Art Trek - Star Trekking - May 5, 2020
Mind Meld with artist Lee Sargent
This is an art-centric issue.
It’s no secret how much I enjoy the drawings (he calls them scribbles) of Lee Sargent - I’ve begun including one here each week - and today we feature a Mind Meld with him.
There’s just so much personality in his drawings. I am, shockingly, particularly fond of the one he did of me.
I hope I survived.
And now a newsflash.
Walk and talk? More like talk and beam.
And speaking of science, I trust you’ve seen this already, but just in case:
Meanwhile, I am totally on board for this.
ART TREK
I was never much of an artist. Sure, I drew a TARDIS as my big project for a High School art class. And as retroactively embarrassing as that may be (or maybe it’s cool now?), that’s got nothing on the big one: my spectacular nerd failure on NATIONAL TV.
I’d always wanted to be on a game show (or maybe even be a game show host, an occupation that seems to have evaporated). I auditioned for Jeopardy and of the 100 or so wannabes who took the preliminary test at the same time I did, exactly four passed and moved on to the next round. I was not one of those four.
I also auditioned for Password Plus. (This was the late eighties, by the way.) While sitting in the waiting room, I saw a woman who looked vaguely familiar sitting nearby. I smiled at her. She frowned at me. I had a flash of recognition - she was the woman I’d once taken on a disastrous blind date. Curiously, the date occurred in Texas and this was California but how we ended up in the same room at the same time will forever remain a mystery because she refused to even look at me before I ended up failing the audition.
Finally, I auditioned for Win, Lose or Draw. As I said, I am not an artist, but I made it through the screening and became an official contestant.
Midway through the game, it was my turn to draw and I was shown my phrase: Beam Me Up, Scotty.
Of course it was.
But trapped in that moment, cameras rolling, I could not figure out how to parse up the phrase into chunks that the “celebrities” could then guess. So I started drawing what I thought was a passable Enterprise, hoping the celebrities would get the Trek reference and start throwing out catch phrases.
It did not happen.
Vicki Lawrence, the host, complimented my drawing afterwards, but it didn’t help. My celebrities were Peter Marshall, original host of Hollywood Squares, and Marc Summers of Nickelodeon game show Double Dare. He told me when I sat down on the couch that he had never seen even a single episode of Star Trek.
Sigh.
In the end, though, I did win the game. Woo hoo! I went home with $2,100.
Favorite memory of that game: Our female celebrities were two women from soap operas, neither of whom I’d heard of before. I still can’t remember the name of one of them. The other was Jackie Zeman who friends later told me they recognized. At one point, while the women’s team was taking a turn, we sat on the couch watching. Peter Marshall nudged me and pointed at Jackie, who was leaning forward displaying her cleavage. Peter Marshall smiled and winked at me.
Last memory: While I was being introduced, Vicki asked if there was anyone out there I wanted to say “Hi” to. I couldn’t think of anyone right off hand, so I said something like “How about that blonde in the front row,” indicating a very attractive young woman sitting in the audience. Well, for the remainder of the game, whenever my team was up, viewers were graced with cutaway shots to that blonde in the front row. When the episode was over, I stood around chatting with Vicki while Marc Summers did what I should have done, what, in my infinite stupidity, I didn’t even think to do — he made a beeline to that blonde in the front row and started chatting her up.
And I’m embarrassed about the Enterprise?
Sigh.
I would display these in my home.
Star date?
ART TREK TUESDAY
By Lee Sargent
Each week, one of my favorite artists, Lee Sargent, draws a random Trek-related scene.
For this week's Random Trek Tuesday it's another TAS episode - the season one episode "The Survivor" (not to be confused with the TNG episode “The Survivors”). It's a reasonably tried and tested shape shifter story with some Romulan intrigue and a heavy does of the woman who used to love him but now serves on the Enterprise trope.
The alien in the episode is really interesting looking which of course is the benefit of an animated series. The scene I've gone with is probably the most interesting of the episode simply because it is the alien interacting rather than just pretending to be someone else, etc.
The very brief scene sees the alien grabbing Kirk, Spock, and McCoy and throwing them around a bit. The alien is reminiscent of the alien in Independence Day (well, vice versa - you know what I mean).
Check out more of Lee’s art at LeeDrawsStuff.com. Support his work at Patreon.com
More art.
MIND MELD
With Lee Sargent
In which we get to know a Trek fan just a little bit better.
Today we talk to Lee Sargent, contributor of our Art Trek Tuesday feature.
What's your first Star Trek memory?
I think my earliest memories are wrapped up in watching television on Saturday afternoons and I have strong impressions of “The Corbomite Maneuver” at a very young age, maybe as young as three or four, I have vivid memories of recognising the Balok puppet and then because it was in the credits having that image reinforced. Following on from that as I think I began to comprehend a little more of what I was watching I have a sense of realising what Kirk was doing, and thinking to myself that it was clever – I sincerely hope that Trek wasn’t my introduction to lying.
I also have an early and strong memory of my Mother and Aunt watching a bootleg copy of Star Trek 2 and not really understanding what was going on and them sending us to bed when the ceti eel scene was on.
What's your personal history with Star Trek?
I watched it along with the staples of the time such as Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Time Tunnel, Land of the Giants etc. I liked it when it was on and didn’t really think of it much until I started getting a little older – say ten or so and realised that I really liked the show and the concepts it presented. Interestingly this wasn’t inherited as my family weren’t really into it. Some years later my Mother signed me up for the Time Life Monthly Video Subscription (not sure what it was called elsewhere but that was it in Australia). They’d send you out a VHS tape each month and I’d excitedly watch the episode over and over until the next one came etc.
Favorite Captain?
Captain Kirk, he was the Captain I grew up with and served as a role model. I easily think the other Captains could have fulfilled this had I been the right age, but Kirk will always be my Captain. I guess it doesn’t hurt that he was the first, that all who have come since have followed (even Archer). He set the standard and that’s a precious thing.
An underrated episode (or movie or even entire series)?
I always maintain that Star Trek III has no basis to be criticized amongst the whole “odd movie” rubbish and it’s not given the credit it deserves. I extend that to Christopher Lloyd who absolutely set the benchmark for Klingons for decades to come and he isn’t recognised enough for that.
Star Trek III has an exceptional soundtrack and the piece of music that accompanies their return to spacedock is unbelievably good if not the best in all of Star Trek.
The destruction of the Enterprise is handled well and looks breathtaking for the time and then we have one of the finest performances in Star Trek when Kirk learns of the death of his son. It’s a mesmerising scene and again Lloyd counter plays it so well to really sell the scene.
We get to see Kirk fight hand to hand and kick the enemy off a cliff and outwit his enemies – it’s a fantastic film that is much more important to Trek than people credit it (I’ve not even mentioned the Vulcan stuff and seeing that Bird of Prey landing on Vulcan, again breathtaking).
An overrated episode (or movie or even entire series)?
LOL I’m going to mention a film and then I’m going to backpedal like no one’s business. Wrath of Khan is fantastic but if you want me to yawn at your favourite Trek film then please go ahead and pick WoK like EVERYONE does.
I much prefer someone say Star Trek V and then have really good reasons why they love it or it’s their favourite. It’s just such a cliché to say Khan.
That all said, Wrath of Khan is excellent.
Underrated regular character?
Lieutenant Kyle, to my knowledge Kyle from the original and animated series (and Wrath of Khan) is the only Australian recurring character, played by a Brit of course LOL. So I have to say him if only to represent for Australia!
Of course, Aussie actors have featured especially in the Kelvin Timeline but I’d have liked to have heard a proper Aussie accent. This actually goes for Stargate as well, we are woefully underrepresented in Stargate Atlantis (I think there is a New Zealander who has a very similar flag to ours).
Overrated regular character?
I’m not a huge Q fan, he just doesn’t really do it for me so any Q related episodes tend to leave me a bit cold. I’m not a huge Barclay fan either truth be told.
Which alien species is most fun to draw?
The borg, easily the borg because you actually have a surprising amount of freedom when drawing them. You’re really only limited by a very broad aesthetic and your own imagination. I like drawing Andorians because who doesn’t like drawing blue antenna?!?
What are some of your comfort episodes, ones you don't mind watching over and over?
Probably mostly the films, they’re good to set up in the background but “Devil in the Dark” is my favourite episode of TOS so that’s easy to watch – I’m actually drawn to episodes that I haven’t seen that often so they’re the ones I tend to seek out when looking to comfort watch.
Do you own any treasured Star Trek mementos?
I have a screen worn NX-01 baseball cap which is awesome LOL. Apart from that I have a few of my illustrations signed by cast including William Shatner which I dearly love. I’m not much of a collector anymore – stuff is just stuff so I tend to try and limit myself. I did set about collecting the Star Trek The Motion Picture figurines – they’re small and the rarest one I have is the Klingon which at the time cost me a pretty penny but he’s in such good condition LOL.
You can find out more about Lee at his website.
Keep up with him on Twitter and Instagram.
Now THIS is art.
In fact, she’s got a whole SPOCK SERIES. Sign me up!
THIS WEEK IN TREK HISTORY
Well, the world may have most of their focus on another famous science fiction franchise this week, but this doesn't mean that there's nothing to say here. You might remember that on May 4, 1992, there wasn't much going on in a galaxy far, far away, but over here we were treated to the airing of the fifth-season episode of The Next Generation "Imaginary Child". The next day - well, in 2004 - saw the NX-01 hook up with an alternate version of itself in the Enterprise episode "E²", which was also directed by Roxann Dawson, aka angry Klingon-Hooman B'Elanna Torres. Also on May 5, 1922, Joseph Stefano was born. Born in Philadelphia, Stefano was known for writing a bunch of episodes for the original The Outer Limits show, and only made one stopover in the Roddenberryverse, scripting the TNG episode "Skin of Evil,” which of course saw the death of Tasha Yar - Thanks a lot, Joe! Saying that, Stefano was already versed in murder, having written the classic Alfred Hitchcock picture Psycho, which, funnily enough, was based on the novel by Robert Bloch, who himself wrote three TOS episodes: "What Are Little Girls Made Of?” "Wolf in the Fold" and "Catspaw".
On May 6, 2005, some serious heavy metal stepped aboard Archer's ship with the episode "Demons", which guest-starred ROBOCOP himself, Peter Weller (he was also in Star Trek Into Darkness but we all know how that turned out). This episode, which was near the end of the show's run, was also directed by an ex-Trek actor, in this case, LeVar Burton from Reading Rainbow. May 7, 2009, was a very big day for the universe as it was the premiere of the J.J. Abrams pseudo-reboot Star Trek, which was held at the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia. Did you know Sydney has one of the most venomous spiders in the world in the form of the Sydney Funnelweb? You do now (check your shoes and swimming pools). May 7 also saw the Borg enter the pre-TOS-DSC universe with "Regeneration,” which aired on that date in 2003.
May 8 saw the general release of Star Trek in theaters/cinemas everywhere, and the day after in 1988 that saw one of the notoriously nutty episodes of the franchise with TNG's "Conspiracy,” which saw Star Trek briefly turn into Alien for a second thanks to some fairly gruesome scenes that make Picard's violence look like TAS. Speaking of Picard, Jonathan Del'Arco's Hugh made his debut on May 10, 1992, in the TNG episode "I, Borg.” And finally, on May 10th in 2001, Scott Bakula was announced as the newest franchise captain, being Captain Jonathan Archer of the NX-01, delighting soccer moms everywhere.
majQa' loDHom!
Accurate.
DIRECTIVES
FanSets has a new full size Picard-era insignia. All the details at Trek Core.
Picard props talk.
Alan Dean Foster’s Kelvin-verse novel reviewed.
First Contact is cheap to buy or rent on Amazon right now.
Totally worth the 30 seconds it takes to watch:
That’s all for this week.
Go create some art. And share it with me!
And remember: risk is NOT our business right now. Just stay home and watch more Star Trek.
LLAP,