"Boldly Going" ("Star Trek")


Ink Smudges: Anyone who knows me knows that there is this weird conflict of interest going on in my head - See I love Star Wars, but I also equally love the Star Trek series. From the original television show through the movies through Next Generation all the way up to AND including Enterprise I've seen them all. And those close to me also know that my most anticipated film this summer opens the second week of May, a re-boot of sorts of the entire universe (but still strangely in cannon) by acclaimed producer/film-maker J.J. Abrams - who also helps run my favorite current TV show Lost. I've been giddy as a schoolgirl the last few weeks as I wait patiently for May 8th to roll around so I can once again experience the Trek universe on film.
When it came time to pay homage to this flick Jake and I had a couple of ideas. One was to do an ensemble piece with all the characters of the Plight comic dressed as various famous Trek characters. Another was to play on the famous notion that no crew member of the Enterprise NC-1701 A who beamed down to a strange planet wearing a red uniform shirt ever survived. And, well you can see which way Jake and I went above.
For the pic we really tried to get everything in vibe with the original television series, from the uniforms to the equipment. And we studied various points of reference from websites to actual toys and models. And while we got most everything good, my partner in crime Jake forgot one crucial element in his pencils. The famous rock formation that Kirk fights the Gorn on - a rock formation so famous its been used countless times since in such films as Galaxy Quest, Blazing Saddles as well as in various television series like Buffy the Vampire slayer and Hercules. Thankfully it wasn't too hard to add in. I do have to hand it to Jake though - this picture's quality lay entirely in Jake's pencils. - Tony

Pencil Marks: While Tony has a weird conflict of interest, I have this weird conflict of why I like Star Trek in the first place; a conflict that just got even weirder after seeing J.J. Abrams reboot.
The things I enjoyed about the various shows and movies are reasons that would make any Trekkie come after me for blood. You see, I think they're beyond stupid. And I'm not just talking original series... I'm covering everything. EVERYTHING!
There's so many examples for me to list off, I don't know where to begin. How about the famous William Shatner method of milking acting? Or his proud accomplishment of sleeping with every known alien species in the universe (and yes, that includes Ferengi.) What's the deal with Mr. Spock being stronger, smarter and a better director than Kirk but still following his orders? Explain to me the deal with "Next Generation" where 99.9% of the episodes consisted of something going terribly wrong and only one crew member (only one!) could put an end to it in between scenes of Ryker shouting "What the hell is going on?" or Piccard adjusting his uniform like a pimp. Where's Jessie Jackson when the only Starfleet captain to be killed just happened to be a brother (and a single father at that!) Or Women's Lib when the only thing that's been proven to make the cold emotionless borg species become compassionate is to give them massive boobs (both in "Voyager" and "First Contact"). And does any of the series or movies have a piece of equipment that's designed for a specific task and can work to a specific task without someone having to rewire it or modify it for a different task? Tribbles? Ricardo Montebon in a plastic codpiece? Shakespeare in its original Klingon language? Dolphins? Red shirts? Flight boots? Whoopie Goldberg? Need I go on?
So yeah, the legacy of Star Trek to me was one huge 30-year span of sheer ridiculousness. The goofier, the better.

BUT.......

With that being said, I have to admit J.J. Abrams did a remarkable job. In one two-hour film, he made the series fresh again while honoring everything before it. When I walked out of that theater, I was surprised on just how good it was. And it did something I never thought would ever happen: it made me a fan. - Jake