Stellar box office

"Star Trek" did a great job hanging on to audiences for the crucial second weekend (a time when some movies take a drastic drop and then fade away quickly). Here is what BoxOfficeMojo had to say:

Unphased by “Angels & Demons”, “Star Trek” excelled in its second weekend, logging an estimated $43 million. Reaching $147.6 million in just over ten days, it has eclipsed “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home” as the highest-grossing picture in the franchise.

Slowing 43 percent, Star Trek effectively had the best second weekend hold for a Star Trek movie since “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock”, and it had a smaller decline than “Iron Man” last year.



Of course, the biggest difference with this movie, compared to past "Star Trek" movies, has been the overseas market response. This movie is, thankfully, drastically different according to DeadlineHollywood:

As of today, the pic's international cume is $70M over two weeks. This already makes Abrams' version the highest grossing international “Star Trek”, beating “First Contact” which did $57.4 million internationally.

No movie in the franchise has ever cracked $100M overseas before. But Paramount is predicting that this latest Star Trek should do around $150 international and around $400M worldwide.

So now Star Trek's worldwide cume is $216M.

Really good news for the zesty new Star Trek franchise.



Even President Obama, frequently referenced in the media as our Vulcan president, gave the movie a good review, according to Newsweek:

And the last movie you saw?
Now, movies I’ve been doing OK [with] because it turns out we got this nice theater on the ground floor of my house … So Star Trek, we saw this weekend, which I thought was good. Everybody was saying I was Spock, so I figured I should check it out and—[the president makes the Vulcan salute with his hand].

Very good?
Yes, absolutely.

Did you watch that when you were growing up?
I used to love Star Trek. You know, Star Trek was ahead of its time. There was a whole—the special effects weren’t real good, but the storylines were always evocative, you know, there was a little commentary and a little pop philosophy for a 10-year-old to absorb.

Just one more reason I enjoy having him in the White House...

Goodbye Nurse Chapel

Majel "Nurse Chapel"-Barrett-Roddenberry passed away yesterday.

The widow of Gene Roddenberry, the creator of the influential science fiction series (Gene passed away in 1991), played Nurse Christine Chapel in 33 episodes of the original series, as well as in two of the spin-off Star Trek movies throughout the late 1970s and 1980s -- Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.



Some fun facts about her:



In the original unaired pilot for Star Trek, titled "The Cage" (which later was repurposed for the award-winning two part original Star Trek episode "The Menagerie"), she was cast as the First Officer of the Enterprise (Spock reported to her) and Jeffrey Hunter played Captain Pike (no Kirk then).



She also played Lwaxana Troi, the mother of Counselor Troi on Star Trek: The Next Generation (seen here with her husband and "Star Trek" creator, Gene Roddenberry).



She appeared as Nurse Chapel in the short-lived Star Trek: The Animated Series too.

She also provided the voice of the ship's computer on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (and all of their movies), "Deep Space Nine" and "Voyager".



So it's very cool that J.J. Abrams also brought that bit of nostalgia and detail into his upcoming "Star Trek" movie, where she also provides the voice of the computer on the new iMac Enterprise.



Which, if all of the Star Trek worlds collided (hmmm...there's a movie idea), she would be on board the USS Enterprise as the First Officer, Nurse Chapel and the voice of the ship's computer.

She'd be a triple threat!

But for now...she will just be missed dearly.

Grace Lee Whitney

Very sad news over the weekend...

Grace Lee Whitney, best known as Yeoman Janice Rand in the original Star Trek series, died on May 1 at her home in Coarsegold, Calif. She was 85. 





Whitney was fired at the end of Star Trek‘s first season, but she went on to reprise her role as Janice in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. 



She also guest-starred in a 1996 episode of Star Trek: Voyager that commemorated the 30th anniversary of the franchise.

It was always nice to see her pop up in the various Star Trek films and TV shows over the years.

She will be missed.

I boldly went...

The new "Star Trek" movie was even better than I had hoped.

Whew!

My friend Andrew took me to a special screening of the movie last night on the Paramount lot. As much as I've tried to talk myself into having low expectations (so I wouldn't be disappointed if it was bad), my hopes were pretty high as I sat down in my comfy seat.

Don't worry...I'm going to keep this review very general so that it doesn't spoil any of the many surprises and twists in the film.



That being said....here are some of my general thoughts.

Overall, it is certainly the best produced "Star Trek" film ever. The effects were top-notch, the sets were great, the action was pretty much non-stop, the soundtrack was epic and each of the actors did a great job playing well-known characters without doing hokey caricatures of the original actors who played the roles.

Even if you've never been a "Star Trek" fan, but like a good action/sci-fi movie, I think you'll really enjoy the film.



Chris Pine, Zarchary Quinto and Karl Urban really do a nice job with their characters Kirk, Spock and McCoy. Seeing them all meet for the first time and, over the course of the movie, begin to get to know each other and build the strong bond that we all remember and love was a lot of fun.



It was also refreshing to see the supporting characters get much more screentime than they've ever received in past movies or the original TV show. Uhura, with her ear-piece in place, gets far more to do than just toss out a "Hailing frenquencies open" now and then.



Even watching a very young (he's 17 in the film) Checkov wrestling with his English dialect and actually looking Russian (unlike the original with his Monkees haircut) was enjoyable.



And, as the villan Nero, Eric Bana is unrecognizeable and quite effective as a sullen skull-tattoo'd Romulan seeking vengence against the Federation and, specifically, Spock. He's not as theatrical as Ricardo Montalban's "Kahn", but he's definitely got his moments.

Plus, the inclusion of Leonard Nimoy's Spock into the story really ties the original series and the new movie reality together nicely. Does it feel a bit convenient? A little, but you can forgive it because of the greater storyline possibilities for future Star Trek movies that it creates.



The most difficult part of the movie, for me, was...when it was over.

Other than my friend Andrew (who is not a Star Trek fan at all, but really enjoyed the movie...a good sign for all of you non-Trekkies out there), I had no one to discuss it with. My excitement and enthusiasm was bursting and it took all of my strength and restraint to not just call a friend and spoil the whole movie for them by spewing every miniscule detail, surprise and plotpoint that I had just experienced.

But, I didn't.



Bottom line...

If you've always been a fan (die-hard or casual) of the original series or any of the series that followed....you should really enjoy it.

If you've never really watched "Star Trek", but usually love a good action/adventure/sci-fi blockbuster....then you should also enjoy it.

If you hate "Star Trek" and/or anything Science Fiction related, then, although I think you could still enjoy it, you probably weren't planning to see it anyway.

If that's you, then I'm sure Matthew McConaughey will be thankful that you and four other people opted to see his film "The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" instead.

Being a new Dad...he definitely needs money for diapers and tanning lotion.

Star Trek opening night

I went to the midnight show of "Star Trek" with friends last night and, although there were a few people dressed up in costume...there certainly weren't near as many as they have had in Star Trek opening nights past.





However, the people that did get decked out weren't freaky and, surprisingly, I saw a few really cute couples who seemed to just be out to have fun together and enjoy the overall experience.

I like that.





I think those two should have gotten together.

As expected, the show was sold out and the line at the concession stand was packed and moving at a snail's pace. As with any opening night, you could feel the high energy and excitement in the air. Everyone was given a free T-shirt (free is always in my budget) and a Star Trek branded iPhone cover, so that was enjoyable.

The theater also had some of the costumes on display in the lobby. Joel was happy to see that quality leather shoes were still available in the future.



We all really enjoyed the movie (even with the high pitched woman cackling behind us throughout the film who came close to getting a fresh can of Oscar Whoopass opened on her at several points) and, overall, the crowd reaction was crazy positive. This was the second viewing for me and I enjoyed it just as much, if not more, than the first time I saw it.

It made $7 million just last night...so I'm curious to see how it does overall this weekend. It's a movie that non-Trek people really seem to like too, so I'm hoping that word spreads around and it does much better than other Star Trek movies have done in the past (only one of them, Star Trek IV: Voyage Home" broke $100 million here in the states).

If any of you see it (and I highly recommend you do), let me know what you thought!

Oh, MY

It turns out that Star Trek Beyond has boldly gone where no Star Trek has ever gone before by revealing that Mr. Sulu (in the new timeline) is gay...

One of the “Star Trek” universe’s most beloved characters is revealed to be gay in the latest installment of the iconic franchise.

John Cho tells Australia’s Herald Sun that his character, Hikaru Sulu, will have a same-sex partner, with whom he is raising a daughter, in “Star Trek Beyond,” which hits theaters July 22.

The 44-year-old actor said that he approved of the way his character’s sexuality will be handled in the film, in that writer Simon Pegg and director Justin Lin opted not to make it a major plot point. “I liked the approach, which was not to make a big thing out it, which is where I hope we are going as a species, to not politicize one’s personal orientations,” he said.

 Lin and Pegg’s decision to depict Sulu as a gay man was a nod to George Takei, who played the role in the original 1960s “Star Trek” television series and in six subsequent films, Cho said. Takei, 79, came out as gay in 2005, and has since gone on to become an outspoken advocate for LGBT rights.

You'd think George Takei, who is openly gay, would be happy about that. But, surprisingly, he was "disappointed".



He wasn’t cheering that the character he originated would bare his sexual preference, calling it “really unfortunate,” and saying that it wasn’t true to creator Gene Roddenberry’s vision for the character, and that the current filmmakers did not heed his concerns when he encouraged them to create a new character.

When I first read his response, I was surprised, yet understood. His character was straight. The actor playing him was not.

However, I started thinking that, since they are in an alternate timeline, his character could, realistically, be different (as many of the characters and their backgrounds are from the original series) in many ways.

So, as much as I enjoy George Takei (and he is enjoyable), I didn't actually think it was a bad idea.



Then, Simon Pegg, who plays Scotty and helped write the film's script, replied that he was also disappointed...with George Takei's response to the announcement.

“[Director] Justin Lin, [co-writer] Doug Jung and I loved the idea of [the gay character] being someone we already knew because the audience have a pre-existing opinion of that character as a human being, unaffected by any prejudice,” he said. “Their sexual orientation is just one of many personal aspects, not the defining characteristic. Also, the audience would infer that there has been an LGBT presence in the Trek universe from the beginning (at least in the Kelvin timeline), that a gay hero isn’t something new or strange.

“We could have introduced a new gay character, but he or she would have been primarily defined by their sexuality, seen as the ‘gay character’, rather than simply for who they are, and isn’t that tokenism?”

And, I kind of agree with Simon Pegg...if they had just created a a new gay character into the movie randomly, he/she would have likely gotten very little screen time (since many of the "regulars" barely get enough time as it is, especially Sulu) and it would have felt "forced" and then, likely, forgotten.

Then Zachary Quinto, who is also gay and plays Spock, responded with his disappointment as well.



“As a member of the LGBT community myself, I was disappointed by the fact that George was disappointed.” 

 He added: “I get it. He has had his own personal journey and has his own personal relationship with this character, but, you know, as we established in the first Star Trek film in 2009, we’ve created an alternate universe,” Quinto said. “And my hope is that eventually George can be strengthened by the enormously positive response from especially young people who are heartened by and inspired by this really tasteful and beautiful portrayal of something that I think is gaining acceptance and inclusion in our societies across the world, and should be.”

And I agree with him too.

So, at the end of the day, I'm totally fine with it.

Sulu is gay in this new universe.

I just want them to release the damn movie already!

Fan-tastic

The new voyages of the old Starship Enterprise...

There are certainly many fans of the original "Star Trek" TV show still out there writing fan fiction, attending conventions and, for some, actually creating new episodes of the show with remarkable accuracy.

One of the best is "Star Trek: New Voyages". They write and film new episodes that take place as if the original "Star Trek" continued on into a fourth season. Through private funding, they've done an amazing job of recreating, in full, the original sets...right down to the lighting and sound effects. The bridge set looks exactly like it did in 1966.





They've also recreated the transporter room, sickbay, crew quarters and more.

Although they have recast the original characters with younger actors, they have managed to get many original series actors to guest-star on episodes. They've had George "Sulu" Takei, Walter "Chekov" Koenig, Denise "Tasha Yar" Crosby, and even got Marjel "Nurse Chapel" Barret-Roddenberry to voice the computer voice (as she did for all of the "Star Trek" series and movies over the years.



It's a pretty amazing accomplishment, considering they can't sell DVDs or make any kind of money off of their productions (Paramount licensing issues). They may not win any awards for acting, but their episodes have better special effects and editing than the original show, so they are certainly worth watching, if nothing else, just to take a little step back in TV time.



Their latest episode, "Blood and Fire", was actually based on a "Star Trek: Next Generation" series script by David Gerrold (he wrote the "Trouble with Tribbles" episode of the original show). It also features Captain Kirk's nephew, Peter, who also just happens to be gay and has a boyfriend serving on the Enterprise.

According to AfterElton.com, at the time (the 80's) the network decided that this kind of storyline was too risky ("shocking"), so it was scrapped. But, all these years later, Mr Gerrold brought it to the New Voyages people, Carlos Pedraza reworked it (see his comment at the end of this blog) and they filmed it. Here is a sneak peek...



Pretty good job for a group of everyday people who do this just for the fun of it.

With the new "Star Trek" movie coming out in May...I have a feeling that these kinds of fan films might just be the tip of the iceberg for what's to come.

She keeps on Trekkin'

Great news today for Star Trek: Discovery fans...

CBS All Access has officially signed Michelle Yeoh to star in her own, so-far-untitled Star Trek series. “I’m so excited to continue telling these rich ‘Star Trek’ stories,” Yeoh said in a statement. “Being a part of this universe and this character specifically has been such a joy for me to play. I can’t wait to see where it all goes – certainly I believe it will go ‘where no WOMAN has ever gone before!’” 

The show—written by Bo Yeon Kim and Erika Lippoldt—won’t focus on Yeoh’s Star Trek: Discovery character Phillipa Georgiou, the noble Starfleet Captain we met at the beginning of the series; instead, she’ll get to dive further into the version of Georgiou from the Mirror Universe, former Emperor of the evil Terran Empire, who found herself brought over to Star Trek’s primary timeline in the back half of Discovery’s debut season. 

That means that aside from exploring this much more villainous interpretation of Georgiou, the series will dive into the character’s time as a recruit of Section 31: the shadowy Federation black-ops group first introduced in Deep Space Nine as a hidden branch of Starfleet tasked with doing the dirty work needed to maintain the Federation’s lofty utopian ideals.

She did a great job on the first season of the show and is set to recur on the second season, which starts airing this Thursday January 17th.

I look forward to watching the DVDs of these series when they become available (because I still refuse to pay for CBS All Access just to watch Star Trek).

Star Trek World Premiere

The world premiere screening of the new Star Trek movie was "officially" last night in Sydney, Australia at the famous Opera House.

However, there was a surprise in Austin, Texas yesterday at the Fantastic Fest Star Trek convention going on there. Fans were told that there would be a special 10 minute screening of footage from the new Star Trek movie after their showing of the original "Star Trek: Wrath of Kahn" viewing. However, that all changed....



Two minutes in to the showing of TWOK, the film appeared to have ‘melted’ and the guys came back out on the stage and appeared to be stalling for time while the film was fixed…and then, wearing a ball cap, Leonard Nimoy came out in front of the audience holding a film can.

Nimoy noted to the crowd that it just didn’t seem fair that people in Australia were the first to see the film and asked them "wouldn’t you rather see the new movie?" And apparently the crowd went wild. After that they showed the entire new Star Trek movie.

So, it looks like fans in Austin got to see the world premiere a little earlier and with the original Mr. Spock.

Lucky bastards!



Meanwhile, back in Sydney, the premiere event seemed to go off without a hitch. JJ Abrams (director), Zarchary Qunto (Spock), Chris Pine (Kirk), Eric Bana (Nero), John Cho (Sulu), and Karl Urban (McCoy) were all in attendance.









From what I've read so far (and I'm trying to avoid reading any spoilers), the feedback has been very positive, which is nice to hear.

I'm sure, like all blockbusters, there will be reviewers out there who already hate the movie before even seeing it. It's par for the course in the entertainment world. The hardest part for me will be to avoid reading the reviews (good or bad) as they start hitting the internet today.

I want to be able to go into the film and be surprised.



So, I'm still going to be there opening night and no ass-hat with a Debby-Downer review is gonna stop me!

These are the voyages...

Very exciting Star Trek news announced today...a new TV series is being created!

Prolific producer Alex Kurtzman is developing a new take on the beloved sci-fi classic for TV. The new Star Trek has been picked up straight to series at CBS, with the premiere slated for the network in January 2017. Subsequent episodes will air on its digital and VOD platform, CBS All Access. 

The premiere and all subsequent episodes will then be available in the U.S. on CBS All Access, the network’s digital subscription video on demand and live streaming service. Star Trek marks the first original series developed specifically for CBS All Access. 

“We’ve experienced terrific growth for CBS All Access, expanding the service across affiliates and devices in a very short time. We now have an incredible opportunity to accelerate this growth with the iconic Star Trek, and its devoted and passionate fan base, as our first original series.”

The new Star Trek will introduce new characters seeking imaginative new worlds and new civilizations, while exploring the dramatic contemporary themes that have been a signature of the franchise since its inception in 1966. 

It'll be nice to finally have a new version of Star Trek available on TV again (although I'm not thrilled with having to pay to watch it).

Enjoyable!

Things that make you go...

Spock's expression kind of sums up how I felt after I got done watching Star Trek Into Darkness last night.

Perplexed. Conflicted. Excited. Disappointed. Bueller.

As most of you know, I loved the 2009 movie.

LOVED it!

So, I think I went into this one with my expectations a bit too high for the sequel to realistically satisfy, no matter how hard it tried.

That being said, I don't want to spoil anything (since most people will start seeing it this weekend). So, I'll keep this short...

I feel like the 2009 movie was great and "Into Darkness" is...good. It's like how I felt after seeing "Search for Spock" after the previous awesomeness that was "Wrath of Kahn".

Into Darkness has great action, visuals, and the characters are still developing nicely into real emotional people you can relate to, which is nice.

However, this film doesn't "grab you" like the previous one and, because of some of the questionable story choices, you just aren't as engrossed or surprised by what happens as the film wraps up.



So...if you loved or even liked the 2009 movie, you will likely enjoy this one too.

If you're a die-hard Star Trek fan with mixed feelings about the 2009 movie, you'll likely not be satisfied with this one.

If you hated the 2009 movie, you will likely hate this one too.

Honestly, I think that the people who will enjoy it the most are the people who really never watched or cared about Star Trek at all. They have no preconceived notions or expectations.

That being said, other than my feeling that they tried too hard to integrate familiar Star Trek references/storylines into this movie, it is still a really fun action movie with some great performances and "she can't take much more, Captain!" fun.

So...if you're going to go see it (and I recommend that you do), keep your expectations in check, get some popcorn, a giant beverage, and just relax and have a good time.

Speaking of a good time, watch this Honest Trailer for Star Trek 2009. It's very entertaining...



As is THIS funny Everything Wrong with Star Trek 2009 in Five Minutes...



I love that movie, but both of those videos made me laugh a lot.

Enjoy!

Still Kicking and Stretching

Exactly 50 years ago, today, the very first episode of Star Trek premiered on television and, all these years later, the brand is still growing and going stronger as time moves forward.

From i09...

Star Trek has had many incarnations over the years—there have been six television shows, 726 total episodes, 13 movies, and one reboot—but its primary mission has stayed the same. The result is a series that won countless awards (31 Emmys!) but has also fostered a massive fandom that includes actors, politicians, and more. It’s a show that created and made famous many of the tropes that science fiction uses all the time now. It’s a series so influential that an actual spacecraft was named after the fictional starship Enterprise. Scientists have spent years working to turn the fake technology seen in the series into a reality. 



It seems impossible now, but back in 1966, the original Star Trek was not an easy sell—it had two pilots and a major cast change before going on the air—and it was canceled after three seasons, due to low ratings. But thanks to syndication, a loyal fandom arose, one that has only grown over the last five decades. Now it’s an institution. And it’s an institution that will continue, as the series finally returns to TV next year with Bryan Fuller’s highly anticipated Star Trek: Discovery.

Happy Anniversary, Star Trek!!



May you still be as popular (and flexible) over the next 50 years.

Live Long and Prosper.