BS: Star Trek 50 years

Subject: BS: Star Trek 50 years
From: bradfordian
Date: 07 Oct 16 - 04:20 AM

50 years! Incredible!
Live long and prosper.

Subject: RE: BS: Star Trek 50 years
From: mkebenn
Date: 07 Oct 16 - 08:55 AM

I love the whole franchise, some more than others, mostly for Roddenbury's imagination and optimisim. Mike

Subject: RE: BS: Star Trek 50 years
From: mkebenn
Date: 07 Oct 16 - 08:55 AM

I love the whole franchise, some more than others, mostly for Roddenbury's imagination and optimisim. Mike

Subject: RE: BS: Star Trek 50 years
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 07 Oct 16 - 09:15 AM

One thing I find rather charming is how the computers and the tricorders seem so old fashioned and clunky. But we haven't got replicators and transporters yet.

I've always preferred Picard and co to Kirk's crew. But I all the varieties of StarTrek.

Subject: RE: BS: Star Trek 50 years
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 07 Oct 16 - 09:25 AM

was I 14 when it started?

That was a big year, we moved & I got a bedroom of my own where I was listening to my own radio & reading everything I could get my hands on + pretending to study while really doing a good job of teenage isolating & Dad finally got us a TV (rented), so on the occasions when I wanted to watch something "Sandra doesn't see much TV ... "

But I did see most of the original Star Trek episodes.

Subject: RE: BS: Star Trek 50 years
From: Senoufou
Date: 07 Oct 16 - 09:35 AM

My sister was absolutely obsessed with Star Trek, and particularly Spock. She still is, and watches all the old re-runs on TV. Her daughter is just the same, and goes to all these Trekkies' events.

I love that 'Star Trekking Across The Universe' spoof song.
All the time-worn quotes are in it, such as:-

"It's life, Jim, but not as we know it..."
"It's worse than that, he's dead Jim!"
"Klingons on the starboard bow!"

But my sister thinks that song is absolute sacrilege!

Subject: RE: BS: Star Trek 50 years
From: Rapparee
Date: 07 Oct 16 - 09:55 AM

Star Trekkin' across the universe,
On the Starship Enterprise under Captain Kirk.
Star Trekkin' across the universe,
Only going forward 'cause we can't find reverse.

Lt. Uhura, report.
There's Klingons on the starboard bow, starboard bow, starboard bow;
there's Klingons on the starboard bow, starboard bow, Jim.

Analysis, Mr. Spock.
It's life, Jim, but not as we know it, not as we know it, not as we know it;
it's life, Jim, but not as we know it, not as we know it, Captain.

There's Klingons on the starboard bow, starboard bow, starboard bow;
there's Klingons on the starboard bow, starboard bow, Jim.

Star Trekkin' across the universe,
On the Starship Enterprise under Captain Kirk.
Star Trekkin' across the universe,
Only going forward, still can't find reverse.

Medical update, Dr. McCoy.
It's worse than that, he's dead, Jim, dead, Jim, dead, Jim;
it's worse than that, he's dead, Jim, dead, Jim, dead.

It's life, Jim, but not as we know it, not as we know it, not as we know it;
it's life, Jim, but not as we know it, not as we know it, Captain.

There's Klingons on the starboard bow, starboard bow, starboard bow;
there's Klingons on the starboard bow, starboard bow, Jim.

Starship Captain, James T. Kirk:
Ah! We come in peace, shoot to kill, shoot to kill, shoot to kill;
we come in peace, shoot to kill, shoot to kill, men.

It's worse than that, he's dead, Jim, dead, Jim, dead, Jim;
it's worse than that, he's dead, Jim, dead, Jim, dead.

Well, it's life, Jim, but not as we know it, not as we know it, not as we know it;
it's life, Jim, but not as we know it, not as we know it, Captain.

There's Klingons on the starboard bow, starboard bow, starboard bow;
there's Klingons on the starboard bow, scrape 'em off, Jim.

Star Trekkin' across the universe,
On the Starship Enterprise under Captain Kirk.
Star Trekkin' across the universe,
Only going forward, and things are getting worse!

Engineer, Mr. Scott:
Ye cannot change the laws of physics, laws of physics, laws of physics;
ye cannot cahnge the laws of physics, laws of physics, Jim.

Ah! We come in peace, shoot to kill, shoot to kill, shoot to kill;
we come in peace, shoot to kill; Scotty, beam me up!

It's worse than that, he's dead, Jim, dead, Jim, dead, Jim;
it's worse than that, he's dead, Jim, dead, Jim, dead.

Well, it's life, Jim, but not as we know it, not as we know it, not as we know it;
it's life, Jim, but not as we know it, not as we know it, Captain.

There's Klingons on the starboard bow, starboard bow, starboard bow;
there's Klingons on the starboard bow, better calm down!

Ye cannot change the script Jim.
Och, #!*& Jimmy.

It's worse than that, it's physics, Jim.

Bridge to engine room, warp factor 9.

Och, if I give it any more she'll blow, Cap'n!

Star Trekkin' across the universe,
On the Starship Enterprise under Captain Kirk.
Star Trekkin' across the universe,
Only going forward 'cause we can't find reverse.

Star Trekkin' across the universe,
On the Starship Enterprise under Captain Kirk.
Star Trekkin' across the universe,
Only going forward, still can't find reverse.

Subject: RE: BS: Star Trek 50 years
From: CupOfTea
Date: 07 Oct 16 - 10:00 AM

I was a rabid Star Trek fan as a kid. I was so incensed that it was cancelled that at first I refused to watch the show that took it's time slot, and so missed much of the early "Laugh In" shows. I never graduated to "fandom" and conventions, though. Most of my high school sweeties were serious fans, and I spent one year being a very frustrated Yeoman Rand to a guy being half Spock (& half David Crosby). A definite influence in my life, that show

I followed the careers of Shatner and Nimoy, and embraced the chance to see them live. (laughed at Shatner's peculiar album, sort of liked Nimoy's poetry) I enjoyed meeting Nimoy when he was doing his one man show on Vincent Van Gogh, and came to my art school to lecture. Other introductions from that show were looking for more from some of the writers, particularly David Gerrold.

Joanne in Cleveland

Subject: RE: BS: Star Trek 50 years
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 07 Oct 16 - 10:00 AM

I was 7 & 3/4 50 years ago.

Cant remember exactly how old I was when the show was actually first broadcast in the UK, but we only had a black and white telly...
.. and it still looked fantastic !!!

Something bugging my memory, way back in the 1960s our local west country TV channel broadcast a short run Aussie sci fi show..

[at least for some reason I recall it was Australian...]

All I an remember is a low budget crap quality prop space craft in a rocky desert location...???

Will I ever find out what that show was.. so far google provides no results...

Subject: RE: BS: Star Trek 50 years
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Oct 16 - 10:04 AM

I remember being annoyed that my parents wouldn't let me watch it when it played in prime time, but as soon as it came on in reruns I soaked in every moment of those wonderful episodes. One can see the low production values (high for the day, unsophisticated 50 years later) and special effects flaws, but the stories, the ideas, were what grabbed me.

Subject: RE: BS: Star Trek 50 years
From: Mrrzy
Date: 07 Oct 16 - 10:15 AM

Love'm all

Subject: RE: BS: Star Trek 50 years
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 07 Oct 16 - 10:15 AM

just remembered..

watching the "Menagerie" episodes actually genuinely expanded my young childhood mind..

The only other 1960s tv experience that had such a sudden profound effect on my intellectual development
was a screening of "All quiet on the western front"...

Subject: RE: BS: Star Trek 50 years
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 07 Oct 16 - 10:30 AM

Here we go...

"Initially, the BBC was the first-run broadcaster of Star Trek (12 July 1969-15 December 1971). The series was not shown in airdate or production order, and the BBC edited some episodes for violent content. The series was shown in four seasons, the first on Saturday evenings at 5:15 pm (in the time slot usually taken by Doctor Who), the second on Monday evenings at 7:10 pm. The final two seasons were shown on Wednesday evenings at 7:10 pm. Star Trek was one of BBC's bigger ratings winners and was repeated throughout the 1970s and early '80s. (Star Trek Magazine issue 177, p. 33)

During their original run of The Original Series, the BBC had chosen not to show the episodes "The Empath", "Whom Gods Destroy", and "Plato's Stepchildren", deeming them unsuitable for the series time slot, due to their assessment that "(...) they all dealt most unpleasantly with the already unpleasant subjects of madness, torture, sadism and disease", as stated in a letter sent to the UK-based Star Trek Action Group in 1976. These episodes were eventually shown during the 1992 repeat run. "Miri" was not repeated by the BBC until 1993 for similar reasons, following audience complaints after its original transmission. (Star Trek Magazine issue 177, p. 33)

At the time of first airing, BBC was still broadcasting in black and white. The first episode transmitted in color was "Arena".

Following the huge success of the series in the UK, BBC subsequently repeated the series throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, but in order which followed the original NBC schedule."

.. So.. I was 10..

The following year, despite the 'limitations' of my provincial factory fodder council estate upbringing.. I passed the 11 plus and was shipped off to Grammar School...

Maybe I had a concentrated year glued to the TV absorbing Star Trek influences to thank for that...???

Subject: RE: BS: Star Trek 50 years
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 07 Oct 16 - 10:46 AM

They are all on Netflix, every version, every episode. And there's another version due next year I gather. As Macbeth said "Will the line never come to an end?..."

Subject: RE: BS: Star Trek 50 years
From: Donuel
Date: 07 Oct 16 - 07:46 PM

Roddenberry was a fine pilot and navigator. After a plane crash that he survived and was not responsible for, he vowed to do something that came from his own heart. Star Trek began.

Subject: RE: BS: Star Trek 50 years
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 07 Oct 16 - 08:22 PM

It was a fantastic show. As were the spin-offs. To quote some writer or other:
"Age cannot wither her, not custom stale her infinite variety."

Now if only we could have a T.V. series based on Starship Excalibur, captained by MacKenzie Calhoun

Subject: RE: BS: Star Trek 50 years
From: DMcG
Date: 08 Oct 16 - 07:16 AM

I see quite strong structural similarities with Dr Who and one or two other shows. The format enabled a consistent cast to have stories covering almost any topic they liked and the earliest Star Trek stories covered an whole range of social questions in a "safe" but thought provoking way. Of course, the format also allowed a lot of dross in both series, but overall I'd rate them both far above the average for a TV series.

Subject: RE: BS: Star Trek 50 years
From: Donuel
Date: 08 Oct 16 - 03:13 PM

Almost every ST show can be seen as a morality play.

Subject: RE: BS: Star Trek 50 years
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 09 Oct 16 - 03:21 PM

For a universe with a similarly optimistic stance try the Sector General series of books by James White, coloured by a distaste for violence and a persistance in looking for solutions to impossible problems grounded in his living and writing in Northern Ireland through the years of the Troubles.

Subject: RE: BS: Star Trek 50 years
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 10 Oct 16 - 07:33 PM

Here's a good site for checking up on all this stuff. As Miss Jean Brodie put it "for those like this sort of thing, this is the sort of thing they like" -
here

Subject: RE: BS: Star Trek 50 years
From: Daithi
Date: 11 Oct 16 - 08:15 AM

Punkfolkrocker - was the Australian series you mentioned earlier called "The Visitors"? It had an alien (a Soshon) on the run from the planet Soshunis?
D

Subject: RE: BS: Star Trek 50 years
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 11 Oct 16 - 10:10 AM

All I can remember is a scene of a possibly silvery space ship parked in a rocky landscape.

It was slipped unannounced into tea time kids TV slot by our local west country commercial TV channel,
in the very early weeks when Harlech TV took over the franchise from TWW.
Which dates it to 1968.
For some reason the transition from TWW to Harlech did not go smoothly, so the broadcasters resorted to cobbling together whatever they could to fill airtime..

I remember they also fell back on a lot of Jerry Lewis movies.. which I found quite amusing at that time when I was 9.

I'm convinced it was live action, but not Lost in Space, or any of the Gerry Anderson or similar puppet sci fi shows.

I've no proof, just a long held vague memory that it was low budget, Australian, short, and very entertaining...

Most recent googling for shows produced upto spring 1968 narrows it down to probably "Interpretaris" or "vega 4"...?????

Still looking for online clips, full shows, or stills of the spaceship...

Subject: RE: BS: Star Trek 50 years
From: Daithi
Date: 13 Oct 16 - 10:12 AM

PFR - had another think and came up with The Stranger - it's in Wikipedia and may be the one you're looking for...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stranger_(Australian_TV_series)

Cut and paste this into your post:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stranger_(Australian_TV_series)


Good hunting! :-)
Dáithí