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4ACV011: Where No Fan Has Gone Before
First UK airing: Sky One, 7:00pm, 23-6-02
"Another classic science-fiction
show cancelled before its time."
Futurama meets Star Trek -- how could it go wrong?
For me, at least? Maybe that was the problem -- I was expecting
so much from the episode that on first viewing, I felt a bit
disappointed. However, subsequent viewings sorted that problem
out, and even if there were a few jokes in there that Galaxy
Quest had already done, 'Where No Fan...' still hit the mark
as possibly the most geek-friendly television show ever. Fry's
fanatical devotion to Star Trek seemed a bit of a retcon, but
no more so than some of the stuff crowbarred into the characters'
backstory in any of the actual Trek series!
Despite the show's 31st Century criminality, Star
Trek's been mentioned on many occasions in past episodes, not
least 'Space Pilot 3000', 'When Aliens Attack' and 'That's Lobstertainment!'
-- another retcon! However, the writers seem to have worked out
a get-out clause, in that it's only the *original* Star Trek
that's verboten. Star Trek: The Pepsi Generation seems unaffected.
(Nobody seems to count Star Trek: Generations, the seventh ST
film, but that's okay -- I don't either. It's been erased from
my personal canon, and NEVER HAPPENED! Bwah hah hah!)
And as a lifelong Trek fan, it was great to hear the
original cast back together again. Pity James Doohan turned down
the show (I'm guessing that's why the writers put in the anti-Doohan
joke between William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy), and obviously
DeForest Kelley wasn't around to take part, but the addition
of Welshy made for some great redshirt jokes. Incidentally, was
there a cut on Sky after the second time Melllvar zapped Welshy?
It seemed to cut back to Melllvar a bit quickly. Bender swearing
again, I expect.
Still, there was the added bonus of The Shats singing.
Brilliant. On top of that there was a great subtle dig at Scientology
(there are altogether too many eager-looking types hanging around
Bournemouth town centre at lunchtimes offering 'free personality
tests'... if I wanted to give all my money to L Ron Hubbard's
minions, I'd, well, probably become a Scientologist), as well
as guest appearances from TNG's Jonathan Frakes and a Space:1999
Eagle. Pity they couldn't use the original music, as they did
in 'Why Must I Be A Crustacean In Love?' and 'A Clone Of My Own',
for the final shot of the PE ship sailing off into the distance.
I guess Paramount will only let parody go so far.
Anyway, in the spirit of the episode, here's...
ANSTATMAW's Ultimate Star Trek
Episode Reference Guide!
The court-martial bell ('Court Martial', 'The Menagerie' and
I think 'Turnabout Intruder' as well)
Bleeping wheelchair and slack-jawed occupant ('The Menagerie')
"No tribble at all" ('The Trouble With Tribbles')
The half-black, half-white guys from Cheron ('Let That Be Your
Last Battlefield')
Nazi-Planet-Episode-Land -- Formerly Germany ('Patterns Of Force')
Spock getting drunk on spores and smacking Kirk around ('This
Side Of Paradise')
"You are, and always shall be, my friend" (Star Trek
II: The Wrath Of Khan)
Fake-looking Old West town ('Specter Of The Gun')
Roman arena with TV camera ('Bread And Circuses')
Three coloured brains in a tank ('The Gamesters Of Triskelion')
1930s flivver ('A Piece Of The Action')
M5 multitronic computer ('The Ultimate Computer')
The Guardian of Forever ('City On The Edge Of Forever')
"Nooclear wessels" (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home)
Five episodes with a cheesy-looking energy being ('The Squire
Of Gothos', 'Metamorphosis', 'And The Children Shall Lead', 'Day
Of The Dove', 'The Lights Of Zetar')
Ambassador Sarek ('Journey To Babel')
Quatloos ('The Gamesters Of Triskelion')
"KHAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNN!" (Star Trek II: The Wrath Of
Khan)
Giant green hand grabs the ship ('Who Mourns For Adonis?')
Nichelle Nichols kisses William Shatner ('Plato's Stepchildren')
Being forced to fight in episodes 19, 46, 56 and 77 -- and 66
('Arena', 'The Gamesters Of Triskelion', 'Specter Of The Gun',
'The Savage Curtain' -- and 'Day Of The Dove')
Kirk tears his shirt ('Shore Leave', 'Amok Time', 'The Gamesters
Of Triskelion' and probably a dozen others...)
Tommy gun ('A Piece Of The Action')
Episode filmed at Vasquez Rocks ('Arena', 'The Alternative Factor',
'Friday's Child')
Making weapons out of bamboo ('Arena')
Inventing the bow and arrow ('Friday's Child')
Uhura's fan dance (Star Trek V: The Final Frontier)
Super-powerful alien gets taken home by his parents ('The Squire
Of Gothos')
Kirk scores with a hot alien babe ('The Gamesters Of Triskelion',
'By Any Other Name', 'Elaan Of Troyius', 'The Paradise Syndrome',
'Wink Of An Eye', 'Whom Gods Destroy', 'The Mark Of Gideon' --
quite a list. Zapp must be jealous)
"Destruct sequence 1A, 2B, 3" (Star Trek III: The Search
For Spock)
"In a different reality, I could have called you... friend"
('Balance Of Terror')
Episode 10/9 ('What Are Little Girls Made Of'/'Balance Of Terror')
Scary-face alien ('The Corbomite Maneuver')
Did I miss anything?
Rating: 
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