Captain's Log: Conventions, Planets and Star Trek NCIS

Would J.J. Abrams' Star Trek (referred to here as Star Trek JJA) obliterate interest in the previous incarnations, more closely associated with Gene Roddenberry and those he tutored? This summer's conventions put that fear definitively to rest, at least for a few years more. Classic Trek stars were everywhere, playing to the same loving crowds.

Those crowds will get another chance in October at the Hollywood Xpo, which includes other s/f and related stars (from Ray Bradbury and Stan Lee to Richard Hatch) as well as other TV and film stars, but the lineup is Star Trek-heavy (Jonathan Frakes, Michael Dorn, John Billingsley, Connor Trineer, etc.) and features stars of the Original series and films, and the independent films Star Trek: Of Gods and Men and InAlienable, many of whom are the same people: notably Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, Alan Ruck and Tim Russ. Eugene "Rod" Roddenberry will also be there.

Though this is the first of what promises to be an annual event, the folks organizing it used to be called Planet Xpo, and they did the last two conventions I attended, first as a reporter ("Beam Me Up, Scotty, One More Time" in LA) and then as the host of the Soul of Star Trek panel (the 40th anniversary in Seattle.) The October 15-17 do is at the Hilton Universal City--more info at the web site.

Star Trek NCIS

We've careened through five plus seasons of NCIS on DVD this summer, and are finishing the 6th season just in time to start getting the new 7th season DVDs from netflix. I'm not going to explain this series for those who don't know it, but simply make a comment for those who do. (Though I will recommend it!) This insight came to me tonight, in fact, when I was struck by the character of Ziva, who as an Israeli is still learning American idioms, and does not use contractions. And that of course suggested: Ziva is Data!

Like Data and Spock, Ziva is an alien, highly skilled and intelligent but whose misunderstanding of human i.e. American behavior is often comical, while she's also physically stronger than everybody else. Like Data, Ziva does not use contractions. Even their names are similar.

It's interesting to figure out resemblances of the other NCIS characters to Star Trek/TNG, but the best actual correspondence is Ziva=Data. And I wonder if that was intentional.

New Worlds

Astronomers keep discovering new worlds around other stars. Last week scientists said they believe they've found an exoplanet closer to Earth's size than ever before, although it's actually about the size of Saturn. That's an artist's conception of it up there at the start of this post, as published in the New York Times.

Vermont

The Democratic primary is over among Vermont candidates for governor who made their choice of Star Trek or Star Wars in the video below, but the election may not be. So far the apparent winner is Peter Shumlin (Star Wars) but by fewer than 200 votes, so the runner-up, Doug Racine (Star Trek) is calling for a recount. May the force be with him. Or should I say live long and prosper?

Of Gods and Men Today

I spoke too soon about there being no news in the Star Trek universe. In fact, the long-awaited third and concluding section of the independent Star Trek film Of Gods and Men is available online starting today.

Tim Russ and Nichelle Nichols in
Star Trek: Of Gods and Men.

Captain's Log: Catching Up to 2008

The new New Voyages version of the Chekov story, "To Serve All My Days" which was supposed to be available online in December is being held back, to focus on a big event in March: a world premiere at the Fine Arts Theater in Beverly Hills on March 29, which is designed to support the campaign to get Walter Koenig his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. When he does, the entire main cast of the original series will be present and accounted for.

New Voyages head James Cawley promises a night of surprises, along with the premiere of "To Serve All My Days: A Night in 1969," (representing what would have been Trek's fourth season) and other vintage TV fare. The episode will be available on the Internet some time later. There's more details at New Voyages.

In the meantime, the first part of Star Trek: Of Gods and Men is available on the net, as is the Walter Koenig film, InAlienable. The buzz at the Seattle convention was about Koenig's performance in OGAM, but in this first part, it's Nichelle Nichols who shines. It looks like a promising story. Koenig gives a fine performance in InAlienable, and just as he said, Richard Hatch is compelling as that film's central character.

Filming on the Paramount Trek movie continues, with the big news being that there may be a Tribble or two in it. Very young and unknown ones, I'm sure. This tidbit--or tribblebit-- prompted a nice piece about Tribble inventor David Gerrold, originally in the New York Times but still available for free in the San Francisco Chronicle.


This item goes back a ways but I ran across it only in November and never managed to find time or room to comment on it, but in the spirit of January cleaning up, here it is: it's a posting in Ain't It Cool news about the Star Trek movie that never was--the one Rick Berman had Erik Jendreson writing. It also was a reboot, and went back to the "beginning," the pre-TOS Trek universe, although unlike the current Paramount production, it didn't focus on the original crew or any known characters. (In fact, Star Trek: The Beginning was purportedly the working title.)

This post (by "Merrick") described a movie very much in the Berman spirit of DS9: a "sprawling" war movie. He likens it to Starship Troopers. I'll let you read the description for yourself, but to me it sounds like my worst Star Trek nightmare: a lot of war movie sentimentality masked as gritty realism, a right winger's video game fantasy of Star Trek.

But what also struck me in reading this description is the author's contention that although he doubts Berman would have done it well, this script "understood the heartbeat of Star Trek." To me it sounds like everything I feared Star Trek could become. Which really makes me think twice about all the assurances that the Paramount movie is true to the spirit of Star Trek. That spirit seems to be very much in the eye of the beholder, and can consequently mean just about anything.

There was another proposal that Patrick Stewart still talks about--he mentioned it at the Jules Verne awards presentation to William Shatner--that would have brought all the Trek captains together. I suspect this was a John Logan idea. That idea had more promise, it seems to me, but the failure of Nemesis (though who was most at fault for that failure is still an open question) made anybody associated with it toxic.

Star Trek: Of Gods and Men cast members on set

Of Guardians and Men

The first 30 minute section of the online independent film, Star Trek: Of Gods and Men became available Saturday. Those of you who have seen it now know what I've been talking about, here, here and here: the rumored plot of the Paramount Star Trek XI movie now in production seems actually to be a botched version of the plot of "Of Gods and Men."

The basic idea seemed similar when I first read it, but then I wrote that I'd confirmed a key plot point that was in the rumor and also in "Of Gods and Men," but I'd promised not to divulge it. So now I will, so SPOILER ALERT for anyone who hasn't seen the first part of "Of Gods and Men:" stop reading now.

That story point was the Guardian of Forever, which the rumor stated was in Trek XI. I spotted the Guardian arch in an on-line promo for "Of Gods and Men," and was told that it is in the film but its presence in the promo was "a mistake" and the filmmakers wanted to keep this a secret until fans had a chance to see it.

Fans may also be aware of Harlan Ellison's reaction to the rumor of the Guardian's inclusion in Trek XI, to the effect that because he created it for the Star Trek episode, "City on the Edge of Forever," he owned the rights to it and Paramount had to come to him if they wanted to use it. When I asked about the Guardian being in OGAM, I was told that Harlan knew about it and "was cool with it."

Of course, it was barely possible that the Trek XI rumor was reasonably accurate, and the resemblance between it and OGAM was a fantastic coincidence. But at least in one regard that seems less likely, since Harlan Ellison has since said (in an interview during Star Trek day of the writers strike) that he's been assured that the Guardian is not in Trek XI.

Walter Koenig in Star Trek: Of Gods and Men

Walter Koenig as Ensign Chekov was the last of the original crew to be brought aboard, and has remained in some ways the least known. He had a second science fiction life as a recurring character (Bester) on the TV series Babylon 5, and added writing to his acting career. Recently he has been one of the Star Trek veterans to embrace and transform the so-called “fan film” phenomenon, which in the case of such productions as the Star Trek: New Voyages films and the upcoming Star Trek: Of Gods and Men, should rightly be called independent films (as Sky Conway, the producer of the latter, suggests.)

December is shaping up to be a big month for Walter Koenig. He has a major part in Star Trek: Of Gods and Men, playing Chekov but with a twist. The first of its three parts will be released on the Internet on Dec. 22, and the date when the second part will be available will be announced then. Everyone is still trying to keep the story as spoiler-fresh as possible, so we didn’t talk about it much, but it does seem to involve some kind of alternate reality in which Chekov is a “freedom fighter” or perhaps a terrorist. (Otherwise, as I’ve written before, what I know about the story bears quite a bit of resemblance to the rumored plot of Star Trek XI. I’m assuming the rumor is wrong, but if it’s not…fascinating…) When the trailers were shown at the 40th anniversary celebration last year in Seattle, a lot of buzz was about Tim Russ’ direction and Walter Koenig’s performance.

Then on Christmas day, James Cowley, executive of New Voyages, promises a new version of last year’s “To Serve All My Days” with new effects, music and re-edited scenes, including a new ending. The idea is to make it look and feel more like a Star Trek episode from the mythical fourth season, in 1969. It will be available on the web through Dragonfly on December 25. Chekov is the central figure of this drama in which Koenig stars. As he says here, “To Serve All My Days” was conceived as a kind of sequel to the second season TOS episode, “The Deadly Years,” in which Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Scotty are infected with a disease that causes them to age rapidly. Chekov was somewhere else and wasn’t affected, and McCoy uses him to find a cure. This time, it is Chekov who finds himself aging rapidly.

Koenig, Alan Ruck and Nichelle Nichols in Star
Trek: Of Gods and Men

Q. And then you played Chekov again in Of Gods and Men, and the first part of that is finally going to be seen this month.

WK. I was initially very dispassionate about that project. I only agreed because Sky Conway is a very close friend of mine. Then when we started working on it-- it really wasn’t until I got on the set that I realized, here was a character with enormous conflict and tremendous passion—and again, nothing like what Chekov was ever allowed to show—a powerful character that would have been interesting to play under any circumstances, whether he was named Chekov or not. It became a wonderful challenge for me, and something that I really, really enjoyed as a performer.

Captain's Log: Walter Koenig Interview and Of Gods and Trek XI

This is going to be a brief entry, as I'm transcribing an interview with Walter Koenig that I'll be posting here soon. We talked about his new film, InAlienable, (premiering on the Internet in a couple of weeks), his views on Chekov and the new Paramount Trek film, as well as appearances in Of Gods and Men (also premiering on the Internet in December) and New Voyages. And other matters. So watch for it!

Apart from that little promo, I have just one observation to log in this week. I've confirmed another key plot point in Of Gods and Men--which I promised not to divulge as a spoiler--that, added to the others I mentioned last week, makes the rumored plot of the Paramount Trek XI and the story in Of Gods and Men so similiar that there are only two reasonable explanations: first, that the rumor is actually about Of Gods and Men, or that this is a particularly eerie case of the Hollywood phenomenon of two films taking the same approach to the same subject arriving at the same time. I tend to favor the first possibility. (I discount out and out idea theft.)

Aliens in our skies? Let's hope! Chase Masterson
goes green, in a screencap from Star Trek: Of Gods and Men.

Captain's Log: Movie Rumors, Movie Openings, E.T.s for real?

The existence of beings from other planets with their own space-faring vehicles is a central assumption of Star Trek and most other space fiction. Discovering "the truth" about them became the main thread of the enormously popular X Files. The latest Doctor Who and its spinoff series Torchwood say that earth started realizing it was being visited by such vehicles in the early 21st century.

Well, right on cue a group described as "an international panel of two dozen former pilots and government officials" is calling on the U.S. government to take UFOs more seriously, beginning by reopening a serious investigation of past reports. The BBC describes the group as including "former military officers from seven countries, [who] all say they have seen a UFO or have conducted research into the phenomenon."

The call had at least one government-related supporter. Said the Reuters report: "'It would certainly, I think, take a lot of angst out of this issue,' said former Arizona Gov. Fife Symington, who said he was among hundreds who saw a delta-shaped craft with enormous lights silently traverse the sky near Phoenix in 1997."

The group cited mostly security concerns for not continuing to "ignore radar returns that are not associated with existing aircraft and helicopters." The call comes only a week or so after the confirmation of a solar system with five planets--the most discovered so far-- in a distant star system described as "a cousin to our own."

Movie, Movie

This week a detailed rumor emerged about the plot of the new Paramount Star Trek film that's just begun shooting. Those readers wishing to avoid SPOILERS should stop now, even though I'm only going to refer to the plot and not recount it. But when I read the rumor, the first thing that occurred to me was how closely it resembles the premise of the still unseen independent Trek film, Of Gods and Men. As I recall how this Sky Conway-produced film was described to me by some of its principals at the Star Trek 40th Anniversary convention, it involves a chaotic, war-torn universe where Captain Kirk has not existed or was killed before he joined Starfleet, and the efforts of Star Trek heroes, including some of his former crew (Chekov, Uhura) to get history back on track. The teaser on the site suggests that an alien influence is involved in changing the past.

Now comes this rumor of Trek XI's story, involving time-traveling Romulans trying to kill a young James T. Kirk in order to alter history, and the efforts of one of his crewmates (Spock) to stop him. Of course, the rumor itself may be based on the "Gods and Men" story, but if it is a more or less accurate summary of Trek XI's premise...Fascinating.

The first part of Star Trek: Of Gods and Men, directed by Tim Russ, is scheduled to be released for viewing on the Internet on December 22.

Before that, InAlienable, the independent movie written by Walter Koenig and featuring Marina Sirtis and other Trek stars, will be available for viewing on the Internet on December 15. There's a $2.99 charge per showing. I hope to have more on this project soon.

Chekov, Harriman, Uhura in Star Trek: Of Gods and Men coming soon to a computer near you.

Sevar and Uhura in Of Gods and Men.

THE FILMS

I finally caught the part I’d missed of the humorous and affectionate “Roddenberry On Patrol,” the first collaboration of producer/writer Sky Douglas Conway (also the impresario of Planet Xpo) and director Tim Russ. It’s clever and skillfully done, but didn’t really prepare me for what I was to see on Friday evening in two trailers for “Of Gods and Men.”

But before that, we saw the premiere of the Star Trek: New Voyages production called “To Serve All My Days,” written by D.C.Fontana and starring Walter Koenig as Chekov. It’s been available on the Internet since then, and I’ve seen it again. ( Frankly, I couldn’t hear the dialogue clearly at the convention.) But even without following the nuances of the story, on first viewing it was clear that this was Walter’s time to shine. It's a quality piece, and while this was probably his most complete performance as Chekov, it may not turn out to be his most praised performance in a new Star Trek story.

That might be in “Star Trek: Of Gods and Men.” After the New Voyages webisodes, we got two tantalizing glimpses of this film. A standard-length trailer came first. Here were familiar faces in unfamiliar roles. The trailer was fast-paced, but all trailers are. The visual style was striking, but could that be just the trailer edit? Then we saw a longer piece, about six minutes, and even though these scenes were probably selected for their action as well, I got a better impression of what the overall film might be like. If the rest of it is anything like what I saw, this is not just a quantum leap forward for non-studio Trek films, it could command the notice of a lot of people in Hollywood as well as Trekdom.

If what we saw is an accurate indication of the whole film, no Star Trek has ever looked like this. It is a new visual style for this saga. It may turn out to be unique because of this particular story, but I’m willing to bet that J.J. Abrams and Paramount are going to take a good long look at it, and they may be among those who sit up and take notice of Tim Russ as a director. (Jonathan Frakes was reportedly impressed by the short trailer shown again Saturday. I heard a rumor that he was interested in seeing the longer piece before he left Seattle.)

The premise of “Of Gods and Men” is an alternate (and definitely not Mirror) universe where Captain Kirk has never been born. Some actors seem to be playing versions of their Star Trek roles, and others aren’t. Sky calls it the Trek version of "It's A Wonderful Life," but the alternate universe seems to suggest the rebels of Star Wars fighting a Star Trek universe empire, but it has a harder edge. And if Walter Koenig in the New Voyages webisodes was impressive, his performance in this film may well be extraordinary.

I’m not a fan of the Mirror universe episodes after the first one, and I don’t believe Star Trek has to be “gritty” and more like the ugly past to be relevant. But Conway, Russ and company may have found a way to produce a real Star Trek story with a harder edge than we’ve seen before. I got that impression not only from a few scenes I saw but from talking to Sky Conway about it later. He feels strongly this is a movie that Gene Roddenberry would have liked. (He told me that during production, Nichelle remarked that “Gene is here.”)

At the convention, Conway was no longer sure the film would be ready to be released on the Internet during the Christmas holidays, because some final scenes yet to be shot in Hollywood featuring a “mystery” guest star had been delayed. But according to an account of that final shoot at trekmovie.com , the release date is back to the original--and the filmmakers are reportedly hopeful that CBS will find a way to partner up with them for other sorts of releases. There will be more information at the web movie’s website.

The timing of these screenings at the Celebration was perfect: forty years after the original series began, two new Star Trek stories emerge—made by many of the very same people, often in partnership with several new generations, and done with full knowledge of what they mean, both in terms of legacy, and for the most fervent fans. And after all the precedents that Star Trek has shattered in the past, there is this one now—perhaps the most amazing of all. These were Star Trek stories created and accomplished only for love.

Of Gods and Men poster

Star Dateline News

The official Star Trek site, Startrek. com, has been designated also as the official site for Trek XI, at least so far. But other fan-run sites are springing up, such as The Trek XI Report which features news and video clips, and is already in the thick of the media frenzy by publicizing the premature casting of Matt Damon as Kirk on the Internet Movie Database. The usually reliable IMDb doesn't have a great track record on Trek XI anyway, having for years designated Nick Meyer as its director. I asked Meyer about this a couple of summers ago, and he professed surprise, although he did seem interested.

As some predicted, the lack of new Trek TV or film in production has left a space for unofficial efforts, like Of Gods and Men, which has some new teaser banners on its site. But some can't wait for costly productions, and are creating new Star Trek stories and posting them as scripts for "virtual" fan films, such as those found at Star Trek (Reborn), where fans can also discuss the stories online.

Meanwhile, the site for PlanetXpo's Star Trek 40th anniversary convention in Seattle has added a blog to start the discussion on how Star Trek has changed the world in the past 40 years, a theme of the convention.

Action!

Today in New York, shooting begins on the biggest of an accelerating series of big Star Trek "fan films," Star Trek: Of Gods and Men, produced by Sky Douglas Conway and directed by Tim Russ (of Voyager), the team that did the affectionate non-documentary, Roddenberry on Patrol. (I came in late to a screening of this at the Scotty convention, but what I saw was terrific--smart and a lot of fun.) This production is also in association with James Cawley of “New Voyages," and is making use of their sets in New York. Other filming will take place in Los Angeles

Starring in this adventure are Nichelle Nichols, Walter Koenig and Grace Lee Whitney of the original series, Alan Ruck reprising his role of the captain of the Enterprise B in Star Trek Generations, plus other Trek alumni including Chase Masterson, JG Hertsler, Gary Graham, Crystal Allen, Tim Russ and Garrett Wang (who will play a villain.)

You can read the full press release at Trebweb, but I was especially taken with this paragraph: And it’s not at all about money. What makes Star Trek: Of Gods and Men special is that all these creative talents have united because of a common vision. They all believe in a series that was created by a visionary named Gene Roddenberry and the philosophy that it promoted – that all individuals are created equal and that one day all the peoples of the Earth will unite to live, work and play in harmony.

This really is the amazing thing. It's true that although people don't generally realize it, well-known actors in Hollywood and New York, including very big stars, do spend a lot of time workng for free or very little--doing readings, plays and small films, for a varety of reasons: to encourage new writers and their work, to give back to their art form, to express skills of their craft that may not be fully used in the roles they get in TV or film (where playing cops and criminals can get old fast), or for a cause they believe in. But it is still extraordinary that so many people would contribute their time and talent to keep expressing a vision that has inspired so many, beginning forty years ago this fall.

In this case, those donating their services include writers (Sky Conway, Jack Trevino and Ethan H. Calk) and all the other creative and tech people. It is further evidence that Star Trek was always a product of a shared vision and commitment, of many hands that worked together to create this story universe.

These productions are getting so professional that there needs to be a new name for them. Fan films won't do anymore. Tim Russ calls it a "nostalgia-based production," which is closer, but nostalgia has the connotation of something that's over. Paramount may think so, but for many people and well as many fans, the human adventure continues in the Star Trek story universe.

The finished film is expected to be available in three 30 minute episodes, downloadable from the Internet, by year's end. For more information, visit Star Trek: Of Gods and Men.