JJ Abrams’ Star Trek sequel has a release date

Here's some welcome news to kick off the week. Given that many of us have now devoured the film numerous times on disc, questions have inevitably been raised about when we can expect to see Star Trek 2/12/whatever you want to call it. And it seems that Paramount Pictures has now answered that question.

The studio has earmarked June 29th 2012 as the day for the next Star Trek movie, making first claim on that summer's big release dates. There was early speculation that a sequel may be turned around in two years rather than three (the former being the pattern that the Iron Man and Transformers films appear to be following), but it soon became clear that that would be a fairly big ask.

As such, we've got to wait another couple of years yet, but at least we know what date to ring in our diaries.

Star Trek: Season Three goes Blu in December

Paramount Home Entertainment has just added a Blu-Ray Disc set of Star Trek: The Original Series: Season Three to their line-up, bringing the show’s final season to high definition in December.

Space. The Final Frontier. The U.S.S. Enterprise embarks on a five year mission to explore the galaxy. The Enterprise is under the command of Captain James T. Kirk. The First Officer is Mr. Spock, from the planet Vulcan. The Chief Medical Officer is Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy. With a determined crew, the Enterprise encounters Klingons, Romulans, time paradoxes, tribbles and genetic supermen lead by Khan Noonian Singh. Their mission is to explore strange new worlds, to seek new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.

In addition to presenting the show in 1080p high definition with a DTS 7.1 HD Master Audio language track, the set will once again be filled with bonus materials. Lookf or part 3 of Billy Blackburn’s Treasure chest, as well as the Unaired Alternate Pilot Episode for “Where No Fan Has Gone Before.” Further you will find numerous Featurettes on the release, including “Life Beyond Trek: Walter Koenig,” “"The Anthropology of Star Trek" ComiCon Panel 2009”, “Chief Engineer's Log • Other: "The World of Rod Roddenberry" ComiCon 2009,” “Memoir From Mr. Sulu,” “Captain's Log: Bob Justman,” and others. Further the disc set will contain Trailers and Collectible Trek and more.

“Star Trek: The Original Series: Season Three” will be in stores on December 3 for $129.99.

A Whole Lot of Trek

With the latest Star Trek film still doing very well in theatres, a new bit of information is coming on Star Trek's past. Rod Roddenberry - son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry has secured over 500 hours of behind the scenes materials from various Star Trek incarnations. Yes, 500 hours.

The materials range from interviews and behind the scenes documentaries down to quick bumpers and tidbits recorded for various promotional purposes. All the footage comes from the 1980's through the present so it contains materials from Star Trek: The Next Generation through Enterprise.

Roddenberry is planning on organizing the massive collection of footage into a useable form to be released on DVD and possibly Blu-ray in the near future through Roddenberry Productions. I'm sure Star Trek fans will want to know more when details emerge.

'Star Trek' screened in space

LOS ANGELES – "Star Trek" has been beamed aboard the International Space Station.

Paramount Pictures said they transferred director J.J. Abrams' sci-fi franchise reboot to NASA's Mission Control in Houston. The movie was uplinked to the space station on Thursday.

NASA astronaut Michael Barratt watched the film on a laptop Friday inside the Unity module.

The 50-year-old astronaut said he remembered "watching the original 'Star Trek' series and, like many of my NASA co-workers, was inspired by the idea of people from all nations coming together to explore space."

'Family Guy' reunites 'Trek' crew

Science fiction and animated parody seem to go together like, uh, Captain Picard and Dr. Crusher.

OK, clumsy analogy. But seriously, what is it about sci-fi that makes it so ripe for mockery by animated comedies such as Family Guy?

"I think it's easy to mock things that take themselves too seriously," said David Goodman, the show-runner and co-executive producer of Family Guy. "Star Trek is both wonderful and pompous at the same time."

Great point. And Goodman, by the way, is a self-confessed "hardcore Trekkie," as is Family Guy creator and voiceover star Seth MacFarlane.

Anyway, in a new Family Guy episode titled Not All Dogs Go to Heaven, which airs Sunday on Global and Fox, the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation reunites in animated form.

"They all were very game," Goodman said. "Many of them already had done the show (individually). Patrick Stewart (who played Captain Picard) is sort of in the family, because he has a recurring role on American Dad and he has done Family Guy more than once.

"It was not hard at all (to convince them). They were fans of the show. They couldn't have been nicer or more game to spoof themselves. As a group, they could not have had a better sense of humour, which you don't always find with actors. A lot of actors don't like to play themselves, don't like to spoof themselves, but this group is just the opposite."

Star Trek: The Next Generation ran for seven seasons -- longer than any other Star Trek series -- from 1987 to 1994. But that's quite a long time ago.

So, Goodman was asked, why parody TNG now?

"You could ask, why did we do a Back to the Future reference last week, when the movie is (24) years old?" replied Goodman, whose show has another Star Wars parody and a Tootsie spoof in the works, too.

"Seth and I are huge fans of Star Trek and we realized that although there had been plenty of episodes in episodic television that brought back the cast of the original series -- in fact, I wrote one of them for Futurama -- nobody had reunited The Next Generation cast. And The Next Generation was a hugely popular show in its day. I think they got like 10 or 12 million viewers a week, and I think we only get like eight million.

"We aren't necessarily going to reference the most current show, although we do that (sometimes). Our stock in trade is our own memories of shows we watched when we were younger."

In Not All Dogs Go to Heaven, Stewie (voiced by MacFarlane) builds a transporter and beams the cast of The Next Generation to his bedroom so they can spend a fun-filled day together in Quahog. The guest voices from TNG belong to Stewart, LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden, Michael Dorn, Wil Wheaton, Denise Crosby, Marina Sirtis, Brent Spiner and Jonathan Frakes.

"They're all playing themselves (as opposed to their TNG characters), so we had fun playing with who they really are, and Stewie discovers what it's like to hang out with them," Goodman said. "It's the Family Guy twist on your expectations, so I'm very pleased with the surprises in the episode."

Goodman was asked what the funniest line of dialogue in the episode is. "To me the best line is what Stewie says to the (TNG) cast at the end of the episode," Goodman said.

"I'm not going to give it away. But (Stewie) didn't get to ask his question at the Star Trek convention, so he kidnaps all of them and has a little bit of a journey with them.

"His final words to them, I think, are very funny." Can't wait.

'Star Trek' pushed back to 2009

Paramount is pushing back the release of J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek" from Dec. 25 to May 8, 2009, saying the pic's gross potential is greater as a summer tentpole.

The move was part of a major reshuffling to the studio's release calendar, as well as to DreamWorks' release sked. A second key change: DreamWorks' 2008 Ben Stiller summer comedy "Tropic Thunder" is moving from July 11 to Aug. 15.

That's likely to mean that another film will take "Tropic's" old spot on July 11, particularly since there is such a dearth of broad comedies in the May-July stretch.

Like Par, many of the majors are likely to revisit their release skeds in the wake of the writers' strike as they try to balance out their 2008 and 2009 calendars.

"Star Trek" has no competition in its new slot -- at least not so far, although it opens one week after 20th Century Fox bows "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" and one week before Sony is slated to bow sequel "Angels and Demons."

Paramount also dated two titles. Martin Scorsese's Leonardo DiCaprio-starrer "Shutter Island" will be released Oct. 2, 2009.

An untitled comedy produced by Marlon and Shawn Wayans will be released on Feb. 9, 2009. Their brother Damon Wayans is directing from a script the three co-wrote with two other family members. Par is keeping the logline under wraps.

Here are the other release changes to Par's sked:

- Eddie Murphy family pic "Nowhereland" is moving from Sept. 26, 2008, to June 12, 2009.

- Renee Zellweger horror-thriller "Case 39" is moving from Aug. 22, 2008, to April 10, 2009.

- David Fincher's Brad Pitt starrer "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" is moving from Nov. 26, 2008, to Dec. 19, 2008.

In addition to the new date for "Tropic Thunder," DreamWorks and Par announced that Leonardo DiCaprio-Kate Winslet "Revolutionary Road" will be distributed by Par Vantage, and not the studio proper.

Shatner Fumes Over 'Star Trek' Snub

Actor William Shatner is furious producers of the new Star Trek movie failed to offer him a role. Shatner, who played Captain James Kirk in the original TV series and movies, is desperate for a part in the new version, directed by J.J. Abrams. And the 76-year-old is stunned he has not been offered a lead part in the upcoming film.

He tells TV's Extra, "How could you not put one of the founding figures into a movie that was being resurrected? That doesn't make good business sense to me! I've become even more popular than I was playing Captain Kirk. I'm good box office and I get publicity… But, they are going in a different direction and it'll be a wonderful film."

Shatner's Star Trek sidekick Leonard Nimoy will be the only original cast member on board for the prequel - he'll reprise his role as Mr. Spock in the film.

Canadian Greenwood to captain Enterprise in new Star Trek film

Canadian actor Bruce Greenwood is the latest team member to be joining the crew of the new Star Trek film, directed by J.J. Abrams.

Reports say the 51-year-old Greenwood will play Capt. Christopher Pike, the first commander of USS Enterprise. Actor Jeffrey Hunter originated the role in the unaired 1966 pilot of the series created by Gene Roddenberry.

Abrams (Lost, Mission: Impossible 3) has kept details of the film under wraps. Shooting is set to begin in November.

Greenwood's addition comes just as Variety reported Friday that Winona Ryder has been brought on to play the mother of a young Spock.

The Quebec-born Greenwood was recently in the HBO surfing series John From Cincinnati and has appeared in numerous television shows and films in his 25-year career including the medical drama St. Elsewhere and movies such as I'm Not There, Being Julia, Double Jeopardy and I, Robot.

The newest instalment of the film franchise will follow James T. Kirk, Spock, engineer Scotty, Uhura and Sulu just after they graduate from Starfleet Academy.

Other stars who have signed on include Zachary Quinto of the TV series Heroes as a young Spock, British comic Simon Pegg as Scotty, John Cho as Sulu, Zoe Saldana as Uhura, Anton Yelchin as a young Chekov and Chris Pine as the young Captain Kirk.

Eric Bana plays the villain Nero and Leonard Nimoy, the original Spock, is also on board.

There's still no word about beaming up William Shatner to reprise his role as Kirk. Shatner recently complained that he hadn't been invited to join the crew. Abrams has remained silent on the issue.

Shatner's Kirk not aboard for new `Trek'

LOS ANGELES - The original Capt. Kirk is disheartened he won't get to boldly go anywhere with his old pal Spock in the new "Star Trek" movie.

While Leonard Nimoy is reprising his role as the pointy-eared Vulcan in next year's science-fiction flick, William Shatner is not on board as Kirk.

"I couldn't believe it. I'm not in the movie at all. Leonard, God bless his heart, is in, but not me," Shatner, 76, told The Associated Press on Thursday. "I thought, what a decision to make, since it obviously is a decision not to make use of the popularity I have to ensure the movie has good box office. It didn't seem to be a wise business decision."

Director J.J. Abrams announced last summer that Nimoy would reprise the role he originated opposite Shatner in the 1960s television show and played again in six big-screen adventures.

Abrams said Shatner probably would have a part in the film, which is due in theaters in December 2008. But while Shatner said he had a couple of meetings with Abrams, nothing came of it.

Abrams' "Trek" film, whose plot is being kept under wraps by distributor Paramount, recounts an early adventure for the crew of the starship Enterprise, with Chris Pines as the young Kirk and Zachary Quinto as the young Spock.

The cast includes Karl Urban as Dr. McCoy, Simon Pegg as engineer Scott, John Cho as helmsman Sulu, Zoe Saldana as communications officer Uhura and Anton Yelchin as navigator Chekov, roles respectively originated by DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols and Walter Koenig.

Past "Trek" films presented an obstacle to the revival of Shatner's Kirk, who died at the end of 1994's "Star Trek: Generations."

But in science fiction, you can never truly say die. Spock was killed off in 1982's "Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan" then resurrected in 1984's "Star Trek: The Search for Spock," with Nimoy's Vulcan living on to co-star in three more films, two episodes of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and now Abrams' new movie.

"I've got a lot to do," said Shatner, whose current work includes the TV show "Boston Legal," narration for the Christmas spoof "Stalking Santa" due on DVD on Nov. 6, and the prequel "Star Trek: Academy — Collision Course," a novel chronicling Kirk and Spock's first meeting.

Shatner says of "Star Trek": "Having been in on the creation of it, I was hoping to be in on the re-creation."

Final frontier for Cho, Pegg

John Cho and Simon Pegg have boarded the Starship Enterprise.

Cho has been cast as Sulu, the Enterprise's helmsman, while Pegg has signed on to play Scotty, the ship's Scottish chief engineer, in J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek" feature for Paramount.

The "Trek" casting deals appear to be closing at warp speed this week, with Eric Bana signing on Wednesday to play the movie's villain, Nero.

Already on board are Zoe Saldana as Uhura and Anton Yelchin as a young Chekov, the Russian-born navigator, as well as Zachary Quinto as a young Spock. Leonard Nimoy, who originated the role of Spock, is on board as well. Chris Pine is in talks to play the young Kirk.

The movie is expected to shoot from November-March.

Plot details are begin kept under wraps, but it is understood that the movie chronicles the early days of the Enterprise crew. The lead roles remaining to be cast are Christopher Pike, the first captain of the Enterprise, and Kirk's parents.

Montgomery "Scotty" Scott was the ship's third-in-command and was known for his problem-solving abilities in plot-critical situations. The role was originated by the late James Doohan.

Lt. Hikaru Sulu, known for his love of fencing, always was seen on deck piloting the ship next to Chekov. George Takei played the character in the 1960s TV series and the 1980s movies.

Cho starred as Harold in the cult hit "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle." He is reprising the role for the sequel. Cho is repped by Gersh, Principato/Young and attorney Alex Kohner.

Pegg, repped by CAA, starred in "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz." He next toplines David Schwimmer's comedy "Run, Fat Boy, Run."

Nimoy to reprise Spock role in Trek film!!

SAN DIEGO - Leonard Nimoy isn't through with Spock yet. The 76-year-old actor will don his famous pointy ears again to play the role in an upcoming "Star Trek" film due out Christmas 2008.

"This is really going to be a great movie. And I don't say things like that lightly," Nimoy told a gathering of 6,500 fans Thursday at Comic-Con, the nation's largest pop-culture convention.

He greeted the crowd with a Vulcan salute.

Nimoy was joined by the newly named young Spock, "Heroes" star Zachary Quinto, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Nimoy.

Both Spocks were introduced by the film's director and co-producer, J.J. Abrams.

"This is a series I loved as a kid," Abrams said, acknowledging that he was "more of a 'Star Wars' kid than a 'Star Trek' kid."

"This matters so much to so many people," he said. "I'm honored to be here and do this."

While the character of Captain Kirk has yet to be cast, Abrams said that William Shatner, who played the role in the original TV series, would likely also have a part in the film.

"It has to be worthy, of him and of you," Abrams told fans, adding that production is slated to begin in November.

One fan asked Nimoy what he thought of his "replacement."

"It was logical," the actor said dryly. He then closed with Spock's classic line: "Live long and prosper."

A Christmas 2008 gift for Trekkies

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Captain's log: December 25, 2008.

Paramount Pictures has set a Christmas Day 2008 release date for the 11th "Star Trek" feature, to be filmed by "Mission: Impossible III" director J.J. Abrams. Shooting will begin in the fall, Paramount said Tuesday.

The screenplay, from "M:I 3" scribes Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, is said to follow James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock during their Starfleet Academy years and into their first space mission.

The previous film in the series, the 2002 box office bomb, "Star Trek: Nemesis," was directed by Stuart Baird, and starred Patrick Stewart.

Heroes Recruits Captain Sulu

Superman had Jor-El. Batman has Wayne Manor. And now Hiro Nakamura has Captain Sulu.

Figuring all great Heroes need to have come from somewhere, the hit NBC series has tapped Star Trek icon George Takei to play the father of Hiro Nakamura, the plucky Japanese office worker who happens to be able to bend the space-time continuum.

E! Online's Kristin Veitch reported Monday that a new character "who has been around a lot longer" was joining the serialized drama, which has become one of the few solid new hits of the 2006 television season, attracting more than 14.4 million viewers a week.

"This is absolutely brilliant," Masi Oka, who plays Hiro, told TV Guide. "Hiro's father is this big honcho who shows up in America with his bodyguard. He has this whole elaborate scheme to kidnap his son and take him back to Japan."

Which probably won't go over too well with Hiro, who, after traveling five weeks into the future just in time to see New York go boom, has journeyed to the States to save the world.

"I just hope I get to say, 'Dad! Sulu is my hero, not you!' The sci-fi fans would love it!" Oka said.

Takei, 69, a cult figure among Trekkies and currently the unlikely official voice of The Howard Stern Show, will show up on Heroes in a Jan. 29 cliffhanger episode.

"It was just one of those lightning-bolt ideas," series creator Tim Kring told TV Guide.

After his steady gig piloting the starship Enterprise came to an end after 1991's Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Takei busied himself with a host of voiceover work in TV, films and videogames and guest spots on shows ranging from The Simpsons and Malcolm in the Middle to Scrubs and Will & Grace.

In fact, it was Takei's trademark deep voice and flair for enunciation that made him a favorite on The Howard Stern Show back when the morning shock-jock was still on terrestrial radio. After a few engaging interviews that proved just how open-minded Takei's sense of humor is, he was tapped to be the show's announcer when it made the jump to Sirius Satellite Radio.

For Trekkies, something to cling on to

Christie's next week will sell a spaceship-load of Star Trek stuff in the first — and probably last — official auction of artifacts from the TV series turned pop-culture phenomenon.

CBS Paramount, which owns the Trek franchise, has decided to sell more than 1,000 of the tens of thousands of costumes, props, weapons and set dressings accumulated during the production of five live-action series and 10 theatrical films since 1966, when William Shatner's Captain Kirk first uttered his now-familiar "Space, the final frontier" on national television.

Trekkies, who are famous for their mania for collecting, are said to be over the moon at the chance to bid six-figure sums on Kirk's Starfleet uniform or that holy of holies, the Starship Enterprise-A model.

"Smaller collections have come on the market before, but this is the largest, the only one from studio archives and from all the films and series, and it's the 40th anniversary, so there's definitely a fervor about this," says Cathy Elkies, Christie's director of specialty auctions.

The entire hoard, grandly titled 40 Years of Star Trek: The Collection, will open for public viewing Saturday at Christie's Rockefeller Plaza in New York with the auction Oct. 5-7. Buyers also will be able to bid live online at Christies.com. Throngs of people are expected; some might be in costume.

Christie's is betting the sale will be huge, and the $3-million-plus estimated take probably is conservative.

Why? Because contrary to reputation, Trekkies are not just geeks with too much time on their hands. After all, Paul Allen collects Star Trek. In 2002, he bought Kirk's captain's chair from the original series for $250,000 for his Science Fiction Museum in Seattle.

"There is not a stereotypical Star Trek fan; they represent a wide spectrum of the population — attorneys, doctors, engineers, teachers and astronauts," says Denise Okuda, who with husband Michael worked on the series and films as scenic artists and wrote The Star Trek Encyclopedia.

The Okudas were hired as auction consultants and for the past six months have combed through five vast studio warehouses to pick out "the most valuable, iconic and coveted" items for the sale.

The Okudas expect that the items most prized by Trekkies will be the spaceship models, costumes (Elkies says some surviving cast members are interested in buying theirs) and behind-the-scenes items such as costumer's continuity notes.

'Star Trek' Goes Digital

Remastered original series adds CGI effects

The original "Star Trek" series is going back into syndication next month, but the show may not look quite the same as fans remember it.

CBS Paramount Domestic Television, which syndicates the series, is remastering the old episodes to include computer-generated effects and re-recorded music, in hopes of offering a vision of the future that doesn't look quite so dated. All 79 episodes of the show will eventually get the digital treatment, with several fan favorites undergoing the retouches first.

"'Star Trek' redefined science fiction and constantly pushed the envelope with concepts that were ahead of their time," says John Nogawski, president of CBS Paramount Domestic TV. "By giving the series a digital upgrade using the best technology available today, it will continue to be a leader in cutting-edge television programming as we introduce the series to a new generation of viewers."

Lest visions of the "special edition" "Star Wars" films that offended purists start dancing in your head, fear not: The remastering won't be inserting any new scenes into the episodes. Instead, CGI artists will be updating the relatively low-tech special effects available in the late 1960s with present-day technology.

Exterior shots of the Enterprise and other spaceships will be replaced by CGI-created ships, with the new Enterprise based on precise measurements of the original model, which is now housed in the Smithsonian. Battle scenes and shots of space from the bridge of the Enterprise will be redone, and matte paintings used in exteriors will be replace with computer-generated backgrounds that give a better illusion of depth.

The episodes will also feature a re-recorded score and a remastered version of William Shatner's opening narration.

"Star Trek" returns to syndication on Saturday, Sept. 16 on 200-plus stations across the country.

Space, the final frontier for "Star Trek's" Scotty

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The remains of actor James Doohan, who played the starship Enterprise's chief engineer "Scotty" on "Star Trek," will be blasted into space in October, the company organizing the flight said on Monday.

The actor who inspired the catchphrase "Beam me up, Scotty" -- even though it was never actually uttered on the show -- died a year ago at the age of 85.

On the program, when Capt. James Kirk ventured off the spaceship Enterprise and faced peril, he would demand Scotty "beam" him back up to the safety of the ship.

Houston-based commercial company Space Services originally planned to blast Doohan's remains into space last year but the flight was delayed to allow more tests on the rocket.

Space Services spokeswoman Susan Schonfeld said the new launch date was set for October. Doohan's ashes will be blasted up along with the remains of around 100 other people, including astronaut Gordon Cooper, who first went to space in 1963.

After a short flight the rocket will return to earth with the capsules holding the remains. A second flight in December or January will send a capsule containing Doohan's remains into orbit where it will remain for several years, Schonfeld said.

"Whatever goes up must come down," Schonfeld said, adding that the capsule would eventually drop out of orbit and burn up in the earth's atmosphere.

To mark the flight to his final frontier, Doohan's family will hold a service for fans on the day of the launch to pay tribute to him, and Schonfeld said thousands were expected to turn up, many in costumes from "Star Trek."

"Fan clubs from all over the world, including as far away as Africa, they're ready," Schonfeld said.

The company previously blasted the remains of "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry into space in 1997.

Star Trek: Animated - Official Announcement, EXTRAS!!! & Package Art

CBS DVD and Paramount Home Entertainment today announce the DVD release date of the highly anticipated Animated Series. Formerly known as The Animated Adventures of Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek, the four-disc set will hit stores on November 21, 2006.

The title now shortened to Star Trek: The Animated Series, the set will include all 22 episodes of the classic Roddenberry show, which originally aired on Saturday mornings in 1973-74. A final frontier of sorts, the Animated Series is the last of the Trek catalog to make it to DVD.

Creator Gene Roddenberry's animated version of Star Trek features the voices of nearly the entire cast of the original live-action series, including William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, George Takei, James Doohan, Nichelle Nichols and Majel Barrett, as they embark on the further adventures of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Comprised of 22 episodes, the four-disc set includes the Peabody award-winning episode "How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth,” Walter Koenig's "The Infinite Vulcan,” which was the first episode ever written by a Star Trek cast member, as well as a number of episodes that serve as sequels to original Star Trek episodes. Many episodes were written by veterans of the original live-action TV series, such as D.C. Fontana and David Gerrold, and the show won a daytime Emmy in 1975 for Outstanding Children's Series.

Confirmed special features for the Animated Series include:
"Drawn to the Final Frontier - The Making of Star Trek: The Animated Series"
"What's the Star Trek Connection?"
Photo Gallery
Show History
Wallpaper
AIM Icons
Text Commentaries by Michael Okuda and Denise Okuda ("Yesteryear," "The Eye of the Beholder," "The Counter-Clock Incident")

The DVD set will be presented in its original full screen with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, English Mono and Spanish Mono and will be available to own for a suggested retail price of $35.00.

Parents go where few have gone before in naming son

KENAI, Alaska (AP) -- Like all parents, Marcus Weldy and his wife Rebecca McInnes Weldy of Nikiski are hoping their newborn baby will live long and prosper, but they went a step further to ensure their son's future.

"We decided to name him James Tiberius Kirk Weldy," said Rebecca in regard to the newest family member who, according to the Captain's Log, was added to the family fleet at 4:31 a.m. on Friday, April 21, 2006.

For those not in the know, James T. Kirk - played by William Shatner - was the commander of the starship Enterprise in the 1960s science fiction series "Star Trek."

Rebecca said she is not a convention-going "trekkie,"as "Star Trek" fans are called, but is a longtime fan of the show.

"I really, really liked the first 'Star Trek' and William Shatner. He's the only captain in my opinion," she said.

Rebecca said she is too busy to keep watch much television these days, but she remembers tuning in regularly to watch "Star Trek" as a girl.

"I'd watch the original series after school and watch 'The Next Generation' too," she said.

"My whole family - my mom, brother, sister and my dad by forfeit - we're all 'Star Trek' fans," she said.

As Rebecca tells it, it was her mother who pushed to go where no one - or at least few - have gone before with regard to baby naming.

"We originally just liked the name James, then Tiberius was going to be his middle name. My mom loved the idea and said, 'You've got to put Kirk on there too,'" she said.

James joins siblings Roy, Rosabella, Vincent and Nicolaus.

"James will be our last baby and with four older brothers and sisters we thought he might need some of the captain's qualities. The original Kirk was bold, determined and brave, so hopefully he will be, too," she said.

So far, James seems to be off to a good start, according to Rebecca. Like his namesake, who frequently ignored the rules when it suited him, young James wasn't born when and where he was supposed to be.

Rebecca went into labor in the early morning and realized she couldn't make it to the hospital even if her husband drove at warp speed. Dr. "Bones" McCoy, the doctor on the starship Enterprise, was unavailable to make a house call, so the couple did the next best thing.

"We called the Nikiski Fire Department and EMS, and, to their credit, they were here within three minutes, but James was already born. His dad delivered him here at home, which wasn't the plan or anything, so I guess he's already charting his own course," she said.

Despite his early arrival, Rebecca said James is healthy and eating well, though he's nursing rather than eating from a food replicator.

"He's getting big, is bright-eyed and doing good," she said.

Marcus, James' father, said he also is a "Star Trek" fan and is happy with his new son's name.

"It's unique, that's for sure. Not everyone catches on right away, but those that do get it have really liked it. Everyone calls him 'Little Captain,'" Marcus said.

As to whether James will attend public school or Star Fleet Academy, his parents said it's too soon to say.

Abrams Slams 'Star Trek' Rumors

Mission: Impossible III director J.J. Abrams is hitting back at unauthorized reports he is directing the next Star Trek movie. The Alias creator is furious the news was released prematurely and is also upset that key details regarding the storyline were incorrectly reported. He explains to Empire online, "The whole thing was reported entirely without our cooperation. People learned that I was producing a Star Trek film, that I had an option to direct it, they hear rumors of what the thing was going to be and ran with a story that is not entirely accurate." Last week, Hollywood trade paper Variety, reported Abrams was on board and that the film would center on the early days of Captain James T. Kirk and Spock and that Philip Seymour Hoffman was in talks to play the ship's doctor. Abrams won't reveal the true storyline, but hints that it won't feature characters Captain James T. Kirk or Mr. Spock at all, but doesn't rule out bringing some of the original characters back for the new film, adding, "Those characters are so spectacular. I just think that..you know, they could live again."

"Star Trek" franchise set for 2008 revival: report

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - More than three years after the last "Star Trek" movie crashed at the box office, the venerable sci-fi franchise is being revived by the director of the upcoming "Mission: Impossible" sequel, Daily Variety reported in its Friday edition.

The as-yet-untitled "Star Trek" feature, the 11th since 1979, is aiming for a fall 2008 release through Paramount Pictures, the Viacom Inc. unit looking to restore its box-office luster under new management, the trade paper said.

The project will be directed by J.J. Abrams, whose Tom Cruise vehicle "Mission: Impossible III" will be released by Paramount on May 5. Abrams, famed for producing the TV shows "Alias" and "Lost," will also help write and produce.

Daily Variety said the action would center on the early days of "Star Trek" characters James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock, including their first meeting at Starfleet Academy and first outer-space mission.

The paper described "Star Trek" as Hollywood's most durable performer after James Bond, spawning 10 features that have grossed more than $1 billion and 726 TV episodes from six series.

The 10th film, "Star Trek: Nemesis," bombed at the box office on its December 2002 release, earning just $43 million in North America. Last year, Viacom-owned broadcast network UPN pulled the plug on the low-rated series "Star Trek: Enterprise" following a four-season run.

'Star Trek: Enterprise' Series Ending

LOS ANGELES - "Star Trek: Enterprise" is about to go where it has never gone before: off the air, taking the "Star Trek" franchise with it.

After the two-hour finale airs (8 p.m. EDT Friday on UPN) this will be the first time in 18 years that no first-run "Trek" series is on TV.

"Enterprise" lasted four seasons. It was the first "Trek" spinoff to last fewer than seven seasons. Plummeting ratings did what no Klingon battlecruiser or Borg collective could accomplish. And this time, network honchos didn't bow to Trekker pressure to renew the series, as they did in the face of a write-in campaign that gave the original "Star Trek" a third year on the tube (1966-69).

In fact, many longtime Trekkers stopped watching long ago. There were gripes going back at least as far as the fourth incarnation, "Star Trek: Voyager" (1995-2001), about lame or retreaded plots, goofy aliens and the weak leadership of "Voyager's" Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and "Enterprise's" Jonathan Archer ( Scott Bakula).

Sadly lacking were the rules-be-damned machismo of James Tiberius Kirk (William Shatner) or the class and thoughtful maturity of Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart).

The original "Trek" was not above a little T&A to jazz up ratings. (Who can forget Yeoman Rand's miniskirt or the green-skinned Orion dancers?) But "Voyager" may have upped the silliness ante with a Borg who wore skin-tight catsuits and high heels, while "Enterprise" had a curvaceous Vulcan officer stripping every other episode.

No villain like the unstoppable Borg cropped up for a decade, either.

Supporters say "Enterprise" had vastly improved in its final season and blame other reasons for the ratings drop: weekend reruns that drew an audience but weren't counted in the Nielsens; ditto for those who taped or TiVo'd the program. And shifting "Enterprise" to a Friday time slot didn't help.

Producer Rick Berman has cited the problem of "franchise fatigue" after decades of "Star Trek" spinoffs.

Perhaps, some Trekkers argue, it was time to take a rest. After all, it was 18 years between the original "Trek" and "The Next Generation," which went on to have a vast following.

In the meantime, there are the reruns, the DVD packages, the video games, the hordes of fans in chat rooms and conventions and the contributions to popular culture that range from Klingon language academies to the phrase "Beam me up, Scotty!"

Things have changed a lot over the years, both within and without the "Trek" universe, as scholars drew real-world comparisons to the shows.

The original series had a Cold War between the Federation and the Russians, er, Klingons and a cheerfully naive approach to solving racial and political conflicts.

"Next Generation" (1987-94) had a post-Soviet view in which the Klingons were allies, and a politically correct view that the values of other cultures, no matter how weird or repugnant, deserved respect.

Both also shared a sunny idealism that humans had overcome their own conflicts, lived in peace, and were on voyages of discovery and knowledge for the sheer joy of it.

The optimistic view of a united future humanity that the original "Trek" offered began to crumble in earnest with "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" (1993-1999). The earnest morality of the first two series gave way to gray areas in which the good guys dirtied their hands with assassinations and other foul deeds in fighting a war for survival.

Moral relativism had crept into the sparkling "Trek" universe. Some viewers were dismayed; others enthralled.

By "Enterprise," actually a prequel set more than a century before the original series, the plots involved murky machinations and feuds spreading across the galaxy and even through time. Innocence was replaced by a somewhat gloomy view. Even the vaunted Vulcans were portrayed as pompous and dissembling.

But in the meantime, "Trek" no longer had the TV universe to itself. "Bablyon 5" (1994-1998) created a world arguably as rich and complex as the Federation's. Nowadays, science fiction fans can choose from a host of syndicated and cable shows, including "Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda" (named for "Star Trek's" late creator and produced by his widow) and the new "Battlestar Galactica."

Maybe there's just too much competition these days, and the audience is too fragmented.

Maybe even Capt. Kirk couldn't save the franchise.

Maybe, as with people, so with "Trek": the one enemy that always wins is Time.

Or perhaps, someday in the distant future, "Star Trek" will rise again. Fans can have only one response to that hope:

Make it so.

Paramount to bow Star Trek: Insurrection Collector’s Edition in June

After six years of waiting, Star Trek: Insurrection starring the “Next Generation” cast is finally coming to DVD as a 2-disc Collector’s Edition as well this summer.

When the crew of the Enterprise learns of the Federation plot against inhabitants of a unique planet, Capt. Picard begins an open rebellion in an effort to defend the planet’s people and the principles in which the Federation was founded.

The Collector’s Edition will feature an anamorphic widescreen transfer of the movie with 5.1 channel Dolby Digital audio. A pretty impressive list of Featurettes will be included on the release, covering topics such as “It Takes a Village,” “Location, Location, Location,” “The Art of Insurrection,” “Anatomy of a Stunt,” “The Story of Insurrection,” “Making Star Trek: Insurrection,” “Director’s Notebook,” and “Creating the Illusion.” Also included on the DVD are Deleted Scenes and Story Boards, as well as a Photo Gallery.

This Collector’s Edition of Star Trek: Insurrection will come to DVD on June 7 and carry a suggested retail price of only $19.99.

'Next Gen' Stars Visit 'Enterprise' Finale

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) Two stars of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" will help bring the four-season voyage of the current "Trek" series, "Enterprise," to an end.

The final two episodes of the show are scheduled for Friday, May 13, and will focus on the forming of the Federation and the role the Enterprise plays in it. "Next Generation" regulars Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis will appear as their characters from that series, William Riker and Deanna Troi.

The network announced in February that this season of "Enterprise" would be its last, resulting in howls of protest from "Trek" fans and a drive to raise enough money to finance another season of the series. Thus far the effort, organized at TrekUnited.com and SaveEnterprise.com, has raised just over $3.1 million, with $3 million of that coming from a trio of deep-pocketed anonymous donors.

The group hopes to raise $32 million, the cost of production for a full 22-episode season.

The final episodes will explore how the United Federation of Planets came to be. The first, which concludes a two-episode arc, finds the Enterprise trying to stop a human isolationist leader (guest star Peter Weller, "RoboCop") who's threatening to destroy Starfleet Command.

The finale will flash ahead six years, as Capt. Archer (Scott Bakula) and his crew return to Earth for the decommissioning of the ship and the signing of the Federation charter. Frakes and Sirtis will appear in a sequence set on the holodeck.

Blalock Says She's Not Happy With Finale

Executive Producers Rick Berman and Brannon Braga might be calling it a "valentine for Star Trek fans," but actress Jolene Blalock said she's not looking forward to the series finale of "Star Trek: Enterprise."

"I don't know where to begin with that one," Blalock told the Toronto Star about the episode, reportedly titled "These Are the Voyages." "The final episode is ... appalling."

Blalock, who plays T'Pol in the series, said that she was not shocked when UPN finally cancelled the series.

"It is said," she said. "I think most of us here are still in active denial. But you've got to know, going in, that these last few days are going to be highly emotional."

When the series first debuted, it brought it more than 13 million viewers. Blalock said she didn't understand how they could've "somehow managed to drive 11 million of them away."

But Blalock wasn't all negative. She said this past season was a treat.

"It was an unexpected surprise to have the scripts that we did," she said about the fourth season. "And I am grateful and thankful for that. It was fun to come to work again. And it was certainly much better than spending another season doing what we had been doing. It said a lot about the potential of the show."

Blalock also saluted the fans that are trying to bring the show back, like the Save Enterprise group and TrekUnited.

"I really am touched by their [outpouring] of support, and their display of passion for the show. i was sort of caught off guard. I didn't now that they were so adamant. But, you know, they really aren't saying anything new. They're just saying it louder."

"Star Trek: Enterprise" airs Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on UPN.

Latest 'Star Trek' Series to End in May

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Star Trek: Enterprise," the latest incarnation of one of the most storied franchises in televised science-fiction history, will end its four-season run in May, broadcaster UPN said on Wednesday.

UPN said the last episode would air on Friday, May 13. The series generated 98 episodes over its run, although it struggled in the ratings.

The original "Star Trek" gave rise to generations of fans who eagerly took in movies, books, and follow-on television shows like "Star Trek: The Next Generation," "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and "Star Trek: Voyager."

"Star Trek: Enterprise" was positioned as a prequel to the original "Star Trek." It starred Scott Bakula and premiered in September 2001.

The Enterprise waits in the Nexus

Paramount Home Entertainment has issued a recall on Star Trek: Generations which was due for release on September 7th. No reason has been given, but may have to do with the inconsistency of features on the disc versus the feature listing on the packaging (the box lists theatrical trailers which are not on the disc). Hopefully, if this is the case, the trailer will be added to the disc rather than removed from the packaging since Generations is currently the only Trek film without a trailer on any disc.

Don’t rush to Ebay however, the disc will likely be released soon.