NASA Awards William Shatner with Distinguished Public Service Medal

Courtesy NASA

Last Saturday in Los Angeles at his annual Hollywood Charity Horse Show, actor, director and, yes, legend, William Shatner was honored when he received NASA’s Distinguished Public Service medal. The medal is the highest award given by the agency to non-government personnel. NASA stated in the announcement, "After nearly 50 years of warping across galaxies and saving the universe from a variety of alien threats and celestial disasters, "Star Trek"’s William Shatner finally went where no other member of Starfleet has gone before."

Shatner is not only an advocate for the advancement and study of space and science but he is also involved in raising money for a variety of children’s causes, namely at the charity show at which he was honored with the medal. The medal's citation reads, “For outstanding generosity and dedication to inspiring new generations of explorers around the world, and for unwavering support for NASA and its missions of discovery.”

Benedict Cumberbatch Puts 'Star Wars' and 'Doctor Who' Rumors to Rest

Image Courtesy The Iris

Sorry, Cumberpeople, but it appears that everyone's favorite otter-faced actor will not be joining any new franchises in the foreseeable future. During a panel at this year's Oz Comic Con, Benedict Cumberbatch sat down to set the record straight.

For quite some time now the Internet has been swirling with rumors that the "Sherlock" star would be joining the upcoming season of "Doctor Who" as the Master, while other fans speculated that he would someday be the next madman with a box. Considering Steven Moffat serves as showrunner to both popular BBC shows, it would make a bit of sense if a cross-over occurred. Unfortunately for those Wholocked fans out there, BennyBatch told audiences that "I'm never gonna play the Doctor-and nothing to do with the Whoniverse."

As for re-teaming with "Star Trek" director J.J. Abrams for the upcoming "Star Wars" film? According to Australian entertainment site, The Iris, it's not happening- “I would've liked a part in JJ's new Star Wars but it won't happen, sadly."

-Nowal Massari

George Takei to Host 'Saturday Night Live'...APRIL FOOL!

Update: He got us! We suspected but were hoping it was true. Good one, Uncle George!

Oh myyyy! Trekkies, geeks, and well...humans in general, rejoice! George Takei has officially announced via not only his very popular Facebook page but also via the Huffington Post, that he'll be hosting a future episode of "Saturday Night Live."

He starts by saying, "I've waited years to say these words. After a Facebook petition propelled Betty White to be invited to host 'Saturday Night Live' back in 2010, fans of mine have clamored for me to receive a similar invitation. I demurred, but the fans kept up their pressure. And then, last week, the network called to work out the details with my husband and unofficial scheduler, Brad."

Modestly, Takei wondered why he should be hosting the iconic program. Really, George? Because you're awesome and SNL thinks so too, "You're more than just Sulu from Star Trek these days. You've got millions of followers on Facebook and Twitter. You've got not one but two books out. You're appearing in a Broadway show" -- meaning Allegiance, inspired by my childhood experience in U.S. Internment camps -- "and now you've even launched your own fragrance. People with a lot less going on have been on."

No official date for his appearance has been set but he revealed that he's already working on his monologue and he promises it will "raise some eyebrows." We'll keep you posted on when he'll finally be taking the stage. Hopefully this is not an April Fool's joke!

-Larissa Mrykalo

Qapla'! Klingon Beer Hits the Market

Oil up your bat'leth and sit back with Aktuh and Melota playing semi-melodiously in the background. Though it's not listed on their official website just yet, the Federation of Beer has launched a follow up brew of choice to their Vulcan Ale. It's Klingon. It's different. Nope, it's not bloodwine. It's Warnog! *insert fearsome battle cry here*

The Guardian is reporting that the new brew has notes of clove, banana, and caramel. For beer enthusiasts, the FoB is classifying Warnog as a Dunkelweizen (for us laypeople, it's a dark beer) derived from rye malts in addition to caramel malts and clove, likely making the mixture end up on the sweeter side. Perhaps this isn't what one would expect a Klingon to drink, but there it is!

Surprisingly, the most famous of Star Trek related drinks has not yet been made by the FoB and hasn't been seen since Star Trek: the Experience with Quark's bar closed. However, Amanda Kooser over at CNET reports that Romulan Ale is up for release next year!

Just for kicks, check out the list of Star Trek themed drinks that were available. Boy, do I miss me a good Warp Core Breach.

-David Berck

Benedict Cumberbatch: The Man, The Mystery, The Sleuth and Why Fans Love Him

Photo by Karim Sadli for T Magazine

BY NOWAL MASSARI

Benedict Cumberbatch. When you hear his name, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Until recently, most people might think "Oh, that guy who looks like an otter?" Yes, that guy. However, the mere mention of him now sends fans into a swooning frenzy. The man who has been likened to an otter, and a hairless cat by my sister, is now one of the most lusted after men in recent history, but why? To explain the enigma of him, is not so easy.

For those who don't know much about him, Cumberbatch is the son of actors Timothy Carlton and Wanda Ventham. He attended boarding school from the age of 8, and made his debut on stage as Titania Queen of the Faeries in Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Nights Dream" at the age of 12. Until the premiere of "Sherlock" in 2010, the actor was unknown to American audiences. Once stateside viewers became enthralled with his snarky, quick-witted portrayal of Mr. Holmes, his star seemed to rise quickly.

Go For a 'Trek in the Park' This August in Portland

After finding the theater scene in Portland, Ore., a little lackluster, Atomic Arts co-founders Adam and Amy Rosko decided to boldly go where no other theater company had gone before.

After much deliberation, and continual viewing of the classic Kirk vs. Spock scene from "Amok Time," the brother-sister team decided to bring classic Star Trek to life in the parks of Portland, Oregon.

When it began, they were uncertain how people would react. The Star Trek fandom is notably huge, and nerds in Portland are particularly vocal when they feel their favorite nerdiverses are being mistreated. However, on the first run in July 2009, when he uttered the first line of the monologue as Captain James Tiberius Kirk, Adam says the crowd cheered wildly, and it was then they knew that they had made the right decision.

Cast of "Trek in the Park"

This August, after a five-year run and gaining a cult following, including a quick spot on hit show Portlandia, the bridge crew of the USS Enterprise will take its last voyage in the City of Roses.

When I sat down to speak with Portland's “Captain Kirk,” I asked him why they had decided to end the show after being so well received. Rosko stated that they had always planned on mirroring the five year mission mentioned in the shows prologue and always knew the order in which the shows would go. They also knew that they would end with "The Trouble with Tribbles," one of the most well known episodes in the Trek-verse to viewers and non-viewers alike.

'Star Trek Into Darkness' to open day earlier

Trekkies (and many Trekkers ... yes, there's a difference) have waited long enough for the J.J. Abrams-directed Star Trek Into Darkness but now they can wait for one less day. The film will open on Thursday, May 16, one day earlier than scheduled.

According to Access Hollywood, Paramount Studios made this decision based on “the excellent response to the sneak peek [pre-sold] screenings of the film, which occur on May 15 at IMAX theaters in various cities across the country.”

Fans who missed out on many of the already sold-out IMAX screenings on May 15 now only have to wait 24 hours to see the film.

Will you be boldly going one day early?

George Takei takes on 'Twilight'

In a classic move that would make Gene Roddenberry proud, George Takei has stepped up to calm the feud brewing between William Shatner and Carrie Fisher over Star Wars vs. Star Trek. But in order to broker this "star peace," Mr. Sulu offers a suggestion that would make Emperor Palpatine proud: Join forces to declare war on Twilight.

Takei's urges fellow "star folk" to band together and face the vampire enemies that "sparkle, and moan and go to high school." Oh my, indeed.

Mega comic crossover pits zombies vs. pop legends

To boldy go where no walking dead has gone before?
A real American zombie?
We ain't 'fraid of no reanimated corpses?
Undead robots in disguise?

Now I must warn you fellow geeks, clamp your mouth shut and try to prevent drooling (it's hell on keyboards) because Captain Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, G.I. Joe, the Ghostbusters and the Transformers are all joining together in an epic comic book crossover event to battle zombies.

Comic publisher IDW announced the crossover, entitled Infestation, will launch January 2011 with Infestation #1 set in the Zombies vs. Robots universe. So says the press release:

This initial 32-page story begins in IDW’s own ZOMBIES VS. ROBOTS universe, where something goes terribly wrong and ultimately infests  the worlds of TRANSFORMERS, STAR TREK, G.I. JOE, and GHOSTBUSTERS with zombies and infected robots. From there, the story spins ferociously into each of the four properties throughout February and March, and culminates in April’s bombastic finale, INFESTATION #2.

In February, TRANSFORMERS: INFESTATION #1-2 and STAR TREK: INFESTATION #1-2 will ship bi-weekly. The TRANSFORMERS title will also be written by Abnett and Lanning, with fan-favorite Nick Roche handling the art. STAR TREK will be written by mainstay writers Scott and David Tipton and illustrated by Casey Maloney (Zipper).

March will see the release of the bi-weekly G.I. JOE: INFESTATION #1-2 by writer Mike Raicht and artist Giovanni Timpano, as well as GHOSTBUSTERS: INFESTATION by Erik Burnham (THE A-TEAM: WAR STORIES) and Kyle Hotz (Marvel Zombies).

No doubt such a high-concept crossover will be hard to pull off, but I'll certainly be reading. Of course, we can all safely assume anyone named Snake Eyes, Venkman, Optimus and Spock will survive the zombie attack, but I sure wouldn't want to be a Red Shirt in that world.