TVSquad

I went to see Quantum of Solace over the weekend anxious to see the second Daniel Craig iteration as James Bond, and had the chance to see the big screen full trailer for J.J. Abrams' re-imagining of Star Trek. Of the latter, I'd be very skeptical. After reading many of Abrams comments --like "I've never been a fan of Star Trek" -- my Trekkie (not Trekker) heart fears that the Lost/Alias creator had bungled the ST that I know so well.

So, now that I've seen the trailer, I'm even more concerned. Oy vey, what has Abrams done to the Trek universe? The trailer looked more generic sci-fi that ST to me. And where was the iconic music? Why was Kirk using his middle name; I don't think he ever did that on the TV series!

J.J. addressed the media and shared some clips and information -- but no photos -- of the feature which won't be hitting theaters till May 8, 2009. I'm a little more relieved by the description of the scenes. Here's the gist of what they're about:

Do not adjust your web browser. You are now entering the Retro Squad, where we are reviewing past episodes of classic TV shows.

Ever since I was allowed to make my own decisions, I have tried to emulate Jim Kirk. Whenever I have a tough choice to make I ask myself WWJTKD? When I became a father, I continued that practice and it's helped out immeasurably.

You Can't Make Everybody Happy
During his career, Captain Kirk has been forced to make unpopular decisions. Even though the decision is always the right one, there are always people (sometimes a lot of people) who end up wanting him court-martialed or worse. As I became responsible for people other than myself, I had to realize that like Kirk, I have to make the decision that I know is right even if it makes my kids hate me.

This article could easily have been called "James T. Kirk's Top Five Loves", one of which would undoubtedly be the Enterprise, or "James T. Kirk's Top Five Seductions", but those titles didn't quite convey the connotation I was looking for. As everybody who ever watched Trek Classic knows, the good captain had his fair share of women, getting involved with a different one once every three episodes or so.

The man oozed excess testosterone, which might have explained his hair loss later on. You'd think the 23rd century would learn to regrow it better. Then came the 24th century look when baldness was "in". But I digress. It was also his self-confidence that made him without question a chick magnet. This aspect of the character undoubtedly appealed to the uber-nerds who watched Star Trek then and now.

So is it yet another Star Trek alumnus coming on-screen, or a reunion of former Murphy Brown costars Candace Bergen and her on-screen amore Scott Bakula, as TV Guide says. Looks like it's both, as Bakula has signed on to join Bergen and William Shatner for an upcoming episode of Boston Legal. In it he will play one of Shirley Schmidt's (Bergen) exes who runs into her at a bar. No word on if his will be a multi-episode arc or a one-time appearance.

Bakula has shown himself to have a bit of comedic chops recently on The New Adventures of Old Christine, and with BL being a dramedy, he might do very well there. Either way, it is good to see Bakula back on the small screen. Quantum Leap remains one of my all-time favorite shows and I'm still mad they haven't found a way to bring it back (despite periodic rumors that they may), while Knight Rider gets a revival. It'd be great if they can get Bakula's character and Denny Crane (Shatner) together in a scene and have them salute one another or slip some other Trek teaser for the audience in the know.

According to industry speculation found on IESB, J.J. Abrams is set to cast 28-year-old Pennsylvania native Mike Vogel (who has appeared in such movies as Poseidon and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake) as Captain James T. Kirk in the upcoming Star Trek movie, a role made famous by William Shatner on the TV series from 1966 to 1969. Vogel also appears in J.J. Abrams upcoming untitled Cloverleaf project.

If Vogel joins the cast, he would be alongside Zachary "Sylar" Quinto as young Mr. Spock, Leonard Nimoy reprising the role that he made famous as the older Mr. Spock, Zoe Saldana as Uhura originally played by Nichelle Nichols and Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov originally played by Walter Koenig.

I'm talking about the clothes he wears in that Star Trek-themed commercial for DirecTV.

Obsessed nerds Trekkies Trekkers have a love/hate relationship with the ad. They love seeing anything Star Trek and love to see Shatner reprising his role as James T. Kirk (who, you remember, died a lame death after fighting Malcolm McDowell in one of the movies), but they have a few complaints:

• the Starfleet badge is too small
• the collar is too small
• the belt buckle is wrong

My main problem with the ad? Shatner's hairpiece looks awful.

[via TV Tattle]

We've heard the stories this week that director/producer J.J. Abrams is interested in having Matt Damon play Captain Kirk in an upcoming movie about Kirk and Spock. But something troubles me. All of the articles are saying that Damon will play a "young" Captain Kirk. Huh? Damon is going to be 36 in a few months, and will probably be 37 or 38 when the movie comes out.

Shatner was 35 when he did the original Star Trek.

Now, sure, they could mean (like Keith says) that they mean younger than Shatner now, but they can't mean that or we could get someone 60 and compared to Shatner that would be "young." I think this is really a matter of everyone who's writing about it misunderstanding what exactly the plot will be and just repeating the same line about a young Kirk, as if it means young = before the original.

Since the dawn of time, about 1987 or so, nerds and geeks around the world have debated on what version of the U.S.S. Enterprise was more powerful. Was it the first NCC-1701 captained by James T. Kirk on the original Star Trek series, or was it Captain Jean-Luc Picard's NCC-1701D from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Well, thanks to the wonderful tool we affectionately know as the Internet we now know the answer.

It's Kirk's Enterprise. Now, before you all riot in the streets let me provide you with the concrete evidence. Just go to the PistolWimp website to view the Kirk vs. Picard video where Jimmy K. kicks Picard's bald ass. In reality the video, entitled The Final Battle is a beautifully edited piece splicing together scenes from both a classic episode and one from the The Next Generation run. The scenes from TNG are from the episode Cause and Effect, where Picard and his crew are stuck in a time loop. I believe the scenes from Kirk's Star Trek are from the episode The Balance of Terror where they battle a Romulan warship. However, I'm not certain of this; please correct me if I'm incorrect.

So, my fellow nerds and geeks, put down those phaser rifles and unite to watch this video.