Star Trek 2011: A Preview of the Future

Heading into 2011, Star Trek’s future looks brighter than ever. A new Star Trek feature is in the works, and we’ll be keeping you informed about that. And there will be anniversaries to celebrate, including those of the original Star Trek series (45), Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (20) and Enterprise (10). Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner will turn – are you ready?! – 80 years old. Read on for details about those imminent events and more – and let us know what else you’re excited about as Star Trek boldly goes into 2011.TOS Turns 45 – The original Star Trek premiered on September 8, 1966, with “The Man Trap.” The episode, airing against repeats, won the night, though the ratings dipped – and continued to dip – thereafter, keeping TOS on the endangered species list for much of its run. The show ultimately ran for three seasons, thanks in large part to the unflagging efforts of a small but ardent fan base. NBC canceled TOS in 1968 (although episodes ran until 1969), but as millions of people would come to learn, dead never really means dead when it comes to Trek. TOS would soon become a staple in syndicated reruns, paving the way for the franchise’s remarkable renaissance. The rest was – and still is – history.Star Trek XII Will Begin Shooting – There’s not much known yet about Star Trek XII. It’s being written now. The entire core cast of Star Trek (2009) will return, but who will be the villain(s)? However, all the questions will be settled soon, as Star Trek XII will head into production in 2011 in order to meet the announced June 29, 2012 release date. Star Trek: Infinite Space Is On the Way --  This summer, the German publisher GameForge will debut Star Trek: Infinite Space, a free-to-play browser game set in the DS9 timeline. And helping to ensure that Infinite Space is as Trek-accurate as possible, GameForge has tapped the talents of longtime Trek graphic designers and historians, Mike and Denise Okuda. See a preview here. William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy Are About to Turn 80 – William Shatner will blow out 80 candles on March 22, 2011, and Leonard Nimoy will do the same on March 26. Shatner remains as ubiquitous as ever, starring on $H*! My Dad Says, hosting several shows, working on a documentary about Star Trek captains, and more. Nimoy, meanwhile, recently announced his retirement from acting, though Star Trek fans were happy to hear that he’s committed to several convention appearances in 2011. May they both live long and prosper. Creation Will Kick Off 45th Anniversary Tour --  Creation Entertainment has been staging Star Trek conventions since 1971, bringing Trek talent directly to the fans and helping generate the groundswell that led to the TOS features, TNG and everything else that’s followed. So it’s only appropriate that as founders Adam Malin and Gary Berman celebrate Creation’s 40th anniversary, they’ll also be highlighting Trek’s 45th anniversary with a series of conventions in San Francisco, Phoenix, Vancouver, Parsippany (NJ), Boston, Nasvhille, Las Vegas and Chicago, with confirmed guests including Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, Nana Visitor, Armin Shimerman, Rene Auberjonois, Connor Trinneer, Dominic Keating, Ethan Phillips and more, with the list growing daily. Visit Creation Entertainment for more information.Star Trek: Enterprise Turns 10 --  It’s almost impossible to believe, but Enterprise debuted on September 26, 2001, with a two-part pilot entitled “Broken Bow,” which featured an un-credited cameo by James Cromwell as Zefram Cochrane. The fifth Trek live-action series and first prequel show, Enterprise starred Scott Bakula, Jolene Blalock, Connor Trinneer, Dominic Keating, Linda Park, Anthony Montgomery and John Billingsley. The series ran for four seasons, encompassing 98 episodes, and ended with a controversial TNG-centric finale that brought to an end 18 consecutive years of Trek television.Star Trek VI Turns 20 – The Undiscovered Country was designed to pay homage to Trek’s 25th anniversary and send the TOS-era cast and characters off in style. Mission accomplished. Leonard Nimoy helped develop a timely Cold War story that Nicholas Meyer and Denny Martin Flinn fashioned into a screenplay. Meyer was returning to the Trek fold after directing Trek II and writing Trek IV. George Takei assumed the Excelsior’s captain’s chair; Christopher Plummer and David Warner brilliantly chewed the scenery as Klingons; Iman wowed as the shapeshifter Martia (aided by then brand-new morphing effects); Christian Slater popped up in a cameo; Rene Auberjonois (visible on the video/DVD), Brock Peters, Kurtwood Smith, John Schuck and William Morgan Sheppard were among the past and future Trek actors who played supporting roles; and Michael Dorn appeared as a Klingon attorney who might also have been Worf’s grandfather. The film opened on December 6, 1991, and was dedicated to Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, who’d passed away on October 24, 1991.What else – Trek-wise – are you looking forward to in 2011?