A Certain Point of View: Writing, Film and Stuff

On Quora, member Nathan William asks: Is the term "Trekkie" ever used in any of the Star Trek movies or TV series? My reply: No. The term “Trekkie” (or “Trekker”) only refers to fans of the  Star Trek  franchise. Incidentally, there were two in-universe references to the franchise title; both occurred in iterations of  Star Trek: The Next Generation In the episode  All Good Things…,  the god-like entity known as Q and Captain Jean-Luc Picard have the following exchange: Picard:  We are what we are, and we're doing the best we can. It is not for you to set the standards by which we should be judged! Q : Oh, but it is, and we have. Time may be eternal, Captain, but our patience is not. It's time to put an end to your  trek through the stars , make room for other more worthy species. And in 1996’s  Star Trek: First Contact: Cmdr. William Riker : It is one of the pivotal moments in human history, Doctor. You get to make first ...

  John Colicos (as Kor) in original "swarthy" Klingon makeup and prosthetic Fu Manchu facial hair. © 1967 CBS Studios Why do the Klingons in Star Trek TOS look different than the Klingons in Star Trek TNG and the rest of Star Trek series? When Gene L. Coon and Gene Roddenberry created the Klingons as the 23rd Century avatars for the Soviet Union to serve as foils for America’s avatar, the United Federation of Planets in 1967, the new aliens were depicted as swarthy-looking humanoids with extra-bushy eyebrows and, in the case of Kor (John Colicos), a villainous-looking Fu Manchu mustache-and-goatee. Sometimes, though, the Klingons would have pigment variations and on occasion, such as in  The Trouble with Tribbles,  we’d see fair-haired Klingons alongside the basic Klingon-with-swarthy-makeup. William Campbell (Koloth) and Michael Pataki (Krax) in The Trouble With Tribbles. Note absence of swarthy makeup and more "Western-style" goatees.  © 19...

Someone on Quora actually asked this question recently: Why do I encounter many people that seem to hate Star Trek: The Next Generation so vehemently? As Mr. Spock would say in response to a question of this nature, it is difficult to answer such a query without any empirical data. First, when you say that you encounter “many people that hate  Star Trek: The Next Generation,  where do these encounters occur? The farmland in rural Wisconsin? A bar in Milwaukee? The halls of a high school campus? A Facebook  Star Trek  discussion group? Second, do you go around asking random strangers “Excuse me, but what are your personal feelings about  Star Trek: The Next Generation ?” So, without having any relevant information to go on, I can only say this: I have  no  idea why you, the question writer, encounter many people that seem to hate  Star Trek: The Next Generation. Here are some theories, though: You run into young science fiction f...

“Star Trek: Nemesis” (2002) Also known as: “Star Trek X: Nemesis” Directed by Stuart Baird Screenplay by: John Logan Story by John Logan & Brent Spiner & Rick Berman Based upon “Star Trek” created by Gene Roddenberry Starring: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, Tom Hardy, Ron Perlman “Star Trek: Nemesis” is the 10th feature film based on Gene Roddenberry’s “Star Trek” television series and the fourth to star the cast of the spin-off series “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”  Released on December 13, 2002 as a “generation’s final journey,” “Star Trek: Nemesis” ended the voyages of the Starship Enterprise-E on a less-than-glorious note and put Paramount Pictures’ movie franchise in deep-freeze for seven years. “A Generation’s Final Journey Begins” (Stardate 56844.9 - Earth Calendar Year 2379) Captain Jean-Luc Picard: Duty. A starship captain's life is filled with solemn duty....

Pros:  Good mix of storylines; nice way of reintroducing the Romulans Cons:  The writers' strike delayed the development of the Borg storyline; otherwise none The Neutral Zone Stardate 41986.0 (Earth Calendar Year 2364) Original Air Date: May 16, 1988 Written by Maurice Hurley Story by Deborah McIntyre and Mona Glee Directed by James L. Conway   On stardate 41986.0, the  Galaxy- class starship  USS Enterprise  (NCC-1701-D) is under the temporary command of First Officer William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes).  Capt. Jean-Luc Picard  (Patrick Stewart) is on his way back to the Federation’s new flagship after having been summoned to an emergency conference in Starbase  718.  As Riker and the rest of the  Enterprise’s  crew   await their commanding officer’s return, the ship’s sensors detect something unexpected; a very old space capsule launched centuries ago from Earth. Ops officer Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spine...

“Star Trek: The Next Generation - Season Five” Over the past few years, the Blu-ray division of CBS Studios has released the entire seven season-run of Gene Roddenberry’s “Star Trek: The Next Generation” (TNG)  in high definition. The seminal Season Five, which connects the series with Roddenberry’s 1966-1969 “Star Trek,” is one of two complete season sets released in 2013. This six-disc collection features some of TNG’s finest episodes, including “Darmok,” “Unification, Parts I & Ii,” and “The Inner Light.” To Boldly Go…. Capt. Picard: Space... The final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no one has gone before. The fifth season of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” is considered by many “Star Trek” fans to be among the series’ three best years. The season kicked off with the action-packed “Redemption - Part II,” in wh...