4 ENTERTAINMENT
September 7, 2021
Original ‘Star Trek’ warps into 55th anniversary command of Star Trek’s first female captain (Catherine Janeway) played by Kate Mulgrew. Around the time that Voyager found its way home, a prequel series started. It was called “Enterprise.” It goes back to soon after warp drive was discovered, and the more advanced Vulcans made themselves known to earthlings. The three main characters were Capt. Jonathan Archer played by Scott Bakula, Cmdr. Trip Tucker portrayed by Connor Trinneer, and a female Vulcan T’Pol played by Jolene Blalock. There was a long delay before CBS decided to do “Star Trek” on a paid streaming service; CBS All Access. In 2017 “Star Trek Discovery” launched starring Sonequa Martin Green as the lead character. Since 2017 there have been three seasons of “Discovery.” CBS reprised Jean Luc Picard (Stewart) for a 10-episode first season titled “Picard,” which started last year. More episodes are expected soon.
Photo Courtesy Rotten Tomatoes
The crew of the Starfleet vessel USS Enterprise stand by on the bridge during the original 1966 television series “Star Trek.”
Mike Sokolski
RichlandStudentMedia.com
Staff Writer ‘Star Trek:’ Inauspicious beginnings The “Star Trek” saga began two years before the debut telecast on Sept. 8, 1966. Gene Roddenberry, the creator of “Star Trek” produced a pilot titled “The Cage.” It portrayed Capt. Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) being held by the Telosians, who wanted to revitalize their civilization by creating a community of humans. They used enhanced telepathy to get Pike and a previous crash survivor named Vena (Susan Oliver) to fall in love and procreate. Roddenberry had promised the network a wagon train to the stars and had this to say about the rejection of “The Cage:” “They felt that I had double-crossed them. I had written them this thing about where the mind went in certain ways. They wanted someone with bare knuckles and a first fight.” A year later Roddenberry got an unheard of second chance at a pilot and produced the episode “Where No Man Has Gone Before.”
Here Kirk (William Shatner) indeed has a fist fight with Gary Lockwood. This pilot was accepted, and an edited version was the third episode broadcast in the first season of “Star Trek.” The only cast member to make the transition from the “The Cage” to what is known as the original series was Leonard Nimoy. “Star Trek” always suffered low ratings and was in jeopardy of cancellation. Letter writing campaigns saved it from cancellation until the third season. The last network broadcast was on June 9,1969. In the early ‘70s, “Star Trek” became more popular in syndication than it was during its initial run. New fans were added to those who watched and had clamored for more seasons of “Star Trek.” The ratings were amazing. Another factor that pushed “Star Trek” forward was the fan conventions. The first convention, in 1972 in New York City, attracted over 3,000 fans Nimoy described it this way: “There was hardly a chance to speak,
“F9: The Fast Saga” – This one is ludicrous, preposterous and zany, but it sure was entertaining. This entry into the series, the audience learn that Dom (Vin Diesel) has a younger brother, Jakob (John Cena). He is just a couple of years younger than him.
B
every word created a roar. We were all taken aback there with tremendous affection.” Twenty years into the future and beyond In 1987 “Star Trek the Next Generation” began its seven-year run with Patrick Stewart as Capt. Jean-Luc Picard and Jonathan Frakes as Cmdr. William T. Riker, the executive officer of the Enterprise. “I think there was a rampant skepticism throughout fans and media … when they realized that we weren’t trying to recreate Kirk and Spock,” Frakes said. In January 1993 a new show called “Deep Space Nine” began a seven-year run. It starred Avery Brooks as Capt. Benjamin Sisko. He was the first Black captain. This show was a change from the usual format of space exploration by starship. The station was awash with intrigue among various alien races. In 1995 “Voyager” began its space journey by accidently getting itself transported to the Delta quadrant. Voyager was under the
“The Suicide Squad”– James Gunn enters the director’s chair-- for this one, taking the reins from David Ayer, who steered the 2017 version toward an Oscar win for makeup. The team is assembled again with Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn in the driver’s seat on this tale.
B
“Black Widow” – This prequel takes place in the Marvel universe before the events that occurred in the last chapter a couple of years back. This engaging flick also stars David Harbour, Rachel Weisz, Florence Pugh, William Hurt and Ray Winstone. On Disney +.
B+
Why is “Star Trek” so popular? There are many answers to the question. The simplest is that people really like a good adventure. Others say that the ideas show a positive future for mankind. Another answer may be the creative way it explores social issues There is an episode from the original series that dramatically portrays racism. “Let that be your last battlefield” demonstrates how hatred based on skin color is destructive. Two aliens, one with white on the right side and black on the left side of the face, the other with black on the right side and white on the right side, battle it out abord the Enterprise. They force the ship to return them to their home planet, which is destroyed. The images at the end of the episode are so reminiscent of the aftermath of the race riots that plagued the nation in the mid and late sixties. It was very creative how they managed to make the point without referring to humanity directly. So, will “Star Trek” continue? Thus far there have been 13 movies and a possibility of more to come soon. As Roddenberry said in referring to the future of “Star Trek,“ “It will go on without any of us and get better and better and better because that really is the human condition to improve and improve.” Let us hope that his sentiments become reality. Happy 55th birthday “Star Trek”!
“Tom and Jerry” – Director Tim Story combines animation with real life antics and shenanigans that take place in an upscale New York City hotel. Very juvenile, but I laughed a couple of times, hence the somewhat positive grade.
C+
“Free Guy” – Ryan Reynolds is a bank clerk who finds out his whole life is nothing more than a program that runs on a routine and fixed system. Somewhat reminiscent of Peter Weir’s Jim Carrey headliner “The Truman Show.” (1998). -Ricky Miller
B
