Tuesday, July 20, 2010

The Good Ship Enterprise

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So, yeah. I'll be trying to lighten up this week. All the legislative stuff can seem depressing sometimes... particularly the speed at which it proceeds. Whenever I need to laugh, I go online and and movie trivia or find random gag reels.

While nerding around, I found a collection of what you might call "gag photos" on Flickr –- and upon examining the entire photostream, found it was part of a larger family of photographs in the Roddenberryverse.

Star Trek TOS Episode: A Private Little War
They were probably supposed to be rehearsing.

A longtime Trekkie who goes by the username "Bird of the Galaxy" spent over 30 years collecting single-film-frame 35mm positives from early Lincoln Enterprises (which now operates as Roddenberry.Com), Trek conventions, online auctions and other private collectors. He spent what must have been an incredible amount of time and effort scanning and restoring many amazing images from the TOS years (1966-1969), so it is with great pleasure that I highlight his wonderful work and pass the link along to other interested Trekkies!

Star Trek TOS Episode: Patterns of Force
And so beginneth the greatest galactic bromance ever.

So says Bird in his online profile:
"Much has been written about the impact of Star Trek on science, entertainment, and our culture in general. There is not a lot of space for 'new ' perspectives on this amazing history. However, the advent of digital scanners and great restoration tools like photoshop make it possible to view these discarded production images in a quality that likely surpasses what the original buyers, like myself, saw from our old slide projectors. So, for all fellow fans of Star Trek, television production techniques of the 1960s, or science fiction history here are some of my favorite images from the literally thousands of film clips I own. Enjoy!"

Fully composited TOS scenes separated into Flickr Sets include: Aliens, Artifacts, Bloopers, On The Good Ship Enterprise, Models & Props, Planet Views and Special Effects – that last category including matte paintings, optical effects and well-known bridge screen graphics. What a treat!

Star Trek TOS Episode: Spock's Brain
Yes, in 1968, audiences actually bought
Spock being separated from his brain.

From Talos to Rigel, from make-up tests to behind-the-scenes pranks... Talosians and Hortas and Gorns, o my! There are some beautiful photos of Majel Barrett as "Number One" in the original pilot, Sulu in all his shirtless, fencing glory and many highlights among deleted scenes that never actually made it into episodes. Oddly, there is a decided lack of original Klingons and the disappointing omission of any materials from "Amok Time" … but it's an easily forgivable gap, given that there is something particularly fun about watching Leonard Nimoy laughing and grinning between takes, breaking from the well-known "Vulcan" character.

Fantastically awesome collection, Birdman... thanks for sharing publicly with those of us who can just never get enough Shatner in our lives!