Hey George, nice asteroid!
[Posted by Dave Haber on Thursday, 10/04/07 12:10 am] [Permalink] [Digg This]George Takei, who is best known as Hikaru Sulu on Star Trek, has finally been accorded an honor fitting the helmsman of the U.S.S. Enterprise.
The International Astronomical Union's Committee on Small Body Nomenclature has renamed asteroid 1994 GT9. It is now officially named 7307 Takei.
It joins the 4659 Roddenberry (named for the show's creator, Gene Roddenberry) and the 68410 Nichols (for co-star Nichelle Nichols, who played Lt. Uhura). Other main-belt asteroids have been named for science fiction luminaries Robert Heinlein and Isaac Asimov.
Unlike the web sites that will "name a star after you", this is the real deal, this is now the asteroid's official name for all time.
George laughed about it with reporters on Tuesday, saying, "I am now a heavenly body. I found out about it yesterday... I was blown away. It came out of the clear, blue sky -- just like an asteroid."
It was so cool to see George as Captain Sulu in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, I've always been disappointed they didn't make a whole Star Trek movie following Captain Sulu and his crew onboard the USS Excelsior!
Congratulations, George! Couldn't happen to a nicer guy!
Hotter than Vulcan
[Posted by Dave Haber on Saturday, 06/03/06 4:21 pm] [Permalink] [Digg This] It's 98 degrees right now where I am in the San Fernando Valley of California, and it reminds me of two things.
In the Star Trek episode Amok Time, when Kirk and McCoy accompany Spock to the planet Vulcan for his wedding cermony, McCoy says, "Hot as Vulcan. Now I know what that phrase means..."
Also, I am reminded of a poem I remember being recited by the late Nipsey Russel, a wonderful family comic who also used a lot of poetry in his act. He said,
"Spring has sprung
Fall has fell
Summer has come
and it's hotter than...
ever."
[Updated Saturday, 06/03/06 5:29 pm]
Less than an hour after I posted this, I tuned by to learn that the Amok Time episode is being shown right now on the G4 cable network. Is that weird or what?
Beam me up, Scotty
[Posted by Dave Haber on Wednesday, 07/20/05 3:08 pm] [Permalink] [Digg This] Webmaster's log, stardate 4274.4. We lost another member of the original Star Trek family today.
James Doohan passed away this morning at his home in Redmond, Washington, after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. He was 85.
As Scotty, James Doohan was both dramatic and funny, and frequently had the most memorable lines from an episode. He had the punchline, for example, in The Trouble With Tribbles:
"I gave them to the Klingons, Sir. Before they went into warp, I transported the whole kit and kaboodle in their engine room, where ther'll be no tribble at all."
His agent said that Jimmy's ashes will be sent into space in accordance with his wishes, beaming up Scotty for the very last time...
Are you blind, Mr. Spock? I am black on the right side!
[Posted by Dave Haber on Wednesday, 05/18/05 1:30 pm] [Permalink] [Digg This] Sad news. Veteran actor and impressionist Frank Gorshin died on Tuesday in Burbank. Best known for his portrayal as The Riddler in the Batman TV series, to me, as a Trekkie, he'll always be Bele from the Star Trek:TOS episode "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield".
He even appears for a few seconds in the infamous Star Trek Blooper Reel, in an outtake from "Battlefield", as he's stepping onto the transporter in a scene near the end of the episode, he pauses for a moment and then launches into "You dirty rat!" ala James Cagney.
Frank also appeared on the same Ed Sullivan show that introduced The Beatles to America on February 7, 1964.
According to MSNBC, Frank's final performance will be broadcast on Thursday's CBS-TV series "CSI: Crime Scene Investigations." He was 72.
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