Star Trek porn parody
March 31, 2009 by Jin
Filed under Off the Wall, Recent, Star Trek
So apparently, Hustler magazine, is hoping the cash in on the upcoming Star Trek film by making a porn parody of it, and releasing it on the same day. When it was first announced, the movie hadn’t even been cast yet, but getting a cast together and assembling a few props doesn’t seem to be much of a barrier for a porn filmmaker. As Io9 reports, the casting seems complete. Read more
Spaceship comparison
Gizmodo had an interesting picture that demonstrated the relative size of the International Space Station compared to a number of space craft from popular science fiction. It’s pretty interesting (a Battlestar is huge!), so I decided to do one better and give you the relative stats of each ship.
Colonial Viper (new series)
- Size: 8.7 meters
- Max occupants: 1
- Max speed for Mark II: Mach 32.5 in atmosphere, no effective top speed in space, no jump drive for interstellar travel. Top acceleration possible: 7 G.
- Max speed for Mark VII: Mach 32.5 in atmosphere, no effective top speed in space, no jump drive for interstellar travel. Top acceleration possible: 9 G.
International Space Station
- Size: 107.4 meters
- Max occupants: 8
- Max speed: 7.7 km / sec in a low orbit around the earth
Corellian Corvette
- Size: 150 meters
- Max occupants: up to 600 depending on configuration
- Max speed: 2100 G, capable of light speed
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A)
- Size: 288.6 meters
- Max occupants: typical crew complement was 400; maximum occupancy unknown
- Max speed: warp 9, but typically warp 6. NCC-1701-A achieved warp 14 in one rare instance.
Battlestar Galactica (new series)
- Size: 615 meters
- Max occupants: crew complement is 2641; maximum occupancy unknown
- Max speed: Faster than light speed
Klingon robs 7-Eleven
Yes, you’re not imagining it. The man is holding a bat’leth, or the Klingon ’sword of honor’. Apparently, Colorado Klingons are having it tough in these difficult times. According to 7News Denver:
The first robbery was reported at 1:50 a.m., at 145 N Spruce St. The clerk told police a white man in his 20s, wearing a black mask, black jacket, and blue jeans, entered the store with a weapon the clerk recognized from the Star Trek TV series.
The robber demanded money and left with an undisclosed amount. A half hour later, police received a call from a 7-Eleven at 2407 N. Union Blvd., where a man matching the previous description entered the store with a similar weapon. He also demanded money from the store clerk. The clerk refused and the robber “transported” himself out of the store on foot.
The police aren’t sure if the weapon was made out of metal. The Klingon robber remains at large.
From 7News Denver and Io9
Space burial for Roddenberry
January 27, 2009 by Jin
Filed under Off the Wall, Recent, Star Trek
For the creator of Star Trek and his wife, space really is the final frontier.
Celestis Inc, a company that specializes in “memorial spaceflights,” said Monday, January 26, that it will ship the remains of Gene Roddenberry and Majel Barrett Roddenberry into space next year.
The couple’s cremated remains will be sealed into specially made capsules designed to withstand the rigors of space travel. A rocket-launched spacecraft will carry the capsules, along with digitized tributes from fans. The Roddenberrys’ remains—and the spacecraft—will travel ever deeper into space and will not return to earth, company spokeswoman Susan Schonfeld said.
After Gene Roddenberry died in 1991, his wife commissioned Celestis to launch a part of his remains into space in 1997. She died Dec 18, 2008.
In case you’re thinking this is a hoax, here’s the link to Celestis’ website. Packages start at $695 for an Earth Rise service (space flight with the remains coming back to earth) to the $12,500 deluxe package where you’re shot into space never to return.
Another top geek movies of all time
Lists of the top geek movies of all time have been done before. You’ll find one here, here and here. However, none of those lists really satisfied me. They seem to mix up cult movies with what I would consider a true geek film; it’s not enough that a film is a cult film, it has to be a geek cult film. Also, I never understood the criteria they used to put together their lists. Ultimately, a list of this sort comes down to opinion, but I think it’s reasonable to include the criteria you use to put a film on your list. Mine are below.
Star Trek bonanza!
This upcoming year promises to be a bonanza year for Star Trek fans. Not only is a new movie in the works, but Cryptic Studios is developing a new MMO based on the Next Generation Star Trek era.
Let’s cover the movie first. Star Trek, the movie, is slated to be released in May of this year. It’s a prequel and pseudo-remake of the original TV series. The movie stars a young Captain Kirk (played by Chris Pine) and Spock (played by Zachary Quinto). I’m not that much of a movie buff, but honestly, I’ve never heard of either of these two. The director is JJ Abrams, and him, I have heard of.
