“Star Trek” actors have been turning up in guest spots in several places lately.  Nana Visitor (Kira from DS9) and John de Lancie (Q) have appeared on the current season of “Torchwood: Miracle Day” on the Starz network.  We also are getting to see recently Jeri Ryan and Kate Mulgrew on the very cool SyFy series, “Warehouse 13.”  And Wil Wheaton seems to be in many places these days, including his current appearances in the current season of “Eureka.”  It’s great to see some of our favorite actors from Trek showing up on TV once again.  And lastly, make sure to tune into the fun new SyFy series, “Alphas” for an appearance by Summer Glau and also Brent Spiner too.  Very cool stuff!  Some preview clips below:

A very funny and cool new Trek Fan Video has poped up online.  This is done by a group out in San Francisco called, “The Dark Room” to promote their live theater performances of Trek material.  I really got a kick out of this particular video and I hope you do too.  And if you live in the SF Bay area, make sure to check out The Dark Room theater group sometime soon.

A funny new “Star Trek” parody in the form of a web series is starting up this month, on July 18th called “Voyage Trekkers.” Looks to be following the adventures of a not so heroic and successful crew that was aboard the Enterprise.  I’m always up for some new fan film stuff and this looks like they have a great sense of humor about it all and are having a ball doing it.  Check out the preview below and go over to their website to catch up with more on this cool new web series.

There is a new, very funny Trek/SF fan film series out called “Transolar Galactica.”  This takes a lot of what it spoofs from the 2009, JJ Abrams “Star Trek” film and also a few things from other Sci-Fi staples out there.  Two episodes are out so far, with hopefully many more to follow.  I laughed several times while watching these videos, and I think you will too.  Enjoy the episodes and watch their home page HERE for further updates.

(A slight warning, there is some strong language in a few places in these videos.)

This is a very awesome music video that Leonard Nimoy did set to the Bruno Mars tune, “Lazy.”  Leonard really seems to be having a ball in this video poking fun at himself and definitely shedding his cool, logical Mr. Spock persona.  There’s a ton of fun stuff in this video, including a quick cameo by Leonard’s friend, William Shatner too.  So, see how Leonard might spend a Lazy Day by watching this cool music video right now down below!

The folks over at the fan film production called “Phase II” (formerly ‘New Voyages’) has put out their latest Trek fan film.  This is a fun tale of an alien race using Starfleet technology and ships to fight a war with.  Kirk and the Enterprise try to put a stop to this misuse of Federation technology.  Look for TOS actress Barbara Luna as the guest baddie in this one.  Watch it streaming at the link HERE, or on Youtube below.  Enjoy this latest, cool fan production!

A cool, new story on a Bryan Singer premise for a new “Star Trek” TV series has surfaced.  This was first tossed around back around 2006 and had the concept of a new Trek set about 600 years after TNG.  It’s a very interesting concept and I like much of what I am reading.  I’ll put a small excerpt of the article below.

The Universe — A Federation in trouble

The way the team proposed shaking up that universe was to move the action to the year 3000 with a different United Federation of Planets. In “Federation” the UFP is still espoused to be the a civilization of alien races united in respect living in a “Golden Age of Peace”, but not all is well, as noted in the proposal document:

Utopia as a goal is like the fire in a nuclear engine. Utopia in practice is stagnation; it’s dry rot; eventually it’s death. Which is precisely where we find the United Federation of Planets a few centuries after the last Age of Discovery.

Here are some key changes in the Star Trek universe six centuries after Picard.

• Earth’s Humans have become “fat and happy” but this has led to complacency where humans are “giving up exploration for incremental colonization and focusing more on the rightness of their own cultural view over all others”
• Many younger members of the UFP have left, eschewing this “human-centric” Federation
• Vulcans have been disengaging from the Federation and have reunified with the Romulans, spending most of the last 3 centuries focused on creating a new “joined society” overseen by two “quasi-religious clerics who rule according to logic and what is best for their unified peoples, combining Romulan Machiavellian politics with Vulcan logic.
• Bajorans have withdrawn from the Federation to become insular in order to focus on their religion and communing with the Prophets. Bajor is now “like a planet sized Tibet”, handing over all temporal concerns to the Ferengi
• The Klingons have undergone a “massive reformation” moving away from their Viking-like brawling to become a “civilization of warrior mystics” akin to the Tang Dynasty), now flying “sleek” and “serene” ships and while they maintain diplomacy with the Federation they have returned to expanding the Empire via conquest
• The Cardassians have transformed into a “society of artists and philosophers” who now “walk the path” and are now dedicated to a philosophy with “the view of the galaxy as a place created solely to test the faithful.”
• The Ferengi are no longer a “joke” but have become “quite powerful”. Equality for females (including a female Nagus) is “the only concession they have made to progress” and with “the Greater Federation’s cashless society as a restriction, the Ferengi Alliance is now able to shine in its full capitalist glory.” The Ferengi are also making big bucks marketing the Bajoran religion around the galaxy, including pilgrimages to the Bajoran Wormhole.
• Starfleet has been reduced to a “mere peace-keeping force” protecting fringe worlds from aliens and from fighting each other, with starships are old and spread out too thin

There is much more to read about this cool concept.  Head over to www.trekmovie.com for the whole story.

This is a great piece of video from “The Daily” showing James Cawley and the cast and crew at the “Star Trek: Phase II” filming location in upstate New York.  I’ve followed this extremely high level Trek fan film production for years now (formerly called New Voyages).  Each episode takes literally years for them to complete, but they are well worth it.  Effects beyond the original series, awesome authentic sets, costumes, props, and some excellent scripts and guest stars.  Learn more about them HERE on their site, after watching this cool video below.