A Look Back At "Enterprise"

Seems odd, I know to be talking about "Enterprise" (or "Star Trek:Enterprise")...what has it been now...about 4 years after it was cancelled. But the "Space" TV channel here in Canada has been running every incarnation of Star Trek every weeknight for awhile now and "Enterprise" comes on right about the time I get home from work every night. So I have been watching them all over again. And true be told...I like it.

When the series first came on, I was glued to them. over the next few seasons my interest wained a little (part due to the stories, but a big part was constantly shifting time slots). I enjoyed the show for the most part, but by season three they were starting to lose me a little bit. I was not a fan of the big season long Xindi storyline. I realize they were trying to re-energize the series, but in my opinion, went the wrong way. By season four though, I was totally hooked. They had finally found their footing and hit their stride. Season four had some fantastic episodes! But unfortunately, it was to little to late as far as Paramount was concerned. Truly a shame. If you look at the first two or three seasons of any of the other Star Trek spin offs, none of them hit their stride till the third of fourth season either. Watch any episode from "The Next Generation", "Deep Space Nine" or "Voyager"...every one of them, the acting is a little stiff and the actors hadn't quite "found" their characters yet. So why the powers that be found it necessary to cancel the show is beyond me.

Say what you will, I think the show was killed before it's time. A million cool story lines where right around the corner. The developing relationship between Earth, Vulcan and the Andorians, the Earth - Romulan war...so much potential for so many story's. And I feel bad for Mr. Rick Berman, one of the creators of the series. For a time he was vilified as one of the men who "killed Star Trek". After seeing the brutal slashing of the "re-imagined" Star Trek this summer, it was at worst a flesh wound. And at least he had a certain amount of respect for what came before and for the fans. Even "Next Generation" star Brent Spiner credits Berman with having "protected Gene Roddenberry's vision. "

In watching the shows again, with a fresh perspective, most of the episodes are really quite good. Sure, not every one of them is pure gold, but there were lots of stinkers in every other version of Star Trek as well, over all the series had a bright future ahead of it. It's always a shame when something so young dies to soon.

Beam Me Up...

I have been playing video games for years. MMO's for the last couple of years and still going. Still totally addicted to World of Warcraft, and gave Warhammer a good long try. But I have to say, the game that I am most looking forward to is "Star Trek:Online". I know...huge surprise. But come on...ask any Star Trek Geek what would be the coolest thing in the world (short of commanding an actual starship) is to have a game like this to play. How cool is this game! You get to command a starship (Federation or Klingon!) and fly around the galaxy exploring and getting into the occasional fight. Awesome!! While there is no official release date yet for the game, all indications are pointing to a release sometime around the end of this year. I can hardly wait! Looks like it will be a very Merry Christmas for me!


*UPDATE: Well, looks like it might not be such a Merry Christmas after all. Looks like the release date (which still hasn't been released yet) will be sometime in the first quarter of the new year. That's ok....maybe I will take a look at the MMO Stargate: Universe after all.

Where Have All The Good Toys Gone?

Remember when you could play with toys. I mean actually, really play with them. Think way, way, way back to when you were a kid. Ya!...that's what I am talking about.

Don't get me wrong, some of the toys that are being produced are really cool and beautifully sculpted. They look fantastic on display. But that isn't what they were created for. Take for example the Star Wars line. Are the new figures better than the ones produced back in the 70's and 80's? Well, they are far better looking than the original ones, but as for play-ability...not so much. They can hardly stand up on their own and almost fall apart if moved around to much (had the head of a Mara Jade figure pop off...easy to pop back on, but very uncool!). The original line was far more robust. Kids could actually play with them....stuff them in their pockets and take off.

With the lure of big bucks from collectors, allot of the toy companies seem to have forgotten the real reason for toys. As a father of two boys (although the oldest has passed the age of playing with toys and my other son is fast approaching it...lol) there are only a handful of toy lines that have came out over the last few years that looked cool, well designed and had very high play-ability. Two that come to mind are the Sigma 6 line (very cool looking and could take a pounding by kids), and the Xevoz line (yet again, very cool, awesome play-ability, and the fact that you could swap out parts from any figure and create your own...fantastic!!). unfortunately, both lines ended long before their time. I do have high hopes for the new lines of 3 3/4 figures from Marvel and DC, as they both seem to look good and have a high degree of "survivability".

I'm not saying that there is no place for some of the statue like toys being produced, there most certainly is. but the company's need to remember who they really should be making these toys for. Close your eyes for a minute and think back to what made you into a toy collector in the first place. Go on...I'll wait. Done....good. Was it the fond memory's of the cool toys you had as a kid. Hours spent having Superman and Spiderman save Han Solo and Luke from Skeletor? Now think about the toys that your kids (if you have them!) have to play with. Will they be as nostalgic as we are about our old toys? I doubt it....and if they have no fond memories of cool toys to build on, there will be no "next generation" of collectors out there.

Bad Marketing

Someone...and I don't know who it would be. It is who ever is in charge of marketing and/or release dates at Mattel-Hot Wheels, or it is the guy in charge of marketing and licences for Paramount Pictures. Here we are in the second week of June and still waiting for the release of the die-cast Star Trek ships.

I realize that the movie is doing well...and I by no means have a degree in marketing, but it seems to me that the smart thing to do would have been to capitalize on all the hype and free marketing in the days leading up to the release of the new "Star Trek" movie. Even Playmates got their stuff (questionable as it was) into the stores to take advantage of the hype.

I think I understand the wait for part of the line (as they are ships from previous Star Trek movies and shows...no rush for them), but none of the new ships have hit the stores as of this posting. What the...? Even myself...always a sucker for the ships, is very quickly losing interest in picking these up...and most of the collector and online toy store sites only say "June 2009" as the release date for them! Nothing like striking while the iron is hot! I think that someone, somewhere needs a good swift kick in the butt...and be handed a "pink slip". Hey...times are tough everywhere!

Never Forget

This past weekend was the 65th Anniversary of D-day. I spent a good deal of my weekend watching many movies, and documentaries on the D-day landing and World War II. Seeing some of the interviews with the Veteran's of the war got me thinking. I know it has been said before, but they really were a special breed. Maybe it was growing up and living through the Great Depression that gave them the fortitude and mind-set that you just had to "suck it up" and do what needed to be done...maybe it was the evil that the world was facing and the desire to help in some way.

Whatever it was, they all stepped up when the world needed them. Many gave their lives all for something they believed in. They fought on and did what was asked of them over and over till those that made it through returned home. And what is most refreshing, did so with great humility. There is a line in the mini-series "Band Of Brothers" right at the end. They are showing interviews with some of the Vets and one recalls a letter from a friend. A little girl asked her Grandfather, "Were you a hero in the war grandpa?", and he says "No...but I served in a Company of Heroes."

Sadly, fewer and fewer of these brave men are left as the years go by. In this modern world so many seem to be self-obsessed, I truly wonder if we would have what it takes to do what they did. I know many in the military that do, but would we as a country be able to muster the numbers for a massive undertaking such as was launched on June 6th, 1944. Someday there will be none of these brave souls left, then remembering will be up to us. We must always strive to remember them and the sacrifices so many made for our freedom.