By Carl Slaughter: (1) Things about Star Trek you probably missed. “11 nifty little visual details you never noticed in ‘Star Trek'” from MeTV.
Star Trek: The Original Series presented an entirely unique world to dazzled audiences in the 1960s. Each week, we discovered new aliens, distant green planets, future technology and the complex workings of the Federation.
Naturally, this meant a ton of props and sets had to be built, for not very much money. The production crew did a brilliant job, led by creative whizzes like set designer and art director Walter M. Jefferies. The production could turn garbage into gold — literally, they would sometimes dig through the trash at Desilu Studios for discarded materials to repurpose.
You can spot lots of clever little details if you know where to look. The crew even hid some little in-jokes to amuse themselves. Here are some of our favorites.
(2) Minor Star Trek set goofs. “10 minor goofs you never noticed in ‘Star Trek'”
Still, some errors inevitably made it onto the screen. There was no hiding the stunt doubles with computer technology, and the shadow of the boom microphone appears in too many shots to list here. Here are 10 of our favorite minor mistakes. In a way, they somehow make the entire series more impressive, once you realize the materials they were working with.
(3) Star Trek color quiz. “How well do you remember the colors of ‘Star Trek’?”
Let’s start off easy. What color is Spock’s uniform?
(4) Khan trivia. “11 things you never knew about Khan, the greatest ‘Star Trek’ villain”.
The character was originally meant for ‘Captain Video and His Video Rangers.’
“Space Seed” co-writer and story creator Carey Wilber dreamt up the plot years earlier for Captain Video, a pioneering, low-budget sci-fi show from the early 1950s. There were some major differences, however, as the original narrative involved Ancient Greeks with mythological powers awakening from cryogenic suspension in outer space.
(5) The Next Generation. ScreenRant is ready to reveal “15 Things You Never Knew About Data”.
- Data Has Beaten Wolverine In A Fight
There have been several comic books and novels released over the years that have crossed the X-Men over with the cast of Star Trek
In the comic series Second Contact, the crew from Star Trek: The Next Generation are sent back in time by Kang the Conqueror and arrive on Earth during the time when the X-Men are active. Data and Geordi are sent to infiltrate the X-Men’s mansion, where they run afoul of Wolverine. Data grabs Wolverine by the shoulder and throws him across the room like it’s no big thing. Colossus enters the room, only to have one of his punches stopped in its tracks by Data.
This wasn’t the first time that Wolverine jobbed out to a Starfleet officer. In Star Trek/X-Men, Mr. Spock would take out an angry Wolverine with the Vulcan nerve pinch. It seems that a healing factor and an adamantium-coated skeleton weren’t enough to stop Mr. Spock.
(6) When Sulu blew a gasket. “6 Times Sulu Lost It…Or Almost Did”.
While stoic in his own way, Sulu has his fair share of craziness in Star Trek: The Original Series. Traditionally, Hikaru Sulu is the unflappably cool guy with a good head on his shoulders, a close second to the logic-driven Spock. However, Sulu is human like all of us. And like all of us, he has his breakdowns, has strayed off the beaten path, and has gotten downright angry. These incidences are usually under the guise of alien mind control, but still.
Here are six moments where Sulu’s cool-guy veneer shattered.
(7) Kirk, the smooching starship captain. “Watch all of Captain Kirk’s captivating kisses on ‘Star Trek'”.
James T. Kirk certainly had more than a few romantic interests over the course of Star Trek‘s three seasons. His title may be captain, but he was the Casanova aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise. The captain kisses almost every woman he comes in contact with, regardless of whether they were from a different planet or even a fellow commander.
(8) Star Trek opinion survey. “How popular are your ‘Star Trek’ opinions?”
Star Trek, like all science fiction franchises with a rabid fan base, is the cause of many friendly debates. What is the greatest episode? Who the greatest captain? Klingons or Romulans?
Well, we’re here to tally your opinions on Star Trek: The Original Series. Answer these questions and see how your responses stack up against other Trekkies.
(9) Star Trek fan incomes. “More people prefer Star Wars, but Star Trek fans make more money”.
Last month, PayScale Human Capital polled 4,308 people. The survey asked a simple question: “Do you prefer Star Wars or Star Trek?” PayScale being a business concerned with income, it also gathered data on the salaries of those who participated. Tapping its database of more than 50 million individual salary profiles, PayScale released its findings on Star Wars Day yesterday, May the Fourth. The results are pretty fascinating.
46% of those surveyed prefered Star Wars.
14% percent prefered Star Trek.
Okay, Trekkies, you’re losing that battle like the Bajorans in the Kendra Valley Massacre. 14% also asked, “What’s the difference?” An equal percentage said, “I love them both,” while 12% declared, “I hate them both.” Well then.
However, Trek lovers do have one major bragging right — Trekkies make more money.
(10) Survey Says. “Star Wars Or Star Trek, The Fans Have Spoken [Infographic]”
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Just four more years…
When I managed the Fort Collins Comic Center (’75–’76), I could count on our Trek merchandise making money. I used to wear my “STAMP OUT STAR TREK” button in the store just to cue earnest debate with my young customers. (Lovely lads. Found out later they were all stealing from the store. I was so clueless, they thought I was purposely letting them get away with it.) Chuck, the boss, once remarked that you could sell used sheets of toilet tissue if you said Spock had wiped with them.
From time to time, I’d borrow my sister’s little TV set and have it going in the store so the customers could enjoy a special episode, like “The Way to Eden.” SPACE HIPPIES! I REACH, BROTHER!
Jolly times. Of course we had high hopes for the first movie, and when it came out, we all found things we liked about it.
CLICK ME UP, SCOTTY
@2: “Los Angeles can be seen off in the distance in the smog.” Somebody wasn’t paying attention; I remember the Universal Studios tour (1971 — when there were more real sets and less stuff faked up for tourists), the guide’s spiel included the first rule for extras playing Indians: “charge down this side of the hill so we don’t see the 20th-century in the background.”
Kip, re: Spock-used toilet paper. One of the best scenes on the Big Bang Theory from one of its first seasons (spoiler coming up for an at least 8 years ago episode….)
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….had Sheldon gifted with a napkin signed by Leonard Nimoy. At first he’s just extremely happy, but he goes to ecstatic when told Nimoy had wiped his mouth with the napkin. He exclaims that all he needs is a host mother and he can clone his own Leonard Nimoy.
Chip Hitchcock on May 14, 2017 at 8:34 am said:
The northwest San Fernando Valley, at that. Filmed from, I’d guess, the former Iverson ranch, west of Stony Point. (Or even at Stony Point. Currently a park, favored by rockclimbers, for obvious reasons. A couple of miles from where I live, actually.)
Tom Galloway: Sounds plausible to me!
Sometimes in telling someone about the assertion, I’d change it to a Q-Tip (know your audience!), which was inspired by MAD Magazine’s parody of 16 Magazine, which offered a used Leonard Nimoy Q-Tip (with a pointy dab of earwax on it) as a prize in a drawing.
This is good timing–we’re just embarking on a family rewatch of Trek on Netflix! (Most of us have seen the episodes at least once, but one of the viewers has only seen NextGen in its entirety.) I will definitely have to look for Mayberry in a few weeks’ time.