It was the TV show that made many of us want to buy a telescope, so it’s only fitting that the cast of Star Trek celebrate their DVD release of the new movie at the famous Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles.
Director J.J. Abrams was joined by stars Zachary Quinto (“Spock”), Leonard Nimoy (“Spock Prime”), Zoe Saldana (“Uhura”), Karl Urban (“Bones”), John Cho (“Sulu”), Bruce Greenwood (“Capt. Christopher Pike”), Jennifer Morrison (“Winona Kirk”), Clifton Collins (“Ayel”), Faran Tahir (“Captain Robau”), Jacob Kogan (“Young Spock”) and Jimmy Bennett (“Young Kirk”).

Thanks to a kindly film collector in Germany, Star Trek fans will now get to experience the third pilot that was made to pitch the original 60’s series. Everyone knows about “The Cage.” This pilot had Jeffrey Hunter as the first Enterprise Captain, and much of the footage was used in the  flashback episode “The Menagerie.”
When that pilot was deemed to serious for TV audiences, a second pilot was made with William Shatner in the lead. That is called “Where No Man Has Gone Before.”
According to The Live Feed, an alternate version of this pilot was made and up until …read more

Still looking for the perfect gift for the scifi fan in your life (or to put on your own holiday list)? How about a pair of nifty new Star Trek inspired sneakers?
These exclusive STPL x Airwalk™ Star Trek shoes come from New York-based designer jeffstaple and are available in three colors, red, blue and gold, inspired by Starfleet uniforms worn by the Starship Enterprise crew in the classic television series and the new film.
The style is available in men’s sizes 6.5-13 and features the Star Trek insignia embroidered on the back of the shoe and a plastic version of the …read more

Geek Blips is a blog aggregator for all kinds of geeky news from comics to movies, TV and video games.  Last week, I joined a half dozen other scifi bloggers at the site for a discussion about our favorite scifi gadgets and here’s what we all had to say.
Turning Sci Fi Fantasies into Reality
Science Fiction is about imagination. Sure, today it might not be possible to travel at the speed of light or zap yourself to another planet with the push of a button, but who doesn’t dream about it? We wanted to find out what high-tech gadgetry other geeks …read more

CBS and Mad Science, an educational company that runs science camps for kids, are teaming up to produce Star Trek Live.
This interactive stage show due to run at theme parks and performing arts centers across the country, takes the audience through Starfleet Academy training combining the entertainment value of Star Trek with real educational materials aimed at upping scientific literacy.
The show is said to have “cutting-edge special effects, unmatched audience interaction and an exploration of real space-age technology.” And Kirk and Spock are supposed to be there, too.
Mad Science’s Managing Director and producer Leonard Lipes says, “So much of the …read more

Yesterday, the marvelous Mr. Leonard Nimoy spent part of his afternoon with a group of reporters to talk about his role in tonight’s episode of Fringe. But since he couldn’t reveal too many details about the mysterious William Bell, we got him to talk about other things like the state of science fiction on TV, the difference in TV production from Star Trek to now and his love of photography.
As someone who’s watched Star Trek most of her life, it was a real thrill to talk with an actor whose voice carries so many memories. He was warm and thoughtful …read more

Though they were born in the sci fi niche, these five quotes have soared into the annals of pop culture history. They’ve been repeated, parodied and I’ll bet at least one of them was used to sell something on TV.
Here are my candidates for the top five scifi quotes to make it into the pop culture vernacular.
5. “The Truth is Out There”
Ever since Mulder and Scully gave us a glimpse into The X-Files, we’ve been determined to find the real truth about aliens, Bigfoot, Elvis and Lady Gaga. That single phrase has inspired millions to look beyond what is presented …read more

eFX is making a name for themselves in the prop replica game and now they’re taking on the mother of all scifi licenses, Star Trek.
I had the pleasure of meeting with these guys and seeing their work close up at the D23 Expo in Anaheim.  In addition to their Disney statuettes, they had a 1/48 scale Nautilus that made my husband drool. Great attention to detail and everything they do has this sense of hand-made craftsmanship.
Next on the list is the Mark IX Tricorder as seen in Star Trek: First Contact.
“For many of us, Star Trek was our introduction …read more

Profiles in History has a very special item going to auction at the beginning of October — an early production Macintosh computer that was given to Gene Roddenberry by Apple.
When you look at the evolution of computers and the vision Roddenberry had for Star Trek, there’s an incredible synergy between the two. At the time, it was hard to imagine a computer that responded to voice commands, a computer no bigger than a lunch box that could analyze complex data in a matter of seconds, a flip “communicator” that allowed people to talk without the need for phone lines. But …read more

Patrick Bromley came to find Star Trek much later in life than most. A casual viewer of TNG, he gained most of his knowledge by watching the movies.
Recently, armed with only bits and pieces of the vast Trek story, he headed into the theater to see the JJ Abrams reboot and it was as if the sky opened and the angels sang — or maybe it was a choir of disembodied elders who had evolved into a state of higher conciousness.
Whatever it was, it converted him, right then and there. Suddenly, Patrick realized that he’d been missing so much by …read more