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The 40th Anniversary of Star Trek
Digitus1337 writes to mention the 40th Anniversary of the original Star Trek series. StarTrek.com's article has a look back at that first episode, and tries to explore the whys behind the popularity that followed it. From the article: "On the evening of the 8th of September, following Daniel Boone, this new NBC show premiered with an episode called 'The Man Trap.' The angle of the story was different, to say the least: It was a love story with a sci-fi twist, borne of a relationship from the doctor's past, featuring a monster that, in the end, just wanted to live. It was moving, tragic and anything but cheesy. The viewers -- at least the ones who were paying attention -- were hooked." Update: 09/09 16:16 GMT by Z : Just to be sure you're aware of it, Slashdot's own CleverNickName is celebrating the 40th anniversary by reviewing episodes of ST:TNG on TVSquad. He begins with "The Naked Now". You know, "You are fully functional, aren't you?"
SHATNER: Money.
NIMOY: Yeah. The big, the big bucks.
SHATNER: Money. The money gets you fired up.
TOGETHER: The biiiig bucks.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/TV/09/06/star.tre
The problem with socialism is that they always run out of other people's money. - Margaret Thatcher
"Too bad I don't have the sound effect to go along."
You have the wrong phone. Get a pdaphone!
There is a Palm app that turns your PDA into a LCARS interface Tricorder, Includes sound effects and works with newer Palm OS5
Tricorder v1.0 C
Science is the Real TRUTH!
I'd have to put Sisco above Archer, and I'd put Janeway as a very close runner up to Picard. However, I think Janeway's abilities would be better used behind and Admiral's desk, with Chakotay captaining under her. Sisco was kind of average as a captain, he just had some extraordinary people working under him (a Trill, a genetically engineered genious doctor, a pretty good engineer [not Geordi, but what can you do], and later a well cultured Klingon). If anything, his best strength was delegating. Kirk was pretty gung-ho about everything, but fails on several diplomatic points. He's a man of action, but I wouldn't trust him to mediate any talks. Picard was a truely multi-talented individual. Excellent tactical ability (Picard maneuver), diplomatic ability (numerous examples including playing the Arbitor of Succession), historical knowledge (he's an archeologist), scientist (first impulse is almost always to scan and lay low), spying (trip to the Romulan homeworld to find Spock), and many others. He was also surrounded by many very talented people, as was Sisco, but he didn't rely on them as much as the Sisco did. He accomplished so much, and yet rarely had to fire a phaser himself. If this isn't the epitomy of the kinder, gentler Federation of his time, then I don't know what is.
There is no mod option "-1: Disagree" for a reason. "Overrated" is not an acceptable substitute. Post something instead.
Oh since we're going to do this, I'd have to say:
Captains: Picard > Kirk > Sisco >> Archer > Janeway
Shows: TOS > TNG > DS9 >> Enterprise >> Voyager
But, clearly, YMMV.
It was the ideal the show tried to put across. The idea of all the various ethnic groups working and living together as they brought peace and justice to the far flung corners of the Galaxy. Remember this was also the first inter-racial kiss on US television, Uhura and Kirk. Although they were under alien mind control at the time and the camera actually never registered the event. That episode was never shown in the South of course.
With hindsight the characters were a bit steriotypical. Scotty the Scotish engineer (what else). Nurse Christine Chapel and Spock as the token Alien.
And right in the middle of the cold war, there on the bridge was Sulu and Chekov, possibly the only Russian sounding name the viewer would be familiar with. Better that Svyatoslav Likhovtseva or that other guy perry stroika.
Ignoring the cardboard sets and the fact that all the alien planets looked the same it did make a huge impact. A number of scientists say they took their inspiration from it.
davecb5620@gmail.com
I'm still amazed that no one has made a cell phone (officially licensed, etc.) that looks *just* like a communicator and makes that sound when opened. They could even do that shirt badge as a bluetooth thingie.
Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
In fact, the scene they aired did not have an actual kiss between Uhura and Kirk. It just looked like it. I heard Shatner talking about it on some talk show - he was disappointed that they didn't actually get the first interracial kiss on TV.
So, I'm over at my friend's house and I want to watch...Lost in Space.
Yes, they were both in re-runs by that time, but still opposite each other on Channels 9 and 33 in Baton Rouge, LA.
Friend's got a much better show (what was I at the time? seven or eight?): Star Trek. And the first episode I ever saw was "The Man Trap"
I didn't sleep that night.
Years later, in college, I'm still playing "name that trek" (First person to name the episode wins. If nobody names the episode 10s after it starts, game's over, no winner).
I won more than not. At a hardcore geek school (RPI).
Yes, I realize Star Trek was crappy television played by mediocre actors with lame special effects.
Preachy and unrealistic, the writing was among the worst literature ever produced.
The stories were so derivative of themselves they became exponentially worse each time another ST series or movie was produced.
And I still love it.
Star Trek, B5, Logan's Run, Anderson, Vonnegut, Bear, Benford, Brin, Heinlein, Asimov, Bradbury, Niven (with and without Pournelle), Cherryh, Chalker, Leslie Fish, Le Guin, Van Vogt, Verne, Wells, Baen (let's not forget the BFL), Saberhagen, and a hundred others.
Either you're a SF fan or you're not.
And if you are, then you already know who's going to be in the spaceships when they land.
"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, it doesn't go away." - Philip K. Dick
Pulaski's problem was that she wasn't crankable, unlike Hoshi, Seven, Jadzia, Kira, Ezri, and T'pol, and that only-lives-3-years cutsiepie, at least after she lost the pixie cut, all eminently and endlessly crankable. Hell, even Uhura's thighs got it goin' in the otherwise forgettable journey-to-the-center-of-the-galaxy movie up on that hill in the low light. Pulaski, even way back when when she guest-starred in the original Trek, didn't get the job done. Not that she had to, back then it was Rand or the Kirk BOTW (or, occasionally, the Spock BOTW.) Or Judy on Lost In Space, or Marilyn Munster, or, damn, isn't Lily's top semi-transparent?
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
> Enterprise episodes
>
> - Using sex to try to improve ratings? Check.
With all due respect, this was hardly the first Trek show to do this. DS9 had no fewer than 2 lesbian saliva-string kisses.
Quite frankly, Hoshi and T'pol rubbin' each other with oil in the decontamination chamber was a welcome sight. One more season was all it would have taken...I'm sure of it!
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.