvok, Seven is forced into using her Borg skills in a death match with a formidable warrior.
Hello World!
Christian (8:04 pm CST)
Today wasn't exactly the most successful day I've ever experienced. In the first place, as you probably noticed, the Trek BBS has been down for close to twelve hours now, as an apparent software problem occurred while trying to update the BBS. Hopefully this should be fixed soon, after tech support has taken a look at it. In the second place, partly because of the BBS problems, I didn't really have much time for today's TrekToday update, so it's unfortunately somewhat shorter than usual. Things should be back to normal tomorrow again.
| Tuesday February 8, 2000 |
Christian (6:50 pm CST)
David E. Sluss over at the Cynics Corner has put up his review of 'Memorial', last week's new Voyager episode. Here's the beginning of his review:
THE BOTTOM LINE: There's an outstanding episode trying desperately to get out, but it's beaten back by predictability, less-than-compelling acting by the Three Stooges, and a questionable resolution.
Read on by following this link.
CYNICS CORNER RATING: 7.0
LAUGH LINE OF THE WEEK: Janeway: "I certainly won't forget what happened here." Not until next week anyway...
'Collective' Promo
Christian (6:49 pm CST)
Mr. Video Productions has just uploaded the official UPN promo for 'Collective', next week's new Voyager episode featuring the return of the Borg. The new Borg in the episode at least look pretty good, and it appears they're even engaging in a rather unusual habit for the Borg - rhyming ("Comply, or the hostages will die."). You can find the promo, which runs for 22 seconds and has a file size of 4.0 MB, at Vidiot's site, though we of course also have a locak TrekToday mirror available.
New 'Armada' Screenshot
Christian (6:49 pm CST)
Over at the official Armada site, they've put up a new Screenshot of the Week, showing two Starfleet vessels engage the Borg, with a huge moon in the background. Thanks for this link go out to Evil Avatar, who also notes on his page that the new edition of the US PC Gamer contains a two-page 'Star Trek: Armada' ad right under the front cover.
New Title Playstation Trek Game
Christian (6:49 pm CST)
Gamespot has a short preview up of 'Star Trek: Invasion', the Playstation Trek title which used to be called 'Red Squad'. Here's how Gamespot writer James Mielke starts his preview:
Activision came by today to show us its new Colony Wars-inspired shooter, Star Trek: Invasion. Developed by Warthog, which includes the former lead programmer and artist from Psygnosis' Colony Wars team, Star Trek: Invasion looks very similar to the Colony Wars series, but much better, with asteroids flying around with reckless abandon. In one scene, a huge model of the Enterprise eased on by, and it looked fantastic, with none of the texture warping usually associated with large on-screen objects on the PlayStation.
In the full review, you'll be able to find 8 screenshots as well as three movies with actual gameplay footage.
UPN Martial Arts Show
Christian (6:49 pm CST)
TV Guide is reporting that UPN is close to signing a deal with Warner Bros. for a martial arts pilot. The show, which is tentatively titled 'Freedom', will be headed by Joel Silver, who produced the 'Lethal Weapon' films and the not-so-successful TV shows 'Action' and 'The Strip' (also on UPN) this season. In related news, Vidiot has put up the official presentation video for 'The Beat', the new cop show premiering on UPN this March.
Chris-Craft Sues Viacom/CBS
The lawsuit, filed in New York state court, seeks to block the Viacom-CBS merger, charging it violates terms of BHC's joint venture ownership of UPN with Viacom, an entertainment giant which owns MTV and Paramount movie studios. BHC said it also seeks to block Viacom's attempted use of the ``buy-sell'' provision in the joint venture agreement because Viacom, having made a deal with CBS in breach of the UPN agreement, cannot now invoke other provisions to try to terminate the joint venture.
[...]
BHC said the basis for its lawsuit was that the Viacom/CBS merger agreement violates a clause in the UPN joint venture agreement that prohibits Viacom from owning or controlling any interest in a competing network.
Christian (6:48 pm CST)
In a rather surprise move, Chris-Craft Industries (which co-owns UPN together with Viacom), filed a lawsuit against Viacom and CBS, seeking to prevent the companies from following through with their merger, as well as blocking Viacom's 'buy-or-sell' ultimatum over UPN:
A high-stakes TV ownership war heated up Tuesday when the owner of the UPN network sued to block the planned merger between Viacom Inc. and CBS Corp., alleging violations of business agreements. Less than a week after Viacom proposed either selling its 50 percent stake in money-losing UPN to BHC Communications Inc. for $5 million -- or buying BHC's half share in the network -- BHC cried foul.
More on this (including a strong dismissal of the lawsuit by Viacom president Summer Redstone) can be found in the full Reuters/Variety report on this, written by Steve James.
'Elite Force' Preview
Christian (6:48 pm CST)
Chris Kramer at the Daily Radar has written a new preview of 'Voyager: Elite Force', the new first-person shooter game which seems to definitely excite the Daily Radar:
Quake 3, Star Trek and Raven Software. Yummy. It's as if Activision took three of our favorite things and stirred them together in a big soupy pot of happy goodness. The resulting stew of sci-fi silliness? Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force (nee Hazard Team). We got the chance to see the game running for the first time since the dim, dark days of E3. What we saw definitely made us wish for a starship and a convenient stellar mass to slingshot around so we could immediately zip into the near future and play the game now.
Info on the demo Kramer saw, the participation of the Voyager cast members and the Borg, as well as 8 new screenshots, can be found in the full preview. Thanks Blue.
Happy Birthday!
Christian (6:48 pm CST)
Today is the 45th birthday of Ethan Phillips, Neelix on 'Star Trek: Voyager'.
Today On TV
-On Wednesday in Canada, Space! will be showing DS9's 'Tribunal' at 4:00am Eastern Time, the Original Series' 'The Gamesters Of Triskelion' at 10:00am and 4:00pm, and DS9's 'The Jem'Hadar' at 10:00pm.
-On Wednesday in the United Kingdom, Sky One will be showing Voyager's 'Worst Case Scenario' at 17:00 and at 23:30 GMT.
-On Wednesday in Germany, Sat.1 will be showing Voyager's 'Bewußtseinsverlust' at 15:00 CET.
Christian (6:47 pm CST)
-On Wednesday in the United States, the Sci-Fi Channel will be showing the Original Series' 'Balance Of Terror' at 4:00pm Eastern Time.
Trek BBS Today
-Are the critics too critical of Star Trek?
-Would you watch if a Trek actor would guest star in a World Wrestling Federation show?
Find more topics at the Trek BBS!
Christian (6:47 pm CST)
Here are some of the topics currently being discussed at the Trek BBS:
Hello World!
Christian (6:47 pm CST)
Public notice: Over the next few days the Trek BBS could be inaccessible for a couple of times, none of which should last more than a few hours, due to work on the server. If you try to reach the BBS in those days and are unable to, just try again after a short while.
| Monday February 7, 2000 |
Christian (7:25 pm CST)
Jai Jeffers just sent in the following great news for people living in Knoxville, TN:
Then about 2-3 months ago Fox 43 started carrying the 1 per week episode in syndication, starting from CARETAKER on Sat. @ 6pm. Now WB 20, WBXX channel 20, is now carrying Voyager at 9 pm Saturday, first run eps from UPN network.
So good news to those you have cable can now get 1st run eps from UPN of Voyager.
There are now 3 stations in Knoxville that carry Voyager.
The first is channel 32 which shows UPN at night and The Box music video channel & infomercials during the day, sometimes very fuzzy picture due to my location.
Thanks go out to Jai for sending this in!
'Delta Blues' Voyager Review
There's an old saw in the entertainment industry: if you want to send a message, call Western Union. Trek, however, is very nearly the antithesis of that way of thinking--we prefer messages and meaning in our Trek plots, and are disappointed when we don't find any. But we're also disappointed when we're beat over the head with the message--which, in essence, is what the memorial did to the crew. The efforts of those builders were to convey a message, and they chose the bluntest instrument imaginable.
But even then, as we observed the crew, we saw that the message intended was not uniformly received. There is simply no way to ensure that everyone will draw the same conclusions.
Christian (7:24 pm CST)
Jim Wright at Delta Blues has put up his review of Voyager's 'Memorial', which he awarded 3.5 stars:
This was a challenging hour of television. I enjoyed it, but the subject matter was such that I'm not likely to pull it off the shelf every week, just as I don't often watch Schindler's List. It's like music--some is "easy listening", but some types you're almost required to dress up for--to prepare yourself to receive.
The full review has the usual long synopsis and detailed analysis.
New Sev Trek Competition
Christian (7:24 pm CST)
John Cook over at Sev Trek has put up a new edition of the 'Write Your Own Sev Trek' competition:
Here's what this week's competition is about:
Destroying another Enterforaprize. It seems movies are just another excuse to destroy an Enterforaprize. This time around, she goes down after Counsellor Tryhard takes the helm for the first time. Maybe that's why they installed a joystick in the next model!
Submit your punchlines here.
Two TrekWeb Reviews
[...]
So, all in all, ['Virtuoso' is] a good hour, with something to think about, and something a little fun. I have a feeling that this "Tsuknatsaafafgfe" or whatever this episode is called is being forced on the writers, and they are making up for it beforehand with a series of solid-to-good episodes.
Christian (7:24 pm CST)
Steve Perry at TrekWeb has put up his reviews of both 'Virtuoso' and 'Memorial', the two most recent Voyager episodes. Perry liked 'Virtuoso' best, awarding it a B-/B, while he gave 'Memorial' just a C. Here are two snippets from his reviews:
"Memorial" gets credit for having its heart in the right place, but episodes like "Living Witness" are going to always be better because they, like the world itself, have a lot more going on for them than the obvious.
For the full reviews, follow this link.
'Collective' Photos And Description
Again, this is where you need to click to avoid being spoiled.
UPN has just put up the following official description for 'Collective':
Christian (7:24 pm CST)
NOTE: Below you will find spoilers for 'Collective', an upcoming Voyager episode. Click here to avoid these.
When a shuttle carrying Chakotay and other crew members is captured by a hostile Borg ship, Janeway offers a trade for the hostages but soon discovers that her rival ship is manned by a handful of unpredictable but deadly Borg youths intent upon assimilation. Janeway is not serious about agreeing to exchange Voyager's navigational deflectors for her missing crew, but to stall for time, she dispatches Seven of Nine to the alien craft to assess the situation. While the Captain prepares a devastating virus to use against the immature Borg if necessary, Seven of Nine experiences compassion for the pitiful youths who would gladly give their lives for the Borg Collective.
Together with this description, UPN has also put up the first three photos from the episode, two of which actually show the Borg children. Click here to see those. 'Collective' airs on the 16th of February.
DS9: Where Are They Now
[...]
Morn
When Last Seen: Sitting at the bar.
Christian (7:23 pm CST)
Over at About.com's Star Trek Fans, Julia Houston has put up a new featured article, called 'DS9: Where Are They Now?'. Here's the introduction to her article, as well as one of the actual predictions:
Well, it's been over seven months since we last heard from our intrepid band at DS9, and if you're like me, you're getting mighty curious about what they're up to these days. Now, I can't pretend I have a friend there to call, but a with little license (artistic or otherwise), I offer the following educated guesses:
You can find the full article here.
Stated Plans:
Probable Current Status: Sitting at the bar.
What He/She Might Do in the Inevitable DS9 Film/Special: Sit at the bar.
Viacom/UPN News Bits
In related news, Reuters is reporting that Viacom is currently planning an aggressive expanse into the European market, cooperating with the German and Italian media barons Leo Kirch and Silvio Berlusconi. The report also contains a few statements by Viacom head Summer Redstone, who expresses his amazement at the AOL/Time Warner deal. You can find the full article here.
Christian (7:23 pm CST)
Ultimate TV is reporting that UPN will be premiering its new cop series 'The Beat' on Tuesday the 21st of March. The pilot episode is directed by Barry Levinson and written by Tom Fontana, the duo behind 'Homicide: Life On The Street' who now serve as producers of 'The Beat'. The series "chronicles the day-to-day travails of two young cops working on New York's Lower East Side", according to UltimateTV's report.
IGN Sci-Fi Reviews 'Memorial'
Christian (7:23 pm CST)
Blake Fischer at IGN Sci-Fi has put up one of his most negative Voyager reviews yet, awarding the episode just 2 out of 5 stars:
Voyager isn't perfect. While there are many strong points in the series (high concepts, decent effects), it's the little details that keep its stories from being especially compelling. The most recent episode, Memorium, is a prime example of this. It's a good idea that makes for a boring story. So where does it fall flat?
Read the answer to this in the full review.
Voyager Hair & Makeup Nominated
Best Character Hair Styling - Television (For a Single Episode of a Regular Series - Sitcom, Drama or Daytime)
Best Innovative Hair Styling - Television (For a Single Episode of a Regular Series - Sitcom, Drama or Daytime)
Christian (7:23 pm CST)
This morning, the nominees for the First Annual Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Awards were announced by guild chairman Alan Farma. According to the official press release, 'Voyager' was nominated in three of the seventeen categories:
Best Special Effects Makeup - Television (For a Single Episode of a Regular Series - Sitcom, Drama or Daytime)
The other nominees can be found in the full press release. The press release also mentions that Monty Westmore will be receiving the George Westmore Lifetime Achievement Award for his work on more than 100 motion pictures, including a few Trek films. Not surprisingly, the nominees include many more members of the Westmore clan.
Michael Westmore, Scott Wheeler, James Rohland and Ellis Burman ``Dark Frontiers,'' ``Star Trek Voyager '' UPN/Paramount
Josee Normand, Charlotte Parker and Gloria Montemeyor ``Bride of Chaotica,'' ``Star Trek Voyager'' Paramount/UPN
Josee Normand, Charlotte Parker and Gloria Montemeyor ``Dragon's Teeth,'' ``Star Trek Voyager'' Paramount/UPN
Holodeck Becoming Real
Christian (7:22 pm CST)
Carol Levin at ZDNet has posted a new article about Dimensional Media Associates, a company currently creating something strikingly similar to the holodeck.
Today On TV
-On Tuesday in Canada, Space! will be showing DS9's 'The Collaborator' at 4:00am Eastern Time, the Original Series' 'A Private Little War' at 10:00am and 4:00pm, and DS9's 'Tribunal' at 10:00pm.
-On Tuesday in the United Kingdom, Sky One will be showing Voyager's 'Displaced' at 15:00 and at 23:30 GMT. Thanks go out to Kathryn Hughes for this!
-On Tuesday in Germany, Sat.1 will be showing Voyager's 'Helden und Dämonen' (Heroes and Demons) at 15:00 CET.
Christian (7:22 pm CST)
-On Tuesday in the United States, the Sci-Fi Channel will be showing the Original Series' 'The Menagerie, Part Two' at 4:00pm Eastern Time.
Trek BBS Today
-Are the Borg decadent?
-Why wasn't Jadzia Dax in Worf's flashback scene in 'What You Leave Behind'?
Find more topics at the Trek BBS!
Christian (7:22 pm CST)
Here are some of the topics currently being discussed at the Trek BBS:
Hello World!
Link of the Day: Alarm für Cobra 11 - Die Autobahnpolizei - in a follow-up to yesterday's 'Hello World!', this English/Dutch site actually has lots of detailed info on my favourite action series. Thanks Dennis Walgaard!
Christian (7:22 pm CST)
There are times when I really am not happy at all with Amazon. Last week, I ordered a book from the German Amazon site for a friend's birthday, and today it arrived. Even though I had specified different addresses for delivery and billing, Amazon apparently decided there wasn't much use in actually using that billing address, so they encluded the envelope with the bill in the actual gift package. Fortunately I was there when my friend got the package, so I was able to recover the bill before she saw it, but this definitely wasn't a smart move by Amazon.
| Sunday February 6, 2000 |
Christian (6:07 pm CST)
Several conflicting reports are coming in about the name of the main character in the upcoming 'Andromeda' series, played by Kevin Sorbo. Back when the series was first announced, the character was called Dylan Hunt, but recently Cinescape was reporting the name was now Dylan Jericho. Contradicting that, SyFyWorld posted a message from the Sorbo Connection (Kevin Sorbo's fan club), who stated that the character's name was going to be Dylan Shepard (or Shepherd):
We don't know where the reports of (Dylan) Jericho are coming from, but definitely not Kevin. [...] We also had a private fan club reception with Kevin, where he explained this choice. It seems they changed it from Hunt so that it would not be confused with the TV series Genesis II, which had a character of the same name and was also a Roddenberry project.
However, contradicting this, the Sci-Fi wire posted a short article in which Majel Barrett Roddenberry told the site through a spokesperson that as of the 2nd of february, the name was Dylan Hunt. And then this morning, we got word from the series' executive producer Robert Hewitt Wolfe that the name changes frequently, but at the moment is either Hunt or Shephard (note the spelling), though "internal discussions continue".
What do you think would be the right name for the main 'Andromeda' character? Let us know in the new TrekToday poll!
Guitarist Morello Gets Trek Cameo
Christian (6:07 pm CST)
The new edition of 'Entertainment Weekly' is reporting that Tom Morello, guitarist in Rage against the Machine, will be appearing in a spring episode of 'Voyager'. In 1998, the rocker already called Trek's producer Rick Berman for a cameo on 'Insurrection' and, as one of his sons loves Morello's band, Berman arranged this for him. Unfortunately, after spending hours in alien makeup, Morello got lost in a crowd shot. Here's what Rick Berman told EW correspondent Dan Snierson about this:
"This time, we told him he'd play a human," says Berman. While Morello's Starfleet officer has only a few lines, Berman reports, "he did a great job. It was a little pick-me-up for
everyone."
Thanks go out to Jeff 'Koganuts' Koga for sending this in!
Download Priceline Commercials
Christian (6:06 pm CST)
Over on the Priceline.com web site, they've put up video clips of four of their most recent commercials, in which William Shatner (James T. Kirk) is seen singing. The four available clips are 'Age of Aquarius', 'Convoy', 'The King' and 'Paradise', and are available in both RealMedia Streaming and Quicktime Video format. You can download them here. Thanks go out to the Sci-Fi Wire for this!
EW Reviews 'Tsunkatse'
Again, this is where you need to click to avoid being spoiled.
The new edition of the Entertainment Weekly contains a short review of 'Tsunkatse', by Mike Flaherty, who awards the episode a B:
Christian (6:06 pm CST)
NOTE: Below you will find spoilers for 'Tsunkatse', the Voyager episode airing next Wednesday. Click here to avoid them.
WWF superstar the Rock [...] guests as a combatant in the Tsunkatse, a no-holds-barred
fighting contest. He's enlisted to layeth the smacketh down on Seven of Nine after she's kidnapped by thte franchise's evil promoter, who sees gold in the prospect of forcing the Borg into battle. But the 'Voyager' crew strikes back, hitting the malign franchise where it
hurts -- in the ratings. How exactly, we're not telling; suffice to say it involves a hilarious visual that caps a dryly arch send-up of UPN's Thursday night bedfellows.
Thanks go out to Jeff 'Koganuts' Koga for this!
Game Developer Chats
Star Trek Deep Space Nine: The Fallen
Star Trek: Klingon Academy
Christian (6:06 pm CST)
Next week the Omega Project will be hosting several chats with Trek game developers. Here is the official schedule:
Star Trek Deep Space Nine: Dominion Wars
Logs from previous chats can be found at the Omega Project.
- Monday, 02/07/2000 - 4:00pm PST (7:00pm EST, 00:00 GMT)
- Location: IRC Server omegaproject.net - Channel #lobby
- Attending: Gary Wagner
- Tuesday, 02/08/2000 - 4:00pm PST (7:00pm EST, 00:00 GMT)
- Location: IRC Server omegaproject.net - Channel #lobby
- Attending: Doug Hare and possibly Myscha the Sled Dog
- Friday, 02/11/2000 - 4:00pm PST (7:00pm EST, 00:00 GMT)
- Location: IRC Server omegaproject.net - Channel #lobby
- Attending: Raphael Hernandez and/or Ron Hodge
Communicator Editor Talks Series V
Christian (6:05 pm CST)
In a recent interview with the Star Trek Galactic Newsletter, editor Larry Nemecek of the Star Trek Communicator talked a bit about the new Star Trek series:
According to Larry Nemecek, editor of the Star Trek Communicator, in an interview with Brian Meskimen of the Star Trek Galactic Newsletter (http://stgn.strek.com), there has been only ONE concept ever presented to Paramount over a possible Series 5. Reportedly, that concept has been modified several times, but it is still basically the same idea despite rumors reported on other sites. Also, Paramount is reportedly going to make an official announcement of the new series within a few months.
I really wish they'd hurry up with a Series V announcement - this really isn't funny anymore. Thanks go out to SyFyWorld for this! As usual, treat this as you would any rumour.
Television Sci-Fi Article
But for those expecting new horizons of literate entertainment and provocative visions of the future, sci-fi television has largely failed to live up to its promise.
Christian (6:05 pm CST)
J.D. Biersdorfer at the New York Times has written a new article about the state of television sci-fi, which Biersdorfer isn't too impressed with:
hen television sprouted up in the living rooms of postwar America it must have seemed like a techno-wonder straight out of science fiction. In fact, television and science-fiction appeared to be a match made in the heavens -- an imaginative literary genre that had already excited the masses on radio ("War of the Worlds," anyone?) could now be melded with pictures to give audiences something truly new to think about.
The full article, which also mentions Trek in passing and includes a few quotes from Harlan Ellison (who wrote the Original Series' 'The City On The Edge Of Forever') can be found here.
Ryan On US Presidents
Christian (6:05 pm CST)
In the new issue of Entertainment Weekly, several celebrities are asked who their favourite US president is. Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine) was quoted as saying "Abraham Lincoln. I'm not going for anybody from recent history, that's for sure."
Happy Birthday!
Christian (6:05 pm CST)
Today is the 35th birthday of Cecily Adams, who appeared on DS9 as "Moogie".
Poll Results
Christian (6:04 pm CST)
Below you'll find the results of the most recent TrekToday poll, asking what you thought of 'Memorial':
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Please also participate in our new poll, which is tied in with all the recent reports about the name of the character played by Kevin Sorbo in 'Andromeda', the new series based on Gene Roddenberry's work and headed by former DS9 writer Robert Hewitt Wolfe. Which name do you prefer? Let the world know by voting in our poll!
Today On TV
-On Monday in Canada, Space! will be showing the Original Series' 'Journey To Babel' at 10:00am and at 4:00pm Eastern Time, and DS9's 'The Collaborator' at 10:00pm.
-On Monday in the United Kingdom, Sky One will be showing Voyager's 'Real Life' at 17:00 and at 23:30 GMT, and DS9's 'Till Death Do Us Part' at 20:00 CET. Thanks go out to Kathryn Hughes for this!
-On Monday in Germany, Sat.1 will be showing Voyager's 'Der Verrat' at 15:00 CET.
Christian (6:04 pm CST)
-On Monday in the United States, the Sci-Fi Channel will be showing the Original Series' 'The Menagerie, Part One' at 4:00pm Eastern Time.
Trek BBS Today
-What are your thoughts on the Lone Gunmen 'X-Files' spin-off?
-What happened to Demora Sulu, Hikaru Sulu's daughter?
Find more at the Trek BBS!
Christian (6:04 pm CST)
Here are some of the topics currently being discussed at the Trek BBS:
Hello World!
Christian (6:04 pm CST)
Sometimes I wonder if reading spoilers hasn't really spoiled a large part of my enjoyment of Star Trek. Today, as I do every Sunday, I was watching 'Cobra 11', a German action series which is on my very short list of must-see shows. At the end of the episode, without warning, one of the series' two main characters, André Fux, was suddenly shot and died! Needless to say, I was completely surprised by this, and quite moved by the last few minutes of the episode. Unfortunately, I now also have no idea what will happen next with the series - next week the television station will start showing the new series 'Der Clown', but I haven't got a clue if Cobra 11 will return next season again, and why the character of André Fux was written out of the series. A search for 'Cobra 11' on Yahoo.de also didn't turn up anything, so it seems there are no fan sites at all for Cobra 11, despite the fact it gets as many viewers as Voyager. I really wish someone would start up a news site for that - reading spoilers is a small trade-off for me if it also means I'm able to find out some actual news on the series.
| Saturday February 5, 2000 |
Christian (7:48 pm CST)
Issue 36 of Visual Imaginations' TV Zone is a special issue dedicated to the best in Cult TV from the past ten years. Of course, this also includes Star Trek, and therefore the magazine includes articles on Voyager, on the start of DS9 and Voyager, and on Series V. The magazine, which features Seven of Nine on the cover, is on sale now in the UK. Thanks go out to Gustavo Leao for this!
Fandom 'Tsunkatse' Article
Adds Hertzler, "It was Rick Berman`s idea to offer me the part, same with Jeffrey Combs. We both felt very good about that. I think if the Internet gets the word out that Jeffrey and I are on the show, there will be some crossover pickup. The Rock will certainly bring in a massive crossover from the WWF world, and who knows what that is?"
Christian (7:48 pm CST)
Anna L. Kaplan over at Fandom has written a very interesting article on 'Tsunkatse', for which she interviewed both Jeffrey Combs (Weyoun) and J.G. Hertzler (Martok), who both appear in the episode in new roles. Apparently, the episode isn't just intended to draw in WWF fans:
Notes Combs, "I am thankful to Rick Berman. It's supposedly a very big sweeps week. They are going to tie in all that WWF stuff, and the Rock. Rick Berman said they will also capitalize on the fact that it's me and J.G."
Lots more on the episode, including four new photos showing Combs and Hertzler, can be found here.
New German DS9 Timeslot
Christian (7:47 pm CST)
Mario Rössel at the Corona WebBEAT is reporting that Sat.1 in Germany has moved the airings of DS9's seventh season from 16:00 to 15:00 on Saturdays. The benefit of this is that fans in Bavaria (where Sat.1 shows local programming at 16:00) will now also be able to see new DS9 episodes.
Decipher Nominated
Christian (7:47 pm CST)
According to a new article by Decipher's Rich Loftus, the publisher of the official Star Trek Customisable Card Game has been nominated in several categories for the 1999 InQuest Gamer Fan Awards, organised by CCG magazine InQuest. Decipher's Trek CCG has been nominated in both the Hall of Fame category (together with the Star Wars CCG) and the Best CCG Expansion category (for 'Blaze of Glory'). Find out how to vote here.
New 'Dominion Wars' Screenshots
Christian (7:47 pm CST)
Federation HQ has put up a set of four new screenshots from 'Dominion War', Simon & Schuster Interactive's upcoming 3D space strategy game. Find the shots here.
Stewart Narrates TV Special
Christian (7:46 pm CST)
Patrick Stewart - The Actor's Actor is reporting that last Friday, Lifetime aired a special programme about singer Natalie Cole, which was narrated by Patrick Stewart (Jean-Luc Picard).
Julia Houston Reviews 'Memorial'
And it's that power that drives "Memorial," though unfortunately the drive
isn't nearly as far or as full of twists and turns as it should be.
Christian (7:46 pm CST)
Over at About.com's Star Trek Fans, Julia Houston has put up her review of 'Memorial', Voyager's most recent episode. Here's a snippet:
The power of our helplessness to prevent the continuation of unspeakable
acts despite the lessons history begs to teach us is evident all around us.
Look at the people trying to pretend the Holocaust didn't exist, let alone
our refusal to acknowledge what goes on in the poorer neighborhoods of our
cities.
The full, somewhat positive review of the episode can be found by following this link.
Continuum Improves, Closes Chats
Christian (7:45 pm CST)
As part of their "bold moves to rebuild and enhance [our] on-line Star Trek experience", the official Continuum has temporarily closed down its popular chat functionality. They're currently investigating new options and hope to reopen the chat rooms soon again. Info on how to stay informed on their progress can be found here.
New Sev Trek Comic
Christian (7:45 pm CST)
UPN Eyes Trucks & WWF Football
Christian (7:45 pm CST)
It seems UPN president Dean Valentine is doing everything in his power to ensure the addition of more 'adrenaline' to his network, as he promised at a press conference a few weeks ago. Firstly, UltimateTV is reporting the network will be airing a special called 'The Great Monster Truck Race' on Tuesday the 29th of February:
The race will be held February 16 at Mesa Park in Fellsmeir, Florida. Cameras and microphones will be mounted both inside and around the monster truck cabs, giving viewers a unique perspective as the drivers fight and bully their opponents to get to the finish line first.
Earlier reports mentioned that, if the special performs well for UPN, it might be turned into a weekly series, and would include WWF-like storylines for the truck racers. In related news, Thursday's edition of Studio Briefing reported that the WWF is currently considering forming a professional football league this spring:
Today's Wall Street Journal said that although no deal has been completed, it is expected that the football telecasts will wind up on UPN, which currently carries WWF Smackdown or USA Network. But Daily Variety reported that the WWF is also "actively negotiating" with both Viacom/CBS and News Corp on picking up the wrestling telecasts when current contracts expire in 2001 and that the football telecasts could be included in a package deal.
Thanks go out to Jeff 'Koganuts' Koga for this last item!
Space.com 'Memorial' Review
Christian (7:44 pm CST)
Kenneth Silber at Space Imagined has uploaded his review of Voyager's 'Memorial'. Here's a short snippet from the analysis:
Despite an imaginative premise, "Memorial" turns out to be, ironically enough, a forgettable episode. The idea of a highly "interactive" monument is interesting, but the content of the interaction fails to inspire.
The full analysis, plus an episode synopsis, some memorable quotes, and more, can be found in the full review.
Hackett To Become Mother Again
Christian (7:43 pm CST)
Fandom's Star Trek Central is reporting that Martha Hackett (Seska) is currently expecting a second child, due this summer. Hackett already has a son, named Ciaran, who just turned four years old a few days ago. Find more on this here. Thanks go out to BORG for this!
Today On TV
-On Sunday in Canada, Space! will be showing the Original Series' 'Bread And Circuses' at 10:00am Eastern Time.
-On Sunday in the United Kingdom, Sky One will be showing DS9's 'Civil Defense' at 16:00 GMT, followed an hour later by Voyager's 'Before And After'. At 18:45, BBC Two will be showing Voyager's 'Extreme Risk'. Thanks go out to Kathryn Hughes for this!
-On Sunday here in The Netherlands, RTL 5 will be showing DS9's 'For The Cause' at 17:50 CET.
-On Sunday in Belgium, Kanaal 2 will be showing DS9's 'Blaze Of Glory' at 18:05 CET. Thanks go out to StarTrek.nl for this!
Christian (7:43 pm CST)
-On Sunday in the United States, the Sci-Fi Channel will be showing the Original Series episode 'The Conscience Of The King' at 11:00am Eastern Time.
Trek BBS Today
-Galaxy-class starships are classified as 'Explorer', and Ambassador-class starships as 'Cruiser' - so what are Sovereign-class vessels?
-What do you think about the Viacom's $5 million offer for UPN?
Find more at the Trek BBS!
Christian (7:43 pm CST)
It seems all the new domain info has finally been added to DNS servers around the world, so starting tomorrow the BBS and all the 'new post'-indicators should work normally again when you access the site via the TrekBBS.com domain name. Of course, you can already now participate in the discussions taking place there, including the below two:
Hello World!
This is how I started the very first TrekToday test update exactly a year ago, on the 5th of February 1999. The site itself wouldn't officially open until two weeks later, on Monday the 22nd of February, but I had decided to first do a test run of a week to see if I'd be able to keep it up. Fortunately, I was, though the 90 minutes which I considered a long time in that 'Hello World!' eventually turned into at least two, and usually more hours per day.
Looking back at that first update, it's interesting to see how little has changed since that very first day - I only discovered blockquoting a day later, the headlines were a bit larger, and instead of the Trek BBS TrekToday was still affiliated with the now-defunct TrekSeek search engine, but in general it seems we hit the mark fairly well.
Some interesting headlines from that first day:
Doubtless you'll see me mentioning several other milestones leading up to our official first anniversary on the 22nd of February. However, I really should thank you all for enabling me to recall those milestones in the first place - without the support from all of you, TrekToday would never have gotten where it is today - thanks for visiting, and I hope to be able to welcome you here for many more times in the future!
Christian (7:42 pm CST)
"Welcome to the very first real news update at Trektoday! Of course, you won't actually be seeing this, as this is just a test run for us staff, but if you ever happen to read this in the archives - hello there! This first day took me about 90 minutes to collect all the news - I'm still looking for ways to speed things up. For now, let's get on with the news!"
| Friday February 4, 2000 |
Christian (7:54 pm CST)
The current issue of People Magazine contains an interview with Diane Muldaur, who starred on TNG for one year as Dr. Pulaski. In the interview, she also talks about her memories of Trek - apparently, she still gets 'wonderful' letters from TNG fans, some of which have even named children after her. She wasn't too happy with the rest of the cast, though:
Everybody was out for themselves," she says. "I don't think they were happy to have me
there." The L.A. Lawactors, on the other hand, were "the closest family," says Muldaur.
Thanks go out to Elaine Butler for this!
Trek Fan Profile
Christian (7:53 pm CST)
James May at the Sacramento Bee has put up a new article loosely connected to a Trek convention which will be taking place there this weekend. In it, he interviews Amanda Clark, a Sacramento girl with a passion for Trek. You can click here to read all about her.
TV Guide Captain Sulu Article
[...]
"Any campaign like this obviously attests to a base of support; I think the potential for something like this is even greater than any of the previous spin-offs because we would have the entire spectrum of Star Trek fans," says Takei. "I know that the studio is talking about finding another Star Trek project. Paramount knows my number."
Christian (7:53 pm CST)
TV Guide has put up a short article on the efforts by 'the fans' to persuade Paramount to launch a Captain Sulu series, called the Excelsior Campaign. Apparently, on the 18th of March we are all supposed to be out on the streets campaigning for Sulu's return:
That's the date fans are setting aside for a mass "public display" as part of The Excelsior Campaign (http://excelsior.iftcommand.com), a push by fans for the production of a new Star Trek TV series centering around Captain Hikaru Sulu (George Takei) and the crew of the Starship Excelsior.
You can read more on this by going here. Thanks go out to Mark Stewart for this!
Doohan To Be A Dad At 80
Christian (7:52 pm CST)
Several news sites are reporting today that James Doohan (Montgomery Scott) and his wife, Wende, are expecting a baby girl around the 1st of April. Doohan is currently 79, though he will be 80 when the child is born, and he and his wife (who's 44) already have two sons in their twenties, in addition to four children from Doohan's previous marriage. One of the stories on this can be found here. Does anyone know why this story suddenly resurfaced again, by the way? If I recall correctly, several fan sites printed a convention report with this news a few months ago already.
Massively Multiplayer Trek Game
Though it's not expected to launch for another two years, the game looks to be enormous. Activision and Sony will split the expected $4 million in production costs. The company says it will charge users a $9.95 monthly fee at launch. It further appears, that Q Continuum, the online Star Trek game mentioned three months ago has undergone a name change to Star Trek: Conquest Online. Developed in conjunction with Genetic Anomalies, the game will utilize player cards, similar to Magic: The Gathering.
Christian (7:52 pm CST)
While presenting their third-quarter results in a conference call with financial analysts yesterday, Activision announced a new Trek game they're currently developing which they expect should be able to draw in no less than half a million players, according to a report on Well Rounded Entertainment:
After hinting at it three months ago, Activision has announced that it will team with Verant Interactive (creators of the wildly successful EverQuest) and Sony Online to create a massively multiplayer, persistent game based in the Star Trek universe. The company, during a conference call with financial analysts yesterday, said the game will be part of a larger expansion into the online world. Activision says it expects between 400,000 and 500,000 subscribers to the game, which would make it the largest online game to date. More amazingly, it expects to hit these numbers in its first four months.
More info on this really exciting game can be found in the full preview. It's interesting to note, by the way, that if Activision does manage to get so many users, they'll actually earn more money on the game per year than it costs to create an entire season of 'Star Trek: Voyager'. In related news, you might also want to read this report on Activision's financial results.
ADG Nominates Voyager Designer
Christian (7:51 pm CST)
The American Art Directors Guild (ADG) just announced nominations in four categories of the 1999 Fourth Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards, which will be presented on the 29th of February. One of the nominees this year is Richard D. James, who is nominated for his work on Voyager's '11:59' last season. Read more about the awards here.
Viacom Offers $5 Million For UPN
Viacom, which owns MTV Networks, Paramount Pictures and other cable and programming properties, said it gave BHC 45 days to choose between the two offers. The move is part of a buy-sell procedure outlined under the UPN joint venture agreement. New York-based Viacom also denied speculation that it or its merger partner CBS Corp. was in talks to buy the whole of Chris-Craft or any of its assets other than the UPN network.
Christian (7:51 pm CST)
Reuters and Variety are reporting about a great game of bluff poker played by Viacom, the parent company of Paramount and co-owner of UPN. Apparently, they're offering to either buy or sell the other 50% of UPN from Chris-Craft Industries, for the ridiculously low price of $5 million. Take a look at how the Reuters report starts:
Viacom Inc. issued an ultimatum to its partner in the fledgling UPN television network Thursday, proposing either to buy the 50 percent stake held by BHC Communications Inc. or sell its own half interest to BHC for $5 million.
Chris-Craft apparently is forced to either buy or sell the 50%, due to a clause in the original joint-venture contract. More on this can be found in the Reuters report and the Variety background article. Needless to say, this certainly makes UPN's position even more uncertain - even if Viacom manages to gains full ownership of UPN, that might even make things worse for the network, as its coverage in many markets is based purely on Chris-Craft's own stations. It'll be interesting to see how this works out. Thanks Jeff 'Koganuts' Koga for this!
Today On TV
-On Saturday in the United Kingdom, Sky One will be showing DS9's 'The Abandoned' at 16:00 GMT, followed an hour later by Voyager's 'Favourite Son'. Thanks go out to Kathryn Hughes for this!
-On Saturday in Germany, Sat.1 will be showing the Original Series' 'Kirk: 2 = ?' (The Enemy Within) at 14:00 CET, and DS9's 'Eine sonderbare Kombination' (Strange Bedfellows) at 16:00.
-On Saturday here in The Netherlands, the AVRO on Nederland 1 will be showing Voyager's 'Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy' at 18:07 CET. Thanks go out to StarTrek.nl for this!
Christian (7:51 pm CST)
-On Saturday in Canada, Space! will be showing DS9's 'Crossover' at 4:30am Eastern Time and the Original Series' 'The Trouble With Tribbles' at 10:00am.
Trek BBS Today
-What are your expectations for the recently announced TNG DVDs?
-What were some of Captain Janeway's most miserable command decisions?
Find more topics at the Trek BBS!
Christian (7:50 pm CST)
Here are some of the topics currently being discussed at the Trek BBS:
Hello World!
Christian (7:49 pm CST)
And goodnight. Being tired and being witty do not combine very well.
| Thursday February 3, 2000 |
Christian (7:06 pm CST)
Yesterday, we already reported that 'Earth: Final Conflict' writer Ethlie Ann Vare had signed on for 'Andromeda', Tribune's new SF show. Now, Andromeda's executive producer Robert Hewitt Wolfe sends along word they've also hired Matt Kiene and Joe Reinkemeyer, a writing team who have previously worked on 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer', 'Space: Above and Beyond', 'Law & Order' and 'L.A. Law'.
TNG DVDs In Summer
Christian (7:06 pm CST)
Yesterday's Rumor Mill update at the Digital Bits contains some great news - apparently, the recently released Original Series DVDs have sold much better than expected, so Paramount has decided to push ahead with plans to release The Next Generation DVDs starting this summer! Furthermore, they're also currently preparing DVD releases for 'Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan' and 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture', though nothing is yet known about the extra contents or the release dates of these discs. Thanks go out to Daniel Kikin for pointing me to this!
'Memorial' Tube Review
Christian (7:06 pm CST)
Over at Eon's Tube Reviews, Jeff Bond has uploaded his review of 'Memorial', Voyager's latest episode. Awarding the episode a B-, Bond seemed to like the Voyager episode a bit more than usual:
I guess this is VOYAGER's stab at respectability before selling out to the WWF next week. Here's the kind of story that STAR TREK was designed to do: an allegorical look at an issue currently too controversial for most television series to tackle. The original series addressed the Vietnam war in "A Private Little War," and ensuing TREK series have always slipped in a Swiftian allegory here and there. VOYAGER has been less apt to do this, but that doesn't mean it's not equipped to do so.
A more in-depth analysis can be found here.
More Psi Phi Book News
Christian (7:05 pm CST)
David Henderson at Psi Phi has made two further updates to his Trek Books Database, namely the dust jacket description for 'Preserver', the latest William Shatner (James T. Kirk) novel, and an excerpt from the DS9 Companion, by Terry J. Erdmann with Paula M. Block.
Australian Trek News
Christian (7:05 pm CST)
Planet Riker is reporting that 'Star Trek: First Contact' will be shown on the Australian 10 Network next Wednesday, the 9th of February. Furthermore, DS9 will be returning to Australian TV on the Nine Network on Tuesday the 8th of February, at 10:35pm.
Combs In 'Faust'
Christian (7:05 pm CST)
Comics 2 Film has posted the first photos from 'Faust - Love of the Damned', a new thriller based on the 'Faust' comic. One of the stars of the film is Jeffrey Combs (Weyoun, Brunt), who appears as a cop called Dan Margolies, apparently quite a 'normal guy'. You can find the images here, including one showing Combs. Thanks go out to the Deutscher Jerry Combs Fanclub for this!
'Gepetto' Zachary Irvin Interview
Answer: I had seen him on Star Trek as Data. On the set, he was just a normal person and a really cool friend.
Question: What was Brent like in person?
Answer: I thought Brent was really nice. He talked to me a lot and really got to know me. We worked really well together when we were filming. I learned a lot from him.
Christian (7:05 pm CST)
Jae at Welcome, Brent Spiner Fans! has uploaded an interview with Zachary Irvin, who will appear as 'Delinquent #1' in the Pleasure Island sequence of 'Gepetto', Disney's upcoming made-for-TV musical. In the interview, he mostly talks about his experiences working with Brent Spiner (Data), who portrays Stromboli in the musical:
Question: Before you worked with Brent in Geppetto, had you seen him in other roles? What was your impression of him?
You can read on here.
Mania J.G. Hertzler Interview
The actor has been trying to catch up on his science fiction reading. "As a younger person I was a Lovecraft fan, but I did not read that massive generation of Poul Anderson, Fritz Lieber, I have vast holes in my knowledge of sci-fi. I'm reading as fast as I can. I've always been fascinated and attracted to sci-fi, but I didn't spend the time before."
Christian (7:04 pm CST)
Michelle Erica Green at AnotherUniverse's Mania Magazine has put up an interview with J.G. Hertzler, better known as Chancellor Martok of the Klingon Empire. In the interview, he talks about his guest spot on next week's Voyager episode, 'Tsunkatse', his experiences on DS9, and his two upcoming Trek novels:
Of course, Martok mostly interacted with Sisko and Worf. The latter character features prominently in the Trek books Hertzler is writing for Simon and Schuster. "They follow the adventures of Martok and Worf and several of the cast members of DS9, along with some new people, after the demise of the series, as they leave the station and return to Q'onos where all hell breaks loose - which is not an uncommon event on Q'onos. The books have to do with Martok's self-doubt because he's got no nobility. Of all the people who dislike that, he dislikes it most himself, and holds himself responsible for whatever goes wrong. It takes him on a journey against his past.
You can read the full interview, which has actually already been up for a while, by following this link.
Building 'Elite Force'
A number of other shortcuts are used on the show as well. We discovered that there are only two crew quarters sets, for instance. Janeway's cabin is actually the same set as Tuvok's or Chakotay's—they merely switch out the furniture and shoot the set from different camera angles to create the illusion of individual rooms. Each cast members even goes so far as to walk through the door in their own specific fashion to heighten the illusion that it is a different door— Kate Mulgrew might angle through the door to "her cabin" from the right, while Tim Russ marches straight in.
Christian (7:04 pm CST)
Computer Games Online's Benjamin E. Sones has written one of the more interesting 'Voyager: Elite Force' previews to appear in quite a while, looking at the hard task faced by Raven in having to rebuild Voyager for the game. Fortunately, it appears they're getting some help:
Raven has also been working closely with Rick Sternbach, the technical design illustrator on Voyager and the guru responsible for creating the starship blueprints that become canon. When work on the game started, Sternbach had just begun to create a comprehensive set of Voyager blueprints. Watching the television show it might appear as though the sets are laid out according to some overall plan, but that really has not been the case. Up until now, there was no overall plan for how all the individual sets (such as the bridge, sickbay, astrometrics, or Neelix's kitchen) were interconnected. All the transition shots actually take place in one of two hallway sets—one a long curving hallway, the other an intersection jokingly referred to as "Hollywood and Vine." The amount of time required to travel between two locations on the ship is dictated by the needs of the script rather than by a consistent floorplan. If the script called for 30 seconds of dialogue while the scene transitioned between sickbay and the transporter room, then that was how long it would take to get there.
More on both the actual sets and the game levels can be found in the full review.
Cinescape 'Memorial' Review
Christian (7:04 pm CST)
Michael Marek, regular Star Trek contributor at Cinescape, has put up his review of 'Memorial', yesterday's new Voyager episode. Here's what he has to say about the episode's message:
The basic idea of this episode -- of indiscriminately imposing memories of a massacre on random passersby to cause them to be less likely to commit their own massacres -- is troubling. While it is hard to judge the ethics of an alien species, it would seem an unlikely thing to honor victims of a massacre by invading the minds of other people. On the other hand, the message of remembering the past to prevent future inhumanity is one of the strongest morals in recent episodes.
The full review can be found at Cinescape.
11 New 'Elite Force' Shots
Christian (7:04 pm CST)
Brian Wright at GameProWorld has put up a short new preview of 'Voyager: Elite Force', Raven's upcoming first-person shooter game. The preview consists of 11 new screenshots of the game, mostly showing of the main enemies in the game, the Borg. Click here to see it. Thanks go out to Evil Avatar for this!
Jammer's 'Virtuoso' Review
Christian (7:03 pm CST)
Slightly delayed, Jamahl Epsicokhan at Star Trek: Hypertext has put up his review of 'Virtuoso', last week's Voyager episode. Here's how he starts his review:
"Virtuoso" plays like a weird tug-of-war between the inspired and the banal--an episode where one scene can come off as interesting and even brilliant, and the next utterly flat and lifeless. There are moments I adored in this episode, and moments I wanted to physically rip out of the television and throw into the dumpster behind my apartment.
In the full review, 'Virtuoso' is awarded 2 stars.
'Memorial' Overnight Ratings
Voyager tied for fourth on the night, falling into a tie with Fox's struggling "Get Real," also with a 4.3/6. "Roswell" finished in 6th with a 3.7/6. "Seven Days" dipped to a 2.6/4 in a rerun, placing UPN firmly in 6th for the evening.
Christian (7:03 pm CST)
Greg Fuller at the Star Trek Nielsen Ratings Information Database has put up the overnight ratings report for 'Memorial', yesterday's Voyager episode. News isn't that good:
"Memorial" started Voyager's sweeps month on the wrong foot in the overnights, only bringing in a 4.3 rating, 6 share. That's below both last week's "Virtuoso" and "Blink of an Eye" from two weeks ago. "Memorial" also performed below the season average.
A bit more can be found in the full report. Without a doubt 'Tsunkatse' will score higher ratings next week, helped as it will be by 'America's Smackdown Hero' and 'Voyager's Battlestar Babe'.
Happy Birthday!
Christian (7:03 pm CST)
Today is the 65th birthday of Jeremy Kemp, who appeared in TNG's 'Family' as Robert Picard, Jean-Luc's brother.
Poll Results
Christian (7:03 pm CST)
Here are the results of the most recent TrekToday poll, asking how often you visited the Trek BBS:
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I'm really surprised by the number of you who just lurk at the BBS - why not register and actually take part in our discussions? I promise we won't bite :-). Anyway, please also take part in our new poll, asking what you thought about 'Memorial'.
Today On TV
-On Friday in Canada, Space! will be showing DS9's 'The Wire' at 4:00am Eastern Time, the Original Series' 'I, Mudd' at 10:00am and at 4:00pm, and DS9's 'Crossover' at 10:00pm.
-On Friday in the United Kingdom, Sky One will be showing Voyager's 'Rise' at 17:00 and at 23:30 GMT. Thanks go out to Kathryn Hughes, fellow Semisonic admirer, for this!
-On Friday in Germany, Sat.1 will be showing Voyager's 'Das oberste Gesetz' at 15:00 CET.
Christian (7:02 pm CST)
-On Friday in the United States, the Sci-Fi Channel will be showing the Original Series episode 'The Corbomite Maneuver' at 4:00pm Eastern Time.
Trek BBS Today
-Read da Woim's and Russell Christiansen's reviews of 'Memorial', then participate in some general discussion about the episode or talk about the episode's depiction of war.
-Should Paramount recast the Original Series crew and make new movies with them?
Find more topics at the Trek BBS!
Christian (7:02 pm CST)
Below are some of the topics currently being discussed at the Trek BBS:
Hello World!
Christian (7:02 pm CST)
Good luck, America! 'Big Brother' Comes to America, as the Dutch production company Endemol Entertainment and CBS just announced they'll be bringing the 100-day reality soap to American television this summer. You don't yet know what you're getting into, but I can guarantee you that six months from now 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?' will be peanuts compared to the hype 'Big Brother' will generate. I already mentioned the show here in Hello World! a few times earlier, and my opinion of it still hasn't changed - it's disgusting, signifies a new low in the world of television, has got to be the most boring thing to watch on television - but also something you will be watching. Big Brother was the biggest hype here in the Netherlands since the tulip, and without a doubt the same will happen in the US.
| Wednesday February 2, 2000 |
Christian (6:58 pm CST)
About two weeks ago, an article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer quoted Voyager Executive Producer Brannon Braga as saying that Paramount had given the green light to the development of both Series V and Trek X. Now, according to a report on the Sci-Fi Wire, this may not actually be the case:
Earlier reports have suggested that the studio is withholding a decision on either project until it evaluates its options. Rumors have had the studio testing various scenarios for a series to replace Voyager when it ends its run at the end of next season. Meanwhile, sources have told SCI FI Wire that a tenth Trek movie is on indefinite hold. Calls to Braga's office were not returned.
A spokesperson for Paramount told SCI FI Wire that she could not confirm a report that the studio has given the green light to a new Star Trek television series or a tenth feature film in the franchise. She was responding to a story by Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist Mark Dawidziak in which he quoted Star Trek: Voyager executive producer Brannon Braga saying that Paramount had given the go-ahead for both projects.
The original report can be found here. Thanks go out to Elaine Butler for this!
Do's And Don'ts For Series V
1. DO Serialize it. This will force lazy writers to pay attention to character and plot continuity. It is also the driving force behind successful Series like LA Law and Hill Street Blues.
2. DON'T Rely on a writing staff. As the last few seasons of DS9 testify, writers get burned out. Terrible things happen when they get tired. They get slap happy and start doing crazy things. Continue to solicit the best script ideas from outside sources.
Christian (6:52 pm CST)
Over at the Trek Nation, we've put up a new featured article by Karen Comer, in which she presents the Powers That Be at Paramount with a list of sixteen Do's and Don'ts for the next Star Trek series. Here's the start of her article:
To TPTB: As a Star Trek fan from the mid seventies onward I think I can count myself as qualified to pass on some accumulated wisdom what to do and what not to do with the new series.
Click here for the full article!
UPN 'Tsunkatse' Promo
Christian (6:52 pm CST)
Mr. Video Productions has put up the official UPN trailer for 'Tsunkatse', the episode where, and I quote, "'America's Smackdown Hero' meets 'Voyager Battlestar Babe'. In 32 seconds, the promo again does a great job in showcasing UPN's stunning ability to sink far below any thinkable standards, mainly showing scenes from the big fight between the Rock and Seven of... sorry, the Battlestar Babe. You can download the trailer from Vidiot, or via the usual TrekToday mirror. Now please excuse me while I try to repress the urge to start hitting UPN executives with large blunt objects.
Trek Actors Nominated By SAG
Christian (6:51 pm CST)
The official Continuum is reporting that three Trek alumni have been nominated by the Screen Actors Guild for its annual awards, which will be handed out on the 12th of March. The three Trek nominees are Patrick Stewart (Jean-Luc Picard), who is nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries for his role as Ebeneezer Scrooge in 'A Christmas Carol', Kelsey Grammer (Captain Morgan Bateson) for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series ('Frasier), and James Cromwell (Zefram Cochrane) in the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Theatrical Motion Picture together with his fellow 'The Green Mile' cast members. A bit more background info on this can be read by following this link.
New Starfleet Journal
Christian (6:51 pm CST)
Over at the TREKNEWSNetwork, they've put up a new edition of their online magazine the Starfleet Journal. This month, the mag includes a new Klingon advice column reminiscent of the Continuum's Ferengi advisor, an (as usual) really interesting column by Heather Jarman and another review of Equinox, Part Two.
ST:III On DVD
Christian (6:51 pm CST)
According to the DVD Review, Paramount Home Video will be releasing 'Star Trek III: The Search For Spock' on DVD on the 11th of April, along with three other films from the Paramount library. The film will come in a 16x9 enhanced widescreen presentation, and will be available for the price of $29.99. Thanks go out to BORG and Chris Butler for this!
E:FC Writer Joins 'Andromeda'
Christian (6:51 pm CST)
Michael Hinman at SyFyWorld is reporting that 'Earth: Final Conflict' writer Ethlie Ann Vare has signed on to be a writer for the new Gene Roddenberry series 'Andromeda'. Vare's work can be seen in most American markets this coming week in the E:FC episode 'Subterfuge'. Vare is the first 'Andromeda' writer to be announced after former DS9 writer Robert Hewitt Wolfe.
WB Picks Up Piller Pilot
Christian (6:51 pm CST)
UltimateTV is reporting that the WB has scheduled 'Day One', a drama series executive produced by Michael Piller (who co-created DS9 and Voyager and wrote 'Insurrection') for a Fall 2000 debut. 'Day One' is described as a post-apocalyptic serial drama based on the British mini-series 'The Last Train'.
TrekWeb 'Blink Of An Eye' Review
Christian (6:51 pm CST)
Steve Perry, regular reviewer at TrekWeb, has uploaded his review of 'Blink of an Eye', the Voyager episode which aired two weeks ago. Here's a short snippet from the very positive review, in which the episode is awarded an A-:
All in all, an interesting idea that gave the show and the viewer a lot to play with. People are tired of Voyager, but I wish they would realize that it hasn't been that bad this year. Quite good, actually, when you consider episodes like this one.
For more, read the full review.
Mac 'DS9: The Fallen' Article
Christian (6:50 pm CST)
Peter Cohen at MacCentral has put up a new article about the Collective's 'Deep Space Nine: The Fallen' game, which was recently pushed back to an August release. The article consists of the standard interview with producer Ken Gordon which has already appeared on several web sites, plus a set of screenshots. You can find it here. Thanks go out to Jeff 'Koganuts' Koga for this.
'Virtuoso' Final Ratings
Christian (6:49 pm CST)
Greg Fuller at the Star Trek Nielsen Ratings Information Database has posted the final ratings report for 'Virtuoso', last week's new Voyager episode. The ratings were fairly good, though not as great as the overnight ratings led us to expect:
"Virtuoso" stayed flat from last week, bringing in another 3.7 rating, 6 share. That's up from two weeks ago when "Fair Haven" managed a 3.4 and a little above the season average. This week last year, "Bride of Chaotica!" earned a 4.0/6.
A look at timeslot competition, plus an outlook at the February sweeps, can be found in the full report.
Viacom & Fox Wrestle For WWF
The Viacom/CBS offer includes an undisclosed cash payment for an equity stake in the WWF, according to the source. The WWF is all ears, because Viacom/CBS is promising to engineer an unprecedented multiyear marketing campaign that would promote the wrestling matches on MTV (which Viacom owns); on 170 CBS radio stations, many of which appeal to the 12- to 24-year olds who make up the biggest proportion of the wrestling audience; and across all the Web sites controlled by Viacom and CBS.
Christian (6:49 pm CST)
The Wrestling Arena is reporting about efforts by both Viacom/CBS and News Corp. to obtain the TV and cable rights for the World Wrestling Federation, which currently remain at the USA Network. Apparently, Viacom has some pretty big plans with the WWF:
Sources say Redstone's Viacom/CBS was convinced it had locked up a deal with the WWF as late as a week ago. The proposed contract, which has gone back to the drawing boards, would keep the popular "WWF Smackdown" on UPN and shift the five weekly cablecasts on Diller's USA Network — including the Monday-night hours "WWF Raw" and "WWF War Zone," the two highest-rated regular series on cable TV — to the CBS-owned TNN: The Nashville Network when USA's contract expires.
It isn't certain yet that Viacom will be able to obtain the rights, as News Corp. (parent company of Fox) is also trying to get them, while USA Networks has also pledged its committment to continue showing WWF shows. Needless to say, all these developments are rather important for UPN, as its recent resurgence is based almost entirely on the success of 'WWF Smackdown!'. Read more on this in the full article, which I was pointed to by Jeff 'Koganuts' Koga.
Happy Birthday!
Christian (6:49 pm CST)
Today is the 51st birthday of Brent Spiner, who starred as Data in 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'.
Today On TV
-On Thursday in the United States, the Sci-Fi Channel will be showing the Original Series episode 'Dagger of the Mind' at 4:00pm Eastern Time.
-On Thursday in Canada, Space! will be showing DS9's 'The Maquis, Part Two' at 04:00am Eastern Time, the Original Series 'The Deadly Years' at 10:00am and at 4:00pm, and DS9's 'The Wire' at 10:00pm.
-On Thursday in the United Kingdom, Sky One will be showing Voyager's 'Darkling' at 17:00 and at 23:30 GMT, while BBC Two will be showing TNG's 'Sub Rosa' at 18:00. Thanks go out to Kathryn Hughes for this!
-On Thursday in Germany, Sat.1 will be showing Voyager's 'Das Unvorstellbare' at 15:00 CET.
Christian (6:49 pm CST)
-Tonight at 9:00pm (8:00pm CT), UPN will be showing Voyager's 'Memorial'. Here's how UPN describes the episode:
Thanks go out to Mr. Video Productions for the above image, which is of course copyrighted by Paramount Pictures.
When Chakotay, Paris and other crewmen arrive back from a two-week planetary exploration, they each succumb to horrid flashbacks depicting the wartime extermination of Nakan colonists, an occurrence in which they are involved. When Janeway and other crew members begin to fall victim to the same malaise, she retraces the team's shuttle route in search of answers - while hoping that her worst fears of the crew's involvement in war crimes are not proven.
Trek BBS Today
-What if Ezri Dax had been male?
-Which Trek character do you resemble the most?
Find more topics at the Trek BBS!
Christian (6:48 pm CST)
Later tonight there'll undoubtedly be many threads at the Trek BBS dealing with the new Voyager episode 'Memorial', but now there already several other interesting threads:
Hello World!
(Four hours and five listenings later, I've really fallen in love with this CD - make sure to look out for it next time you're in a record store.)
Christian (6:48 pm CST)
It's really absolutely phenomenal how Star Trek is a part of modern pop culture. Today Amazon delivered Semisonic's 'Feeling Strangely Fine', which I'd ordered based on the strength of their 'Closing Time' single. Imagine my surprise not two minutes ago when I heard the following lines pass by in 'Never You Mind', the fourth song on the CD:
Switch on the box Mr. Spock is on the table
I had to listen to this twice again and read the lyrics booklet before I believed it, but yes, it's really true - the first Trek mention in my record collection references, of all episodes, "Spock's Brain"!
Dr. McCoy is unable to connect his brain
Sweatin and strainin
Well it seemed so simple at the time
| Tuesday February 1, 2000 |
Christian (6:46 pm CST)
This morning, Terry Farrell (Jadzia Dax) appeared on the syndicated Donny and Marie talk show. BORG was kind enough to send in a report:
Terry Farrell appeared on 'Donny and Marie' on the 31st of January. This marked her 2nd appearance on the show. It's unclear as to why she made an appearance on the show since she had nothing new to promote. She mostly talked about her childhood, including a disasterous perm that her crush found out and teased her with. She talked about growing up in Iowa and her part-time job as a corn-detassler. This led to some confusion as to what corn-detassling was between Terry and the brother/sister duo. Donny and Marie thought it was the same as shucking so they brought in a basket of corn to demonstrate their talents at it. This led to some of Terry's unique comedy regarding some sexual inuendo and a hairy cob of corn. The final part of the interview included a question about which person from her past she would like to see the most. She chose her Biology teacher and Donnie and Marie managed to suprise her with a touching letter from the teacher. Terry broke down in tears and was very greatful to Donny and Marie.
Thanks go out to BORG for this!
'Virtuoso' Tube Review
Christian (6:45 pm CST)
Jeff Bond at Eon Magazine's Tube Reviews has uploaded his review of 'Virtuoso', last week's new Voyager episode. Here's a snippet from the review:
Boy, that Doctor is sure getting around lately. Last week he lived three years of his life in the blink of an eye and fathered a child, this week he becomes the Placido Domingo of an entire planet of worshipping fans. Well, you can't go too wrong in any episode that features Robert Picardo, and "Virtuoso" starts off well enough with the Munchkin-like Komar hanging on the Doctor's every ditty and the EMH exercising his well-developed penchant for self-absorption at every turn. "Virtuoso" is clearly designed as an affectionate dig at fans of the franchise as the Doctor is beset by groupies, a deluge of fan mail and winds up hawking singing holographic action figures of himself.
In the full review the episode is awarded a C.
Ode To The Doctor
[...]
From the pilot episode, The Doctor has stolen almost every scene he's been in, and, in fact, Voyager got into trouble with the character in the first season by having him on screen a little too much. He developed too quickly from program to person, but this problem was easily corrected with a memory major failure and subsequently the character has been plagued with technical difficulties to remind us all that's he's not as human as he often seems.
Christian (6:45 pm CST)
Julia Houston at About.com's Star Trek Fans has put up a new feature article, in which she praises everyone's favourite hologram:
Imagine my surprise when I was trying to wring another article out of my pea-sized brain for this week's new article and realized I had never written one on Voyager's most excellent character, The Doctor.
Read on by following this link.
New 'Starfleet Command' Gorn Missions
Christian (6:45 pm CST)
In GameSpot's download section, they've put up a new set of missions for Interplay's 'Starfleet Command' game, all based around the Gorn. Thanks Evil Avatar for this!
CBS To Buy Chris-Craft?
Viacom agreed in September to merge with CBS, a $37 billion combination that raises regulatory issues that might be partially satisfied by a change of ownership at Chris-Craft. First, FCC rules prevent the combination of two television networks, such as CBS and UPN, and second, the merger would create a television network that owns television stations reaching more U.S. TV households than the current 35 percent limit.
A CBS bid for Chris-Craft would certainly complicate the regulatory passage of Viacom's CBS takeover, though CBS chief executive Mel Karmazin and Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone are trying to persuade lawmakers and regulators to further relax TV ownership and penetration rules.
Christian (6:44 pm CST)
This news item is actually a few days old already, but I forgot to mention it earlier. Reuters is reporting that CBS (which is currently being acquired by Paramount parent Viacom) is in talks to buy television station group Chris-Craft Industries. What makes this possible deal interesting is that it would mean the Viacom/CBS combination would then own 100% of UPN:
Chris-Craft is considered ripe for a deal because the relaxation last year of federal rules against TV-station ownership have made its television properties increasingly attractive. Under the changes, a company can, under certain conditions, own two stations in a single market. Another factor that could lead to a Chris-Craft takeover is its equal partnership with Viacom in the fledgling, money-losing UPN television network.
Again, read on here. Thanks go out to Jeff 'Koganuts' Koga for the link!
Final Ron Moore Interview
Christian (6:44 pm CST)
Over at Fandom, they've put up the final installment of their seven-part interview with Ronald D. Moore, the former TNG, DS9 and Voyager writer. In this part Moore talks about the future of the Star Trek series and films, the surprisingly bad treatment of the Trek film library, and his own new gig on the cable show 'GvsE'. He also talks about why he actually spoke out in these interviews:
Moore has been following the Internet chatter about this series of interviews. In answer to the question, "Why have you spoken out and why now?" he says, "At first, I was very reluctant to talk about any of this. Like I said in my farewell posting, I felt like my personal trek had come to an end and it was time to move on. But I had this nagging sense of unfinished business that kept gnawing at me, and so after several months went by I decided to give my opinion on the current state of the TREK. I`ve spent a great deal of my life thinking about this odd little franchise in one way or another, first as a fan and then as a writer-producer, and it`s hard to watch it go in a direction that I believe is fundamentally flawed without saying something. I`m sure some people will think I`m just out to grind an axe or to exact my revenge. If they want to believe that, fine. But I happen to think that there`s virtue in speaking honestly and critically about STAR TREK if it`s going to continue to survive—or at least if it`s going to survive in a form that`s thought-provoking and meaningful. I love STAR TREK. And to coin a phrase, I want it to 'live long and prosper.' All I ask is that it tries harder to live up to its own reputation for quality drama and storytelling."
You can find part seven here. Thanks go out to Jeff 'Koganuts' Koga for this!
Delta Blues 'Virtuoso' Review
For the second week in a row, the guest stars were--to be charitable--unimpressive.
The relationship between the Doctor and Tincoo, supposedly the key reason the Doctor and the captain both decided he could stay behind on the Qomar planet, was not, in my opinion, well handled.
But given all that, I still enjoyed it. The regular cast turned in some moving performances, and Picardo was excellent. There were several scenes made the episode worthwhile, which have relevance to the Doctor's character development and have some modern social commentary.
Christian (6:44 pm CST)
Jim Wright at Delta Blues has posted his review of 'Virtuoso', last week's new Voyager episode. Here's how he starts his review:
I keep hearing about the target demographic. Frankly, I can't imagine that opera is high on the Happy List of single guys 18-34. The lip-syncing was at times painfully obvious. And maybe it's just me, but all the singing is getting a little old.
In the full review, the episode is awarded three stars. There you'll be able to find a full synopsis, an analysis of the episode, and Jim's thoughts on what it means to be a celebrity.
Mirror DS9 Mac Icons Available
Christian (6:44 pm CST)
Icons.cx, an icon and desktop site for the Mac, has put up a set of icons from DS9's mirror universe.
'Andromeda' Lead Name Change
Christian (6:43 pm CST)
Cinescape is reporting that at a recent Hercules/Xena convention, Kevin Sorbo mentioned that his character in 'Andromeda' will now be 'Dylan Shepherd (or Shepard)', and not Dylan Hunt or Dylan Jericho, as was previously reported. 'Andromeda', which will be premiering this Fall, is based on the work of Gene Roddenberry and is headed by former DS9 writer Robert Hewitt Wolfe.
Trek CCG 'Reflections'
The next question: which cards will be made into foils? That hasn't been decided yet either, but they will be selected from among the most popular rare cards in the Star Trek CCG universe, and we'd like you to tell us which cards you would pick
Christian (6:43 pm CST)
Decipher, the publisher of the official Star Trek Customisable Card Game, just posted word of an upcoming card set, the contents of which readers will be able to vote for:
Ever since the Star Wars CCG Reflections set was announced, players and collectors alike have speculated on the prospects for a similar Star Trek CCG set. The Star Trek CCG product lineup for 2000 has now been revealed and, indeed, we can expect to see our own "Reflections" set around July. While we haven't yet settled on a name for the set, or even exactly how many foils it will contain, the format will be similar: 18-card packs with one foil version of an existing rare card, plus a random mix of 17 cards from all the regular expansions from Premiere through The Dominion.
Find more here.
New 'The Fallen' Screenshots
Christian (6:43 pm CST)
If I'd get a penny for every one of those, I'd be a rich man. IGN PC has put up a set of twelve new screenshots of the upcoming 'Deep Space Nine: The Fallen' game. Thanks Blue.
Burton At Barnes & Noble
``We're thrilled that READING RAINBOW'S LeVar Burton and some of the country's most prominent children's authors will appear in our stores and on barnesandnoble.com to celebrate the joys of reading,'' said Alan Kahn, chief operating officer of Barnes &Noble, Inc. ``By working together, we can make reading an integral part of every child's life.''
Christian (6:43 pm CST)
In a new press release, book chain Barnes & Noble just announced they'll soon be launching a special series of events connected to 'Reading Rainbow', the children's television show dedicated to books. As part of this promotional series, 'Rainbow' host LeVar Burton (Geordi LaForge) and seven children's authors will be appearing at B&N stores throughout the country for reading sessions:
The authors who will read and sign their work are Judi Barrett, Jan Brett, Janell Cannon, Tomie dePaola, Patricia Polacco, Jon Scieszka, and Judith Viorst. LeVar Burton will be at Barnes & Noble stores in Santa Monica and the Bronx. Barnes & Noble stores throughout the country will have permanent READING RAINBOW displays in their children's department. There will be a READING RAINBOW broadcast schedule and READING RAINBOW titles on barnesandnoble.com (http://bn.com/readingrainbow) , beginning in mid-February which will change every two weeks and will correspond with the broadcast of the show. In addition, barnesandnoble.com will host author chats twice monthly by authors whose books are featured on READING RAINBOW. These chats will be publicized on the READING RAINBOW area of barnesandnoble.com and will be held during the day so that parents and children can log on and ask questions/learn about their favorite READING RAINBOW authors.
Find more in the full release.
Happy Birthday!
Christian (6:42 pm CST)
Today would have been the 60th birthday of Bibi Besch, who appeared as Dr. Carol Marcus in 'Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan', had she not sadly passed away four years ago.
Today On TV
-On Wednesday in Canada, Space! will be showing the Original Series 'Balance of Terror' at 10:00am Eastern Time.
-On Wednesday in the United Kingdom, Sky One will be showing Voyager's 'Blood Fever' at 17:00 and at 23:30 GMT, while BBC Two will be showing DS9's 'One Little Ship' at 18:45 CET. Thanks go out to Kathryn Hughes for this!
-On Wednesday in Germany, Sat.1 will be showing Voyager's 'Die Augen des Toten' at 15:00 CET.
Christian (6:42 pm CST)
-On Wednesday in the United States, the Sci-Fi Channel will be showing the Original Series episode 'Miri' at 4:00pm Eastern Time. The station is now listing the episodes differently on their web site, btw - it's now called the 'Star Trek: 60 Min Syndie Version'.
Trek BBS Today
-What are Star Trek's best episode titles?
-We're considering using Greenwhich Mean Time for the BBS. What do you think about this?
Find more topics at the Trek BBS!
Christian (6:42 pm CST)
Apparently for most people the Trek BBS is accessible via its domain name again, but in order for the cookies to function correctly it is recommended that you still only visit the site via its IP address, http://208.231.7.187/. Take a look at some of the topics currently being discussed there:
Hello World!
Christian (6:42 pm CST)
Work is steadily progressing on the server move. Unfortunately I wasn't able to already move TrekToday to the new server today, mainly because I remembered just in time I hadn't even begun yet with setting up any email addresses, something which does seem rather important before moving. I'll keep you updated.
| Monday January 31, 2000 |
Christian (6:56 pm CST)
NOTE: Below you will find spoilers for 'Tsunkatse', the Voyager wrestling episode. Click here to avoid those.
Again, you need to click here if you do not want to be spoiled.
The official Jeri Lynn Ryan Homepage has put up an interview with Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine), which first appeared in the Houston Chronicle. In the interview, Ryan talks a bit about 'Tsunkatse':
"Seven and Tuvok, who went off on an away mission, are captured and Seven is forced into playing the sport," she said. "You soon realize that the people who are doing the fighting are not there by choice."
Chakotay and several other Voyager crew members discover that fact for themselves when they see Seven step into the arena. As her crewmates endeavor to save her, Seven must deal with the machinations of Penk (Combs), the ruthless tsunkatse promoter who salivates at the money to be made through a death match featuring Seven. "Fighting is very much against Seven's nature because, for the last three years, she has tried to stifle her aggressive side," Ryan said. "And now she is forced to be violent and aggressive in order to survive and save Tuvok.
"The crew is on shore leave, and everybody but Seven and Tuvok (Tim Russ), who have no interest in recreation, is pretty excited to be on this planet," Ryan said. "Chakotay (Robert Beltran) and Torres (Roxann Dawson) discover this sport called tsunkatse, which is sort of a gladiator-type fighting event, with lots of people coming into an arena to watch.
In the full interview, Ryan also officially confirms her relationship with Voyager producer Brannon Braga for the first time.
Trek Book News
You can also find these updates via the Book Database's What's New Page.
Christian (6:55 pm CST)
David Henderson at Psi Phi has done a massive update to his Star Trek Books Database, consisting of the following:
Ron Moore Interview, Part Six
"You can't sustain that, so it just started falling off. Because in that same little window, when that cover hit, NEXT GEN had been off the air for only four months, five months, and GENERATIONS was premiering. DEEP SPACE NINE was on the air, and VOYAGER was going to premiere in January. It was just overkill, and you just had this massive amount of TREK. The public can only swallow so much. Even hard-core fans, I think, only watch so much TREK. When you had both series on the air at the same time, how many people really watched both shows every week? The hard-core audience does, but not the general audience, and STAR TREK has lived and died because of the general audience, because it has appealed beyond the cult phenomenon. You can't get the public to watch two hours of STAR TREK every week, and a movie on the side, and the reruns from the old show."
Christian (6:55 pm CST)
Over at Fandom, they've put up part six of Anna L. Kaplan's interview with former Trek writer Ronald D. Moore. In this part, he talks about the Trek feature films, including the two he wrote himself, and he also talks a little about the rest period for Trek many people advocate:
"There has just been too much STAR TREK for a while. I remember the moment the franchise peaked. The moment, to me, was when Kirk and Picard were on the cover of TIME Magazine. I literally walked in the next day to the office and said, 'We have peaked. It's down hill for quite a while from here.' You reached this kind of critical mass in popular imagination. You were now on the cover of TIME, and all the old stuff about the Trekkies was kind of gone by the wayside. It had gone from being a subculture of a subculture, to now this legitimate nationwide phenomenon. It was Americana. Kirk and Picard are big heroes, and everyone loves them."
You can find the full interview by going here. Thanks go out to Star Trek Central for this!
New Sev Trek Competition
Christian (6:55 pm CST)
John Cook at Sev Trek has uploaded a new edition of the 'Write Your Own Sev Trek' competition:
Cloning Wayout.
As usual, submit your punchline here.
I think the DS9 writers realised they made a big mistake when they killed off Weyoun (Jeffrey Coombs is a great actor - check him out in Peter Jackson's "The Frightners"). So in an inspired moment, they turned him into a clone to recycle ad nauseum... the only Trek character with his own reset button!
'Armada' Developer Diary
Christian (6:54 pm CST)
Over at Computer Games Online, they've put up the first edition of a regular development diary by Marc Turndorf, one of the people working on Activision's 'Star Trek: Armada' game. Here's a snippet from the end of the diary:
As code release approaches it is clear an RTS game set in the Star Trek universe can appeal to both hard-core RTS fans and Trekkers alike. Paramount made sure the Armada team honored the Star Trek franchise while respecting the Armada team's ability to create a compelling and impressive RTS title. The Aramda team deferred to Paramount in areas directly in the reticule of Trek canon. Concessions had to be made by both sides, but thanks to the mantra subscribed to by all: "above all else let's make a fantastic game" the end product will be a great success.
Click here for the actual diary. Thanks Blue for this.
'Galaxy Quest' Box Office
Christian (6:54 pm CST)
In its sixth weekend in cinemas, 'Galaxy Quest', the Star Trek parody starring Tim Allen, slipped to a 7th place in the top 10, earning an additiona $3.5 million.
Today On TV
-On Tuesday in Canada, Space! will be showing the Original Series 'The Apple' at 10:00am and at 4:00pm Eastern Time, and DS9's 'The Maquis, Part One' at 10:15pm.
-On Tuesday in the United Kingdom, Sky One will be showing Voyager's 'Coda' at 17:00 and at 23:30 GMT.
-On Tuesday in Germany, Sat.1 will be 'Das Nadelöhr' (Eye of the Needle) at 15:00 CET.
Christian (6:54 pm CST)
-On Tuesday in the United States, the Sci-Fi Channel will be showing the Original Series episode 'What Are Little Girls Made Of?' at 4:00pm Eastern Time.
Trek BBS Today
-Did you ever read William Shatner's novel 'Spectre'?
-What is Blue Alert?
Find more topics at the Trek BBS!
Christian (6:54 pm CST)
Here are some of the topics currently being discussed at the Trek BBS, still only accessible via its IP address of http://208.231.7.187/:
Hello World!
Christian (6:54 pm CST)
Just a short update today... will be making up for that tomorrow.
| Sunday January 30, 2000 |
Christian (4:55 pm CST)
Over on the Trek Nation, Fred Shedian has uploaded a new edition of his weekly 'A Take On Trek' column, this time looking at Voyager's most recent episode:
Voyager with another Doctor based character development story? Sounds like something which couldn't possibly go wrong...or could it. Although the general story outline was something I was eager to see, I was somewhat disappointed at the end result. Today, let me talk a little bit about why I found myself watching both The West Wing and Voyager this past Wednesday.
You can read on here.
New German Online Radio Shows
Christian (4:55 pm CST)
Corona WebBEAT is reporting about two new online German radio shows available at SF-Radio.de. The 10th edition of Audio 51 includes a round-up of all the latest science-fiction news, as well as features on several major SF franchises. The 21st edition of TREKMinds, meanwhile, contains a video review corner, the latest Star Trek news, the 'Question of the Week' and a feature about a Star Trek science course at the University of Kiel. Personal note: Why doesn't a radio show like this exist in the English online Star Trek world? As I had some free time, I just listened to part of the new TREKMinds edition, and I have to say I'm really impressed by the high quality of their show - I'll definitely be tuning in again for their next show!
Klingon Academy News Bits
Thanks go out to Klingon Academy News for all this!
Christian (4:55 pm CST)
Several news items dealing with Interplay's upcoming 'Klingon Academy' space simulator today, all courtesy of Klingon Academy News:
Ebert Likes Jeri Ryan Indie
Christian (4:55 pm CST)
According to the Official Jeri Lynn Ryan Homepage, movie critic Roger Ebert names 'Men Cry Bullets', the feature film debut of Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine), as 'a movie deserving of cult hit status' in this weekend's installment of 'Roger Ebert & the Movies'. You can see when the program airs in your area by going here.
Cynical 'Virtuoso' Review
CYNICS CORNER RATING: 4.0
LAUGH LINE OF THE WEEK: The Doctor's love interest (or whatever), a mathematician from a race of intellectually superior Forehead Aliens, had this gem: "What about the most important equation of all: 1 + 1?" That's not an equation, honey, that's an expression.
Christian (4:55 pm CST)
Over at the Cynics Corner, David E. Sluss has put up his review of 'Virtuoso', Voyager's most recent episode. Here's how he starts his review:
THE BOTTOM LINE: The National Association for the Advancement of Short People might be pleased with it, but it's hard to imagine that anyone else is.
Many more points of criticism can be found in the full review.
Fandom Ron Moore Editorial
Christian (4:54 pm CST)
AntonyF at Fandom's Star Trek Central has uploaded a mini-editorial about the recent series of Ronald D. Moore interviews, and the great uproar they caused:
Some of you may disagree with Ron's comments. That's fair enough, everyone is different, but people seem to overwhelmingly support him. Some of you may think he is wrong doing these interviews, perhaps a traitor to Trek. On the contrary, if anything he is more loyal to Trek than some of the people working there right now.
The full editorial can be found on this page.
PlayNOW 'Hidden Evil' Review
This isn't a bad game, and Trekkies should probably give it the once over, however, there are quite a few flaws, and for an adventure, there is just way too much dull combat. Roll on Star Trek Voyager : Elite Force (the really exciting Trek shoot 'em up).
Christian (4:54 pm CST)
Steve Polak at PlayNOW! has written a review of 'Insurrection: Hidden Evil', Activision's new adventure game. Polak awarded the game a still rather positive 7 out of 10:
The gameplay is passable if you are a hard core Trek fan, and many will love the fact that Sovok can use the Vulcan nerve pinch. However, the weapon exchanges are too easy (you just point vaguely in the direction of your foe and shoot), and the in-game puzzles won't stretch the intellect of experienced adventurers too much either. Having said that, the background visuals are highly detailed, and this game may well appeal to younger Star Trek fans who aren't quite as good at PC games. A pretty, if somewhat easy game.
To read the full review, please follow this link.
Happy Birthday!
Christian (4:54 pm CST)
Today is the birtday of Daphne Ashbrook, who appeared in DS9's 'Melora' as the title character.
Poll Results
Christian (4:54 pm CST)
Below you'll find the results of the most recent TrekToday poll, in which you were asked what you thought about Voyager's 'Virtuoso':
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Thanks for participating in the poll! Please also vote in the new poll, where I'm trying to find out how many of you actually visit the Trek BBS.
Today On TV
-On Monday in Canada, Space! will be showing the Original Series' 'The Changeling' at 10:00am and at 4:00pm Eastern Time, and DS9's 'Blood Oath' at 10:00pm.
-On Monday in the United Kingdom, Sky One will be showing Voyager's 'Alter Ego' at 17:00 and at 23:30 GMT. Thanks go out to Kathryn Hughes for this!
-On Monday in Germany, Sat.1 will be showing Voyager's 'Der mysteriöse Nebel' at 15:00 CET.
Christian (4:53 pm CST)
-On Monday in the United States, the Sci-Fi Channel will be showing the Original Series episode 'Mudd's Women' at 4:00pm Eastern Time.
Trek BBS Today
-How many of you like 'Star Trek: Voyager' better than any of the other series?
-Did you ever read Diane Carey's 'Best Destiny' novel?
More topics can be found at the Trek BBS!
Christian (4:53 pm CST)
Though the domain transfer has now been arranged, the Trek BBS is currently still only available via its IP address, http://208.231.7.187/. Take a look at some of the many topics currently being discussed here:
Hello World!
Christian (4:52 pm CST)
As many of you have been asking when all Trek Nation changes I mentioned over the past few weeks will actually be happening, here's my current timetable:
Of course, this whole timetable is also governed by the LCARS principle (Listen, Christian Actually Requires Sleep), so this could all still change, but I'm hopeful I'll be able to stick to this schedule.
| Saturday January 29, 2000 |
Christian (7:56 pm CST)
The official Scarlett Pomers Homepage is reporting that Scarlett Pomers (Naomi Wildman) will be appearing in a new commercial for Pizza Hut, which will air for the first time during the Super Bowl. As part of the campaign, Pomers' photo will also appear in Pizza Hut's print ads and posters.
Space Imagined 'Virtuoso' Review
Christian (7:56 pm CST)
Staff writer Kenneth Silber at Space Imagined has uploaded his review of 'Virtuoso', last Wednesday's new Voyager episode. As usual, his review consists of a synopsis, tech info, a list of 'dangling plot threads', and an actual analysis of the episode. Here's a short snippet of that:
Living up to its name, "Virtuoso" provides a skillful rendition of wit and emotion. The Doctor has emerged as a mainstay of the series, a character with greater humanity and depth than most of his shipmates. This episode, along with "Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy," represents a high point of the season.
Find more here.
Sherman Writes 'Buffy' Novel
Christian (7:56 pm CST)
Psi Phi is reporting about a new Young Adult 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' Paperback novel, written by Laura Anne Gilmna and Josepha Sherman, one of the co-authors (together with Susan Schwartz) of 'Vulcan's Forge' and 'Vulcan's Heart'. The book is called 'Deep Water', and information about it can be found here.
NY Post: "Has Kirk Gone Crazy?"
Or maybe it's an alternate universe.
All I can actually figure is that Shatner seems to be trying to make a comeback of his giant floppola career as a rock 'n' roller. Yes, once in 1968, Shatner made a rock album that crashed faster than an uncloaked Klingon vessel. It was called "The Transformed Man."
It would have been easier to transform himself into a rabbit than to transform himself into a rocker. And more believable, too.
Christian (7:55 pm CST)
Linda Stasi and Adam Buckman at the New York Post have each written a column about the latest line of PriceLine.com commercials, featuring the musical talents of William Shatner (James T. Kirk). Buckman argues that the Priceline.com are an enourmous success and that Shatner is certainly doing a great job, while Stasi seems to believe that Kirk has indeed gone crazy. As that premise is a lot more entertaining, here's a snippet from her article:
For reasons I hope never to understand, William Shatner, dressed in leather jacket and jeans, and looking like a cross between The Boss and the man from The Men's Warehouse, "sings" and "raps" to a hip audience in what's supposed to be a smoky downtown night spot.
Stasi's column can be found by going here, while Buckman's column can be found here. Thanks go out to Daniel Kikin for this!
New Sev Trek Comic
Christian (7:55 pm CST)
ESCMag Reviews 'Birth of the Federation'
Christian (7:55 pm CST)
This is actually January 2000, isn't it? Garret Romaine at Escape Magazine has put up a review of Microprose's 'Star Trek: The Next Generation - Birth of the Federation', apparently completely unaware the game is almost a year old now. Apparently not hindered by much factual knowledge about the game, Romaine still awarded it 9 out of 10 escape keys:
Bottom line: this is a good game. The Birth of the Federation is addicting, richly complex, challenging, and faithful to its Star Trek roots. The artwork is good, the music is good, and multiplayer is more than adequate. The only thing missing is the Borg — and they're probably a powerful enough entity to rate a game all their own.
The full review of the game (which, incidentally, also includes the Borg) can be found here. Thanks Blue for the link!
Gamecenter 'Armada' Preview
Christian (7:55 pm CST)
Gamecenter has posted a short new preview of 'Star Trek: Armada', consisting mostly of a set of new screenshots:
Gamecenter is proud to present some early details regarding the weapons and ships that the Federation will use in battle. The first few screens depict various weapons in action, and the last few images are design specs for some of the Federation's ships.
The full report can be read by following this link. Thanks go out to Evil Avatar for this!
Sisko Wins Space.com Poll
Computer-compatibility issues kept Ride from voting, but she said she would "like to officially enter my favorite as Capt. Janeway."
Christian (7:54 pm CST)
According to a new article at Space Imagined, Captain Benjamin Sisko recently won the site's popularity poll for best Star Trek captain, getting a full third of the votes and marginally beating Kirk and Picard. Janeway trailed far behind, gathering a mere 7% of the votes. Still, Janeway apparently has at least one important fan:
The lack of interest in Voyager could not keep Janeway from winning the hearts of more than 400 space.com readers, including Sally Ride, president of the company and first U.S. woman in space.
Click here for the full article.
Bormanis Speaks At Teacher Conference
Christian (7:54 pm CST)
Andrew Guy Jr. at the Denver Post has written a report about the recent 'The Mastery Of Space' conference in Denver, where about 300 educators were able to learn how to use modern technology to educate people. One of the speakers was Andre Bormanis, science consultant for 'Voyager', who said at the conference that, according to him, the best way to teach science is to equate it with storytelling:
He said science is about solving problems and asking questions, just like reading a story. "What are those stars in the sky? Why is the sky blue?, those types of things," Bormanis said. "Storytelling, too, is about asking questions. They both have similar goals."
More on the actual conference can be found here.
Today On TV
-On Sunday in Canada, Space! will be showing the Original Series 'Wolf in the Fold' at 10:00am Eastern Time.
-On Sunday in the United Kingdom, Sky One will be showing DS9's 'Second Skin' at 16:00 GMT, followed an hour later by Voyager's 'Fair Trade'. At 18:45, BBC Two will be showing the really excellent Voyager episode 'Drone'. (See, Trek BBS people? I liked that episode! So no more threads about my supposed Voyager-bashing :-)!)
-On Sunday here in The Netherlands, RTL 5 will be showing DS9's 'The Muse' at 17:50 CET.
-On Sunday in Belgium, Kanaal 2 will be showing DS9's 'Children of Time' at 18:05 CET. Thanks go out to StarTrek.nl for these last two items.
Christian (7:54 pm CST)
-On Sunday in the United States, the Sci-Fi Channel will be showing the Original Series episode 'The Enemy Within' at 11:00am Eastern Time.
Trek BBS Today
-What do you think about the rumoured Joe Menosky departure?
-Why didn't Deep Space Nine or Voyager ever have an opening monologue?
Find more topics at the Trek BBS!
Christian (7:54 pm CST)
Still located at the temporary http://208.231.7.187/ address, some interesting discussions are still going on at the Trek BBS:
Hello World!
Then today I was nearly ready to strangle Network Solutions, as they kept returning my updated domain records for the Trek BBS with a message stating I had sent it from the wrong address, even though I was just sending it from my regular christian@trektoday.com address. Finally, I recalled my earlier experience with the BIOS, and decided to look through my password paper in my drawer - and yes, there it was, my Network Solutions password. At least it's changed now, but again if I'd have thought of that in time I'd have been able to save me close to a day of trying.
Christian (7:53 pm CST)
I hate passwords. Perhaps even more than I hate my bank. Especially when I forget they even exist, and even more when that happens twice to me in a week. First a few days ago, when I sold my old Pentium-200 to a friend and wanted to help her install some software, and noticed I first had to change the BIOS to scan the floppy drive before the hard disk, in order to be able to use a boot disk. Unfortunately, at the same moment I realised that for some inexplicable reason I put a password on the BIOS about half a year earlier, and had absolutely no idea anymore what it was. I tried at least a hundred passwords I could still recall using sometime, even went as far as typing in all the song titles from my favourite Roxette CD to see if I had used one of those as a password, but to absolutely no avail. In the end a friend with a bit more hardware-experience was able to open the computer and manually reset the BIOS, but it still cost me a large part of the day plus of course insufferable embarassment.
