We're not exactly sure how this slipped passed our radar, but it would seem that The Shat was on last night's episode of "American Pickers". Not familiar with the show? "American Pickers" follows the exploits of Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz as they scour the country for hidden gems in junkyards, basements, garages and barns, meeting quirky characters and hearing their amazing stories. If you think the antique business is all about upscale boutiques and buttoned-up dealers, this show may change your mind--and teach you a thing or two about American history along the way.

Spending time on Youtube has become an unfortunate pastime for us lately. We say unfortunate, but occasionally you find a few diamonds in the rough. For instance, Captain Jean Luc Picard visits the 21st century to satiate his hunger for greasy fast food.

"The second drive-thru window; the first portal to a new dimension. One greater, one more wondrous than our own." - Captain Jean Luc Picard

In all seriousness though, this video started off kinda slow, but we actually laughed out loud, or LOL'd as the kids like to call it. Check out the embedded video below.

Nichelle Nichols did us all a favor on her Facebook Fan page (Nichelle Nichols Communications Page) today! She announced her upcoming appearance on PBS’s Tavis Smiley show. It looks like she’s recording the program tomorrow with scheduled runs this Wednesday the 12th and this Thursday the 13th.

Our local PBS station lists the first airing of Nichelle’s episode as Thursday, the 13th 12am, with several replays throughout Thursday afternoon and evening. Check your local listings to find out when it will air in your area. Here’s a link to the upcoming episode at the Tavis Smiley website.

I can’t imagine if we had missed the show. I think we would have cried. Thanks Nichelle for letting us all know!

We’d like to wish Aron Eisenberg a very Happy Birthday today, as he turns 42. All of you reading this remember him as Nog, everyone’s favorite teenage Ferengi on Deep Space Nine. Without Aron, one of our favorite DS9 episodes, It’s Only a Paper Moon, wouldn’t exist. Anytime we’re feeling down (and even sometimes when we’re not) we watch that episode and it cheers us right up. So we here at Subspace Communique are especially grateful that Aron shared his talent with all of us while on DS9.

Currently he’s the owner of Reel Life Pictures a photography and videography company in Southern California that specializes in weddings and events productions. If you’re able, take a moment and visit his site. The images are beautiful.

Happy Birthday Aron! Thanks so much for entertaining us and lifting our spirits on Deep Space Nine.

William Shatner's "Star Trek: Ashes of Eden", originally published in 1995 has just been released in audiobook form with the big man taking on the role of narrator. Written by Shatner, Judith Reeves-Stevens, and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, the story is set six months before the fateful launch of the Enterprise-B where Admiral Kirk ultimately meets his fate. The place: Earth, where the galaxy’s most renowned hero must face the spectre of retirement. But Kirk’s path takes an unexpected turn when a mysterious woman offers him an irresistible adventure – a voyage to an uncharted planet where he will confront the ultimate threat to the peace between the Federation and the Klingon Empire, and the ultimate temptation – a chance to recapture his youth.

We just ran across this amazing deal from Amazon and thought we would pass along the details. It looks like you can get all Star Trek comics issues from 1967 - 2002 plus every annual, all articles and advertisements in PDF form on one DVD. This includes all of the Gold Key & Western comics (featuring The Original Series), DC & Malibu Comics, Marvel Comics, & Wildstorm Comics. Over 500 issues in all. A pretty amazing deal for $6.99.

As Dr. Lazarus would say "What a savings..."

It would seem that December is rife with Star Trek birthdays. Today is the birthday of our lovely Lt. Uhura, Star Trek's own Nichelle Nichols. Before joining the crew of the Enterprise in 1966, Nichelle was an accomplished theatrical actress and singer, touring with Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton. As we reported earlier this year, she originally saw "Star Trek" as a way to further her career on Broadway.

"It was rather interesting to me to be cast on the show, because I came up in musical theater," Nichelle said. "And somehow I was, like, really on my way to break through and do all of the things that I really wanted to do on Broadway. And I took 'Star Trek' because I thought it would be a nice adjunct to my resume and I'd get to Broadway quicker and as a star. And, I still think that way, but 'Star Trek' interrupted my career."

"I kind of got stuck there," She said. "As a matter of fact, I even tried to leave after the first season, because I thought, 'Oh, this is going nowhere for me."

So, have you ever wanted sliding doors? Okay, I know, that's a silly question. You're a Star Trek fan, of course you want sliding doors. We'll we've found an actual DIY project that can bring a bit of the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th centuries to your home. These doors are definitely more Enterprise inspired than say TNG, because you have to push a button to open them, but you've got to start some where. It seems that all you need is an air compressor, sliding door accessories, pneumatic tubes and hoses, and some know-how and you're set. So, maybe you'll need a few more things than that, but still amazingly cool and trek-tastic none-the-less.

Just in case you missed it the first time, the Biography Channel documentary "The Captains of the Final Frontier" is set to re-air December 15th at 12am ET. If you're not familiar with the doc, you can check it out here. Set your DVRs to awesome and be sure to catch it. Thanks to Miles from the Scifi Diner Podcast for sending us the link.

More about "The Captains of the Final Frontier"...