On September 28, 1987, Star Trek History was made as “Encounter at Farpoint” hit our screens showcasing the pilot of Star Trek The Next Generation. The beginning of what would start off a huge collection of spin offs and films. It had been many years since Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise had appeared on television and now with a new ship and a new crew Star Trek grew into so much more. From a cancelled 60’s Sci Fi show to an award winning drama, TNG launched Star Trek back into the mainstream and created a whole new generation of fans.
We had our first Star Trek Eire Presents Night last night.
KHAAAAAANNNNNN
We showcased Star Trek Original Series Episode “Space Seed” famous for being the original appearance of Khan Noonien Singh, the genetically advanced warlord frozen in suspended animation since 1996, who tries to take control of the Enterprise.
You are no match for me Captain
Next we showed “Star Trek II The Wrath Of Khan” set 15 years later in which a group of scientist working with the USS Reliant search for a desolate planet to test their new life starting device the Genesis Device. A landing party discover the remains of a colony, that of Khan Noonien Singh and his fellow supermen. Setting the return of the villainous, mad man on his path of revenge against Captain Kirk and the Enterprise.
KHAAAAAANNNNNN
We had a great night with a fantastic collection of Star Trek fans. Raffled off some goodies and all shouted KHAAAAN together at the films famous moment.
There was a beautiful bittersweet feeling of emotion and a glass raised to Leonard Nemoy, who we lost earlier this year, during his final scene in the film.
Live Long and Prosper
Until next time I leave you with this “In Memoriam” form the 67th Emmy Awards earlier in the week which honoured Nemoy.
So one day, Ensign Harry Kim of Voyager is in Quark’s bar on Deep Space 9. Somewhere aboard that station, a little Ferengi kid called Nog- who has nothing to do with Starfleet -is running around, generally making a nuisance of himself.
Within 5 years of that day, Nog will outrank Harry in Starfleet as a Lieutenant Junior Grade, with Harry still being an Ensign (on a ship where even people who abandoned and fought against Starfleet for a paramilitary organisation are promoted above him).
We’re all intrigued to see the next instalment of the Star Trek reboot films. Star Trek Beyond will be the first in the series not to be directed by JJ Abrams, but instead is being taken on byFast and Furious alumni Director and Producer Justin Lin. It’s going to be different and Simon Pegg (Scotty) is heavily involved in the writing too. We’re a little concerned that once again a director with heavy Producer credits and action film experience is involved. Lin also has very little experience with SciFi so it could go horribly wrong. But with self proclaimed geek and fan Pegg behind the project it could end up the best Star Trek film of the reboot. At this point it’s just too early to tell. What we do know is that there will be less lens flares and more of a Star Trek feel to what will still be a big budget SciFi adventure.
News broke this week about the shifting release date of the film’s delayed 2016 release by a few weeks. Instead of being released on July 8th it’s now going to be July 22nd.
The reason is very simple, Summer is the time of big blockbusters, for them all to succeed they need to be spaced out a bit, to share room at the box office.
Since STAR TREK BEYONDis still in production in Vancouver and then going to Dubai in the coming weeks, the move is more likely due to logistical issues rather than any “problems” with the film.
Another reason could simply be the logistics with having freed up IMax theaters as pointed out by Anthony D’Alessandro -Deadline that Tarzan is going to be a huge film and will be most likely sitting at the top spot in early July leaving little room for Star Trek Beyond 7 days later.
Late July proved quite fruitful for the Melrose Ave. studio this year when they launched Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation on July 31, clocking a FSS of $55.5M and a total cume to date of $189.2M.
The reason why M:I5 played late July, versus its original December 2015 date, was to take advantage of those Imax venues that were open, and that’s the same reason why Par is taking the Enterprise out on the late July date.
Apparently, Warner Bros.’ Tarzan has roped up all the Imax hubs on July 1, leaving none for Captain Kirk and Spock. Seven weeks into its play, M:I5 is still hanging around the top 5.
As to how good the film will be. Well We’ll just have to wait an extra 2 weeks and see.
PBS have compiled this little quiz for you to test your knowledge. We warn you it’s not the easiest but it’s fun. Take on the challenge and test your knowledge.
Five television series, each with their own crews, spanning seven hundred and twenty six episodes and twelve movies (About six good ones), and countless fan-made stories from 1966 and still going strong, Star Trek can be daunting to get into. It came back into focus in 2009 when JJ Abrams released his reboot movie, Star Trek. The movie helped create a new generation of Trekkies, but the sheer enormity of the Universe and source material makes it difficult to take in exactly what the Star Trek Universe is all about. I will be giving a crash course in the most important parts of Star Trek, starting with the most fundamental aspects and working towards the base details.
The Romulan Star Empire
Romulan Star Empire
The Romulans are the third of the great powers in the Alpha quadrant, and also one of the most interesting. The Romulans are descendants of Vulcans who fled their home world when most accepted logic and the teachings of Surak. The Vulcans who would become Romulan gave in to their emotions, doing nothing to hide them. This makes the Romulans one of the most dangerous races of the galaxy, as the atrocities the Vulcans committed while under the influence of their emotions are said to be even worse than any committed by humans on Earth. Despite sharing such an ancestry with the Vulcans, the Romulans have always widely despised their logical counterparts, though there is a minority who wish to embrace their Vulcan brothers and bring about a Unification of the two cultures.
Romulan Commander
The Romulans are one of only two races in the Empire. The other race, known as the Remans, are descended from the same Vulcans who left Vulcan. They colonised Romulus’ neighbouring planet; Remus. The Remans evolved very differently to the Romulans due to the unique conditions of the planet. One half of Remus always faces the sun and is completely inhospitable, so the Remans were forced to live on the Dark Side of the planet. The Remans are treated as labourers by the Romulans and were even used as cannon fodder during the Dominion War. The Remans are very like Klingons in their strength and skills in battle, but still possess the cunning of the Romulans.
A Reman
The Empire is very secretive and always planning something. Though ruled by a government of elected officials, there is often a lot of bribery and corruption involved, to the extent that a completely new government is voted in nearly every election. This led to a lot of plans being picked up and discarded mid-way through, such as a plan to replace Jean-Luc Picard(Patrick Stewart) with a Romulan created clone, Shinzon(Tom Hardy). The Humans waged a war with the Romulans even before the creation of the Federation, with nuclear weapons and no ship-to-ship communication, so neither had even seen the other before. It wasn’t until 2266, in an altercation between a Romulan ship and the USS Enterprise, that a Romulan was first seen by the Federation and their Vulcan ancestry confirmed.
Military
The Empire’s military doesn’t have a fancy name, but it is probably the most formidable, thanks in no small part, to one technological breakthrough: The Romulans were the species who first created cloaking technology in the Alpha quadrant. The Romulans have mastered the technology and their cloaking devices are a good deal more advanced than those of the Klingons. Despite its obvious tactical advantage, and in an effort to ease tension between the two powers, the Federation and Romulan Empire signed the Treaty of Algeron in 2311, forbidding the Federation from researching cloaking technology. The technology often caused tension between the Romulans and other factions, but with the threat, and eventual outbreak, of the Dominion war, the Romulans worked with the Federation to equip the USS Defiant with the first official Federation cloaking device.
A de-cloaking Romulan ship
The Empire’s warships all follow a similar design patterns: they all bear a resemblance to birds. The Vulcans who left and eventually colonised the planets Romulus and Remus were often referred to as “Raptors”, and the Romulans have embraced this moniker. From the humble, but powerful, T’varo class Bird of Prey to the imposing and menacing D’Deridex Romulan Warbird, Romulan ships are always to be feared. All their ships are also equipped with advanced cloaking devices, and a few have even proven capable of firing while cloaked. Though they eventually sided with the Federation and Klingons in the Dominion War, they maintain their distrust of other races and the alliance is quickly forgotten once the war is over.
A D’Deridex Warbird
In 2379, Shinzon, one of the Romulan Military’s most prominent generals and a Reman, led a coup against the Romulan senate, ordering their assassination and taking control of the Empire. His ship, named “The Scimitar”, was the single most powerful ship created by any race of the known Star Trek Universe, save for maybe a Borg Tactical Cube. It could fire while cloaked, was highly manoeuvrable, boasted primary and secondary shields and contained a weapon capable of destroying life on entire planets. His plan was foiled by Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Enterprise and Senator Tal’Aura, a Romulan senator.
The Romulans are certainly one of the most interesting, and widely developed, races in Star Trek. They are creatures of duty, and have the utmost respect for those who they feel have earned it. I leave you with this powerful moment, the first words shared between the Federation and Romulans.
Five television series, each with their own crews, spanning seven hundred and twenty six episodes and twelve movies (About six good ones), and countless fan-made stories from 1966 and still going strong, Star Trek can be daunting to get into. It came back into focus in 2009 when JJ Abrams released his reboot movie, Star Trek. The movie helped create a new generation of Trekkies, but the sheer enormity of the Universe and source material makes it difficult to take in exactly what the Star Trek Universe is all about. I will be giving a crash course in the most important parts of Star Trek, starting with the most fundamental aspects and working towards the base details.
The Klingon Empire Insignia
The Klingon Empire
Unlike the Federation, the Klingon Empire, as it is depicted in most Star Trek series, does not have a real-world equivalent. The Klingons are a warrior race who consider honour, loyalty and combat ability to be the most important aspects of life, and their entire culture revolves around those aspects. The Empire was founded by Kahless, who is a messiah-like figure to the Klingon people. He was the first to unify the Klingon homeworld of Qo’nos under one banner. Kahless was the first Emperor of the Klingon people, though that position holds very little power. The Emperor is decided by birthright, either being Kahless or one of his descendants. The true head of the Klingon Empire is the High Chancellor. The High Chancellor was head of the Klingon High Council, a government of twenty four with the Chancellor as its head. The High Chancellor rises to power by defeating the previous Chancellor in honourable combat.
The Legendary Sword of Kahless
The Empire was at odds with the Federation for over a century after a disastrous First Contact between humans and Klingons. The two powers were in a cold war state during the 22nd and the most part of the 23rd century. Towards the end of the 23rd century, Praxis, a Klingon moon and home to their key energy production facility, exploded. This disaster prompted the High Chancellor to seek a peace treaty with the Federation, as the Empire could no longer afford continued hostility between the two people. After signing the Khitomer Accord, a treaty of peace and friendship between the two factions, The Federation and Klingon Empire enjoyed a long, albeit tested, era of peace in the 24th century. This didn’t prevent the Klingon Empire and Federation locking horns in the Klingon/Federation war of 2372, although it lasted less than a year before the Khitomer Accord was renewed.
Federation/Klingon War
As well as butting heads with the Federation, the Empire was at odds with the Romulan Star Empire. Klingons and Romulans were mortal enemies for centuries. The two cultures are polar opposites in a lot of respects; Romulans favour underhanded tactics and guerrilla warfare to the Klingon’s honourable and open approach. It’s not known when the Klingon Empire and Romulan Empire first started hating each other, but there was a time in the mid 23rd century when the Romulans were provided with Klingon D7 battle cruisers. It was in the late 23rd century that Romulans were declared Blood Enemies of the Empire. The two Empires have been at odds with each other ever since.
Klingon ships assist the Federation against the Romulans
The Klingons fought many battles throughout Star Trek Lore, including two wars with the Federation and at least one with the Romulan Star Empire. The Klingons assisted the Federation defence at the Battle of Wolf 359, when the assimilated Jean-Luc Picard, Locutus, was on a mission to assimilate earth. Despite infiltration by changelings in their government, the Klingon Empire was part of the Alliance that fought against the Dominion in the Dominion war of the late 24th century.
Klingon Defence Force
The Klingon Defence Force, or KDF for short, was the military fleet of the Empire. Unlike Starfleet, the KDF was purely dedicated to defence and other military means. The Empire are only interested in exploration that could improve their military might. Military spending by the KDF was part of the economic crisis caused by the destruction of Praxis which, ironically, led to the signing of the Khitomer Accords. The KDF has no official motto, but Klingons have something even better: songs of glorious battle. I leave you with this ballad, “Hear! Sons of Kahless”, sung by the crew of the IKS Rotaran after a glorious victory in the Dominion War.
By Hugh
This article was written for Geek Ireland. Original Publication here:
Star Trek Éire 