Leonard Nimoy Demonstrates Magnavision LaserDisc Player

Forget Blu-Ray or watching movies on your iPad and such, for the absolute height of cutting-edge video technology, one must absorb this 1981 demonstration of the Magnavision LaserDisc Player by Leonard Nimoy! (Aside from the player, where can I get an intelligent crystal lifeform that communicates in beeps like R2-D2?)




Bonus: another YouTube video, this time from 1966 during early interviews with Shatner and Nimoy in full makeup and costume. What a find!



Bonus: another version of a familiar pose, from an early promotional photoshoot of Nimoy as Spock, taken before the production of the second pilot.

1981 Mark Lenard article

Back in the day, Starlog wasn't the only source of Trek and genre material, but it was one of the foremost. From the depths of one of the collection cabinets comes issue #42, published December of 1980. The featured article is on my favorite Trek guest-star, Mark Lenard. My earliest recollection of seeing the show on TV was during the first run of "Balance of Terror." I only remember a little of the show, but I know it was this episode, and even at 8 years old I found it interesting. I only really got into it when I was 13, though.

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"This text is invading my personal space."

Korg found out that Earth women could be tougher than they looked, especially when food was involved.

"You want to keep this nose? Steal my Cheetos again, lobster-head, and you will lose it."

Bonus: Below, from the same issue, is an small write-up about the then-new Star Trek Maps, my copy of which I still have in my cabinet.

Bonus: Fortunately, ST:TMP was not the last time Mark Lenard was on Trek; we got the chance to enjoy his appearances as Sarek on movies 3, 4 and 6, as well as once on ST:TNG (I mean twice, as I was reminded by a kind commenter). Below, father and son pose for another of Mother's many snapshots. They got together so seldom, you know, and she just loved to take pictures.

"Really, Amanda... saying "cheese" is not logical; nor preferable."

Link: Here is a great page I just found devoted to Sarek and Amanda!

Star Trek II Being Filmed

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The article above was clipped from a Beckley, WV newspaper sometime in November, 1981. It was the first news I had heard that there was even going to be a sequel, and I was thrilled. The news that Khan was returning was even more exciting, and was a great idea that energized me, as well as the fan base... everyone seemed to sense that this was going to be a better movie than the last, and began looking forward to it.

Below, as a counterpoint to the announcement the Montalban had begun filming, is a clipping from early fall of 1982 that talks about his returning to his role on Fantasy Island.

Bonus: Below, a photo of a rare Trek toy made during the show's run. Note the detailed accuracy of the toy, precisely recreating Spock's favorite weapon, the futuristic grenade-launching rocket pistol.

Just make sure you don't lose that single grenade, kid, cause you ain't getting another one.

Bonus: a publicity photo of Spock with his tri-D chess set, which Kirk got him for Christmas from the Hamilton Collection, for which he is still making monthly payments of $99.

"Just holding this makes me looks smarter, don't you agree?"

Bonus: another of the 1967 Leaf cards. If one goes according to the caption, Spock and McCoy are severely undressed.

Besides making a weird sound effect, Spock's heat lamp did little to help McCoy defrost his medical freezer.