There’s always something going on in the Star Trek universe, whether it’s favorite actors landing new roles or Star Trek extending its pop culture claws into our everyday lives. Here, StarTrek.com takes a look at some Star Trek – and Trek people -- in the news.
Colm Meaney is back in action, co-starring in the just-launched AMC series Hell on Wheels. The actor, who portrayed Miles O'Brien on both TNG and DS9, appears on the western as a ruthless industrialist character named Thomas "Doc" Durant. Meaney has also completed shooting an upcoming film drama, Bel Ami, in which he co-stars with Robert Pattinson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Christina Ricci and Uma Thurman. Chances are you've read about this already, but just in case: "Patterns of Force," often referred to as the "Nazi episode" of TOS, aired on free TV in Germany last week, after decades of being banned there. The news is interesting, but not groundbreaking, as "Patterns of Force" had previously been released on video, DVD and Blu-ray, and was even viewable as PPV title. Lady Magdalene's, a new film starring Nichelle Nichols, is available... for free. Anyone interested in checking out the suspense-comedy can do so by visiting YouTube. Here's the synopsis of the film, provided by the film's production company, Jesulu: Nichelle Nichols plays Maggie, the colorful and determined madam of a legal Nevada brothel — relocated from New Orleans after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita — and in tax default to the IRS. However the talented but disgraced federal agent, Jack Goldwater (Ethan Keogh), sent as the federal receiver to manage the brothel, soon uncovers evidence that Lady Magdalene’s is being used by al-Qaeda operatives as a meetup for a plot leading to the tunnels under Hoover Dam. But Agent Goldwater and a female federal agent he soon meets up with (Susan Smythe) can’t figure out what al-Qaeda is really doing until they seek help from Lady Magdalene and the working women at the brothel. Does the character Overlord in the new videogame Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 seem familiar? He should. He's played by Bruce Greenwood, who beamed into the Trek universe for the first time a couple of years back as Captain Pike in Star Trek (2009).Denise Crosby, best known for her role as Tasha Yar on TNG, is currently starring in a well-reviewed production of the Gregory Moss play House of Gold. The show is running now at the Ensemble Studio Theatre in Los Angeles. You may also be familiar with the show's director, who also happens to be the Ensemble Studio Theatre's artistic director. And that would be Crosby's old friend and TNG co-star, Gates McFadden. For details, visit: http://ensemblestudiotheatrela.org/This one almost got by us. Scott Bakula has been in London for the past couple of months, making his UK stage debut in a play called Terrible Advice. The show opened in late September and will conclude a mostly sold-out run this weekend. Frank Oz directed the production, which was written by current Warehouse 13 actor and one-time TNG guest star Saul Rubinek. If you can catch a last-second flight to London, here's some info about the show:https://www.menierchocolatefactory.com/Online/default.asp Finally, our condolences to the families of Peter E. Berger and Andrew Lazlo. Berger, who passed away on September 22 at the age of 67, edited Star Trek IV, Star Trek V, Star Trek: Generations and Star Trek: Insurrection. His additonal credits included Fatal Attraction, Save the Last Dance, and Alvin and the Chipmunks, as well as the Leonard Nimoy films The Good Mother, Holy Matrimony and Funny About Love, and the Jonathan Frakes-directed Clockstoppers. Laszlo, who died on October 7 at the age of 85, served as the director of photography on Star Trek: V. He counted among his other credits as a cinematographer the landmark TV miniseries Shogun and such films as The Warriors, Streets of Fire and Innerspace.
