Showbits

I admit it: I'm a Star Trek fanboy. Almost anything bearing the Star Trek name is instantly fantastic — it's just a matter of degree. Within that realm is a wide variety, from the awesomely fantastic (Deep Space Nine, First Contact) to the pathetically fantastic (Nemesis), but I'll still be first in line for all of them. Such zeal may make me a laughing stock… but I've found the most valuable trait of any hardcore geek is a healthy sense of humor.

Over the years, there have been multiple instances when the combination of geekdom and comedy intersected with brilliant results. The most mainstream occurrence was in 1999, when an all-star cast including Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, and Tony Shalhoub appeared in the feature film Galaxy Quest. The trailers of the time made the movie look like weak sci-fi fare intended for the unsophisticated masses, so I didn't see it until 2002 — at which time I wished I hadn't waited so long. I rewatched it this weekend and was again impressed with how much fun it was.

Galaxy Quest doubles as the name of a fictional cancelled television series, its cast of washed-up has-beens since having taken to the tour circuit, making their living signing autographs and reciting famous lines. But their reruns have been misinterpreted as historical documents by an alien civilization that has made into reality all elements of the show (think "A Piece of the Action"). These xenoforms abduct the thespian crew of the NSEA Protector to help their new ship and stave off extinction at the hands of a tyrannical despot (whose vehicle my 80-year-old movie buddy immediately identified as reminiscent of the Doomsday machine — a fitting homage!).

As an amalgam of fantasy and reality, Galaxy Quest succeeds in mocking the synonymous Star Trek as well as its actors and fans. Via the show-within-a-show device, everyone gets their turn: from the pomposity of William Shatner to the inevitable expendability of the red shirts to the obsessive fanboys. Even Star Trek alumni had the sense to appreciate the film.

It's likely many fans of Home Improvement saw Galaxy Quest as a Tim Allen vehicle, but I can't imagine the film being nearly as entertaining for those who have not seen Star Trek themselves. And if you're lucky enough to be one of those veterans of the original material, there are more hands-on opportunities to lampoon the franchise. RiffTrax, the downloadable audio commentaries from the talent that brought you Mystery Science Theater 3000, has thus far parodied 49 movies, and Star Trek has the dubious honor of being three of them. For a limited time, you can buy all three Star Trek RiffTrax for $8.99. Though admittedly that's a savings of only one dollar, it's still a great excuse to grab the MP3s to play alongside The Final Frontier, The Undiscovered Country, and Generations — the latter of which is sampled here:

Don't ever laugh at a Trekkie — but by all means, please do laugh at yourself. As Data would say, "It's a wonderful feeling!"

I have never seen CSI, West Wing, Law & Order, or any number of other popular dramas. Not only do my television tastes lean more to The Dick Van Dyke Show, Quantum Leap, and Buffy — you know, fun stuff not likely to be mistaken for the evening news — but I also have not had television service in eight years. I am not secluded from popular culture, though, and I absorb the gist of shows like Lost and 24 rather easily. But one show had me stumped and required direct exposure.

After years of not comprehending the concept of a "legal dramedy", I finally got my hands on the first season of Boston Legal, which has been on ABC since 2004. Before I returned the DVDs, I watched only the pilot episode; without any following or even previous experience (The Practice falls within my blackout zone), I'm hardly qualified to offer an informed opinion. But I'm happy to share my uninformed one, based on first impressions.

The cast was what first struck me. William Shatner was a given, but Rene Auberjonois' inclusion as a changeling lawyer (talk about two-faced!) had escaped my memory. More surprising was Mark Valley, who played Jack Deveraux (or one of them, anyway) on Days of our Lives — a show my overindulgence of which prompted my kicking the TV habit. I don't think I'd ever seen a soap star get a "real" acting job, so it seemed fitting that he's described in this episode as a "Ken doll".

Also notable in the pilot was Larry Miller of Christopher Guests' films — and, of course, James Spader, who I now find unrecognizable from his Stargate stardom.

As for the show itself, I was a bit surprised and relieved that it is not a comedy in the sense of a spoof; it does not do for for the glut of legal dramas what Get Smart did for James Bond. Nothing about the show is infeasible, which probably makes it more consumable and popular to the masses sitting on their sofa seats, waiting for CSI's other shoe to fall. The situations all seemed realistic, but the snappy dialogue that would be used to dramatic effect elsewhere is effectively comedic here.

Though it cannot compete with a show that focuses on doing either drama or comedy well, Boston Legal makes up in breadth what it lacks in depth, successfully straddling the line between the two genres. I don't know that any show can hook someone after just one episode; if first and last impressions were one and the same, how many of us would've become Trekkies? I liked the pilot episode, but I'd have to see more before I fall in love with it. Unfortunately for Boston Legal, I too am a creature of breadth, and rather than explore the show further, I am moving on to my virgin showing of Firefly. If lines are to be straddled, let it be with cowboys and aliens!

Days after announcing that William Shatner (Kirk)'s game show Show Me the Money would be picked up for six more episodes, production has been shut down after a drop in key demographics. [Story continues]

Last Thursday the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS) — the organization behind the Emmy Awards — formally inducted William Shatner, along with four other individuals with legendary TV careers, into its Hall of Fame. [Story continues]

These are both good news to me. That game show was wretched and vile — more sensationalism than substance. William Shatner should never have more women than Captain Kirk did.