Educational Building Star Trek (Smithsonian Channel)

Kevin

Code Monkey
Staff member
Title: Building Star Trek

Genre: Documentary, Science Fiction

Director: Mick Grogan

Cast: Jim Conrad, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, Nichelle Nichols

Release: 2016-09-04

Runtime: 92

Plot: When "Star Trek" first aired in 1966, it expanded the viewers' imaginations about what was possible in their lifetimes. Today, many of the space-age technologies displayed on the show, like space shuttles, cell phones, and desktop computers, have already gone from science fiction to science fact. Other innovations, like warp drive, teleportation, and medical tricorders are actively in development. Join us as we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of "Star Trek" - a show that continues to inform, enrich, and inspire.
Building Star Trek (Smithsonian Channel)

 

The Smithsonian Channel documentary Building Star Trek is set to premiere on September 4 at 8p.m. ET/PT. The program will feature a star-studded lineup of astronauts, engineers, writers, innovators and Star Trek actors who'll celebrate to the 50th anniversary of the show that inspired the space age. Among the participants are Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, Professor John Howell of the University of Rochester; Dr. Margaret Weitekamp, Curator at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum; Dr. Sonny Kohli, Team Leader of Cloud DX, one of the finalists for the Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE; David Grier, Professor of Physics and Director of the Center for Soft Matter Research at New York University, who is developing a real-life Tractor Beam; and Dr. Rob Afzal, Lockheed Martin Senior Fellow Laser Sensor and Systems, who is working to harness the power of lasers.

The documentary shows museum officials fighting against decades of damages to fix the 11-foot (3.4 meters) "Star Trek" ship model, used in filming the original series, before putting the ship on display.

In between exclusive clips at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, the documentary — called "Building Star Trek" — also shows the construction of a new "Star Trek" exhibit at the EMP Museum in Seattle, featuring props used in the original series.

The special airs Sept. 4, just four days before the 50-year anniversary of the first broadcast of "Star Trek." Besides showcasing awesome props, the show has inspired nearly two generations of scientific innovation, the documentary reveals.

"The 2-hour special also profiles a new generation of engineers and scientists who are making 'Star Trek's' visionary technology real, pushing the boundaries of physics with inventions first conceived on the iconic series: warp drives, medical tricorders, cloaking devices and tractor beams," Smithsonian representatives said in a statement.
 
Depending on how they do it the show could actually be better than the convv in some ways.
More focused and detailed.
Surely a great concept.
 
I can see a future with Virtual Conventions that have commercials slanted to collectors and high quality interviews and informational segments about the subject.
The videos could have interactive links that take you to websites where you can buy collectors items, dvds and blurays and other paraphenilia. Perhaps a live chat with stars and staff. Maybe even skype links to live sets.
 
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