You are cordially invited to An Evening with Terry Farrell in Dublin, Ireland on March 25th 2017!
Tickets will be on sale in the coming days. Please register your interest by emailing us at events@startrekireland.com to be among the first to be able purchase tickets. Some very limited VIP tickets will be made available. More news to follow soon.
Would you like to see more Star Trek stars in Ireland? Please tell all your friends who may be interested so we can make this a memorable event for Terry!
We’re a not-for-profit Star Trek group just trying to share our love of Star Trek with other people in Ireland, and beyond.
On October 24th 1991 the creator of Star Trek, the Great Bird of the Galaxy Gene Roddenberry left us. It’s hard to imagine a world without Star Trek. Although it’s obviously a fictional show, the impact it has had on so many lives is very real.
I remember where I was when I heard the news. Astronomy Ireland had organised a weekend trip to Birr, Co. Offaly to visit the, at one time, the biggest telescope in the world, as well as have a space shuttle simulation and do some stargazing.
I believe it was the Friday night when we were stargazing that I heard Gene had passed the day before. I’ll be honest, it didn’t affect me much at the time. I was 14 and was more interested in trying to distinguish the differences between two, almost identical, blonde twin sisters, who both liked astronomy. It wasn’t until several years after that night that I began to appreciate how important Gene Roddenberry has been to my life.
I don’t think I would have been at that astronomy weekend if it wasn’t for Star Trek. Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t gone on to become one of the many famous Star Trek fans who became an astronaut (Chris Hadfield) or a world renowned scientist (Stephen Hawking). I haven’t invented anything that could be easily described with some of Star Trek’s get-out-of-jail-free technobabble! I’m just a nameless redshirt who has survived with a Star Trek Encyclopedia in my breast pocket. But what do I share with Hadfield, Hawking, Asimov, Bill Gates or Bill Nye?: I LOVE Star Trek. It is part of me, entwined into my being like a tapestry (and I don’t want Q to allow me to change it either!). I believe Star Trek has inspired my healthy amateur love of astronomy but the main reason I am so grateful to Star Trek and it’s creator Gene Roddenberry, is the moral GPS system that it uploaded to my brain! The teenage years are so important in molding a person so I was very lucky to be guided by my parents, but with very special backup from Spock and Picard. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, if the A-Team are just too busy, don’t worry. Just ask yourself ‘what would Picard do?’.
Thank you Gene for bringing those fresh Star Trek snowflakes together and molding them in your hands 50 years ago. That snowball has became a colossal boulder, as it continues to grow and touch so many as it roles into the future.
With the tragic news on Sunday June 19th that Star Trek (2009) actor Anton Yelchin died at his home, we take a look at the young actor’s career and place in Star Trek.
Being a fan of the reboot franchise or hating it, it would be hard to find a fan who didn’t like or disagree with Yelchin’s casting as the young Pavel Chekov. As we all know the role was originally played by the cute faced Walter Koenig in the original Star Trek series’ second season. Chekov was a character conceived to tap into the Davey Jones and Beatles fan base, to give girls and young men an idol or pop star looking character. This mostly worked and Chekov became a permanent member of the Star Trek crew.
Despite mixed reviews of JJ Abrams 2009 Reboot of Star Trek, Yelchin was the perfect choice to play Chekov. Yelchin was born in Leningrad in 1989 to parents, Irina Korina and Viktor Yelchin and migrated to the US months later under a refugee status.
Failing to take to Figure Skating (his parents’ careers ), Anton turned to acting at a very young age, starting out in independent films in 2000. In 2002 he landed a role in a Spielberg produced miniseries Taken (2002). This role launched him quickly into television roles including Larry David’sCurb Your Enthusiasm (2000) and as a series regular on Huff (2004) alongside Hank Azaria .
In 2007 Yelchin landed a key role in the film Alpha Dog which launched his film career to a new level. It didn’t take long for him to find a role in 2009’s Star Trek as Chekov.
Yelchin had a unique look and growing up with Russian parents, the accent and language came to him very naturally. His young looks and boyish innocent face made him a perfect fit to play Chekov. He played the character with a sense of awe and nervous energy. A depiction that was very fitting to a young cadet thrown onto the bridge for his genius and skill.
Yelchin excelled in his acting career, he could carry himself as a small innocent looking boy or be an unexpected hero springing into action. A great role that shows his ability was as the lead character in Odd Thomas in 2013. In this role, he shone as the vulnerable seer of death while balancing it with a hero out to fight the supernatural.
Yelchin took to music from a young age and showcased his passion in 2014’s Rudderless, alongside Billy Crudup in a story about friendship and a love of music. Yelchin was once part of a Punk band named “The Hammerheads”.
On June 19th 2016, Anton Yelchin Died aged 27 when a fault in his Jeep Grand Cherokee rolled into him and pinned him against a pillar in his own driveway. The accident was due to a fault in the car’s design, a model that was under recall. Yelchin was found by friends when he failed to show up to a film set on time. His death at only 27 continues the showbusiness curse and adds him to the infamous 27 Club, with members including James Dean, Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain.
Yelchin can be seen this summer in Star Trek Beyond, in what is now his last appearance as Pavel Chekov. Two more completed films are in post production starring Yelchin- “Porto” and “Thoroughbred“- and are due to be released later this year and in 2017.
Tributes to Anton Yelchin have been posted on many social media outlets. Many by Star Trek fans including him in the line up of big Star Trek names who have died over the years.
Yelchin was described by many as a kind and fun loving person. He was friendly and loved by many. Karl Urban (Bones) posted on Twitter and Instagram his love for Yelchin saying:
“Anton was such a beautiful , gentle soul . He sought out new life experience with an unabated passion . He was edgy , incredibly talented and beautifully knowledgeable. His smile was radiant and mischievous . Truly an old soul in a young man’s body . He was a loving son. My heart , thoughts and prayers are with Anton’s family. I’m devastated. Godspeed you gorgeous man .“
Some of the most consistent debates amongst Trek fans tend to revolve around specific characters. Which Captain was better? Was that ship’s counselor more annoying than this ship’s morale officer?
So, it seems high time that the Star Trek Eire team exercise our democratic rights and decide once and for all what our collective opinion is regarding the various main and supporting casts of the shows and movies.
We each submitted our top picks and the list was drawn up based on these pooled results. So, do some guest stars outshine lead actors? Will there be many controversial picks? Which Captain will place highest, if indeed any Captain makes it in at all?
Find out in our video below and be sure to share your thoughts on our choices!
I recall the first time I watched this film. It was a dreary afternoon sometime around 1992 or 1993. I had spotted it in the terrestrial telly listings and thought, “Wow, this one is never on!” Much to my young frustration, on that day I was brought down the town with my mam and sister to do some shopping.
I pestered the hell out of my mother to give me the house key. I desperately needed to get home to watch and tape it. With mere minutes to spare, she gave in and handed me the keys. I bolted home as fast as I could.
At only 7 or 8-years-old, I was, of course, already an avid trekkie, and had by this stage taped from BBC and RTÉ a few of the films so I had a blank VHS put to one side to tape this and add to my growing collection.
I think there’s some old Coronation Street on there too
It was time to see this elusive film.
Afterwards, I frankly didn’t think much of it.
Recently, however, I felt that it deserves another look. So time to sit down and find all those things that went over my innocent, youthful head and grasp the greatness of Trekdom that surely follows. I’m sure the Shat knew what he was doing.
Opening the film like Omar Sharif’s entrance in Lawrence of Arabia, Sybok, televangelist of the space ways, is revealed to a lonely settler on the desolate planet of peace, Nimbus III. From here, Vulcan’s holy healer goes on to charm Bedouin-esque aliens of the dunes and the patrons of the saloon/cantina. High Noon at Mos Eisley. Laurence Luckinbell plays this part magnificently, I must say. Such a different Vulcan to anything else that came before or since. Some may gripe that he was too over the top but he’s playing a faith healer in outer space, for crying out loud! How else could one possibly play it?!
Oh, but the glorious return of Jerry Goldsmith does so bring a smile to my face. Although his main theme from Motion Picture was adapted for The Next Generation 2 years previously, this was his first Trek film score in a decade. As someone who grew up with Star Trek in the 90s, Goldsmith was the sound of Star Trek. 5 movie scores and the title themes to TNG and Voyager.
Now we get a new Enterprise! Sort of. It’s still the Constitution class. Oh, and the Excelsior we pass by on the way to this new NCC 1701-A? Oh never mind about that, it’s not like this new class of ship which has already sailed an under a functioning crew for the past year could possibly be in working order. No no no, we’ll use the near-retirement crew of a vessel that failed it’s shakedown cruise. In it’s time of need, all Starfleet ever needs is the experience of Kirk and family.
For this film, family is what it’s all about.
Sitting at that campfire is the family of the show. Three brothers, each with their own issues concerning their relatives.
Even McCoy knows it. At the campfire he says that after all the time in space they have, once shore leave comes up, they spend it together. “Other people have families”, he says. “Not us” Kirk retorts. The loss of family, his older brother during TOS “Operation – Annihilate”, as well as his son in The Search for Spock (1984), is quietly, subtly felt here. The real show is in the observation lounge aboard the Enterprise. Sybok wishes Kirk to share his pain. “I need my pain!” he says, the culmination of a gloriously Shatnerian speech akin to those he made on the Original Series.
Star Trek V – We Are Our Pain
Spock’s issues have been noted throughout the history of the franchise, primarily concerning his father, are again shown through a vision in the observation lounge.
But now he must face his exploitative, black sheep of a brother. Spock most certainly sides with his brothers in arms rather than his own blood, much to the sorrow of Sybok. The late Mr. Nimoy knows the character so damned well, and keeps Spock’s own torment just below the surface, as he recoils from Sybok’s embrace on Nimbus III, when he is ordered to shoot in the shuttle bay, and again in that observation lounge aboard the Enterprise. When Sybok finds the truth about God on Sha’Ka’Ree, he redeems himself and these Vulcan brothers finally reconcile. And when Sybok dies, Spock utters his name with the most subtle of quivers. He mourns his brothers loss.
Brothers once more
However , even as a kid, McCoy’s vision was the scene that stuck in my head the most. For anyone who has lost a loved one, there are still things you want to say if you could only see them one last time. Bones is furious that Sybok would make him relive, not only the death of his father, but that he was the one who turned off the life support systems. And to then have a cure found shortly afterwards. What Sybok does for Bones is both terrible and terrific. McCoy is somewhat of a god-fearing man. He has brought up religious moments a number of times and when confronted with this he has that spiritual moment of calm, if only for a while.
Despite the troubled emotions, be they under the skin or boiling over like plomeek soup, there is some wonderful moments of humour. Be it of Bones getting stressed out as he watches Jim climb El Kapitan, the light-hearted farce of Sulu and Chekov trying to avoid returning to the ship, or the slapstick of Scotty‘s jailbreak, there’s some wonderful fun in the film.
Not in front of the Klingons
But then we come to the trouble most trekkies have. What does God need with a starship?
Most will bemoan this whole climax, that it’s ridiculous. Have ye not watched Star Trek?! This is exactly the kind of thing the Original series did! The have met so many deities and god-like beings in that show! And what did they do? They fought against them. They questioned the authority these creatures gave themselves.
You dare question the Almighty?! YES! That’s what we’re here for. And this is what Star Trek continued to do into Next Generation with the judgements of Q and on DS9 with the will of the Prophets.
The issue I have with this as a crescendo for the film, is that it reminds me how much Star Trek belongs on television, so much more so than it does in cinemas. Like with Insurrection (1998), The Final Frontier suffers from the same thing; it’s an episode plot stretched out for a film. The trouble with Final Frontier was the lack of funding The special effects had lost ILM to Indiana Jones, and boy does it show. Shots are re-used from other films and the blue screen and stop-motion work just doesn’t hold up against what had been done before. Once they meet God, the outdoor desert becomes a very, very obvious soundstage. This third act suffers so much because of this and shows that if it were TV, it may have passed, but not to a theatrical audience.
I recall coming away from this as a kid thinking, “Yeah, it was alright, I guess.” Over twenty years later, and now that I have looked through it properly, I still feel the same, but at least I can see the good that is there.
It’s flawed, it’s pacing is odd, the plot doesn’t really get going until nearly an hour in, and there’s little in the way of overall tension building.
But damn it Jim, it’s still some real Star Trek.
Okay lads, set your drinks down coz I’ve something I wanna say and you’re probably not going to like it. I hate Worf.
Yeah, I know. He’s the most popular Klingon of all time and has so many funny/awesome moments but at the heart of it, people, face it…he’s a prick. An honest-to-Kahless prick. For every “I’m not a merry man” moment that you chuckle at and love about him, I guarantee you there’s 2 moments of him being an arrogant, self-involved, hypocritical and even sexually-violent arse.
Now, this doesn’t mean I think he’s a badly realised character. On the contrary. My reaction to him is a testament to the acting of the wonderful Michael Dorn and to the scribes of Star Trek writing a very effective and astute observation of an intergalactic curmudgeon, particularly in DS9. Coz, surely having a character who’s that big a pain in the hole all the time, must be intentional, right?
As far back as the early days of TNG, Worf exhibited an attitude and behaviour which has me scratching my head as to how he became so popular. From the get-go, this miserable bollocks would make one rule for himself and another for all those unfortunate enough to be around him. He defied Klingon tradition to don a Starfleet uniform and yet, once in said uniform, would spend most of the time blathering on about his Klingon traditions instead of working. He would also say that he wouldn’t betray those ideals and beliefs, which occasionally put him in direct conflict with orders and basic Starfleet protocol.
Indeed, in episodes like ‘Rightful Heir’ (an otherwise decent episode for exploring Klingon ritual and intrigue, only let down by it’s centering on old Misery-Ridges himself), Picard gets quite appropriately pissed off with the sheer frequency of Worf’s Klingon junk interfering with his duties. Yet Picard still manages to let the useless lump away on leave in order to…I dunno, find himself or some other Worf-centric nonsense. If I’m Captain, he gets canned right there. “G’way and find yourself, lad. And wherever it is ya turn up, feckin’ stay there!”
Pants.
Which brings us to the next problem- everything always has to be about Worf! This personality vacuum isn’t content to just be rubbish at being a Starfleet officer because of his Klingon baggage, nor to also be rubbish at being a Klingon due to being a dull, non-committal fence-sitter with one foot in another culture. He must also be the centre of attention in both worlds. Now this may be where the writing is at fault, with the script-writers perhaps bowing consistently to those fans who so inexplicably wanted more of this eejit on screen. But I got so fed up of there being major crises in the corridors of Klingon power and then for some weak reason (like an ambassadorial role or something), Worf frowning his way onto centre stage and taking a huge, Empire-defining role in the process. Think about it- Worf helps establish the new Chancellor, Worf is present at the emergence of a cloned Kahless, Worf becomes leader of the Empire! Enough! Why always him?
And even when it isn’t about him, he tries to make it as such. His sense of entitlement when the Klingon female, with links to Quark’s past showed up, he simply assumed that she would want to be with him. He acted as if her very presence on DS9 was to serve as this week’s love interest in the Worf Show.
Similarly, when O’Brien, Bashir and Quark wanted, very kindly, to assist Worf on a mission to supposedly send Jadzia’s soul to the afterlife (and satisfy some religious nonsense which she herself wouldn’t have given a tuppence about), he was an abominable wanker about it, refusing to let anyone share in his grief and accusing them all of being in love with her and, naturally, not worthy of her at the same time. What. A. Twat.
Then comes my biggest grievance. Worf’s attitude to women. Klingon culture be damned, this guy is just a rapey arsehole. His traditions might say that violently grabbing a woman and forcing yourself on her is all good fun, but the women we see him do that with usually aren’t Klingon!
It’s pretty convenient that whenever he did lay on the smooth, seductive Worf moves (or sexual assault, to give it another name), the women usually fought in terror for about 5 seconds before deciding they liked it. Now, this probably is one area where the writers want a stern bloody talking to. You might be Klingon, Worf, but these women aren’t and I’m sorry but ya can’t be going around Roger Moore-ing it in the 2370s, especially whilst wearing a Starfleet uniform.
In Jadzia, it could be argued, there was a strong woman who somewhat expected it and, as previously demonstrated, could handle the brutish wanker anyway. However when he did it to tiny, little Ezri, was I the only one in the audience who was uncomfortable? And of course, when she wakes up after the successful rape-seduction, Worf acts like a controlling bastard. Who knew! I won’t even start on the Troi thing.
Lastly, we come to poor Alexander. Can you imagine having Worf as a dad? Considering the account I’ve given of him so far, you might think he’d be a pretty crap father, right? You’d be spot on.
When an (inconsistently) older Alexander showed up in Klingon garb aboard a warship, we saw a feckless, occasionally incompetent young man who didn’t seem to know his place in the universe.
If, upon your mother’s death, you were left aboard a Starship with a father who claimed to be a good true-blue Starfleet officer, yet insisted on letting archaic space religion and the blood-drenched ideology of the battlefield constantly get in the way of that, you’d be confused too, right? And then when that dogmatic warrior code was used as an excuse to be an uncaring, over-demanding arse to you before finally shipping you off to live with your granny and granda in Russia, ya might just give up. Have you been to Russia? It’s cold!
Again, Michael Dorn is awesome. His performance must’ve been tough for him, and he did it for well over a decade and buried under makeup to boot. So I really like the actor but not who he plays, which again, is a credit to his and the writers’ work through the years.
In general, I love the Klingons as a Star Trek species and episodes like ‘A Matter of Honour’ and ‘Blood Oath’ are amongst my favourites, so it might seem odd that I have such disdain for a character that is effectively the personification of, even cultural window to, the Klingons in the Star Trek universe. But hopefully, some of the above rambling might clue some in as to just why someone wouldn’t like Worf. Or why, in fact, they might bloody well hate the obnoxious, boring shitbag.
Part 2 of our interview with Oscar Winner and Star Trek Visual Effects Artist Doug Drexler is now online. I’m sure you can tell from the video how much fun this was! I’m sure Doug’s trumpet is worn out by now! He is such a great guy.
During Part 2 we discuss the recent JJ Abrams Star Trek movies, Doug’s design of the Enterprise NX01 from ‘Star Trek Enterprise’, Battlestar Gallactica, Star Trek: The Experience in Las Vegas, the cancellation of ‘Star Trek Enterprise’, and even Doug’s memorable moment carrying an Oscar through airport security!
Do you have a Trek nerd in your life and you don’t know what to get them? Or maybe you are sick of buying your own Trekkie Christmas presents and want something to direct loved ones to for all your present-receiving needs!
Well, check out our ideas for Christmas! I have counted them down to my favourite! Let us know in the comments what should be on the list!
Note: this is a totally independent review.
In at 19 is a TOS Spatula! Every good galley should have one. This one is particularly good for stopping your Ktarian eggs from sticking. It can also do something that the Enterprise can’t – it can be extended for those tricky maneuvers while at warp. You can pick one up in the Forbidden Planet on Crampton Quay in Dublin for €28.99. They are $29.99 from Amazon.com and £21.14 from Amazon.co.uk .
I’m sure you have seen some of Funko’s popular Pop! Toy line. In at 18 is their nice selection of officially licensed Star Trek vinyl figures from The Original Series and The Next Generation. Standing about 3 3/4-inches tall they are a nice gift that won’t take up too much space. They are priced at £10 on Amazon.co.uk, $8 on amazon.com. The Star Trek dolls are on discount in Forbidden Planet at €8.99 each and Eason on O’Connell Street have them priced at €14.99 or 3 for 2.
Everyone should make sure they have access to some sort of a self defense device. A Type 2 phaser with a removable Type 1 hand phaser fits the bill and comes in at 17! €39.99 from Forbidden Planet in Dublin. $24.32 from Amazon.com £31.54 from Amazon.co.uk .
Metal Earth do a nice range of model kits. They come on thin sheets of metal that can be put together by hand with no glue or solder. The Star Trek models available are Klingon-heavy with both the Bird of Prey and the Battlecruiser available, along with the Enterprise D. I’ve seen some in the Art & Hobby store in Dundrum but there are three available in Easons on O’Connell Street for €14.99 each. £13.97 from Amazon.co.uk and $11.83 from Amazon.com.
Anovos have a fantastic line of replica Star Trek accessories and uniforms. This is the place to go if you have money to spend and you take your cosplay seriously! They do have some items that won’t break the bank, like this replica comm badge from Star Trek TNG at $19.95, which is our number 15! If you are going for the assimilated Starfleet officer look then this is not the badge for you as it has a nice magnetic back (rather than metal pins found on other replicas) so you don’t have to worry about putting holes in your uniform or yourself. Shipping to Ireland is $29.90 which is a bit pricey so you may want to throw some more items in your cart to make it worthwhile!
They took our tradition, our hero, our rites, our bright decorations, our Khristmas tree lights. They’ve changed up our story – they’ve got it all mangled, in much the same way that our lights become tangled! Available from Amazon.co.uk for £9.99, Amazon.com for $25 and Kennys Bookshop for €13.28.
From my birth on the U.S.S. Kelvin, to my time in Starfleet Academy, to my meteoric rise through the ranks of Starfleet, this is where you will find the untold story about me. You may know me as Starfleet’s greatest captain but now I will tell you why. I also include a full colour insert of pictures from throughout my life, including my Academy graduation photo. You can get my autobiography from Easons on O’Connell Street for €28.45 / £13.49 Amazon.co.uk / $14.02 Amazon.com.
There are three rules: 1. No bright light. 2. Don’t get them wet. 3. Never feed them after midnight, no matter how much they beg. Eh…oh sorry, that’s the rules for keeping Gremlins. The only rule for tribbles is don’t bring them onboard! Their daily output would match the Rotunda’s yearly production targets. They are cute though, damn cute. Pop one in your bag, or give one a cuddle at night – no one will ever find out. £11.99 from Amazon.co.uk and $9.99 from Amazon.com.
Who doesn’t love pop-ups? Perhaps many of you! I think this would make a great present though. It is so beautifully put together and captures some great Star Trek moments in 3D. While I browsed through this large book in Easons on O’Connell Street (priced at €31.55) I purposely didn’t look at every page so I wouldn’t ruin the surprise in case someone gets it for me! Also at Amazon.co.uk for £15.56 and Amazon.com for $20.23.
The last time I collected a regular magazine two big fat folders of Quest were my pride and joy. It wasn’t until Eaglemoss started their Official Starships Collection that I was willing to part with my cash again on a regular basis! It wasn’t hard as the quality of these models is excellent. Just squeezing into the top 10 and one of my favourites is Deep Space Nine, which is slightly larger than their regular models. Eaglemoss have worked with some of the original ship designers to bring as much love as possible to these models. There is a nice weight to them and they are easily superior to the old Micro Machines models in both size and attention to detail. They are die-cast and made from ABS metal. You can pick up the most current model in newsagents across Ireland for €15 but if you want a specific model (like DS9!) you can get them directly from Eaglemoss UK. They are priced at £18.99 for DS9 while the standard ship models are £9.99. Prices start at $15 from Eaglemoss in the US.
Star Trek Enterprise was greeted with mixed opinions from fans when it appeared on our screens. Arguably a lot more fans were won over by the 4th season but unfortunately it was cancelled. This is under the tree waiting for me J I’m really looking forward to watching the series in binge mode with some new appreciation for how good this series is. The extras are meant to be gold dust too where Brannon Braga drops the shields to give a real insight on what went on behind the camera. I will also appreciate watching the Enterprise NX-01 in all its Blu-ray quality now that I know our new best friend Doug Drexler was the man that designed it!
I’m still waiting on a cheque from George Lucas as I came up with Star Wars Lego way before you could buy it in shops! 😉 Unfortunately Lego does not have the rights to make Star Trek kits, so Kre-o will have to do. Whatever your opinions on Abrams Trek this is still a great model and uses Kre-o’s LightTech bricks. You could pick it up at a knock down price of €35 earlier this year in Smyths toy stores although I haven’t seen it there recently. $50 from Amazon.com £44.99 from Amazon.co.uk.
This looks like such a cool amt (glue together) model! You can build it as a complete USS Enterprise or as a cut-away showing what’s happening on each deck. It should keep you busy over the Christmas holidays! They have a few in the Forbidden Planet in Dublin for €65.99. $32.99 from Amazon.com and £47.95 from Amazon.co.uk.
A beautiful depiction of the ships we love from the Star Trek Universe in stunning backdrops. The love shown by Doug Drexler and Margaret Clark in the creation of the images, along with Mike Okuda’s descriptions brings these ships alive. As Gene Roddenberry said “The Starship Enterprise is not a collection of motion picture sets or a model used in visual effects. It is a very real vehicle; one designed for storytelling. You, the audience furnish its propulsion. With a wondrous leap of imagination, you make it into a spaceship that can take us into the far reaches of the Galaxy and sometimes even the depths of the human soul…” It would look lovely on the coffee table, although let’s be honest here, this sort of book is in the head of every good starship, and within comfortable reach. Kind of like the way a Bible was the first piece of décor in a Travelodge room, but don’t dare shove this beauty in a bed-side locker! BTW the edition with the red on the cover is the second edition with 75 more images than the blue edition. £18.95 from Amazon.co.uk , $21.66 from Amazon.com. Take her out!
It’s no surprise really that this book is on my Christmas list! It’s a fantastic insight by Paula M. Block and Terry J. Erdmann into the TNG series over 365 pages with some brilliant never-before-seen photographs. There is also a similar 365 book concentrating on the Original Series, I haven’t seen it yet but it’s by the same crew so I’m sure it’s great! $26.55 from Amazon.com / £16.58 from Amazon.co.uk.
I mentioned earlier that Anovos have a fantastic standard of Star Trek uniforms, well here’s a sample! They are not cheap but they are lightyears ahead of the costumes you can pick up in any cheap costume store. Captain Kirk’s command tunic is $150, Picard’s 5th season coat is $200 and Dr. Carol Marcus’s dress is $250. Limited sizes. Available directly from Anovos.
In at number 3 is Star Trek Scene It! I must admit I have never played it, but I’d love to! Most reviews say it’s a lot of fun, the word in Ten Forward is that it can be quite difficult but surely not for us! $20 from Amazon.com. Available from a number of suppliers through amazon.co.uk, with prices starting at £7.99.
Eaglemoss have struck gold again and are in at Number 2 with their replica plaques from the Star Trek universe. I always wanted to have my own Enterprise D plaque, and now I do! 🙂 They are of very high quality. Whether it’s Voyager, the Defiant, or the Enterprise, a bridge plaque will make a fine addition to your Star Trek collection. I was initially disappointed as the plaque is about two thirds the size of the TV original, but I quickly got over this due to the sheer quality of it. The back side of the plaque is totally flat, some sort of catch or screw hole on the back would have been nice! Make it so Eaglemoss! They have told us that orders should be placed before December 14th so deliveries can be beamed to Ireland in time for Christmas. They cost £19.99 from Eaglemoss UK. Unfortunately it won’t ship for the US market until the new year from here at $19.99.
I have to admit I’m just slightly biased here as The Next Generation is my favourite Trek series and favourite programme of all time. I was 10 when the series premiered in the US so it meant a lot to me through my teenage years. (Who remembers the Starbase Ireland fan club? Great memories!) I bought TNG on VHS tapes and then in those lovely TNG style DVD boxes. There were rumours for years about whether the series could be upgraded to hi-def, so I’m sure many of you shared my excitement when it was confirmed that CBS would go back to the original 35mm reels and bring it to Blu-ray. To say my expectations were satisfied is an understatement. Looking back it’s hard to believe a blurry Deanna Troi ‘helped’ me through my teens! The extras are fantastic also. Season 1 includes the main cast all sitting down together discussing the series. Other seasons see those behind the camera look back on their time working on the show. This is a must-buy if you have a large TV and blu-ray player. Prices start at $25 dollars for a season boxset from Amazon.com or $230 for the whole series! From Amazon.co.uk you can get a season from £22 or the whole series boxset for a fantastic £118.90! A lot cheaper than they cost me! 😉
Let us know if there are any items we should have included by commenting here! Due to the fact that my wife does not ‘get’ Star Trek I always end up buying my own nerdy presents! This inspired me to throw this Star Trek Christmas Shopping Guide together! It will all be worth it if one of you receive a Star Trek present from your non-Star Trek loving friend or partner! Oh and thanks to the staff of Easons on O’Connell Street who ignored me while I put this nice collage together of Star Trek merch that they have on sale!
We had a great night last night at our second event with a full venue. Find out all about it here. We played TNG “The Best Of Both Worlds” back to back with “Star Trek First Contact”. We also had a video conference with none other than make up artist/Art Department/SFX Designer Doug Drexler. We finished the night raffling off some neat Star Trek swag.
Thank you to everyone who came and took part. A fun Star Trek night was had by all.
Live Long and Prosper
All our Raffle winners with their swag at our Star Trek Event “Locutus On The Liffey”
It’s pretty convenient that whenever he did lay on the smooth, seductive Worf moves (or sexual assault, to give it another name), the women usually fought in terror for about 5 seconds before deciding they liked it. Now, this probably is one area where the writers want a stern bloody talking to. You might be Klingon, Worf, but these women aren’t and I’m sorry but ya can’t be going around Roger Moore-ing it in the 2370s, especially whilst wearing a Starfleet uniform.
Star Trek Éire 