For me one of the joys of the coming of the end of summer in California is the annual Los Angeles County Fair, the largest such fair in the country. If you’ve been, you know what I’m talking about.

If not, you’ll find it akin to trying to hit Disneyland in full in a single day. (In other words, there’s no possible way of completing the feat. And if you haven’t been to Disneyland and don’t know what I’m talking about? Well, the idea is lost on you.)

The L.A. County Fair has got everything. Displays, concerts, food, celebrities, events, crafts, exhibits, food on a stick, rides, spectacle, fried foods (the fried avocados with dipping sauce were exceptionally delicious),  games, those “leach-the-toxins-out-of-your-body-by-sticking-your-feet-in-some-kind-of-freaky-solution” (snake oil) booths, giant BBQd turkey legs (!), beyond-the-grave considerations (Los Angeles Dodger coffins and urns! Woot!), beers of the world, photography displays, the world’s largest snake (!), live cows and pigs and sheep and chickens, monster truck rallys, horse racing, Bad Company’s 40th Anniversary Tour (!), funnel cake, frog legs and more, more, more, more, more! Plus, enough freaks and weirdos (in the form of the folks who come to visit the fair) to drop your jaw over the entire time you’re sloughing about. Satisfaction (and a sunburnt back of your neck) guaranteed. All good, clean fun.

In the past, there’s always been at least one special event I’ve had to see. A few years ago it was the plasticized humans — yes, that same exhibit (but scaled down) seen in Las Vegas and that’s criss-crossed the globe. In 2012? It was examples of the newly commissioned “neon museum” garnering more and more interest. This year? There were a couple things: The “Pencils 2 Pixels” exhibit featuring a Walt Disney Family Museum plus displays, histories and animation examples of and from several major animation studios (Sony Pictures, Dreamworks, etc.) and “Star Trek: The Exhibition” where it was promised I would “experience Star Trek in a whole new way!” (That little bi-line right there should have spoken volumes to me … but the delight I felt at being given the opportunity to “Trek out” superseded anything I felt with this year’s visit to the fair.)

Shuffling about for a few hours, in and out of various shopping pavilions, quaffing a craft beer at 10:30 in the morning (Hey! It was 1:30 Eastern time … get off me …) and playing with the new Cutco knives for 45 minutes or thereabout, I made it to the building where “Star Trek: The Exhibition” was being held. A $5.00 cover charge got me in the door and into a refreshingly air conditioned hall divided in sections where I was about to “boldly go where no man had gone before.”

Or so I’d thought …

30 minutes later, I was left disappointed by what I’d seen. Wrinkled costumes behind Lucite displays worn by extras. Decapitated Klingon and Borg heads and more that looked closer to cheesy Halloween props than official production pieces. Weapons and communicators and medical props that appeared as if their creators didn’t have the wherewithal nor the inclination to make them look impressive in the least. (Moreso, they were second-hand rejects ready to be pawned off to a thrift store.) I saw corny displays of screen printed graphics mirroring U.S.S. Enterprise monitor images that might have looked good if you were wearing someone else’s eyeglass prescription. (Translation: They looked hokey.) To be fair, there was a pretty cool chronological timeline showcasing everything from the first man in space (Yuri Gagarin, for those who don’t know) right on through the history of the Star Trek television series and film series.

Also, there was a replica of the Enterprise’s bridge. While we were invited to “sit in Captain Kirk’s chair,” we were not allowed to snap photos of us so seated and “in command.” But … didn’t the brochure and Fair website state “Come aboard the bridge of the Starship Enterprise, sit in Captain Kirk’s chair, take photos aplenty” … ??? Yes, it did. Yet we were forbidden to do so by one of the flunkies watching over the set. “Hey! You! No photography!” *yeesh*

While there were some displays which were quite attention garnering (a gown Councilor Deanna Troi once wore on the show could elicit a silent “hubba-hubba” if you didn’t control yourself), others left much to be desired. I saw a kid accidentally bump into a case featuring Commander Data — it was so flimsy it looked as if it would topple to the floor. Inside, Data’s head wobbled about like a newspaper-stuffed latex mask and threatened to list on its side. *sigh*

On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being best? “Star Trek: The Exhibition” was a lackluster, boring and just this side of disappointing grade of “3” with few genuinely exciting things to get pumped about.

If you’re in town through the end of the month and find yourself at the Fair, shell out $5.00 and see what I mean. But you’d be better off frequenting your neighborhood bookstore (yes, rumor has it those still exist in various shopping malls and strip centers) and peruse the nifty Star Trek: The Art of Juan Ortiz hardcover Keith McDuffee recently wrote about. Better yet, purchase it below.

Then again … maybe if I’d haunted the beer garden and its fare a little more aggressively the Star Trek exhibit would have been better received … if you catch my meaning.

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As a loyal and faithful fan of Star Trek — the original series especially — I was overjoyed when J.J. Abrams infused his visionary magic with the Trek lore and breathed new life into the fading franchise. With all the new excitement and energy surrounding the hip and updated Star Trek, it was only a matter of time before another attempt at making a Star Trek game hit the store shelves. Star Trek: The Video Game was that game.

Star Trek: The Video Game takes place between the 2009 film Star Trek and this year’s release of Star Trek Into Darkness. Captain Kirk, Commander Spock and the rest of the famed crew of the USS Enterprise are challenged with making first contact with the Gorn, an aggressive race of lizard men hell-bent on conquering worlds and civilizations that don’t belong to them. To make a long story short, it’s up to Kirk and his crew to put the kibosh on this scaly invasion. Players take control of Kirk and Spock and battle their way through this game in a fast-paced third-person action adventure.

The premise sounds awesome doesn’t it? Too bad the game wasn’t!

Star Trek: The Video Game is a tough pill to swallow mostly due to its gameplay. “Schizophrenic” comes to mind when I think of adjectives to best describe the approach to immersing yourself into the game. You could tell the developers really had their hearts in the right place when they took this project on because the atmosphere they created definitely felt like it fit with the new universe that Abrams had created back in 2009. But from there everything is pretty downhill when it comes to getting deeper into this game.

The game suffers from a chronic case of “trying to do too much” and ultimately that leads to lackluster game performance across the board. Essentially, this game is a third-person action shooter, but then it’s also a platformer, and a flying, diving and starship simulator as well! There was actually a point midway through the game where I had no idea what to do next because there was a huge running jump I had to make in order to cross a deep chasm. Nowhere prior to that point in the game had running jumps been integral to my advancement in the game. So for the developers to automatically assume I’m supposed to know I have to do that in-game, well … then that’s just bad game design.

There was another instance where I was thrust into full control of the USS Enterprise for the first time and was automatically supposed to know how to fend off a full on Gorn ship assault. After a lot of trial, errors and continues I was able to get past that part of the game and never looked back. Did I mention there is swimming in this third-person action shooter? Really? In a Star Trek game? Honestly, the added gameplay experiences definitely didn’t make the game any better. So why add them? Had the developers sat down and focused on making a small handful of gameplay mechanics 100% solid, this game would’ve been a lot more fun to enjoy instead of a chore.

Graphically this game looks atrocious. The graphics and textures look incredibly outdated by at least four or five years and the animations are pretty terrible. There were many times where I groaned during the sequences where either Spock or Kirk would help pry and hold a door open for the other, only to have the 3D character models clip through and into each other when they squeeze past the narrow opening. And remember how I told you there was a whole section of the game where you had to swim under water? This game was so graphically challenged that whenever you’re in water the underwater shadows rendered by both Kirk and Spock are just black squares! It was embarrassing to look at. Embarrassing enough to not pick up and play the game until at least a week later.

Is there anything good about this game? Okay, probably just one good thing. The sound. The original cast from the movies lent their voicework to the game which did make it a little bit better. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto and their banter as Kirk and Spock was probably the ONLY thing that kept me going through this game. The sound effects and explosions are pretty satisfying as well. So despite the crapfest the game had snowballed into at least it sounded great!

There is little to no replay value to this game, simply because once you play through it once somebody would have to pay you to play through it again. The game features a cooperative mode where you could play with a friend and take the fight to Gorn as both Kirk and Spock. I prefer playing it online with a friend for two reasons. 1) You don’t have to play teamed up with the horrible AI partner that gets lost most of the time and doesn’t help you in a shoot out, and 2) you both could make fun of the game together.

Ultimately, if you couldn’t tell I was supremely let down by this game. Right out of the gates this game could have probably been rated a solid 7.0 at best. But the deeper I got into it, this Star Trek fan couldn’t stomach the ugly truth that this game just wasn’t worth my time and energy. This game isn’t worth the $60 price tag. If you’re a fan and a masochist I think you could at least rent it. Other than that, stay away. Play Gears of War or Mass Effect 3 instead.

Chuck’s note: I played a bit of the game in the 3D mode and found that to be wanting as well. There was occasional depth added to some of the environments, but nothing jumps off the screen at you and there were several occurrences of distortion during some of the faster motion that was unpleasant to the eye and my equilibrium. I love me some 3D, but this was nothing more than a bad conversion.

OVERALL: 4.5 out of 10

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I am going to be completely up front with you right from the start. There will be no pussy-footing around. There will be a spoiler here because it’s completely unavoidable … even if it is one of the worst kept secrets in cinema history. But we’ll get to that.

Star Trek Into Darkness is a slam bang summer popcorn movie, no doubt about it. Once we get caught up on all of the established characters, the film goes into warp speed with one huge action-packed, special effects sequence after another. There is enough serious eye candy here to put you into filmic sugar shock. And for the die hard Trekkers, there are plenty of little things here and there to make you happy. Oh, look … a tribble! Bones mentions a Gorn. Christine Chapel’s name is brought up. Carol Marcus joins the crew. Klingons! More than a few Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan references, including …

Yes, here is the spoiler. Benedict Cumberbatch is indeed playing Khan. But this time, he ends up helping Kirk and company … or is he merely helping himself? That’s where things start to break down. You find yourself mesmerized by all the flash and things flying at your face in 3D, but after it’s all over you think to yourself, “Self, what exactly was the story?” And Khan isn’t the only bad guy in the movie (maybe he’s not bad, just misunderstood … and why does he look like Data?).

The plot, as I can remember, starts after a bombing at a Starfleet facility in London. Thought to be an archive, it’s really something much more dangerous. The culprit is former Starfleet officer John Harrison, who knows that all of the captains and first officers will be gathered in one place for a meeting which he crashes, literally, and kills enough people to really piss Kirk off.

Tracked to the Klingon world Chronos, Kirk is tasked with sneaking into Klingon territory and eliminating Harrison without starting an intergalactic war. Things don’t go as planned – is JJ Abrams setting up a Klingon confrontation for the next movie? – but Harrison is captured and he reveals himself to be the genetically superior Khan … who then reveals that Admiral Marcus, Carol’s father, has been preparing to initiate a war with the Klingons and that he will help Kirk stop the madness. But Khan also wants his 72 cryogenic pals in return. What could possibly go wrong?

Unfortunately, the plot really is convoluted and after a four year gestation, you’d think they could have really refined the script. But someone somewhere must have insisted on putting Khan into the film and aping many of the original second film’s most iconic moments. In trying to play too hard to the fans, the film seems to ultimately be pissing off a lot of them. Having been around since Star Trek‘s TV infancy through all the various shows and movies, I’m much too familiar with all of these little nods to Star Trek II and I actually found myself rolling my eyes at times. I’m not sure that having a history with the originals is helpful when seeing Into Darkness. You might need a little background on the Khan character, but not feeling like this is an almost remake of Wrath of Khan might make it more tolerable. I just hope that now that we’ve had Spock in the first film and Khan in the second – with both films setting a trajectory away from the original series timeline – Abrams and company will be able to truly boldly go where no one has gone before with an original Trek story that doesn’t rely on what came before.

But, even with all that criticism, I still enjoyed the ride that Abrams and the cast took us on. There are some great moments, a pretty funny red shirt joke, and a really terrific performance from Zachary Quinto. He certainly takes center stage in this film, and at times he really seems to be channeling Leonard Nimoy. The rest of the crew get their moments, and Chris Pine does have some Kirk swagger, but can we please allow Bones to speak in more than snappy one-liners? It does get a little tiresome, but at least Karl Urban does a great job with the delivery.

If you’re going into Star Trek Into Darkness hoping for a real hardcore Trek movie, you will most likely find yourself disappointed by the final results. The film really sacrifices what made Star Trek what it was by replacing any thoughtful moments of dialog with a loud explosion. However, if you’re just going in to see things blow up real good, then this is the movie for you. Star Trek Into Darkness is the perfect definition of a popcorn movie – very tasty in the moment, but nothing but empty calories when it’s done.

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ALL PASSES FOR THESE SCREENINGS HAVE BEEN CLAIMED. COMMENTS ARE CLOSED. CHECK BACK FOR FUTURE OFFERS.

CliqueClack has partnered with Paramount Pictures and Allied Integrated Marketing to offer our readers in the D.C. , Baltimore and Norfolk areas free passes to the advance screening of Star Trek Into Darkness, starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Benedict Cumberbatch.

Screenings will take place as follows:

• ALL PASSES FOR THE DC SCREENING HAVE BEEN CLAIMED
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All you need to do to claim your passes is leave us a comment telling us why you want to see the movie. Please take note:

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Again, passes are very limited so leave your comments now!

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJ1qOs7jkIQ

As a devout Star Trek fan and avid gamer it is a sad fact to admit that for as popular as Gene Roddenberry’s ground-breaking science-fiction series has grown to become over the years, that the slew of Star Trek inspired video games released over the years have missed their mark more often than not in the eyes and hearts of fans and critics alike. Just when things were beginning to look gloomy for the Trek franchise’s future, director J.J. Abrams revitalized the seemingly non-ending drought of lackluster Trek installments with his 2009 reboot, Star Trek. Fortunately, for gamers that means a revitalized series of Star Trek games are headed our way.

Star Trek: The Video Game is a third-person action/adventure game where players will be able to take control of Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock in a co-op adventure that is set to take place after the 2009 film and will bridge the gap with events that lead up to the theatrical release of the sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness, due out in May. Teamwork is a big factor in Star Trek: The Video Game and its cooperative gameplay will enable you to partner up with a friend online to engage your enemies and boldly go where no one has gone before.

The new and original story is being penned by Marianne Krawczyk who’s most notable for her writing of PlayStation’s immensely popular God of War series. By creating an original story that doesn’t have to follow the upcoming film, the developers will have more freedom to create a solid game rather than be bogged down with the limitations of creating a “carbon copy” video game adaptation of the forthcoming film — a virtual death sentence in a licensed video game’s success.

Preorders for Star Trek: The Video Game are now available and fans who place them prior to the title’s launch will get access to an exclusive “Elite Officer Pack” which includes Stealth, Brawler, Kelvin, Academy and Kobayashi Maru Packs, all of which contain unique outfits and weapons you can utilize in the game.

The game’s cooperative gameplay and impressive visuals are sure to put the previous Trek games to shame as well as some contemporary third-person shooters, so if you’re a fan or not, this title may be worth checking out. Star Trek: The Video Game will hit shelves on April 23rd, 2013 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and via digital download for both the PC and PlayStation 3.