Friday, December 25, 2009

Trekkie Books

Hi Trekkies, Did you find any of these awesome Star Trek books under your christmas tree? In case you were disappointed, I've decided to add some sparkle to your Star Trek Universe with these all time favorites of mine.

1. Star-Trek Encyclopedia-Paperback

23 new from $18.69, 19 used from $8.99, 2 collectible from $29.99.

I can't imagine being a die-hard Trekker without this book: the ultimate reference to people, places, things, events in the entire Star Trek universe from the original series of 1966 through all the movies and series right up to Voyager. I think I know a lot about Star Trek, but oh my lord! This is THE reference book for fans. It literally has EVERYTHING. Covers planets and stars, aliens, starships, characters, baseball cards, scientific terms, inside gags, YOU NAME IT! It is astounding how much work and effort must have gone into this book. The book itself is beautiful. It is illustrated with color pictures from the show and technical illustrations done by the authors. The pages are glossy and laid out beautifully. It also serves as an episode guide, covering up through the release of "Star Trek: Insurrection".

What a wonderful labor of love this book is. It is very entertaining and informative, and a must have for any fan of the series.

2. Star Trek Starfleet Technical Manual: Training Command Starfleet Academy (Paperback)

19 new from $10.67, 12 used from $16.18, 1 collectible from $59.95

A must-read for every Star Trek fan.
Franz Joseph's STAR FLEET TECHNICAL MANUAL includes many design elements that might raise questions in the minds of Star Trek fans. Is the Enterprise's bridge really rotated 36 degrees off the ship's centerline? Does the Federation really have a starship with three warp nacelles? Is Starfleet's shuttle craft really too small to allow its occupants to stand up and walk around?


3. Ships of the Line (Star Trek) (Hardcover)

30 new from $9.33, 18 used from $5.72.

The vessels portrayed in Ships of the Line cover the length and breadth of the Star Trek universe. Arranged chronologically, from the earliest warp vessels to the futuristic Enterprise-J and darn near everything in between, this is a book you'll never tire of looking at.

Images of the U.S.S. Enterprise dominate this collection but there are also wonderful representations of plenty of other Starfleet ships, as well as vessels associated with both friends and foes.

The variety of images is fantastic. Battle shots, alien landscapes, illustrations depicting the wonders of the universe and images that commemorate some of Star Trek's most memorable moments can all be found within the pages of Ships of the Line.


4. Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual (Star Trek Next Generation (Paperback)

20 new from $15.30, 157 used from $0.01, 10 collectible from $10.00.

If you're a TNG Trekker then you'll just soak up all the information about life aboard the USS Enterprise NCC 1701-D. This book covers Warp Drive, Turbolifts, Bio-beds in the Sickbay, Tricorders, Hull Material and construction, Holodecks, impulse drive engines, phasers, facts about the Utopia Planitia shipyards, and even the system of addressing crew quarters and such. There is so much information here it's great.
The book also has footnotes throughout about different happenings on the set of StarTrek:TNG. It is well organised with diagrams and plans for many of the parts of the Enterprise. This really shows the planning which is put behind the world of Star Trek, and how they do their best to make sure the stories fit technical plausibility with cohesive adventures.


5. Star Trek: Starfleet Survival Guide (Paperback)

12 new from $9.33, 12 used from $8.81.

I used to have a very simple definition of a textbook: a book that contains a great deal of factual information, but puts you to sleep while attempting to absorb it. This totally fails to meet the second criteria (unlike, for instance, the TNG Technical Manual).XD!!but it as to be said there are fantastical technical details in the TNG Manual. Essentially, this is a collection of Trek trivia, in terms of equipment, creatures, and medical techniques, from the shows. However, from the style it is written in one can clearly picture a Starfleet officer actually reading and using this Guide. The descriptions are very clear, concise and interesting. One of them - Section 1.11, "Surviving Atmospheric Re-entry in a Pressure Suit" - is downright compelling reading. The mental picture of each step is incredibly vivid and so involving, that one can actually feel worried when reading the fatal consequences of anything going wrong. This is a brilliant piece of writing and extremely entertaining. For someone starting to collect Trek trivia books and/or manuals, this is definitely the one to recommend buying first.


6. Klingon for the Galactic Traveler (Star Trek) (Paperback)

16 new from $10.97, 17 used from $4.99, 1 collectible from $20.00.

"A warrior fights to the death." That quote alone speaks volumes about "The Klingon Way." Star Trek Klingon for the Galactic Traveler is an excellent addition to your Star Trek library. Not long after reading through this book, I almost felt as if this were a real culture I was reading about. Some of the Star Trek "extras," as I like to call them are at best, expendable. That is not the case in this book. If you're even remotely interested in or intrigued by the Klingons, this book is worth the price. My only complaint as with other Star Trek "extras," is that it's peppered with black & white photos. Thank you very much to the author for this one.


7. The Klingon Way: A Warrior's Guide (Star Trek: The Klingon Book of Virtues) (Paperback)

4 new from $49.98, 28 used from $3.00, 2 collectible from $24.00.

This is the ultimate Klingon book! It brilliantly weaves the tapestry of Star Trek's Klingon history through to its publication date in May of 1996. It is written both in English & Klingon. The photos are black & white. *GROAN* Each page contains a quote in both languages with a detailed explanation of the Klingon terminology. If you have not picked this up for your Star Trek collection, let me quote a Klingon phrase for you, "qoH vuvbe' SuS" ("The wind does not respect a fool"). If you can still find a copy of this, enjoy it!



8.Legends of the Ferengi (Star Trek, Deep Space Nine) (Paperback)

9 new from $9.92, 20 used from $0.97, 1 collectible from $75.00.

"Legends of the Ferengi" is a hilarious spoof on fairy tales and folklore anthologies. This book is a fascinating read for folklorists with dozens of in-jokes that had me literally doubled over with laughter. In the DS9 episode "Rules of Acquisition," the Ferengi Pel claims to know all 285 Rules of Acquisition plus the commentaries. This book gives you some of those commentaries --- at least, for the 70 Rules that were actually revealed on the series. The authors, Ira Behr and Robert Wolfe, wrote most of the DS9 Ferengi episodes. Now they give you the story behind each of the Rules, including #113, the "Rule that dare not speak its name."

You will also learn the first two words that any Ferengi learns in the Hew-Mon language ("No refunds"), The ten most famous insults in Ferengi history (see p.32) and the story of the infamous villain Drek, M.H.N.L.I.I. (May His Name Live In Infamy), who actually cut his prices and gave his customers BARGAINS, thereby causing the Ferengi economy to crash. Which is one reason why every Ferengi child is duly warned about the dangers of Real Life through supernatural horror stories about that bogeyman of bogeymen -- the Smiling Partner! And so on. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which has lots of great B&W stills from the series, too. Drek was right --- some things really ARE bargains!


9.The Starfleet Academy Entrance Exam: Tantalizing Trivia From Classic Star Trek to Star Trek: Voyager

4 new from $15.00, 26 used from $0.01.

How well do you know your Star Trek legend, lore, and heritage? For nearly thirty years and through four different television shows and several major motion pictures, a complete galaxy of Star Trek characters, facts, figures, and stories have been spun to the delight of millions of viewers and dedicated fans,

More than just a trivia book, The Starfleet Academy Entrance Exam is a series of tests of your knowledge of classic Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager.

Tests are organized into thematic categories, such as:
- Aliens
- Captains
- Engineering
- Gadgets and Weapons
- Love and Romance
- Medicine, Health, and Bioengineering
- Quotations
- Space Ships and Other Vessels
and many more

Comments:

Basically just another trivia quiz book, this one adds one thing to the mix: a collection of Top Ten lists and similar examples of Star Trek "humor."


10. Star Trek Chronology -- the History of the Future (Paperback)

15 new from $2.50, 114 used from $0.01, 8 collectible from $12.50.

The authors of this book certainly had a daunting task, namely to put all of the events in Star Trek: The Original Series, the first six Star Trek feature films and the first five years of Star Trek: The Next Generation in chronological order. TNG has seven seasons, so stay clued. Some of the events are mentioned only on passing in episodes, yet they have managed to tie all of it together into a surprisingly coherent whole.
There are of course places where a consistent chronology is just not possible, and those situations are identified as such. Nevertheless, if you are a fan of Star Trek and are interested in what happened when, then I recommend this book to any true Star Trek fans!


Live Long and Prosper, Trekkies.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Star Trek Technobabble

On the day of Star Trek's 2009 official release, J.J. Abrams answered 10 questions provided by Memory Alpha's community of Trekkies. I found the first answer heartwarming especially the bit about J.J. embracing and honoring what came before i.e. Star Trek TOS which is nice.

But then Director J.J. admits freely he isn't a Star Trek fan by default, (which was a surprise to me) in fact he has confessed his Star Wars dark side sins to Comic Con fans ages ago. This was a clever move because it removed much speculation about who would be directing Star Trek 2009. Mr Abrams has set the record straight without messing too much with the Final Frontier.....I suspect Paramount will get him again to make the next Star Trek movie. Perhaps its the dark side of the force making J.J. describe Star Trek's detailed canonicity as archaic!!! meaning ancient, primitive or earlier.

So I've done a little digging and found some of these "archaic details" for you to have a listen to. Is Star Trek cannon really so confusing with detailed technobabble, alien docking procedures, isophasic signatures and quantum singularities that its too hard to follow?



Q1 When rebooting a franchise, fans of the original tend to be alienated due to the attempt to draw new fans in. How did you address this when making this film? Henshin86

Answer: J.J. Abrams: The obvious challenge was that we wanted to make our own brand new thing, and at the same time embrace and honor what had come before. As a director who didn't know and love the world of Star Trek by default, I ended up telling a story for people like myself that love fun movies but are not necessarily familiar with the archaic details of Star Trek canon. However, both of the writers are huge Star Trek fans; one is a massive fan. Because of this I knew that we would be safe and on solid ground. We all did our homework before shooting.

Live Long and Prosper, Trekkies and Trekkers!


Sunday, October 11, 2009

Time Machine

Project yourself into a far-flung corner of the universe where your very life hangs in the balance, all because you stepped through a time portal. A new doorway opens and spits you out into the dimensional plane of another galaxy. Is it possible to move in the 1st 2nd and 3rd dimension (up, down, forwards, backwards and sideways) and if so why does time hold us prisoners in the 4th dimension?


The portal vanishes in mid air abandoning you on a strange new world in the distant future. Time travel can cause a tremendous shock to the system especially for someone having experienced it for the first time. But the body and mind has a way of coping even with the most traumatic of circumstances.

An army of humpback Morlocks emerge from the underground caverns yelling at you You've been spotted. They advance towards your co-ordinates using a steady delta pattern formation. Its funny how fear has a strange effect on ones feet and can make them run instinctively before logic kicks in. Frak, your communicator stops working and tricorder scans are detecting unusual energy readings nearby.

Trained astronauts are prepared for away missions on alien planets but frak it, time travelling is only supposed to happen in Science Fiction. Heres another fine mess you've gotten yourself into. Earth is unreachable and humans are nowhere to be seen which is creepy. Tricorder readings indicate this is an M-class planet with a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere with two suns, a neutron star and a neighboring wormhole in the vicinity.... nothing is normal about this place.

It would be so gratifying to let loose with an emotional outburst right about now, There simply has to be some way to return to Earth in the 21st century using time-travelling means. The morlocks have lost interest in you now. What are they up to? and who are these Eloi humans?

H. G. Wells's 1895 novel The Time Machine set people's imaginations on fire about time travel. Then, in 1905, Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity seemed set to add substance about time travel in our universe, nearly making it so. The logic of it is fantastic. His theory says that time isn't constant but slows down the faster you go - and the theory has since been proved. In effect, one has to be going very fast indeed. Some scientists have estimated that, if humans could travel at the speed of light, we could go backwards in time but Einstein determined otherwise. Travel at the speed of light is impossible.


Other time-travel theories involve wormholes in spacetime, black holes and other mysterious bits of physics like dark matter. But you probably won't be shocked to read that no one has actually succeeded in building a time machine ... at least not yet.


There's a big ethical dilemma associated with building a time machine and the potential dire consequences of it falling into the wrong hands. If you travel backwards in time, you can alter the future. And if you travel into the future and then come back to the present, that too can alter the fabric of the current timeline.. 


In Star Trek we call these Temporal Incursions and Captain James T. Kirk is in the history books for breaking the Prime Directive. But if you can get your head round this basic paradox, come up with some extremely sophisticated technology, and understand an awful lot of mystifying, strange physics, perhaps you can become the inventor of the first time machine.

Live Long and Prosper, Star Trekkers!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Star Trek Favourite Quotes.



Which famous Star Trek characters do you like the best? This week I found a cool selection of verbal stimuli relating to Star Trek's timeline. Go on satisfy your trekkiness and add some of your own favourite Star Trek, SF quotes.


Which Star Trek character delivered these cosmic quotes of awesomeness? In my mind they'll never age.

"Space the Final Frontier."
"Course heading captain?"
"Second Star to the right and straight on 'til morning."
"Two to beam up Scotty."
"Make it so!"
"Resistance is futile"
"I'm a doctor not a mechanic."
"live Long and Prosper."
"Get us out of here, maximum warp!"
"Give me that power"
"I can't give you warp 9 for much longer."
"Sit back and enjoy the ride."
"I am Locutus of Borg. Resistance is futile. Your life as it has been is over. From this time forward, you will service us."
"You really are just like me."
"Did we just see the beginning of a new lifeform?"
"You are the finest crew in the fleet and I would trust my life with each one of you."
"We'll continue to follow our directive, to seek out new worlds and explore space."
"Lets make sure, history, never forgets the name, ENTERPRISE."
"Shields up, Captain?"
"We come in Peace."
"Vulcans never bluff."
"Lock on phasers, steady....FIRE."
"He's dead Jim."


More later on trekkers, now take us out, ahead warp factor 9.

Wednesday, September 02, 2009

Scotty's explanation to Captain Kirk

Remember Star Trek's TOS episode "The Trouble with Tribbles?" Captain Kirk soon discovers what Scotty and Chekov were brawling about on the K-7 Deep Space station. Here's Scotty's and Kirk's funny dialogue word for word.



(Except thats Chief O'Brien!! played by Colm Meaney. Whats he doing in this photo shot?)





Owner/Creater: Paramount Pictures and/or CBS Studios.







Scotty: Well, captain, er, the Klingons called you a tin plated over bearing swaggering dictator with

delusions of godhood.
Capt. Kirk: Is that all?
Scotty: No sir, they also compared you with a Denebian slime devil.
Capt. Kirk: I see.
Scotty: And then they said you were...
Capt. Kirk: I get the picture, Scotty.
Scotty: Yes, sir.
Capt. Kirk: And after they said all this, that's when you hit the Klingons.
Scotty: No, sir.
Capt. Kirk: No?
Scotty: No, er, I didn't. You told us to avoid trouble.
Capt. Kirk: Oh, yes.
Scotty: Well, I didn't see it was worth fighting about. After all, we're big enough to take a few insults,

aren't we?
Capt. Kirk: What was it they said that started the fight?
Scotty: They called the Enterprise a garbage scow. Sir.
Capt. Kirk: I see. And *that's* when you hit the Klingon?
Scotty: Yes, sir.
Capt. Kirk: You hit the Klingons because they insulted the Enterprise, not because they...
Scotty: Well, sir, this was a matter of pride!
Capt. Kirk: All right, Scotty dismissed. Oh, Scotty, you're restricted to quarters until further notice.
Scotty: Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. That'll give me a chance to catch up on my technical journals.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701

The U.S.S. Enterprise(NCC-1701), like her twelve sister ships* in Starfleet Command is primarily a scientific and research vessel of deep space exploration of the 23rd century. What is the USS Enterprise 1701's primary mission objective?

 Why seeking out new life forms on new civilisations, boldly contacting aliens who have discovered the basics governing warp technology key to achieving interstellar warp travel and what will the United Federation of Planets do? They'll send out Kirk's flagship to wellcome the fledglings into the club.


Owner/Creator Paramount Pictures and/or CBS Studios

In over forty years of meeting new lifeforms, the USS Enterprise NCC-1701 has upgraded with at least two refits during her much watched five year missions(2265-2270). Kirk's ship has engaged in scores of first contacts, military conflicts and time-travel. She has defended earth from the Klingons, Romulans, a Planet Killer, and the Alien Space Probe. Under command of Captain James Tiberius Kirk, the Enterprise NCC-1701 was destroyed in 2285 in a bid to outwit Commander Kruge and his klingon bird of prey.



Science Officer Spock is always on the lookout for subspace anomolies, spatial disturbances, hostile energy lifeform readings and with sensors scanning at maximum to locate accurate planetary positions, Spock's analysis is strategic to pinpointing starship dangers in a matter of seconds on the ship's approach to a new star system. The USS Enterprise's Science Station provides Captain Kirk with enough military intelligence to blast potential enemy starships to smithereens but lets not forget Chief Engineer Scotty.




When the USS Enterprise 1701 took a mighty, helluva walloping from Romulan enemy fire, Scottys first on the Captain's case about the structural integrity of the ship and his precious warp engines. "The ship is packing quite a walloping, she can't take much more of this. She'll blow up in four hours." In the eyes of Commander Kruge's Lieutenant Commander, the USS Enterprise 1701 was a formidable "battlecruiser" capable of defeating her enemies but its really Scotty's engineering "Miracle Worker" touch keeping her together. In Star Trek's universe, Kirk's constitution-class starship doubles as the flagship of the United Federation of Planets peace-keeping force and as a military heavy cruiser.



While under way, every Federation starship is completely manned at all times. Aboard the USS Enterprise it's no different. Each watch consists of eight hours of normal duty. When yellow alert sounds, a second watch is activated and during red alert, all watches are called to battle stations even if your'e snoozing soundly in your bunkbed.



Each of the USS Enterprise NCC 1701's 23 decks is equipped to handle its own gravity. When the ship jumps to warp, Anti-acceleration/deceleration inertial dampeners prevent the crew from leaving strawberry stains on the walls from rapid acceleration.



The Enterprise is equipped with shuttlecraft for ship to planet away missions. In crises situations with the ship is under attack or when Captain Kirk is cheating the jaws of death (Doomsday Machine) Trekkies can always rely on the transporter pad malfunctioning. Just when its needed most! Fortunately for Chief Engineer Scotty, the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC - 1701 has two well known shuttlecraft.



During special missions, the "Galileo" and "Columbus" are called into service to transport crew members/ambassadors/v.i.p's and equipment towards planets or starships when the ships transporter is out of action. They come in handy for covert operations too and have excellent space navigation ability. The seven seater shuttles are equipped with limited warp and impulse drive engines, shields, life support systems, a food replicator and emergency provisions for longer stays on planets.



Constitution-class ships use matter, anti-matter reaction converters regulated by dilithium crystals housed in Main Engineering's warp drive engines which can propel the USS Enterprise NCC-1701 at faster than light warp speed. In the episode "Elaan of Troyius", Scotty used the Dolman's necklace which was stung together with dilithium crystals in order to repair the Enterprise's sabotaged, fused dilithium crystal converter. The Dolmans neckless powered the ship's warp engines with enough energy to shoot off a couple of photon torpedoes at the engaging Klingon ship, badly damaging it and causing it to retreat.

Owner/Creator
Paramount Pictures and/or CBS Studios.

The flagship USS Enterprise is protected by an impressive grid of deflector shields, structural integrity fields, energy forcefields and emergency blast bulkheads that can repel enemy weapons fire and meteorite showers easily.







Starships like Darth Vader's Star Destroyer haven't got an equal chance against the technological might of the Enterprise's phasers and photon torpedoes because Vader's ship, although impressive, only has laser beam technology, cannons and gun turrets capable of making only a few dents in the USS Enterprise's shields. Whose got the most powerful Starship in the Universe? Trekkies do! Thats who! Woo Hoo! But I dare you to prove me wrong! Phasers are more technologically advanced and likely to be hotter that lasers right?

IMAGE CREATOR/OWNER: THE LIGHT WORKS

Tractor beams are the opposite of deflectors which pull space objects as opposed to pushing physical energy away. They are used to take smaller ships in tow or move space debris out of the Enterprise's flight path. At the stern of the USS Enterprise's are the impulse engines and the nacelle propulsion systems which makes safe interplanetary space flight at sublight and warp speed.



Starship primary and secondary systems also includes life support, transporters, deflector shields, starship sensors, structural and inertial systems, forcefields, phasers and photon torpedo tubes, warp core reactor, EPS Power Relay systems,



The USS Enterprise consists of 55 officers of command rank in gold uniforms, 15 communication specialists in red uniforms, 136 medical and scientific research personnel in blue uniforms, 132 engineering specialists and a 88 member security force in Red uniforms who usually meet their maker. In addition to the crews complement of 428, the Enterprise has stateroom accommodation for visiting ambassadors, admirals and V.I.P's



*Constellation NCC-1017, Constitution NCC-1700, Defiant NCC-1764, Eagle NCC-956, Endeavour NCC-1895, Essex NCC-1697, Excalibur NCC-1664, Exeter NCC-1672, Hood NCC-1703, Intrepid NCC-1831, Lexington NCC-1709, Potemkin NCC-1657, Republic NCC-1371 and Yorktown NCC-1717. (Only twelve of these ships were in existence during Kirk's celebrated first five year mission of interstellar exploration.)



One of the technological advances that makes the Constitution class starship possible is the duotronic computer designed by Dr. Richard Daystrom in 2243. In 2268, the Enterprise field tests what Dr. Daystrom hopes will be an even greater invention, the multitronic or M5. Unfortunately Daystrom designed the machine based on his very own memory enigrams which for a moment seemed like one great leap forward for computer science but alas the M5 proved to be more unstable than its creator, Dr. Daystrom who was at a loss to explain its emotional outbursts.



Star Trek depicts a future of bright promise. I hope it stays that way. The USS Enterprise NCC-1701 is a vehicle of peaceful exploration and research resorting to strategic counter measures as a last resort. Starfleet Command represents the "logical" evolution of today's military into a servant of man's quest for knowledge, as well as a the need for a strong defense.

Live Long and Prosper Trekkies and Trekkers!





Friday, July 17, 2009

Starfleet's Star Cadets

The motto of Starfleet Academy is "ex astris, scientia," which means "from the stars, knowledge." To qualify, entrants must first meet the basic requirements to satisfy Starfleet by submitting to a test. If chosen the next step involves completing the entrance exam which is conducted over a three day period at a designated Starfleet Testing facility. The Academy exam itself identifies leadership values in promising candidates eager to prove themselves. Integrity, intelligence, courage, imagination, and determination are core qualities of Starfleet Officers ready for battle but committed to peaceful coexistence in the universe. The entrance exam contains the following tests:

1. Dynamic relationship test.
2. Hyperspace physics test.
3. Psych Test.
4. Other Cultures & Species Test.
5. Carlundrum I.Q Test

In 2364, Relva VII's testing facility is where Wesley Crusher competed to gain admittance to Starfleet but failed the first time. Citizens from outside the United Federation of Planets require a testimonial of good character from one of Starfleet's higher ranking officers before being permitted to take the test. Cadets who excelled in class gained privileges as was the case of the Academy's Red Squad, an elite group, who were entrusted to pilot a starship without supervision. Starfleet has demanding standards and applicants must pay strict attention to its rules and procedures.

Successful entrants are expected to excel with their class at a multitude of mental and physical tests or merit the wrath of the Academy Instructor. Based on earth, the academy is located at the Presidio of San Francisco. Founded in 2161, Starfleet Academy's specific goal focuses on the quest for knowledge and the preparation of its cadets for galactic unknowns especially in the cadets first year.

The freshman year subjects the trainee to athletic disciplines which tests their fitness and reflexes with gym training. Healthcare, universal laws of nature, military defense, conferences, lectures, computer simulations, starship operations all form part of the educational program, Officers learn Federation policy and adhere to strict rules. Starfleets General Orders and Regulations and Starship Operations are mandatory.

After four years, cadets graduate to the worthy position of Starfleet Officers and are promoted to the rank of Ensign. For the first time in their lives excited cadets face the prospect of a really groovy future serving aboard a starship and are looking forward to serving and defending the Federation with their very lives. Space exploration also presents many opportunities to encounter new alien lifeforms and discover strange new worlds. Starfleet will put its officers on the front lines where scientific research, rendering aid, tensions and starship battles will broaden crewmens appreciation and perception of alien races and species in the universe.

Cadets will soon discover Starfleet Academy's curriculum challenging them to their limits with some trainees buckling under pressure in the first year. Starship duty is'nt for everyone. In the following years cadets will choose to concentrate on a particular field of knowledge such as engineering, starship navigation, medical degrees take eight years to complete, piloting, scientific research, stellar cartography, communications, security, with the smartest and uber-intrepid of students setting their sights on a career in Starfleet leading to command of a starship.

The Academy's notorious Kobayashi Maru Training Simulator is the next step for these special breed of command cadets. The Computer Simulation will test their nerves for steel and how they react to fear. Senior Officers will scrutinise the cadets response times, disposition and reactions under pressure to get a mindset on the candidates suitability for command. Captain Kirk (TOS) received a commendation for original thinking for being the only Starfleet cadet to have defeated the Kobayashi Maru Test. Lieutenant Savik accused Admiral Kirk (Wrath of Khan) of cheating when he explained his solution for outwitting the Kobayashi simulator by secretly programming the computer.

Starship Captains are a gutsy, rare breed of fast thinkers, well motivated and used to encountering aliens lifeforms, Astronomical Objects and are responsible for the lives and safety of the crew. Captains, Helmsman, and Navigators exercise evasive manoeuvres deployed by the ships computer or else Bridge Officers advise the captain to activate the ship's defense systems manually in order to combat stealth attacks on starships. Officers are trained in peaceful negotiations, hand to hand defense lessons, survival training, starship navigation, piloting, weapons deployment and starship operations which is key to reactive defense and securing the starship from an aggressive attack. Starship defenses are usually activated when warring ships are detected sending the crew from yellow alert to red alert. The Federation however, is one big happy family but all is never what it seems in space.

Captain Picard is an exceptional leader at finding peaceful solutions for races like the Sheliak Corporate, who were repulsed to find human creatures infesting one of their planets and demanded their immediate removal. Picard's entertaining feats of logic ultimately persuade the Sheliak to cave in to his demands (and made me laugh big style) when he nominates the Grizella who were in a six month hibernation sleep at the time to negotiate as a third party on behalf of the U.S.S. Enterprise 1701-D. Of course, the Sheliak are outraged but Picard severs the communication and gives the unyielding Sheliak time to reconsider. Three weeks to evacuate the human creatures or six months, which do you think they chose?

It has been known for Captain James T. Kirk (TOS) to directly order Chekov to blow the U.S.S. Enterprise's enemy ships into smithereens. The captain's defense strategies for cheating death are legendary throughout the galaxy featuring the destruction of the U.S.S. Enterprise 1701 using her auto destruct system to prevent the ship from being captured by Commander Kruge's boarding party. (The Search for Spock.) Starfleet command cadets have a strong desire to win and Kirk never likes to lose. He doesn't believe in the no-win scenario and has on several occasions ordered Mr Spock , Sulu and Mr Scott to warp the U.S.S. Enterprise 1701 out of danger. Its on record Kirk was unsuccessful in maintaining long term relationships with an unspecified amount of women. Due to the perks of command scantily clad women boldly seduced the captain inside and outside of his ships quarters which has forevermore earned him the reputation as a space stud.

The United Federation of Planets charts over 8,000 light years of galactic space with a membership of over 150 planets and over 1,000 semi-automated colonies. Starfleet uses military force as a last resort because it belongs to a peaceful Federation of deep space exploration, however it has trained its graduates to defend Citizens of the Federation and render aid under the most severe conditions.

The Prime Directive (also known as General Order 1) is a basic component of Federation Policy which forbids Starfleet operatives and starships from interfering with the natural evolution of any society or civilisation. This directive is more important than the protection of spaceships or members of Starfleet. Losses are tolerated as long as they are necessary in order to observe this directive." Despite this, Starfleet Captains are skilled in interstellar Combat strategies and defensive maneuvers should an inevitable conflict with an adversary arise. Its interesting to note Starfleet sanctioned the invasion of the planet Organia in essence breaking its own Prime Directive.

Live Long and Prosper Trekkies and Trekkers!

Monday, July 13, 2009

Star Trek (TOS and TNG) Blu-ray dvds.

Its all happening in 2009 trekkies so grab your communicators and spread the word because heres whats available in current releases and upcoming Star Trek Blu-ray dvd sets. Mogie peeked my interest in Deep Space nine and Voyager which have'nt been released so far.

Update: The second release of Star Trek's TOS Blu-ray DVD boxset has those little furry varmints roaming the universe in season 2 saved on disc 4. If you like tribbles, this boxset has it all with the popular TOS "The Trouble with Tribbles," TAS "More Tribbles More Troubles," and DS9's interlaced episode "Trials and Tribble-ations."


Stay clued for Paramount/CBS announcements at Comic Con, about Star Trek movie scoops and news releases with new Trek merchandise and Star Trek stars drawing in oceans of eager fans beaming in from accross the universe. Are you eager to discover Star Treks favorite moments and what your superheroes look like on blu-ray HD dvd? If you've got the extra cash, why not go on a trekkie splurge. You know you want to. Anyone can join Amazon.com for notifications about new products which is a handy way to informed and order what you want.

Image owner/creator: Paramount Pictures or CBS Studios.







StarTrekMovie2009 Blu-ray in a 3 disc boxset.
Paramount Pictures 127 mins Rated PG-13 Nov 17th, 2009.
Action / Adventure / Sci-Fi

Star Trek Blu Ray movie (2009) includes replica ship with 3 disc boxset.
Amazon Limited Edition Replica Gift Set.
Paramount Pictures. 127 mins. Rated PG-13. Nov 17, 2009
Action / Adventure / Sci-Fi .

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) in Blu-ray.
Paramount Pictures. 116 mins. Rated PG. Sept 22nd, 2009.
Action / Adventure / Sci-Fi / Thriller.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) in Blu-ray.
Paramount Pictures. 119 mins. Rated PG. Sept 22nd, 2009.
Action / Comedy / Sci-Fi.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) in Blu-ray.
Paramount Pictures 113 mins Rated PG. Sept 22nd, 2009.
Action / Mystery / Sci-Fi / Thriller.

Star Trek VIII: First Contact (1996) in Blu-ray.
Paramount Pictures. 111 mins. Rated PG-13. Sept 22nd, 2009.

Star Trek: Motion Picture Trilogy Blu-ray.
The Wrath of Khan / The Search for Spock / The Voyage Home.
Paramount Pictures. Rated PG. May 12th, 2009.
Action / Adventure / Mystery / Sci-Fi / Thriller/ 3 disc boxset.

Star Trek: Original Motion Picture Collection in Blu-ray
The Motion Picture / The Wrath of Khan / The Search for Spock / The Voyage Home / The Final Frontier / The Undiscovered Country.
Paramount Pictures. 685 mins Rated PG. May 12th, 2009.
Action / Adventure / Comedy / Mystery / Sci-Fi / Thriller/ 7 disc boxset.

Star Trek: The Original Series - Season 1 (1966) in Blu-ray.
Paramount Pictures. 1460 mins Not rated. Apr 28th, 2009
Adventure/ Sci Fi/ Television/ 7 disc boxset.

Star Trek: The Original Series - Season 2 (1967) in Blu-ray.
Paramount Pictures. 1310 mins Not rated. Sep 22, 2009.
Adventure / Sci-Fi / Television/ 7 disc boxset.

Star Trek: The Original Series -Season 3 (1969) in Blu-ray.
Paramount Pictures. 1350 mins. Not rated. Dec 15, 2009
Adventure / Sci-Fi / Television/ 6 disc boxset.

Star Trek: The Next Generation Movie Collection in Blu-ray.
Generations / First Contact / Insurrection / Nemesis
Paramount Pictures. 448 mins. Rated PG-13. Sept 22nd, 2009.
Action / Adventure / Sci-Fi / Thriller. 5 disc set.

Star Trek VIII: First Contact in Blu-ray. (1996)
Paramount Pictures. 111 mins. Rated PG-13. Sep 22, 2009.
Action / Adventure / Sci-Fi / Thriller.

Watch long and Prosper, Trekkers

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Trekkies Strike Back!

Heres a list Empire critics have composed of the 500 Greatest movies of all time. Star Wars is listed five times in Empires Movie Hall of Fame with Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back placed at no 3. Is'nt it curious that Star Trek is completely absent from this list? Our fast paced new Star Trek XI movie has introduced a new breed of trekkie fans to the franchise (dare I even call them that!) spurred on by the sleek, daring crew of the USS Enterprise 1701 directed by Emmy and Golden Globe-winner JJ Abrams.

Image owner/creator: Paramount Pictures or CBS Paramount Television.

Empires 500 movies are an illuminating collection of reviews amassed over time from polls to dedicated fans but were the voters under the influence of Star Wars? I'm serious, Vader's power of the darkside is obviously weaving its dark spells on planet earth or else this skullduggery is a reflection of the times were in with darkside mortals outnumbering trekkie lifeforms in the galaxy.

So I'm calling all trek fans to join Empire and submit "Star Trek, The Wrath of Khan" as a NO 1 all time great. Its crunch time trekkie fans to strike back at the force!

Here's a fun youtube clip from the DMPhoenix you'll enjoy. Its awesome. Vader's darkside forces are mobilized for war against Captain Picard's flagship Enterprise! Yessss! how my heart bleeds for them! Who am I rooting for? Why the Enterprise of course. I'm a fully fledged trekkie and you better believe it. I was itching with excitement to see Picard's Federation flagship swoop in for the kill and obliterate Vader's force completely. Does it happen? Quantum torpedoes vs. lasers, watch and see who wins.

I remember when I got the trekkie bug (there I go again) in 1984, I was watching Star Trek TOS on TV and eating my dinner with my brother and believe me I was totally glued. I was 14. Suddenly my mom cried out, "Turn that off!" In a state of disbelief I looked away from the TV and protested but it was no use, she looked at me with her blazing eyes and I got that horrible melting feeling just as Dr McCoy and Spock were arguing in Sickbay except this time it was about the practical use of tribbles which McCoy had grown rather fond of. Spock was being all logical and cold hearted....

Now you know how Captain Picard felt, snatched from his beloved USS Enterprise NCC 1701-D and dragged aboard that Borg cube, against his willpower by all those heartless drones.

"I will resist you with every strength in my body." 

Smitten by the spacebug, I set my secret trekkie plan in motion. This was just the beginning of something new. It took a while saving up but within time, I had my own TV and was recording Star Trek TOS every week. How I treasured those classic re-runs.





Worf "They're now locking lasers on us!" On hearing this news Data has a major fit of infectious laughter.

I love the enlightening philosophical nature of trek, its really deep. So I suspect the same is true of new trek fans who having seen Star Trek XI are by now infected with the spacebug and in severe need of more trekkie fixes. Where else can we turn to except 726 episodes of five action series and one animated series. Damn those space bugs! Every single Star Trek movie including The Wrath of Khan has failed to meet the grade wth Empire isolating Star Trek to the outermost corners of the galaxy. Shame on those darkside ptaqs! They thought they could outwit us with their statistics.


















1. The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg, 1981)
3. Star Wars Episode V: Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner, 1980)
4. Shawshank Redemption (Frank Darabont, 1994)
5. Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975)
6. GoodFellas (Martin Scorsese, 1990)
7. Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)
8. Singin’ in the Rain (Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly, 1952)
9. Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994)
10. Fight Club (David Fincher, 1999)
11. Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese, 1980)
12. The Apartment (Billy Wilder, 1960)
13. Chinatown (Roman Polanski, 1974)
14. Once Upon a Time in the West (Sergio Leone, 1968)
15. The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008)
16. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)
17. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)
18. Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1942)
19. The Godfather Part II (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)
20. Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982)
21. The Third Man (Carol Reed, 1949)
22. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977)
23. Back to the Future (Robert Zemeckis, 1985)
24. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Peter Jackson, 2001)
25. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Sergio Leone, 1967)
26. Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (Stanley Kubrick, 1964)
27. Some Like It Hot (Billy Wilder, 1959)
28. Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941)
29. Die Hard (John McTiernan, 1988)
30. Aliens (James Cameron, 1986)
31. Gone with the Wind (Victor Fleming, George Cukor, Sam Wood)
32. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (George Roy Hill, 1969)
33. Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979)
34. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Peter Jackson, 2003)
35. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (James Cameron, 1991)
36. Andrei Rublev (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1969)
37. A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick, 1971)
38. Heat (Michael Mann, 1995)
39. The Matrix (Andy & Larry Wachowski, 1999)
40. Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)
41. The 400 Blows (François Truffaut, 1959)
42. Kind Hearts and Coronets (Robert Hamer, 1949)
43. The Big Lebowski (Joel & Ethan Coen, 1998)
44. Schindler’s List (Steven Spielberg, 1993)
45. Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)
46. On the Waterfront (Elia Kazan, 1954)
47. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (Steven Spielberg, 1982)
48. This Is Spinal Tap (Rob Reiner, 1984)
49. Evil Dead (Sam Raimi, 1987)
50. Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa, 1954)
51. 8 ½ (Federico Fellini, 1963)
52. The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)
53. Donnie Darko (Richard Kelly, 2001)
54. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Peter Jackson, 2002)
55. La Dolce Vita (Federico Fellini, 1960)
56. Casino Royale (Martin Campbell, 2006)
57. Lawrence of Arabia (David Lean, 1962)
58. His Girl Friday (Howard Hawks, 1940)
59. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Steven Spielberg, 1977)
60. Come and See (Elem Klimov, 1985)
61. The Usual Suspects (Bryan Singer, 1995)
62. The Graduate (Mike Nichols, 1967)
63. Sunset Boulevard (Billy Wilder, 1950)
64. Oldboy (Park Chan-wook, 2003)
65. Harold and Maude (Hal Ashby, 1971)
66. Edward Scissorhands (Tim Burton, 1990)
67. Tokyo Story (Yasujiro Ozu, 1953)
68. Annie Hall (Woody Allen, 1977)
69. Three Colours Red (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1994)
70. Stand by Me (Rob Reiner, 1986)
71. The Night of the Hunter (Charles Laughton, 1955)
72. 12 Angry Men (Sidney Lumet, 1957)
73. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004)
74. The Treasure of Sierra Madre (John Huston, 1948)
75. A Matter of Life and Death (Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger, 1946)
76. Manhattan (Woody Allen, 1979)
77. Spartacus (Stanley Kubrick, 1960)
78. Rosemary’s Baby (Roman Polanski, 1968)
79. The Thin Red Line (Terrence Malick, 1998)
80. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger, 1943)
81. Batman Begins (Christopher Nolan, 2005)
82. The Great Escape (John Sturges, 1963)
83. Brazil (Terry Gilliam, 1985)
84. L.A. Confidential (Curtis Hanson, 1997)
85. Blue Velvet (David Lynch, 1986)
86. Carrie (Brian De Palma, 1976)
87. The King of Comedy (Martin Scorsese, 1983)
88. Ferris Bueller’s Day off (John Hughes, 1986)
89. Magnolia (Paul Thomas Anderson, 1999)
90. When Harry Met Sally (Rob Reiner, 1989)
91. Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (Richard Marquand, 1983)
92. Once Upon a Time in America (Sergio Leone, 1984)
93. Spirit of the Beehive (Victor Erice, 1973)
94. The Wild Bunch (Sam Peckinpah, 1969)
95. Yojimbo (Akira Kurosawa, 1961)
96. American Beauty (Sam Mendes, 1999)
97. Reservoir Dogs (Quentin Tarantino, 1992)
98. North by Northwest (Alfred Hitchcock, 1959)
99. Toy Story (John Lasseter, 1995)
100. Network (Sidney Lumet, 1976)
101. Raising Arizona (Joel & Ethan Coen, 1987)
102. The Hustler (Robert Rossen, 1961)
103. Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954)
104. The Rules of the Game (Jean Renoir, 1939)
105. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Milos Forman, 1975)
106. A Man for All Seasons (Fred Zinnemann, 1966)
107. An American Werewolf in London (John Landis, 1981)
108. The Tree of Wooden Clogs (Ermanno Olmi, 1978)
109. Touch of Evil (Orson Welles, 1958)
110. Before Sunset (Richard Linklater, 2004)
111. Fitzcarraldo (Werner Herzog, 1982)
112. I Am Cuba (Alexander Payne, 1964)
113. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (Adam McKay, 2004)
114. The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)
115. Blazing Saddles (Mel Brooks, 1974)
116. Rio Bravo (Howard Hawks, 1959)
117. Miller’s Crossing (Joel & Ethan Coen, 1990)
118. Withnail and I (Bruce Robinson, 1987)
119. The Wages of Fear (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1953)
120. The Battle of Algiers (Gillo Pontecorvo, 1966)
121. Los Olvidados (Luis Buñuel, 1950)
122. The Princess Bride (Rob Reiner, 1987)
123. A Woman Under the Influence (John Cassavetes, 1974)
124. The Silence of the Lambs (Jonathan Demme, 1991)
125. A Bout de souffle (Jean-Luc Godard, 1960)
126. Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (Sam Peckinpah, 1973)
127. The Sting (George Roy Hill, 1973)
128. Lost in Translation (Sofia Coppola, 2003)
129. Harvey (Henry Koster, 1950)
130. The Man Who Would Be King (John Huston, 1975)
131. The Last of the Mohicans (Michael Mann, 1992)
132. Pan’s Labyrinth (Guillermo del Toro, 2006)
133. Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder, 1944)
134. Seven (David Fincher, 1995)
135. Duck Soup (Leo McCarey, 1933)
136. Amadeus (Milos Forman, 1984)
137. Dances with Wolves (Kevin Costner, 1990)
138. Cool Hand Luke (Stuart Rosenberg, 1967)
139. Blow Out (Brian De Palma, 1981)
140. As Good as It Gets (James L. Brooks, 1997)
141. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (David Hand, 1937)
142. Almost Famous (Cameron Crowe, 2000)
143. Cyrano De Bergerac (Jean-Paul Rappeneau, 1991)
144. There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2007)
145. Sophie’s Choice (Alan J. Pakula, 1982)
146. Shampoo (Hal Ashby, 1975)
147. Notorious (Alfred Hitchcock, 1946)
148. Z (Costa-Gavras, 1969)
149. The Red Shoes (Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger, 1948)
150. The French Connection (William Friedkin, 1971)
151. Gladiator (Ridley Scott, 2000)
152. Boogie Nights (Paul Thomas Anderson, 1997)
153. The Innocents (Jack Clayton, 1961)
154. Betty Blue (Jean-Jacques Beineix, 1986)
155. Badlands (Terrence Malick, 1973)
156. Saving Private Ryan (Steven Spielberg, 1998)
157. True Romance (Tony Scott, 1993)
158. Unforgiven (Clint Eastwood, 1992)
159. The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson, 2001)
160. Being There (Hal Ashby, 1979)
161. The Year of Living Dangerously (Peter Weir, 1982)
162. A Nightmare on Elm Street (Wes Craven, 1984)
163. The Bridge on the River Kwai (David Lean, 1957)
164. The Searchers (John Ford, 1956)
165. Partie de campagne (Jean Renoir, 1936)
166. Goldfinger (Guy Hamilton, 1964)
167. Don’t Look Now (Nic Roeg, 1973)
168. Tootsie (Sydney Pollack, 1982)
169. Viridiana (Luis Buñuel, 1961)
170. La Haine (Mathieu Kassovitz, 1995)
171. Brief Encounter (David Lean, 1945)
172. The Wizard of Oz (Victor Fleming, 1939)
173. Memento (Christopher Nolan, 2000)
174. Superman the Movie (Richard Donner, 1978)
175. Rushmore (Wes Anderson, 1998)
176. A Canterbury Tale (Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger, 1944)
177. City of God (Fernando Meirelles, Kátia Lund, 2002)
178. Hellzapoppin’ (H.C. Potter, 1941)
179. Toy Story 2 (John Lasseter, 1999)
180. To Kill a Mockingbird (Robert Mulligan, 1962)
181. Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (Russ Meyer, 1970)
182. Performance (Donald Cammell, Nic Roeg, 1970)
183. Le Samourai (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1967)
184. Dirty Harry (Don Siegel, 1971)
185. Paths of Glory (Stanley Kubrick, 1957)
186. United 93 (Paul Greengrass, 2006)
187. The Big Country (William Wyler, 1958)
188. School of Rock (Richard Linklater, 2003)
189. Ghostbusters (Ivan Reitman, 1984)
190. Big (Penny Marshall, 1988)
191. Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee, 2005)
192. Eraserhead (David Lynch, 1977)
193. Ed Wood (Tim Burton, 1994)
194. Bicycle Thieves (Vittorio De Sica, 1948)
195. It’s a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra, 1946)
196. Amélie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 1999)
197. Point Break (Kathryn Bigelow, 1991)
198. Fargo (Joel & Ethan Coen, 1996)
199. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (Tobe Hooper, 1974)
200. Before Sunrise (Richard Linklater, 1995)
201. JFK (Oliver Stone, 1991)
202. The Killer (John Woo, 1989)
203. Life of Brian (Terry Jones, 1979)
204. The Bride of Frankenstein (James Whale, 1935)
205. The Addiction (Abel Ferrara, 1995)
206. The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1973)
207. The Misfits (John Huston, 1961)
208. The Departed (Martin Scorsese, 2006)
209. Local Hero (Billy Forsyth, 1983)
210. Platoon (Oliver Stone, 1986)
211. Moulin Rouge! (Baz Luhrmann, 2001)
212. M (Fritz Lang, 1931)
213. Songs from the Second Floor (Roy Andersson, 2000)
214. Army of Shadows (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1969)
215. Jackie Brown (Quentin Tarantino, 1997)
216. Sunday Bloody Sunday (John Schlesinger, 1971)
217. The Magnificent Seven (John Sturges, 1960)
218. Mr. Hulot’s Holiday (Jacques Tati, 1953)
219. The Outlaw Josey Wales (Clint Eastwood, 1976)
220. Far From Heaven (Todd Haynes, 2002)
221. McCabe & Mrs Miller (Robert Altman, 1971)
222. Mother and Son (Aleksandr Sokurov, 1997)
223. Safe (Todd Haynes, 1995)
224. Distant Voices, Still Lives (Terence Davies, 1988)
225. Get Carter (Mike Hodges, 1971)
226. Romeo + Juliet (Baz Luhrmann, 1996)
227. Léon (Luc Besson, 1994)
228. No Country for Old Men (Joel & Ethan Coen, 2007)
229. Festen (Thomas Vinterberg, 1998)
230. Howl’s Moving Castle (Hayao Miyazaki, 2004)
231. Shaun of the Dead (Edgar Wright, 2004)
232. Jurassic Park (Steven Spielberg, 1993)
233. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Steven Spielberg, 1984)
234. The Bourne Ultimatum (Paul Greengrass, 2007)
235. Battle Royale (Kinji Fukasaku, 2000)
236. Black Narcissus (Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger, 1947)
237. Delicatessen (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Marc Caro, 1991)
238. Requiem for a Dream (Darren Aronofsky, 2000)
239. Cinema Paradiso (Giuseppe Tornatore, 1988)
240. Forrest Gump (Robert Zemeckis, 1994)
241. Brighton Rock (John Boulting, 1947)
242. King Kong (Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack, 1933)
243. Heimat (Edgar Reitz, 1984)
244. Dazed and Confused (Richard Linklater, 1993)
245. Downfall (Oliver Hirschbiegel, 2004)
246. The Philadelphia Story (George Cukor, 1940)
247. All That Jazz (Bob Fosse, 1979)
248. Pandora’s Box (Georg Wilhelm Pabst, 1929)
249. My Darling Clementine (John Ford, 1946)
250. Sunrise (F.W. Murnau, 1927)
251. Darling (John Schlesinger, 1965)
252. The Leopard (Luchino Visconti, 1980)
253. First Blood (Ted Kotcheff, 1982)
254. The Verdict (Sidney Lumet, 1982)
255. Ninotchka (Ernst Lubitsch, 1939)
256. Le Quai des brumes (Marcel Carné, 1938)
257. The Black Cat (Edgar G. Ulmer, 1934)
258. The Blues Brothers (John Landis, 1980)
259. Groundhog Day (Harold Ramis, 1993)
260. Field of Dreams (Phil Alden Robisnon, 1989)
261. Roman Holiday (William Wyler, 1953)
262. The Virgin Suicides (Sofia Coppola, 1999)
263. Das Boot (Wolfgang Petersen, 1981)
264. American Graffiti (George Lucas, 1973)
265. A.I. Artificial Intelligence (Steven Spielberg, 2001)
266. Ghost World (Terry Zwigoff, 2001)
267. Crimes and Misdemeanors (Woody Allen, 1989)
268. The Lady Vanishes (Alfred Hitchcock, 1938)
269. A Place in the Sun (George Stevens, 1951)
270. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Cristi Puiu, 2005)
271. Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (Tim Burton, 1985)
272. The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (Dario Argento, 1970)
273. The Maltese Falcon (John Huston, 1941)
274. Sin City (Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller, 2005)
275. My Neighbour Totoro (Hayao Miyazaki, 1988)
276. Layer Cake (Matthew Vaughn, 2004)
277. On the Town (Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly, 1949)
278. Carlito’s Way (Brian De Palma, 1993)
279. National Lampoon’s Animal House (John Landis, 1978)
280. Mad Max 2 (George Miller, 1982)
281. Interview with the Vampire (Neil Jordan, 1994)
282. The Godfather Part III (Francis Ford Coppola, 1990)
283. Ran (Akira Kurosawa, 1985)
284. Scarface (Brian De Palma, 1983)
285. Solaris (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1972)
286. L’avventura (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1960)
287. Secrets and Lies (Mike Leigh, 1996)
288. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (Robert Zemeckis, 1988)
289. John Carpenter’s The Thing (John Carpenter, 1982)
290. Rashomon (Akira Kurosawa, 1950)
291. Rocco and His Brothers (Luchino Visconti, 1960)
292. Le belle et la bête (Jean Cocteau, 1946)
293. La maman et la putain (Jean Eustache, 1973)
294. The Red Balloon (Albert Lamorisse, 1956)
295. The Untouchables (Brian De Palma, 1987)
296. All the President’s Men (Alan J. Pakula, 1976)
297. It Happened One Night (Frank Capra, 1934)
298. Le cercle rouge (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1970)
299. The Palm Beach Story (Preston Sturges, 1942)
300. Sawdust and Tinsel (Ingmar Bergman, 1953)
301. Love and Death (Woody Allen, 1975)
302. The Best Years of Our Lives (William Wyler, 1946)
303. Together (Lukas Moodyson, 2000)
304. Radio Days (Woody Allen, 1987)
305. The Prestige (Christopher Nolan, 2006)
306. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Steven Spielberg, 1989)
307. Midnight Cowboy (John Schlesinger, 1969)
308. The Terminator (James Cameron, 1984)
309. Transformers (Michael Bay, 2007)
310. Gremlins (Joe Dante, 1984)
311. American History X (Tony Kaye, 1998)
312. Suspiria (Dario Argento, 1977)
313. Battleship Potemkin (Sergei Eisenstein, 1925)
314. Sweet Smell of Success (Alexander Mackendrick, 1957)
315. Sense and Sensibility (Ang Lee, 1995)
316. Trainspotting (Danny Boyle, 1996)
317. Midnight Run (Martin Brest, 1988)
318. Rebecca (Alfred Hitchcock, 1940)
319. The Lion King (Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff, 1994)
320. Braveheart (Mel Gibson, 1995)
321. Funny Face (Stanley Donen, 1957)
322. Aladdin (Ron Clements, John Musker, 1992)
323. The Last Seduction (John Dahl, 1994)
324. Lone Star (John Sayles, 1996)
325. Kill Bill Vol. 1 (Quentin Tarantino, 2003)
326. Out of Sight (Steven Soderbergh, 1998)
327. The Nightmare Before Christmas (Henry Selick, 1993)
328. The Truman Show (Peter Weir, 1998)
329. The Lives of Others (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 2006)
330. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, 2005)
331. The Green Mile (Frank Darabont, 1999)
332. The Sixth Sense (M. Night Shyamalan, 1999)
333. Grease (Randal Kleiser, 1978)
334. The Magnificent Ambersons (Orson Welles, 1942)
335. The Seventh Seal (Ingmar Bergman, 1957)
336. Titanic (James Cameron, 1997)
337. 300 (Zack Snyder, 2006)
338. Jules et Jim (François Truffaut, 1962)
339. Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki, 2001)
340. High and Low (Akira Kurosawa, 1963)
341. The Passenger (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1975)
342. The Gold Rush (Charlie Chaplin, 1925)
343. Monsters, Inc. (Pete Docter, 2001)
344. The Last Waltz (Martin Scorsese, 1978)
345. Fatal Attraction (Adrian Lyne, 1987)
346. Leave Her to Heaven (John M. Stahl, 1945)
347. All About Eve (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1950)
348. Au hasard Balthazar (Robert Bresson, 1966)
349. Arthur (Steve Gordon, 1981)
350. Planet of the Apes (Franklin J. Schaffner, 1968)
351. Zulu (Cy Endfield, 1964)
352. Unfaithfully Yours (Preston Sturges, 1948)
353. Bugsy Malone (Alan Parker, 1976)
354. Un chien andalou (Luis Buñuel, 1929)
355. Sunshine (Danny Boyle, 2007)
356. Napoléon (Abel Gance, 1927)
357. The Long Goodbye (Robert Altman, 1973)
358. Russian Ark (Aleksandr Sokurov, 2002)
359. The Lady Eve (Preston Sturges, 1941)
360. The Return (Andrei Zvyagintsev, 2003)
361. Clerks (Kevin Smith, 1994)
362. The Elephant Man (David Lynch, 1980)
363. Good Morning, Vietnam (Barry Levinson, 1987)
364. Natural Born Killers (Oliver Stone, 1994)
365. The Bourne Identity (Doug Liman, 2002)
366. Predator (John McTiernan, 1987)
367. Cabaret (Bob Fosse, 1972)
368. Airplane! (Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker, 1980)
369. The Breakfast Club (John Hughes, 1985)
370. Rocky (John G. Avildsen, 1976)
371. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Gore Verbinski, 2003)
372. Army of Darkness (Sam Raimi, 1992)
373. Wall-E (Andrew Stanton, 2008)
374. Hot Fuzz (Edgar Wright, 2007)
375. Four Weddings and a Funeral (Mike Newell, 1994)
376. Zodiac (David Fincher, 2007)
377. Mean Streets (Martin Scorsese, 1973)
378. The Goonies (Richard Donner, 1985)
379. Ratatouille (Brad Bird, 2007)
380. Children of Men (Alfondo Cuarón, 2006)
381. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, 1975)
382. Caché (Michael Haneke, 2005)
383. Serenity (Joss Whedon, 2005)
384. The Shop Around the Corner (Ernst Lubitsch, 1940)
385. Ace in the Hole (Billy Wilder, 1951)
386. The Great Silence (Sergio Corbucci, 1968)
387. Rain Man (Barry Levinson, 1988)
388. The English Patient (Anthony Minghella, 1996)
389. Election (Alexander Payne, 1999)
390. 2 Days in Paris (Julie Delpy, 2007)
391. Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001)
392. Paris, Texas (Wim Wenders, 1984)
393. Garden State (Zach Braff, 2004)
394. Cloverfield (Matt Reeves, 2008)
395. Casino (Martin Scorsese, 1995)
396. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Andrew Dominik, 2007)
397. Night of the Living Dead (George A. Romero, 1968)
398. Killer of Sheep (Charless Burnett, 1977)
399. Greed (Erich von Stroheim, 1924)
400. The Incredibles (Brad Bird, 2004)
401. Batman Returns (Tim Burton, 1992)
402. Little Miss Sunshine (Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris, 2006)
403. Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989)
404. RoboCop (Paul Verhoeven, 1987)
405. Dirty Dancing (Emile Ardolino, 1987)
406. Iron Man (Jon Favreau, 2008)
407. The Jungle Book (Wolfgang Reitherman, 1967)
408. Zelig (Woody Allen, 1983)
409. Men in Black (Barry Sonnenfeld, 1997)
410. A Hard Day’s Night (Richard Lester, 1964)
411. Spider-Man 2 (Sam Raimi, 2004)
412. Heathers (Michael Lehmann, 1989)
413. Finding Nemo (Andrew Stanton, 2003)
414. The Double Life of Véronique (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1991)
415. Dawn of the Dead (George A. Romero, 1978)
416. Bad Taste (Peter Jackson, 1987)
417. Lords of Dogtown (Catherine Hardwicke, 2005)
418. V for Vendetta (James McTeigue, 2005)
419. Days of Heaven (Terrence Malick, 1978)
420. Jerry Maguire (Cameron Crowe, 1996)
421. Lethal Weapon (Richard Donner, 1987)
422. A Man Escaped (Robert Bresson, 1956)
423. Kill Bill Vol. 2 (Quentin Tarantino, 2004)
424. To Have and Have Not (Howard Hawks, 1944)
425. Wonder Boys (Curtis Hanson, 2000)
426. Enduring Love (Roger Michell, 2004)
427. Spring in a Small Town (Mu Fei, 1948)
428. The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (Werner Herzog, 1974)
429. Danger: Diabolik (Mario Bava, 1968)
430. Big Trouble in Little China (John Carpenter, 1986)
431. Electra Glide in Blue (James William Guercio, 1973)
432. X-Men 2 (Bryan Singer, 2003)
433. Good Will Hunting (Gus Van Sant, 1997)
434. The Cat Concerto (William Hanna, Joseph Barbera, 1947)
435. American Psycho (Mary Harron, 2000)
436. Beauty and the Beast (Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise, 1991)
437. Spider-Man (Sam Raimi, 2002)
438. The Lost Boys (Joel Schumacher, 1987)
439. Grosse Pointe Blank (George Armitage, 1997)
440. Akira (Katsuhiro Otomo, 1988)
441. Being John Malkovich (Spike Jonze, 1999)
442. Atonement (Joe Wright, 2007)
443. Dog Day Afternoon (Sidney Lumet, 1975)
444. Hairspray (John Waters, 1988)
445. Dumb and Dumber (Peter and Bobby Farrelly, 1994)
446. High Fidelity (Stephen Frears, 2000)
447. Ten (Abbas Kiarostami, 2002)
448. A History of Violence (David Cronenberg, 2005)
449. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999)
450. King Kong (Peter Jackson, 2005)
451. Speed (Jan De Bont, 1994)
452. Unbreakable (M. Night Shyamalan, 2000)
453. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Steven Spielberg, 2008)
454. The Bourne Supremacy (Paul Greengrass, 2004)
455. Top Gun (Tony Scott, 1986)
456. 28 Days Later (Danny Boyle, 2002)
457. Full Metal Jacket (Stanley Kubrick, 1987)
458. Batman (Tim Burton, 1989)
459. Ikiru (Akira Kurosawa, 1952)
460. Crash (Paul Haggis, 2004)
461. Halloween (John Carpenter, 1978)
462. Dead Man’s Shoes (Shane Meadows, 2004)
463. Juno (Jason Reitman, 2007)
464. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Stanley Donen, 1954)
465. 12 Monkeys (Terry Gilliam, 1995)
466. Snatch (Guy Ritchie, 2000)
467. The Deer Hunter (Michael Cimino, 1978)
468. The Crow (Alex Proyas, 1994)
469. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Terry Gilliam, 1998)
470. Glengarry Glen Ross (James Foley, 1992)
471. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Alfonso Cuarón, 2004)
472. Le Doulos (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1962)
473. Into the Wild (Sean Penn, 2007)
474. Enter the Dragon (Robert Clouse, 1973)
475. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (Gore Verbinski, 2006)
476. Santa Sangre (Alejandro Jodorowsky, 1989)
477. Rebel Without a Cause (Nicholas Ray, 1955)
478. Flesh (Paul Morrissey, 1968)
479. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (Norman Z. McLeod, 1947)
480. The Son’s Room (Nanni Moretti, 2001)
481. Topsy-Turvy (Mike Leigh, 1999)
482. Scream (Wes Craven, 1996)
483. The Big Red One (Samuel Fuller, 1980)
484. The Fountain (Darren Aronofsky, 2006)
485. The Wicker Man (Robin Hardy, 1973)
486. Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Blake Edwards, 1961)
487. Superbad (Greg Mottola, 2007)
488. Princess Mononoke (Hayao Miyazaki, 1997)
489. Brick (Rian Johnson, 2005)
490. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Tim Burton, 2007)
491. Ben-Hur (William Wyler, 1959)
492. Amores Perros (Alejandro González Iñárritu, 2000)
493. In the Company of Men (Neil LaBute, 1997)
494. Sideways (Alexander Payne, 2004)
495. Jailhouse Rock (Richard Thorpe, 1957)
496. Superman Returns (Bryan Singer, 2006)
497. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Ang Lee, 2000)
498. Back to the Future Part II (Robert Zemeckis, 1989)
499. Saw (James Wan, 2004)
500. Ocean’s Eleven (Steven Soderbergh, 2001)


Live Long and Prosper, Trekkies!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Star Trek Tradition, Logic and the Needs of the Many.

Star Trek XI is now the second highest earner of Star Treks franchise with takings of $222.7 million in 31 days. This movie warped past the Wrath of Khan and has set its trajectory to overtake the reigning Star Trek epic of the universe held by Star Trek The Motion Picture. Star Trek I bagged $139,000,000 for Paramount which is a cool measure of success and a ton of money for 1979. You can bet your Trekkie dvds it won't take seven years for the next Star Trek movie to hit the big screens.


Logic dictates the needs of the many outweighs the needs of the few or the one. Does it matter Star Trek XI messed with the Final Frontier? Yesss! and what a reaction its getting from the fans. Sure, Star Trek's space time continuum has been altered but judging from the figures, previews and reports from accross the internet, Star Trek XI is successfully reaching out to people boldly going where Trek hasn't been in years.

(Blashememy!!! I can hear horrified Trekkies gasping.) "Your'e crossing over to the dark side aren't you!!" but nooooo, I'd never do that! I'm just trying to be logical about this and remember its Spock Prime's fault we're in this fine mess int the first place. Just kidding, I'm skylarking now.




Image owner/creator: Paramount Pictures or CBS Paramount Television.

Star Trek has a lot of canon, rules and regulations known as "Trek" which can influence the eventual outcome of life and death in its timeline. For example, the Pon Far involves the Vucan Mating ceremony whereby Mr Spock is compelled to return home every seven years to purge his emotions. The poor vulchie will die unless he mates with a Vulcan chick or fights to the death with a suitor of T'pring's choice.

In any case, it really doesn't matter because Vulcans are born with superior strength and whoever is selected by T'Pring, is gonna get the spuds whacked out of him. Unfortunately she chose Captain Kirk of the starship Enterprise to fight Spock and Mr spock HAD to engage him! "This is a fight to the death". warned T'Pau. "Do not interfere!!"

In this episode of Amok Time, we get to see the Vulcan's homeworld for the first time and an angry Spock who's clearly not himself. Stricken with the desperate need to contol his desires, a much beleagured Spock is in deep meditation preparing himself for the Kal-if-fee. It was'nt until after the challenge that the flawed human half in him was torn appart by remorse. These are the downfalls of living your life in the pursuit of absolute logic......

Image owner/creator: Paramount Pictures or CBS Paramount Television.

The Vulcan Ponn Farr ritual eliminates the deadly imbalance of toxins poisoning Spock's body only after the Vulcan has gone through hell (Burning of the blood) and ranting and raving like a complete lunatic but this is all perfectly normal for vulchies. In the end Spock is returned to his good old emotionless, logical self after his mating urges are quenched with the knowledge that his good friend and captain has been strangled to death by his very own hands.

Ever since Star Trek Nemises flopped at the box office in 2002 with only $43,254,409 to show for at home in the US, Star Trek has been in need of an additional generation of fans willing to give themselves over to an inspiring, action adventure with gratifying computer graphics, sound effects, lighting and movie sets essential to producing a rip-roaring action movie prequel with a stimulating and entertaining trek timeline. That time has arrived, Star Trek is back!


"Doctor, I shall be resigning my commission, of course..."
"Uh, Spock..."
"...so, I would appreciate your making the final arrangements."
"Spock, I..."
"Doctor, please, let me finish. There can be no excuse for the crime of which I'm guilty - I intend to offer no defense. Furthermore, I shall order Mr. Scott to take immediate command of this vessel."
"Don't you think you better check with me first?"
"Captain?!?! JIM!!!"

- Spock, McCoy, and, much to Spock's surprise, Kirk.

Live Long and Prosper.
BLU-RAY 3-disc



Friday, May 08, 2009

Chris Pine and david letterman.



I bought my Star Trek ticket yesterday and I still can't believe I'm going to see the movie in less than thirty minutes! I'm soooo totally amped about this. Woo Hoo! See you trekkers. I wouldn't miss this for anything.

Spacerguy.

Monday, May 04, 2009

Star Trek Contest Winner















Today we are pleased to announce our Star Trek DVD and Blu-ray competition winner and our heartfelt congratulations goes to Trekker Fred from the U.S.A. who won by answering our contest. What is Captain James T. Kirks middle name? and as most of you will know (unless you've been living on another planet and please let me know if its possible!! because I love space travel and seeing new lifeforms.) its Tiberius! The contest is now closed. Better luck next time to all the Trekkies that entered but Final Frontier logic clearly dictates there can only be but only one winner.
Live Long and Prosper, Trekkers and Congratulations Fred!
Spacerguy.



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