Adventures in Off-Brand LEGO: Star Trek’s The Guardian of Forever

Last year, to coincide with Star Trek‘s fiftieth anniversary, Mattel released a line of Star Trek Mega Bloks sets. A few years previous, Hasbro had a line of LEGO-compatible Star Trek KRE-O sets, based on the Chris Pine/Zach Quinto films, and I thought those were well done, even if I did rebuild the miniature EnterpriseContinue reading “Adventures in Off-Brand LEGO: Star Trek’s The Guardian of Forever”

Thoughts on the Star Trek Beyond Trailer

I like it. The first trailer, for a movie that’s out in seven months, doesn’t have to do a lot. The idea is to whet the appetite, to remind the viewer of who these characters are and the world they inhabit. That’s what the trailer for Star Trek Beyond does. Yes, it’s loud and brashContinue reading “Thoughts on the Star Trek Beyond Trailer”

A New Star Trek Television Series

Today, CBS announced that there will be a new Star Trek television series in January 2017, executive produced by Alex Kurtzman, one of the writers of 2009’s Star Trek and 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness movies. Suffice it to say, I had thoughts on this today, which is why I wrote about it on Facebook:Continue reading “A New Star Trek Television Series”

Is Captain Kirk a Republican?

The New York Times Magazine ran an interview with Ted Cruz yesterday. It’s an interview to promote his new book, but he segues into pop culture — Spider-Man, Star Wars, and Star Trek. While it’s interesting to read a sitting United States Senator talk about Darth Vader, it’s his Star Trek comments that have garneredContinue reading “Is Captain Kirk a Republican?”

The Itch to Build

In my closet there’s an ammunition crate, painted red. It’s where I keep my LEGO bricks. There are LEGO bricks in that crate that are older than some of my coworkers. No, I’m not kidding. There are some LEGO boat pieces (that float on water) that I know date from the late 1970s, and IContinue reading “The Itch to Build”

Harve Bennett: A Reminiscence

There is a generation for whom their Star Trek isn’t one of the television series. It’s the movies. Maroon jackets. Admiral Kirk. James Horner. “Of all the souls I have encountered…” Protomatter and Project Genesis. “My god, Bones, what have I done?” Humpback whales. “A double dumb-ass on you.” Born too late for the animatedContinue reading “Harve Bennett: A Reminiscence”

Adventures in Off-Brand LEGO: The Mini KRE-O Enterprise

Last summer, to tie in with Star Trek Into Darkness, Hasbro released several Star Trek-themed KRE-O sets. KRE-O is Hasbro’s LEGO-compatible building set series, and they’ve released Transformers, Battleship, and zombie-themed sets in addition to Star Trek. I’ve built some of the Transformers sets, and I’ve liked them. The bricks may be a little slickerContinue reading “Adventures in Off-Brand LEGO: The Mini KRE-O Enterprise”

Boldly Going Where No Word Salad Has Gone Before

Like everyone, I receive “word salad” spam. By “word salad,” I mean spam that uses words and phrases from other sources that go together and make sense to try and get past a Bayesian filter. I’ve just received a Star Trek word salad spam. This is a first. The subject line, as it arrived: PicardContinue reading “Boldly Going Where No Word Salad Has Gone Before”

On Things I’ve Been Reading

Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation2 #5 IDW Publishing Written by Scott & David Tipton Pencils by Gordon Purcell Watercolors by J.K. Woodward It’s safe to say that after the fourth issue of Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation2 that I was ready to give up on this series. My two favorite science-fictionContinue reading “On Things I’ve Been Reading”