My Day With Nichelle Nichols, or I got to meet Uhura!!

Special thank you to Tom M. and to Kyle. Without both of you, the day would not have been possible.

Since moving to Maine life has taken a different track. I am still working on my book which I really hope to now finish by the spring. I got to go to the Stephen King house in Bangor but other than that I have not done much other than work and raise the kids. The programs available to special needs children up here are more widely available than in Rhode Island and the kids have made incredible progress.

When the 2019 RI Comic Con was announced I was excited as always but I knew going would be hard, if not impossible. I followed the Facebook page and knew who the guests would be. I really didn't think about the convention other than that until the fall when my friend and former co-worker Tom M. called me and told me that he was working on Nichelle Nichol's Facebook page at the request of her son Kyle. The page, http://uhura.com/,  is still under construction but it is having more content added every day. I told Tom that is fantastic news. Tom has experience doing PR for the original cast as he was one of the people behind Walter Keoning's Walk of Fame star, he helped run a convention, and he worked on both Star Trek Of Gods and Men and was a co-producer of Star Trek Renegades. As always I was jealous and proud of Tom because I have been a fan of Nichelle Nichols and Star Trek since I was four years old. There were not many women on TV who looked like me. There were certainly not many women in older movies who were not in servitude or were stereotypes. Nichelle Nichols is a talented singer, dancer, and actress. I know a lot of people are not Star Trek fans but Nichelle Nichols is so much more than a woman who was on a tv show about aliens, especially to the African-American community. She sang with Duke Ellington at the beginning of her career, long before informing Captain Kirk hailing frequencies were open. Because of how she was treated by the studio while on Star Trek she wanted to quit. An extremely influential person told her not to and why and if you do not know about what happened, I encourage you to read about when Nichelle met Martin Luther King, Jr. As an adult knowing she faced the same pressures I have faced (even at my current job) but she stuck with it makes an even bigger impact. She has positively affected so many people in ways that cannot be described.

A great read. I might own a *few* Star Trek books.

Tom called me a few weeks before Comic-Con to tell me that he would be helping to set up Nichelle Nichol's booth and in effect be part of her entourage. Tom said he knew a life long dream of mine is to meet Nichelle and that if I could get tickets that he would ask Kyle if I could have a minute of her time to just tell her that I admire and respect her and all that she has done and possibly get a picture with her. Of course, he added, there was no guarantee that could happen because there would be a lot of variables to consider. I just stood in my apartment holding my phone next to my face with a look of total shock.  I could not actually reply. I stammered some incoherent semi-words and then asked if he was serious. He laughed and said of course he was. He said I would never have this chance again and we are friends and he knew how much it would mean to me.  As soon as I was capable of coherent thought I bought my tickets.

I've got a golden ticket!

I spent the next few weeks telling everyone with a set of ears that I was going to Rhode Island Comic Con and if all worked out as planned I'd be meeting a living legend. Since I no longer live in RI, I needed a place to stay. I called my mom and step-father and asked if I could spend the weekend of Comic-Con in their RV. They saw no problems with that. My mom and I chatted about how George Takei and Nichelle Nichols are both instrumental figures of civil rights and all they have symbolized as well as accomplished. Of course, life had completely other plans for me. Comic-Con would be November 1-3. On the morning of October 24, I woke up to red, itchy hands covered in a rash that burned. I work as a patient service representative in a Dr.'s office and I asked one of my coworkers who has seen a lot in her 10 plus years in medicine. She said it would probably be fine but if the blisters got worse the next day maybe I should go get it checked out. I agreed. Then she asked me if I did any yard work lately. I laughed and said I am an indoor girl. She told me several of our patients had encounters with browntail moth caterpillars and the rash can be quite bad. I asked one of the RNs in the practice but she also said to just watch it and if it got worse the next day to see my regular Dr. I started working when another coworker said her son and husband had hand, foot, and mouth and it burned and left a red rash. I jumped out of my chair and asked our Nurse Practioner if she could identify HFM by sight. She looked and my hands and asked if I had a sore throat and fever. I replied I did indeed have a sore throat when I woke up but I just thought it was fall in New England so that was why.  She asked one of the Drs in the practice his opinion and he agreed in full with her. I was then told I was contagious and could not work until this viral infection cleared up. After meeting with my regular Dr. I found out this viral infection can last 7 to 10 days in an adult. This was not what I wanted to hear at all! Comic-Con was 10 days away! I spent the next 8 days avoiding civilization and watching the rash spread. During this time I took pictures of the rash and emailed them to Tom. I told him there was no way I could go to Comic-Con until this plague cleared up. He told me just to play it by ear and not to worry. He said if I really could not go he would ask  Kyle if Nichelle could Facetime me. I had to go to Employee Health in order to be cleared to return to work. I was declared to be no longer patient zero and sent back to work. This was the news I wanted to hear. I was no longer contagious and would be able to go in public again.

Watching ST: TNG in Batman sweats with a friend.

As I was emailing Tom to tell him I would be there, my step-father called me. His niece, my cousin, who has been sick for years had an unexpected setback with her health and was in the ICU. He said it looked better than it had at first but ultimately no one was sure of her condition. Comic-con was in 3 days. Due to what had happened, I decided it would not be fair to my family to add stress to them by coming to stay with them. They would be in and out all day going to the hospital, plus they would have my two autistic kiddos running around. It just would not be fair to them.  I called Tom and told him it was going to be a washout that weekend for me. My tickets were given away to a friend in RI. I was so upset but it was for the greater good, and Spock would have agreed that the needs of the many outweigh the wants of the few or the one.

Friday, November 1, the first day of Comic-Con my phone rang. I was getting a Facetime call from Tom. I answered and he said he had a surprise for me. His phone turned around and it was HER! It was Nichelle Nichols! She waved and said hi to me and I burst into tears. Tom told her I was a friend of his who could not go but wanted to be there. I just cried and cried. Tom sent me pictures of Catherine Tate, Alex Kingston, George Takei, and so many other celebrities who were in the green room.

On Saturday I sent Tom a text asking him to sneak me in and he said if I could get down on Sunday he would. He told me I would have to work once I got there. I told him that would not be a problem. I honestly thought this was some cruel joke, that I would drive 4 hours and then be stopped by security and be told to leave.

Sunday, the big day was here.  Being a Whovian as well as a Trekkie, and a cosplayer, I dressed like Martha Jones and headed on down to RI.

At the Omni Hotel sky bridge not convinced I wasn't dreaming.

Feeling more nervous than I ever have, I walked to the Omni Hotel and promptly pulled on the wrong doors. Shaking, I texted Tom that  I was coming into the hotel.  I had no badge and thought I would be stopped by security immediately. Tom told me to wait on the sky bridge connecting to the Convention Center. It has been 3 years since I lived in Rhode Island and the last time I was in the Convention Center I was 13 or 14  so I lied and told him I definitely knew where that was. The last time I was in the Omni Hotel was never so I just walked around with my head up looking not lost and anxious.  Tom texted again for me to just wait and he would be a few minutes. I stood awkwardly trying to not look like a lost puppy.  This was it, it was a lie, why would I think I would actually get a guest pass to work at Comic-Con for a few hours and other extremely negative thoughts went through my head.  I heard a voice call out "Oh there you are" and there was Tom with a guest pass in his hands. He said we had to go because "she" was on her way down from her hotel room and we would have to meet her at the elevators. We walked over to the elevators and it was like being in a surreal dreamland. Cosplayers and celebrities were milling around. As were standing making small talk, George Takei came around the corner with his husband, Brad. I looked at Tom and said, "Holy cow, that's The George Takei!"  Tom said, "Well yeah." I felt like I was going to pass out. The man who as a young man lived in an internment camp, the man who played Sulu, the man who is currently killing it on Twitter was going to walk past me. I flashed up a Vulcan salute and he returned the gesture. Then him and Brad were whooshed away by an elevator. A handful of other celebrities trickled past us.  All of a sudden everything started going slow motion.  It felt like the area got quieter. The elevator doors opened and there she was. Nichelle Nichols was in her wheelchair with her son behind her. My jaw dropped and I forgot how to talk and think. She's absolutely beautiful and elegant. Tom said "Nichelle this is my friend, Alana. She's going to help us today.......oh and she's shy." I stuck my hand out and she smiled and said, "It's ok. I'm shy, too." Her voice was very soft but very strong. Then we were off. Tom led the way directing people out of our path and we were flying down hallways flanked by security.  We whipped around a corner and to add to the surrealism, I almost collided with Duffman. I said "Duffman loves to party!" and he yelled back "Duffman!"

We walked into the ballroom and I had to pause. I was face to face with Scott Ian. Since we were still walking quite fast, I was almost past the cast of Family Matters before I realized they were there.

Tom lead us past all the tables and to a door in the back of the room. He said Kyle would have to set up so this was a good place to wait. I stood in stunned silence when the doors popped open. Cat, who was a Comic-Con employee introduced herself as a tall man with a blue shirt was walking by. He looked familiar but I didn't think he was that tall. 

Dr. Alexi! And I am so not cool.

Alec Utgoff was extremely nice and took a picture with me and I was trying hard to not have a panic attack. 

Nichelle made small talk with Tom and I still had no idea why I was there or how this happened. After Kyle got the table set up, Tom told me to wait with Nichelle and he went and spoke with Kyle. After they spoke Kyle looked at me, seeing me for the first time and waved and smiled. This was it, I was part of today's crew. I spent the next few hours taking pictures of fans with Nichelle using their phones and cameras. Nichelle genuinely loves her fans and it was extremely evident on her face. She joked around and smiled and talked to everyone who came up to her.

The next extremely surreal moment was when Super Dog walked by. The blue tape was supposed to be guides for fans to form a line with. It was a good attempt but it was not followed.

 I was diagonal from John Barrowman and he was just as animated all day as I imagined.

The highlight of my morning came when Tom asked if I wanted to walk around. I definitely did. Catherine Tate's table was close and I wanted to see if I could say hi to her and tell her how much I like her comedy and admire her work with The Laura Crane Youth Cancer Trust. As I approached her table security asked if I was in line for Alex Kingston or Catherine Tate. I replied Catherine Tate and he pointed to a woman with long red hair writing in front of the table with her back to me. I said "Hi" and she said "Oh hello sweetheart. Are you Martha Jones today?". I got extremely lightheaded and asked "Oh wow! How did you know? You're the first person today who got that!" She said, "I could tell by your maroon coat and your tank top." I got super flustered and started tearing up. I have been a Doctor Who fan way back when PBS aired reruns in the 80s.  I have watched the show since it was brought back in 2005. And now on this day that is certainly a dream and not real, Donna Noble is recognizing me as Martha Jones. I had to walk away because it was too much at that moment. I was blown away by how nice she was and how soft-spoken she was. Tom brought me back later to get a picture with her because I was far too embarrassed to ask her myself.

Catherine Tate

At lunchtime, we headed through hallways that brought us away from the crowds to the cafeteria. There was no conversation. Nichelle was chilly so we were walking quite quickly. Once we got to the cafeteria, I was not sure if I was allowed in. Tom said it was fine, and as soon as I walked in, I saw Benedict Wong eating his lunch. Being a lover of things obscure, I rewatch The IT Crowd a couple of times a year. I was within arm's length of Prime. Oh yeah, and I think he was in some movie with Sherlock. As I tried just being out of the way, Mankind walked by to leave the room. As Nichelle was sitting down, I overheard a conversation at the next table. Ethan Peck and Joonas Suotamo were sitting next to each other talking. Joonas was doing something on his phone, and when I glanced over it he was playing a piano app. Joonas Suotamo is 20 feet tall just in case if you were wondering. I am 5 foot flat and when he stood, I got dizzy looking up at him. I turned around and in walked Sean Pertwee and David Mazouz. David Mazouz had an adorable dog in his arms. My head started spinning. Tom walked by a dark-haired man who was sitting down and said hi to him. The dark-haired man looked up at me and in a very familiar baritone said: "Hi, I'm Patrick." My voice worked faster than my brain and I said: "I know you, Patrick, from Dave's World." He laughed and said that it was a long time ago. We had a brief conversation and I turned around to get out of everyone's way and I was face to face with Darius McCrary. He pointed to Nichelle and told me he is her biggest fan. It took a few minutes to realize he was talking to me, and he initiated the conversation. He told me that if it wasn't for her he would never be where he is today, and she paved the way for him. I really wanted to tell him I am a patient service representative at a Dr's office in the country and I feel she paved the way for me and I also wanted to tell him as far as fans go I won the fan lottery today. We had a brief conversation and I noticed his shirt. It was a vintage-looking Karate Kid tee shirt and it was easily the coolest shirt worn by any guest at Comic-Con. I said, "I love your shirt." He got a big goofy grin and said,  "I was feelin' it today!" As I turned to let him eat, a tall muscular man wearing a grey shirt strode into the room. Henry Simmons sat down and took out his phone. I turned around again and a person in a giant inflatable Pikachu costume was coming through the door. I told Tom this was too much, I had to get some air and he said to not leave as we had to bring Nichelle down for a photo op. As we left the cafeteria, I almost accidentally bumped into a young woman wearing a white shirt. I apologized to Gabby Pizzolo and then was face to face with Gaten Matarazzo. He has  Cleidocranial dysplasia and raises awareness about it. Of course, I admire that. I tried to tell him that I appreciate what he does for his fans but I got tongue-tied and awkward. The mom in me kicked in because when watching Stranger Things, I can't get over how much my little autism warrior looks like him and in person, it was so much more so. As we were leaving, a cake topped with a Big Bird was pushed in the door. I have read accounts of what it was like to work at MGM in the 30s and 40s when it was time to eat in the commissary. At one table, there was Judy Garland dressed as Dorothy, and at the next table, you could see Southern Belles from Gone With The Wind and how dreamlike it was. I have also read what it's like to work at Disneyland and enter the cafeteria to see Snow White eating with janitors. I often wondered if that would be a heady experience, and yes, it is incredibly dreamlike to be eating a cold turkey club sandwich while drinking Poland Springs water and hear Ethan Peck say "Oh, I play the new Spock in a show." 

As we walked down a maze of hallways to get to the photo op area I felt like I was watching a behind the scenes documentary of how a fan found herself tagging along with her childhood idol at Comic-Con. Backstage at the photo op, it was a maze of black curtains. Agents and handlers were moving their clients around and I was walking past people I have only seen on tv shows and in movies. I almost walked into Shawn Harrison and in front of Nichelle, I saw Kellie Shanygne Williams. Somehow my pocketbook was on Nichelle's wheelchair and she picked it up and said: "This is a nice bag." Tom said it was mine and she said again it was a really nice bag. The bag in question can be seen in the top picture. It was a $20 Walmart bag purchased only because it was a crossbody and would easily hold anything I put in it. I was blown away that this classy lady said my Walmart bag was nice.

In the photo op area, Tom told me where to stand so as not to be in people's pictures.  A pretty blonde woman standing next to me said hi and asked me who I was with. I pointed to Tom and said I am the assistant to the assistant of Nichelle. I then laughed and said I was kinda the Dwight Schrute of the group. The woman laughed and said she liked that. Tom whispered, "That's George's agent." I somehow found myself getting a picture with Nichelle and the fans started pouring in. They filed out as quickly as they came in, appearing through one curtain and disappearing through another.  After the last fan left, Brad Takei walked in followed by George Takei.  I found myself between Sulu and Uhura and George looked at me and said: "We are going to preserve this moment forever." I swear my knees buckled. As a lifelong fan of Star Trek, I could not believe any of this was real. I live in the middle of the woods in Maine. I am from the middle of nowhere Rhode Island. I am a special needs mom who struggles daily to just not through my hands up and walk away. And here I was in the middle of a day with these amazing people.

I told Tom I really needed to clear my head and I got to walk around the floor a bit and geek out a bit. The lights were bright and it still felt surreal.  I saw someone waving at me and I waved back before I realized it was Devon Hughes. I headed over to the Civic Center looking for the Alex & Ani display when Tom texted me that I head to back NOW.

I started my walk back and I saw the 501st. I knew I had to hurry but I had to check them out. I was happy I did.

I had one more fast stop to make. I promised my daughter I would meet Big Bird. Unfortunately, Carol Spinney was away from his table. But I got some pictures of her friends.

After I got back to the table, I got to see more delighted fans, and an equally delighted Nichelle take pictures and make memories. I saw little girls with giant smiles who were excited to recognize Uhura and saw Nichelle smile back at them with even bigger smiles. I saw a completely red-faced, breathless mother run-up to the table and say she could not believe it was Nichelle, that was really, really her. She had a young boy with her and she said that she really wanted her son to meet her because of how important she is. I almost cried with her. I wanted to tell that woman that I felt the same way all day. When I took her pictures with Nichelle, I took a few extra because I understood how she felt. 

As the day wound down I realized Bonnie Wright was at the table next to us. I have never seen the Harry Potter movies but my mom loves them. I got a picture for her. Thank you, Bonnie, she loved it. My mom wants you to know that was very nice of you to do.

I took a few minutes to sneak away to say hello to Alex Kingston. My mother is a fan of hers, not that she knows of River song, but my nurse mom really enjoyed ER, or has she calls it Emergency. Thank you Alex, my mom really appreciates the picture.

Shortly before it was time to start packing up, my husband's friend John and his wife got in line.  They were the lucky recipients of my original tickets.  John wanted to talk to Nichelle but he felt nervous. When the line was empty I turned and looked at Kyle and said John was my friend and he had a  question for Nichelle.

I am so very happy that he got to speak to her. She was extremely kind to him.

The day was winding down when Tom said "Hey check out BB-8. That's cute."

As Kyle was deciding to call it a day, we had one more person come up to the table. It was one more moment that was a huge payoff for a fangirl.

That is me taking a picture of Tom taking a promotional picture for Nichelle's website. Again, I don't know what I did to be here, but I was beyond happy that this happened. If you had told me at any point prior to this day that literally any of this was going to happen I would have laughed and thought you were crazy.

After this picture was taken, Kyle started packing up the table. I turned to Nichelle and said "Thank you for letting me work with you today. I enjoyed you in Star Trek and I have been a fan of yours my whole life. Thank you for not  quitting the show and being an inspiration for little girls who look like me."
She gave me a big smile and said, "No, thank you." And she shook my hand.
Kyle and Tom got everything packed and all the signs taken down. The spell was breaking just a little as the room became just a room and not a dream factory.

Tom asked me to wait in the hallway with Nichelle which I did. As we hurried through the secret hallways one last time I tried to commit every detail to memory. As we walked past the janitorial staff and security there were lots of excited whispers, "That's her!", "Is that really her?" "Hey, it's her!". Nichelle, this is what you mean to us. From the cast of Family Matters, to a fangirl in Maine, to janitors and security guards, we all love you. We walked through one last security check on our way over the sky bridge to the hotel. The security guard had a big happy smile and asked if he could have a moment of Nichelle's time. He told her how happy he was to meet her and to thank her for all she's done for us.  We ended up back at the elevators and I waved goodbye to Nichelle and Kyle. The security guard with us waved me into the elevator but I said: "Oh, I don't think I go up there." Tom looked at me and said, "Come on! Get in." I got in and thanked Kyle for the opportunity and smiled and said thank you.  We got up to the hotel rooms and an exhausted Nichelle took a big sigh of relief.  Kyle and Tom had some small talk with Nichelle and I stood being quietly thankful while thinking "I AM IN NICHELLE NICHOL'S HOTEL ROOM."   As Tom and I turned to leave I held my hand out to Kyle and said, "Seriously thank you very much for the chance to work with your mom today." He smiled and said, "We are all friends here."  Then took a deep breath and said way more confidently than I felt "Thank you, Nichelle. It was nice to meet you." She smiled at me and said, "No thank you." Then she pulled me close and gave me a kiss on my cheek.

The view from the floor Nichelle's room was on.

It was an amazing day and I will never forget it. Nichelle, Kyle, Tom: You all are the best and thank you all for the best day a nerdy girl could have.

Star Trek Renegades news and some randomness

Star Trek Renegades will not be picked up as a series by CBS. My source on the production team discussed a little about what's going on and it is all red tape stuff. But, it will be a crowd sourced web series. Walter Keoning confirmed he would be back for at least two more episodes and then he would retire his iconic Russian character. Since I am pretty sure Russians invented the internet this makes sense that he would be on board. I will post the kickstarter information as soon as I have it.

I posted before that my son will be a ring bearer. I am going to the bridal shower tomorrow. So excited for the bride sn and groom.

This pregnancy has me unbelievably thirsty all the time. I am kind of nervous since I had Gestational Diabetes with my son. I also can't get over the vivid movie quality dreams I keep having. I forgot about those. The Midwife ordered prenatal vitamins for me last evening and I have to pick them up at the hospital's pharmacy.

Don't know if I mentioned it, but my new job is walking distance from my house. My last job was an hour away. Not only is it incredibly nice to be home by 3:40 everyday, but I have the added benefit of being able to walk home for lunch everyday. Life is good.

STAR TREK RENEGADES IS ON YOU TUBE! I am sharing the link with you all.

Have you seen Star Trek Renegades yet?

You can watch it here:Star Trek Renegades on YouTube

I saw Renegades and thoroughly enjoyed it. You can read my review here: http://momlovesscifi.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-secret-can-be-told-spoiler-free.html and if you want to know why I am so happy about Renegades, I talk about that here: http://momlovesscifi.blogspot.com/2015/06/why-i-am-so-excited-about-star-trek.html

Star Trek Renegades North America Premire

From Star Trek Renegades official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/STRtheSeries


The production team is in talks to rent a very large theater so cast, crew, and fans can all meet together to watch the pilot/film.  It looks like the showing will be in Los Angeles, California on Saturday, August 1st.  Based on what is on Facebook at this time, there are not any firm plans for YouTube or DVD releases.  It also looks at this time, it is not known when the general public can see Renegades.

You can get more up to date news on their website www.startrekrenegades.com

Renegades really is good.  This fan truly hopes we haven't seen the last of Star Trek Renegades.

STAR TREK RENEGADES IMPORTANT NEWS

Today, June 10, 2015; Star Trek Renegades was sent to backers.  This is amazing. To date, the film has only been shown in Germany at Fed Con in May.  Fans can finally get a first glimpse at this project if they were not able to attend Fed Con.

It appears that the finished version will be released some time next month.

It is still not known if this will be a fan film, or a series.  As someone who saw Renegades, it would be an amazing series.

The production crew has asked that all that received the link to not share it at this time.

Also, this is not 100% finished. There are still some editing/effects work to be done.  If it looks a little rough, hopefully all the finishing touches will be done by next month.

Thank you so much for sharing this project. Speaking as a lifelong fan, this looks pretty good.  I did review  Renegades last month and you can read the review here: http://momlovesscifi.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-secret-can-be-told-spoiler-free.html

Exciting Star Trek Renegades News!!!

I found out some things about Star Trek Renegades I wanted to share with you all :)

As you know I saw the movie and reviewed it (http://momlovesscifi.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-secret-can-be-told-spoiler-free.html).  Soon the backers  can also see the movie/pilot as well.  Looks like it will be released to the backers the beginning of July.  Backers, check your emails for updates.

Also, the production team is still in negotiations with CBS for a show on some platform to be developed.  It might be a web based show, which would be great since so many people stream shows anyway.  Hopefully we can get a limited run season at least. I know I would watch it, and frankly I streaming to television.  Any thoughts?

Grace Lee Whitney RIP

Last night before I went to bed, I found out that Grace Lee Whitney passed away at 85.
Yeoman Rand, I will miss you.   The void you left on the Enterprise was never able to be filled.  You had the class to handle Kirk, yet the nerves of steel needed to stand up to Charlie X and walk away unscathed.  You had beauty,  and the best hair in the Star Trek universe.   You worked your way up to in rank and were there for some of the best moments in Star Trek history. 
I really enjoyed watching your friendship with Uhura and Sulu. You brought a lot to a character most people relegated a glorified background character. 
We lost Spock and Rand in the same year.  May she be remembered as fondly as he was because even if she wasn't on the show as long as he was, she was also a central part of the bridge crew.

Star Trek Renegades Trailer!!!!

HOLY COW!! This looks so good.

I am having a hard time waiting to see this. Every trailer builds my excitement. I am so glad that this has been put together and is looking amazing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjeX5drV9ms

The First Review I Wrote on a Blog. J.J. Abrams' abysmal Star Trek.

(This is a really old post from my first blog on Myspace.

Please Renegades do not make me cry. I am hoping you will be everything you promise to be.

I had to edit this but I kept the tone. The idea is I am trying to improve my writing.........I hope it is getting slightly better as  I get older. I was incredibly upset when I wrote this. By the end of the movie I was literally in the fetal position and crying in my seat at the movie theater. By the time I got home I was livid. Nerd rage is a powerful thing friends.)

I'm not going to bother nit picking over the weak storyline or "red matter" or how a drop of "red matter" can implode a planet and create a black hole, but yet when a ship full of the "red matter" detonates it only explodes one ship. Or how a mining ship has a chain long enough to reach from their ship in space to a planet's  surface.  Or how you can base jump out of a starship to a planet through the atmosphere. Or why if you did and didn't explode in the atmosphere you would need a parachute that also doesn't explode due to well traveling at speed of light. Or how Earth is now four seconds away from Vulcan at warp two when it used to take months at the same speed  (Guess they stole the idea of increasing the speed of light from Futurama.)

The biggest problem is Uhura and Spock were not lovers.  Ever. There are too many reasons for this and I  will not go into them here

Next, in the Star Trek universe ships aren't built  in Iowa. Utopia Planitia on the moon, or Mars, yes, Iowa,  no.
Incidentally, they don't launch ships from Iowa either, they are launched from space docks.
Since I'm upset about the ships right now, lets talk about Enterprise. Kirk was not on NCC 1701's maiden voyage, since he was the third captain of the ship, but it was launched in 2245, or when Kirk was the ripe old age of 12.

Spock doesn't use phasers. There is this thing called the Vulcan nerve pinch. Spock is Vulcan or anti-violence. Oh, and Spock doesn't wear fur. Vulcans don't kill animals.
McCoy was not technologically minded. He was a Doctor dammit. He never ever ever worked at a console on the bridge. He would visit the bridge yes.Work on the bridge, no.
Chekhov was not a wunderkind. He was a bored teenage pilot. He never got excited and ran around the ship solving problems. Hell he never ran.
And   they did not all start on enterprise together. Huge inconsistencies here.

Now lets look at each individual character.

CHRIS PIKE---Took command of Enterprise in 2250 and lead two of the five year missions.He relinquished command to Kirk in 2263. Kirk did not serve under Pike.

SPOCK--Born 2230. As of 2267 he earned the Vulcanian Scientific  Legion of Honor,and had twice been decorated by Starfleet Command. Spock served under Pike for 11 years and 4 months, so roughly say in 2252 Spock went on the Enterprise. Did not create Kobayashi Maru. He was certainly not Kirk's teacher at Starfleet. He was never upset about his mother, Amanda, dying when Vulcan was blown up, because Vulcan was never blown up. That was Alderman from Star Wars and Princess Leia. Maybe J.J. Abrams was really trying to make a Star Wars movie?

JAMES KIRK--Born 2233 in Iowa, not space and by 13 was living on Tarsus IV where he was one of 9 surviving witnesses to the massacre of 4000 colonists by Kodos the Executioner. He served aboard Farragut  in 2254, so Enterprise was not his first ship. He had an older brother, who was born in Iowa, and his dad did not die in space before he was born.

DR. LEONARD MCCOY-- Born 2227, or in other words, he was older than Kirk.  As of 2267 he had earned the Legion of Honor, and had been decorated by Starfleet surgeons. He joined the Enterprise in 2266, three years after Kirk became captain.  He most definitely did not attend Star Fleet Academy with Kirk.

UHURA--Yes, she has a name. It is actually Nyota Uhura and her name is definitely not a mystery. She was born in 2239, or in other words, shes younger than Kirk. Her first appearance was in "The Corbomite Maneuver", or episode 3 which means she joined the Enterprise after Kirk, but before McCoy. She never met Kirk in a bar in Iowa prior to joining the crew.  Sorry to disappoint, but she wasn't Spock's lover.

PAVEL CHEKOV-- Born 2245. He came aboard  the Enterprise in 2267 or, after the rest of the established bridge crew and McCoy.

CHRISTINE CHAPEL--She was in love with Spock. If Spock never dated her, I doubt highly he went after Uhura who wasn't interested in him. She joined Enterprise in 2266 or after Kirk.

HIKARU SULU-- Born 2237.He  came aboard the  Enterprise in 2265, once again after Kirk, and by the way, he was initially a physicist.

MONTGOMERY SCOTT--Born 2222. His engineering career began in 2243 and  he served on 11 ships. Oddly enough he never served on Hoth, and he didn't ever have a weird mutated Greedo as a personal sidekick.

There is so much more wrong with this train wreck of a horrible movie,  but I am very tired now. Plus, my head hurts. Oh by the way, I have the STAR TREK encyclopedia, so I, Alana, wrote all of this. This is not some review or something. I'm just a huge Trekkie and the movie hurt my brain.
This was the worst movie I ever saw.  I saw X Men 3,  Mercury Rising, and all the Look Who's Talking Movies.

Quick thought on Star Trek Renegades

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhZPbX2x3Ug Renegades trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgRJWBB12GA Renegades trailer

So does anybody else think that the blue guy (he's a villain but I can't remember his name) looks similar to The Destroyer of Worlds from Doctor Who Battlefield? I giggle every single time I see him. I really want to see Renegades but that distracts the hell out of me.

The Destroyer of Worlds is in the clip below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP6T1wcFwms

Sci-Fi Movie of the week: Star Trek:Of Gods and Men

"It's the perfect tribute to all those who served aboard her..."-Pavel Chekov

Being a nerd is its own reward.  This movie is one of those times that this is true.  It is a fan made movie that has an incredible story. It feels like a gift of love to fans of TOS, but is a such a good stand alone story it will appeal to those not familiar with the show.

Just take a look at the cast http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0835378/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast.  So many fan favorites from Grace Lee Whitney to Ethan Phillips, sans Neelix makeup. A personal favorite of mine makes a guest appearance, The Guardian of Forever. We even see a tribble.

If I ever get fortunate enough to meet any members of the original cast I want it to be Nichelle Nichols.  Growing up seeing her hold her own with Kirk and the members of the bridge crew as Uhura, I wanted to be her.  When you watch how calm, cool, and collected she acts you would have no indication of the turmoil the studio put her through. If you don't know the stories, I suggest looking them up. Frustrated and feeling like she had no where to turn, Nichols almost quit Star Trek, but a very influential person urged her to stay stating how positive her character was to the African-American community. Nichols projects grace and elegance when she is screen. I always knew she was talented as an actress, but I recently saw these rare pictures:  http://www.thegeektwins.com/2015/02/see-uhura-do-ballet-in-rare-behind.html#.VOzp7HzF_Ak and realized just how talented she really is.

The story is not solely about Uhura. We see Pavel Chekov as we have never seen him before. If the time line was altered, would he be the same friendly, easy going navigator we have all grown to love over the years? Walter Koenig brings his own charm back to the role he originally played on TOS.  One of my favorite bits of trivia about his character was that he was brought on to appeal to young women and his wife cut his hair to emulate the hairstyles of The Beatles.

Although not seen, Kirk is talked about. The movie takes place after his death in Generations.  (Side rant: I read Star Trek books so I don't think he is truly dead. The books William Shatner wrote in conjunction with Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens explore what might have happened. Great book series, highly recommend.) What would the universe be without Kirk? The theme of "the needs of the many outway the needs of the few" and how important is the life of one man are explored.

Being a fan made production, the special effects may be a little lacking, but this movie has heart. There are some scenery chewing moments from some of the actors, but seriously, what would Star Trek be like without a little overacting? The dialog is reminiscent of the TOS movies. I highly recommend this movie to everyone who likes science fiction.

You can watch it on Youtube here :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFqAME7dx58