tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33796942939887276382024-02-19T04:29:58.625-08:00Misty ChanceThe Trek ramblings of a geeky Drag QueenAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546484690318834878noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379694293988727638.post-47815436998256867882017-02-12T17:30:00.001-08:002017-04-05T10:57:05.568-07:00Discovery: Let's talk 'Klingons'By now you've all seen the leaked pictures of the new Klingons from Star Trek Discovery. The image was posted to Instagram by a Toronto based film extra who, according to @startrekdog (presumably an account run by Nicholas Meyer?), is no longer with the production. My commiserations go to Andrew McKay as posting snaps to social media from exciting jobs is really the norm these days, I guess he didn't get the media blackout brief and I wish him success in the future (and secretly, thank you! we were clamouring for info, even if some of it can be disappointing)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhclROSmMQuLdvk-qLfUcNOb11NzmK5N5y1FXPKuciZrbIPHWF84Rg1y8Op3atxkeA5yKCWIFMzoc3kwsXk-MVISF74WS2sWPAKb0oUBbRHnXwjxG-X4c8mXr2grcJcGqtXdrhFYsRZnoQ/s1600/Star+Trek+Discovery+Kllingons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhclROSmMQuLdvk-qLfUcNOb11NzmK5N5y1FXPKuciZrbIPHWF84Rg1y8Op3atxkeA5yKCWIFMzoc3kwsXk-MVISF74WS2sWPAKb0oUBbRHnXwjxG-X4c8mXr2grcJcGqtXdrhFYsRZnoQ/s320/Star+Trek+Discovery+Kllingons.jpg" width="180" /></a>Anyway, you will also have seen the huge negative response to the incorrect look of the new Klingons? I say incorrect because clearly we know exactly how the Klingons appear in that time period as its set a mere 10 years before TOS. I'm not going to delve into inverse reasons as to why they might look like this, that is the job of the writers, but my biggest fear here is that we simply will not get an explanation. We are all well aware that the 1987 TNG Klingons had to be modernised and adhere to the tastes of an 80's audience, but thankfully the two shows were set 100 or so apart and a lot can happen in that amount of time. When TOS and the modern Trek started to dabble with crossovers it became clear that this anomaly would have to be addressed and sure enough, after 35 years, we got the answers we were looking for in the way of an episode of Enterprise and the Augment virus (genius!)<br />
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So, here we are again! We are Trekkers and you have to admit, we will swallow pretty much anything that is put in front of us, regardless of how far fetched or unrealistic it is and all we need to be able to do that is an inverse explanation as to why. We will all have to wait until Discovery airs to find out if the producers are going to provide us with one, one can only hope so, but if alas they tell us 'because its 2017 and we can', then personally, I will have a hard time going along with that. It feels sort of disrespectful to wade into such a classic, well rounded, well developed, well established show and particularly an iconic species, and tamper with it, especially if the reason for the change is to target and attract non Star Trek fans. If this had been a sequel or future show, I'd have accepted such a huge change and have assumed there would be explanation's down the line, but the fact that Discovery is set in the middle of an already familiar time, it does not make sense.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiokuB8BJuUUbQ5Ujd2Uqs8iQQZRrlkgV7xpQVLlDGcwEB9S4iIiTDKxdvms4tQboGJG6MICrNbajbRZ-nKnWAQJU2F8aEjz1t4KAC2zfioq7PUtenw7uJQ6t0vfbq63CIRd2e-c4xO26g/s1600/Odan+Trill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiokuB8BJuUUbQ5Ujd2Uqs8iQQZRrlkgV7xpQVLlDGcwEB9S4iIiTDKxdvms4tQboGJG6MICrNbajbRZ-nKnWAQJU2F8aEjz1t4KAC2zfioq7PUtenw7uJQ6t0vfbq63CIRd2e-c4xO26g/s320/Odan+Trill.jpg" width="296" /></a>I have seen many comparisons made with the old Romulans and the TNG Romulans. Such a subtle change was forgiven, especially with their close genetic similarities with Vulcans who do not have head ridges, but brown face make up on an TOS actor as opposed to an elongated earless skull with hairless ridges to the back of the neck is a vastly different species. The only time that I can remember Star Trek making such a noticeable change to the look of a species without explanation was the Trill. The Trill started as an alien of the week and the species concept was so interesting that DS9 included one in their show, casting Terry Farrell who was far to pretty to cover in latex. We now except Terry's make up as the Trill species and largely disregard the one episode character 'Odan'. This Klingon situation is of course a little different, if you name something associated with Star Trek, you would only get three or four word in before you said Klingons, probably part of the reason that this new show revolves around them. <br />
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I have followed Star Trek for the best part of 20 years and have survived without it on TV only with my permanent re-watch of the shows whilst waiting in hope that one day TV would return to that universe. I can't tell you how excited I was when they announced a new TV show, how disappointed I was when they announced it as a prequel (I'm yet to meet a single person who didn't want a post Voyager show), how pleased I was when they announced it as a Prime timeline plot, how confused I was when they débuted an old rejected sketch as the title ship, and now how scared I am now that they have accidentally announced a disregard for established Star Trek lore. That being said, there is (an unspecified, delay delay delay) time for the creators to keep the fans happy, fans that have kept this franchise alive both financially and in spirit for the past 50 years.<br />
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what did Admiral Forrest say? Don't screw this up!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546484690318834878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379694293988727638.post-61951695056477294302016-10-11T11:07:00.003-07:002017-02-12T16:14:19.140-08:00Unwanted Prequel or a fresh start for Trek?The Star Trek world is all a-buzz with rumours and speculation over the upcoming TV series 'Star Trek Discovery'. Being in my mid 30s, the 90s Berman Star Trek is my era, as is the case with the largest TV Sci Fi-watching demographic. Of course, The Original Series is where it all began, but after three struggling years, cancellation and nearly two decades off the air, Trek returned in the modern form that remains the most popular of all. There are many surveys and polls run on a weekly basis, the most notable being by StarTrek.com, and the results are always the same. You can bet that Picard or Janeway will come out on top as the most popular captain, The Enterprise D as the favourite ship, Data as your favourite character, The Borg as the favourite species and the list goes on. All of which are elements not shared with ST:TOS.<br />
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Ever since it was released that Star Trek Discovery was going back in time, many people have voiced their opinions via social media and I am yet to see one who was hoping for a prequel. In fact, until I do find one of those people, I'd go as far as to say that as good as 100% of Star Trek fans wanted a post-Voyager show set in the 24th century or beyond. It's very easy to understand why. Many of us have spent a large portion of our lives (20 years in my case) following this show in a forward-moving continuing story line. The thirst for seeing what comes next is strong and seeing how the prequel show Enterprise marked the end of an 18 year run for the show, it seemed unlikely that the owners of Star Trek would risk going down that avenue again. Wrong, CBS is indeed taking Star Trek 'back to its roots' as they put it. Personally I felt that Deep Space Nine took Trek back to its roots with the themes that it tackled whilst still being set in the 24th century, so why go back in time, why bookend you show before it has started and why restrict your storytelling by having the endgame already written and produced?<br />
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Undoubtedly, showrunner Bryan Fuller did his research before coming up with the concept for Discovery, so why has he chosen to ignore all the surveys, polls and fan demands of a futuristic Star Trek show that continues the investment we have all made in the show over the years? That for me is difficult to understand and has confused me no end. I have settled on licencing issues. Setting it in a time period that no one has ever really thought about, mentioned or cared about sounds insane, but for CBS, it could be a safe place. Are they aiming around Gene-produced Star Trek because there are certain licencing restriction on Berman's Star Trek? It would certainly explain them serving something up that no one has asked for.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgruXGf0BOgKONLckMZ7VkdOeYmCuNYptPA7ysA_nPGy2Zarkr1-vgXlOZMifldMx-tAQA2PPEwZ_DwLMOmygwv4o2JfzZRWYcFIMdENNUvfAODlhWyWV5thlGgobgd9jbsObBIq2exBj0/s1600/enterprise+trio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgruXGf0BOgKONLckMZ7VkdOeYmCuNYptPA7ysA_nPGy2Zarkr1-vgXlOZMifldMx-tAQA2PPEwZ_DwLMOmygwv4o2JfzZRWYcFIMdENNUvfAODlhWyWV5thlGgobgd9jbsObBIq2exBj0/s320/enterprise+trio.jpg" width="261" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The trio that took us back to the past.</td></tr>
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Here is the biggest issue. Due to the lack of interest with Enterprise, ratings were low which ultimately led to cancellation and a Star Trek TV drought for over 10 years. If Discovery is not well received, we could see history to repeat itself and any hope of seeing a continuation of the show we all want could be lost forever. For this reason, I can tell you that I will be backing Discovery and tuning in, if for no other reason than to help make it successful. I made a mistake by turning my back on Enterprise because I was frustrated about resetting a show I had followed for so long. Enterprise put so much thought and effort into writing stories that incorporated the future themes and species we had in TNG, DS9 and VOY and even shoehorned in guest stars from those 24th century shows. That added insult to injury because if you're going to do that, why not just set it alongside those shows and you can have all the guest stars you want!?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCkhXUFnzXSRLZckvPTHrQEK7-tmm0y8iidiVkxCCXNY98NNvy1_c7THfKqh7D3zyWoSCssgW-XJxWI388ZdKlls5jhLSd2-16ZYhkRKEGjOt7F05anZPXqoDaXi-e2VB_P7oKkoZwGM/s1600/enterprise+data.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCkhXUFnzXSRLZckvPTHrQEK7-tmm0y8iidiVkxCCXNY98NNvy1_c7THfKqh7D3zyWoSCssgW-XJxWI388ZdKlls5jhLSd2-16ZYhkRKEGjOt7F05anZPXqoDaXi-e2VB_P7oKkoZwGM/s320/enterprise+data.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">A familiar forced entry.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdzlZ5GuT4n9E55M1K6qkqhBkryYqqpQG99d0UZk31PTPacWbS53kNVvGduNh8_WxLfIcyHjt-d8fSSbGu0RQ4OY5ta7PUPoblVGGawcfHK7jvhNOd83FoZmzGs7AL88X0dYmSMDHkMLk/s1600/riker+in+enterprise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdzlZ5GuT4n9E55M1K6qkqhBkryYqqpQG99d0UZk31PTPacWbS53kNVvGduNh8_WxLfIcyHjt-d8fSSbGu0RQ4OY5ta7PUPoblVGGawcfHK7jvhNOd83FoZmzGs7AL88X0dYmSMDHkMLk/s320/riker+in+enterprise.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The final episode of Enterprise with Riker and Troi, too little too late.</td></tr>
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I of course went back and watched Enterprise during the great Trek drought and, as you might expect, I thought the final two years of the show were epic, well written and nicely characterised. It goes without saying that Discovery is going to be a good TV show, I make that determination just going off Fuller's track record. If Discovery can hit the ground running, in two or three years, could we see it spawn the next spin-off just as TNG did? Pay for that CBS All Access, Tweet about, hashtag it, get behind it. This show NEEDS to work for the future of the Prime Universe!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz56pkVTdINizjhCKBjZPU4FK-71yNL-l-a1srdfYdnru3kZY7tCyI4yeSgcy0VORwBQ6M7el5NYZo0rdLyxqW2l5g3jP2ihFbluKnbjw-XXm5lembIsRWjMP5bbZ73txOkLp_nDtzQUA/s1600/Star-Trek-Discovery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz56pkVTdINizjhCKBjZPU4FK-71yNL-l-a1srdfYdnru3kZY7tCyI4yeSgcy0VORwBQ6M7el5NYZo0rdLyxqW2l5g3jP2ihFbluKnbjw-XXm5lembIsRWjMP5bbZ73txOkLp_nDtzQUA/s320/Star-Trek-Discovery.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Coming in May 2017</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546484690318834878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379694293988727638.post-44612482428865728432016-10-01T17:20:00.000-07:002016-10-11T11:09:08.493-07:00Martia: Star Trek VI The Undiscovered Country CosplayBefore I get into the details of this particular cosplay, let me apologise for the recent neglect of my Star Trek Blog. A combination of other assignments, work and even a little laziness all intervened. If ever there was a time for me to be Trek blogging, it has been the past 12 months; with Star Trek celebrating its 50th anniversary, my trip to the Vegas convention and the new details of Star Trek Discovery coming in thick and fast. My thoughts on the aforementioned will be blogged in the very near future.<br />
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For this year's Destination Star Trek Europe (not as glamorous as it sounds, it's being held in Birmingham, UK), I settled on my new cosplay, that being Martia the shape shifting villain from ST:6. Deciding on who to dress as is a tricky business, it can make you indecisive, especially with a huge universe of colourful characters to choose from. My choices have always been fairly limited however as I have to lean towards characters with a suitable flamboyance to amalgamate with a Drag Queen. Most of my favourite Star Trek gals pretty much live in their all encompassing Starfleet uniforms which stretch from their neck to their toes, a look that covers my albeit fake curves. With the exception of the ultra fitted costume of 7 of 9, the uniform jumpsuits can give a frumpy look, not to mention that in a uniform, you're in danger of blending in to the crowd at any given Trek event.<br />
Despite Martia being covered in fur from head to toe, I was drawn to her because of her exotic look, elaborate feather hairstyling and dramatic make up application.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDQqvpQix-LlLumja0Q4CBc1rRPPTXDIKjRL8I2AVlDrC58ONpGGSQbJrhk6cMWNrEAiMmRVHLm11p4gybtawV8PSiU2rChW6wEDzGg25IV1SvwFsOCZ_MLBXdGsCFYWmQlU8177hiXRM/s1600/Martia+Still.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDQqvpQix-LlLumja0Q4CBc1rRPPTXDIKjRL8I2AVlDrC58ONpGGSQbJrhk6cMWNrEAiMmRVHLm11p4gybtawV8PSiU2rChW6wEDzGg25IV1SvwFsOCZ_MLBXdGsCFYWmQlU8177hiXRM/s320/Martia+Still.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Martia in Star Trek VI</td></tr>
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What became apparent very quickly is that images of Martia are either scarce or lack detail. Many of the images of her on Google are low resolution, grainy screen shots from the movie or do not show her costume in its entirety. Add to that, there is not a single shot in the movie where you see a full length uninterrupted clip of the character. The most useful image I found was in the book 'Star Trek Costumes' by Paula M. Block and Terry J. Erdmann, a must-have publication for any Star Trek cosplayer! I drew a series of sketches where I guessed at certain elements such as coat length, sleeve openings (was it in fact a coat or a shawl?) and her shoulder pieces (was that in fact a separate cape or part of the coat?). With character cosplay, the goal is to get your outfit looking as close to the screen seen costume as possible, so I'm happy to take artistic licence as long as it resembles what I see on TV. Fortunately, Martias costume was made to look 'rustic' as though as it was hastily mashed together in the freezing wilderness, made for survival rather than for fashion. I began collecting fur samples from anywhere I could find them, as long as they didn't have an Earth animal pattern on them, I snapped them up. I was advised by my costume maker to keep the fur of the body suit thin so that I didn't over heat, but as usual, I ultimately went for the closed fur I could find to the onscreen patterning and colour, rather than a thinner alternative (my costume maker helped keep it cooler to wear by not lining it).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghtXfCfY344rDm_MKePLWIC2NDljrTAhIm9-vMGba2GoOyZlAhWyOg2vbQMrEm2VKD_hoLL031odq317g33e2bRsjsb8mV-kWctId1IY93tzW2gM1xiCRHFkziNxG-O01IKXqOSO4KQPw/s1600/Martia+fabric.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghtXfCfY344rDm_MKePLWIC2NDljrTAhIm9-vMGba2GoOyZlAhWyOg2vbQMrEm2VKD_hoLL031odq317g33e2bRsjsb8mV-kWctId1IY93tzW2gM1xiCRHFkziNxG-O01IKXqOSO4KQPw/s320/Martia+fabric.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Collection of (fake) fur samples for the costume</td></tr>
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After watching clips from the movie to see how the costume moved, he decided that she was indeed wearing a full coat with wizard sized sleeves (which is what was giving it a cloak look) and that the shoulder fur was actually an unused hood (understandably unused as it would have interfered with her elaborate head piece). I found a heavy brown knit fabric which was perfect for her scarf and used the same material, turned inside out to give a slightly different colour and texture as a belt to tie the whole outfit together.<br />
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One element which is always difficult to solve with futuristic costuming is footwear. Present-day earth shoes aren't often suitable and my costume maker had previously done a wonderful job replicating 7 of 9's footwear, where he covered a pair of heels with the jumpsuit material. We discussed using a similar approach with Martia's snow boots but eventually decided that a high boot would just look like cheap 'boot covers' which are a 'fancy dress shop' trick to keep a costumes cost down. After scouring the internet, I actually found real goat hair boots in Hungary which, although not quite as high as the onscreen pair, they looked like they fit right in with the snow planets Eskimo look. They are the only part of the costume which are shop bought and not hand made.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzH1qEXOWdGtAZRb1h2ucD6aIx5yJmLFfIKr_l_xAMyCZMG8_rF6tqmdv2Zm_4yXcE2rJf6t4MCr-K4KOWwCNm7o0JKLbjT-q8nK2UCm0ru9U4yzFgtiF11o6sLrnM6GfvzU3v-zoBvI/s1600/Martia+boots.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzH1qEXOWdGtAZRb1h2ucD6aIx5yJmLFfIKr_l_xAMyCZMG8_rF6tqmdv2Zm_4yXcE2rJf6t4MCr-K4KOWwCNm7o0JKLbjT-q8nK2UCm0ru9U4yzFgtiF11o6sLrnM6GfvzU3v-zoBvI/s320/Martia+boots.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Store bought winter footwear from Hungary</td></tr>
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I always knew that Martia's headwear would be the trickiest aspect of the costume It is very stylised and the front feather skull cap fits and frames her face perfectly. To achieve this smooth fitted look, I took a polystyrene wig block which was roughly the same size as my head and made a Papier mâché 'hat'.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxO1XkU_AqcppLtjf2cEUUsG6AWR547i5OJS4CYuXw6COxaFRkajxlTpb2R2dTcQjufBncORp4uiIe9Zm1FJn5RWZlnNP5n6ealJuf8NW2Iw_munZnCttyF2lYkQs9Haliix9JiUL2FQ/s1600/Martia+Paper.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxO1XkU_AqcppLtjf2cEUUsG6AWR547i5OJS4CYuXw6COxaFRkajxlTpb2R2dTcQjufBncORp4uiIe9Zm1FJn5RWZlnNP5n6ealJuf8NW2Iw_munZnCttyF2lYkQs9Haliix9JiUL2FQ/s320/Martia+Paper.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Drying Papier mâché, it's a waiting game</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">To be sure that the piece would mould to my head without gaps or lifting up, I did the <span style="background-color: white;">Papier</span><span style="background-color: white;">-</span><span style="background-color: white;">mâché</span> in two stages. On top of the first dried layer, I glued a network of thin gar</span>den wire and sandwiched that with a second layer of paper and PVA/water solution. This would later allow me to bend the head piece to the exact shape of my head and face.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg75HfASk9z27w5lxoSpSoXCesMRuKNGbovkcZVcE1spRA0aoKyrB2A9uKc8LNGnzIF4E4gNoqMbdZ9-U9GoYLP9hqQfM2adIDTjp0HODF4x4Q6X1Uj-aReMUhgpsoDgDXY92__XvV6KE8/s1600/Martia+wire.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg75HfASk9z27w5lxoSpSoXCesMRuKNGbovkcZVcE1spRA0aoKyrB2A9uKc8LNGnzIF4E4gNoqMbdZ9-U9GoYLP9hqQfM2adIDTjp0HODF4x4Q6X1Uj-aReMUhgpsoDgDXY92__XvV6KE8/s320/Martia+wire.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wire network on the first layer of Papier mâché<br />
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I found feather pads (on eBay, but they're available in well stocked haberdashery stores) that are usually used as hat fascinators. I bought two Grouse feather pads and three Pheasant feather pads and then used my glue gun to thoroughly stick them to my skull cap. I then lined the skull cap with tights material both for comfort and to soak up any moisture from perspiration (I left an extra strip of lining material poking out from the back of the skull cap which I used to sew to the inside of the wig).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj5UbXTI-anE5uKcLArjU5aXw18AoSoDTCRtjIieQqY_oraRC3pKDdZ-KpkzehafFhesQW5kF3fHT6M0IBnCj_sb0bLueYKhnkADmfV7AK9s-dHyZMQk2tAv5UTLX-Suo7g-_2nBPk6Ik/s1600/Martia+pads.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj5UbXTI-anE5uKcLArjU5aXw18AoSoDTCRtjIieQqY_oraRC3pKDdZ-KpkzehafFhesQW5kF3fHT6M0IBnCj_sb0bLueYKhnkADmfV7AK9s-dHyZMQk2tAv5UTLX-Suo7g-_2nBPk6Ik/s320/Martia+pads.JPG" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
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Feather hat pads used for the forehead appliance</div>
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Feather trimming (in red and ginger colours) was plucked and individual feathers were pinned into a dark brown wig.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjDPieQ6fU5vHMImf-1KAIIU2Nxdx8w5gNRHSWDCqO5fNe5IlbdODpOQHBuZtgzdtKJREzmGbaQw4468DLwy3oijzIsZcriXC3s3ZXHC241G20UuZFixVmHD7aDr7yINw6K5xO4dgXiv8/s1600/Martia+trim.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjDPieQ6fU5vHMImf-1KAIIU2Nxdx8w5gNRHSWDCqO5fNe5IlbdODpOQHBuZtgzdtKJREzmGbaQw4468DLwy3oijzIsZcriXC3s3ZXHC241G20UuZFixVmHD7aDr7yINw6K5xO4dgXiv8/s320/Martia+trim.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Feather trim used for hair detailing</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9b3ZQtDrAsb2cQ6MIOB1Uq96nGgfYoGaSU9ofIfH6uSdSg4fApAErDZAnlUgDWYQraHlYEKIinB9EXHdYerHUdqI9b5sO5xH5iu8UDB6jrtzMkCtH03v_5i-kE0ipyOMuu2cLkvetGF0/s1600/Martia+Feather+cap.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9b3ZQtDrAsb2cQ6MIOB1Uq96nGgfYoGaSU9ofIfH6uSdSg4fApAErDZAnlUgDWYQraHlYEKIinB9EXHdYerHUdqI9b5sO5xH5iu8UDB6jrtzMkCtH03v_5i-kE0ipyOMuu2cLkvetGF0/s320/Martia+Feather+cap.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Finished forehead piece before the hair is added</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEEG-ad0hxjbhjw_jHYklDhzcUP2b5KJMIDJ12VTdaZSeGjfeemBAeWGVmfKIM3mTywZbX9p0WQa5JbFSPgG5zdmN3RGgzT1Q_AQiNaE-jYN_sE9GAa28ev9l5dcGmP0-24qrLUEFgles/s1600/Martia+mock+up.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEEG-ad0hxjbhjw_jHYklDhzcUP2b5KJMIDJ12VTdaZSeGjfeemBAeWGVmfKIM3mTywZbX9p0WQa5JbFSPgG5zdmN3RGgzT1Q_AQiNaE-jYN_sE9GAa28ev9l5dcGmP0-24qrLUEFgles/s320/Martia+mock+up.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Mock up for positioning before and gluing begins</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicTTu5GIQdZmV2Uoh8puHGrGF1aUWvgFJfVPRSTPfXKwlTl5Etb8QDd2QDGEgtqHYE_DA-J4eJlySlGte64C4-GQePMxsVDX6kA0IohgHuytM6J0LmA4Hj_EwGUDHgKi4rIT3NEb6KJ5w/s1600/Martia+finished+side.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicTTu5GIQdZmV2Uoh8puHGrGF1aUWvgFJfVPRSTPfXKwlTl5Etb8QDd2QDGEgtqHYE_DA-J4eJlySlGte64C4-GQePMxsVDX6kA0IohgHuytM6J0LmA4Hj_EwGUDHgKi4rIT3NEb6KJ5w/s320/Martia+finished+side.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The head piece on its work block</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh431uIZ1NOhvtFJINfcuSOH6qEBOfnoLQZCdAWmo91Ig0tGaLMJNYFqIl6biqN-4yYyBDyyOc4JQUTQWMBwcDKlSci7rDntkq2RtCVlf6PMExCEynNabKsCeG9H9BdEXsOXV5MBYKqWKU/s1600/Martia+finished+front.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh431uIZ1NOhvtFJINfcuSOH6qEBOfnoLQZCdAWmo91Ig0tGaLMJNYFqIl6biqN-4yYyBDyyOc4JQUTQWMBwcDKlSci7rDntkq2RtCVlf6PMExCEynNabKsCeG9H9BdEXsOXV5MBYKqWKU/s320/Martia+finished+front.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The finished head piece</td></tr>
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The final touches to this cosplay was a pair of prescription contact lenses in Angel Yellow and a light-up fake cigar (available from most good joke shops).<br />
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I hope this blog has helped, inspired or interested you. Enjoy your next Star Trek event and say hi if you see me over heating in a corner somewhere! Keep Trekking.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished article.</td></tr>
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(PS: join me for more Trek talk on Twitter @themistyshow and Instagram @themistychanceshow)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546484690318834878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379694293988727638.post-14736402838324094842015-01-02T10:37:00.001-08:002015-01-02T10:39:53.982-08:00Eaglemoss: Star Trek Official Starships Collection Review<div style="text-align: center;">
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I have been collecting the Eaglemoss Star Trek Starships since day one, yet haven't given them a mention in my Trek blogs... until now.</div>
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The collection has been a joy to have around the house. It looks impressive when all the ships are en masse, but like most things complex and vast, niggles have cropped up (*resists urge to mention the backward Defiant decal*).</div>
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First impressions count and for their opening gambit they gave us the Enterprise D, which to this day remains the largest (aside from the specials) and most detailed model. It also contains the largest portion of die cast to plastic component ratio. A lot of its charm possibly comes from the ships actual design, but the quality of this model can not be denied and I cannot foresee any other addition to the collection taking over the D's intricacy and beauty.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvVc8prhVKocyAN51e3WhV7lsFGQ3pAdUV2iNNCZO5eY3Zbymr6zwhjDfFZ_QOX8iLR3PGL2yuBRPSj34GiyVk_o04353SkRPmKtAhLViFhropdvbNoZRQtI5vjFrfMA0JtsvCmtyImHc/s1600/Ent+D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvVc8prhVKocyAN51e3WhV7lsFGQ3pAdUV2iNNCZO5eY3Zbymr6zwhjDfFZ_QOX8iLR3PGL2yuBRPSj34GiyVk_o04353SkRPmKtAhLViFhropdvbNoZRQtI5vjFrfMA0JtsvCmtyImHc/s1600/Ent+D.JPG" height="311" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D. The most detailed yet?,</td></tr>
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One thing that this collection gives us is models that have never before been physically created and the variety is astounding, partly due to the project runners' passion and familiarity with Trek, and partly because the people behind this collection are listening to the fans and supplying us with what we are asking for (within reason). The Krenim Weapon ship and the Bajoran Solar Sailor are models that I would never have expected to own, and now that I do, I can appreciate them on a whole new level.<br />
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The two most difficult things about being an Eaglemoss collector have got to be dusting and displaying. The dusting could almost be a daily job, though I admit I don't do it quite that often. The black rounded bases tend to show up every speck, and I find that a quick wipe over with my hand as I pluck each ship off it's stand to fly it around the room (with sound fx of course) extends the time needed between the 'big cloth and spray dust downs'.<br />
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Fancy displaying: how do you display yours? There are several methods, and I've seen examples of each one posted on Facebook, all looking rather impressive, and they all have their own merits. The obvious display strategy is Federation ships together and alien ships together. As with things Star Trek, nothing is that black and white (other than the natives of Cheron), and there are a few random 'which fleet does this belong to' moments. For example, The Maquis Raider, a Federation built vessel but used by the bad guys... or are they really the bad guys? Well, you see what I mean.<br />
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As the collection gets larger, it's possible to start splintering off and creating small sub-groups of ships on display. I have taken all the Romulan ships out of my alien fleet and grouped them together. This is going to work particularly well with the Klingon ships, as there is a very handsome line-up of Empire ships and many more planned for release.<br />
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For some of the stand-alone ships like the Nausican Raider, I have actually displayed them in colour groups, which look aesthetically pleasing on the shelf (Cardassian, Ferengi, Bajoran and Nausican ships are all a brown/gold colour).<br />
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Then of course, ahead of the others are the all important 'ships named Enterprise', which I've found looks spectacular facing outward in circular formation with Deep Space Nine in the center (pictured at the end of this blog).</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bad guys on top for once!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Pesky Dusty Romulans.</td></tr>
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Size matters: naturally, the scale of the ships is inconsistent. If not, the Enterprise D would be the size of a dustbin lid in comparison to the Defiant, for example. It does seem that the larger ships have more detail, clearly because the smaller things are the more fiddly they become. But as time has gone on, some of the ships have become a little on the small side for my liking - the Vulcan Surak Class and Species 8472 Bio Ship spring to mind. Aside from this issue, the plastic content seems to have risen slightly since the beginning of the collection. Another concern at the moment are the transparent components used to denote light-up sections such as nacelles and ramscoops. In the past, even the smallest of nacelles like on the NX01 were a realisticly coloured transparent plastic, yet some of the newer, larger models like the Runabout now have simple painted areas on the nacelles, a practice that I hope is not permanent.</div>
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The Specials: every so often, Eaglemoss release a 'Special Edition' model, which are larger than the general collection and, other than DS9, they have all up to now been from the JJ Abrahms universe Trek. It was of course important to include these Reboot Trek ships for the new fans, and I for one am glad that they have decided to keep them separate from the Roddenberry/Berman Trek generation, another testament to the fandom of the model series coordinator Ben Robinson. The JJverse Klingon Bird of Prey and the USS Kelvin are planned as upcoming specials.</div>
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Popular Demand: it is always good to listen to the fans, though Rick Berman once said he was never held to ransom by viewers demands. I'm hoping Ben does the same here and holds true to the all-important Star Trek canon. There has been a lot of talk about ships from ST:Online and ships from Trek novels making their way into this model series. I believe that the current 'Prime Directive' which Eaglemoss are following when deciding which ships to make is that they have to have been seen on screen in one of the five TV shows or twelve movies, and I've got to say 'Amen' to that. We can't just start designing our own ships and demanding that they get made just because we are a little Trek-starved at the moment. The only ship which may transcend the canon rule is the USS Titan. Seeing as this ship was mentioned on screen, I have less of a problem with it making it into the final line up, but I fear this could open a can of Ferengi Gree worms and start portions requesting other unknown and obscure vessels. Also, don't forget that this is a magazine series too, and the lack of and quality of information on an obscure vessel would make for a bland and pointless booklet. Perhaps a Star Trek Online model series could be an entirely different collection (if the demand really exists?) but I certainly wouldn't care for them contaminating the 'real' Trek stuff.</div>
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What's Next?: there are many great ships planned for the coming year, including some of my favourite bad guys; The Hirogen and The Malon, and of course the remainder of the Enterprise legacy; the 1701-C and Kirk's original ship. But what is left to announce, suggest and speculate over? Personally, I'd like to see the intricate, orb-like Xindi weapon from Star Trek Enterprise and Neelix's trusty little freighter from Voyager.</div>
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All in all, this is a great collection, and if you're just picking up the ships that you feel are most prominent in the show, may I suggest that you subscribe and collect as many as possible because you will often be surprised at the quality and unique experience of holding the three dimensional versions of some amazing space craft designs which Star Trek has produced over (nearly) 50 years.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_PjT2XSVAM0CbxMkLmSjksMgdNxNaftnpZUTZYR0VlsNI3dB3K4srZEdPac-ORPEnFINZWzjdDDA105AKerTIjFL1kqUpgidIZ6E2nlITHRMt_WvCqTHfceUAxReCau7AQn-Kup85c4/s1600/ENT+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_PjT2XSVAM0CbxMkLmSjksMgdNxNaftnpZUTZYR0VlsNI3dB3K4srZEdPac-ORPEnFINZWzjdDDA105AKerTIjFL1kqUpgidIZ6E2nlITHRMt_WvCqTHfceUAxReCau7AQn-Kup85c4/s1600/ENT+7.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mothers of all ships.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546484690318834878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379694293988727638.post-4941300027213165292014-10-11T18:29:00.003-07:002016-10-02T07:51:41.051-07:00Post Convention Blues<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">What could possibly be better than spending a weekend with
the people that you have persistently watched grow and develop on television
for twenty years, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in some cases even
longer? For most fans of film and television, their relationship with the
characters they love starts and ends with watching the movie or TV show, but for
a Star Trek fan its much more hands on than that as we have the luxury of being
part of one of entertainments largest ever fan bases. Because of that, the demand for meeting
the stars causes dozens of conventions all around the world and almost every
week of the year. </span> <span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin9eE6dHNMiCBObkgVVRXsiaetBVZcVVCrdkzQuXSpg_pWHB0ksC-fvl7LZJVtxB20eyF28dN7iQC-aqWms35KS-f6onnBtbGTFfLdq7x7EnSeG-ncfRU-QTzavzDPZ27wBi6oIqYk108/s1600/IMG_0786.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin9eE6dHNMiCBObkgVVRXsiaetBVZcVVCrdkzQuXSpg_pWHB0ksC-fvl7LZJVtxB20eyF28dN7iQC-aqWms35KS-f6onnBtbGTFfLdq7x7EnSeG-ncfRU-QTzavzDPZ27wBi6oIqYk108/s1600/IMG_0786.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Aron Eisenberg (Nog) </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I am a collector of personalised Star Trek autographs and
have been attending conventions for many years, the first being ‘Generations 2’
at the Royal Albert Hall in London back in 1996. I have recently returned from the
Destination Star Trek 3 event, also in London, and have discovered that the
often mentioned ‘Post Con Blues’ is a very real thing. I'm sure it affects
people in different ways, some feel down because they have to go back to work
afterwards and some because they generally spend most of their time alone and
they must leave their new like-minded friends behind. For me, it is a sort of
sick feeling of nostalgia and loss in my stomach, the loss being the time I spent as a teenager growing up in the middle of Star Trek’s </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Golden Age. A time which had three different
Trek incarnations running simultaneously, with weekly events </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">to keep me satisfied such as a monthly magazine,
fact files delivered to my door and VHS releases of brand new episodes. I had
the original excitement of the season ending cliff-hangers and genuinely did not
know what was going to happen next. There was </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">even a hotline you could ring to listen to
actors interviews as they gave hints of upcoming story lines.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzn-BAS2Z-0rWNKfw80ZAD4dmRR32S2XMVWJll4_6YMTriMQf5I7m53avCoa4Khffr4iFR1XbV-PtzRBFiz1uB1L6Qh3pz5isi7AirpKit4Nuzbp502kGK4StqQ3S2LG2ajGfCIg-pCvk/s1600/IMG_0851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzn-BAS2Z-0rWNKfw80ZAD4dmRR32S2XMVWJll4_6YMTriMQf5I7m53avCoa4Khffr4iFR1XbV-PtzRBFiz1uB1L6Qh3pz5isi7AirpKit4Nuzbp502kGK4StqQ3S2LG2ajGfCIg-pCvk/s1600/IMG_0851.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A small selection of my Autograph collection</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The thing that depresses me the most after having attended an
event like Destination Star Trek is the realisation that what has been has gone
and could never return (at least not to the way it used to be). We all watch
Star Trek on an almost unending loop, and by the time you’ve finished watching,
say, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Next Generation, it's been six
months since you watched Voyager, so it's time to start that series over again.
All the Star Trek shows (after season two of TNG) are holding up remarkably
well with the passage of time, as are the movies, and it is easy to forget that
over 25 years have passed since the TNG crew were in their prime. The ‘modern’
series of DS9, Voyager and Enterprise were produced to such high standards that
they look like they could still be in production today, until of course you
actually meet your idols! For me, there lies the problem. There is something
terribly depressing about seeing a face that yesterday (on TV) was strong,
commanding and comforting and today is aged, withered and tired. They are not
the people you remember and it can be a little disheartening as it hits you
that the show you love is as good as an antique. The last time I saw the
legendary Uhura was two days before DST3, she was doing the naked fan dance in
ST:5. To be confronted by a little old lady with white hair in a wheelchair a
few days later only served as a reminder that the actors are ageing, that I am
old and that the movies are classics. Perhaps there’s a sub conscious thought
way in the back of our minds that keeps whispering <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘’they may do a DS9 movie or one last TNG
outing’’, but seeing the actors in the flesh then destroys that possibility. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think the biggest wake-up call for me over
the weekend was meeting Hana Hatae who played little 5 year old Molly O’Brian.
Of course Hana is all grown up now and is a far cry from the character she used
to play in Deep Space Nine. I probably know more about the O’Brian family than I do about my own neighbours, and I miss following those characters, and all of
the other Star Trek personas. We did grow up together after all. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhczlXFYT0lCKWUMyEYLttmE1VnaYalFB3alhyHePTPri17w5yYODHqrvDjbV_qFMr8UpZpimhrYQZqZGeua4GR41Lbn0W9LcqAjn_ULzVrV_WOCvysBu4bE0y00OmtmJXxTBt8_iL28sM/s1600/blog+pic+hana.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhczlXFYT0lCKWUMyEYLttmE1VnaYalFB3alhyHePTPri17w5yYODHqrvDjbV_qFMr8UpZpimhrYQZqZGeua4GR41Lbn0W9LcqAjn_ULzVrV_WOCvysBu4bE0y00OmtmJXxTBt8_iL28sM/s1600/blog+pic+hana.JPG" width="293" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Hana Hatae (Molly O'Brian)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span id="goog_1848053204"></span><span id="goog_1848053205"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Despite pining for the time when Star Trek was in the middle
of its franchise boom, meeting the people that made the show a reality is the
next best thing to still having the programme on air, and I will continue to
follow them as we grow old together. It isn’t difficult to understand why Trek
fans hunger for new (old style/traditional) Star Trek and we can only hope that
CBS acknowledges this sooner rather than later. For now, lets hope the existing
retired casts Live Long and Prosper.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546484690318834878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379694293988727638.post-63151841293387464472014-04-08T09:26:00.000-07:002014-04-08T09:37:45.899-07:00'The Host' and the changing face of the Trill race.For such a huge and varied universe, Star Trek has managed to stay pretty consistent, partly due to a long-serving production team and partly due to the fans anal attitude to fine details. Of course, this is TV and after spanning five decades, the show simply couldn't adhere to the production values of the 60s show and artistic licence was taken with technology and the look of alien races when Star Trek was brought back in the 80s. This was unavoidable and widely accepted as compulsory by the fan base, yet ultimately many Star Trek episodes offered geeky explanations as to why things were altered along the Trek timeline. The most famous of these alterations was the change in the look of the Klingon race when The Next Generation added a full prosthetic make up to them which the Original series could not afford. This mystery was tackled, explained and solved more than forty years later in an episode of Enterprise - one of the shows finer moments. Differences between the 60's Star Trek series and the 80's one were unavoidable and forgiveable, but what about between the 80's and later 90's shows?<br />
<br />
Here is a niggle I've had since I began following Star Trek. In Season 4 of The Next Generation a race called the Trill were created, initially as the 'Alien of the week' but later on in Deep Space Nine they returned as series regulars. TNG Trill looked like a slapdash, nondescript beige forehead-appliance type humanoid which could not use the transporter for fear of damaging their Symbiont, and the Symbiont themselves, appearing as colourful neon fat slugs, could exist in human hosts for a week or so before being rejected.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI47O_DJjCOOuTwB54R7Xzjm0BRsHz53WAI5nyIt-65q1Tg-9j-msgEz0A79odDjmZUrnoT85NmiYPgfaq8oDd1Hzd7yaWUfxBvrr3JfEldv1Lo9FfhtfFMTAdENfaWFnRlxpt1Szl9f4/s1600/Odan+tng.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI47O_DJjCOOuTwB54R7Xzjm0BRsHz53WAI5nyIt-65q1Tg-9j-msgEz0A79odDjmZUrnoT85NmiYPgfaq8oDd1Hzd7yaWUfxBvrr3JfEldv1Lo9FfhtfFMTAdENfaWFnRlxpt1Szl9f4/s1600/Odan+tng.jpg" height="320" width="296" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Odan from TNG episode 'The Host'</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5RTb4dYtJexXBc6aLpy1wq63PXW4I6H_9P406XFEHw3Z4818ydJZt2_Xw9aWRHHM2_U9wx5quG3FI403bS_P7aF4fNaRIaLWvotaiW6X97G_msgnzGMrbQrUyDqqC6hX98UpaAaguBRI/s1600/symbiont.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5RTb4dYtJexXBc6aLpy1wq63PXW4I6H_9P406XFEHw3Z4818ydJZt2_Xw9aWRHHM2_U9wx5quG3FI403bS_P7aF4fNaRIaLWvotaiW6X97G_msgnzGMrbQrUyDqqC6hX98UpaAaguBRI/s1600/symbiont.jpg" height="305" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first look at a Symbiont (TNG 'The Host')</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
When the producers of Deep Space Nine decided that the concept of the Trill demanded more exploration, they included one as their Science Officer. After casting an attractive young female actress, they decided they didn't want to cover her face with prosthetics and so designed a less restrictive make-up for the Trill. So, that's the TV show explanation, but what about a Star Trek cannon explanation?<br />
<br />
<div>
Now that Trek is no longer on TV, it's unlikely that this particular mystery will be officially solved, so I guess we could take some artistic licence ourselves and theorize between us. Away we go.....</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiim_PzW8GzTYIrhsaVA7emFaEfgKI4_EqRQ3MiTc3J_ycITevra5gu52jcMXMw3fytF8ztGLZk5dCCEIohAvTV56dm3DuqUYLvwIvcpv3vdAtQGn-GtmxBwtmIJCUTDYEeOBe2PkzUNQI/s1600/dax.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiim_PzW8GzTYIrhsaVA7emFaEfgKI4_EqRQ3MiTc3J_ycITevra5gu52jcMXMw3fytF8ztGLZk5dCCEIohAvTV56dm3DuqUYLvwIvcpv3vdAtQGn-GtmxBwtmIJCUTDYEeOBe2PkzUNQI/s1600/dax.png" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trill Jadzia Dax from Deep Space Nine.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546484690318834878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379694293988727638.post-65841308327182703982014-03-28T09:18:00.000-07:002014-03-28T09:24:10.079-07:00Which series has the best finale?First of all, I will be starting with The Next Generation for this one. After cancellation, the Original Series just ended, and on a bit of a bum note I might add. The rest of the Star Trek series attempted to wrap up the entire run of the shows in a final two-hour special (with the exception of Enterprise).<br />
<br />
An almost dead cert for a successful Star Trek episode is the inclusion of time travel in the story line. The final episode of TNG went in this direction with 'All Good Things...', and has Picard flipping through three time periods: past, present and future. The story was a Star Trek treatment of the classic Dickens tale 'A Christmas Carol', where Captain Picard was sent back to when he first took command of the Enterprise and then forward to when he is retired. It's always a kick to catch a glimpse of our characters in a possible future and see how they could turn out. The geekiest little moments in this episode for me are in the future time-scape, when we find out that Picard and Crusher eventually got married and seeing Geordie with ocular implants (which later became a reality in the movies).<br />
<br />
'All Good Things...' was an outstanding episode - it had action, it brought the series full circle by bringing back Q and his judgement of humanity which he started in the pilot episode, and it is concluded with Picard finally joining the senior officers for a game of poker which was a nice touch. This episode didn't wrap up the series like some of the other closing episodes from the sister shows, but that's because it didn't need to. The Next Generation was going straight over to the big screen, so the crew was kept intact and the mission of the Enterprise was left on-going. As good as this episode is, it could have been put anywhere throughout the show's run. When it comes to finalising a show, no other terminated like the next Star Trek spin-off, Deep Space Nine.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvZ8UZZjUK4HtdTUY3rx_WIbHc-B2wHsEEfD8ymtsLGUlb1NNMjF6ubPyNLGGWae1CkJFsmpqAgDRmf-Kbhf4llHitPC1GvcCk2wp36Gl5Gk_6shhbYZQQRSm3p_UC0hxbZQSTWyflrtQ/s1600/all+good+things.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvZ8UZZjUK4HtdTUY3rx_WIbHc-B2wHsEEfD8ymtsLGUlb1NNMjF6ubPyNLGGWae1CkJFsmpqAgDRmf-Kbhf4llHitPC1GvcCk2wp36Gl5Gk_6shhbYZQQRSm3p_UC0hxbZQSTWyflrtQ/s1600/all+good+things.jpg" height="305" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TNG; The future Enterprise D from 'All Good things...'</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Whilst Star Trek: Deep Space Nine took a little longer to find its feet than its predecessor, once it hit its stride there was no stopping it. It's huge sweeping story arcs revolving around the Dominion War lasted several seasons, and with the show being set on a huge space station, it had many semi regular characters popping in and out every year so there were a lot of loose threads to tie up when the show ended. Never before or since have we had a Star Trek show be so defiantly concluded, with many of the crew members heading off to new lives and some even meeting a grizzly end. In my opinion, 'What You Leave Behind' is the finest series closer of any show I have watched and I judge it so because it is the only one which I have shed a tear to! The music plays a big part in making the final scenes so poignant, that mixed with flash backs of experiences the characters had and the whole crew gathering before saying goodbye to long friendships and relationships. You are left in little doubt that this is the end for Deep Space Nine, and it was, this show never made it to the big screen like TNG.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi32zYOtMi_-Et9vaSrKa5rI6W2cXh0nio78ug_jiAt55xbEzOj3xcrX4AsEev8k5Ku4Uk3_zqqlAt7powuOJGHVpKfCssmLoapdUQTIX1EXFMZcgHYBTNgh3tRyGq1uSW7QX0DammOEEc/s1600/ds9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi32zYOtMi_-Et9vaSrKa5rI6W2cXh0nio78ug_jiAt55xbEzOj3xcrX4AsEev8k5Ku4Uk3_zqqlAt7powuOJGHVpKfCssmLoapdUQTIX1EXFMZcgHYBTNgh3tRyGq1uSW7QX0DammOEEc/s1600/ds9.png" height="299" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DS9: The last pan shot of the station</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Star Trek Voyager's concept was a little different from the other shows, and with them spending seven years trying to reach home, it seemed inevitable that the final episode would see them achieve this. Sure enough, the final shot before the credits roll on 'Endgame' have Voyager approaching Earth escorted by a Federation fleet. A winning theme that Star Trek can always rely on to deliver a popular episode other than time travel is the Borg. 'Endgame' uses both time travel AND the Borg to give us an action-packed, high concept science fiction finale that entertains from start to finish. The main criticism from the fans about this episode is that it ends! You've heard the old adage 'always leave them wanting more'? Well, that's what they did. Unfortunately we were clamouring to see our characters and their reactions to being back on Earth, so we ended up feeling a little cheated. All in all, 'Endgame' was great Star Trek.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7VZa0xe_DkDHly6xkJies9DCYliDH-skWGEzLalGiHtPyGh0FqcjOmQ8OQISVy_LzTbZ4ZwF6KA7Anm7SArO3mfRtIpwar3w-n-Pt28w7VS-w_MJxhVn1Wl_FFVfiBIGwjiWZsfiBhE4/s1600/endgame.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7VZa0xe_DkDHly6xkJies9DCYliDH-skWGEzLalGiHtPyGh0FqcjOmQ8OQISVy_LzTbZ4ZwF6KA7Anm7SArO3mfRtIpwar3w-n-Pt28w7VS-w_MJxhVn1Wl_FFVfiBIGwjiWZsfiBhE4/s1600/endgame.png" height="302" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Voyager approaches Earth after 7 years in the Delta Quadrant</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Now, if you're a Trekkie (which I assume you are if you've read this far) then you will have been dreading this bit! The final episode of Enterprise has been dissed and slated by fans ever since it aired. The show had been cancelled and, had it have reached its seventh season, then I'm sure 'the birth of the Federation' angle would have been a great pay-off to fans of the series. Instead, we were given a rushed crossover/holodeck farce that focused on The Next Generation character of Riker. While it was nice to see Riker, Troi and bits of the Enterprise-D again, the episode did very little for the NX-01 characters and only served to show how Archer's service had ultimately given rise to the Federation. There was a little confusion from fans that mistakenly likened the episode to Patrick Duffy in the shower in Dallas and the whole thing being a dream. That was not the case. Just look at the episode as a flash back from Riker's point of view. All the events in Enterprise really happened in the Star Trek timeline, so don't be thinking we were robbed of the four years we spent watching the show. The best thing about this episode is the closing monologue of the legendary 'Space, the final frontier' in the voices of Kirk, Picard and Archer. It has a 'lump in the throat' feeling going on as we realise that this is the moment that Star Trek was departing from our screens, perhaps forever!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enterprise: The last Star Trek image we see on television</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546484690318834878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379694293988727638.post-88686319051551908072014-03-19T18:30:00.003-07:002014-03-19T18:30:58.807-07:00Creating 7 of 9 for a conventionIt's rare I go to a convention these days without Cosplaying. The women of Star trek are legendary and plentiful but for a Drag Queen, the glamorous females in Trek shows are few and far between. They may be beautiful, but more often than not, they are neck to toe in boiler suit like uniforms. For a Drag Act, it's all about exaggerating those feminine features like curves, lips, legs and eyes so my Cosplay options have always been rather limited. It was inevitable that one day I would have to tackle the Seven of Nine look and decided to do so for Destination Star Trek Frankfurt. It was a time consuming and expensive process, but here is the final result and how it was achieved...<br />
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As with all my Trek costumes, it starts with images and screencaps of the outfit in question, and where possible, stills of the actual screen-used garment in it's natural state without TV lighting and colour tampering. Usually I find these images on auction site archives where the original outfit has been sold after production had ended. These kinds of sites carry detailed pictures taken from all angles and close ups of seams and linings.<br />
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Seven's catsuit was relatively easy for the costume-maker to replicate but it was the under-garment which gave Seven her ribbing which was the fiddly bit. Again, the corset had previously been sold at auction and images were plentiful...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front and back view of 7's under-garment<br />
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Whilst visiting the First Contact Day event in Leicester, I browsed a fabric shop as a Drag Queen would and spotted a stretchy blue matt Lycra with a sparkly fleck running through it. It immediately reminded me of Seven of Nine's outfit and so I bought up enough to one day have the costume made. It sat in my dressing room for over a year until I decided it was time for a new Cosplay. Below is the design sheet which I sent to the costume-maker (along with a few clips on DVD of the costume in use on TV so he could get a feel of how it moved and creased)...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seven of Nine mood board (the text description of detail was taken from the auction of the original outfit)</td></tr>
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One of the most difficult aspects of the 7 of 9 costume is the facial implants she wears. I thought I had found the better quality ones available online and ordered them (£16 for the eye piece and the cheek star), but when they arrived, they were lacking in detail and the paint job was basic. I decided to have a go at making my own and created some clay replicas, followed buy a mold and ultimately the latex prosthetics. I finished them off with a four-colour paint job and sponge texturing and was very pleased with the result - so much so that I now offer them on <a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/STAR-TREK-BORG-PROP-REPLICA-7-OF-9-IMPLANTS-COSPLAY-/231170589286?pt=UK_Collectables_SciFi_fantasyCollectables_EH&hash=item35d2d74266" target="_blank">my eBay</a>. The hand-piece was a lot of trial and error, but I found the best result came from cutting the tips off rubber Halloween witches fingers, popping them on the ends of my fingers and painting liquid latex over them and down and around my hand. After two or so hours with a useless hand held in the air drying, I peeled off the latex and finger tips and treated it to the same paint job as the face pieces.<br />
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One of the things which I've noticed other Seven of Nine Cosplays lack, is the unique built in footwear that is seamless to the costume. I can understand why people struggle with this as it requires very exact measurements of some very unusual places. No matter how we tried it, we couldn't get the fabric to sit tight around the ankle whilst the shoe was pulling on it and I really wanted to get that 'sprayed on' look for the costume. To get around it, we cheated a little and separated the shoes from the jump suit and opted to cover them with the same fabric. This was achieved by painting the shoe with PVA glue, stretching over the fabric and jamming the excess between the shoe leather and sole using a screw driver. Unless you're planning to end up with your ankles up the side of someones head, then the join between costume and footwear is virtually undetectable (plus has the added benefit of being able to take off your shoes when you've been on heels all day, which I found a great relief).<br />
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In my regular Drag work I prefer hair which is high, big and bold, however, Jeri Ryan has quite a natural looking style, a simple French twist and cow lick quiff. As a man, using my own hair was out of the question (I have none!) so the front hairline of the wig had to be a very high quality lace front one. I found that the colour 'Honeysuckle' was a perfect match for Jeri Ryan's natural colour. The wig was done by a professional wig-dresser from a selection of screen captured pictures.<br />
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All in all, the whole look was very successful, especially enjoyed by Gates McFadden (Crusher) who asked for a picture which she later Tweeted, Marina Sirtis (Troi) who complimented me on my Camel's Toe or lack of, and Connor Trinneer (Tucker) who wolf whistled at me from his signing table!<br />
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The cost of the combined ensemble was approximately £350.<br />
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So, what's next for Misty in the world of Star Trek Cosplay? Well, I'm inclined to bring back the big hair and wild Gagaesque wardrobe so my initial thought is Lwaxana Troi.<br />
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See you in Space Trekkies!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546484690318834878noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379694293988727638.post-46131128764578247282014-03-14T18:12:00.001-07:002014-03-14T18:47:33.732-07:00Who likes Dr Pulaski? In Season 2 of The Next Generation, Gates McFadden took a year out to have a baby and was replaced with Diana Muldaur who had previously played 'Bimbo of the Week' twice in The Original Series. I don't ever remember being a great fan of Dr Pulaski, not particularly because I was attached to Dr Crusher, but there was nothing likeable about Pulaski for a teenager. I simply saw her as a cantankerous ageing broad with a chip on her shoulder. I'm on my umpteenth re-watch of TNG and I'm currently in mid Season 2. This time around I actually saw her as dry, and quite amusing, possibly because our age gap has decreased since the last time I watched her. Whilst looking through her IMDb, I came across a quote from the actress which put me on the offensive once again, she said....<br />
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"A lot of people ask me why I did Star Trek for a year and I said, "because it sounded wonderful and creative, fun and children's theatre." It wasn't any of those things... that was a mistake of mine."</blockquote>
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The implication that Star Trek is neither wonderful or creative is annoying enough but 'children's theatre'? Perhaps the brightly coloured pyjama uniforms gave her this 'Teletubbies in Space' analogy, either way, I do not agree with her assessment. She does go on to say some wonderful things about Gene Roddenberry and his imagination so redeems herself a little. I suppose we just have to keep in mind that doing Star Trek was just a job for some actors and we can't expect them to love it as much as we do. Having said that, guess who is at the London Film Comic Con signing autographs and doing talks this year? Well, at 75 year old, she's actually welcome to £15 of my money for her squiggle. It could supplement her pension.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diana Muldaur wearing well at 75?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The actress interviews for TNG Blue Ray</td></tr>
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Muldaur recently did an interview for the New Blue Ray Box sets of The Next Generation and as you might expect, she sings the praises of the show and its crew, in fact, she came across quite lovely and I look forward to meeting her later in the year.<br />
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My final thoughts on this character are as follows:<br />
<ol>
<li>She is just like a female Dr McCoy</li>
<li>She is the only officer that talks down to the Captain and gets away with it</li>
<li>She wears a Skant variation and is the only officer that is allowed to wear trousers underneath </li>
<li>If she had stayed with the series, Worf would have been her greatest 'bounce off' character</li>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546484690318834878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379694293988727638.post-44676276025914314632014-03-11T16:27:00.000-07:002014-03-14T18:42:42.499-07:00Janeways hair: What's with that?I LOVE CAPTAIN KATHRYN JANEWAY! Don't worry if you didn't absorb that statement, as it will be repeated several times during this article.<br />
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So anyway, yeah, I love Captain Janeway and there are a million and one reasons why. This piece focuses on not one or more of those reasons, but instead on a subject which has plagued Janeway and Mulgrew herself for many years, and still does as far as Kate is concerned!<br />
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Janeways hair! We've heard Kate Mulgrew talk about this subject many-a time and at conventions it's her most commonly asked question.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
''So hey, I'm Cedric from Outer Mongolia, I'm a big fan <i>[wipes runny noes and squints over his jam jars]</i>...What was with the hair?''</blockquote>
As she has explained in the past, the 'Suits' became a little nervous over putting a woman in the Captain's chair in what was ultimately a Boys Club. This could have brought a grinding halt to the franchise as males in their 30s were the biggest demographic. Would they follow a woman? Well, of course, we now know the answer to that question, and Voyager is one of the most loved of the Star Trek spin offs. So why was Janeway's hair such a concern for the studio bigwigs? ('wigs'....see what I did there?)<br />
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A persons hair says a lot about them, and when creating a character, the hair style can denoted many things without them saying a word. It could give an indication of what their job is, how vain they are and how they view themselves, whether it be a practical style or for display, rather like a peacock. Whilst shooting the Pilot of Voyager, Janeway was given a feminine, shoulder-length, natural smooth flat bob, which was quickly dismissed by Paramount - many feel because it was simply too 'girly'. Janeway was quickly given her famous Bun of Steel (which I personally think makes her look like a school dinner lady), and please note: Aunt Bessie sports the same hair style today!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We've all heard of Aunt Kathy, well, here's Aunt Bessie.</td></tr>
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The bun was eventually followed by my personal favourite, the volumised bob. There were a few variations of the bob, for example, the 'Year of Hell' bob that I'm sure had a few people going ''ahhhhh, that's why it ain't happening with Chakotay, she's a Les...'' ANYWAY...<br />
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Janeway sported several styles through Voyager's seven seasons, and her hair became as legendary as her ship and crew, but did it really make a difference how she wore her hair from episode to episode? Well, let's switch her hair with another Starfleet Captain and see.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-WD3Ed0288oL4WQRyXjYwGdpi3CkIsGp89Hrn482Tz3VA3skVfO3y8oWbRYtVl7TpCM9e7aWYNRtLpBu2gP398lXI8FvOuEkxYtuDrAZbzJnAm0MzilNcSLRMorePp5qrqPwGkZd0d1Q/s1600/picajay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-WD3Ed0288oL4WQRyXjYwGdpi3CkIsGp89Hrn482Tz3VA3skVfO3y8oWbRYtVl7TpCM9e7aWYNRtLpBu2gP398lXI8FvOuEkxYtuDrAZbzJnAm0MzilNcSLRMorePp5qrqPwGkZd0d1Q/s1600/picajay.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PicaJane?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The hair department is clearly a very important piece of the Star Trek production puzzle, yet through bobs, short and long, flat and volumed, buns with varying degrees of firmness, French Twists, hair broaches and Rapunzel-waves that tickled her arse-crack, Janeway was unmistakably in command and anyone under that command knew who the boss was... even her bun used to repair itself between torpedo blasts. Now THAT'S a diva if ever I saw one.<br />
<br />
So what would I have done if I'd have been dressing for the Voyager hair department? Well...<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN4ke16yYAunTeHN7lsoweRToAu2-vfnb2gjK2M0bttPrFZPW8BiQZTMaiFL_f_dtai51gHHxTopf9HlbfPeq9hQato5WOU4YU4XtU237TnyyuCGZFVY_5AwUdWPHx41K3pjYxWLRbWOY/s1600/funky+janeway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN4ke16yYAunTeHN7lsoweRToAu2-vfnb2gjK2M0bttPrFZPW8BiQZTMaiFL_f_dtai51gHHxTopf9HlbfPeq9hQato5WOU4YU4XtU237TnyyuCGZFVY_5AwUdWPHx41K3pjYxWLRbWOY/s1600/funky+janeway.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PS. I love Captain Janeway</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546484690318834878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379694293988727638.post-74389132818715188042014-03-11T13:57:00.005-07:002014-03-11T18:00:27.640-07:00What rank is O'Brian? While all the other character in Star Trek remained the same rank or gradually rose up the chain of command, Miles Edward O'Brian seems to have been demoted and, at one point, fluctuated!<br />
We all know that ultimately his position was Chief, whether that be of the Transporter Room on the Enterprise-D or of engineering on Deep Space 9. What seems clear is that, from the very beginning, the writers did not know what to do with O'Brian, or indeed what purpose he was serving.<br />
When we first see him in the pilot episode of The Next Generation: he is at the com station of the battle bridge wearing a RED uniform! He was not a principle cast member and therefore it was assumed he was there as cannon-fodder. At that time he wore one pip (Ensign).<br />
<br />
The next time we see O'Brian, he has apparently transferred departments and wears gold (a much safer option), but now appears to be a lieutenant!<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGkrUvjBJK4XEXwXwyQUTrk75MBvhvfqZleaXm7M1ZQlHRgndB8TEI8DJv1JOmTJRfRUVPVMYQhbyQkTWboY98P1r63FnG4aGOr7rhT8J6M8k6tZFCV7fWpzEARJ0j-WrUj2tqxQBg5Oo/s1600/colm+ensign.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGkrUvjBJK4XEXwXwyQUTrk75MBvhvfqZleaXm7M1ZQlHRgndB8TEI8DJv1JOmTJRfRUVPVMYQhbyQkTWboY98P1r63FnG4aGOr7rhT8J6M8k6tZFCV7fWpzEARJ0j-WrUj2tqxQBg5Oo/s1600/colm+ensign.png" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Season 1 TNG: Ensign O'Brian, The Red Shirt!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-YetgIzK3U6jAgZML8IaWBQSMfv9t7F0t-OjI86yhihmtz8hehPHArRu7emrGc8Bo8HSURIJgmP-Tfe2yNcfa4rjIL4y6DrYR-ZkpHjxZASzdMTSc4fbZ3XVZw8S7njhvE2uYezAiTZ4/s1600/colm+lt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-YetgIzK3U6jAgZML8IaWBQSMfv9t7F0t-OjI86yhihmtz8hehPHArRu7emrGc8Bo8HSURIJgmP-Tfe2yNcfa4rjIL4y6DrYR-ZkpHjxZASzdMTSc4fbZ3XVZw8S7njhvE2uYezAiTZ4/s1600/colm+lt.jpg" height="261" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Season 2 TNG: Lt. O'Brian in Gold</td></tr>
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<br />
Rather than a background extra/lacky he was given the prestigious job of sounding card to the Bridge crew, usually over a game of poker, probably because of his 'every man' image and accent - a role that he was used for many times in the later DS9 years. With that role would have to come a back story, and for O'Brian, a family too. As TNG continued, 'The Chief' as he was now known, seemed to randomly revert back to an Ensign for no apparent reason and with no explanation! The character makes references to being an un-commissioned officer and not a graduate of the academy which did not fit the rank he seemed to be carrying. <br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyo25o3Knb9O90b4dE9QLHX1Qd2Gy_MUkrhKbZafgnsLTVqpLnX7va7ghPoPlb-HJ2bZGB2hsIy94zyyV6RaD2yUwtWjti96KAuSzH0A7vIimQtHKMhBfJyG1CXj27s3k_t7-OWtTlaEY/s1600/colm+tng+ensign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyo25o3Knb9O90b4dE9QLHX1Qd2Gy_MUkrhKbZafgnsLTVqpLnX7va7ghPoPlb-HJ2bZGB2hsIy94zyyV6RaD2yUwtWjti96KAuSzH0A7vIimQtHKMhBfJyG1CXj27s3k_t7-OWtTlaEY/s1600/colm+tng+ensign.jpg" height="400" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Season 3 TNG: Ensign O'Brian?</td></tr>
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<br />
Now, all the confusion as to his rank was cleared up on more than one occasion in Deep Space Nine when he made numerous references to being non-commissioned, and to have never attended Starfleet academy. He points out that even Ensigns don't need to call him sir as he is not an officer. All this however does not explain the early Next Gen muddle. Off course its likely to be the writers finding their feet and once they realised Colm Meany would be a semi regular reoccurring character, they settled him in to a nice back story. This is not of course a Star trek answer and you know what us Trekkies can be like when it comes down to the fine details.<br />
<br />
If any one does have a genuine Star trek explanation, then please get in contact...The Truth Is Out There!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBkp5Vpz3wpfSJpgsjl4TwxGIufO7Pk55ZCjskEz3Ns_aV88QIkBrlt6K6dZYfC_SkF8GWr91Il0iYNahbaWbYGElkOZQRX-CSxI18c0wCpVE_Ek2Xx-Y9Dy3wRs3mJ-vmnn8aYc7SN4I/s1600/colm+chief.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBkp5Vpz3wpfSJpgsjl4TwxGIufO7Pk55ZCjskEz3Ns_aV88QIkBrlt6K6dZYfC_SkF8GWr91Il0iYNahbaWbYGElkOZQRX-CSxI18c0wCpVE_Ek2Xx-Y9Dy3wRs3mJ-vmnn8aYc7SN4I/s1600/colm+chief.png" height="354" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Season 6 DS9: Chief Petty Officer O'Brian</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546484690318834878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379694293988727638.post-12972191133336364042014-03-05T08:02:00.001-08:002014-03-05T08:14:57.898-08:00Who is resposible for the cancellation of Enterprise?When Enterprise was announced, I was living in Australia and my mother was posting over Star Trek Monthly so that I could keep up to date with its progress. At this point, it was all just chatter and it hadn't yet been cast; but the word 'Prequal' was being banded around. At that point, I had been a Star Trek fan for around 5 years and after following the continuing timeline through The Next Gen, DS9 and Voyager, I was a little disheartened, and even a tad angry that they were leaving us guessing as to what comes next and instead going back to the beginning. I felt like I had read the last page of a book first and therefore had no interest in what happened to get us to the end result. <br />
<br />
The final announcement was one that had me lose all interest in the new show. Scott Bakula? I spotted Sam Beckett from Quantum Leap in a new type of Star Trek uniform on the cover of a Sci-Fi magazine. In the history of Star Trek, they had never before had to rely on an already known actor, especially one that was synonymous with another science fiction TV series already! And the icing on the cake? The new programme wasn't even called Star Trek! INSULT.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjImkuhIXcpm6_OS7vRMydg0vsNjz9RbEdLRzRcl-SNIADEjBaeWfDBZuJ4BjUujWimMYlr6jiCKVvGYf8dky8kI-XQpb4f5p6Hg3E6LZijyIUaHNDbVQEifaBQwL62748UWWIuQ6LoLBY/s1600/enterprise.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjImkuhIXcpm6_OS7vRMydg0vsNjz9RbEdLRzRcl-SNIADEjBaeWfDBZuJ4BjUujWimMYlr6jiCKVvGYf8dky8kI-XQpb4f5p6Hg3E6LZijyIUaHNDbVQEifaBQwL62748UWWIuQ6LoLBY/s1600/enterprise.png" height="170" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sam leads the new boiler suit crew.</td></tr>
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<br />
The show lasted longer than I had anticipated, and the initial feedback was not at all good. Listening to fans at Star Trek conventions, even to this day, it still remains the least popular of the Star Trek spin-offs.<br />
<br />
After the show was cancelled and I had watched the existing 24th century Trek shows to death, I was given a gift of an Enterprise DVD box set by a family member (all Star Trek is the same to a non Trekker... in fact, even Star Wars is the same thing to a non Trekker!). I watched it and was a bit 'meh,' but intrigued and starved enough to want to see season two, realising that (as with all the previous series) it takes time for a new show to find its identity.<br />
<br />
By the time I got to season 3, I was a fan of the show and the little nods to the future of Star Trek were giving me little giddy moments. By the time I got to the end of season 4, I felt nothing but guilt!<br />
<br />
Admittedly, Enterprise was a late bloomer, but this was as good as any Star Trek produced so far but with a 00's modern twist. At the same time, with the Andorians, Tholians and Gorn, it captured the essence of the Original series.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0jQIxysmda-n8hw72dQXcpBxhggCPT6qyY0jg4uIE97Nz4aS06UTc-9MrO9qk6FN9Z_7Lx6U7YMCMxxChA7ovAfmmX-YDa8APCpBIm0_wYe_pMnIHEODzhDaLcWhXxO7LWKz7s2Fw2a0/s1600/inamirrordarkly_327.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0jQIxysmda-n8hw72dQXcpBxhggCPT6qyY0jg4uIE97Nz4aS06UTc-9MrO9qk6FN9Z_7Lx6U7YMCMxxChA7ovAfmmX-YDa8APCpBIm0_wYe_pMnIHEODzhDaLcWhXxO7LWKz7s2Fw2a0/s1600/inamirrordarkly_327.jpg" height="281" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first good look at a Tholian thanks to Enterprise</td></tr>
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<br />
If only I had given it a chance from the start and had a little more faith in Berman and Bragga! In fact, if we had ALL stuck with it a little while longer then it would have reached 7 seasons, which in turn would have undoubtedly led to a sixth Star Trek spin off! So who is responsible for Enterprise having a short run and Star Trek no longer being on TV? We are! So instead of complaining about its absence, give yourselves a slap on the wrist, I know I have!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546484690318834878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379694293988727638.post-38235594687930193042014-03-04T16:34:00.000-08:002014-03-04T16:37:28.251-08:00Orange is the New TrekI mentioned previously that Voyager is where crazed Star Trek fandom started for me and, as ridiculous as it sounds, Janeway like a mother. My biological mother was working like a Bajoran during the occupation in the pub we owned and so I spent a huge amount of time after school sat in my room watching Star Trek, and Janeway was a nice stand in.<br />
<br />
Last year when I heard Kate Mulgrew was returning to episodic television with a new woman's prison drama (playing a Russian to boot) I was concerned that I would only see and hear Capt Janeway in the role, not the actress, and perhaps it would spoil the character of Kathryn Janeway for me. I put off watching it for a short while and listened to all the Trekkie feedback. The general consensus was that she was amazing in the part of Red, and so I checked it out for myself....<br />
<br />
What Mulgrew did was show her skills as an actress. Janeway to me was as real as any person and so you just assume that Kate is like that at all times, but that is not so. Janeway was a character wisely written by Pillar and Taylor and molded by the actress, and now she was doing the same with a Russian prison chef. The two couldn't be more different, the only similarity between the two characters is that 'dont f*ck with me' aura that lurks just beneath her authoritative stance. Mulgrew has infused both Janeway and Red with this quality and it is there whether she's reading out a crew evaluation report or the prison gruel menu.<br />
<br />
So, it was the early hours of the morning about two months ago and I was waiting for sunrise as I was off to London for Panto rehearsals. With a couple of hours to kill, I discovered thatIi had a red spiky wig in my dressing room, a wig which I had previously used when being one of the Cheeky Girls in a double Drag act. Red immediately sprang to mind, but could I do the Russian accent? ...Well, no, but that didn't stop Nana Visitor in 'Our Man Bashir'. The video camera came out. The results are below.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/XADF3_TjhYE" width="480"></iframe><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/X8ivbWUEhrE" width="480"></iframe><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/fmA5tKxlc0I" width="480"></iframe><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vUHwCQG3uMrZwufOFWK0Qcw5eATVrCKWKfdIGosnHeRXeI_TXbRutVeT0za62Eq0LU4Keqet9qWbw9UuA5_uuwXwHCSkrQj-UKFIYsI4U2akq0ACdgwh6rEfcYwi-5CDxszXsZItNtE/s1600/red+kate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vUHwCQG3uMrZwufOFWK0Qcw5eATVrCKWKfdIGosnHeRXeI_TXbRutVeT0za62Eq0LU4Keqet9qWbw9UuA5_uuwXwHCSkrQj-UKFIYsI4U2akq0ACdgwh6rEfcYwi-5CDxszXsZItNtE/s1600/red+kate.jpg" height="286" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kate Mulgrew as Red</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546484690318834878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379694293988727638.post-59367181085275441732014-03-04T11:04:00.000-08:002014-03-04T11:20:33.100-08:00Racist Star Trek episode?My Next Generation re-watch continues, and I have just passed what Jonathan Frakes has dubbed the 'Racist' episode: 'Code of Honor'.<br />
<br />
I have heard him state that this was his all time worst episode, and far be it for me to contradict the First Officer, but I'm going to disagree. It is clear why he has labelled the episode as racist as the 'aliens of the week' are all black and wave spears around. At times you half expect Michael Cain and his regiment to come storming in. But racism works both ways - why can't a species all be one race? This is not set on earth after all.<br />
<br />
We are used to Star Trek giving actors a strange hair style or stylised set of costumes to wear and then calling them a different race, and this usually happens when an episode requires numerous members of that species to appear. Making mass alien make-up prosthetics can be too expensive and time consuming to do, but we have never before (or since) had one particular human race depict an entire species. If you think about this from a Star Trek universe point of view, it is not that hard to believe that the whole population of a planet could all be black, depending on the climate and evolution of the planet. What does seem awkward however is the method of keeping us thinking that this is a different species. They keep the black 'human' actors, like Levar Burton, out of the way, basically saying that the only way to recognise a Ligonian, as opposed to a human is by the colour of their skin.<br />
<br />
Having said that, here is why I can forgive the race implications. The episodes message is nothing to do with race or religion, it is in fact dealing with sexism and feminism. The plot twist at its conclusion has the women turning the tables on the lead Ligonian and depose him from power in quite a shrewd way. It turns out the females were always the ones calling the shots and having the wealth. It is unfortunate that the 'Zulu' style culture that the writers created totally over shadows the point of the story.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL7a1Zz8kFgK3u0jUJBU7cCv_uMywgm7cqi4sS-i5f4o1IawLcotkm535XBzryQiVLR7Y26q5uWINFHA7nJSKkCQryQLRFrC7S0e1QJz2Hx58di290d-o1gyNmN1cY80aX_Na89HpmPa0/s1600/code+of+honour.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL7a1Zz8kFgK3u0jUJBU7cCv_uMywgm7cqi4sS-i5f4o1IawLcotkm535XBzryQiVLR7Y26q5uWINFHA7nJSKkCQryQLRFrC7S0e1QJz2Hx58di290d-o1gyNmN1cY80aX_Na89HpmPa0/s1600/code+of+honour.png" height="260" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aliens of the week. Look familiar?</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546484690318834878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379694293988727638.post-67299725345171306602014-03-03T10:42:00.001-08:002014-03-03T11:24:35.131-08:00Birthday Wishes to Jimmy DoohanAs I follow the various Star Trek web pages and social media groups, I always make note of their posts regarding the birthdays and anniversaries of the Star Trek stars. If a particular actor uses Twitter, I more often than not send them a birthday Tweet - admittedly without getting a reply. I know it can be a little frustrating if you are a regular Tweeter of the Star Trek cast and have never gotten a reply but as you can imagine, their news feeds must be packed day in and day out, and I would take solace in the fact that they DO read them and I dare say get a fair amount of joy out of our fandom, even if they can't answer them all individually.<br />
<br />
I've been fortunate enough to get a few Tweets from some of the actors and I'm going to post screen caps of them on here eventually. Call it pride, call it privileged or call it showing off, haha, either way, receiving a Tweet back, especially when it's something that you want to hear, is better than any drug to a true Trekkie.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, it's not just birthdays that our community is reminded of on social media sites, but it is also passings. Today sees the birthday of Mr James Doohan (Scotty), and if you haven't yet seen the documentary 'Trekkies' then I urge you to do so immediately. I was never lucky enough to see Doohan in person at a convention, but watching his interview on 'Trekkies' where he wells up telling a tale about a suicidal woman whom he helped become an engineer all because of her Star Trek fandom is inspiring to say the least. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidYGMhaP3wwC-chjhomgEgBsx8OezczTi2w3_iOqP30rhXUNuZ9sMX29Zdx_0YWjl_zGI9XGzLpgBYm6Bc7CfduPadvyV4zXqSSZ8VtGV2bMjHQffHJE6WigBkCpTwEjOIO6eIcqsukXI/s1600/james+doohan.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidYGMhaP3wwC-chjhomgEgBsx8OezczTi2w3_iOqP30rhXUNuZ9sMX29Zdx_0YWjl_zGI9XGzLpgBYm6Bc7CfduPadvyV4zXqSSZ8VtGV2bMjHQffHJE6WigBkCpTwEjOIO6eIcqsukXI/s1600/james+doohan.png" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birthday wishes to Jimmy Doohan. R.I.P Scotty</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546484690318834878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379694293988727638.post-15185093683040419472014-03-03T10:15:00.001-08:002014-03-03T10:16:30.170-08:00Trek Radio InterviewDuring my time at Destination Star Trek Frankfurt, I did several interviews for various radio and internet Trek media. One of those interviews was with <a href="http://www.trekradio.net/">Trek Radio</a> - 24 hour a day Trek audio!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546484690318834878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379694293988727638.post-52845631092098318472014-03-03T07:57:00.000-08:002014-03-03T09:23:18.119-08:00Encounter At Farpoint, best and worst bits?I have to admit, when it comes to Star Trek, I'm a Voyager baby - mainly because I was there at its conception and release. In later years, I was converted into a DS9er (although it took several re-watches). I have recently finished re-watching both those series and after becoming a little Trek starved, I reluctantly decided to head back to the beginning of The Next Generation. I say reluctantly because being made in the late 80s, it doesn't visually stand up as well as some of the other spin offs, and today with the HD/Blu-ray technology, viewing it is full of distractions like Worf's make-up joins and brush marks on the Matte paintings.<br />
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However, needs must and I began with Encounter At Farpoint, the pilot, a very good place to start! I was more than pleasantly surprised and I was fascinated by the early versions of the Next Gen characters. It was clear that back then, the actors were just finding their feet and I found myself comparing the very beginning of the series to the very end (which was 'Nemesis' for this particular crew) and that was rather entertaining. What a journey!<br />
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It genuinely is quite astonishing what the production crew managed to create for TV, not so much due to the budget because that was quite healthy (over a million dollars per episode) but for the time restraints on a television schedule. <br />
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Best bits of the pilot episode? Well, for me it was the Q court judgement scene and Picards defence of humanity. It really captured the tone of the Original series and set the path from there on for all other Star Trek to follow. The social commentary (which despite being in the 24th century, makes no attempt to hide the fact that they are referencing today's society) is what Star Trek does at its best and continued to do so (well, up until JJ Abrahms got his greedy hands on it).<br />
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Worse bit of the Pilot? For me, I was hoping for stronger women. Troi seems overly desperate and bimbo like... a characterisation which she would keep until she got rid of those Camel Toe Of Death outfits. Also, there's a shot of the Enterprise separating its saucer section at warp and in the long shot, the detached saucer section is wobbling around all over the place! Seeing that has just always been a pet hate of mine and I usually have to look away! I know, I know... budgets, time etc, but I just wish the shot hadn't been included (so there's one for a remastered version?).<br />
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Note to self: Pay more attention to Dr Crusher this time around, she really is the female balls on the ship (after Tasha dies).<br />
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I know there are some real stinkers coming up in season one so I anticipate watching those through my fingers.<br />
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Check out the first time we ever see Capt Picard as he steps out of the shadows to a monologue...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh8mkJXrhlnle3qZ23kkq1Z73Cpx_llPba7V8XAnLlkZRYfgeOKp9fCQxqCbmmazyt803LD-8uYX6ixkh2NrgmlawPJNVa53wjej3TdxCdqICzOPktTunn2Tzgd13zPOOE2B27nM6tUss/s1600/picard+1st.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh8mkJXrhlnle3qZ23kkq1Z73Cpx_llPba7V8XAnLlkZRYfgeOKp9fCQxqCbmmazyt803LD-8uYX6ixkh2NrgmlawPJNVa53wjej3TdxCdqICzOPktTunn2Tzgd13zPOOE2B27nM6tUss/s1600/picard+1st.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first time we see Capt Picard<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546484690318834878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379694293988727638.post-73187679087420000762014-03-03T06:28:00.000-08:002014-03-03T09:08:05.358-08:00Welcome to my new Star Trek BlogHello Geeks!<br />
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As my evening job and hobby seem to collide more and more these days, it seemed logical, in typical Star Trek tradition, to do a spin off page that truly assimilated those two very different cults so here you can find 'The Best Of Both Worlds'.<br />
As you can see, Star Trek referencing is already in abundance.<br />
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First of all, I'm fresh back from Destination Star Trek Frankfurt where I presented my self as Intendant Kira (photos to follow) and my new character '7 of 9'<br />
Most of my weekend was taken up having pictures taken with equally enthusiastic Trek fans and even some of the actors. I also fielded many questions on where I acquired my costume and more specifically, my Borg implant accessories. To that end, I have made extra sets which you can now find on ebay (<a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/231170589286?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649">link here</a>).<br />
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I have currently just begun a Next Generation re-watch, so many new blogs here will be gushing/ranting/squeeing over that series, episode by episode.<br />
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Aside from all that, if there's anything else you might need to know about me, hopefully you'll find it below:<br />
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My name is Misty Chance (obviously)<br />
My real name is NOT Misty Chance (obviously)<br />
I'm a Drag Queen based in Manchester<br />
I Love Star Trek<br />
I collect Trek action figures, Eagle Moss Starship Models and Cosplay the Trek women (for camp/work, not in a pervy way)<br />
I Tweet like there's no tomorrow (<a href="http://www.twitter.com/themistyshow">@themistyshow</a>)<br />
What I say is usually tongue in cheek so if you're easily offended, let me know then we can argue about it.<br />
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Welcome to the page<br />
Live Long and Prosper<br />
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Misty<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13546484690318834878noreply@blogger.com2