Celebrating Bob Justman

(L-R) Doug, the wonderful Jackie Justman, The man himself, Mike and Denise Okuda. Our precious last visit with Bob, just weeks before he slipped the surly bonds.

I have been meaning to write an entry about Bob Justman every single day of the past six months of writing this blog. Every time I thought I would, I stopped because I always thought I just couldn’t do how I feel any justice. “Hows that workin’ for ‘ya?” asked Dorth. I laughed. No kidding.

On the one year anniversary of his death, I knew I had to write something about my feelings no matter what, so if you will humor me… I’ll ramble a bit, I’ll be a  little self indulgent, but I’m in love with this guy. So forgive me as I let this go wherever it wants to. I’m sure it will read a little disjointed, but it’s honest and from the heart.

Calling Dick Tracy! Sunday Doubleheader – 029 thru 030!

Click for a better look.

Starfleet Command – 1964 NYWF Connection

A gorgeous shot of some of the best 60′s googie architecture ever. The DS9 Starfleet Command building in the foreground, it’s sail framing the iconic Starbase Eleven towers in the distance. the date is 1964, so folks are reading about Moon Maid and Dick Tracy in the Sunday paper before heading off to be amazed that sunny day at the  New York World’s Fair.

Something fun to look at while I prepare today’s entry about Bob Justman. I’m being a bit self indulgent with it, so expect it to post later today!

Center Seat

 

I’m sure you’ve heard us talking about “Center Seat”, or seen some of the “Eye Candy” posts attributed to it here on the blog. “Center Seat” is a New Voyages short that we did for the sheer fun of it. I think it’s really cute, engaging, exciting, has great characters, and is authentic old school Star Trek. The one thing I really wanted, and never got!  A sleekened retro Star Trek for mainstream would be fun and artistically gorgeous.  My hopes are still high that we will get that chance.

Later I’ll tell the story of how I thought I was going to be fired by Paramount for my involvement with NV. Turns out the studio does have a heart, and I left a meeting with Paramount lawyers and “Enterprise” producers with a handshake instead of a pink slip…

Eyecandy 09

2008 SOTL – “Dockside” – Rem  – “Center Seat” tie-in

From Pocket books… where all eras of Star Trek live!

Click for a better look

Calling Dick Tracy! Saturday Marathon – 024 thru 028!

Dick Tracy bonanza for fledgling crimestoppers! 2-4-6 and even! Over and out!

Click for a better look

More Art dept Shennanagins dept!

I’ve been framed! John Eaves demonstrates the way to get into pictures!

I got up a little late for me, 6 am. I didn’t go to the gym. Didn’t skip…  just my sixth day off day. Take a deep breath. A weekend off before it get’s busy. Dorth is getting ready to go out, and Beaky is contentedly knitting a piece of twine into a complicated parrot macrome on top of his house. Me, I have 5 giant plastic bins in front of me filled with two decades worth of Trek memories. As I leaf through them, I find that I’m tossing the funny ones into their own pile without thinking about it. Always listen to your body.

Mike Okuda To be Honored by NASA!

 

 

Denise, and her award recipient husband Michael Okuda in Mission Control, during a 2004 visit to the Johnson Space Center.

Michael Okuda has been selected to receive one of NASA’s highest honors; the NASA Exceptional Public Service Medal. “The award is granted only to individuals whose distinguished accomplishments contributed substantially to the NASA mission. The contribution must be so extraordinary that other forms of recognition would be inadequate.” Mike and Denise will be going to the Johnson Space Center next month to the NASA Honor Awards Ceremony. Go Hot dog! GO!

Congratulations Mike! I’m popping my vest buttons!

Drexler’s Tracy – The Sci-Fi 60’s – 023

I Undid It

All threads have been reopened. I never should have closed them!

Sterno Interview

 

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1771416/interview_with_rick_sternbach_senior.html?cat=40

- Thanks to Mike

Apologia

I’m sorry about that movie hangar bay post…  – Doug

Eyecandy 08

Voyager – John Teska

Eyecandy 07

Ee-O Eleven

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Our Friend Bob

Today is the one year anniversary of Bob Justman’s passing. Let’s all take a moment to remember this wonderful guy, and the impact that he has had on our lives. He’s really not gone you know, not as long as we remember.

This weekend I’ll be running an entry on Bob Justman, so in the immortal words of Jim Bronson… Hang in there!

(Thank you Mike!)

Where’s Doug-o?

Hi gang! Apologies, as I have been among the missing for a few days. Gary just got the word that a show we thought was dead is now on the fast track. It’s Ron Moore’s “Virtuality”. It just goes to show you how this business goes. It was dead, dead, dead… now it’s alive, alive, alive… and they want it now, now, now!  So on top of the “BSG” direct to DVD movie, and “Caprica”, we are racing to finish a few additional shots for Virtuality’s July airing. So forgive my absence. I’ll be posting again on Saturday, and picking up some steam after that, although probably not at the rate I was before “Virtuality” rose from the dead. If I missed answering your comments, my appy-polly-logies! I’ll be going over them on Saturday morning. Hope you are all well! – Doug

P.S. – There is no word on a series.

Axanar Freighter

The Axanar Freighter from “Fight or Flight”.

Continuing on our tour of Local Group merchant marine vessels, this John Eaves design.

Eye Candy 06

“Putting In“

From “Center Seat”

Drexler’s Tracy – The Sci-Fi 60’s – 021

Click for a better look

ECS Horizon – Updated!

The ECS Horizon from “Enterprise”.

Eye Candy 04 with it’s DY ships ignited a merchant marine theme this week at the drex files. John designed several for Enterprise including the ECS Horizon, seen above. This model was built by Brandon Macdougall for Eden Effects.

I wish that Enterprise had dealt more with this sort of action, meaning more Earth interest stuff out in the galaxy, as opposed to political intrigue between alien races. In my scenario, the Vulcans take off after First Contact saying, when you’re ready, you will find us… and then they go away.  So we strike out into the Universe on our own, exploring on our own, prospering on our own, evolving on our own, and hoping to find that enigmatic race that visited us on the eve of our becoming. In fact, I would have only had rumors of aliens, and traces of dangerous species out there amongst the stars for at least the first two seasons, including those of a violent, and barbaric race called Klingons. As we enter the third season, an Earth colony is found ritualistically and brutally massacred. Go from there.

Welcome Home Atlantis!

 

This morning at 8:39 am PDT, Space Shuttle Atlantis and her crew returned safely home to Planet Earth from the STS-125 mission to repair and upgrade the incredible Hubble Space Telescope.

STS-125 was the riskiest shuttle flight since the Columbia accident because Atlantis had to match Hubble’s orbit.  Had there been a serious problem with Atlantis, it would have been unable to take refuge at the International Space Station because the difference in the orbits is too great.  In NASA’s judgement, Hubble’s scientific value justified the risk of sending seven astronauts on this mission.  But spaceflight is always a difficult, dangerous business, and the risks were real.

Because of this, NASA kept Space Shuttle Endeavour on the launch pad, ready for launch during most of the STS-125 flight.  The rescue mission was code-named STS-400.  It was the shuttle mission that NASA hoped it would never have to fly.  STS-400 planning flight director Paul Dye asked me to design an unofficial Space Rescue patch for his team.  Like Paul and his team, I’m relieved that this one never had to be used.

Shuttle landing photo from nasa-tv and nasaspaceflight.com.

-Mike

(Below) The greatest gift ever, the Hubble Space Telescope.

And here is the image that went up moments ago on one of the big screens at Mission Control in Houston, courtesy of JSC Ground Control Officer Bill Foster.

Eye Candy 05

“Enterprise Casts Off”

From “Center Seat”

Drexler’s Tracy – The Sci-Fi 60’s – 020

Supersize Those Fries! Buckaroo Banzai!

That Buckaroo project was a whole lotta fun. For a while, it seemed like everyone in the graphics department was a volunteer member of the Banzai Institute! Doug did those great sketches, as well as a bunch of cool CGI renderings of Buckaroo’s new underground headquarters (built in an abandoned missile silo) and World Crime League central. Anthony built a miniature Jet Car. Our friend and colleagues at Foundation Imaging did an amazing CGI demo with glimpses of future adventures of Dr. Banzai. Other friends built some amazing props, including a couple of great oscillation overthrusters and a series of potato-energy guns designed by Doug for Dr. Lizardo.

(Above) John Litgow as Dr. Emilio Lizardo, determined to make the “monkeyboys” pay, and  Buckaroo prepares to drive the famous Jet Car through a mountain.