George Takei on trolls

ジョージ·タケイ大イチ！(He may correct my Japanese if he sees this).

Star Trekkin'

Since someone around here is a Trekkie!:

"E Plebnista" - The Holy Words Will Be Obeyed

"The Omega Glory," Second Season TOS

Squire of Gothos R.I.P

The unforgettable Trelane, William Campbell, of The Squire of Gothos died in April. May he rest in peace.

Spectre of the Gun

The Vulcan Mind Meld is the only hope for gun violence.

Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock

You see what you learn reading The Volokh Conspiracy.

I have many reservations about Star Trek, such as its crude treatment of socialism (see also here). Still, the original Trek and several of the TV series that followed (especially my personal favorite, Deep Space 9), used science fiction to address important issues in an interesting way that could appeal to mainstream audiences as well as genre fans. The Spock character, as played by Nimoy, was often at the center of that.

I'm one of those "genre fans," and a bit of an elitist. I refuse to watch anything beyond TOS (the original series).

In the comments I learned this:

Kirk taking over Canada while Spock retires.

The Cage Became The Menagerie

Star Trek fans know that the pilot episode entitled The Cage, starring Jeffrey Hunter, was not aired on television until long after the show went into reruns, in 1988. What Gene Roddenbury did do however was elongate the show into a two-part episode, The Menagerie, which is widely reputed to be the best Star Trek episode of all time.

One fascinating difference between The Cage and The Menagerie is that from among the famous cast members only Leonard Nimoy appears in The Cage. Its story was only about Captain Pike and the Tolosians. To make it longer, Roddenbury wrote in the rest of the cast, embedding, as it were, the pilot film into the longer The Menagerie. Wikipedia has the whole story.

Edith Keeler Must Die

Wikipedia has the story of this award winning Star Trek episode: The City on the Edge of Forever, starring Joan Collins as Edith Keeler.

Star Trek - The Menagerie

Gene Roddenberry wrote a masterpiece entitled The Menagerie. This very early Star Trek episode, which first aired in November 1966 as the only two-part one ever made, shows why the series was destined to become a never-ending success. There are so many great moments in this story, the Tolosian power of illusion, Spock's loyalty to Pike, Bones sticking up for Spock, the fact that Kirk's predecessor, Pike, was so much like him, but nothing is as unforgettable as the Green Orion Slave Girl.

Star Trek XI will be released in May 2009.