Star Trek Into Darkness & More

It seems wherever I go these days someone is asking me what I thought of the latest Star Trek film. Well I am not a film critic but I took a few moments to write a little bit about the Trek film which is now shining at the box office.

 

The future is still bright despite the ominous title, Star Trek Into Darkness. For example even in moments of great crisis, Simon Pegg's Montgomery Scott can be counted on for a witty quip. Even when the U.S.S. Enterprise is facing immense peril, director J.J. Abrams keeps the action fun and graceful, and provides generous room for each of our characters to take part in the story. In its best scenes-- and there are plenty of them-- Star Trek Into Darkness is even more fluid and energetic then Abrams' 2009 Star Trek. This new Trek has a more powerful villain and the crew’s relationships are expanded in ways that honor the original series.

The stakes are high in Star Trek Into Darkness, with death and global destruction all around. With crisis after crisis inflicting near disaster Kirk and Spock learn to work together and each crew member gets a moment to shine in the spotlight. Just like last time, Abrams makes the whole thing exceedingly fun, if not stressful and emotional.

The movie is off like a rocket from the opening scene, with the Enterprise crew attempting to halt an exploding volcano on a faraway planet but without violating the prime directive-- that Starfleet members not interfere with the development of alien civilizations. Kirk (Chris Pine)-- still brash and overly confident-- violates it to save Spock (Zachary Quinto), and sets up a conflict between emotional Kirk and logical Spock that's familiar to Trek. The first 15 minutes of this film are one of my favorite segments of the film but the events here lead to Captain Pike (Bruce Greenwood) being put back in charge of the Enterprise, until an explosion at a Starfleet archive in London is pinned on John Harrison.

Cumberbatch's Harrison is deliciously malevolent and cunning and constantly indicating that he's the smartest guy in the room (which he probably is). His role in the story had been closely guarded, and with good reason-- it's not just his true intentions that are a surprise, but the role he plays in the narrative, and it's satisfying to be as unclear about him as Kirk and company clearly are. For me I made a conscious effort to know as little about the plot as possible. For the most part I was successful, which is difficult in this Facebook age. My lack of information paid off as I was shocked about 3 times watching this movie. Cumberbatch’s villain chews up each scene he is in but every key member of the Enterprise crew gets their major moment in the film, and even Alice Eve's newly added Carol Marcus becomes integral to the story. Every scene in the film pulses with the same assurance that these beloved characters are once again in good hands.

 

I must admit there are moments in this film which as a 40+ year fan of Star Trek dance the line of going over the top with nostalgic moments but I am willing to accept it all because the film is so well made, the actors - every one - is perfect in capturing the heart of their characters and Roddenberry's world.

2009's Star Trek was a wild gamble, a reboot that both wiped the slate clean and paid endless homage to the original. Watching it succeed was great fun for any open minded Trekkie. Star Trek Into Darkness lacks none of that marvel, and it's nods to the original series feel is simply great fun.

There are countless moments of blockbuster bliss in this spectacular addition to the Trek film franchise. If you have not seen this latest Trek film yet – do yourself a favor and make sure you take the time to see in on the big screen. You will not be disappointed, even if you are not a life long fan of Star Trek.

 

Future Trek

Now what of the future for Star Trek? First, I hope it does not take 4 more years for the next movie. The 4 years in between movies is unnecessary and actually hurts performance at the box office.  A return to TV is where I really hope this Star Trek resurgence winds up. And if TV is the final destination please avoid the commercial networks. How about Trek on HBO, Showtime or perhaps Netflix? Gene Roddenberry had it right back in 1987 when he avoided networks with TNG and went straight to syndication. Roddenberry's decison here led to the golden age of Star Trek when from 1987 through 2005 his wonderful universe shined on TV.

Where Does Into Darkness Rank?

Another question I am often asked is where does this latest film entry rank in the long Star Trek film franchise? While it may be a little too soon to accurately rank this one just yet, for those who have asked I will try. This is how I rank the 12 Star Trek films from worst to best.., as of... today.

12. Nemesis (2002)

11. Generations (1994)

10. Insurrection (1998)

9. The Final Frontier (1989)

8. The Motion Picture (1979)

7. The Search for Spock (1984)

6. Star Trek (2009)

5. The Undiscovered Country (1991)

4. The Voyage Home (1986)

3. First Contact (1996)

2. Into Darkness (2013)

1. The Wrath of Kahn (1982)

My Star Trek film rankings are now out in the open for all to see. Each and every entry here are enjoyable and fun for any Trekkie. Each have moments of greatness, however when you get to my top 5 or 6 you are talking about near perfect Trek films.   

"Star Trek Continues"

What a year to be a Star Trek fan. Last week "Star Trek Into Darkness" premiered to amazing reviews and box office records. Also this year at least 15 Star Trek books are being published. If that was not enough for the average Trekkie, "Star Trek Continues" a new live action web-based series from Vic Mignogna's Farragut Films premiered this past weekend. "Star Trek Conitnues" is considered a "fan film" which is nothing new in the history of Star Trek. However what is new is the quality of its craftsminship.

 

Vic Micnogna & Todd Haberkorn

Unlike "Star Trek Into Darkness", "Star Trek Continues" does not even try to play to a "hipper" "cooler" audience. It does not have to because box office revenue is not their concern. You see "Star Trek Continues" only really has one goal which is to take the USS Enterprise on the fourth year of their five year mission. If you recall the original series was cancelled in 1969 after completing their third year. This has bothered fans ever since. "Star Trek Continues" is not the first "fan production" to attempt this. In fact "Star Trek Phase II" premiered in 2004 and has produced 7 quaility episodes to date.

I have been a fan of "Star Trek Phase II" sinice 2004 but I must say I was especially impressed by the production and quality of "Star Trek Continues". Their first episode is titled, "Pilgrim of Eternity" and benefits from some very significant guest stars including Michael Forest who reprises his role of the god Apollo from the second season episode, "Who Morns for Adonis?" which originally aired on September 22, 1967. Marina Sirtis (Counselor Troi from TNG) is the voice of the ship's computer. James Doohan's son, Chris Doohan reprises his father's iconic role of "Scotty". Chris Doohan is a major highlight here. Doohan has appeared in cameos of the 2 most recent Star Trek films. If that was not enough Jamie Bamber (Apollo from Battlestar Galactica) plays a red shirt. 

If you are a fan of the original series check out the first episode of "Star Trek Continues". The nostalgia you experience will be over whelming. May the adventures continue with "Star Trek Continues!"

You can learn more about "Star Trek Continues" here.

You can watch the episode here as well.

Klingon gets Binged

Lt. Commander Worf

Star Trek Into Darkness officially premiers in theaters on my birthday May 16th (Thank You JJ) and coincidentally Microsoft’s Bing has teamed up with Paramount to celebrate with a very cool feature.

Now anyone can use Bing’s Translator to translate text and whole websites into Klingon, the alien language spoken by the always angry "turtle headed" alien warrior race. (For instance, majQa’ means “well done!,” which is exactly what I have to say when using this new tool.)








Bing has added Klingon to our earth bound languages in it's Language Translator.

You can access the Klingon translations via the Bing Translator website or through the Windows Phone Bing Translator app. Yes - Windows Phone finally has an app that Apple and Android does not!

The translations are done using the Klingon alphabet Kronos (see screenshot above) or a direct translation using the English alphabet. For example I was able to find out what it would sound like if Lt. Commander Worf wished me a happy birthday. If you are curious it would sound something like "Quch mann neb qoS".

  

2 Spocks!



Ok I admit this article only strives to do one thing. And that is to make me happy. Today Audi premiered their new commercial which includes not one but two (yes 2) Spocks. This is quite possibly the best Spock commercial ever, and not just because there are 2 of them. I never ever thought I would here Mr. Spock reciting from "The Hobbit" but here you do. Thank You Audi. If I could afford to buy one - I would, just because you gave me 2 Mr. Spocks.

 

Passwords from the Federation

If you are a regular reader of this fine tech blog or perhaps if you are a co-worker, a friend, an acquaintance or simply someone who runs into me regularly then your surely know I am a Trekkie. This love of all things Star Trek of course resulted in the use of countless Star Trek related passwords. Recently I made an effort to change all my passwords, as I have often recommended right here. One of my efforts is to not use Star Trek related passwords any longer. That being said there are many great ones out there and here are a couple very cool Star Trek passwords.

NCC-1701

Yes this is the most basic of Trek passwords. I have used this one fore more accounts then I want to admit. NCC-1701 is, of course, the registry number of the Constitution Class USS Enterprise.   

NCC-74656

Many non-Star Trek fans know “NCC-1701". Accepting this let's jump ahead a few years – and a few successful series – and use the registry of Voyager as a solid ship-based password.

11001001

TNG's first season introduced the Bynars.  These weird Boolean-based li'l aliens strive at completing dangerous computer upgrades. 11001001 was the name of a file they stored within the Enterprise's computer to aid them in transferring massive amounts of data. It was also the name of the episode and, if someone isn't a Trek fan, it makes a pretty good password out of only two numbers.

SC937-0176CEC

In the episode “Court Martial,” Captain James T. Kirk reads into the record his long string of commendations. In addition to these accolades, we learn his serial number as well.

S179-276SP

Earlier in the very same episode, we learn some great details about Mr. Spock. In addition we also discover his serial number (not quite as long, so perhaps not as secure).

6565827D

When find another great password from watching "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home". If you ever get caught red handed gathering photons from a nuclear wessel, this code is all you have to give the interrogating officer. When Pavel Chekov wasn't able to beam away from the USS Enterprise in time (no, not THAT Enterprise, a different Enterprise) he figured honesty was the best policy. He gave his name rank and service number – baffling everyone with talk of the United Federation of Planets.

11A11A2B1B2B3000Destruct0

What we have here is the four-part spoken codes for the auto-destruct sequence of the Enterprise. As first divulged in TOS's season three episode “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield,” the first part is given by the Captain, the second section from the second in command, and the third part by third in command. Then, the last bit is given by the Captain to kick off the 30-second countdown.

Qql3Qkl1

When Kirk and Spock beamed down to the mental asylum on Elba II in the episode "Whom Gods Destroy" for some reason they decided to create a secret code to communicate back with the Enterprise. It was almost as if they knew that Garth of Izar  would be there and that he would have mastered the Antosian art of cellular manipulation.

Scotty's first part of the code is “Queen to Queen's Level Three,” a move in Tri-D chess. The proper response is “Queen to King's Level One.”

173467321476C32789777643T732V73117888732476789764376Lock

You can't keep a Vulcan from the koon-ut-kal-if-fee during pon farr, and you can't keep a Soong-type android away from the call of its creator. The episode “Brothers” shows Data taking control of the ship and using Picard's voice to lock-out others from the computer. The above code, the most hardcore of alphanumeric codes in the history of television, would take 8.467×1080 combinations to break. This one should therefore be reserved for only the most important security measures.

CX-937-

Nog was the first Ferengi in Starfleet, so this means he was the first Ferengi to memorize a number that didn't have to do with maximizing profit. In the episode “Rocks and Shoals” he begins blurting out his serial number but, by the time he gets to the second dash, he's told to shut up by none other than Elim Garak! As such, we never hear the end of his code. Therefore, it is up to YOU to finish it, hence making it the most unbreakable password ever.

Ok that's a lot of very cool Star Trek passwords. I have used a couple of them myself in the past but you will never get me to tell you which ones.

Original article and much of the content for this article originated at www.startrek.com.

Star Trek's New Trailer Arrives

Not really any tech news here but I just had to post the new Star Trek movie, "Into the Darkness" trailer here for all of my readers to see. I for one have some mixed emotions about this one but I am looking forward to it regardless.

Star Trek: Into the Darkness opens worldwide May 15, 2013, one day before my birthday.

Star Trek Gets Some Google Love

Star Trek has now been around for 46+ years! It almost as old as me. Star Trek is more popular now then it was back when it originally aired. Through 5 TV series, 11 movies and even an animated series Trek really will never die. If you love Star Trek or even if you don't check out Google's "Star Trek Doodle" which will apparently be live at www.google.com through tomorrow evening. You can click around and even re-live one of Kirk's greatest battles.

I very special thank-you to dedicated readers Gerry DiNunzio and Lisa Glass for taking the time to "red alert" me on this one. I was so busy today I probably would have missed out on this very special Star Trek adventure.