TrekNation
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Type of site | Fan site |
|---|---|
| Owner | Christian Höhne Sparborth |
| Created by | Christian Höhne Sparborth |
| URL | http:// treknation https://trektoday / https:// trekbbs / https:// jammersreviews / |
| Commercial | No |
| Registration | Free |
TrekNationis a reference and community website for theStar Trekfranchise. It also serves as a hub for its network websites:TrekToday,a news site updated nearly daily;The Trek BBS,which describes itself as the largestStar Trekcommunity on the Internet;[1]andJammer's Reviews,aStar Trekreview site.
TrekNation
[edit] | This sectionpossibly containsoriginal research.(February 2012) |
History
[edit]TrekNationwas established on February 5, 1999 by Christian Höhne Sparborth as a network site for Sparborth's sitesTrekTodayandTrekBBSafter he left another network, the TrekZone Network, over disagreements with TrekZone's founder.[2]Other websites included in TrekNation were Jamahl Epsicokhan's review siteStar Trek: Hypertextand the now defunct Warp Eleven.
In addition to serving as a network site, TrekNation conducted a number of interviews with past and presentStar Trekcast, crew, and contributors; published articles and columns on the Trek franchise; and posted reviews ofDeep Space Nine,VoyagerandEnterprise.The site also maintained both an episode guide for the variousStar Trekseries and a now defunct section dedicated to theWildstormStar Trekcomics.
After the cancellation ofEnterprise,the articles and interviews began to slow down. As of 2009, TrekNation's main updates are "Retro Reviews" of the originalStar TrekandThe Next Generation.
TrekNation and its networked sites have been affiliated with theUGONetwork since TrekNation's founding.
TrekNation Episode Guide
[edit]TrekNation still maintains an episode guide for allTrekseries (includingThe Animated Series). Although information on the episodes themselves are not as detailed as that atMemory Alpha,all episode pages forDeep Space Nine,Voyager,andEnterprisecontain links to both TrekNation's review of the episode and reviews on other websites. Links are not provided to the Retro Reviews ofStar TrekandThe Next Generation.Most episodes from all six series also include a parody written byFiveMinute.net.
Trek BBS
[edit] | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification.(February 2012) |
History
[edit]The Trek BBS,founded in early 1999,[3]is the largest and most active section of TrekNation, with over 20,000 registered users. Sparborth, the site's founder, was the first head administrator. In June 1999, TrekBBS became part of TrekNation, and was updated with a new layout, known to many posters as "Big Blue". The site also became affiliated with UGO at this time.
In December 2002, Sparborth decided to step down as head administrator, and turned the job over to the administrator Lisa, who had been thede factohead for several months. In September 2004, Lisa resigned as well, and Bonnie Malmat, known on the BBS as T'Bonz, replaced her as head administrator, a position she still holds.[4]In 2005, Malmat was interviewed by theLos Angeles Timeson her views of fandom in light of and about TrekBBS's stand on the contentious issues surrounding TrekUnited's "Save Enterprise" campaign.[5]In 2007, theLos Angeles Timesagain interviewed Malmat for her opinion of fan reaction toward plans for a newStar Trekfilm byJ. J. AbramsandDamon Lindelof.[6]
Forums
[edit]The board includes dedicated forums for all aspects of theStar Trekfranchise, including each television series, the movies, novels, games, and fan creations such asfan fiction.Additionally, there are a number of forums for discussion of topics other thanStar Trek.These include forums for other science fiction shows such asDoctor Who,as well as forums on less specific topics, including general media, politics, and miscellaneous discussion. The board also has an active social community, which has led to the creation of several spin-off boards.
Notable Members
[edit]SeveralStar Trekprofessionals frequent TrekBBS. They include actressChase Masterson,frequent illustratorRick Sternbach,graphic designersMichael OkudaandAndrew ProbertandEnterpriseproducers and writersDavid GoodmanandMike Sussman.
Additionally, many professionals affiliated withPocket Bookspost aboutStar Treknovels, including former editors Margaret Clark, Marco Palmieri andJohn Ordover.Authors such as Christopher L. Bennett,Margaret Wander Bonanno,Greg Cox,Keith R.A. DeCandido,David R. George III,David Mack,Andy Mangels,Michael A. Martin, Terri Osborne (who was once a moderator on the board),Geoffrey Thorne,David A. McInteeandDayton Wardalso make regular posts at TrekBBS. Because of these visits, several authors have included TrekBBS in their acknowledgements, particularly inArticles of the Federation[7]andThe Art of the Impossible,[8]both by Keith R.A. DeCandido, andEx Machina[9]by Christopher L. Bennett. Additionally, Margaret Wander Bonanno credits TrekBBS and several of its posters (including two former moderators) for reviving herStar Trekwriting career on the dedication page ofCatalyst of Sorrows.[10]
TrekToday
[edit]TrekTodayis TrekNation's news site. It went live on February 5, 1999,[11]and has had near-daily updates since then. In addition to posting news aboutStar Trek,Trek Today posts TrekNation's Retro Reviews and Site Columns, highlighting past Trek news and highly active threads on TrekBBS. The current news editors are Sparborth and Bonnie Malmat. Michelle Erica Green writes the episode reviews.
In early 2001, TrekToday was the first site to post information about the characters for the then-upcomingEnterprise.[12]Sparborth was later interviewed in 2002 about the possible end of theStar Trekfranchise.[13]
Jammer's Reviews
[edit]Jammer's Reviews,formerly known asStar Trek: Hypertext,is the only TrekNation site not founded by Sparborth. Instead, the site was founded in 1995 by Jamahl Epsicokhan, known on TrekBBS and his site as Jammer. Jammer's site originally focused on reviews ofDeep Space Nine,VoyagerandAndromeda.Star Trek: Hypertext was part of TrekZone before migrating to TrekNation upon the latter's founding in 1999. In 2000, Jammer was invited byVoyagerproducerJoe Menoskyto pitch a story, although nothing came of it.[14]Also, from September to December 2000, Jammer'sVoyagerandAndromedareviews were syndicated bySpace.This ended in January 2001, when Space closed their science-fiction section.[15]
On TrekBBS, Jammer is one of the moderators of theDeep Space Nineforum, a position he has held since the forum's creation. On his website, he has begun reviewing the newBattlestar GalacticaandThe Next Generation.
Spin-offs
[edit]Sparborth owns two other websites which are similar to TrekNation. The first is CSI Files, launched in 2003. It publishes news onCSI: Crime Scene Investigationand its spinoff shows. It also includes a TrekBBS-like forum, TalkCSI. The second site was Get Desperate!, a site forDesperate Housewivesnews. This site launched in 2005, but is now defunct. Sparborth owned a third site forAndromeda,Slipstream Web, but this site is now defunct. Sparborth also had a German languageStar TrekBBS.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^The Trek NationAccessed on August 22, 2007
- ^"TrekToday News Archive — February 1999".Retrieved2024-06-18.
- ^"TrekToday".
- ^"New Management".TrekBBS.Retrieved2007-08-20.[dead link]
- ^Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (2005-05-02)."Effort to save 'Star Trek' goes boldly — nowhere".Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived fromthe originalon 2007-09-29.Retrieved2007-08-18.
- ^Los Angeles Times (2007-10-10)."How do the Trekkers feel about Abrams' 'Star Trek'?".Los Angeles Times.Retrieved2007-10-14.
- ^DeCandido, K.(2005): 399.Articles of the Federation.New York: Pocket Books.ISBN1-4165-0015-4
- ^DeCandido, K.(2003). 353:The Art of the Impossible.New York: Pocket Books.ISBN0-7434-6405-2
- ^Bennett, C.(2005): viii.Ex Machina.New York: Pocket Books.ISBN0-7434-9285-4
- ^Bonanno, M.W.(2003): dedication.Catalyst of Sorrows.New York: Pocket Books.ISBN0-7434-6407-9
- ^"TrekToday News Archive — February 1999".Retrieved2007-08-19.
- ^Allen, Jamie (2001-03-06)."Site offers possible glimpse at new 'Star Trek' cast".CNN. Archived fromthe originalon 2007-10-17.Retrieved2007-08-21.
- ^DiLiberto, James Jr. (2002-12-13)."Witnessing the End of the Enterprise?".Fox News.Archivedfrom the original on 2007-08-09.Retrieved2007-08-21.
- ^"Jammer Goes to L.A."Archived fromthe originalon 2007-08-11.Retrieved2007-08-20.
- ^"Jammer's Reviews — FAQs".Retrieved2007-08-20.