Wednesday, July 8, 2009

1977 article: Fans Win Battle: Star Trek Returns!

(Click on images to view larger size.)

The article this time is scanned from the pages that I clipped in 1977 from a now-unknown movie/TV show fan magazine. At the time, I would clip items without much regard for the source, and if the pages themselves didn't identify that magazine, then it didn't matter much. Now, I wish I had made more of an effort to keep track of such things, but we would all do things differently in hindsight. If this was all I regretted from those days I would be in good shape.

You can see from the details of the show's return that it was in the middle of one of the failed attempts to revive it in some form on TV, for which we can probably be grateful. There were many false starts and stalled efforts that floundered until Star Wars showed that a big-budget sci-fi film could be successful. But, all the media attention to each announcement kept the show in the public eye and mind, not letting it be forgotten.

Bonus: Below, one of the in-store promotional items for the VHS video release of the series that came out for the show's 20th anniversary in 1986. This was made to stick on the shelves in the store, and the Enterprise was supported on a strip of cardboard that suspended it about a half-inch in front of the bottom of the card, in a 3D effect.

Bonus: And below, another of the Leaf cards from 1967, continuing in their tradition of nonsense captions and odd photos. This one leaves itself wi-i-i-i-ide open for risque captions of all sorts. In fact, it's so easy a target I'm not even going to do one. I'm sure some of you can come up with one that would make mine seem tame!

Update: In light of the card above, and the interpretations it leaves itself open to, here are a couple more from the same episode ("What Are Little Girls Made Of?") along the same lines to stimulate your caption-creating abilities!

Ruk knew right then that their relationship had grown stale.

"Sorry, Ruk... but have you noticed that the ceiling needs painting?"


On the other hand, they still enjoyed the occasional game of "Hide The Stalactite."

I can't help but wonder what the images above would lead someone to think, had they never saw the episode and their context.

4 comments:

Jay said...

I guess Ruk could have technically been some kind of ac/dc switchhitting sexbot. Don't forget that Kirk infamously assaulted that sexbot with that giant phallic stalagtite in that episode as well. Or stalagmite, I can never remember which is which. Also, given that the gorgeous Andrea-bot was running around Exo III as well, one might deduce that the Old Ones were a really kinky culture.

Anyhoo, I have to say that a alternate universe/timeline I'D like to visit would be one in which the Star Trek: Phase II series actually went on the air instead of being turned into the first movie. It would be interesting to see how the rest of the Star Trek franchise would have developed (or not) in its wake.

Frederick said...

Jay,

Although a new show sounds intriguing, I have to think that the movies were a better idea. But I'm like you, I wonder what it would have been like to have some more seasons of the show! If done as well as the old ones, with many of the same writers and composers, improved sets and effects, it could have been very good.

Conversely, done badly it would have killed the franchise for good, I fear.

chunky B said...

LOL, I've seen that Stalactite pic all over the place, come on people can't Kirk use a phallic piece of rock to beat a robot down? I mean really! : )

Frederick said...

Don't feel dumb about missing the Uhura/Chapel moment... all those years watching this episode, I NEVER noticed the shape of the rock til later still photos.

Guess my mind was younger and more innocent then!