More than a year ago we previewed a new line of Super7’s retro-style Kenner action figures featuring Star Trek: The Next Generation. This was a reboot of a line of Star Trek original series figures we discussed here at borg back in 2015. The second wave includes Commander Will Riker, Counselor Deanna Troi, Lt. Cmdr. Geordi LaForge, Dr. Beverly Crusher, the notorious Q, and… that black oil slick that killed Tasha Yar called Armus (yes, Armus gets a figure before Yar!). Even better, Super7 is taking a 19th century Victorian theme next. Following Wave 2 fans will get their first Captain Picard of the seafaring HMS Enterprise, plus newly promoted Worf (both from Generations) along with Data and Geordi as Holmes and Watson.
Don’t confuse these with what we revealed this past January–those toys were from the company called Playmates, which returned with its own line, too. Playmates was the original toy company that made its name creating a stunningly expansive line of Star Trek action figures (okay, it’s actually the second company that introduced the figures after Galoob’s short run). Playmates released a small-sized Worf from Generations, but not a sea captain Picard, and Data and Geordi from the Victorian episode “Elementary, My Dear Data” were only issued in a special nine-inch edition.
Check out the new designs for the second wave of Super7 figures, and their new cardbacks, plus links to pre-order all of the first 16 ReAction Star Trek: The Next Generation action figures:
She was one of the best aliens introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation, a friend of Captain Jean-Luc Picard with a past never to be revealed. She saved the galaxy from a bad timeline through Picard’s loyalty to her instincts alone in “Yesterday’s Enterprise.” In Star Trek: Generations she’s one of the only links to the meaning of the Nexus, thereby putting together an unlikely team of Picard and Captain James T. Kirk. Her past on Earth goes back as least as far as run-ins with the likes of Mark Twain. She knows how to wear a cool hat, and the last we saw her was as a guest at the marriage of Will Riker and Deanna Troi. The wait is over. Oscar-winning actress Whoopi Goldberg returns as Guinan next month in the second season of Star Trek: Picard.
Surprisingly for a Star Trek series, we haven’t seen much by way of tie-ins for this year’s newest small-screen incarnation, Star Trek Picard. We at borgenjoyed the series, the Star Trek version of the Old Man trope that actor Patrick Stewart contributed to so well with Hugh Jackman in the Old Man Logan movie, Logan. We especially liked the new Romulan characters the series introduced, and Jonathan Frakes’ Will Riker back in the captain’s chair was hard to beat. Patrick Stewart has taken his beloved Jean-Luc Picard there and back again many times, so maybe we haven’t seen a lot more because it’s already been done before. But out now for holiday gift-giving is a new look back at the good captain and his memorable commentary across seven seasons of The Next Generation, four feature films, and the first season of his new series. It’s The Wisdom of Picard, a book full of his most memorable utterances.
For the new Star Trek: Picardseries, a sequel to not only Star Trek: The Next Generation and its films–and now apparently to Star Trek Voyager, also, the hints from the production that the series was going to be something entirely new weren’t altogether accurate. Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis, Star Trek Voyager’s Seven of Nine actor Jeri Ryan, and Jonathan Del Arco, who played Hugh, all will be joining Patrick Stewart as Picard, appearing in the continued journey of the Federation. But executive producer Akiva Goldsman insisted that this isn’t a sequel at a panel today at San Diego Comic-Con, appearing along with showrunner Michael Chabon and co-executive producer Alex Kurtzman. The direction for the series that the members of the production are stressing is that the series will be new, yet the trailer for the series is all throwback goodness.
As the saying goes: The old is new again.
Some nostalgia from the ghosts of Star Treks past includes Picard in similar TNG civilian shirt and First Contact jacket and combadge, he’s right where fans would expect him in the future: at his vineyard a la All Good Things… readying to be called upon to go off-world on some special mission a la the Unification, Gambit, Preemptive Strike, Chain of Command, Birthright, and Endgame stories, with scenes evoking Kirk’s final days from Star Trek Generations. Spiner’s character is in a box (literally), appearing to be B9 (and not the exploded bits of the actual Data?)–not that it matters. Seven of Nine is back (looking like she never left) with an only slightly updated cybernetic prosthetic on her forehead and more human than before. Although they didn’t make the first trailer, other blasts from the past include the return of Riker and Troi. And expect lots of the Federations’ original enemies, as Romulans return as one of the show’s key antagonists.
This appears to be exactly what fans have been after since the IDW Publishing comic book series prequel to the movie Star Trek 2009 (discussed here) put Picard back on the bridge with B9, and then Brannon Braga teamed up Picard and Seven of Nine in his IDW series (discussed here back in 2012). New cast members for the series include a diverse group of new faces, including Isa Briones, Santiago Cabrera, Evan Evagora, Michelle Hurd, Alison Pill, and Harry Treadaway.
The wait is over. Check out the first trailer for Star Trek: Picard:
We’re back today with the second part of my interview with Nicholas Meyer, director, screenwriter, and storyteller, as we celebrate the 35th anniversary of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and its return to theaters next month as part of the Fathom Events series. Meyer directed Star Trek II and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, and he was a screenwriter on both movies as well as Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. He chatted with me about his films and more this past week. If you missed part one of the interview, check it out here.
CB: You’ve written words spoken on-screen by Lawrence Olivier (The Seven-Per-Cent Solution), David Warner (Time After Time, Star Trek VI), and Christopher Plummer (Star Trek VI). Are there any other great actors you maybe fantasize, or would like to write, dialogue for?
NM: I’ve also worked with Jason Robards and John Lithgow (both in The Day After). I’ve worked with some really wonderful actors. Fantasizing about working with actors is interesting. When I listened to the Chandos recording of the music from Henry V–the Olivier film with Christopher Plummer reciting or acting out the various Shakespeare vocal parts–I thought, “Wow, I’d really love to work with this man.” And I wrote the part of Chang in Star Trek VI specifically for him. That’s the first time I’ve ever written for an actor other than the Star Trek cast. I said to my casting director Mary Jo Slater, “Whatever you do, don’t come back without him. Because there’s no movie unless it’s him.” It would take me longer than this conversation to rustle around in my brain other actors I’d love to work with–Benedict Cumberbatch–sure, of course.
Nicholas Meyer directing the production crew, with Christopher Plummer as General Chang, on the Klingon courtroom set of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
CB: Your Time After Time co-star Malcolm McDowell joined Star Trek in the seventh movie in the series, Star Trek Generations, after you were no longer with the franchise, and it always seemed to me to be an obvious choice to get him into the Star Trek universe. Did he ever contact you about taking on a Star Trek role?
NM: No… we never discussed it. David Warner, who actually has been in two Star Trek movies (as Chancellor Gorkon in The Undiscovered Country and St. John Talbot in Star Trek V: The Final Fronter), was the great post-war Hamlet with the RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company), and I think Malcolm at one point was a spear carrier in that company at the time when David was this huge star. In Time After Time they used to kid each other about those times. Something about carrying a pack of cigarettes under your costume.
CB: You have said you see yourself first as a writer and have been writing and telling stories since you were five years old. Are you as excited today to sit down and craft a story as you were in 1982?
NM: I think when I get going the answer is yes, and if it’s going well the answer is yes, and the hours can go by and I look up and it’s a week later. But as I’ve gotten older, the process of actually starting, of facing what used to be a blank page, which is now a blank screen, having done it again and again and again… Most of the stuff I’ve written has never been produced. Most of the stuff I’ve written for books I’m happy to say has been published, but I haven’t written that many books. But most of my screenplays–including probably my best screenplays–have never been done. So as you get older and you embark on this again and again and again there is a kind of a weariness of picking up the yoke and putting it on your shoulders. That said, getting paid for telling stories beats work any day.
On the Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Engineering set, that’s Catherine E. Coulson (later Twin Peaks’ Log Lady) with the camera, director Nicholas Meyer (in Starfleet captain’s jacket) and James Doohan as Scotty, filming the emotional finale.
CB: In your memoir The View From the Bridge, you mentioned some of your best ideas or solutions when writing come while doing laundry, while in the tub, or even building a model boat. What was your biggest revelation and strangest place you found it?
One of my favorite people in the Star Trek world is Penny Juday. Not only is she a great person, she is always willing to share interesting stories about her days working for Paramount on Star Trek. As a former U.S. Navy Submarine fleet detailer, Penny Juday staffed the Navy’s sub-fleet with crew assignments. She joined the Star Trek Deep Space Nine decorating department in 1991. Penny was soon hired as the personal assistant to the production designer of Star Trek, which then led to becoming the art department coordinator of Star Trek for the next 18 years, where she also served as Star Trek archivist. During her off hours Penny attended art school at Otis Parsons and earned her certificates as designer and illustrator. borg.com is happy to welcome Penny here today.
CB: Penny, you have a pretty unique college background, studying art and design, as well as computer science and physics. And you were on your way into Intelligence in the U.S. Navy. You seem to be cut out for your role as guardian of the secrets behind the Star Trek franchise. How did that background help you move into the role as Art Coordinator and Star Trek Archivist at Paramount Pictures?
PJ: I was a submarine fleet detailer. They wanted me to go into INTEL when my tour was up but they would not agree to anything I asked for in return. In retrospect it was not such a good idea on my part, of course. I assigned submariners to their duty stations as they came out of school in Groton and kept track of all the available positions for enlisted crew for all the submarines. I had to make sure they were properly and completely staffed at all times. If one were taken ill or sadly, killed, I had to find the replacement ASAP. I studied computer science and physics while in the Navy. Another decision gone wrong. If I had stayed with that, I could have been the girl Steve Jobs! At the time computer programmers worked nights and weekends since it was still reel to reel and we worked while others didn’t. I just couldn’t do that. How it helped with my Star Trek job? You have to be extremely resourceful to get a lot of military jobs done for many reasons. My boss on Trek, Herman Zimmerman (who we called “Z”) often told just about anyone who would listen that I was the most resourceful person he had ever met. I could find just about anything we needed to get a job done, or anyone, for that matter. If a prop guy told Z we couldn’t find a particular product I would get the task. Now that’s fun and interesting. One of my favorite things was when I would call a company and tell them who I was and who I was with. Usually there was a minute of total silence because they did not believe me, of course. Then when it sunk in I was telling the truth… I can’t tell you how much I could achieve with vendors just because I worked on Star Trek. They would jump through a lot hoops to help us. And the undercover Trekkies that I would run across!
Penny in her Star Trek “toybox” warehouse at the Paramount set.
The archives–being a personnel person in the Navy I took care of thousands of records, copied thousands of pages of documents, records and cared for the same, so making an archive was cheese cake. Again finding anything… I was sent to Long Beach Naval Station to finish my Navy tour. There had been a serious lack of commitment to record keeping, and personnel records were a mess so I was sent to help redo and get it smooth again. Within days this Chief Petty Officer comes to my desk, almost in tears, very upset, telling me his records had been missing for weeks, meaning, he doesn’t get paid, can’t move forward in any capacity–remember this was before documents were scanned and kept on computer. Some info was in Washington on OCR documents but the bulk of your records were still just paper in a manila folder in a real filing cabinet. If that went missing you were in serious trouble. So Chief tells me the story… he had been in day after day, asking someone—anyone—to search for his records. “They cannot be found,” they tell him. Knowing full well how badly the records in Long Beach had been stored, mostly by young “kids” who just didn’t care and wanted to get through their tour period. I asked him his full name, was there any known misspellings, etc. I take the “intel,” go to the records room and start the search… yup, under his middle name. Chief hung his head in silence. I still cry when I think of how happy it made him. I got a letter of appreciation for that one, which is a small Navy award. My work at the station was awarded several times with a scholarship, award letters, and I was the only female side boy at the station to pipe the leaving Captain away and pipe in the new Captain. Side boys are the crew who line the plank at attention and one blows the pipes–a very great honor.
Star Trek cadet piping in Captain Kirk on the USS Enterprise refit (one of Penny’s duties in the US Navy).
CB: You worked for several years with the Star Trek franchise but also worked on other notable films. How did your work on Star Trek compare with your project and art coordinator daily duties on other action films like The Hunt for Red October and Alien Resurrection and comedies like Naked Gun 33 1/3 and Wayne’s World II?
PJ: I have to start by saying nothing compares to Trek. Nothing. However, that being said The Hunt for Red October was my first film. Poor Anthony [Penny’s husband, Anthony Fredrickson] is tired of watching it. It is near and dear to my heart not only being the first film but they used the USS Houston, in the film known as the USS Dallas. I was the detailer who put the original enlisted crews on board all the Los Angeles class boats as they were being built. Eventually I got to see the Houston in dry dock in San Diego. All the Los Angeles class subs look a like so they could easily get by with using one for another. The first thing I saw walking on set was the missile silos. I told the decorator I didn’t remember seeing neon around the bases on the real subs. “Shuuuh,” he said. But then standing next to Sean Connery was the memory any girl would cherish, whew. Can’t believe I was still standing when he walked away.
The Hunt for Red October production photo.
CB: As art coordinator for Deep Space Nine through Star Trek: Nemesis and Enterprise, you were second in command to art director and production designer Herman Zimmerman, known not only for his incredible futuristic sets on Star Trek but also work on Happy Days, The Land of the Lost, The Tonight Show and Cheers. What’s the secret to running a multiple Emmy-nominated art department?
PJ: First, I used to watch Land of the Lost all the time, even at my age it was just fun. So on a Deep Space Nine episode we had a very rustic cottage with a fairly short door. Z and a lot of us are inside, the special effects guy, Joe, comes in who was well over six feet tall. The way Joe came in for some reason Z said you remind me of a Sleestak. I said I was shocked that he knew this word. I asked him how he knew what a Sleestak was. He said, “I designed him.” I had no idea. So I was constantly learning of Herman’s accomplishments and shows, and awards, and the list goes on of things he has done throughout time, even working on one of my favorite soaps.
Original Herman Zimmerman Sleestak (display by Tom Spina Design).
As far as running art departments, whew! Especially on larger shows like films. I can’t make the list long enough of what your job title is. You are the middle girl between most of the departments and the art department. You are the coordinator for just about everything the art department needs. The art coordinator is one of the first people in—meaning we are given a blank space to fill right down to the pencils. You have to get it all, the phones, the phone lines, desks, copiers, papers all the supplies, set up the kitchen, often interview or find staff to be interviewed by the art director, depending on who that is, usually my production designers know me well enough that I hire the staff and set the deals. Then research, finding things, orders, craft service kitchen, oh, boy! Talk about egos–and the special needs of each and every one of the artists. Can you say “four different kinds of coffee?” I had a set designer who constantly demanded their own office because this person didn’t want to hear others talking. Production meetings, usually keeping all the budgets for set decorating, often construction, and the art department. Time cards for all of the above. Location tours, call sheets, scripts, clearances (which I have no idea when the art coordinator became responsible for making sure everything was cleared but that happened somewhere in time). Product placement, but I have to tell you… talk about fascinating… your every minute is different. Alien 4 was one of my favorite films to work on at Fox. Huge art department, sets, budgets, construction, and a lot of people from Star Trek, however, one of the first things the production designer told us was: “I see anything that looks like Star Trek, you’re fired!” Ok, but he was a lot of fun to work for.
Filming the Baku Village at the Lake Sherwood set.
Sometimes things would go wrong or go missing. When we were out at Lake Sherwood for the Baku village in Star Trek Insurrection, Worf’s teeth came up missing. They were very expensive to make so there was one set at the time. So the hunt was on and of course we were still shooting Deep Space Nine at the time. That created quite the stir to have a whole lot of people searching for Worf’s teeth. So yes, they were found, but at great cost to both productions.
Penny Juday (far right) as an extra in Star Trek Generations, in Ten Forward on the USS Enterprise-D. Also in this scene were Patrick Stewart as Captain Picard, Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan and Malcolm McDowell as Dr. Soran.
CB: You were able to work with the Star Trek original series cast on Star Trek Generations, and even performed on camera as an extra. What kind of interaction did you have behind the scenes with the original Enterprise crew? Any lasting impressions?
PJ: I met Mr. Kelley on Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country as they were walking out of the Klingon courtroom. He had had a long day but stopped and introduced himself to me, shook my hand. What a lovely, gracious man. Shatner ran past, couldn’t leave the set quick enough, which is understandable. I later met him on Star Trek Generations. We were in the Valley of Fire, north of Las Vegas. I was put in the crew van which was traveling to the site in the desert where the bridge set was. I was in charge of taking orders for the crew gift bomber jackets. He had never heard of a bomber jacket. So that was a great fun thing to do, he got a laugh out of the whole thing. Ms. Nichols, I interviewed her for Star Trek: The Magazine. Again just so warm, friendly, kind, happy to talk to me. I think I have met them all at one time or another and what an experience to meet your idols from your favorite show and then get to work with them.
Energy beacons used by The Borg that Penny helped to create for Star Trek: First Contact.
CB: Part of your many roles for Star Trek included locating found props in the real world, such as purchasing furniture for sets or odd bottles to get re-dressed for use in Quark’s bar in Deep Space Nine. What were some of the stranger creations you were asked to come up with?
PJ: Wow, there are so many! I think the Borg energy packs in Star Trek: First Contact—where they are on the dish—the Borg pull out these long acrylic tubes that glow… those were bird feeders that we put fluorescent tubes in, wrapped them in the mess they are shipped in, then wrapped those in a lighting gel. When I called the company, because we needed a lot of them, they were so excited and it was hard for them to believe how they were going to be used. I think the second is all the vacuum packaging we used. If you look at the packages your cookies, candy, make-up, anything with a molded part, you will see a great deal of interesting usable shapes. We had stacks of packages friends and family would save up for us, just in case we needed something on the run. Anthony had a kludge closet in the art department where we would store found objects for instant prop and model making. Then I think the Picard family album was probably one of my favorites. I worked on that for weeks digging through flea markets, yard sales, antique shops, asking crew for items, family photos and such. I would get French newspapers and make up articles, soak them in coffee or tea then run over them with the car. So much fun!
Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) and Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) flipping through the Picard family album Penny Juday created. The original album was on display for years at the Star Trek Experience in Las Vegas.
Inspired by the new blue space suits in the new movie Prometheus,yesterday we began showing the evolution of the space suit as seen by Hollywood from the 1950s through the 1970s, including a few photos of real astronaut suits that influenced movie designers. Today we continue trekking forward to the costumes of today.
In 1979 the original cast of Star Trek returned in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Mr. Spock, clad in an orange space suit, tries to meld with the menace called V’ger.
Kirk arrives in a white suit to rescue Spock after he is knocked unconscious.
Forget about the Astronaut Farmer, I really liked the 1979 TV series Salvage 1 with Andy Griffith, an early glimpse at an astronaut a la Virgin’s Richard Branson, where private folks build a rocket from scratch and send it up, up, and away.
I don’t recall Roger Moore wearing the classic aluminum looking suit in the James Bond movie Moonraker, but he wore one in PR photos.
The yellow suits worn throughout most of Moonraker’s space scenes.
Here is an astronaut scene you might not recall–In 1980’s Superman II, Zod and friends use American astronauts on the moon as playthings before bringing their wrath to Earth.
In 1982 we get another look at the Kirk and Spock suits from Star Trek: The Motion Picture, now worn by Walter Koenig and Paul Winfield alongside Ricardo Montalban in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
More of a protective suit, a few of these radiological suits were equipped with glass helmets, making us think they might work outside the USS Enterprise. Here Scotty and his engineering crew wore these in both Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Either way I think these make for some awesome designed space suits, and Scotty never looked cooler.
In 1979 we met the first of Ridley Scott’s Alien universe, and witnessed HR Giger’s visionary suits for the crew of the Nostromo.
Sigourney Weaver’s character Ripley had her own version of a space suit.
In the 1981 film Outland, Sean Connery takes an excursion to Jupiter’s moon Io. And again we have multi-colored space suits!
Sometimes creating space suits means replicating reality, and it was hardly ever done better than in 1983’s Mercury program biopic, The Right Stuff.
The Right Stuff also featured Sam Shepard as Chuck Yeager, and here he augured a test plane into the ground. Crash and burn.
In 1984 Roy Scheider discovered this time he needed a bigger ship in the 2001: A Space Odyssey sequel, 2010.
One of my all-time favorite sci-fi movies is The Last Starfighter. Grig and Alex wore some of the best looking space suits in this film (OK, yes, I’ve included a few pilot outfits in this list).
In 1986 we got to see kids in space in Spacecamp, starring Lea Thompson.
Marketed as “from the makers of Star Wars,” the 1990 film Solar Crisis didn’t even come close.
In the original (but unreleased) cut of Star Trek Generations, the film was to open with a suborbital drop by Captain James T. Kirk. The heat shield tiles were a good idea.
Ron Howard created one of the best films ever of any genre with the superb account of Apollo 13, starring Tom Hanks and Kevin Bacon.
In 1996 with Star Trek: First Contact, Captain Picard and Worf wore this type of suit to defeat a threat from The Borg. These suits were later re-used by the crew in Star Trek Voyager.
In 1997’s Event Horizon, Sam Neill wore a darker and grittier look.
Matt LeBlanc piloted the Jupiter 2 in the remake of Lost in Space (1998) complete with helmeted suit.
More recycled Hollywood. In 1998 B’Elanna Torres wore Captain Kirk’s space suit from the deleted opening scene from Star Trek Generations, in the Star Trek Voyager episode “Extreme Risk.”
In the blockbuster 1998 movie Armageddon, Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck wore these realistic space suits to save the world from a giant rock.
…but first the crew had to wear these suits to drill through the jagged asteroid’s surface.
In 2000 Val Kilmer starred in Red Planet, blending horror and sci-fi, wearing this nicely designed space garb.
Red Planet also featured The Matrix’s Carrie Ann Moss, sporting her own cool but differently styled suit.
In 2000 the all-star cast of Space Cowboys mirrored reality, looking like John Glenn in his second voyage to the stars.
Also in 2000, Mission to Mars featured this type of astro-wear.
In 2002 George Clooney donned a space suit in Solaris, where a psychiatrist investigates a space crew.
But it is really hard to beat these copper colored space suits as worn in 2002 by Scott Bakula’s Captain Archer on the TV series Enterprise–for me the color reflects the old heavy underwater gear of centuries past.
The key impetus that created the Fantastic Four in the 2005 film was a volley of cosmic rays, turning Michael Chiklis’s Ben Grimm into The Thing.
In 2006 in the episode “Waters of Mars” David Tennant’s Doctor Who lead an incredible mission to save Earthlings in space, a mission with a terrible destiny.
In 2008 the rhino-alien Judoon took Doctor Who by storm, looking tough in these big suits…
And in the same year, the short aliens with big blue suits, the Sontarans, also from Doctor Who.
Maybe the strangest space suit so far, this bulky outfit was worn by Cillian Murphy in Danny Boyle’s film Sunshine.
Maybe the future is really in gear like Iron Man’s suit. After all he’s taken it into space.
Whether you’re a traditional Trekkie or not, you had to like the great look of JJ Abrams’ 2009 remake of Star Trek. And still we have mutli-colored outfits to tell everyone apart!
In 2009’s Moon, Sam Rockwell has some issues to deal with. One of those over-hyped films that I couldn’t get through. Still, it had a good overall look.
In 2009 the TV series Stargate Universe featured these very futuristic, detailed space suits.
Very simple space suits from the 2009 TV series Defying Gravity.
In 2011’s Doctor Who episode “The Impossible Astronaut” Matt Smith was killed by whoever was in this astronaut suit.
Also in the 2011 Doctor Who season, the episode “Rebel Flesh” featured this future-human protective gear, which might as well be a space suit. Over the decades Doctor Who has featured aliens in space suits, too, and too many to list!
Which brings us to June 2012, and next week’s premiere of Ridley Scott’s Prometheus, with these slick blue suits appearing on posters everywhere.
Now we know this was not a comprehensive list, but please drop us a note and let us know if we missed any key space suits.
Tonight dog lovers across the galaxy tune in to their screens for the annual Super Bowl of dogdom, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Here at borg.com, this is serious TV viewing, and this year our thoughts naturally turned to… dogs in space. Like Laika, the first dog in space who beat mankind into the outer realms, these dogs have gone… where no man has gone before. So we bring you our very own contenders for Best in Show–our picks for best dogs from genre fiction in TV, movies, and comics (in no particular order).
1. Toto – Who better to start our list than the little terrier feisty enough to take a bite out of Miss Gulch and accompany Dorothy on her journey down the yellow brick road in The Wizard of Oz?
2. Einstein – Doc Brown’s faithful sheepdog companion, like Laika, was the first to make a historic voyage there and back again in a Delorean in Back to the Future.
3. Fluffy – Two heads are better than one, so three must be exponentially better. How can you not like this lovable cerberus from Harry Potter & the Sorceror’s Stone? Just don’t let thieves know their secret, that music will lull them fast to sleep.
4. Fang – Speaking of Harry Potter, we can’t pass up the loyal and large pal to Hagrid, Fang the boarhound (played by a Neapolitan Mastiff). Although Hagrid calls him a bloody coward, in The Sorceror’s Stone he took Harry and company through the Forbidden Forest.
5. Krypto – Strange how themes repeat themselves. Originally, Krypto, like Laika and Einstein, was Jor-El’s first foray into creating a vehicle to get Kal-El (our Superman) off of the planet Krypton and on his path to Earth. Although a mishap sends Krypto off-course, fortunately he makes his way back to his best friend.
6. Porthos – We would later learn Porthos would have a pack of offspring of his own per Scotty in Star Trek 2009. This fellow accompanied Captain Jonathan Archer on many a mission where no man had gone before in the earliest Star Trek stories on the series Enterprise.
7. Astro – Maybe the first family dog we were introduced to in the future of our past, Astro loved Elroy, Judy, Jane and George Jetson and showed there are no bad dogs today and hundreds of years from now.
8. Commander Kruge’s targ – We never learned her name, but this fiercely loyal friend helped make all of us cheer for Kruge when he went up against Admiral James T. Kirk in Star Trek: The Search for Spock. Unfortunately, she represents the one four-legged companion on our list that doesn’t make it, thanks to that dastardly Kirk and friends.
9. Fizzgig – Seemingly cute and innocent, Fizzgig is the Muppet companion to Kira in The Dark Crystal. Like Kruge’s targ, although not technically Canis familiaris, he had all the qualities of a good buddy and did not hesitate to bear his fangs to protect Kira when he sensed danger.
10. Butler – James Kirk redeems himself in his last mission when he is sucked into the Nexus in Star Trek Generations. His reaction to seeing his dog Butler at his old home shows there was a real guy in that Captain Kirk.
Honorable mention: All greyhounds, since they look like AT-ATs from The Empire Strikes Back.
Do you have any others you think should make the list? Let us know, and enjoy the Dog Show tonight! The 135th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show airs tonight and Tuesday on USA and MSNBC. Only dogs from Earth are eligible.
Whether you are a Star Trek cosplayer or a collector of the real thing, the more information you have the smarter buyer of replica or real props and costumes you can be, and the more accurately you can create replicas from the Star Trek universe. Yesterday we ran down the best resources for Star Trek information focusing on the various Star Trek TV series. Today we will cover books that include reference material for the Star Trek feature films. Some of the information in the general categories overlaps so we will repeat those that apply to movies here.
The eleven Star Trek movies are available on DVD, Blu-Ray, VHS, and streaming video, by series and in compilations.
Here are the key websites you need to know about:
Memory Alpha – A detailed, currently maintained encyclopedia of all things Star Trek.
Trek Core – A great source for screen caps of all series episodes, including some HD versions.
As to reference books, several licensed Star Trek books are available, many still in print, and the following are what I consider the best resources publicly available. I have also provided links to the books at Amazon.com, but your local library can also get these for you. (Book cover thumbnails are a bit fuzzy since I used direct links to Amazon listings).
Running through the general books from yesterday again that also include information on the Star Trek feature films:
Star Trek – General
Star Trek: The Art of Star Trek, by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, 1997. If you only have one book about Star Trek behind the scenes, it should be this book. Full of original paintings, behind the scenes photos, and close-ups of costumes and props, this is the best book available on the Star Trek television shows and feature films. If you have it you will read it over and over again. It is only lacking in the fact it was made before Star Trek Generations, so for everything after that you should seek out some of the other suggested books. Also, you’ll notice on this list the Reeves-Stevens are a great source of all sorts of Trek material. Highest recommendation.
The Star Trek Encyclopedia, by Michael Okuda and Denise Okuda, 1999. With two Star Trek insiders like the Okudas writing this reference guide, it’s no wonder this is such a popular book. Literally the A to Z guide to the Star Trek universe, make sure you get this most recent version that includes all updates. Unfortunately it has not yet been updated to include the latest films and the Enterprise TV series. Still, a single source for the obscure and the general in the franchise. Highly recommended.
Star Trek Chronology: The History of the Future, by Michael Okuda and Denise Okuda, 1996. Another reference by the Okudas, this time aligned in chronological order of the events of the Trek universe, as opposed to the order of production of the series, which is the format of all other Trek reference books. Handy to see overlap between series and whether the Battle of Wolf 359 comes before or after the destruction of Praxis (in case you get confused on that).
Star Trek The Next Generation: Technical Manual, by Rick Sternbach and Michael Okuda, 1991. An unprecedented look at the science and technology of Star Trek. The masters of the Trek art production team include here detailed drawings and explanation to support the science behind the stories portrayed in the television series and films. A must for all Star Trek fans.
Star Trek: Aliens & Artifacts, by Michael Westmore, Alan Sims et al, 2000. This book provides key views from the main make-up artist and the propmaster for the later Trek series. Lots of close-up photos of alien races and make-up, but a lesser focus on props. Good behind the scenes stories. Highly recommended.
The Making of the Trek Films, 1995, edited by Edward Gross, 1995. Chock full of detailed insight into the creation of every Star Trek movie from The Motion Picture through Star Trek Generations. Extensive scuttlebutt on what actors and crew thought of each production, including trials faced, marketing successes and perceived failures. Surprisingly good resource for being more of an assemblage of data than a cohesive narrative. Recommended.
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, by Susan Sackett and Gene Roddenberry, 1980. Invaluable sourcebook for the decisions behind the creation of the first Star Trek film. Low on photographs, but good insight into the movemaking process. Recommended.
The Making of Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan, by Allan Asherman, 1982. This book includes several interviews with the actors and creators of the best of the Trek films. Includes contemporary stories and behind the scenes accounts. The only book focused on this movie in this detail. Includes some good behind the scenes photos in black and white. Recommended.
Captain’s Log: William Shatner’s Personal Account of the Making of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, by Lisabeth Shatner, 1989. What you would expect in a book by a daughter about her father. Manages to document the uphill battle to make what is generally thought of as the least successful of the Star Trek movies. Gives insight into Shatner’s inexperience with directing and how that translated to film. For STV fans.
Charting the Undiscovered Country: The Making of Trek VI, by Mark A. Altman, Ron Magid and Edward Gross, 1992. The smallest of the “making of” books yet it provides good detail of Nimoy’s direction and story influences for one of the best films the franchise has to offer. Also includes black and white photos of props, each cast photo from prior films, and information about costumes. Recommended.
The Making of Star Trek: First Contact, by Lou Anders, 1996. A great resource–lots of photographs of the borg, weapons, sets and cast interviews. Recommended.
The Secrets of Star Trek: Insurrection, by Terry J. Erdmann, 1998. One of the best looks at a Star Trek production, including great tidbits like photos of stunt cast members, art production, close-up of background characters, and costume and prop design. Nice behind the scenes text and photos. Highly recommended.
Star Trek: The Art of the Film, by Mark Cotta Vaz, 2009. Great photos of the art behind the new film, some used and some that didn’t make it to the screen. Good sketches of costumes and details of alien masks and make-up. Nice explanations of the different locations from the movie.
Also, invaluable costume and prop information can be found in the following catalogs:
Christie’s December 2006 Auction Catalog
Profiles in History 12, 14 , 41, and 44 Auction Catalogs
, by Michael Westmore, Alan Sims et al, 2000. This book provides key views from the main make-up artist and the propmaster for the later Trek series. Lots of close-up photos of alien races and make-up, but a lesser focus on props. Good behind the scenes stories. Highly recommended.
, edited by Edward Gross, 1995. Chock full of detailed insight into the creation of every Star Trek movie from The Motion Picture through Star Trek Generations. Extensive scuttlebutt on what actors and crew thought of each production, including trials faced, marketing successes and perceived failures. Surprisingly good resource for being more of an assemblage of data than a cohesive narrative. Recommended.
, by Susan Sackett and Gene Roddenberry, 1980. Invaluable sourcebook for the decisions behind the creation of the first Star Trek film. Low on photographs, but good insight into the movemaking process. Recommended.
, by Allan Asherman, 1982. This book includes several interviews with the actors and creators of the best of the Trek films. Includes contemporary stories and behind the scenes accounts. The only book focused on this movie in this detail. Includes some good behind the scenes photos in black and white. Recommended.
, by Mark A. Altman, Ron Magid and Edward Gross, 1992. The smallest of the “making of” books yet it provides good detail of Nimoy’s direction and story influences for one of the best films the franchise has to offer. Also includes black and white photos of props, each cast photo from prior films, and information about costumes. Recommended.
, by Lou Anders, 1996. A great resource–lots of photographs of the borg, weapons, sets and cast interviews. Recommended.
