Last Sunday, one Eugene Wesley Roddenberry celebrated his 81st birthday (or would have, if he hadn't passed away in 1991). Mr. Roddenberry is the man responsible for one of the biggest facets of science-fiction geekdom
:
Star Trek
, which existed a full eleven years before its nemesis,
Star Wars
. Love it or hate it, you have to be impressed with its tenacity: the original series spawned five spinoff series' and eleven feature films – including 2009's reboot, which itself will keep pouring forth new
Star Trek
material (the sequel to said film is tentatively scheduled to be released in May of next year).
The original series lasted only three seasons, with the first film adaptation appearing ten years after cancellation. While
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
is generally panned by critics and audience alike, the series took a turn for the better when a young aspiring filmmaker named Nicholas Meyer was hired to write and direct the sequel. The result was
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
, to date considered the best work to come out of the series.
The character Khan originates from the episode “Space Seed” in the first season of the television series. In the episode, he was exiled by Captain Kirk. Now, he is back, and apparently full of wrath as he attempts to use the powerful Genesis device as a super-weapon.
Baxter Avenue Theater presents a midnight screening of
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
tomorrow (Saturday). Come out to get your geek on; wear Spock ears if you must, but for Pete's sake, don't wear a red shirt. Baxter Avenue Theater is located at 1250 Bardstown Road, in Mid-City Mall. Further theater information and advance ticket sales can be found at the theater's website.
Image: Internet Movie Database