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I have a young friend who calls himself “Shoeless Chuck.”  He’s a creative type who makes, among other things, “AMVs” or Anime Music Videos.  That’s where you edit together scenes from a movie or video game and set it to music.  His work is fantastic.  I particularly like the ones he did for IronMan and Afro Samurai.  Check it out: http://theshoelesschuckproject.weebly.com/index.html

I was chatting with him on Facebook when he told me about his videos.  I told him that I had actually done a music video of my own.  About 15 or 16 years ago, I created a music video using scenes from Star Trek episodes and movies, and set it to, of all things, a disco version of the Original Star Trek theme.  I was able to come up with something that was kind of nice, I think.

Now, keep in mind, this was “old school.”  No computers with digital editing.  That stuff did not exist yet (well, probably it did, but there was no way I could get my hands on any of it).  This was all done using video tape.  Yes, video tape.  And a video editing console, similar to what you see in the photo here.  I used 3/4 inch Sony U-Matic video cassettes, editing decks and controller.  I had to borrow or rent the TV espisodes and movies on tape, locate the scenes and then insert the scenes where I wanted them to go, synchronizing it all to the music.

A lot of work, but also a lot of fun.  Not to knock the talents and work of Shoeless Chuck and others, but the “old school” method was a real challenge.  Take a peek below and see what you think.  The quality is a little poor because this is from a 3rd generation copy (a copy of a copy of the original).

There are a couple of creedos that I follow. One I got from my dear wife Donna. It goes, “If you don’t ask, you don’t get.” The other, which is mine, is, “sometimes opportunity comes to you–just be ready when it does.”

Last weekend, my wife and some of our best friends surprised me. What I thought was going to be a quiet weekend at thier Indiana home turned out, on Saturday, to be a trip to the ComicCon in Rosemont. An early birtday present for me.

Shortly after we arrived, I was standing near the entrance to the Exposition Hall with my Son-In-Law while everyone else was making a trip to the rest rooms. Suddenly there was a commotion at one of the doorways. A celebrity was making his way into the room, or was trying to. He was getting mobbed by people looking for photos and autographs. Was it William Shatner? Carrie Fisher? No. It was none other than former governor Rod Blagojevich. The crowd at the door was going nuts and he was loving every second of it.

Meanwhile, in another entrance, completely unnoticed, Mr. Walter Koenig quietly walked in.  For those who don’t know, he was Mr. Chekov on the Original Star Trek series.  Both of my creedos kicked in.  Here was the opportunity.  As he approached, I called him by name, being careful to pronounce it correctly, “Mr. Koenig!  It is a pleasure to meet you, sir!”  and I held out my hand.  A gentileman will rarely ignore an outstretched hand.  So while the geeks were swarming Blagojevich, I was shaking hands with Walter Koenig.

Sadly, the ComicCon and Sci-Fi Conventions are not the same.  Time was you’d pay your $20 or $30 to get in and you were entitled to an autograph and maybe even a photo of the star celebrities.  You just had to be willing to wait an hour in line.  I have an enviable collection of autographed photos by Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura), James Doohan (Mr. Scott), Michael Dorn (Worf), and Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine),  just to name a few.  Now, you have to pay an extra fee for autographs, sometimes exorbitant ones.  $95 for a photo and autograph of William Shatner.  $100 for Adam West and Burt Ward in front of the Batmobile.  Somehow, it has lost it’s appeal. 

The ComicCon was still fun.  It was great getting a peek at the stars,  Shatner, Koenig, Avery Brooks (Capt. Sisko), John DeLancie (Q), and others like Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), Linda Hamilton (from the Terminator Series) and a few surprises like Richard Roundtree (Shaft).

One cool thing, I got a comic book autographed by  Gary Friedrich, the creator of the “Ghost Rider” series.  A bargain at $15.00.  The photo was free.

Ever heard of fan fiction?  That’s fiction written by fans of a TV or movies series.  For example, imagine writing your own Star Trek or Law and Order episode.  Well, you can do that, and put it on line for others to enjoy.

The website is FanFiction.net.  Think you have a great idea for a story using your favorite characters?  Go for it.  In fact, why not mix it up a little.  What would happen if Archie Bunker met Fred Sanford?  What if the cops from Law and Order turned the corner and ran into Batman?  It’s called crossover, and it’s a very popular form of fan fiction.  The most famous crossover was a very early story that mixed Tom Baker’s Dr. Who with the orginal characters of Star Trek, called “Dr. Who and the Enterprise.”

Why am I going on about fan fiction?  Well, it is one of my favorite hobbies.  I have a few stories on line at http://www.fanfiction.net/~computersteve.  The stories involve some of my favorites.  Duncan McLeod appears in the Star Trek universe in a story called “Where No Clan Has Gone Before,” which was followed by a couple of sequels written by request.  Then, my favorite megalomaniac, The Brain (of Pinky and the Brain) take on the Enterprise, much to the chagrin of Capt. Picard and company.  My most recent piece features the current Dr. Who and Martha who meet up with a suprising advisary.

And it’s not all just science fiction.  I have seen stories about the Odd Couple, Pokemon, you name it.

So check it out.  Have some fun.  Submit your own!  And come back and tell me what you think.  Who says you have to grow up?

Many people will disagree, but I think that, without a doubt, the greatest science fiction film ever made was “2001: A Space Odyssey.” 

I saw it back in 1968 when it was first released.  It was my first real date in high school with a young lady I was crazy about at the time.  It was supposed to be a special evening, a reserved seat engagement at the Micheal Todd Theatre.  Really big deal.

I loved every second of it; completely blew my mind.  My date was lost after the opening credits.  No, she is not the one I married.

30 years later and I am attending a “Star Trek” convention, where one of the guests is Gary Lookwood, who not only starred in a pilot episode of “Star Trek” (“Where No Man Has Gone Before”), but he also played Fank Poole in 2001.

One of the most cherished items in my collection is a photo autographed by Lockwood.

41 years later and I am attending a special showing of “2001″ at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago. The special guest on stage after the film was Mr. Lockwood.

After answering questions, he signed autographs.  The lines were not nearly as long as the last time I saw him.  Very few people here old enough to remember “2001″ in it’s prime.  So this time, I got to chat with him for a few minutes and finally got a photo taken with him.

Well, it was a special moment for me, OK?

The actual model of the Enterprise from the original series on display at the Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

Anyway, I was really worried about the new movie.  Few of the real trek people, who understood Gene Roddenberry’s dream, are still around.  And the trend in modern movies is all action, special effects, and maybe a story if there is room.

Star Trek was always about more than special effects and  action. It was about the characters. And the Enterprise was one of the characters.  Any diehard trekkie will tell you that the best Trek Film ever made was “Wrath of Khan.”  Most people would probably be suprised an how little fighting, phaser fire and space battling actually went on in the movie. 

I remember when the first Star Trek film came out.  Ok, it was not the best, but I will never forget what world-class film critic Gene Siskel said about it.  He disliked it because “there were no space battles.”  He did not understand what Star Trek was all about.

Ok, so with all this baggage, I was worried about the new film, especially being a “prequel.”  To be honest, I did not want to like it.

But I did.

No, I won’t give it away, but they handled it well.  A good balance between the over-the-top special effects and the story line.  They even took the time to develop the characters.  And, clearly, the actors studied the old series to some degree to capture the flavor of the original characters. 

Bring on the sequels.

So I think you should see it.  Come back and tell me what you think.

Oh, and the thing about Uhura’s name–no suprise to seasoned trekkies…