TVSquad

I knew that the new Star Trek movie was going to be an origins story, but I didn't realize how far back they were going to go.

The first trailer (not counting that lame teaser trailer that debuted months ago and was only aimed towards hardcore fans who get off on Enterprise blueprints) for the movie is now available. It is attached to some copies of Quantum of Solace (though, sadly, not the place where I saw QoS the other night, damn it) and Paramount has also released the official version online so we don't have to sit through YouTube videos that someone shot in a dark theater.

What's got you down, Dinky? Tired of watching the same old holiday specials on television over and over again? Does the greenish fur of the the Grinch actually make you sick? Do you wish that The Year Without a Santa Claus actually came true? Can you recite every single line from It's a Wonderful Life?

Well, perk up, Flyboy! AOL's IN2TV has the prescription to cure your holiday television blues, courtesy of two dozen Christmas specials that you didn't even know existed or didn't even care. Be amazed at the Cabbage Patch Kids' First Christmas, where the Kids leave the patch and head to the big city in search of some Christmas spirit. Laugh with Hanging With Mr. Cooper as Coop loses his patience with the commercialization of the holiday. Gasp in shock as you realize that Joey actually had a holiday episode.

And, the cost for all of this merriment? FREE, my holiday-impaired friends! All you need to do is follow this link to bask in the glory of a Kirk holiday episode. Don't thank me, dear patrons, thank the Internet for this wondrous Christmas miracle.

There is a certain amateurish charm to most YouTube fanvids, especially when they have to do with unconventional romances between characters that aren't explicitly stated in the show's canon. Usually the videos consist of poorly chosen clips from various episodes, cut together to kind of, sort of look like knowing glances and to kind of, sort of feel like sexual tension. However, every once in a while, I stumble across a fanvid so outrageously well-done that I am compelled to share with everyone I know, fans and non-fans alike.

Rumors are still abound as to who is playing whom in the upcoming Star Trek prequel from Lost and Alias creator JJ Abrams, but according to the NY Post, at least one man is out: William Shatner. Despite wanting a cameo role in the prequel, Shatner was not offered one. That's kind of a bummer, but what makes it even moreso, if the rumors are true (and it's the Post, so I'm skeptical), is that Leonard "Spock" Nimoy was offered a cameo role, instead.

Ostensibly, it seems unfair to give Nimoy a brief role and shut Shatner out completely, but having no idea the context of Nimoy's supposed cameo, it's tough to have an opinion about it one way or the other. Perhaps the cameo situation is such that it would only work with Nimoy and not Shatner --some kind of clever inside joke-- but I guess we won't know until the movie comes out.

[via Dark Horizons]

After 11 years of work, the WB signs off for good on Sunday September 17th, making way for the new CW network. The frog network is going out with a bang though. To celebrate the final day of broadcasting they will be showing the pilot episodes of some of their more popular shows. You can look forward to seeing Felicity, Angel, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and Dawson's Creek. Along with the number one episodes, the night will be rounded out with classic images and promos from the history of the network.

Now, we could go all Buffy crazy and start listing best five episodes, or have that Dawson/Joey/Pacey argument all over again. Maybe even bring up that whole Felicity's hair question. Rather than that, let's go the other way. Those shows were all great, and they've stayed in the public conscious, but what about those WB shows that didn't become household names? Take a trip down memory lane as I list five of the WB shows that we forgot.

Back in 2004, writers and producers J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5, The Twilight Zone) and Bryce Zabel (Dark Skies, M.A.N.T.I.S) actually wrote a Star Trek script that would have "rebooted" the franchise. Like the new J.J. Abrams-produced movie will do (supposedly), having the original characters of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, this script did as well, only as Zabel puts it, "...not as young officers in Starfleet Academy. We wanted to do what they do in the world of comics, create a separate universe so we could embrace the good stuff, banish the bad, and try some new things."

Take a look and let us know what you think of it (click the above link and scroll down to the PDF file).

[via Lee Goldberg]

Stay calm, Trekkers, but this is big news: a big-screen return for Star Trek is in the works for 2008, according to today's Variety.

And who will direct the movie? Why, J.J. Abrams of Lost/Alias/Mission: Impossible 3 fame! Probably a good choice. He  knows how to mix the big action with the character drama, and he'll bring some buzz to the franchise too.

The movie will focus on the early days of Starfleet, when Kirk and Spock first met. Hmmm...readers, who do you think should play the young Kirk and Spock?

G4 will begin airing reruns of the original Star Trek on April 10, but this time with a twist. Rather than simply showing the episodes, G4 is hoping to make it a more interactive experience by providing an online chat, as well as facts and trivia to be shown onscreen during each episode. Essentially, it sounds like TRL for Trekkies, which could either be kind of cool or kind of annoying. If you're excited about seeing these old episodes but aren't thrilled about seeing what SpockHugger345 in Sheboygan thinks about it, don't worry. Uncut versions without all the interactive woo-wa will be shown during Saturday marathons, starting on April 8. I'm not sure everything old needs to be re-invented for a young audience, or in this case made more obnoxious. What do you guys think?

Previously: http://www.tvsquad.com/2005/12/19/g4-gains-star-trek/

[via Lost Remote]