Trekilicious! Star Trek Eye Candy!

I just came across this neat thing on Nerdist -- professional artist and illustrator Nick Acosta has worked with frames from Star Trek and Star Trek: TNG to really make them appear widescreen, and we don't mean just cutting off tops and bottoms of the frame to create a rectangle (as is often done on TV to headache-inducing results).  He unleashes the classically gorgeous cinematic quality of especially the original series, with its insanely vivid colors which are a trademark of the show.

You can see his creations for ST:TNG by clicking here, along with a great explanation of how he does it.  His work on the original series can be seen by clicking here and there are even more examples available on Nick's website by clicking here.  Nick's expertise as an artist really gives him an eye for the potential in Trek's iconic images.  Be sure to look at Acosta's other work on the site because he's a TV and movie fan who loves what we love.  Don't miss his NASA tribute ala Kubrick!

Summer Nose-talgia #24: James Doohan-- The World's Greatest Starship Engineer!

Today we remember a talented character who became a pop culture icon by virtue of his honored place on the crew of the original starship Enterprise on the legendary Star Trek. D-Day veteran James Doohan, who passed away on this date nine years ago, had been a solid constantly working actor particularly adept at voices and accents at the time he was cast as Montgomery Scott.  Doohan's winning characterization and Mr. Scott's technical prowess made the Chief Engineer a lynchpin on the Enterprise whether down in his engine room, on the bridge, or along with his fellow crewmen on a surface mission.

Doohan passed away nine years ago today, the 2nd of the main Star Trek actors to go (DeForest Kelley died in 1999).  However as we all know, if you've been on Star Trek, immortality is yours.

Here's an assortment of Scotty-ness in honor of our favorite Chief Engineer and the man who portrayed him but first a few of his other TV roles to get a sense of what he was doing before Mr. Scott:

















James Doohan also made a wonderful guest appearance as Scotty on an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation entitled "Relics":

Happy Birthday to Diana Muldaur!

All fans of television will join us in offering a big Happy Birthday today to the lovely and talented Diana Muldaur, one of the most accomplished actresses ever in the medium, with a long career on the small screen beginning in the mid-1960s.  After a successful stage career on the East Coast, Diana began getting roles on TV and eventually moved out to Hollywood where she became one of the most sought-after actresses for series work in everything from soap operas to medical dramas to westerns to science fiction and everything in-between.

Just a short listing of her credits is astounding and encompasses many of the classic skeins that define TV history: Dr. Kildare, Gunsmoke, Run for Your Life, The Invaders, Bonanza, The Virginian, Mod Squad, Ironside, Hawaii Five-O, Medical Center, Mannix and so many more.  Her regular role on McCloud as the girlfriend of Dennis Weaver's title character is one of the highlights of her early TV career.

Star Trek aficionados particularly value her two guests appearances on Star Trek: The Original Series.  In Season 2 Muldaur played in "Return to Tomorrow" as Dr. Ann Mulhall, a scientist whose body is appropriated, along with those of Kirk and Spock, to house the minds of a trio of aliens who are trying to create new forms for themselves after being incorporeal for eons.  Despite the best intentions the plans go awry, but not before some terrific moments between Mulhall and both Spock and Kirk. In ST:TOS's year year, its last, in the episode "Is There in Truth No Beauty?" she played the mysterious Dr. Miranda Jones, an empath assigned to accompany the Medusan ambassador, an energy creature kept inside a box because to gaze upon him causes instant madness.  A mind meld gone astray leaves Spock exposed to the Medusan and facing permanent insanity, and Muldaur's serene intelligence and grace carry her portrayal to something very special.

Diana Muldaur returned to Star Trek with her role in the 2nd season of Star Trek: The Next Generation where he played the ship's medical officer Dr. Pulaski, but only for that one year of the long-running series.  In addition to more appearances on various comedies and dramas of the late 1980s, Muldaur starred as notoriously harsh lawyer Rosalind Shays on the acclaimed L.A. Law which earned her an Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1990.  Muldaur also served as President of The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences during the 1980s.  (Diana also had several big screen roles such as in The Other and McQ with John Wayne, but she is most known for her TV work.)

If you're wondering why you haven't seen her onscreen lately, she and her late husband producer Robert Dozier retired to Martha's Vineyard in the mid-1990s.  She has been sorely missed.

Please visit the excellent tribute website Diana Muldaur World which has a treasure trove of articles, photos, complete biographical material and many other terrific features honoring this amazing actress.  You will also enjoy visiting The Starting Over Airedale Rescue Site which features longtime Airedale fancier Diana in a key fundraising outreach.  Diana has a two-part interview on the Archive of American Television site, and you can check out her Star Trek credentials on the Memory Alpha website.  You'll also enjoy this page of animated photos of Diana in her various Star Trek appearances at this Tumblr website.

A very Happy Birthday today to Diana Muldaur, one of the brightest lights who ever lit up our TV screens!

A Belated Birthday Remembrance for James Doohan

We couldn't let it pass unnoticed -- last Thursday was the 91st anniversary of the birth of James Doohan, beloved by so many of us for his role as Scotty in Star Trek. He was an icon -- as himself and as the character -- adored for his jolly presence at Trek conventions over the years and for his portrayal of a skilled and dedicated engineer with plenty of personality. Doohan was born on March 3, 1920 and died July 20, 2005.

Some people may think Scotty only loved his engines (and his Scotch) and never got the girl, but in several classic Star Trek episodes he had quite an eye for the ladies, such as "Wolf in the Fold" where his adoration of a beautiful belly dancer at a bar got him mixed up with the dead spirit of Jack the Ripper, or "Who Mourns for Adonais?" where he was the one squiring around the breathtaking Leslie Parrish in her famous pink backless gown, that is, before Apollo (Michael Forest) took a shine to her.

One of the most amusing Scotty scenes is in "By Any Other Name" where he tries to get an alien (played by Robert Fortier) drunk. Let's watch:



James Doohan returned as Montgomery Scott in wonderful guest appearance in the Star Trek series follow-up Star Trek: The Next Generation in the episode "Relics". Scotty is discovered, miraculously preserved in a transporter wave, and brought back to life where he must adjust to a very different Enterprise and a very different time. Here's a cute scene between Doohan and Brett Spiner as Data.:



Doohan appeared in all the Star Trek big-screen movies and has the distinction of being part of one of the most quoted Trek phrases -- "Beam Me Up, Scotty!" -- which is a bonafide pop culture touchstone now.

So a tip of our cap to our favorite starship engineer, James Doohan! We will leave you with this lovely YouTube fan-made video which combines footage of Doohan's ashes being shot into space by NASA, with Star Trek footage, resulting in a fitting finale send-off for Scotty. (For the whole story on what actually transpired with this spaceflight tribute, click here.)