Happy Birthday, Bill Shatner!

Happy 85th birthday to the best Captain in Starfleet; past, present, future, alternate future, alternate universe and beyond! He doesn't let age slow him down, and we wish him many more.

Now would be a good time to revisit some of the many posts here devoted to The Shat by clicking here!

Happy Birthday, DeForest Kelly!

DeForest Kelly's birthday is today, January 20th. This true Southern gentleman (born in Taccoa, GA) never let the lights of Hollywood get in his eyes and change him from the kind and humble man he was.

Here is a link to all the posts on this blog that are tagged with his name. A great way to celebrate his memory!

Bonus: a behind-the-scenes photo of Kelley getting his old-age makeup applied for "The Deadly Years." He had a great time acting in this episode as he took his "crusty old country doctor" persona to the ultimate level!

Happy Birthday, Nichelle!

Lovely Nichelle Nichols is 83 today. We hope she has a wonderful day of love and appreciation, and that her New Year has much health and happiness. We love you, Nichelle!

Celebrate by reading some or all of the entries I have made of the past few years, right here.

Happy Birthday, Walter!

Today, September 14th, is Walter "Chekov" Koenig's 79th birthday. Hope he has a great one!

In honor of everyone's favorite Russian accident-prone screamer, read over all the previous posts about Walter from this blog!

Happy Birthday to George Takei!

George Takei, known to TOS fans everywhere as Hikaru Sulu, celebrated his 78th birthday on April 20th. Mr. Sulu's professionalism, likeability, and many hobbies, such as botany, fencing, guns and more made him an interesting character. And George's outgoing personality and rapid-fire laugh made him a convention favorite of many fans! Below is an autographed photo I got from him by proxy while he was at a convention in Ft. Lauderdale, FL in the mid-70's. One guess as to why I missed the con!

Click on the link below to view all my previous posts featuring George in case you missed some!
http://www.mystartrekscrapbook.blogspot.com/search/label/Takei

(Click on images to view full size. Once open you may have to click again.)

Happy Birthday to Grace Lee Whitney!

Happy Birthday to Grace Lee Whitney! As Janice Rand, she got a raw deal, unceremoniously booted to make room for other women in Kirk's life, but she will always be there in the earlier episodes for us to enjoy. Below, some nice photos showing the progression of her look; first, from before the series started, one of  a large number of promotional photos, this time in a costume left over from "The Cage" and featuring her with her long blonde hair let down.  View some of the earlier posts featuring Grace here, as there are more good photos.

(Click on images to enlarge; once open, you may have to click on it again to view full size.)

And below, Grace as Rand as we saw her in the series, basket weave intact. Saucy!
 

Below, a headshot from "The Motion Picture."

Bonus #2: Below, from Starlog, a hilarious cartoon that looks at one of the most out-of-character moments for Spock in the entire series. At the end of the great episode "The Enemy Within," Spock, while signing off on a report for Janice Rand, says the line below with an uncharacteristically creepy leer. I know the episode was an early effort, when not all the characters were nailed down yet, but the line is something that would have been unsavory coming from anyone, much less Spock. Even coming from Kirk himself it would have been weird, if not completely unexpected. But Spock? It's like he was mentioning the unpleasantness in such a slimy way in order to see if he could get in on some of that action himself. Not cool.

Commemorating Leonard Nimoy's Birthday

(Click on images to view larger. Once open, you may have to click again to view full-size.)

This is the saddest Birthday commemoration I've ever had to post on this blog, coming only weeks after the passing of Leonard Nimoy. He would have been 84. Celebrating his birth so soon after his passing makes it that much more poignant. Below are some images from a publicity photo session made just before the series started filming, when the costumes were not quite what we would come to know. The shots are interesting in that they pose Nimoy with some stock chemical equipment, as if it was short-hand for saying "he's a scientist, because here he is doing science stuff with test tubes and such." Anyone out there know what that spiral tube is he is holding and what it does?

This particular set of images is special to me since the first ever photo I cut out and saved from the show was a close-up from this session.

I would like to close out this post with a simple poem written by Leonard. It could be to a loved one, it could be a prayer to God. I would like to turn it around back toward Leonard, and use it to thank him for sharing his life with us.

Thank you
For a world
Of kindness 

Thank you
For your
Endless patience

Thank you
For your
Sensitive understanding

Thank you
For
Your Love

As Spock once told McCoy, "Remember." We will, Leonard. We will. And like McCoy, we will carry a part of you within us, always.

Happy Birthday, William Shatner!

Happy (belated, it was on March 22nd) 84th Birthday to William Shatner, a man that makes the Energizer Bunny tired just watching him! Shatner brought a lightness to a role that could have been deadly serious, giving us a quick-shooting, hard-kissing, karate-chopping, outrageously-bluffing and awe-inspiring Captain that always led, never sent his officers into action.

(Click on image to enlarge.)

"Yeah, I'm kind of a big deal."

In honor of Bill, go back and view all of the Shatner-centric posts on this blog. The Power of Shat compels you!

James Doohan's Birthday

I've never really known how to address birthdays of the deceased. You can't really say "Happy Birthday!" as it is a wish for someone that is no longer here to do so. So I am simply saying "let's celebrate this person's life on the anniversary of their birth." James Doohan was born on March 3, 1920, and if he were still with us, he would be 95, and we would be wishing him "Happy Birthday, Jimmy!" We wish you were still with us. We celebrate your memory and contribution to Trek by a toast of a glass of something green.

Browse through some of the Doohan-oriented posts on this blog by clicking here.

Bonus link: What happens when you combine the faces of the original cast with the faces of the new cast from the reboot? Go here and see!

Commemorating Kelly

DeForest Kelly's birthday was January 20th, and I couldn't let it pass without some kind of mention. This true Southern gentleman (born in Taccoa, GA) never let the lights of Hollywood get in his eyes and change him from the kind and humble man he was.

Here is a link to all the posts on this blog that are tagged with his name. A great way to celebrate his memory!

Bonus: a behind-the-scenes photo of Kelley getting his old-age makeup applied for "The Deadly Years." He had a great time acting in this episode as he took his "crusty old country doctor" persona to the ultimate level!

Happy Birthday, George!

 Happy 76th birthday to George Takei, known to TOS fans everywhere as Hikaru Sulu! Mr. Sulu's professionalism, likeability, and many hobbies, such as botany, fencing, guns and more made him an interesting character. And George's outgoing personality and rapid-fire laugh made him a convention favorite of many fans! Below is an autographed photo I got from him by proxy while he was at a convention in Ft. Lauderdale, FL in the mid-70's. One guess as to why I missed the con!

Click on the link below to view all my previous posts featuring George in case you missed some!
http://www.mystartrekscrapbook.blogspot.com/search/label/Takei

(Click on images to view full size. Once open you may have to click again.)

Happy Birthday, Grace!

Happy Birthday to Grace Lee Whitney! As Janice Rand, she got a raw deal, unceremoniously booted to make room for other women in Kirk's life, but she will always be there in the earlier episodes for us to enjoy. Below, some nice photos showing the progression of her look; first, from before the series started, one of  a large number of promotional photos, this time in a costume left over from "The Cage" and featuring her with her long blonde hair let down.  View some of the earlier posts featuring Grace here, as there are more good photos.

And below, Grace as Rand as we saw her in the series, basket weave intact. Saucy!
 

Below, a headshot from "The Motion Picture."

Bonus link: reader Jim Fourniadis sent me this link to a Youtube video that you may get a kick out of, here it is with his message:

I thought you might enjoy. It was a promo clip for our live stage production Of The Way to Eden, and its set to Gil Scott Heron's The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhQbjoDx0p8

-Jim Fourniadis

Funny! I'd like to see more of the stage production at some time. Thanks, Jim!

Happy Birthday Leonard!

Happy 82nd birthday to Leonard Nimoy, who was the person that brought to life one of science fiction's most interesting characters, not only television's. He made being very intelligent look cool, portraying a man who could outthink you as well as put you down with a simple touch. As Issac Asimov wrote in his TV Guide review, smarts were suddenly sexy, and thanks to Spock, many were discovering they had a sapiosexual side. Thanks, Leonard, for many years of living in the shadow of Spock to bring a little more happiness into our lives.



Here is a link to view all of the Nimoy-centric posts on this blog; it would be a logical thing to review all of them on his birthday. Failure to do so may result in the Vulcan Death Grip, or as it is known on Vulcan, the Tal-shaya.

Happy Birthday Bill!

Happy 82nd Birthday to William Shatner, a man that makes the Energizer Bunny tired just watching him! Shatner brought a lightness to a role that could have been deadly serious, giving us a shooting, kissing, karate-chopping, bluffing and inspiring Captain that always led, never sent his officers into action.

(Click on image to enlarge.)

"Yeah, I'm kind of a big deal."

In honor of Bill, go back and view all of the Shatner-centric posts on this blog. The Power of Shat compels you!

Nichelle! Oh, Nichelle!

Sometimes you look and look for gold and sometimes you trip right over it. Today I was checking my Facebook ST Scrapbook fan page, and someone had posted this picture of Nichelle Nichols, pre-Star Trek, that they found online here. I reacted to it like a cartoon character, with my legs flying up in the air behind me and twirling like helicopter blades. My eyes bugged out and bounced on the floor, before they blew up like balloons then deflated with a rude noise. My jaw flopped down on the floor and my tongue rolled out and down the stairs, out the door and onto the street where a taxi ran over it. I heard strange old-timey car horn sounds blasting out of my ears. I had never seen this treasure before! Wowowowowowowowowowow! My Uhura/Nichelle fixation got a major reinforcement right then!

(Click on image to see high-rez version, if your heart and glands can stand it.)
Do not gaze upon the goddess too long, lest thine eyes be dazzled.

Although this find deserved a post of its own, here are a couple more images I had gathered recently that you will enjoy. The one below, sadly, is no larger than you see it; but it's a beautiful publicity shot on the bridge I had not seen before. Gorgeous!

And although I have posted a version of the classic 1967 Ebony cover below from another source, this one turned up online recently, without the address label and in a slightly larger size. I wish I had this issue!

If you are able to take your eyes off her long enough, look at the Jeffries tube surface near the top right of the photo. A tear can be seen in the cardboard material of the tube they scavanged and used to make it!

Update: Little did I realise when I posted this that it was on the same day as Nichelle's birthday, December 28th! Happy birthday to the lovliest and classiest woman to grace the bridge of any starship!

1987 Article On Sulu's Solo Trek

From issue #119 of Starlog Magazine, dated June, 1987, comes this short article on an early fan film, "Yorktown: A Time to Heal," another of those that never seemed to get finished and the footage seldom seen. This one is significant in that they snagged Sulu himself, George Takei, for their home movie. (One cannot help but think of Galaxy Quest a little here.) The trailer, which can be found online, looks about like you'd expect for the time, and in light of today's more polished fan efforts, is somewhat embarrassing to watch... probably for George more than anyone else involved, in retrospect. The film was never finished and the footage tucked away by one of the main masterminds, Stan Woo.

(Click on images to enlarge.)
 

Another thing setting the production apart from the average fan film was the involvement of several Hollywood professionals, as the article explains. For this reason alone, the footage might be worth watching. Who knows, maybe someday the film will be finished with digital effects and made available to watch. Even raw unedited film would be good to see, for the historical value.

Many, if not most fan films that are planned or actually begun fall to the same fate, thanks in part to the large amount of money and work required, for very little (if any) payback; other than the pleasure of watching one's self on film making imaginary Trek. It's happened a lot in the past, all the way back to the 70's (see earlier post on "Paragon's Paragon") and it will continue to happen; but of the few that actually get made, only the rare effort is watchable for anyone other than those involved and their friends and families. I can think of only a couple that are really enjoyable, and they are the exception. However, fans want to make their own for their love of the show, and for that I commend their efforts and say, "God bless 'em."

Read more about the ill-fated Yorktown fan film story in this Star Trek Expanded Universe Wiki entry. Update: I just found out that today is George's 73rd birthday. What a coincidence!

UPDATE, June 24th, 2010: I recently received an email from the filmmaker Stan Woo, with some additional info about the effort, which you can read below. Thanks for the details, Stan!
Thanks for mentioning Yorktown: A Time to Heal in your blog. This little opus just got too expensive to complete and at the time, it also killed my grades, so I had to give it up. My father financed the film and when my grades took a nose dive, he cut off funding. That was the beginning of the end. Then I just got caught up with life and it got put back in the backburner. Maybe in my retirement, I'll start working on it again. Right now, I'm working with Paul McCudden to finish some missing dialog for a final ADR session.

Some of the Da Han wiki stuff is accurate, but some are just out in left field, especially this "Axiom' project which I'm not involved with except for footage used in the unauthorized trailer. The two Yorktowns were only at the most 15 minutes long. The first one is total crap made when I was in 11th grade thru community college. The first film was more of a first "pilot". The 2nd ended up being a second "pilot" than a sequel. It started out as "Yorktown II", but when Takei came aboard, the continuity of the first film had to be abandoned. Therefore: "Yorktown: A Time to Heal", not Yorktown II: A Time to Heal. The final title of the first film is "Yorktown: In Temporary Command", not Yorktown: The Quadroplastine Incident. The film was reworked in 1984 and the Quadroplastine reference was removed from the film. The film is so bad that I don't want to subject the youtube community to it. Stephen J. Cannell was not involved personally. Gary Winter, executive in charge of post-production at Stephen J. Cannell Productions granted me access to their sound effects library. That's it.

Here's a link to a fansite entry about "Yorktown: A Time to Heal"; perhaps you can do a link.http://www.fastcopyinc.com/orionpress/fanfilms/yorktown.htm

This entry lists the actual credits. Any other claims in the web is not accurate.

-Stan Woo
Bonus: Below is a small selection of the many mini-clippings that I gleaned from the newspapers back in the early-to-mid 70's; some from tabloids, others from the daily papers. I'm serious, if it had the words "Star Trek" in it, I saved it. About the only items I didn't clip were the daily listings of the episodes in the TV Guide. Was I obsessive, or what? And to still have them in my scrapbook, is that compulsive hoarding or what? I don't know... you tell me. The dime is included because it was once touched by Jimmy Doohan who loaned it to me for a phone call. Nah, just yankin' your chain, I included it to give some scale to the size of the tiny clippings. I'm not that obsessed.

Below is another page from one of the Trek coloring books that I bought in the mid-70's. The likenesses are pretty good in it. Print it out and color away!

"Captain, do you mind moving that hand from my booty? This is not the time."