G is for Guinan but who is she? In Star Trek's TNG
Whoopi Goldberg plays Guinan who runs the USS
Enterprise-D's ten forward lounge. Amazingly she belongs
to a mysterious race of El Aurians that doesn't seem to
age, Guinan is over 500 years old. Captain Picard and
Guinan share a very strong bond, they have a trust and
an unspoken understanding that surpasses normal
friendship and hints in some TNG episodes at possible
intimacy.
She is the only character apart from the
omnipotent Q who can challenge Picard's orders and get
him to change his mind. Data believes her perception
goes beyond linear time, which explains why she knew the
timeline was altered in 'Yesterdays Enterprise'A self
confessed Star Trek fan and Golden Globe winner to boot,
the actress told Gene Roddenberry she wanted a part to
play on the show. Whoopi Goldberg has been a Star Trek
fan since childhood (her hero was Nichelle Niichols) so
her character took off when producers found out she
wanted to be part of the series.
What do you think, did Captain Picard and Guinan have a secret love affair?
Live Long and Prosper, trekkers.
Tuesday, April 08, 2014
Monday, April 07, 2014
Fascinating Fans First
F is for Fascinating, Frequencies, Fans and First. In Star Treks classic 'The Corbinate Maneuver' Uhura appears providing actress Nichelle Nichols with her signature line 'Hailing Frequencies Open' which she says seven times during the episode. Theres little doubt that the popularity of Star Trek characters has gone from strength to strength in the eyes of the fans.
Several of Star Trek's characters have signature lines of dialogue. The guy with the ears, Mr Spock regularly says 'Fascinating.' Dr McCoy's legendary quips include 'Hes dead, Jim' and Chekov the Ships Navigator, screams 'Aaaaaagggghhhhhhhh! The fact is many of the first season episodes were cast out of shooting order, a fact easily discernible by the characters uniforms. Which characters geekspeak is your favorite?
Hail Long and Prosper, trekkies and trekkers!
Saturday, April 05, 2014
Elaan of Troyius
E is for Enslaved by Emotional Elaan but who is she? Elaan is a spoiled princess
played by Frances Nuyen who cries in Star Trek's classic episode
"Elaan of Troyius." When the USS Enterprise escorts the beautiful
Dohlman Princess of Elas all blazes breaks loose. The idea was to
unite two wartorn worlds, Elas and Troyius with an arranged marriage
union except her glory has other ideas. She doesn't want to get hitched fullstop.
The fun begins when a substance in Elaan's tears biochemically casts its spell on Kirk, who falls in love with her. The Dolhman's secret "weapon" specifically weakens the Captain's will and crumbles his resolve! You can't really blame Kirk for trying to teach her some manners, a task her tutor, Ambassador Petri despised totally.
The fun begins when a substance in Elaan's tears biochemically casts its spell on Kirk, who falls in love with her. The Dolhman's secret "weapon" specifically weakens the Captain's will and crumbles his resolve! You can't really blame Kirk for trying to teach her some manners, a task her tutor, Ambassador Petri despised totally.
Its true. Bones you've got to find me an antidote!What will Spock and Dr McCoy try next? Can this lady killer really enslave Kirks heart forever? Will Dr McCoy find Kirk an antidote in time? How do you reverse falling in love with a beautiful babe?
Friday, April 04, 2014
Gul Dukat
D is for Dukat but who is he? In 2351, Gul Dukat played by Marc Alaimo rose
to the position as Prefect of Bajor under Cardassian rule on Star
Trek DS9. This guy ruled the Bajorian people with an iron fist while
believing he was actually helping them.
Terok Nor later renamed Deep Space Nine was Dukat's base of operations where he chose to subjugate the Bajorian people at all costs. Offenders engaged in criminal activity were always declared guilty and sentenced to death in advance of a public show trial. To no end, Dukat personally instigated a counter uprising program to quell rebellious behaviour by instilling fear in his subjects. In an bizare twist though, he appoints the changeling Odo to investigate the murder of the stations chemist with surprising results.
In his quest for ultimate power Dukat has
been many things, soldier, freedom fighter, despot, Prefect of Bajor,
outcast, pawn, father and even ruler of the Cardassian homeworld but lost that status when he suffered a mental breakdown. One thing remains constant, Dukat is a supreme warlord fighting
battles with Federations, Klingons and Bajorians to name a few.
I have to admit DS9 is the darkest Star Trek show which ran for seven
glorious seasons. When DS9's Jadzia Dax played by the wonderful Terry
Farell departs the station, I realised Dukat is someone you don't
want to meet in a dark lane way.
Which Star Trek DS9 character is your favorite?
Live Long and Prosper, Trekkers.
Terok Nor later renamed Deep Space Nine was Dukat's base of operations where he chose to subjugate the Bajorian people at all costs. Offenders engaged in criminal activity were always declared guilty and sentenced to death in advance of a public show trial. To no end, Dukat personally instigated a counter uprising program to quell rebellious behaviour by instilling fear in his subjects. In an bizare twist though, he appoints the changeling Odo to investigate the murder of the stations chemist with surprising results.
Which Star Trek DS9 character is your favorite?
Live Long and Prosper, Trekkers.
Wednesday, April 02, 2014
Star Trek TNG Brothers
B is for "Brothers" which begins with the USS Enterprise-D being covertly diverted to Commander Datas home planet!
In this 77th episode episode of Star Trek TNG, Data takes over Captain Picard's ship when a malfunction in the androids programming summons him to a mysterious planet. Apparently all it took was a homing beacon to get Data, Lore and Dr Soong reunited in a cosy family get together.
A surprised Data meets his creator, his actual living father who hasn't been killed by the Crystalline Entity after all. Soong has created the perfect chip specially designed to allow Data experience human emotions for the first time! The real mind twister here is how will Data's Emotion Chip affect the android whom we have come to know and love.
In a bizare twist, Data's evil brother Lore fools the old man. Lore gets the chip and in turn goes quite mad, assaults Dr Soong and runs away. What made this really unique is Spiner plays all three characters but when Soong touches Data's face, the hand belongs to a photo double.
Brent Spiner candidly admits,
'I didn't have a clue as to who the character was, he was just a generic old man.' Four hours of ageing make-up later, 'People started treating me like I was an old man with so much more respect' 'The older I acted between scenes, the nicer people treated me, it was incredible.'
The brothers are soon at odds but when Soong interrupts to reveal he's dying, its like WOW. For a moment I actually believed Data's evil twin, Lore had a heart!
'Brothers' was written by Rick Berman and directed by Rob Bowman. The element of jeopardy was suggested by TNG's Michael Piller who wanted Lore on the scene.
How many days of shooting do you think it took Brent Spiner to shoot this episode? What did you think of Data fooling the computer by impersonating Captain Picard's voice? Who's your favorite character, Data, Lore or Dr Noonien Soong?
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