Greetings! If you have stumbled across this blog, you are visiting a rather sadly neglected site. I always intended to resume it, but ultimately decided that, rather than trying to redesign this site, fix all the broken links and poor formatting, and update everything that needs updating, I would instead start fresh with a whole new blog. So, I invite you to visit the new, "refit" version of this blog, Zach Trek II!
As I detail in this post on Zach Trek II, I have decided to allow this site, Original Zach Trek, to remain drifting across the internet, mostly untouched (and, obviously, not actually engaging the "auto-destruct"!).
Zach Trek Random #9: RIP Leonard Nimoy
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| Image from Bing's news bar. |
Although I have been very remiss in my blogging duties, there would be no excuse for failing to take note of the passing of the great Leonard Nimoy, beloved portrayer of Spock.
Most Star Trek fans are well familiar with his period of conflicting feelings about his association with the character, but we are all fortunate that he later enthusiastically embraced the role, reprising it more than once and referencing it in cameos in other shows and commercials, and finally serving as the bridge between all previous Star Trek installments and the 2009 reboot. It was quite fitting that the character of Spock was his final role in Star Trek Into Darkness.
I spent a good bit of time searching for a suitable tribute video to post here, but most of the videos I found were news reports featuring polished reporters reciting the same platitudes without a lot of emotion, and so I found this one from gaming web site IGN to be perhaps my favorite:
For those who didn't know, the Vulcan salute was Nimoy's brainchild. This video of Nimoy explaining its origins will give you a greater appreciation for it, and for Nimoy himself:
As many have rightly said, Nimoy did indeed "live long and prosper", and he will be missed.
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| (image edited from Nimoy Sunset Pie) |
Zach Trek Random #8: RIP Robin Williams
As un-active as I've been here for a while, I felt the need to say something about the passing of Robin Williams. It is very sad to see someone who brought joy and laughter to so many and outwardly appeared to be so vibrant, happy, and full of life go out this way. By all accounts that I've read, he was as kind and funny off the screen as on.
Thanks to TrekMovie.com for this article detailing Star Trek actors' comments on Williams' death, and giving us some history of his connections to and interest in Star Trek, including this video of a William Shatner (or is it Captain Kirk?) cameo in his TV show Mork and Mindy:
[Edit: Unfortunately the video is no longer up. It was a short clip of a couple of minutes in which Shatner made a cameo on Mork and Mindy, brought in by way of a transporter accident. Here at least is a still photo from the scene.]
I have not given up on this blog, by the way! I still have lots of items to add, including a couple of slightly unusual items that I'm pleased to have. Right now, I have been busy with a variety of other things, but I have every intention of adding to this blog in the future.
RIP, Mr. Williams. As Leonard Nimoy said, "May his memory LLAP."
Zach Trek Random #7: Star Trek GIF
I recently discovered this Star Trek GIF, which I found strangely difficult to stop watching...
Zach Trek Random #6: Bing Features Star Trek
Today (May 15, 2013) Bing had a Star Trek feature on their home page. By typing in "beam me up" and pressing enter, this happened:
Now, I know this is in anticipation of the release of Star Trek Into Darkness tomorrow, but the transporter sound effect is an original series sound effect, so I feel it is appropriate for this blog.
And before you leave angry comments, I know, Google's Star Trek doodle was way better than this, I just didn't have the means to display it here when it came out. I'll try to add it at some point.
Zach Trek Random #5: Vulcan, Alberta: Canada's Star Trek-Themed Town!
Zach Trek Random #4: Happy Birthday, America - Part II
In Part I of this Random, I strayed from Star Trek to talk about my country's Independence Day, but I promised a Star Trek tie-in, and here it is:
On to the rest...
Keep an eye out for Zach Trek's next collectible, for which we'll do a little time travel of our own.
Zach Trek Random #4: Happy Birthday, America - Part I
Today, I stray from our Star Trek collectibles course to wish my country a happy 235th birthday! I do have a Star Trek tie-in, but I've chosen to include it in a "Part II" of this Random, which I will post next week.
I hope this will give anyone who is reading this and is not from the U.S. an idea of what we're celebrating, and anyone who is from the U.S. a reminder.
What exactly are we celebrating?
On July 4, 1776 representatives from Great Britain's thirteen American colonies signed this document:
This is the United States' Declaration of Independence. The colonies felt that Great Britain, especially their king, George III, had treated them unjustly, denied them basic rights to which they were entitled, and ignored their petitions for resolving these issues. This document detailed all of their grievances and culminated with their declaring themselves a new and independent nation.
However, it is not only our independence that we celebrate on this day, but also our freedom. This Declaration of Independence would have been an unremarkable event in history if the freedom sought by the men who drafted and signed it had not been won, defended, and protected throughout this nation's history. An event equal in importance to the Declaration was the Constitutional Convention of 1787, in which representatives once again met -- including many of the same men who had signed the Declaration -- and, over the course of four months of passionate debate forged our Constitution, which shaped our government in a form that has kept it from becoming too powerful and safeguarded our freedom.
Following are the beginning and ending of the Declaration. I recommend reading them, even if you've read them before. It begins with this:
Now, 235 years later our independence is secure, but we must always fight to keep our freedom. And to my fellow Americans I say, should we not be as dedicated to this task as the men who signed that document?
Zach Trek Random #3.5: Life Lessons From Dilbert
Random #3.5 (why 3.5? Because I got mixed up and numbered the next Random as #4!) follows up last week's Star Trek/Dilbert TV Guide with a classic strip:
Zach Trek Random #3: Captains Kirk
We celebrated William Shatner's 80th birthday on March 22 (2011). Here are all the Captain Kirk action figures that have appeared on Zach Trek (so far)...
...and Captain Kirk thought he had problems when the transporter malfunction split him in two:
Zach Trek Random #2: Spock Must Die!
In an unused script for the final episode of Star Trek, a seemingly innocent mix up in the Enterprise's laundry detail may have fatal consequences for the first officer...
Zach Trek Random #1: Ford X-2000!
This was bound to happen. I want to post something on Zach Trek not (strictly) related to collectibles. I have, therefore, created the "Zach Trek Random" category, inaugurating it with this:
This is a concept car I came across recently. It is a 1958 Ford X-2000 -- made 12 years before Star Trek went on the air...did original U.S.S. Enterprise designer Matt Jeffries work for Ford before he went into the television industry?
Now, I suppose you could technically call this a Star Trek collectible, but if you've got one, you may have taken your Star Trek collecting obsession a little too far.
I have not given up on this blog, by the way! I still have lots of items to add, including a couple of slightly unusual items that I'm pleased to have. Right now, I have been busy with a variety of other things, but I have every intention of adding to this blog in the future.
RIP, Mr. Williams. As Leonard Nimoy said, "May his memory LLAP."
Zach Trek Random #7: Star Trek GIF
I recently discovered this Star Trek GIF, which I found strangely difficult to stop watching...
Zach Trek Random #6: Bing Features Star Trek
Today (May 15, 2013) Bing had a Star Trek feature on their home page. By typing in "beam me up" and pressing enter, this happened:
Now, I know this is in anticipation of the release of Star Trek Into Darkness tomorrow, but the transporter sound effect is an original series sound effect, so I feel it is appropriate for this blog.
And before you leave angry comments, I know, Google's Star Trek doodle was way better than this, I just didn't have the means to display it here when it came out. I'll try to add it at some point.
Zach Trek Random #5: Vulcan, Alberta: Canada's Star Trek-Themed Town!
Welcome to Zach Trek Random #5. Star Trek enthusiasts may have dreamed of a Star Trek themed town, but did you know that there is one?
The city of Vulcan, in Canada's province of Alberta, was already named Vulcan before Star Trek began and they decided to make Star Trek the theme of their city. The photo above shows the sculpture of the Enterprise in the city.
Below is a promotional video about Vulcan (wait out the first minute or so to get to the most interesting part):
Here is a video of Leonard Nimoy's April 23, 2010 visit to Vulcan:
Vulcan is a long way from Georgia, but I'd love to visit someday. It looks like they've got lots of great collectibles in that gift shop!
The city of Vulcan, in Canada's province of Alberta, was already named Vulcan before Star Trek began and they decided to make Star Trek the theme of their city. The photo above shows the sculpture of the Enterprise in the city.
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| This is Vulcan, Alberta's "Tourism and Trek Station." |
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| The pharmacy, appropriately, displays a mural of the doctors of Star Trek. |
Here is a video of Leonard Nimoy's April 23, 2010 visit to Vulcan:
(it seemed to me the crowd was a little lukewarm about New Star Trek...)
Vulcan is a long way from Georgia, but I'd love to visit someday. It looks like they've got lots of great collectibles in that gift shop!
- Check out Vulcan's tourism site -- note to Americans: Don't be fooled by those temperatures, they use Celsius in Canada!
- Read the Wikipedia article on Vulcan, Alberta
Zach Trek Random #4: Happy Birthday, America - Part II
In Part I of this Random, I strayed from Star Trek to talk about my country's Independence Day, but I promised a Star Trek tie-in, and here it is:
America in Star Trek
In Part II of this Random, we'll take a look at America as it appears and is referred to in original series Star Trek:
- We'll start with the U.S.S. Enterprise:
The Enterprise "appeared" in Star Trek IV, as the ship from which the crew of the starship Enterprise drew power for their ship. I put "appeared" in quotation marks because the real Enterprise was at sea for the filming of the movie, and they had to use the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Ranger as a "stand-in." I guess even aircraft carriers have stunt doubles! (the photo above really is the Enterprise)
The U.S.S. Enterprise, CVN-65, was christened in September, 1960. It is the world's first, and fastest, nuclear powered aircraft carrier. As I am writing this, the Enterprise is scheduled to be decommissioned in 2013-2015. They'd better make sure nothing happens to the first officer, because we don't want the Captain stealing this ship and blowing it up!
The Enterprise is an impressive ship with an impressive history. These two sites are well worth taking a look at:
- The Enterprise's official web page. Under the "History" tab, click on "THE LEGEND" to read about this ship as well as the seven previous U.S. Navy ships to bear the name Enterprise
On to the rest...
- The crew of the Enterprise visited the United States several times via time travel:
- In Tomorrow Is Yesterday they accidentally visited the U.S. in 1969
- In The City on the Edge of Forever Kirk, Spock, and McCoy traveled back to the U.S. in 1930
- In Assignment: Earth the Enterprise travels back to the U.S. in 1968
- In Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home the crew of the Enterprise travels back to the U.S. in the late 1900s (the movie was released in 1986)
- In Court Martial, Samuel Cogley makes reference to the U.S. Constitution as one of the documents from history that have secured people's rights
- In The Squire of Gothos, Trelane reproduces the pistols used in the duel between former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton and U.S. Vice President Aaron Burr in 1804 (see a picture of the pistols from the episode, and compare to the real pistols used in the duel)
- In A Piece of the Action, society on the planet Sigma Iotia II is patterned after a copy of the book Chicago Mobs of the Twenties, left by a starship from Earth
- In The Omega Glory, the crew of the Enterprise encounters a collapsed society that was once almost identical to the U.S., even having the exact same flag, and a slurred and distorted version of the preamble to the U.S. Constitution, which Kirk corrects with a passionate recitation
- In Spectre of the Gun, Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, and Chekov are put into a partial re-creation of 1881 Tombstone, Arizona
- In The Savage Curtain, Kirk and Spock meet an image of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the U.S.
Keep an eye out for Zach Trek's next collectible, for which we'll do a little time travel of our own.
Zach Trek Random #4: Happy Birthday, America - Part I
Today, I stray from our Star Trek collectibles course to wish my country a happy 235th birthday! I do have a Star Trek tie-in, but I've chosen to include it in a "Part II" of this Random, which I will post next week.
I hope this will give anyone who is reading this and is not from the U.S. an idea of what we're celebrating, and anyone who is from the U.S. a reminder.
What exactly are we celebrating?
On July 4, 1776 representatives from Great Britain's thirteen American colonies signed this document:
However, it is not only our independence that we celebrate on this day, but also our freedom. This Declaration of Independence would have been an unremarkable event in history if the freedom sought by the men who drafted and signed it had not been won, defended, and protected throughout this nation's history. An event equal in importance to the Declaration was the Constitutional Convention of 1787, in which representatives once again met -- including many of the same men who had signed the Declaration -- and, over the course of four months of passionate debate forged our Constitution, which shaped our government in a form that has kept it from becoming too powerful and safeguarded our freedom.
Following are the beginning and ending of the Declaration. I recommend reading them, even if you've read them before. It begins with this:
"When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.It closes with this:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."
"... And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."Over the seven years of war that followed, many of the men who signed this document did indeed lose some or all of those things they pledged -- but they secured this nation's independence, and, thereby, its freedom.
Now, 235 years later our independence is secure, but we must always fight to keep our freedom. And to my fellow Americans I say, should we not be as dedicated to this task as the men who signed that document?
Happy Independence Day, and God bless America!
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| Thomas Jefferson Author of the Declaration of Independece and 3rd President of the United States |
Links
- Check out an excellent resource on the Declaration of Independence at ushistory.org, including the full text
- Visit the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration's site on the Declaration, where you can print a copy of the Declaration with your own signature added!
- Visit earlyamerica.com's page on the Declaration, where you can test your knowledge of this document and its history with a quiz
Zach Trek Random #3.5: Life Lessons From Dilbert
Random #3.5 (why 3.5? Because I got mixed up and numbered the next Random as #4!) follows up last week's Star Trek/Dilbert TV Guide with a classic strip:
- Browse strips on dilbert.com, or just skip straight to the Star Trek related Dilbert strips
Zach Trek Random #3: Captains Kirk
We celebrated William Shatner's 80th birthday on March 22 (2011). Here are all the Captain Kirk action figures that have appeared on Zach Trek (so far)...
...and Captain Kirk thought he had problems when the transporter malfunction split him in two:
Zach Trek Random #2: Spock Must Die!
In an unused script for the final episode of Star Trek, a seemingly innocent mix up in the Enterprise's laundry detail may have fatal consequences for the first officer...
Zach Trek Random #1: Ford X-2000!
This was bound to happen. I want to post something on Zach Trek not (strictly) related to collectibles. I have, therefore, created the "Zach Trek Random" category, inaugurating it with this:
This is a concept car I came across recently. It is a 1958 Ford X-2000 -- made 12 years before Star Trek went on the air...did original U.S.S. Enterprise designer Matt Jeffries work for Ford before he went into the television industry?
Now, I suppose you could technically call this a Star Trek collectible, but if you've got one, you may have taken your Star Trek collecting obsession a little too far.
Ahead mph factor 30!
