Posted by Reed on November 19th, 2008 Filed under: Treknobabble
Treknobabble is a continuing series of columns written by uber-Trekkie Reed Farrington in anticipation of the upcoming J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie.
Here in the retirement village of St. Catharines, it’s hard to gauge the excitement surrounding the new Star Trek movie. Even with the Internet, there’s a sense of isolation. I am in the camp of those who believe that Internet chatter isn’t a reliable gauge of reality. But it’s hard to deny the usefulness of the Internet in providing quick communication. So the news that a Star Trek movie trailer would be showing at the beginning of screenings of Quantum of Solace piqued my interest.
I felt obligated to see the Star Trek trailer in order to review it for Treknobabble and I had voted for Casino Royale as the best Bond film ever, so I thought I might as well go to see Quantum of Solace. The trailers for Quantum were excellent and advance word was that Quantum was more of Casino. I knew that the Star Trek trailer would be posted on the Internet soon, but there’s nothing like watching a trailer on the big screen.
Posted by Reed on November 5th, 2008 Filed under: Treknobabble
Treknobabble is a continuing series of columns written by uber-Trekkie Reed Farrington in anticipation of the upcoming J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie.
This is the 21st century. It is the year 2008. There are no moon bases. There is no outpost on Mars. Tourists are not being ferried to our space stations. This Treknobabble is about Star Trek’s failure to inspire humanity to explore.
With my infinite wisdom as a teenager in the 1970s, I thought about the original Star Trek series being set in the 23rd century. I thought that this was another case of short-sightedness.
Treknobabble is a continuing series of columns written by uber-Trekkie Reed Farrington in anticipation of the upcoming J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie.
The answer is, “No.” I can say this with reasonable certainty despite not possessing any prescient abilities. Let me try to explain.
No Star Trek film has ever been given any serious thought by any respectable critic. When the Star Trek movies were being released on a regular basis, movie reviewers would comment on the actors getting too old for roaming in space, and compliments would rarely go beyond stating that having the dependable Enterprise crew in another adventure offered a comfortable feeling. Hardly any time was spent in analyzing the relevance of the plot, the acting abilities of the actors, the direction of the film, etc.
The television series have been given more respect with academic courses analyzing episodes to spur discussion on any real-world topic imaginable. But for some reason, movie critics have failed to see any relevance in Star Trek to the film world.
Treknobabble is a continuing series of columns written by uber-Trekkie Reed Farrington in anticipation of the upcoming J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie.
For those expecting some speculative insight into Borg culture with this Treknobabble, I am afraid I must disappoint you. Since the Borg are all connected in thought and their reproduction doesn’t rely on sex (at least by our definition), then I would think the concept of marriage in Borg society doesn’t exist. Oh, right, we weren’t going to discuss this. The title of this Treknobabble refers to an incomplete short film that my friend Dave and I started on one of his infrequent visits.
Posted by Reed on October 9th, 2008 Filed under: Lists, Treknobabble
Treknobabble is a continuing series of columns written by uber-Trekkie Reed Farrington in anticipation of the upcoming J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie.
I hate lists. Not really, but I hate them because I’ve read that they constitute a dumbing-down of society. In our fast-paced, short-attention-span world, lists are a convenient form to summarize anything. And many people don’t have time to delve any further as to why the items on the list deserve to be there. Or if they do, it’s only at a one-paragraph superficial level. But I’m as guilty as the rest of us. So I’ve succumbed to writing what all the Treknobabble readers have been waiting for. The Top 10 Hottest Trekkies!
Posted by Reed on October 2nd, 2008 Filed under: Treknobabble
Treknobabble is a continuing series of columns written by uber-Trekkie Reed Farrington in anticipation of the upcoming J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie.
I only found out about this Star Trek convention on the night of the day it was being held, so I can’t give you a report of what it was like. But this event looks like something that I would have loved if I had known about it earlier and if I had had the nerve to attend it. Basically, it sounds like a Star Trek convention without the actors (and the obligatory autograph signings) or the merchandise vendors. From the article I read: “Now in its second year, the anti-convention is a blessed interplanetary union between independent arts culture and the unstoppable phenomenon of all things Trek.”
Posted by Reed on September 25th, 2008 Filed under: Treknobabble
Treknobabble is a continuing series of columns written by uber-Trekkie Reed Farrington in anticipation of the upcoming J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie.
Before you start reading and expecting salacious details about Seven of Nine or T’Pol, I should say at the outset that this Treknobabble is about the behind the scenes women who have played an important role in the popularity of Star Trek. With the recent passing of Joan Winston, it is only appropriate that we acknowledge their contributions. If your contact with Star Trek is solely as a viewer, then you might well be asking, “Joan who?”, but her status as a Trek super fan was enough for major news outlets to have stories on her passing. I can’t think of any other popular culture phenomenon that has a specific fan who would deserve a special mention in the news. More on her later.
Treknobabble is a continuing series of columns written by uber-Trekkie Reed Farrington in anticipation of the upcoming J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie.
With the tidbits of information that Kevin Smith has been revealing in interviews since having seen a working print of the next Star Trek film, I got to thinking about how film companies are able to keep secrecy around their productions and especially how J.J Abrams manages to prevent spoilers on his projects from being disseminated on the fan network.
J.J. Abrams is notorious for maintaining secrecy to the point where the speculation becomes a source of advertising, and viral marketing becomes an inexpensive way to generate publicity. He has expressed a high-minded rationale for his viewpoint: “Learning raw detail and experiencing that detail as it was intended are two totally different things. I would argue that not knowing those details in advance is a more refreshing way to live when it comes to entertainment.”
Treknobabble is a continuing series of columns written by uber-Trekkie Reed Farrington in anticipation of the upcoming J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie.
This Treknobabble is a sequel to Treknobabble #2 - First Contact. I wanted to try to explain why Star Trek has stayed with me ever since I saw my first episode of Star Trek. I’ve read articles by people who have tried to explain the relevance of Star Trek and why it should matter to people in general. And people often mention how Star Trek has inspired them in choosing a career path to become a scientist, engineer, or medical doctor. But I don’t often read personal stories of why it matters so much to an individual and why it has stayed a constant in some people’s lives.
(Even though her English wasn’t particularly strong, my mom would occasionally watch Star Trek with me. I never asked if she knew what was happening in an episode. (She enjoyed watching game shows and variety shows.) She was able to recognize Star Trek reruns. She asked me once why I watched the same episodes over and over again. I never had a good answer beyond saying that I liked the show. After a while, she didn’t bother watching with me.)
Treknobabble is a continuing series of columns written by uber-Trekkie Reed Farrington in anticipation of the upcoming J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie.
This Treknobabble came about from a post comment by Rachel who had noticed the Starfleet delta symbol embossed near the stitching of the fabric of the new movie uniforms worn by the Enterprise NCC-1701 crew in the advance promotional posters. I replied to her comment suggesting that I should perhaps write a Treknobabble about Star Trek’s costume design.
Rather than from research, I would much prefer writing about topics from information that I’ve read over the years. So I panicked at first, because the only relevant piece of information that I could remember was that the Original Series (OS) uniforms were made from a new material never seen on television before: velour! I had always taken this information as truth, but I thought I should investigate to find out when velour was first fabricated. Anyhow, when I sat down to start typing, a bunch of other Star Trek costume related thoughts popped into my head.
For those of you who have no interest in clothes, I can assure you that the stuff I have to write about is of more general interest. So I hope you will keep on reading. (I even mention a naked breast!) Mind you, I did do some research, but I’ll try not to bore you with too many dry facts and figures.
