Star Trek

“Space the final frontier - These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise ….. To boldly go where no man has gone before”. These are the words uttered by Captain James T. Kirk at the beginning of every episode of the three series television run of Star Trek.  And from the television series, the Starship Enterprise, captained by James T. Kirk, exploded onto the cinema screen – for 6 original, 4 Next Generation, plus two reboot films.  And this is just the tip of the iceberg! ORIGINS: In 1966, Gene Roddenberry launched a sci fi series for Paramount studios, never imagining that nearly 50 years later people would be watching a reboot of the original series at the cinema.  Amazingly enough, (especially since there have been books such as I am not Spock, trying to distance the movie) the surviving original actors can still be seen at Fanfest, and Comicon, etc. The pilot actually aired with different actors playing the captain, doc and science officer – however, by the time the series went into production, the familiar faces were in place and familiar names of Spock, Kirk, McCoy, Uhura, Sulu, Chekov and Scottie were to be heard on set . Also, in the somewhat sexist time that the movie was made, Uhura, Ensign Rand and Nurse Chappel wore the tiniest miniskirts to make them glamorous – something that has changed in the new movie franchise.  Our intrepid heroes travel from planet to planet, through space and time (City on the Edge of Forever took Bones, Spock and Kirk back to depression era Earth), in their mission … which some people wished would never end. When finally the series was dropped, it was reborn as a movie franchise.  As the original crew continued their adventures through the cinesphere, the next television series was born:  Star Trek, The Next Generation – followed by, Deep Space 9, Voyager, Enterprise and then more recently the two reboot movies. SPOOFS: There have even been spoofs of the original series produced. My favourite “send up” would be Galaxy Quest with Alan Rickman, Tim Allen and Sigourney Weaver. The plot of this film centres on the retired crew of a TV space series Starship.  When aliens need help, they don’t realize that our TV crew aren’t really the characters they portray – leaving them in a dire situation.  You will have to view the movie to find out the solution because I’m not spoiling this one – but it’s worth a watch. ACTORS: The stars of this franchise are many – from William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy of the original crew, there have been the crews of the later series, including Patrick Stewart, Kate Mulgrew and Scott Bakula’s TV series and of course the recent film crew. Like many other franchises, these people become typecast to their series and are frequently more recognized for their roles than who they are. The actors are known for trying to “break the mold”, however, that is a hard task. (pictures) DVDS, TOYS AND BOOKS: This franchise has spawned comic books, cartoons, board games and computer games, magazines and books.  It has further licenced clothes and homeware for consumption, also DVDs and VHS tapes.  These accessories were readily available and when the new movies went into production, you guessed it – so did the toys, games and so forth – all over again. Along the way it has paid for itself many times over as they continue to reissue the old material which was always popular, plus the new goodies too. FAVOURITE FILM: This is another toughie to choose.  If I was asked about the original show, I would certainly say this was my “go to” series and City on the Edge of Forever certainly was a two box of Kleenex show.  On the other hand, as far as movies are concerned, I would opt for the Wrath of Khan, just to see Montalban (Khan) overact dreadfully – but still entertain. And the part when Chekov has a “creature” in put his ear … well, you can just imagine. However, I have to say that the new series is something that impresses me.  The first film was okay, but the last movie released with Cumberbatch playing the Khan role, well, that could be compared to the old franchise. Over the years people choose different Captains in their voyages, but I still say the old Star Trek can’t be beaten – even though it obviously didn’t have the budget or the special effects – it is a cult classic. CONCLUSION: This series which has been watched for nearly 50 years is certainly a franchise to be reckoned with.  No matter whenever you see William Shatner, or Leonard Nimoy, you can’t help but think of Star Trek, and the “Shakespearian” actor, Patrick Stewart – even when playing Hamlet, or Macbeth still has you thinking “make it so”. Many people have grown up with the franchise – and I for one have been indoctrinated by Star Fleet Command to keep watching this show in whatever form it is shown in.  Do I think that it has outlived it time - and reboots are passé? No, I think it is a series that is enjoyed by many. There is still interest in it (obviously) and enough of a box-office attraction for them to start filming the third movie (due for release in 2016) to the big screen. That’s something that I am really looking forward to. And strangely enough J.J. Abrams, the guy who brought Star Trek back and is directing the new Star Wars series will be producing the new Star Trek film – something that I totally trust him to do well.