440 – Vanity Fair, Countdown, and Dorothy Fontana | Priority One: A Roddenberry Star Trek Podcast
Vanity Fair interview, Picard Countdown comic, STLV 2020; the loss of DC Fontana, Q’s Winter Wonderland, the Phoenix Prize Pack, and “Clear Skies”
This week we trek out Vanity Fair’s Chat with Alex Kurtzman and Julie McNamara, Star Trek 4 rumors, Countdown Comics and all the happenings in Star Trek Gaming. Don’t forget, if you like what you see and want more, trek out Priority One: A Roddenberry Star Trek Podcast!
Picard Talk At Vanity Fair
So Julie McNamara and Alex Kurtzman sat down with Vanity Fair. THE Vanity Fair! And they had quite a bit to say about Star Trek. The pair met with Reporter Joy Press at the Women in Entertainment Summit in Los Angeles last month, where Kurtzman discussed the tone of Picard. //QUOTE//The show is inspired by Next Gen, and it’s written by people who grew up loving it but it is very much not Next Gen. It feels like a modern adult drama in the world of Star Trek, which has not actually really happened before. It’s also singularly about a man in his emeritus years and there are very few franchises that would allow you to have an almost 80 year old lead and tell his story.//END QUOTE//. Kurtzman reiterated Sir Patrick’s desire to explore something new with Picard, and said that Stewart was reluctant to include the Borg in the series. That reluctance ended up shaping the story //QUOTE//what ended up emerging was actually as a result of that back and forth, a very unique and very different Borg story. Definitely not one that you could have told in Next Generation. And certainly not what I think anyone’s expecting.//END QUOTE//
Section 31 Talk at Vanity Fair
Anyway, “Picard” wasn’t the only Star Trek nugget dipped in the sauce, the Michelle-Yeoh-led “Section 31” series took a dunk as well. McNamara confirmed that a writers room is in place for the series, and Kurtzman recalled how Michelle Yeoh got the proverbial ball rolling.//QUOTE//Full credit goes to Michelle Yeoh for coming to me and saying in season one, before we even launched, “I want to do a spin off of my character!” With Michelle Yeoh, it’s very hard to say no.//END QUOTE//. Kurtzman then discussed the tone of the show, saying //QUOTE//Erica [Lippoldt] and Bo Yeon [Kim], two writers on our Discovery staff, started writing a pilot and it’s really different. It occupies an area of the Trek universe that’s never really been explored geographically. It has a new mythology to it, which is very interesting. And it puts Michelle’s character to the test in a lot of ways that Discovery can’t. In some ways it will be her “Unforgiven”, I would say.//END QUOTE//
Star Trek Four May Have It’s Villain?
https://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/star-trek-4-main-villain-reportedly-revealed/
Grab the salt, because you’ll need a grain of it for this next story. Rumor site “We’ve Got This Covered” is reporting that Star Trek 4’s Big Bad may be a blast from the past. //QUOTE//According to our sources […] Paramount is looking into using Kruge in the movie as the primary antagonist.//END QUOTE//. Kruge, if you don’t remember, is the Klingon that is hunting the Genesis device in “Star Trek III: The Search For Spock.” Portrayed by the incomparable Christopher Lloyd, Kruge is often credited with creating the template for post-Original Series Klingons – and the characters inclusion in the Kelvin Timeline would likely do the same for that off-shoot-universe. What do YOU think of the rumor? Is it credible? Do you like it? Leave a comment, or hit us up on our social media outlets to let us know what you think!
Picard Countdown #1
If you can’t wait for more Picard, or just like reading comics, you should head to your local comic shop and pick up “Star Trek: Picard – Countdown #1”…. Or… if you’ve made the move to digital… it’s on the comixology app. The 36-page comic, which tells the story of Picard’s final mission in Starfleet, sets the stage for what we’ll see in the upcoming “Star Trek: Picard” series. No spoilers, but I will say that, if you’re a Star Trek Online player, you’ll absolutely want this book. It’s an – illustrated odyssey *winkwink*. “Star Trek: Picard – Countdown #1” is available in both digital and print for $4.99 US Dollars.
Now, the debate continues as to whether or not this is – in fact – “canon.” Although, it’s been reported that Kurtzman and the team treat these with equal importance as the film or television shows they produce, I think it would be in the best interest of our collective minds if we start to treat Star Trek canon less literally and more fluidly. For instance, in the David Mack novel set a few years before Star Trek Discovery — Desperate Hours — things didn’t line up between the book and the series…. Also — if the comic-book countdown series leading up to the 2009 divergence is to be considered canon — it sure does seem as though Kurtzman is already retconning that backstory in this new Picard Countdown.
Time will tell. But, for a deeper discussion regarding the impact this first issue already has on the Star Trek Multiverse Timeline and the specifics of some of the continuity problems, be sure to download episode 430 of Priority One: A Roddenberry Star Trek Podcast… wherever you get your podcasts!
Winter Event Preview!
Last episode, we took to Star Trek Online’s event tabs to get a preview of Q’s Winter Wonderland 2019. This week, we were given an official look at the annual event. The creepy skull-headed-hell Fek’ihri Fe’rang Dreadnought Carrier, is indeed the big prize this year, featuring all the flaming-skulls you could want in MMO endgame. How you earn the prize, though, is quite different! In keeping with the recent “chose what you want to do” design, this year, players can run ANY of the mini-games in Q’s Winter Wonderland to advance event progress! Fastest Game on Ice? That counts!. Klingon Ice Fishing? You betcha! Tides of Ice? Uh huh.The Fast and the Flurrious? You get the picture! In addition to the Grand-Prize DREADnought, players will also be able to purchase sweaters, weapons, cold-themed BOFF manuals, and – A BREEN COSTUME! Boushh cosplay!!!
Jellyfish Makes Non-Gamblers Jelly
This week, Star Trek Online announced its newest Promo pack ship, and if you pull the prize you’re bound to make other players Jelly – Because it’s Spocks’s Jellyfish from Star Trek 2009! Between December 3rd to January 2nd, players will have the opportunity to purchase special PROMO Research and Development packs from the Zen store. Opening these packs will ALWAYS grant the player R&D crafting goodies and 10 Lobi, and COULD give the lucky recipient a “Special Requisition Choice Pack – Tier 6 Promotional Ship Choice Pack”. The Choice Pack can be opened for previously-offered PROMO ships – Including the Discovery D7, The Annorax, and Elachi Sheshar – or the brand-new Vulcan Experimental Scout Vessel, AKA the Jellyfish. The Jellyfish is a science heavy pilot ship that comes equipped with a Super-Gravity-Well console and rapid fire torpedo launcher, but if you want the full stats, trek out our link in the description. — Okay. I’d be remiss if I didn’t address the fact that some players are really upset about the inclusion of another highly-sought-after ship in the PROMO packs. Members of the player base point to the frequency of these releases (the freedom-class-PROMO ended November 14th), an extremely volatile Dilithium market, and low PROMO pack drop-rates as reasons for the backlash.
But, we have our own thoughts on the matter… so, like I mentioned earlier, catch the complete episode of Priority One: A Roddenberry Star Trek Podcast — hitting your podcast feeds on Friday!
ViacomCBS
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bob-bakishs-memo-viacomcbs-staff-merger-a-historic-moment-1259584
Well, like that questionable episode of Voyager… Viacom and CBS have merged to create a new entity with an uncertain future. The newly formed ViacomCBS (one word) will be hitting the stock exchange with its new ticker by the time this recording is out! But, what does that mean for the media giant? Well, it’s still too early to make any solid determinations. The Hollywood Reporter has been all over the news and links to very lengthy articles will be in the show notes. But, industry leaders seem to be in two camps… Some believe the company is going to have to work hard to catch up with other multimedia powerhouses like Netflix and Disney… especially that CBS Television is so heavily ingrained in Broadcast Television. Others believe the new company has enough content to really meet consumer demands. Personally, I think they should consider one-massive On Demand Service that includes Television, Movies, and premium content like Showtime, etc… instead of separating them all in different apps and subscriptions.
But, what are YOUR thoughts in this merger and how do you think this might impact Star Trek?
We’ll be digging into this discussion further with our resident I.P. laywer — Cat… next week on Priority One — A Roddenberry Star Trek Podcast… So be sure to subscribe!
The Passing of Dorothy “DC” Fontana
https://www.startrek.com/news/dc-fontana-1939-2019
It is with a heavy heart that we acknowledge the passing of Star Trek legend, Dorothy “D.C.” Fontana. The highly respected and prolific screenwriter/editor/producer passed away on December 3rd after “a brief illness”, as reported in a release sent by the American Film Institute, where Fontana most recently served as a senior lecturer. Fontana is credited with expanding the Vulcan mythos – and more specifically Spock’s backstory – re-writing “This Side of Paradise”, as well as writing “Journey to Babel” and the Animated Series episode “Yesteryear”. Dorothy’s work behind the scenes was no less extraordinary than the stories she created. Fontana served as inspiration for women looking to break into television and Science Fiction in the late-60’s and beyond, and as a beacon of strength through the inevitable growing pains. Dorothy Fontana is survived by her husband, Dennis Skotak. She was 80 years old.
CLOSING
For a deeper dive into these headlines — and more — be sure to open up your favorite podcast app and do a search for “Priority One: A Roddenberry Star Trek Podcast” — Each week, I’m joined by co-hosts Cat and Anthony to discuss the entire Star Trek multiverse – including movies, shows, and even Star Trek gaming!
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Author
Elijah
Elio is a Northern New Jersey Cuban-American and graduate of Kean University, having earned his Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Performance in 2011. He has performed in internationally renowned performance halls such as Avery Fisher Hall with the New York Philharmonic, as a member of the Westminster Symphonic Choir, and in Beijing, China as a representative for Kean University. Since 2012, he has had the wonderful opportunity to Executive Produce Priority One – the premiere Star Trek Online podcast. Whether recruiting, managing the global team of talented volunteers, arranging interviews with special guests, editing, web-development, finding sponsors, managing crowd funding, or writing content for the podcast, Elio has a hand in it all. A long-time Trekkie, Elio has been watching the series since he was a child and sneaking in late night, back-to-back, episodes of TNG reruns. He finally embraced the Trekdom in college and spent many hours catching up on the entire multiverse…. instead of studying.
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