Feb 08 | While his "Lost" co-stars prepare to pack up and leave Hawaii, Daniel Dae Kim can plan to remain there for at least a few more months. Mr. Kim, who plays the time-traveling tough guy Jin on "Lost," has been the first actor cast in a coming remake of the crime drama "Hawaii Five-O," The Hollywood Reporter said. He has been cast as Chin Ho Kelly, a detective played by Kam Fong in the original series, which began in 1968. The "Hawaii Five-O" revival is being developed by the screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci ("Star Trek," "Fringe") and Peter Lenkov, an executive producer of "CSI: NY."
Feb 03 | William Shatner has paid tribute to his former Boston Legal co-star Justin Mentell, who died in a freak car accident on Monday. The 27 year old was thrown from his Jeep after swerving off the road near Madison, Wisconsin and died at the scene of the tragic crash. The Star Trek legend was saddened to hear of Mentell's passing - as he's convinced the actor was destined for a glittering career. In a post on his Twitter.com page, Shatner writes, "I'm deeply saddened to hear about Justin Mentell. There's no telling how far up the ladder he may have climbed. My sympathies to his family."
Feb 01 | Journalist Edward Gross posted an article at SciFiTVZone.com called "The Making of the Star Trek Pilots, Part 3: "Assignment Earth"" which takes a retrospective look at the making of the Gene Roddenberry unsold TV pilot "Assignment Earth" filmed at Desilu Studios as a second season Star Trek episode. The article feature rare interviews - including authors involved with the character of Gary Seven in comics and in novels.
Since the very beginning of STAR TREK, the Vulcan race has intrigued and enthralled legions of fans because of their mysterious nature, with their cold devotion to logic a mask for a deeper passion and culture. Leonard Nimoy's portrayal of Spock on the Original Series opened the floodgates for many questions to be asked, most importantly, what were they really like? The Original Series and feature films only touched upon such things, with the deeper details left for fans to speculate over the next four decades.
The writers and editors at Pocket Books have helped define the Vulcan mythology over the years in a number of excellent and well-written novels that have further explored the culture and history of Spock's home planet. Among those works have been VULCAN'S HEART, VULCAN'S GLORY, VULCAN'S SOUL, SPOCK'S WORLD, and SAREK, the latter two of which have been compiled into the latest Signature Edition compilation, entitled SAND AND STARS.
SPOCK'S WORLD, by Diane Duane, is the richer and wealthier of the two volumes represented in this new Signature Edition collection. One of the most popular novels from the expanded universe canon written in 1988, and the first-ever STAR TREK hardcover novel published by Pocket Books, SPOCK'S WORLD is a fascinating look at the history and evolution of the Vulcans over the millennia, as the planet moved from rampage and emotion to Surak's first seeds of logic in the Vulcan culture. Events in recent episodes of ENTERPRISE have served to rewrite and contradict what Duane had superbly conceived in her novel, most particularly with Surak, but of course the novels are expanded universe concepts outside of the box. Once you get past the discrepancies, you still have a marvelous portrait of the development of a world and a culture.
Of course, this is all background for an equally interesting 23rd century adventure for Kirk, Spock, and the crew of the Enterprise, as they and Ambassador Sarek seek to uncover why certain elements on Vulcan have now decided to formally request the planet's secession from the Federation. Duane expertly mixes in her trademark humor with rich, well written characterizations and tight plotting from start to finish through the novel, making SPOCK'S WORLD a must-read in its own right.
Also included in SAND AND STARS is SAREK, written by A.C. Crispin and originally published in 1994. This equally rich and complex story takes a look at the life of one of Vulcan's most revered ambassadors to the Federation, as he stands at a professional and personal crossroad in his life. Originally played and brilliantly interpreted by the late Mark Lenard, Sarek faces personal crises in his life, as he must cope with the loss of his beloved wife Amanda and the ever-growing rift between him and Spock. This of course is multiplied with crises that threaten both Vulcan and the Federation, as Starfleet must now contend with renewed threats from the Klingons and Romulans as well as a mysterious race called the Freelans.
Crispin gives us a more detailed look into Sarek's own life, the decisions that led him into his service with the Vulcan Embassy and the Federation, his marriage to Amanda, and the rift between him and Spock. Like Diane Duane, Crispin blends past and present events together into a smoothly crafted work that spans the years and gives us a richer portrait of a world in transition and a man seeking to further build upon Surak's legacy. Other novels may have touched upon elements related to Sarek and Spock's background, and while they may present some internal inconsistencies, they nonetheless agree with established continuity as presented in the Original Series.
As with the recent Signature Editions, this collection presents a new foreword from editor Terry J. Erdmann. In his foreword he explores the further development of the Vulcan culture through the portrayals of Tim Russ' character of Tuvok on VOYAGER and Gary Graham's role of Ambassador Soval on ENTERPRISE. It's clear that their take on the Vulcan culture would not have occurred if it had not been for Leonard Nimoy's influence on the Original Series. But as with the most recent Signature Editions, there are no new interviews with Diane Duane or A.C. Crispin or even replica signatures from the authors themselves, and these lacks detract from the title of "Signature Edition", which fulfilled its promise in the 2003 volumes.
SAND AND STARS is a good starting point for those fans who want to know more about the Vulcan culture and its impact in the STAR TREK universe. For fans of the original novels, it's worth picking up and enjoying all over again, while for newcomers it makes for worthwhile reading. And to think all of this wouldn't have occurred if Gene Roddenberry had taken the advice of the network executives to "get rid of the guy with the ears".
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