Well...Here is the latest on the Star Trek front. I'm sure you'll find something here of interest. I know there isn't a lot here right now. Not a lot going on I guess. But if you know any juicy tidbits and would like them added, just let me know!! This page was brought to you April 22, 1998 and was last updated August 7, 2003.

INDEX

BIRTHDAYS AND OTHER MEMORABLE DATES

08.01-03.03 Creation Entertainment - Las Vegas, Nevada
08.07 Cirroc Lofton (Jake Sisko, DS9)
08.14 Brannon Braga (Executive Producer and Co-creator, Enterprise)
08.19 Jonathan Frakes (Comm. Will Riker, TNG, VOY; Tom Riker, TNG, DS9)
08.19 Diana Muldaur (Dr. Katherine Pulaski, TNG)
08.19 Gene Roddenberry 1921-1991 (Star Trek Creator)
08.22-24.03 Canadian National Science Fiction Expo - Toronto, Canada
08.23-24.03 Creation Entertainment - Brooklyn, New York
08.24 Jennifer Lien (Kes, VOY)
08.28 Gates McFadden (Dr. Beverly Crusher, TNG)
09.05-07.03 Vulkon - Cleveland, Ohio

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07.14.03 Season III: The Search for "Xindi"

The first episode of Season 3 completed principal photography last week, kicking off a season that will take Enterprise literally into new directions.

Titled "The Xindi," this segment begins a multi-episode arc that follows the NX-01's journey into the Delphic Expanse, to track down the perpetrators of a brutal assault upon Earth in the Season 2 finale "The Expanse." With a nine-day shooting schedule under the direction of Allan Kroeker, "Xindi" gave the various production departments some of their biggest challenges since the series pilot "Broken Bow."

Michael Westmore's makeup crew had several new alien species to create prosthetics for, but the most fun for them came in some exotic designs for the titular creatures. We learn in this episode that there are actually several sentient species of Xindi, all collaborating in the campaign against humanity, including "Xindi-Reptilians," "Xindi-Sloths" and the simpler "Xindi-Humanoids." We'll also be seeing "Xindi-Insectoids" and "Xindi-Aquatics," but they'll be computer generated by Dan Curry's and Ronald B. Moore's visual effects team. On the set, however, the Insectoids were actually played by stand-ins in black suits, their positions and movements being tracked for digital rendering later.

Herman Zimmerman's set designers had their hands full creating some bizarre new sets, including the Xindi meeting chamber and a mining complex where Captain Archer and his crew search for information. The script calls for this complex to be filled with a murky blue haze, and blue residue caking the walls (the mined substance is called "trellium"). So the production crew not only dressed the mine sets with painted rocks and quartz crystals, but also brought in bags and bags of blue-dyed Styrofoam. A blue-tinted smoke filled the sets during the shooting, and the actors involved in those scenes including Scott Bakula were lucky enough to be smeared with blue dust.

There was one shooting location outside the show's normal three soundstages, and that was across the studio lot. The Paramount Theater - where Enterprise had its world premiere of "Broken Bow" in 2001 - served as a backdrop for a nightmare sequence with Connor Trinneer as "Trip Tucker" being haunted by the loss of his sister in Florida. A greenscreen was used in some of the shots where digital effects will be inserted.

A significant new element in the show this season is the presence of a military contingent, as mentioned in "The Expanse." These soldiers are referred to as MACOs, standing for "Military Assault Command Operations." The MACO group is led by "Major Hayes," played by Steven Culp. Culp is a Star Trek veteran ... sort of. Culp was part of the original final scene of "Star Trek Nemesis" which was edited out of the movie. He played "Martin Madden," Will Riker's replacement as first officer on the Enterprise-E, and he can be seen among the Deleted Scenes on the "Nemesis" DVD (related story).

Coincidentally, another MACO was earlier seen in "Nemesis" - actually, the Star Trek: Voyager episode of that name. Nathan Anderson was "Namon," but here he's "Sergeant Kemper." Daniel Dae Kim was "Gotana-Retz" in "Blink of an Eye," and he's now in the role of "Corporal Chang."

Most of the rest of the large guest cast have been in Star Trek before, including Richard Lineback, Stephen McHattie, Randy Oglesby (who was in the Enterprise episode "Unexpected"), Scott MacDonald, Rick Worthy and Tucker Smallwood.

There was some substantial stunt work involved in scenes where Archer's men and the MACOs are put into action. About a dozen stuntmen were employed under the direction of stunt coordinator Vince Deadrick Jr., and a lot of on-set special effects were utilized, including "air mortars" representing energy pulse fire, "squibs" representing blood, and a lot of sparks amidst the blue smoke and dust.

"The Xindi" was written by executive producers Rick Berman and Brannon Braga. This is the second episode in a row for director Kroeker, having concluded last season with "The Expanse," adding to his extensive Star Trek resume. (as reported on startrek.com)

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07.23.03 Turning Physics Inside Out

Captain Archer and his crew were warned what they would face in the Delphic Expanse, and they're starting to experience it first-hand in "Anomaly," the second episode of Season 3 which completed principal photography last week.

The on-set production crew and the visual effects team worked together to defy the laws of physics in scenes where objects ignore the ship's gravity plating in erratic ways, where "distortion waves" ripple throughout the decks, and plasma discharges turn Engineering into a giant Tesla coil.

In "Anomaly," written by Mike Sussman and directed by David Straiton, the NX-01 starts bumping into spatial distortions which pervade the Expanse, leaving the ship crippled and vulnerable to predatory aliens. While dealing with these unpleasant marauders, called Osaarians, Archer discovers they have information that could help lead Enterprise to the Xindi.

The seven-day shooting schedule took place largely in standing ship sets, including Engineering, Sickbay, a Cargo Bay, the Armory, the Locker Room, and of course, the Bridge and the Situation Room behind it. There is a new ship set we haven't seen before on the NX-01: the Brig (one of the Osaarian raiders is captured and held prisoner). Built for "The Xindi" and seen again here is the ship's new Command Center, a dark chamber filled with monitors where the senior staff and the MACOs (the commandos) strategize.

One day of shooting took place on sets representing the interior of a mysterious huge structure in mid-space that Enterprise discovers and investigates. Obviously the exterior of this structure will be rendered in post-production by Dan Curry's visual effects team, but on the set several angles included a greenscreen so that optical effects can enhance the scope of the shots.

As mentioned, the MACO soldiers continue to play a part in Enterprise's mission, and we'll meet a few more of them this time, including a female named "McKenzie," played by Julia Rose. Rose hasn't been in Star Trek before, but she does have a somewhat oblique connection: In the TV movie "Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt," Rose played the part of "Catwoman" actress Julie Newmar, who was a guest star in the Original Series episode "Friday's Child." (We told you it was oblique.) Nathan Anderson reprises his role of "Sergeant Kemper" from the previous episode.

The captured Osaarian who challenges Archer's sense of morality is named "Orgoth," and he's played by Robert Rusler, who has done numerous roles in genre shows including Babylon 5.

"Anomaly" is Straiton's fifth directorial outing for Enterprise. He previously directed the Hugo-nominated "A Night in Sickbay" (related story), along with "Desert Crossing," "Vanishing Point" and "Cease Fire." Sussman is co-producer of the show and has many Enterprise and Star Trek: Voyager scripts to his credit.

Season 3 will premiere on UPN Wednesday, September 10, with "The Xindi." "Anomaly" will air September 17. (as reported on startrek.com)

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07.31.2003 Production Report: Burton Faces "Extinction"

A thick jungle set and creature makeup that rendered some of our main players nearly unrecognizable distinguished the third episode of Season 3, the fifth turn at the helm of Enterprise for actor/director LeVar Burton.

In "Extinction," written by Andre Bormanis, the NX-01 crew locates a Xindi vessel on a jungle planet. When Archer, Reed, Hoshi and T'Pol go to the surface to take a look, they are infected by a biological agent on the planet that mutates them into some sort of primal alien lifeform. Things get more complicated when alien "decontamination agents" arrive intent on containing the mutagen by "neutralizing" the crewmen with their blowtorch-like plasma flame weapons.

Production concluded Tuesday after a seven-day schedule where more than half the time was spent in the Alien Jungle, a setting created with truckloads of foliage brought in to the swing-set soundstage, with a Xindi Landing Pod fresh from the woodshop placed amongst it. On the final day of shooting, the production crew gave the forest a "scorched" look, to represent the aftermath of the alien decontamination efforts. There were also a number of underground Caverns and Tunnels, a re-use of facades we've seen before, but some of those shots will have optical effects inserted later, imagery which should prove to be rather spectacular (sorry, that's a story point we won't give away). Among the standing ship sets, Sickbay and the Bridge had most of the scenes, but shooting also took place in a Shuttlepod, the new Command Center and some Corridors and Crew Quarters. The Decon Chamber was also used to cage a mutant Malcolm Reed for a while.

And speaking of that, Scott Bakula, Dominic Keating and Linda Park got a taste of what castmate John Billingsley goes through every shooting day, coming in early to report to makeup and have their faces covered with appliances. They spent five of the seven days in various stages of alien mutation, which included "fleshy bladders" on the men's throats that flared out when they "growled." Jolene Blalock also received some of the alien makeup, but her character's Vulcan physiology kept most of the mutations at bay.

Also taking on the mutant makeup was a significant cast of stunt people who performed the more strenuous jumping and fighting actions called for by the script. Diamond Farnsworth and Dan McCann both stunt-doubled for "Alien Archer"; Marty Murray filled in for Reed, Gail Monian did a few moves as Hoshi, and Boni Yanagisawa doubled for T'Pol. Kiante Elam (a veteran of "Star Trek: Insurrection") played "Stunt Alien Humanoid," which was really a mutated Xindi-Sloth (apparently the pilot of that landing pod) in one scene. The stunt crew was supervised, as usual, by coordinator Vince Deadrick Jr.

The guest cast features Roger Cross as "Tret," the leader of the alien decontamination team. Cross is new to Star Trek but not to the genre -- he's been seen in the Patrick Stewart movie "X2: X-Men United," the Sci-Fi miniseries "Taken," and the TV shows Andromeda, Stargate SG-1 and The X-Files, among many other credits. Daniel Dae Kim reprises his MACO role as "Corporal Chang" from the first episode of the season.

Burton has directed over 20 episodes in all four of the contemporary Trek series. Last year he helmed "Cogenitor" and "First Flight," two of the best received installments of Season 2. Bormanis, formerly Trek science consultant and now story editor, is credited with several Star Trek: Voyager and Enterprise scripts, but has contributed to many more among the four modern shows.

More details about "Extinction" will be published soon in the Enterprise Episodes section. (as reported on startrek.com)

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