Once Upon a Geek » Star Trek

Listen Up: Star Trek First Contact Discussion

Shag — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 10:45:24 +0000

I consider myself a pretty big Star Trek fan. I’ve seen most of the TV episodes, all the movies, and read quite a few of the novels and comics. However, I don’t hold a candle to the guys over at Two True Freaks! These fellas really know their Star Trek! This month they were kind enough to invite me on their show to discuss my favorite Next Generation film, Star Trek: First Contact. Chris and I had a great time bantering back and forth on the merits and challenges with this film. Download the episode and give it a listen! Be sure to hang around to the end to hear my true feelings about Chris.

Here is the description of the episode from their website:

Scott was busy becoming an official MONORAIL PILOT so Chris invited The Irredeemable Shag to sit in on this special episode focusing on Star Trek: First Contact, the first full Next Generation movie! This is Shag’s first Star Trek episode on Two True Freaks and his enthusiasm shows! Stick around to the end to see exactly how enthusiastic he can get! Continuity issues are hashed out, Oobie Doobie gets played, a Borg Gorn is proposed and so much more!

My thanks to Chris (and Scott) for letting me appear on their show! I love me some Star Trek and this was a blast to record! Be sure to check out Two True Freaks!

Star Trek vs Doctor Who

Shag — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 11:45:35 +0000

Daleks, and Klingons, and Cybermen! Oh, my!

This insanely cool Star Trek and Doctor Who mash-up was done for Wizard Magazine by Mike Mayhew and Rain Beredo. Click the image to enlarge.

So you gotta ask yourself, is this just an awesome image, or is this the beginning of some terrible fan fiction? Assume for a moment that it’s a story, it goes without saying that Kirk would make out with Amy. Would it then become “slash fiction”, or is that just so obvious that it’s not a problem?

My thanks to Ed from THE UNIQUE GEEK listserv for directing me to this image. Check out Mike Mayhew’s deviantART page by clicking here. Visit Rain Beredo’s deviantART page by clicking here.

Expendable Gingerbread Men

Shag — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 11:45:00 +0000

Here is a cute Foxtrot cartoon to get you in the spirit…

Thanks to Lore (the irredeemable brother) and his son for sending this to me!

Geek Themed Keychains

Shag — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 10:45:12 +0000

I’ve accumulated quite a few geek related keychains over the years. I seem to have a weakness for buying them even though I’ve only used a few of these keychains on a regular basis. Today we’re going to look at the ones I’ve managed to hang onto.

Below are several DC Comics related keychains. The two Superman keychains on the left were produced in 2000, while the red and yellow Superman “S” shield keychain was produced in 1997. The Joker keychain was produced in 1989 and was a staple on my key ring for years, hence the pronounced yellowing on the Clown Prince of Crime’s face. I’m not sure when the far right Superman keychain was produced, but I suspect it was around 2000. I used to have a similar Green Lantern symbol keychain featuring Kyle Rayner’s original GL logo. Several of the keychains pictured here were gifts from my good friend Ed. More recently I carried a silver colored Superman “S” shield keychain. Sadly it broke and was lost to the keychain graveyard.

This next keychain is fairly unique. In June 1994, I attended the Diamond Comics Retailers Convention. One of the highlighted events was the Fourth Annual Diamond Gem Awards. This keychain was distributed to all attendees as a neat memento.

Below are a couple Star Wars related keychains. The Rebel Alliance symbol keychain was produced in 1996 by a company called “The Hollywood Pins”. The Darth Vader keychain was produced in 1995 and doubles as a self-defense tool. This sucker is made of metal and has some real weight. You could seriously hurt someone with this thing.

Below are a few Star Trek related keychains. The Star Trek The Next Generation Klingon Knife keychain was produced in 1994 and is identified as a “Rawcliffe Authorized User”. The Star Trek The Next Generation Star Fleet Academy keychain and the Star Trek Vulcan IDIC keychain were produced the same year by the same company. If memory serves, I believe the Klingon Knife and Vulcan IDIC keychains were gifts from my buddies Jon and Ron.

Below are a couple Doctor Who related keychains. The Seal of Rassilon keychain on the left is erroneously labeled as “Dr. Who Diamond Logo” and was produced by Downpace Ltd. The TARDIS key on the right is representative of the key used in the 1996 Doctor Who TV movie. It’s intended for a keychain, however, I’ve been wearing mine on a leather cord around my neck since 1996. Remember those WWJD bracelets from the 1990s? The TARDIS key is my version of a WWTDD (What Would the Doctor Do?) reminder.

That’s all the geek related keychains still in my possession. Have you ever carried a geek related keychain? Do you have any favorites?

Greg Brady Curtains for the Final Frontier

Shag — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:45:25 +0000

Check out these amazing Greg Brady curtains hanging in the lobby of Microsoft’s Studio D offices in Redmond, Washington. They really take beaded curtains to the Final Frontier.

The piece is called “Mirror Universe” and was created by Devorah Sperber. It features Kirk, Spock, and McCoy in the process of beaming up to the Enterprise. The artwork is composed of semi-translucent beads. Much like the practice of pointillism, this creates the appearance of a solid image when viewed from some distance.

For more information on this amazing work of art, click here. Thanks to my good buddy “Voice of the Red Skull” for sending this my way!

Countdown to Dragon*Con 2010!

Shag — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 10:45:03 +0000

You may have noticed the countdown timer in the upper-right hand corner of ONCE UPON A GEEK. This is counting down my arrival at Dragon*Con 2010! We’re about 28 days away and it can’t get here soon enough!

Over on THE UNIQUE GEEK, they’re doing their own version of a countdown called 40 Days Of DragonCon 2010. They’ve got podcasts, interviews with track directors, tips for the con, editorials, and pictures from previous years. Be sure to check it out and subscribe to their RSS feed.

Here are just a small handful of my pictures from previous Dragon*Cons. Each year I typically take about 400 pictures of celebrities, friends, costumes, and generally interesting stuff. To see all my uploaded pictures, check out the ONCE UPON A GEEK Flickr gallery.

Patrick Stewart

The cast of Stargate Atlantis

Brent Spiner – Data of Star Trek: The Next Generation

James Marsters of Buffy, Angel, and Torchwood

Peter David – writer of comics and Star Trek novels

Tricia Helfer from Battlestar Galactica, Burn Notice, Chuck, Victoria Secret and more! Oh yeah, I’m in the picture too.

Adam Baldwin from Firefly and Chuck! Also in the picture is our good friend Ed!

Erik Estrada from everything awesome, with Shag and Serv!

Alan Ruck from Spin City, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Star Trek: Generations, and more!

Dirk Benedict from Battlestar Galactica and the A-Team!

George Perez, artist extraordinaire of Crisis on Infinite Earths, New Teen Titans, Infinity Gauntlet, Avengers, and much much more!

And of course there are the zillions of fan costumes! Here just a handful from 2009…

And finally, Serv, Terry, and myself pimping ONCE UPON A GEEK at 4am! Promotion much never stop!

If you are going to Dragon*Con, drop me a comment or e-mail. We know somewhere around two dozen people going. The more the merrier! The con is always better with friends!

Sci-Fi Valentine’s Gift Ideas for Geeks

Shag — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 12:00:31 +0000

Here are 10 really cool Sci-Fi related gift ideas for geeks. Today’s post comes directly from the MSN Sci-Fi Superfans blog. Check it out by clicking here. Thanks to my wonderful wife, The Irrepressible Gena, for sending me the link.

Valentine’s Day is this weekend and you may be on the lookout for something special for your sci-fi-loving sweetheart. Here are 10 ideas that are sure to please both men and women.

The Ladies of “Star Wars” Playing Cards

Hey, ladies. You probably don’t care for the Playboy poker cards your boyfriend pulls out when his pals come over. Why not compromise and get him some stunning playing cards with kickass “Star Wars” heroines on them?

“Star Trek” Cologne

From “Tiberius” to “Red Shirt,” there is a scent here to please everyone.

Personalized “Avatar” Canvas Art

Or why not personalize some wall art inspired by “Avatar” with your sweetie’s picture on it? Make him or her a Pandora native.

X Wing Pilot Hoodie

A warm, snuggly hoodie is a cute gift for both guys and girls and it doesn’t get any cooler than this X Wing pilot hoodie.

Fandango Bucks

Of course, sci-fi movie fans may actually want to go see a movie on Valentine’s Day! Some Fandango Bucks will set you up for a perfect date night.

Netflix Gift Card

Of course, date night is even more perfect with some privacy… so you could always just download something from Netflix.

Star Registry

Sci-fi fans are always looking to the stars, so why not honor your love by naming a star in their tribute?

I Love My Geek T-Shirt

Let’s face it, most of us sci-fi movie fans embrace the word “geek.” We have reappropriated the word, so show your geek love with pride on Valentine’s Day.

Princess Leia Slave Bikini

Better yet, the ladies can slip into even less at the end of the night. You can’t go wrong with some Princess Leia-inspired lingerie.

Flux Capacitor Replica

Show your true love that time with them is relative by gifting a replica flux capacitor.

Happy Valentine’s Day!!!

Star Trek Starfleet Academy Sweatpants

Shag — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 12:00:16 +0000

Here are some sweatpants I picked up back in 1995. I really like the novelty of having “Property of Starfleet Academy Athletic Department” printed on them. Most people don’t even notice what is printed on the sweatpants because so many schools print “Property of … Athletic Department” on their clothes. Also, if you enjoy Starfleet Academy stuff, then dig up back issues of Marvel’s Star Trek Starfleet Academy comic book series from 1996-1998. It was very enjoyable!

Here is a close up of the logo.

I’m such a dorky Trekker.

The Final Frontier? No, just the 90s Star Trek CCG

Shag — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:00:12 +0000

After more than a decade in the attic, we decided to give the old Star Trek: The Next Generation collectible card game a try. Ed’s in town this weekend (pictured below in his “Nerd Herd” t-shirt from the TV series Chuck) and he decided we should tackle the game again after all these years. After procrastinating for hours, we finally cracked the decks sometime after midnight. Needless to say, this is not a game you can simply jump right into without reviewing the rules closely. I cleaned Ed’s clock (or Romulan Outpost in this case) and we called it quits after one game.

Below is Ed building his inferior Romulan/Klingon deck.

Here I am trying to remember the rules after something like 14 years. I suppose we could have bothered to read them before playing, but that would have taken all the fun out of it. And we discovered we’re getting too old to sit on the floor for very long.

Finally, in going through my old cards we re-affirmed how insanely geeky I really am. We came across two custom cards I produced myself for the game. Check them out below. I color-copied images, then literally cut-and-pasted them together. Also, it appears I used my old Commodore 64 dot matrix printer for the text boxes. How frikkin’ hilarious! I’m such a dork! As Ed has pointed out, he proclaimed my dorkiness long before these cards were stumbled upon.

Live long and geek out!

Anticipating the arrival of Ed, Serv, and Lore (the irredeemable brother)

Shag — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:00:18 +0000

Great weekend coming up! Lots of folks coming into town, including Ed, Serv, and Lore (the irredeemable brother). In case you are wondering, the random picture above represents things we’ll probably get up to this weekend. The new Star Trek DVD will most likely be watched (love the Enterprise shaped DVD case). Lore and I will likely battle wits in a thrilling game of Bananagrams. Ed wants to dust off our Star Trek: The Next Generation collectible cards from the mid-90s and give it a go again. And the stuffed R2-D2 is there to represent all the Star Wars chatting that will go on with Serv.

In case you’re wondering, yes that is an original 1977 R2-D2 stuffed animal. What can I say… I don’t throw things away.