Yom Kippur Marks Time Of Spiritual Cleansing

2nd Quarter Outburst Seals Marian Victory

By RICH DREES; Times Leader Staff Correspondent
 Sunday, September 22, 1996 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1G 





It's a scene that most "Star Trek" fans know by heart. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Captain James T. Kirk, intergalactic hero and stud, has just been given an
antique -- by 23rd century standards -- from his best friend, the logical,
pointed-eared Spock. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "`It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,"' Kirk reads aloud
from Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Message Mr. Spock?" &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The unemotional alien almost shrugs. "None that I am consciously aware of,"
he flatly states. "Other than `Happy Birthday.' Surely, `the best of times."' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 So it is for the "Star Trek" franchise itself, which is celebrating its
30th birthday this month. It first aired on Sept. 8, 1966 on NBC. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 With two popular television series in production and two more in rerun
syndication, an eighth film being prepared for November release, and countless
books, comics, toys and trinkets hitting the marketplace every month, there
seems to be no end to the juggernaut that original series creator Gene
Roddenberry modestly pitched to network executives in the 1960s as a "wagon
train to the stars." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Roddenberry's intent was to show an ethnically diverse crew of a futuristic
starship exploring a galaxy filled with stories that reflected
then-contemporary social issues. Although the show ran for three seasons in
the late '60s, it wasn't a ratings hit during its original run. It only placed
52nd in the ratings during its first year. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The audience that did tune in did so for the show's blend of high adventure
and socially relevant commentary. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I think that in that period of our country's history a lot of teenagers
were interested in the social things that were going on around us," says actor
Armin Shimmerman, who remembers watching the program when it first aired.
Shimmerman is now in the cast of one of the "Trek" spinoff series, "Star Trek:
Deep Space Nine." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I think the main power of the show is to use the metaphor to pose the
questions that social issues bring up in our day-to-day existence," Shimmerman
says. "I do remember being fascinated by this program that was coming on and
made sure I that sat in front of the TV set." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The original "Star Trek" series broke ground on many levels. It featured
the first inter-racial kiss -- between William Shatner's Captain Kirk and
Nichelle Nichols' Lt. Uhura -- ever broadcast on television. Beyond the
scripts that drew parallels to such hot topics as racism and the Vietnam War,
"Star Trek" also featured an African-American woman, an Asian and a Russian
(in the midst of the Cold War) all in positions of authority. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It is this multiracial makeup that many feel is another major factor in the
show's continuing popularity. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I think a great part of it is just great characters," says Bobbie Chase,
who is editing a new line of "Star Trek" comic books premiering this month
from Marvel Comics. "Yes, it's very exciting to go to bold new places and all
that, but I think that it's the characters that have people hooked to come
back in the long run." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 No matter for what reasons, people embraced the show with a fervor that
rivaled that of die-hard sports fans. Letter-writing campaigns saved the
original series from cancellation twice. Even after the 78 episodes of "Star
Trek" were forever consigned to rerun syndication, fans kept the show alive
through various fan clubs and conventions. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 (In keeping with the spirit of the franchise, most "Star Trek" conventions
donated a portion of their proceeds to some charity.) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Throughout the '70s, fans continued to lobby Paramount Studios, the company
that had bought the show's original production company, Desilu Studios, for
new adventures of Captain Kirk and company. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In 1979, fans got their wish with the release of "Star Trek: The Motion
Picture." Although criticized for a script that placed an emphasis on thought
over action (writer Harlan Ellison called it "Star Trek: The Motion-less
Picture"), it was successful enough for the studio to mount a sequel. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan," was released in 1982 and could probably
be considered the start of the current "Star Trek" renaissance. "Wrath of
Khan," which mixed space battles with an introspective story of Kirk dealing
with his advancing age, proved to be a much better film both commercially and
critically. Paramount, pleased with the film's box office revenues, sanctioned
more films for the series. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In 1987, "Star Trek" returned to television, in a slightly changed form.
Set almost 80 years after the original series, "Star Trek: The Next
Generation" featured a new crew of explorers charting distant solar systems
with problems that hit close to home. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Based on the success of "Next Generation," Paramount has unveiled two other
TV series in recent years, "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and "Star Trek:
Voyager." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Meanwhile, the cast of "Next Generation" has made the transition from small
screen to silver screen with last year's "Star Trek: Generations" and this
November's feature film "Star Trek: First Contact." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 While many have speculated on why "Star Trek" has been able to go from
being a television to a cornerstone of American pop culture, Shimmerman
believes that the answer lies in two connected parts. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "No TV show continues unless the people who are producing it can make money
from it," states Shimmerman. "I truly believe that Paramount keeps it on
because of that. The fan interest is the second part of the equation. If that
fan interest wasn't there, if people weren't desirous of following the `Star
Trek' mythology and finding out what happens next in the story, I don't think
there would be a `Star Trek' either. It's those two things hand in hand." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 While fans getting more "Trek" and the studios turning a profit may seem
like a win-win situation, Shimmerman thinks that there might be some long-term
ramifications. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I'm not so sure that there will be a `Star Trek' in 10 to 15 years," he
muses. "I believe that in this point in time that there's a great deal of
`Star Trek' between the four shows, the movies and everything else that's
happening. I hope I'm wrong, but I believe we're oversaturating people's
attention with so much `Star Trek.' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "One of the reasons that `Next Generation' and the original series were so
popular was that there wasn't a great deal of it around and people wanted
more. Now I'm not so sure if they're not a little oversaturated." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If that's true, then it is the best of times, it is the worse of times,
indeed. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

`star Trek' Turns 30, Living Long, Prospering