Book Of The Half: Star Trek: New Frontier Book 1! - #Writing #Blog #Book #Review

Star Trek: New Frontier Book 1... Definitely worthy of being the book of the half!

Now with Star Trek finally starting to settle in to it's own routine, I thought that I would recommend another Star Trek saga that may have had it's start in the 1990s, but definitely is one that is extremely well worth mentioning here... That is Star Trek: New Frontier Book 1 (1997)! 

You see this awesome story tells the tale of how after an alien empire that was huge collapses, Starfleet sends in one lone ship that is Captain's by a former freedom fighter and his crew to do the best they can to maintain the peace as old rivalries begin to flare! 

This book for all you Star Trek fans is definitely worthy of  being the best book of the first half of 2016!

Spock And Dr. McCoy, Friend And Foe

Spock & Dr. McCoy... In there case, being opposites really have seemed to make them friends!

In Star Trek, still one of the most famous friendships in the history of the series is the friendship between Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Dr. Leonard (Bones) McCoy (DeForest Kelley) & Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy)... As a matter of fact, through out the original series and the first three movies, these characters were more then just friends... You could go so far as to say that they were almost like brothers.

Well one side of the friendship, a side that has always been a little difficult for the characters I imagine, but has provided an unending source of amusement for fans of the first Start Trek series, is the rough friendship that Dr. McCoy and Mr. Spock had!

The really are friends!

What I mean by this is that these two characters tended to be polar opposites of each other (i,e... Dr. McCoy was the more emotional one, and Spock was always cool and calculated...) Well this led to an ending stream of oft times humorous (albeit short,) arguments, that was often stopped by Captain Kirk....

The reason that I mention this is because I thought that you  guys might enjoy some of the finer moments of these fights between two friends whose friendship would literally span space and time!

Start Trek: Season 1 - Episode 7: 'What Are Little Girls Made Of' (1966) - TV Episode Review

Official Score = 3 Devils

Star Trek... Well so far so good, considering the cheesy as hell nature of this series, I am going to have to say that it still rocks, and maybe still near the top of the heap when it comes to the remake series and the various spin-offs that have come out since then,.. And I think that the main reason for this is the fact, that where as it is true that this series is cheesy as hell, the cast and crew made it fun by giving it an edge of reality/possibility, by not making the actual characters in the show say cheesy lines, and making them for the most part fairly believable, and fun!

And Episode 8: 'What Are Little Girls Made Of' (1966) is no different!

Written by: Robert Bloch (Psycho) & Directed by: James Goldstone (The Bride In Black), Starring: William Shatner (The Devil's Rain), Leonard Nimoy (Invasion Of The Body Snatchers), Majel Barrett (The Man In The Santa Clause Suit) & Michael Strong (Point Blank).

Captain Kirk will share a meal with his Android double in this episode!

You see, in this episode Nurse Chapel (Majel Barrett) had lost her fiancee a long time ago, and is pretty excited when he is found on a mostly frozen planet, but when the, 'Enterprise' and her crew get down there, they come to discover that not only is her fiancee there, but a small group of Androids are there with him as well! But Nurse Chapel's fiancee is not what he used to be, and if Nurse Chapel, and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise want to get out of their before it is to late, they are going to have to find out what happened to the good Nurses, 'fiancee' and what the cavern they are living in actually is, before it is to late, and they are replaced!

Kirk & crew are going to have to figure out what is going on in this frozen wasteland before it is to late and he is replaced!

 The best thing I think about this episode is the fact that it has to do with being forcibly replaced by Android doubles... This type of concept in Sci-fi horror movies (like the, 'Invasion Of The Body Snatchers' series,) rocks, and this episode is really not much different!

In the end, it is a fun & very worthy episode, check it out, you might like it!

Star Trek: New Frontier - Book 2: In To The Void (1997) - Peter David -Book Review

Official Score = 2 Devils

Over the years, since Gene Roddenberry (Earth: Final Conflict) first wrote, 'Star Trek', there has been a lot of new additions to the world of, 'Star Trek', to the point where over 50 years later it can almost be said that, 'Star Trek' is literally a different setup from what was originally produced back in the 60s (Considering the remake series, this can be said to be a very true statement...)

Well with all of this in mind, there is one series that should have gotten the coverage in both the world of movies, as well as it's own TV series, and that being... Star Trek: New Frontier!

Captain Mackenzie Calhoun with his crew!

Now this series is an awesome book series, and in the second novel, 'In To The Void', Peter David pretty expertly crafts the various stories of the crew of the U.S.S. Excalibur as she makes her way out in to the world for her first mission out in to the former, 'Thallonian Empire', including how the characters that had their start on Star Trek: The Next Generation begin to act as part of this new crew, 'Namely: Dr. Selar & Robin Lefler' begin to re-act as members of this new crew!

In the end, this new crew will have to figure out how to jell well together, because in the end... The fall of the Thallonion Empire will be a new Frontier for this crew, and well... This book in my opinion is not the most memorable one out there, it is definitely one worth checking out as you the reader goes through the series!

Five Awesome Star Trek Crossover Episodes

One thing that I discovered had started to become something of a thing in the Star Trek Universe is the fact that at one time or another every series in and of itself that was on TV had at one time or another had a crossover episode with another... Believe it or, including, 'The Original Series' as well!

And with that in mind guys, I thought that you guys would enjoy: Five Awesome Star Trek Crossover Episodes!

At number 5: Star Trek Voyager: 'Death Wish' (1996).

This episode is not a major cross over, but it does have Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC 1701-D, and originally of, 'Star Trek: The Next Genration' fame!

At number 4: Star Trek Deep Space Nine: 'Defiant' (1994).

Is that Commander Riker with Major Kira? Or is it Lieutenant Riker with the good Major, as he steals, 'The Defiant'!

 Ok this isn't exactly a crossover... But it sort of is, you see, Thomas Riker (Jonathan Frakes), is a character that was created on, 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'... The problem is, is it is not the lead character, 'Commander William T. Riker', that Jonathan Frakes made popular in Star Trek: TNG... But never the less, Jonathan Frakes plays, 'Thomas RIker', who is impersonating his twin, 'William Riker', in an effort to steal, 'The Defiant' from DS9!

At number 3: Star Trek Voyager: 'Caretaker' (1995).

The U.S.S. Voyager's new, 'Ops Officer', 'Ensign Harry Kim' talking to Deep Space Nine's resident Bartender, 'Quark' in the pilot episode for Star Trek Voyager!

This is the pilot episode for, 'Star Trek Voyager', and prominently shows the newly christened crew of the, 'U.S.S. Voyager' as they take some time off on their way to their first mission... The place they stop off is none other than, 'Deep Space 9', and a sizable portion of that episode takes place on the sets for the Startrek spinoff, 'Star Trek Deep Space 9'!

At number 2: Star Trek Deep Space 9: 'Emissary' (1993).

Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) & Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) as they meet in the conference room on board the U.S.S. Enterprise-D in the pilot episode for, 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'!

This is another great pilot episode that brings together both, 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' and the newly minted cast of, 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine', when the Enterprise is sent to ferry Sisko and the new Star Fleet crew to Deep Space Nine!

At number 1: Star Trek Deep Space Nine: 'Trials And Tribble-ations' (1996).

Captain Benjamin Sisko goes undercover along with his senior staff on board the original, 'U.S.S. Enterprise' to stop a plot to kill legendary Captain James T. Kirk, in one of the most technologically amazing episodes of any Star Trek episode ever!

Now I know a lot of these crossovers have had to do with Deep Space Nine... The truth is, is probably the majority of the best of them did... And I know that this isn't the only episode to crossover between the original series and TNG, 'There have been a couple', I just thought that I would mention this one for it's unique nature...

You see, through a feet of technological wonder, this episode is actually crossed over to the original, 'Trouble With Tribbles' episode, and they actually inserted the cast in to that episode! (You got to understand that the original series, 'Trouble With Tribbles' episode aired nearly 40 years before the DS9 episode!

Anyway, there are many other such crossovers, but I would say that these are some of the best!

Star Trek: Invasion! Book 2: The Soldiers Of Fear (1996) - Dean WesleySmith And Kristine Kathryn Rusch - Book Review

Official Score = 3 Devils

You know they say that the sign of a good series, is one that keeps your interest in it all the way through (even when they have bad runs, you still keep going back for more... That sort of thing.) For me, I would have to say that, that would be, 'Star Trek'...

Even when the people who make Star Trek started producing dud movies, I still found myself interested to keep going, (fortunately there wasn't to many of those,) but there was one particular run that they did when I was a teenager that had both the elements of, 'Science Fiction' & 'Horror' in it that I found that I really liked... That being the, 'Invasion!' series.

A classic series that is worth giving a try, if you get a chance!

Most of the time in the world of Star Trek... Well it is mostly science fiction... In the case of DS9, they added an element of, 'War' to the series (which I do think kind of enhanced the whole experience really quite nicely, but they had never really dived in to the world of  Horror or Science Fiction... That was until the, 'Invasion!' series came out, and you may not think so, but getting a dose of horror in the world of Star Trek (which at the time was only the original series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, DS9 & Voyager...) but damn was it fun!

Imagine an episode of Star Trek, but the Halloween episode, where monsters of all sorts, come out to play with the crew of the Enterprise... And that is what you get!

And this saga was continued real nicely with: Star Trek: Invasion! Book 2: The Soldiers Of Fear (1996):

You see this next tale, tells the story of how decades after the original U.S.S. Enterprise had stopped the advancing invasion from an Alien race that after being exiled a millennium ago, had come back to try and re-conquer the territory that had once been there's... Well they are back, and they are literally putting, 'fear' in to people!

This time it will be up to Captain Jean Luc Picard and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise - D to stop this menace, before they can finally do what they failed to do a millennium ago!

In the end Dean Wesley Smith & Kristine Kathryn Rusch do a great job in making a generally fun Science Fiction novel in to a scary good time... I would even go so far as to say that this book was so well written, that it could been turned in to a movie!

If you get a chance to sit down with this, do so... Read the first book first, but after that, dive in to this one, I doubt you will regret it... I know I didn't!

The History Of The Ships Of The Line Named, 'Enterprise'

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="330"] The Federation Starship, 'U.S.S. Enterprise NCC 1701 D' maybe the third of it's line, but it certainly is not the third to carry it's name![/caption]

If you are a Trekkie then you will have wondered at one time or another (at least when the shows and movies first started demonstrating this,) the history of the the name, 'Enterprise' as it relates to the ships of the line that have had this name!

So for you Trek fans, I thought that you guys might enjoy some of the most famous ships with the name of, 'Enterprise' from the real world all the way through the Ships of the line in the world of, 'Star Trek'!

So for the earlest best named one is the sloop, 'H.M.S. Enterprise'.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="490"] This maybe a scene from the TV show, 'Enterprise' but this ship really did exist in the 18th century.[/caption]

This ship which was originally a, 'baraca - longa' an 8 gun ship that was part of the Spanish Royal fleet in the 18th century... Now this ship would end up being captured and re-christened, 'H.M.S. Enterprise' and re-classified as a, 'sloop' in the British Navy.

This ship is the most likely ship to be the earliest recognized ship in the ancestral line... The reason being is that the earliest ship did not have any real information about it, but the fact that it was spelled, 'H.M.S. Enterprize' which is another way to spell the name of ship.

There was also a sailing frigate by the name of, 'Enterprise' that also sailed in one of the English speaking Navies in the 18th century... This ship is depicted in a painting that is being displayed in his, 'ready room' on his, 'Enterprise' in the 22nd century.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="399"] The English sailing ship, 'Enterprise' as represented in the drawing that is hanging in Captain Archer's ready room in the TV series, 'Enterprise'.[/caption]

And the next one is the U.S. Naval aircraft carrier, U.S.S. Enterprise (CV-6).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="443"] The U.S.S. Enterprise CV-6 would serve in the U.S. Navy during World War 2![/caption]

This ship served with distinction in World War 2! This ship would eventually be replaced by the first nuclear powered aircraft carrier, the aircraft carrier, U.S.S. Enterprise (CVN-65).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="376"] The U.S.S. Enterprise CVN - 65 would go on to replace the CVN 6.[/caption]

The first spacecraft to hold the now historic title of, 'Enterprise' was the NASA Space Shuttle, 'Enterprise' (OV-101).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="358"] The Enterprise OV-101 is the first space craft to be given the title, 'Enterprise'.... Even though it technically never left the, 'Earth.'[/caption]

Even though this ship was a test ship and never really made it to space, Benjamin Sisko (Played by: Avery Brooks in: 'Star Trek Deep Space Nine') had a desktop model of the ship as it docked with the, 'International Space Station'.

The next one... And this one is more heavily recognized as being a pre-Federation, post-modern spaceship, and this one is the, U.S.S. Enterprise (XCV 330)... This ship is one of the early truest, 'space craft', and it's representation can be seen all over the TV shows and the movies!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="473"] This ship... Even though technically never seen in the movie or TV series as an actual ship... It is still represented in pictures and what not through the series![/caption]

And this one would be the final pre-Federation, but one of the most famous, 'United Earth' Star Fleet ships, the, 'Enterprise' (NX-01). This is the ship that would be Captained by Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula), who would not only go on to be one of great Star Fleet officers of all time, but would also be one of the people who would help in the formation of the, 'United Federation Of Planets'!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="456"] Enterprise NX-01 would go on to be one of the most famous pre-Federation Starships of all time![/caption]

As for the first Federation Starship to be named, 'Enterprise' is the U.S.S. Enterprise (NCC 1701).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="371"] The first Federation Starship to be named, 'Enterprise' and one of the most famous![/caption]

Now for the original version of this ship, this ship would be commanded by 5 different Captains starting with Rober April, and continuing with: 'Christopher Pike' (Played by: Jeffery Hunter in the show, and Bruce Greenwood in the reboot movies,) then, 'James T. Kirk' (Played by: William Shatner in the show and the original movies, and played by: Chris Pine in the re-boot series!) And after that for a short time, 'Willard Decker' (played by: Stephen Collins in, Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)) and then, 'Captain Spock' (Played by: Leonard Nimoy in the original series, and Leonard Nimoy as, 'older Spock' in the remake movies, and by: Zachary Quinto in the remake movies!) and would go on to be one of the most pivitol Consitution-class vessels of all time!

As a side note, this concept drawing was never used, due to the fact that the, 'Star Trek: Phase II' TV series was never launched, we still thought you guys  might like this one anyway...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="487"] This is what the new, 'Enterprise' could have looked like if, 'Star Trek: Phase II' had been launched.[/caption]

After the destruction of the original Starship, 'Enterprise', a constitution class 'refit' ship would be given the title of, 'U.S.S. Enterprise' (NCC 1701-A), and would be given to Captain Kirk and his crew, and would be the final ship to bare the name, 'Enterprise' that would have a posted Captain Kirk in the, 'Captain's Chair'

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="350"] The final ship to bare the name, 'Enterprise' that had Captain Kirk posted to command it...[/caption]

The next ship to bare the name of, 'Enterprise' is the U.S.S. Enterprise (NCC 1701-B), and which would be the ship that lost Captain Kirk on it's maiden voyage... and would help with the creation of the plot for, Star Trek: Generations (1994).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="548"] The Enterprise NCC 1701 B as it is about to start it's maiden voyage...[/caption]

The U.S.S. Enterprise (NCC 1701-C) is the next ship of the line, and would actually up to the time in which this ship appeared would be the first Federation Starship, 'Enterprise' that would be seen the least of the entire series...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="448"] This ship is probably the least of almost any of the rest of the ships named, 'Enterprise' in the series![/caption]

You see this ship would respond to a Klingon distress call, and would come to help the trouble Klingon base, but would ultimately be destroyed... When it was accidentally sent to the future, it would also serve in the creation of the U.S.S. Enterprise (NCC-1701D) and it's arch nemesis, 'Sela', after, 'Tasha Yar' goes back in time with the, 'Enterprise C', so that it can still be destroyed, and Tasha ends up getting pregnant by a Romulan man when she is held captive!

This next, 'Enterprise' we all know and love, that is the, 'U.S.S. Enterprise' (NCC-1701D):

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="393"] The Enterprise - D![/caption]

This ship would be the central piece of, (Star Trek: The Next Generation)... But would go on to be destroyed in, Star Trek: Generations (1994).

And the last one of the original universe is, 'U.S.S. Enterprise' (NCC-1701 E):

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="296"] This would serve to be the last regularly recognized Starfleet vessel named, 'Enterprise' in the series to date.[/caption]

Like Captain Kirk, Captain Picard (Played by: Patrick Stewart in 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'), would be given a second vessel named, 'Enterprise' when he got the new Sovereign class, 'U.S.S. Enterprise' (NCC-1701E).

As an interesting side note, I was watching a special about the auctions that were being done for a ton of Star Trek memorabilia a few years ago, and it turns out that the model for the, 'Saucer Section' of the Enterprise D, is the same model used for the Enterprise E, it was just turned upside down and made to look a little different!

Now there is an, U.S.S. Enterprise (NCC-1701-J), but since this ship is used in a now destroyed time line from the show, 'Enterprise', I am going to skip that one...

For the mirror universe, 'Enterprises' as well as the alternate versions of this ship... Don't worry, that blog is coming!

Star Trek: Season 1 - Episode 5: 'The Enemy Within' (1966) - TV Episode Review

[caption id="attachment_325" align="alignright" width="263"] Official Score = 3 Devils[/caption]

One of the things that Star Trek really brought to the world of Science Fiction is the fact that Star Trek brought to the world, the, 'Mirror Universe'! For those of you who don't know what the mirror universe is, it is a universe that is the polar opposite of our dimension, in that some one in our universe who is a happy go lucky type, may end up being a depressed homicidal lunatic, and an Adolph Hitler type in the mirror universe, might be some one who exclusively loves life!

The reason that I mention this, is that before the first, 'Mirror Universe' episode, we got a sneak peak of it with, 'The Enemy Within' (1966)!

Written by: Richard Matheson (The Twilight Zone: The Movie) & Gene Roddenberry (Star Trek: Voyager) & Directed by: Leo Penn (Judgement In Berlin). Starring: William Shatner (Kingdom Of The Spiders), Leonard Nimoy (Invasion Of The Snatchers), DeForest Kelley (Night Of The Lepus), Grace Lee Whitney (Star Trek: The Motion Picture), George Takei (Archer), James Doohan (Birth Of A Timeless Legacy) & Nichelle Nichols (The Cabonauts).

This episode tells the story of how during the investigation of a planet, Captain Kirk (William Shatner), transports back up to the ship....

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="427"] Kirk and Sulu before Kirk transports back to the ship![/caption]

After he transports up, there is an incident that occurs in which, Captain Kirk is split in to 2 different personalities, the first one being everything that is good and right in the world, and the second one being everything that is the absolute definition of pure evil!

And as Kirk is becoming more and more different, the crew of  the Enterprise is going to have to figure out how to fix Kirk before the crew that they had to leave on a planet that is getting colder and colder as the minutes go by, freezes to death!

In the end, this episode is pretty freaking awesome, it will keep you on the edge of your seat, and if you get a chance to see it, then I do recommend it!

http://youtu.be/_AYsdW1RbWw

Star Trek: Invasion! (1996) - Diane Carey - Book Review

[caption id="attachment_415" align="alignright" width="350"] Official Score = 4 Devils[/caption]

You might be wondering why I am doing a lot of reviews for Star Trek novels... Well the truth is, is that Star Trek novels generally are a lot of fun, (even the more cheesier ones!)

The primary reason for this I think is that the authors of these novels generally tend to expand beyond what is acceptable for the TV show... And in some small way make it even more real then it already can appear to be!

And there was one series of novels that really did this both in escapism, and making this series almost seem more real! That series being the, 'Star Trek: Invasion!' series!

Now for me, I first discovered this about the same time that I discovered that Star Trek has it's own book series, you see, this series of books takes place over the 4 shows that were available (Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine & Star Trek Voyager.)

[caption id="attachment_3272" align="aligncenter" width="187"] A great series![/caption]

In this series there is an ancient evil, a once massive and violent alien race that controlled large swaths of what would become known as the Federation, but whom would eventually disappear... And as they disappeared, so will they disappear in to the darkest recesses of the inhabited planets that these Aliens (The Furies) once controlled!

Well they have decided to come back, and take back what was once theirs! And for Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC 1701, they are going to have to basically go to war with this dangerous enemy from the turbulent past of that area of the Galaxy, if they are going to stop them!

In the end, I found this book to be a total blast, I mean it incorporated just about everything that made the original Star Trek so freaking awesome, while also adding some seriously cool elements of, 'Horror' in it as well!

If you haven't checked this one out yet, check it out, I think you might really like it, I know I did!

 

Ancient Gods On TV... A Great Concept In Sci-fi TV

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="555"] 'Hercules: The Legendary Journey' & 'Xena: Warrior Princes' two great Fantasy shows that had to do a lot with the Greek Gods![/caption]

I am sure that we have all seen the shows like, 'Hercules: The Legendary Journey' & 'Xena: Warrior Princess', and their use of the, 'Greek' gods in the TV show... The truth is though, is that the show takes place, not in the real ancient world, but in the mythologized ancient world where that could happen.

Two great shows, but in all truth, definitely shows that would be considered to be, 'Fantasy' shows... What I wanted to talk about today is their use in writing Sci-fi TV... And I will say this, it truly is a great writing concept!

What do I mean by this? Well lets first take a look at some of the ways that they have been used on TV...

One of the earliest examples of this that I can think of, and it is one of the more famous episodes of Star Trek, and that is the episode, 'Who Mourns For Adonais?"

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="422"] The original series episode of, 'Star Trek' called, 'Who Mourns For Adonais' is a great example of the use of the Greek gods in a Science Fiction TV series![/caption]

In this episode, Captain Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise are in orbit around the planet, 'Pollux' when they are taken captive by an Alien that as it turns out is the Greek God, 'Apollo'... And will ultimately have to fight their way out of his clutches!

Another great example of this, Battlestar Galactica (Both original and remake series...)

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="565"] The Battlestar Galactica with it's refugee fleet, is another fun show that has utilized the concept of the ancient Greek Gods![/caption]

Now this show ultimately ended up using the, 'Greek Gods' in their show... But they are A: more a part of the series then an episode, and B: a secondary part of what makes up the series... But this is done in such a way that it is... You could almost say like what the ancient Greek society might have been like if they had been given the opportunity to survive and colonize the universe!

And the last last example that I wanted to give here before I go on to the next part is, 'Stargate.'

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Stargate... A great example of a kick ass series that has man versus the old gods...[/caption]

Now this franchise took a distinctly different turn when it came to how they perceived the, 'Gods' (and I do mean gods, as just about all of them are mentioned in this franchise.)

Well in the case of the Stargate franchise, the story is, is that the United States Government ends up initiating a program that would allow mankind to travel to other planets, when in the 1920s, an Archaeologist uncovers a giant ring (that would eventually be called, 'Stargate',) that in the modern time they would end up discovering how to use it!

After a mission is sent through the gate to discover what lies ahead, the team ends up coming face to face with an Alien race that has subjugated a portion of the ancient human race and has made themselves in to the, 'Gods' of the Ancient world... After destroying one of them, they come back through the Gate and the program is shut down.

Well after an attack by another of the Ancient gods, mankind is thrust in to a war that will ultimately decide the fate of either god or man!

Sounds great right?

Well the concept is there folks, and the one things that, that I have found in the examples that I have given is this... Using the Ancient gods in a new and innovative way in your TV series or in your web series is a something that will almost certainly always catapult what you are writing in to something (that if done right, and done smart) will catapult your episode or show in to the more popular bracket...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Apophis, maybe the embodiment of pure evil, but his appearance and the rest of the ancient gods appearance on TV over the years has definitely made for some great TV![/caption]

Now you might be wondering what I am talking about... Well lets take a look at the examples I mentioned above shall we?

The Star Trek episode, 'Who mourns for Adonais' is one of the more famous episodes to have been produced for that series, Battlestar Galactica... Besides the first series, has seen one reboot, one remake, a spin off, and several movies and mini-series, and, 'Stargate' has so far had a TV series, a couple of spinoff series, and almost half a dozen movies!

In the end, is it profitable? Sure, but one of the things that I have learned as a writer, is that if you can do it right, you will find that the Ancient Gods are a great concept to add to Sci-fi TV!

http://youtu.be/Budt6ucBIAY

http://youtu.be/Rz508DAx68U

http://youtu.be/NMQrORyQnEA

http://youtu.be/CLlMiqDaDbE

5 Great Crews Of 5 Great Starships On The Small Screen

[caption id="attachment_2885" align="aligncenter" width="450"] The bridge crew for the U.S.S. Enterprise (the rebooted version.)[/caption]

I have noticed to some extent a trend in the sci-fi world of TV shows being brought to the big screen... Most of the time after the show has gone off the aire and their fans have complained about it so much that it was brought to the big screen after awhile.

A great example of this is the show 'Firefly' (2002)... Now Firefly was a show that had been created by Joss Whedon (The Avengers) and told the story of the crew of a small vessel and the adventures that they would have...

Well this show, which aired in 2002, was taken off the air way to early, and with enough pressure from fans ended up getting it's own movie, in the form of, Serenity (2005)!

[caption id="attachment_2886" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Nathan Fillion (Buffy The Vampire Slayer), Gina Torres (Angel) & Alan Tudyk (I, Robot) in a scene from, 'Serenity' (2005)[/caption]

With the crew of the Firefly getting their chances on the big screen, I thought that I would mention 5 other bridge crews that went on to greatness.
At number 5: The crew of the original, 'Battlestar Galactica':

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="360"] 'Boxey' (Noah Hathaway) as he comes to talk to 'Adama' (Lorne Greene) who is hard at work on the bridge of the, 'Battlestar Galactica'![/caption]

At number 4: The crew of the, 'Prometheus' from Stargate SG1:

[caption id="attachment_2887" align="aligncenter" width="320"] The bridge crew of the, 'Prometheus' the earth ship from, 'Stargate SG1'![/caption]

At number 3: The crew of the, 'Tardis' from, 'Doctor Who':

[caption id="attachment_2888" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Not quite a bridge... Or a crew... but the same concepts apply![/caption]

At number 2: The crew from the remake, 'Battlestar Galactica':

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="330"] The bridge of the, 'Battlestar Galactica' hard at work in the 2004 Syfy channel remake![/caption]

At number 1: The crew from the first, 'U.S.S. Enterprise; from Star Trek:

[caption id="attachment_2889" align="aligncenter" width="450"] The bridge crew for the original U.S.S. Enterprise from the original series![/caption]

Star Trek: Season 1 - Episode 4: 'The Naked Time' (1966) - TV Episode Review

[caption id="attachment_325" align="alignright" width="263"] Official Score = 3 Devils[/caption]

One of the signs of a truly great show is when that show entertains audiences generation-ally... A show that you could honestly say that certain episodes that you liked, your parents liked, and hell maybe even Grand Parents liked...

Star Trek is certainly one of these shows!

And you know what? There is one episode in particular that I would say, rather you are a trek fan or not, is an episode that is universally considered to be pretty damn good!

That episode of course being: 'The Naked Time'!

[caption id="attachment_2851" align="aligncenter" width="450"] An infected Hikaru Sulu living out his dream of being a, 'swashbuckler' in the Star Trek: TOS episode, 'The Naked Time'![/caption]

Why is this episode so great you ask? Well, if you can pull it off (and trust me when I say that not all shows can pull this off,) but if you are a serious show that can pull off an episode that makes fun of itself, and still draw in a major crowd and keep them entertained... Then more power to you!
And, 'The Naked Time', is both 2 parts serious, and 2 parts making fun of itself!

You see, this episode, which was written by: John D.F. Black (Shaft) & Directed by: Marc Daniels (I Love Lucy). Starring: William Shatner (Kingdom Of The Spiders), Leonard Nimoy (Fringe), Stewart Moss (Raise The Titanic), Majel Barrett (Star Trek: The Next Generation), DeForest Kelley (Night Of The Lepus), Grace Lee Whitney (Irma La Douce), George Takei (Heroes), James Doohan (Birth Of A Timeless Legacy), Bruce Hyde (That Girl) & Nichelle Nichols (Escape From Heaven).

This episode tells the story of how the Enterprise is sent in to investigate a Science Outpost that had been initially set up to research the collapse of a planet!

[caption id="attachment_2853" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Spock and his team investigating the dead science outpost.[/caption]

Well when Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and his assistant arrive there, the whole base is pretty much dead... With everyone frozen, but having died in strange ways... What I mean is that for example, one person seemed to have frozen to death while in the shower and with all of their clothes on...
After Spock's assistant gets infected, (He takes off his mask to itch his nose and decides not to put it back on)... The Enterprise crew is about to get a new form of drunk... One where they don't have to drink!

The problem is, is that this new type of drunk is killing them, and if they don't figure out how to resolve this, and resolve this quick, well... At least they'll die happy!

The last thing that I thought that I would mention here is that there are two hilarious scene's in this episode that you should look out for involving, 'Sulu' (Takei) in one scene and, 'Kevin Riley' (Bruce Hyde) in a separate one!

Check this one out... You might really enjoy it... I did!

http://youtu.be/-3OsxVGOtdM

Video Gamming... A Next Generation Closer To The Holodeck

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="618"] The Holodeck... The next evolutionary leap in video games?[/caption]

I will admit that I am a major trekkie, and well... As a gamer going back to the days of the NES, I am still excited to see how the successive generation of video game systems seems to be bringing us closer and closer to the Holodeck!

Now for those of you who don't know what a, 'Holodeck' is... A Holodeck was a concept that was first introduced in, 'Star Trek: The Next Generation', as a fully interactive, game/tool for the Enterprise crew that was created to simulate the real world in some capacity or another, using life like looking and acting holograms that were given their solidity by special created shielding.

Sounds like fun right?

Well unfortunately we aren't quite to that level yet, but we are getting closer and closer as time goes on... What I mean by that is well... Look at what has been created with the, 'Wii' and, 'Wii U' special controllers that act and give the feel more and more like you are holding a, 'gun' or a, 'tennis racket'...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="384"] A light sword controller for the Nintendo, 'Wii'.[/caption]

Or what about the XBox's, 'Kinect'... I mean I personally have not tried it yet (I made the mistake when I got my XBox 360 of not getting one of those with it,) but with it's motion sensing technology, you are pretty much controlling the avatar with out a controller at all!

In the end I guess what I am trying to say is that as a gammer, we are living in exciting times, and with each successive generation of video game consoles that are released, we are getting closer and closer to creating a real life, 'Holodeck'... And trust me, if you haven't seen Star Trek, and so haven't seen one in action, trust me when I say that the experience is one that will be well worth it when the time comes!

http://youtu.be/vZ7CGBM4JJo