|
G4 Sets Phasers to 'Interactive' With World Premiere of 'Star Trek 2.0' - TV's First-Ever Dynamic, Interactive Star Trek Experience
40th Anniversary Celebration to Feature Multi-Faceted 'Star Trek 2.0' and
Saturday Marathons of Original, Un-Cut 'Star Trek' Episodes, Beginning in
April
LOS ANGELES, March 7 -- As fans worldwide anticipate the 40th
anniversary of the original television voyage of the Starship Enterprise, G4
announces the world premiere of "Star Trek 2.0," the first TV airings of
classic Star Trek episodes to feature ground-breaking interactive components,
allowing viewers to boldly go where no network has gone before.
Premiering on Monday, April 10, "Star Trek 2.0" will air Mondays through
Fridays at 11:00 PM ET/PT, as part of the network's popular late-night
programming block. G4 will also air the Star Trek episodes in their original,
non-interactive and uncut form during Saturday marathons from 9:00 AM to
4:00 PM ET/PT, beginning Saturday, April 8.
G4's unique, multi-faceted format beams viewers into the action and makes
the original series relevant to a whole new generation of fans. The network
has created and produced innovative, on-screen features such as: live chat,
through which viewers can comment on the episode and interact with each other
online; an accumulating tally of "Trek Stats" that highlights the patented
Star Trek quirks and plot devices that audiences have loved for decades; a
variety of insider "Trek Facts"; and G4's exclusive "Spock Market," through
which viewers can "buy" and "sell" stock in the characters online.
Facts, Stats and Trek Chat
During each Star Trek 2.0 airing, a classic Star Trek episode will air
within an on-screen "frame" of dynamic Star Trek information, changing in real
time over the course of each episode and over the course of the television
season:
Trek Facts will offer little-known insider info about the series, the
characters, the actors and more, giving viewers an investment in the series
and its history:
* The original Star Trek pilot, "The Cage," was produced in 1964 for more
han $600,000.
* The original captain of the Enterprise was not Captain Kirk. It was
Captain Christopher Pike, played by Jeffery Hunter.
* The producers changed the character of the ship's doctor several times.
Trek Stats is an irreverent, affectionate and ever-growing tally of
classic Star Trek moments virtually guaranteed to crop up in each episode.
Tallies will increase on-screen during each episode, and continue to
accumulate over the course of the season. Stats may include:
* Spock says "logical"
* Spock says "illogical"
* Captain's Log entries
* Vulcan salute
* Red shirt deaths
* Red alerts
* The bridge shakes
* Scotty's engine woes
* Enterprise doomed
* Uhura touches earpiece
* Dramatic Kirk pauses
* Dramatic music stabs
* Hot alien women
Beam Me Up is a real-time chat room where viewers can add their two cents
to the action by logging on to http://www.g4tv.com/trek2.0 and responding to
on-screen questions and prompts regarding the episode in progress. Viewers'
comments will appear in a scroll across the bottom of the television screen,
encouraging interaction from other viewers. Sample chat topics include:
* Finish this sentence: "Space ... "
* What's a good captain made of?
* Best Earth female to be trapped with
* Top 10 psychic punishments
* What illusions might help pass time?
* Leave peacefully or smash domes in?
Playing the Spock Market
One of the most unique and dynamic Star Trek 2.0 features is the Spock
Market, a stock market simulation that turns the experience of watching Star
Trek Classic into a real-time, interactive game. During the airing of each
show, viewers who register on http://www.g4tv.com/trek2.0 are given "credits" with
which to buy and sell stock in "companies," commodities and characters
associated with the show. Stocks include:
* Captain Kirk (ticker symbol JTK)
* Spock (SPK)
* Uhura (UHU)
* Dr. McCoy (MDM)
* Nurse Chapel (CHP)
* Sulu (SLU)
* Scotty (SCT)
* Starship Phaser and Photon (PHP)
* United Federation of Planets (FED)
A real-time stock ticker running on the right-hand side of the TV screen
shows the gains and losses of each stock as they are affected by the events in
each episode -- and by the increase or decrease in demand for that stock on
the part of other players.
Kirk's stock may increase slightly, for example, if he engages in liplock
with a female character (and slightly more if that character is an alien). On
the other hand, Kirk's stock may take a dramatic dip if he is relieved of duty
at any point during the episode.
Viewer-investors can find detailed stock descriptions and prospectuses on
the G4 Web site, along with hints as to the events that might trigger stock
changes.
These are the voyages...
The first episode of Star Trek, "The Man Trap," aired on September 8, 1966
-- though it was actually the fifth episode to be produced.
Creator-producer Gene Roddenberry originally produced a pilot episode
entitled "The Cage," featuring an almost entirely different cast of characters
and actors, led by actor Jeffrey Hunter. (Spock was the only character to
survive from that original pilot). When NBC rejected "The Cage," Roddenberry
created a second pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before," starring William
Shatner as Capt. James T. Kirk and Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock.
Though it spawned five other television series, 10 movies, scores of Trek
merchandise, more than 70 video game titles and legions of fans known as
Trekkies, the original series lasted only three seasons. The last original
episode, "The Turnabout Intruder," aired on June 3, 1969.
Star Trek: The Next Generation launched on G4 on January 8, 2006. It airs
Monday through Sunday at 8:00 and 9:00 PM ET/PT.
About G4
G4 launched in April 2002 and is now available in 55 million cable and
satellite homes nationwide. The #1 podcasted cable network in America and a
leader in VOD, G4's programming includes breaking video game industry news,
trends, reviews, the hottest games and gear, celebrity interviews and insider
opinions. Targeting the male 18-34 audience, G4 is the last word on games,
sports, technology, animation, interactivity, the Internet and broadband. The
company is headquartered in Los Angeles and is owned by Comcast Corporation.
To learn more, log onto http://www.g4tv.com.
SOURCE G4
Web Site: http://www.g4tv.com http://www.g4tv.com/trek2.0
|
