Star Trek's 50th Anniversary

   The conversation went something like this:

   "Dad, can I stay up past my bedtime to watch the new Star Trek TV show?"

   "How much past your bedtime?"

   "It's only a half-hour."

   "I don't know..."

   "Please? It looks like a great show! I know you'll like it, too!"

   "Well... I guess that would be ok."

   (What can I tell you - my Dad was a great guy!)

   And that's how 10-year-old Chuck got to watch the first episode of the original Star Trek TV show when it premiered on this day in 1966.

   That first episode - "The Man Trap" - isn't one of the better episodes in the run of the series - but I was absolutely hooked.

   This was a show that checked off so many boxes - loaded with imagination, adventure, heroism, beautiful women, monsters, special effects, drama, intelligent stories and compelling characters - how could I resist?

   Even in black-and-white (we didn't own a color television set yet), it immediately became my favorite show - I don't remember ever missing an episode.

   I was heartbroken when they announced it was cancelled after two seasons, thrilled when it was revived for one more season, and sad when it ended "for good."

   But then - the reruns! The show ran and ran and ran in syndication, and fandom started holding conventions - it was an idea that wouldn't die. Star Trek held on as comic books and (a quite excellent) cartoon series.

   There were reports of a new TV series with the original crew, but instead they started a new series of films. The first one was disappointing, but the second was a classic.  The rest are a mix of fantastic and, well, not so much.

   Then there were the new TV series, including Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise -  with more in the works.

   So why does Star Trek continue on and on when so many others have come and gone without a ripple?

   There are lots of reasons, including its optimistic vision of the future, peopled by fascinating characters, thrown into adventures beyond imagination. Or perhaps it is the archetype foundation as a "Wagon Train to the stars." Or, if you prefer, a military / exploration mission with infinite story possibilities.

   It's a combination of all those things - cracking good stories, humor, a canvas that allows for any kind of story you want to tell - and it has sparked the imagination of countless fans.

  All I know is, I don't want it to ever end.

    Oh, one more thing: thank, Dad!

Star Trek: City on the Edge of Forever #5 (of 5)

    This issue wraps up the adaptation of Harlan Ellison's original script for what is arguably the best episode from the original Star Trek television series.

   But the episode that aired, though titled The City on the Edge of Forever, was different in many ways from that original script.

   Ellison was forced to make changes in the original version, but thanks to fine artwork by J. K. Woodward and the adaptation written by Scott and David Tipton, we get an approximate version of how that episode might have played out.

   The story differs from the original in that the key to the problem is an evil member of the crew who attempts to escape prosecution by diving into a time portal, which takes him back in time to the early part of the 20th Century.

   Somehow his actions in the past change the time stream. To restore the Federation (and the future), Capt. Kirk and Mr. Spock also travel into the past.

   Kirk is faced with a heart-wrenching choice - to save the future, can he sacrifice the woman he loves?

   It's a great story, with or without the changes. The most dramatic change seems to be substituting a different character in place of Dr. McCoy (who, in the TV episode, causes the changes during a temporary bout of madness brought on by an accidental injection).

   It changes the dynamic a lot, but it also blunts the impact of the climax of the story.

   I have to admit, I like the televised version better (I know, it's heresy to go against the pure Ellison product). I'm not sure if I feel that way because it's actually better, or if it's nostalgia, or the fact that a print adaptation can't match the impact of film.

   But I'm thankful for a chance to see this excellent visualization of the original story!

Grade: A-

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Star Trek Harlan Ellison's City on the Edge of Forever #2 (of 5)

   As a huge fan of the original TV series Star Trek, I can tell you that the episode City on the Edge of Forever was one of my favorites, and was one of the sharpest, most well-written episodes in the show's run.

   As a kid, I had no idea that the writer was Harlan Ellison, or that I'd eventually become a big fan of his work.

   But as I became more aware, I discovered that Ellison had written a different version of that episode originally - but had been forced to change it because of pressure from the network and other sources.

   Thank goodness for comics! Through this medium we can dust off his original script (also available as a book - there should be a link below this post), recast the actors as young and vibrant performers, and discover the story as it might have appeared.

   The story finds the crew of the Enterprise exploring a mysterious, time-altering phenomenon. When a member of the crew uses a gateway to jump into Earth's past, reality is altered - and the only way to fix it is for Capt. Kirk and Mr. Spock to journey into the past to undo whatever damage the other crew member caused.

   The changes will be a surprise to those of us who've seen the original episode numerous times (and know it by heart) - and I certainly won't spoil it for you here - but it's a lot of fun to follow the story down a somewhat different path.

   The art by J. K. Woodward is excellent, capturing the likenesses of the original cast with great skill, and creating a new and unique setting for the alien world.

   I'm enjoying this series - it's wonderful to unlock and peel back the layers of the story in a new and different way. I recommend it highly!    

Grade: A

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Star Trek: Romulans: The Hollow Crown #1

I have to admit up front that I'm old enough to have watched the original Star Trek television series when it first aired on NBC (although I had to talk my Dad into letting me stay up that late).

On the other hand, I've never been too crazy about the comic book adaptations based on any of the TV shows. I didn't care for the Gold Key comics much (though I wish I'd held onto them), and the Marvel series only had Dave Cockrum's art to recommend it (at least for a while). DC got it right for a while with Mike Barr and Tom Sutton handling the book, and they turned in some excellent stories. After that, it all gets hazy in my memory, and I stopped picking up the title.

The series calls IDW home now, and so far, the results have been very solid. D.C Fontana (who worked on the TV show) has done good work writing the Star Trek: Year Four series, and now they have writer / artist John Byrne handling titles like Star Trek: Assignment Earth and this entry, Star Trek: Romulans: The Hollow Crown.

Could someone please explain to me why a top talent like Byrne has time for this? Shouldn't he be inundated with offers from Marvel and DC? Shouldn't he be working on Next Men? I'm just asking is all.

OK, so obviously I'm a fan of his work (both writing and art). And if he isn't going to work for one of the bigger companies, it's good to see him turning in strong work for the up-and-coming IDW.

In "Romulans" Byrne spins a story set during the time of The Original Series (TOS). The series opens immediately after the episode where the Enterprise first encounters a Romulan Bird of Prey - one of my favorite episodes, as Kirk and the Romulan Captain match wits.

If you haven't seen the original shows, it doesn't matter - he gives you enough information to make the story clear, and throws in plenty of references to please the most devoted fans. The story offers a glimpse into the Romulan government and the machinations of allies and enemies.

Byrne manages the difficult task of introducing a number of new characters (along with a few familiar ones) and makes each one unique and immediately identifiable. Not many artists could manage it as well.

This is a book that may not appeal to the casual fan of the series - and it certainly isn't likely to appeal to a non-fan - but it's a strong entry in the comic books based on TOS, and it's always good to see Byrne working at the top of his game.

Grade: B+