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General Order 24: What Was Starfleet Thinking? Command served as the iron fist in a velvet glove
One of the more interesting — and seldom mentioned — aspects of the Star Trek universe is General Order 24, the code name the Federation has for annihilating all life on a planet. Huh? The Federation as shown in Star Trek is one of peace and harmony, an organization trying to unite the galaxy. Yet in at least two separate episodes of the original series, this order is mentioned — and indeed seems to have been close to being carried out. Yup, in “A Taste of Armageddon,” Kirk and crew encounter a planetary system that has been at war for hundreds of years, yet the violence …

JOHN VINCENT | Jul-13-2015 |

A Misunderstanding … And Bad Journalism? When should reporters ask questions? When something doesn’t ring correct
This really was something I went back and forth on addressing. I actually started to write this very column yesterday, but most of the way through felt it was too much “inside baseball” into the world of journalism and really wouldn’t be all that interesting to readers. Plus, I really felt the story I was going to talk about would not get any traction anywhere. I mean, sure, maybe one reporter was not able or willing to ask the right questions, or appropriately screen an implausible story from a plausible one. Others — like my good friend Terilynn Shull of the popular G&T; Show …

MICHAEL HINMAN | Jun-20-2015 |

10 Years, And Still No Trek On TV But then again, Michael Hinman isn’t saying that’s necessarily a bad thing
If you’re at least as old as I am, you likely remember when Star Trek returned to television for the first time in 13 years (yeah, we’re counting “Star Trek: The Animated Series”). I remember being so worried, at the age of 11, that Star Trek series could only boldly go for three years. To me, I would be 14 and without new Star Trek again, and I really liked Capt. Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise-D. But as we all know, it was far more than three years. Try 18 years … and sometimes, much longer than maybe it should’ve been. What would become four television …

MICHAEL HINMAN | May-26-2015 |

Nimoy Served As Hero To Millions Of Dreamers Actor brought remarkable dimension to Spock role
It has been over a month now since Leonard Nimoy passed to the Great Beyond, and it’s still difficult to accept that Spock is gone. In the days and weeks that passed, it became apparent that it was not only Star Trek fans and those who worked on the show who mourned his passing, but veritably the whole world. And with good reason. Nimoy was the first — and still perhaps the only — actor to become a sex symbol for playing an alien. That the alien he played had pointed ears, pale skin and green blood made that phenomenon even more unlikely — except to those who watched the or …

JOHN VINCENT | Apr-15-2015 |

‘The City On The Edge Of Forever’ Entices Again Graphic novel creates something new from something classic
The classic Star Trek episode “The City on the Edge of Forever” remains one of the most iconic episodes when fans recollect their list of favorites. There are many reasons why: greater insight into the nature of Spock and Kirk’s relationship, the appearance of one of Joan Collins’ earliest television roles and that legendary science-fiction author Harlan Ellison wrote the original script. However, what Ellison originally wrote was not exactly what was broadcast. IDW Publishing has rectified this oversight by reproducing the teleplay as it was originally intended in an incredi …

JOHN KIRK | Mar-18-2015 |

Was Shatner Wrong To Miss Nimoy’s Funeral? After all the dust settles, people should be allowed to grieve in their own way
My dad and I have always shared a love of Star Trek. I mean, it was his watching of the original “Star Trek” series when I was a young kid that got me into the show, and made me wait anxiously all summer long in 1987 for the premiere of “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” As a toddler, my dad even put me in a high chair where I thought I was going to eat something, but instead pulled out his home movie camera and strapped a Mr. Spock mask to my face, trying to see what I was going to do. The moment I decided to scratch my face but scratched the mask instead would be comedy home …

MICHAEL HINMAN | Mar-2-2015 |

Remembering Leonard Nimoy, And The Difference He Made ‘It’s amazing how someone who plays someone so unemotional, stirs the deepest emotions in all of us’
I was so frustrated this morning, digging through a box of mementos that I keep in a corner of my closet. I found copies of newspapers from around Sept. 11, 2001, stacked with local newspaper coverage of my sale of the SyFy brand to NBC Universal, a copy of the script of the Star Trek movie that never was, to even the one time in my life I was quoted in the Washington Post about a decade ago. But I couldn’t find what I was really looking for — a student newspaper, from the University of South Florida here in Tampa where I live, from 1996. I am not even mentioned in the …

MICHAEL HINMAN | Feb-28-2015 |

Celebrating A Great Achievement By Gene, Majel Oh, and a happy birthday to Rod Roddenberry, too!
It’s funny … the first time I had a chance to interact with Rod Roddenberry, probably 15 years ago now, I didn’t even realize Gene Roddenberry had a son. It’s not that I didn’t know. I mean, I remember when Gene got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, he introduced his son, and I remember this small blond kid joining his dad at his side, and I remembered being a little jealous because I thought that kid got to see all the Star Trek movies before the rest of us. But Rod was out there, and as the Internet was finding its footing, so was he. Back then, he had a site ca …

MICHAEL HINMAN | Feb-5-2015 |

Laugh Long And Prosper With ‘The Holodeck Follies’ Toronto improvisational comedy troupe offers monthly performance
If you like Star Trek and improvised comedy, and if you are looking for something to do in Toronto in the middle of the week, then “The Holodeck Follies” might be the thing you need to seek out new comedy and boldly go where others have laughed before. Created and produced by the improvisational comedy troupe The Dandies (Dale Wells and Andie Leathley), “The Holodeck Follies” usually include a typical Trek-adventure theme. This improvisational comedy show will delight Trekkies and non-Trekkies alike. There are plenty of musical interludes for all to enjoy, including a wond …

JOHN KIRK | Jan-27-2015 |

‘Star Trek’ Meets ‘Planet Of The Apes’ In Enjoyable Comic IDW, BOOM! Studios team for ‘The Primate Directive’
This is a mash-up that has to be seen to be believed. And enjoyed. A collaboration between IDW and BOOM! Studios, “Star Trek – Planet of the Apes: The Primate Directive” is a return to classic “The Original Series” adventuring with a twist as the crew of the Enterprise visit the alternate Earth of the Planet of the Apes. Without giving too much away, the USS Enterprise is called upon to investigate Klingon clandestine activities that may threaten the Organian Peace Treaty. What they discover sets them up for one of the strangest sci-fi mash-ups conceived. Oddly enough …

JOHN KIRK | Jan-13-2015 |

‘The Voyage Home’ Soundtrack Inspires Holiday Memories Leonard Rosenman’s main title remains an optimistic surprise
Well it’s the holiday season once again, which means holiday music! On the radio, on TV, in the malls and department stores‚ lots of “Holly Jolly Christmas” (Burl Ives’ voice just resonates with nostalgia), “Frosty the Snowman” and endless replays of “Feliz Navidad” (Jose Feliciano must rake in the royalties this time of year). But my yuletide playlist includes some very unconventional titles. One of my fondest holiday memories from childhood was seeing “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” at Christmas time 1979 with my older cousins. Despite the movie’s shortcomings (its length …

DOUGLAS SNAUFFER | Dec-15-2014 |

Photonovels Recapture ‘Star Trek’ Magic Comic artist John Byrne creates new original series stories
Remember the “Star Trek: The Original Series” photonovels from the late 70s? Originally published by Bantam Books (in conjunction with Mandala Productions), they were a collection of paperbacks that retailed for about $5 and graced drugstore book racks and spinners across North America. They were essentially photographs of the original series, organized and summarized into a comic structure, complete with speech balloons and text boxes. They were great. If you grew up in the ’70s and ’80s, you probably remember seeing them. In fact, pre-VCR technology, this was a great way to …

JOHN KIRK | Dec-8-2014 |

One Fan To Orci: Here’s How To Make Star Trek Great Again It’s time to really take the franchise back to its roots
It’s exciting to me to see Star Trek become a box office success again, and we have to thank J.J. Abrams and his crew for injecting new life in the franchise. But now J.J. is gone, working on some other obscure science-fiction empire, and Roberto Orci is going to try his hand at directing for the first time. I know there is some concern about allowing a rookie to take over the director’s chair, but I’m not worried. I’ve had a chance to hear firsthand some of the thought process that goes through Orci’s mind, and while not everything he touches turns to gold — you still can …

MICHAEL HINMAN | Dec-3-2014 |

‘Star Trek: Attack Wing’ Offers Engaging Gaming Challenge Test your mettle as a starship commander in Gene Roddenberry’s universe
Tell the truth: Haven’t you dreamed of commanding a starship? Does the thought of maneuvering a Constitution-class heavy cruiser into combat against the enemies of the Federation make you want to quiver like a tribble with a stomach full of quadrotriticale? If so, then you need to check this game out and prepare to shout “engage” in an English accent after every die roll. “Star Trek: Attack Wing” is a combined effort from two great gaming companies: WizKids, known for its incredible miniature models in the superhero game “Heroclix”; and Fantasy Flight Games, which created the …

JOHN KIRK | Nov-3-2014 |

‘Star Trek 3’ Genesis Shows Promise Douglas Snauffer joins 1701News and looks at Roberto Orci’s developing sequel
According to actor Zachary Quinto, filming of “Star Trek 3” is slated to begin sometime in the next six months. That update by Quinto, who plays Spock in the rebooted sci-fi franchise, doesn’t pin down a precise date, but it’s a safe bet that cast and crew should be well ensconced in production by early spring. The film, which is scheduled for release in 2016, will be the directorial debut of screenwriter Roberto Orci, who co-wrote the script with John D. Payne and Patrick McKay. Orci has already announced that he plans to take the crew of the starship Enterprise where no ma …

DOUGLAS SNAUFFER | Sep-25-2014 |