Fun with the Original Star Trek Crew
I saw Star Trek Into Darkness last week, and quite enjoyed it… although overall, I tend to agree with those critics, like Gary Westfahl at Locus Online and Keith Decandido at Tor.com, who’ve pointed out that it’s kinda a mindless action flick with more in common with contemporary summer blockbusters than Star Trek. Still, my kids loved it — and so did the packed house — and I firmly believe that any filmmaker who can successfully re-imagine Star Trek, and ignite fresh interest in a whole new generation, deserves praise. Even if it’s not exactly the same Star Trek I enjoyed 40 years ago.
Besides, no one’s done anything to tarnish that Star Trek. So I’ve been quietly enjoying it at home. I watched “Space Seed” on DVD, and Star Trek The Motion Picture and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan on Blu-Ray. And I’ve recently discovered a host of Trek-themed advertisements from the 80s, including this delightful ad for a British power company starring William Shatner and James Doohan:
If that’s not enough for you, there’s also this AT&T ad from the late 80s, featuring virtually the entire cast… and a nice surprise at the end.
Enjoy!
I agree with your assessment of the new Trek movie. I loved it, but it’s fairly thin fair.
Don’t mean to quibble, but that song at the end of the British commercial is, I believe, from the early 90s. If I’m wrong, this commercial has to be from late 1989 or that song came out in the UK before it hit the US.
James,
Nice bit of detective work! And you’re quite right: the song is “I’ve Got the Power,” by the German group Snap. It was released in the first month of the 90s, January 1990.
That dates this ad as after Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (June 1989) and possibly after Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (December 1991). There’s no date on the YouTube page, but I expect I can find one with a little digging.
No need, just an observation. I was remembering back to my own personal timeline when that song was on the radio regularly. Cheers!
The commercial would have to be 1987 or later, they’ve got Scotty in the Enterprise D engineering room, surrounded by extras in Star Trek II radiation uniforms. That just hurts my head.
Also, anybody seen the Leonard Nimoy and Zachary Quinto Audi commercial made exclusively for Youtube?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPkByAkAdZs
Daran,
Thanks — I should have included the Audi commercial! It made me laugh out loud.
It even has Nimoy signing The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins, from his 1968 album (!!). That’s a bonus if ever I heard one.
Also, Nimoy seems so… normal looking in this commercial. Like he refused to sit in the make-up chair, or even have his hair combed.