A Sad Day in Fanboy History (The life-size Starship Enterprise that wasn’t)

A SAD DAY IN FANBOY HISTORY

(The life-size Starship Enterprise that wasn’t)

by Julian Brantley

I could not believe it when I read it. They came this close to building a full scale replica of Star Trek’s USS ENTERPRISE in Downtown Las Vegas in 1992. All 948 feet of it. And they didn’t do it. Instead they put up the “Fremont Experience”. (You can replicate this at home. Stand very close to your TV playing The Hangover and throw a couple hundred dollars away.)

Gary Goddard (http://www.garygoddard.com) was part of a team that pitched the life-sized Enterprise to the developers and the Mayor of Las Vegas, got Paramount interested and got funding ($150,000,000 in 1992). It was only until the Studio Chairman of Paramount (Stanley Jaffe, you bastard!) was pitched the idea that it was killed. He thought if it didn’t work, if it was a flop, there would be this big reminder of it sitting in Vegas forever.

Okay, first of all, even if it was a flop and didn’t make money, people would still go to view it, like watching a car wreck. “Some idiot paid 150 million to build a life-sized Enterprise.” “That’s stupid… let’s go see it.”

As a Star Trek fan, I know that most other fans would at one point in their life have to make the pilgrimmage to see it in person. And how many Star Trek or Comic Conventions would come there, just to be near it. Casual fans, and even people that hate science fiction, would come and see it for the spectacle. It would have been as long as the Eiffel Tower is high. (I think Stanley Jaffe was high when he decided this was a bad idea.) The licensing and merchandising money alone would have relieved any shame about constructing a giant space ship that doesn’t fly.

And it would have given people that sense of wonder that science fiction is all about. Seeing that in person with your own two eyes – if we can do that, what else can we do? (You also would have seen a lot of grown men in Star Fleet uniforms crying.)

It would have been a whole theme attraction much bigger than the Hilton’s Star Trek Experience. And much bolder. It breaks my heart.

What would the earth be like today if they had built it? World peace? Maybe not. But it would have been awesome! And I might have a timeshare in Vegas and be considerably poorer.

The Summer of Hope

The Summer of Hope

by Alexander Storm

I will say that this summer is shaping up to be one of the best if you’re a fanboy or fangirl. “Why you ask?”  Last year the summer box office was a major bust. While the Harry Potters of the world did okay, a movie that had very high hopes for the studio and fans alike was a complete disappointment.

During the convention season, one film was promoted as the next big thing for fanboys. That film was the bomb called Cowboys and Aliens. It had all the supposed fanboy elements: Fanboy director, movie legend and 007 himself. This film was a dead fish, left in your car during a hot summer day (it stunk).

For the last decade, the fanboy nation saw film after film green lit. For every bad film, there were ten good ones. Last year Hollywood just flat out lied. I mean, did the execs at the studio really think Cowboys and Aliens was any good? They knew this movie was bad. They even used the Comic Con staff to push this junk.  Does anyone remember Comic Con last year? You couldn’t walk three feet in San Diego without seeing an ad about this film. Again, Hollywood knew this movie was bad.

So, we had Thor and Captain America. Let’s be honest, both of those films were just fillers for the Avengers. They weren’t bad, but not the same level as the first Iron Man. Now, we’re months away from a fanboys dream come true (the Avengers). I start to wonder if all these movies can hold up to the hype, get butts in seats, and lead the way to bigger and better fanboy films. Lets hope so. The one real test will be this weekend with the opening of Wrath of the Titans. If this movie falls flat, then it’s going to be a long wait for the Avengers.

Ask yourself, could we really get a great G.I. Joe movie, with The Dark Knight Rises, along with the Avengers?  Could this really be a home run or have the execs lied again and one of these high profiles films kills fanboy movies. I hope not. Heck I’m waiting for a kick ass Justice League movie.

4 Hours Wasted on WWE

 
     After watching four hours of the WWE's finest offering, I was once again reminded why I choose not to watch and follow professional wrestling anymore. It's not so much that I have grown out of the soap opera meshed sport I was raised on and so intrigued as a kid and young adult by. Its because wrestling is no longer interesting. No longer are the days in which I used to sit at the edge of my seat waiting for the next amazing wrestling move, a surprise entrance, or a comment made off the cuff by another wrestler. Gone are the times I looked forward to Monday nights, and being able to chat about it at school or work with friends.
    In the late 1990's early 2000's WWE broke the mold of what was considered pro wrestling television. Not only innovating new cutting edge production styles, and fascinating story lines, but taking risks. Creating controversial gimmicks and characters, cursing, beer drinking, half naked women, and building epic memorable wrestlers, the likes of Stone Cold, The Rock, and DX. It raised the bar, and although heavily scrutinized for such controversy, captured a giant audience and gained tons of attention in mass media.
    So what has happened? Society has now caught up. The controversial elements to the programming before is now nothing groundbreaking. Look at shows on MTV, sex is prevalent everywhere you turn, nudity is on basic over the air broadcasts, and Television dramas are more gruesome and controversial than ever before.
    I don't have the answer, I don't have the solutions. If the WWE is going to get back to where they were 10 years ago, something needs to change, something innovative. The Rock is getting older, Stone Cold and Undertaker are done, Triple H is close too. You can't rely on the past. Time to change the game WWE, before more fans change on you.