[Hark]

Best use of the Holodeck:

In TNG, episode "Schisms", Riker, LaForge, Worf, and a civilian woman were discussing odd feelings of being in danger, or trapped, etc.  They moved to the Holodeck, and started with a table.  As each person added or removed certain features to the table, then to the surrounding room, it brought back a realization that they had been **68** & experimented on.  

[mastert]

My fav' ST episode of all time is from DS9, "In the Pale Moonlight", where Sisko has Garak fabricate evidence to convince the Romulans to join the war.  Sisko's dialogue to his personal log was some of the best writing in the whole Star Trek genre.

This was my favorite episode of DS9. It showed that sometimes straying from ones morals and sacrificing peace of mind to win the day is sometimes necessary.

My favorite trek episode is Chain of Command from TNG. In it, Picard gets captured by the Cardassians. He's continually tortured to the amusement of his captor who is trying to convince Picard to believe he is seeing 5 lights instead of 4. Patrick Stewart's acting was stellar!

The tension built between Riker and Jellico is also outstanding too.

[salem]

This was my favorite episode of DS9. It showed that sometimes straying from ones morals and sacrificing peace of mind to win the day is sometimes necessary.

My favorite trek episode is Chain of Command from TNG. In it, Picard gets captured by the Cardassians. He's continually tortured to the amusement of his captor who is trying to convince Picard to believe he is seeing 5 lights instead of 4. Patrick Stewart's acting was stellar!

The tension built between Riker and Jellico is also outstanding too.

THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS!

[Hark]

One of the most brutal lines in the series:

"In this room, you do not ask questions.  I ask them, you answer.  If I'm not satisfied with your answers, you will die."  Gul Madred, by David Warner.   

[TheZookie007]

One of the weirdest episodes of ST:TNG is Season 5 Episode 2: "Darmok". I have to agree with the Ars Technica writer Peter Bright when he said: "It's a terrible episode, made all the more terrible by the fact that some people actually like it. They're objectively wrong."

[Robin_K2]

Leonard Nimoy hospitalized since Thursday with severe chest pains.b

I can't post the link because there's UA material on it. But it's easily found on several sites.

[salem]

One of the weirdest episodes of ST:TNG is Season 5 Episode 2: "Darmok". I have to agree with the Ars Technica writer Peter Bright when he said: "It's a terrible episode, made all the more terrible by the fact that some people actually like it. They're objectively wrong."

Season One is pretty poor, with only a handful of episodes to validate its existence. Had any other Sci-Fi series had a first season like that, it would have been cancelled after a dozen episodes!

[number3fac]

One of the weirdest episodes of ST:TNG is Season 5 Episode 2: "Darmok". I have to agree with the Ars Technica writer Peter Bright when he said: "It's a terrible episode, made all the more terrible by the fact that some people actually like it. They're objectively wrong."

From Tumblr:
"'Darmok' is basically what happens when the memes win, isn't it?"
>"Grumpy Cat, his eyes uncovered."
>>"Fry, his eyes narrowed."

You can probably Google the phrase and find more, but it does put an interesting spin on interpreting that episode.  I don't hate it, but that's largely due to the fact that I'll give just about anything with Paul Winfield a pass.

[salem]

Best use of the Holodeck:

In TNG, episode "Schisms", Riker, LaForge, Worf, and a civilian woman were discussing odd feelings of being in danger, or trapped, etc.  They moved to the Holodeck, and started with a table.  As each person added or removed certain features to the table, then to the surrounding room, it brought back a realization that they had been **68** & experimented on.  

I loved the episode 'Schisms', I think that is one of the few Next Generation episodes that had no 'B' story.

[salem]

Apparently there is a NEW Star Trek show in the works, to be produced by Alex Kurtzman.

[Robin_K2]

Apparently there is a NEW Star Trek show in the works, to be produced by Alex Kurtzman.

It's for real. I just read about it in Variety. I predict that it will be a fantastic success.

I also predict that it will have little to do with the 1960s series, which scouted the best sci fi writers in literature to present, as often as not, self-contained morality tales.

But there'll be kewl fanboy smashes of spaceships, catsuits and explosions and stuff. And hyper-fast editing. Mutinies in the fleet, etc., distances even further condensed, so that Vulcan and Klingon-central are minutes away. . .

And no thoughtful wonder over being alone at the edge of explored space.

But hopefully it will still include 1960s-style babes, preferably with bigger tits. 

[salem]

It's for real. I just read about it in Variety. I predict that it will be a fantastic success.

I also predict that it will have little to do with the 1960s series, which scouted the best sci fi writers in literature to present, as often as not, self-contained morality tales.

But there'll be kewl fanboy smashes of spaceships, catsuits and explosions and stuff. And hyper-fast editing. Mutinies in the fleet, etc., distances even further condensed, so that Vulcan and Klingon-central are minutes away. . .

And no thoughtful wonder over being alone at the edge of explored space.

But hopefully it will still include 1960s-style babes, preferably with bigger tits. 

As long as they have Orion slave girls in it, I'll watch it!

[Robin_K2]

As long as they have Orion slave girls in it, I'll watch it!

I wonder if green breasts taste like lime?

(This is my entry as the best BEA joke of the 2015. I welcome your votes.)

[salem]

News from Star Trek Website

CBS Television Studios announced today it will launch a totally new Star Trek television series in January 2017. The new series will blast off with a special preview broadcast on the CBS Television Network. The premiere episode and all subsequent first-run episodes will then be available exclusively in the United States on CBS All Access, the Network’s digital subscription video on demand and live streaming service.

The next chapter of the Star Trek franchise will also be distributed concurrently for television and multiple platforms around the world by CBS Studios International.

The new program will be the first original series developed specifically for U.S. audiences for CBS All Access, a cross-platform streaming service that brings viewers thousands of episodes from CBS’s current and past seasons on demand, plus the ability to stream their local CBS Television station live for $5.99 per month. CBS All Access already offers every episode of all previous Star Trek television series.

The brand-new Star Trek will introduce new characters seeking imaginative new worlds and new civilizations, while exploring the dramatic contemporary themes that have been a signature of the franchise since its inception in 1966.

Alex Kurtzman will serve as executive producer for the new Star Trek TV series. Kurtzman co-wrote and produced the blockbuster films Star Trek (2009) with Roberto Orci, and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) with Orci and Damon Lindelof. Both films were produced and directed by J.J. Abrams.

The new series will be produced by CBS Television Studios in association with Kurtzman’s Secret Hideout. Kurtzman and Heather Kadin will serve as executive producers. Kurtzman is also an executive producer for the hit CBS television series Scorpion and Limitless, along with Kadin and Orci, and for Hawaii Five-0 with Orci.

Star Trek, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2016, is one of the most successful entertainment franchises of all time. The original Star Trek spawned a dozen feature films and five successful television series. Almost half a century later, the Star Trek television series are licensed on a variety of different platforms in more than 190 countries, and the franchise still generates more than a billion social media impressions every month.

Born from the mind of Gene Roddenberry, the original Star Trek series debuted on Sept. 8, 1966 and aired for three seasons – a short run that belied the influence it would have for generations. The series also broke new ground in storytelling and cultural mores, providing a progressive look at topics including race relations, global politics and the environment.

“There is no better time to give Star Trek fans a new series than on the heels of the original show’s 50th anniversary celebration,” said David Stapf, President, CBS Television Studios. “Everyone here has great respect for this storied franchise, and we’re excited to launch its next television chapter in the creative mind and skilled hands of Alex Kurtzman, someone who knows this world and its audience intimately.”

“This new series will premiere to the national CBS audience, then boldly go where no first-run Star Trek series has gone before – directly to its millions of fans through CBS All Access,” said Marc DeBevoise, Executive Vice President/General Manager – CBS Digital Media. “We’ve experienced terrific growth for CBS All Access, expanding the service across affiliates and devices in a very short time. We now have an incredible opportunity to accelerate this growth with the iconic Star Trek, and its devoted and passionate fan base, as our first original series.”

“Every day, an episode of the Star Trek franchise is seen in almost every country in the world,” said Armando Nuñez, President and CEO, CBS Global Distribution Group. “We can’t wait to introduce Star Trek's next voyage on television to its vast global fan base.”

CBS All Access offers its customers more than 7,500 episodes from the current television season, previous seasons and classic shows on demand nationwide, as well as the ability to stream local CBS stations live in more than 110 markets. Subscribers can use the service online and across devices via CBS.com, the CBS App for iOS, Android and Windows 10, as well as on connected devices such as Apple TV, Android TV, Chromecast, Roku players and Roku TV, with more connected devices to come.

The new television series is not related to the upcoming feature film Star Trek Beyond which is scheduled to be distributed by Paramount Pictures in summer 2016.

[Robin_K2]

For the uninitiated, we obsessive ST fans often argue about "canon." That is, which stories are part of the official ST universe. For example, the 1970s animated series, featuring voices of the original cast, is hotly debated. Roddenberry later disavowed it. However, elements from the series keep popping up, even in the most recent films.

Some of us, myself included, see the "Enterprise" series as a woeful mistake, and not part of the "real" timeline. Others do not include the Shatner-directed "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier." Then there are the countless novels, comic books and even some fan films starring the actual actors in their original roles. Some are pretty damn good, and I'm inclined to include them.

A lot of this gets down to who has blessed the story: Roddenberry or members of his team, actors, etc. If Nimoy hadn't been in the last two films there would have been fan revolt.

So now we will have a new series. Fans' first big concern will be about when it's set. Post-Picard? Contemporary with Kirk? The next big concern will be about where: in the "prime" universe, or in the alternate timeline created and portrayed in the last two movies?

I'm hopeful but worried.