• These Are The Voyages: 50 Years of Star Trek

    September 8, 2016 - By 

    In June 1969, US television viewers were treated to the unforgettable spectacle of William Shatner portraying a woman inhabiting his body. The final episode of Star Trek, ‘Turnabout Intruder’, featured Captain Kirk and his crew struggling to defeat a mentally unstable woman who had captured his body, planning to take over the USS Enterprise, and wreak havoc upon all and sundry. Shatner, never the most… subtle… of performers, threw himself into the role, straining to capture the full spectrum of emotions of a woman, trapped in a man’s body. Like I say, the results are pretty spectacular, for all the…

  • Star Trek Beyond

    July 23, 2016 - By 

    With Star Wars dominating the cultural agenda again, it’s been uncertain times for Star Trek fans. Whereas George Lucas’ space saga has always been a perennial favourite, tapping into subsequent generations, and always being somehow cool, Trek has never been particularly fashionable, with its themes of philosophy, exploration, and understanding seeming fairly lumpy and worthy in the face of Jedi mysticism, lightsaber duels, and space dogfights. JJ Abrams’ 2009 reboot upped the excitement factor, ushered in a younger crew, and tapped into a new audience, but along the way, alienated a legion of older fans who felt that the essence…

  • “He’s Really Not Dead, As Long As We Remember Him.” Leonard Nimoy (1931-2015)

    February 27, 2015 - By 

    Leonard Nimoy’s first autobiography, published in 1975, was titled I am Not Spock, the actor having been pigeonholed to some extent as the Vulcan scientist from Star Trek. His follow up, published 20 years later, was called I am Spock. In those intervening years, the man himself had come to realise what a potent cultural symbol he had become, and seemed to have reconciled himself to it. As we look back in the aftermath of his passing, it’s certainly apparent that being Spock was no bad thing.The Boston born actor had a long, if unspectacular career in television and film before his…