Animated Arex Bio

"Sure, I'm a little depressed. Wouldn't you be, serving on a ship with such ugly aliens as these humans?"

Back in 1973 or so Roddenberry's company Lincoln Enterprises sold bios of the animated series characters. Since I knew the main characters, the only two I bought were those of the two new aliens, Arex and M'ress. I'll post M'Ress next time; first, we look at the biographical information on the odd-looking (to us) tripodal Arex, who was voiced (as almost all non-regular characters were) by James "Scotty" Doohan.

Although designed to be more alien-looking than any character could ever have been done on the live-action show (an advantage of the animated format) Arex was never used as more than window-dressing; all we ever saw of him was seated at navigation and pushing buttons. I can't remember ever having seen him even stand, much less walk and do anything. He was so underused that he made Uhura look like a top-billed co-star by comparision.

Bonus: Below is the front and back of the assembly directions that came in the "Space Ship Set" by AMT, which came out in the mid 70's. Each ship was small, only about 5 inches at the longest; this set was fragile on its base and it didn't last long over our many moves. I think all I have left, other than this sheet, is the fuselage of the Klingon ship.

Dec 7th: Happy Birthday ST:TMP!

Star Trek may have been born on September 8, 1966, but it was born again on December 7th, 1979. It's rebirth was a long time coming; although in retrospect it doesn't seem that long, for those of us who lived through the 70's as a fan, it was very long indeed. Now, as I look back, it's hard to believe that 31 years have passed since the newest Star Trek in over a decade was bursting upon us, heralded in the TV spots by the weighty tones of the equally weighty Orson Welles. This wasn't just a new movie... it was an Event!

(If you are new to this site, and haven't yet plumbed its depths, click on this link for all the entries tagged Star Trek: The Motion Picture to enjoy the many articles and items I've posted so far. It will take you back to that exciting time!) Here's an article you can skip to that came out the weekend of the movie premiere that spotlights Stephen Collins.

Here is a short article from issue #17 of Starlog (published in October of 1978) that features the upcoming movie, as it was just getting underway; for real this time.

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Here's the Star Trek Report from Susan Sackett from the same issue. There's a line in it from a hopeful writer about a planned book set "70 years in Star Trek's future." Don't think the book got published, but it is interesting that it just about coincides with the time of the future Next Generation series that came later. Coincidence? Or the germ of the idea to advance things to that time period? Like how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop, the world may never know.

Bonus #1: Here's one of several coloring books that came out in 1979 using publicity photos from the movie for front and back covers. A nice picture on the front that I don't have anywhere else.

The phrasing of the text on the back is amusing: "The Enterprise has beamed down on you..." Huh?

Bonus #2: A nice b&w publicity shot, taken very early in the shoot (possibly on the first day) of the crew all together.

Nichelle's uniform would have been so much better by leaving off the pants and letting her wear high black boots.

And one more bonus, a nice photo of our heroes in those infamous one-piece jumpsuits that left nothing to the imagination below the waist.

One word that describes the movie that really doesn't fit any of the sequels in "epic." The scope, the leisuirely pace to enjoy the scale, and the lofty ideas and concepts all combine to take one on what feels like an important journey, and not just an adventure. The tagline, "The Human Adventure Is Just Beginning" is accurate (if not in the intended meaning), in that the action/adventure would only come in followups; but this one, more than any other, had the feeling of a truly big-budget film, and not just a movie. The oft-maligned drydock tour of the ship, criticized by many as too long and only being a showcase for special effects, was for me the highlight of it all; the long-hoped-for lingering look, in close-up detail, had tears of awe flowing from my eyes the first time I beheld the starship in all it's glory. I knew how Kirk felt as he gazed at her with love!

That said, the tightened and finished Director's Cut is the superior version, and the only one I take out to watch now. I look forward to doing that once more to celebrate this 31st birthday!

1994 Time "Generations" cover article

Just in time for Thanksgiving, an edition of Time magazine that was published the week of a past Thanksgiving, November 28, 1994. Sure, most of us have this issue, but this is for those that missed it, or for those that just haven't taken it out to look at in awhile.

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Hope all my readers have a wonderful Thanksgiving, full of the love of your family, enjoyment of great food, and reflection on what you have to be thankful for... remembering the One to express our gratitude to.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him, bless his name! Psalm 100:4 (RSV)

Check out some vintage Thanksgiving ads from papers that I clipped movie ads from here, and here.

Star Trek 4 Starlog articles

This time we look at a couple of articles on Star Trek IV from Starlog issue #114, published January 1987, which means it was on the newstands in December of the previous year, when the movie came out. "The Voyage Home" was a great present for Trekkers that year! First, the cover...

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And next, the main article, which is an interview with director/star Leonard Nimoy.

Next we have a three-page look at the movie itself.

And finally, as a bonus, a cartoon from the same issue that re-casts the crew with some looney actors. Am I the only one that would like to see this idea realised now as a special DVD movie?

Rare Pics of Bill Shatner

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From the Corbis photo website, comes these archival images of Bill in his younger days (See the site for lots more photos of Bill throughout his career).

Below, Bill adds playing the harmonia to his already-full range of accomplishments.

Below, Bill tries out a punching bag, one he might need to keep in practice for punching out beligerent aliens and traitorous starship captains.

Below, relaxing at home with a cigarette and a script. Glad our couches now are more comfortable than those in the 60's!

Below, a photo that looks to be from the late 70's as Bill is in good form on the parallel bars.

Below are a my favorites in the set of new images, as Bill trades massages (!) with Yvette Mimieux, who, as you recall, played "Weena" in 1960's "The Time Machine." Since Captain Kirk was my hero, and I had a teen crush on Weena, seeing them both together is great! They looked as if they were getting pret-ty cozy there...

Bonus update: you may recall reading in some recent posts about the fan film "Paragon's Paragon;" the most recent of which is here. Well, I have finally heard from the filmmaker John Cosentino, and he has told me, "I am going to try getting Paragon's Paragon re-mastered onto dvd over the winter. The super8 film is 35 years old and anything can happen. It is a $500 dollar project. Should it work I will make actual snippits of Paragon available. "

This is good news for fans like me who have been intrigued by the images and info we have seen from this film over the years. I will keep you posted on any news, and when they are ready to premiere! Let's wish John luck as he goes through the process of digitizing the old film.

1990 "Starfleet Academy" article

Here's an article from the May 1990 edition of the awesome magazine "Cinefantastique," where Walter Koenig spills the beans about the then-planned "Starfleet Academy" movie which could have been ST 6. Thankfully, it was never made, and we got to see our heroes one more time in a grand send-off, "The Undiscovered Country." If Walter's efforts to alert the fans (and the resulting backlash) factored at all into the studio's decision to scrap the idea, then we should be grateful to him.

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Of course, Star Trek '09 was in essence the same idea; recasting the characters with younger actors, showing the Academy days, and even using Nimoy as an anchor; but enough years had passed that by then, we were ready to revisit the original show and were willing to accept new actors if it meant seeing the TOS crew in action again.

Bonus: Below, a silly article from the National Enquirer tabloid, published in September of 1983, that tries to use Star Trek to lend "credibility" to it.

"Uh, you should be gettin' back under the beam, Cap'n, unless ye want to lose the left side o' yer body, sir."

"The Search For Spock" Press Kit Pics

Where ever I lived at the time, I made it a point to get in good with the person at the local newspaper who handled the entertainment section and received the movie press kits. I was fortunate to be able to get quite a few press kits for various genre movies when they were finished with them, as most were thrown out later. Here are a few from the "Search For Spock" press kit package, I'll post more from this and others as time goes by. Beneath each one is the card stuck to the back that described the photos.

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On a personal note, I apologise for the lack of recent posts; but it's getting into the holiday season and my mail order business is getting very busy and taking up more time than usual (no, it's not Trek-related.) I'll try to post more soon, though, as often as I can!