The full bore press frenzy has yet to start for J.J. Abrams's Star Trek Into Darkness, but we are starting to see an upswing in news. It seems that not only will the film's first theatrical trailer debut December 14th with The Hobbit, but the first nine minutes of the film will be shown at IMAX theaters. I gotta say, I don't think we'll be going to see the short preview. I'm one of those guys that doesn't enjoy spoilers... of course they're hard to escape when you run a Trek site. I've tried my best to avoid news for films like The Dark Knight Rises and Skyfall and have been mildly successful, with Into Darkness though, it will definitely prove to be more difficult.

Ok, so I would have translated that whole title into Klingon, but my language skills suck so bad that I’m pretty sure a targ could write Klingon better than I. Anyway…how cool is it that we’re one step closer to a real universal translator? And this step…is a doozy.

Microsoft recently showed off new technology that, not only translates your spoken word into another language in real time, but also makes the voice of the translated version sound very much like the actual speaker’s voice.

One of our favorite fan run conventions is close at hand... Starbase Indy, in Indianapolis, is launching it's 17th mission over Thanksgiving weekend. Not only will you be able to see J.G. Hertzler and Robert O'Reilly as Martok & Gowron, but Nicole de Boer (Ezri Dax) will also be on hand. Not to mention our good friend Larry Nemecek and artist David Reddick will also be in attendance. We had the pleasure of covering Starbase Indy in 2010 and had an absolute blast meeting new friends and getting to hang out with Life After Trekker Manu Intiraymi.

Did you get to attend the TNG 25th Anniversary Movie Event in July? If the answer is Yes, you have the opportunity to have that kind of fun all over again. If No, then hang on to your polyester jumpsuit because Star Trek delight is waiting for you at your local theater at the end of this month. In case you haven’t guessed it yet, the TNG Season 2 blu-rays are finished and having their own release party, of sorts. You’ll get to experience two episodes on the big screen with thousands of other Star Trek fans at theaters across the country. As a fan, this is an event that you don’t want to miss. It’s like a mini-con that comes to you.

Don’t make any plans for mid-February next year…your calendar is soon to be full of convention festivities. That’s right kids, Creation Entertainment’s Grand Slam: The Star Trek & Sci-Fi Summit XVIII, comes to Burbank, California on February 15-17, 2013. This con has a great set of celebs already lined up with more promised to be added as the event approaches. There will even be a Saturday night reunion event of the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast featuring; Sir Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden and Marina Sirtis.

For all of you TNG fans, (and come on, who isn't?), Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 2 is headed to blu-ray December 4th.  Hey, just in time for Christmas, or Picard Day, or whatever.  The new release will include a special edition of "The Measure of a Man" that includes deleted scenes and different angles from the broadcast version.  Pretty cool.  

We just got back from a fantastic con in our neck of the woods. That's right earthlings, it's time for the Wizard World Austin Comic Con post convention wrap-up. This was a special Trek centric con, that featured the entire bridge crew from Star Trek: The Next Generation. We've been covering news about Austin CC for the past several months and the show really lived up to the hype.

A brand new look at the history of Star Trek has hit bookstore shelves nationwide. Written by Star Trek author Robert Greenberger, Star Trek: The Complete Unauthorized History spans the entire life of the franchise from The Original Series through J.J. Abrams's reboot. Robert is best known for his dozens of Trek novels ) short stories and his long stint with DC Comics. The book promises to dive into the full history of Trek including its triumphs and defeats.

Today is a day I remember well. I was 16 years old and an avid Star Trek fan. It was one of those moments that we all have... knowing exactly where we were when we learn of something tragic. Some time, late in the evening of October 24th, 1991, I was incessantly flipping cable channels until I stumbled upon a news story about Gene. Like so many Trek fans, I was saddened to hear of his passing. While I don't have any personal memories of Gene, he influenced and touched my life in many different ways and I wish I had had the opportunity to thank him.