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Tag: Star Trek

November 22: Novis Nerdfest – Sci-Fi Medley

There are other things to remember about the 22nd of November. The 50th anniversary of JFK’s assassination is chief among them. But in the middle of the ongoing conspiracy theories and cute photos of cats, a full third of my friends’ walls are filled with posts shouting from the virtual treetops about the Dr. Who special that’s airing on the 23rd (and in select movie theaters around the country).

So, I’m switching up from dance to Science (Fiction) ahead of the pack. Enjoy the a capella geekery and try to consider what this world might be with a lot less hate and greed and a lot more willingness to see science for the awesome and amazing craft it is.

Starting tomorrow, leading up to the coming week’s activities, we take a visit to Vi Hart’s view of math.

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October 5: Trials And Tribble-ations Uniting Two Legends

After highlighting clips from the Deep Space Nine episode Trials and Tribble-ations, which in turn pays tribute to David Gerrold’s The Trouble with Tribbles. The cast of DS9 talks about the work that went into the special episode, celebrating Star Trek’s 30th anniversary.

In today’s world, it seems trivial to pop people into scenes where they didn’t originally belong. Without the efforts of Woody Allen (Zelig, 1983) who did the work with bluescreen technology and Robert Zemeckis and Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) (Forrest Gump, 1994) I wonder whether the tribute would have been possible.

Even more remarkable: How many TV shows can you recall that were canceled after a three-season run, but had such an impact on our world that they would be resurrected four times, with multiple movies, and might receive such a tribute 30 years later? Again – what is it about Star Trek that keeps its fans moving forward?

Firefly might one day have such a following, but I doubt it. The same with Babylon 5 and Farscape (sad to say).

In any case, this episode remains one of my absolute favorites in nearly 50 years of television-watching experience; a stunning example of how the visual medium works to make the impossible possible.

And the link below does NOT go to YouTube, because the original videos are gone. Paramount has gotten evil about Star Trek clips, flying in the face of Star Trek fans everywhere. Can’t guarantee this will remain, but it’s here…for now. If you want to see the whole documentary, buy the complete DS9 set, I guess.


Making of Star Trek DS9 “Trials and Tribble… by limpshave

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October 4: Tribbles Kirk Bonked by Tribbles HD

One more side-by-side comparison, because I can. Behold the power of YouTube. Thanks, Gary, for the work – these videos are amazing and show a dedication to continuity you don’t often see today.

Tomorrow we wrap up with a featurette on the making of this landmark Star Trek episode.

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August 29: Carol Burnett Show – Star Trek Parody

This is from the short lived 1991 comeback after the original series ended, and if you missed it then, you’ve got good reason to be surprised that you didn’t see it. The clip circulated around Facebook for a bit, which is how I found it.

If you haven’t seen this yet, time to swallow the drink, sit back, and enjoy scenery-chewing where no scenery-chewing has gone before. Or since.

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