Trek Remastered -- rerun of "Space Seed"

This weekend is a rerun of "Space Seed", where the Enterprise finds Khan and his followers. Coincidentally (or maybe not), today is Ricardo Montalban's birthday.

Trek Remastered -- "The Doomsday Machine" re-run

This weekend is an encore presentation (that is, a rerun) of "The Doomsday Machine", originally shown as a remastered episode this February.

I won't repeat my introduction to it (with photos), but if you haven't seen it yet try to catch it this time. It is by far the best of the remastered eps so far. It has the benefit of being one of the Original Series episodes with the most "space" scenes, so there was a lot that CBS Digital could do with it.

I had seen the original "Doomsday..." about a half-dozen times, but the remastered version really was like seeing it for the first time. The new effects help crank up the tension quite a bit, and I was literally on the edge of my seat watching it.

Well, yes, I just repeated myself. But it's that good.

Hollywood, the Writers Guild strike, and me

I've been reading bits and pieces on comic book/TV/animation writer Mark Evanier's blog for months now about the possibility of a strike, and now that it's happened I think I understand the issues fairly well. If you're not certain what it's all about, take three minutes to watch Why We Fight, a video overview of the current situation and how we got here.

It's very encouraging to see that the Screen Actors Guild is supporting the WGA so strongly. They, and the Directors Guild of America, will be negotiating next year as their current contracts come to an end, and it's likely that they will be looking for the same agreements.

My plan of support is based on some things I've read here and there on the 'net. I will watch the new episodes of my favorite shows, but once they run out and go into rerun mode, I'm done. I'll also send letters to the local affiliates and the corporate offices to explain why. That's really the only way to show support: hit the studios in the pocketbook and let them know that you are. It's the same as when you write to support a cancelled show or if you see something you object to on TV. I have stacks of DVDs, books, and other responsibilities to keep me occupied while this gets hashed out.

A great place for more news and information about this topic from the inside is United Hollywood, and check out Fans4Writers for the fan perspective.

Trek Remastered -- "The Deadly Years"

"When Enterprise discovers a colony full of rapidly-aging scientists, whatever caused the rapid aging inflicts them as well." And then the Romulans attack!

The 30-second preview and a couple of new Romulan ship photos are here. I'm staying up late to watch this tomorrow night...I hope I don't fall asleep like Old Captain Kirk.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

I've really been out of the loop lately. In another case of "where have I been?", I just found about this from a pulp-themed post on the Evil DM's blog.

Michelle Yeoh plays an ancient sorceress. Jet Li is the mummy of the Emperor in the title. Wow! And the photo of Brendan Fraser in character embodies the essence of "pulp". This could be amazing...

More info on the director's site and tons of production photos on a Michelle Yeoh fansite.

Trek Remastered -- "Metamorphosis"

"Metamorphosis" is this weekend's episode. I always look forward to seeing the show, but I'm especially interested in this particular one. It's been literally years since I've seen it, and I'm sure I'll react to its themes of love and loss differently now as an adult than I did as a kid. Take a look for yourself and see what you think. This is one of several episodes of the Original Series that have fine acting and an emotional punch that many people seem to have forgotten about.

Check out the 30-second preview here.

Star Trek movie teaser in the works

It shouldn't be any surprise that it's being worked on now, but the rumor mill is buzzing about the production of a teaser for J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movie. The juicy detail is that part of it will show the Enterprise under construction. It seems logical, as a metaphor for the rebirth of the franchise.