Trivia Vortex

I was never much of a Trekkie. At least I was never enough of a Trekkie to care if I was called a "Trekkie" or a "Trekker". That distinction would be left for those who cared enough to go to a convention or two. I did pay to hear William Shatner recite poetry and beg off showing the infamous blooper reel for two hours before finally "caving in to his fans' wishes". Then there are those who can name the three different characters Mark Lenard played in the series and in the movies. I had to look them up. There are a number of episodes that I know the name of, but I could never count them off in any kind of order. The exception to this rule would be "The Menagerie", also known as the original pilot for the show.
Did I mention what show? Perhaps I presume too much. I am referencing "Star Trek": beam me up, warp speed, the final frontier and all that. I was a tad too young to revel in the voyages of the Starship Enterprise on its first go-round, but I more than made the most of repeated viewings in syndication. It was, I suspect, what gave me a taste for multiple viewings of the "Star Wars" saga. I am sure that the first time I saw "The Menagerie" I was still quite young, since it sticks with me today as a creepy memory. More to the point, the scarred and crippled body of Captain Christopher Pike rolling around with his little blinking lights gave me nightmares.
And now the moment I've been waiting for: Be honest, how many of you are sitting there with furrowed brows, wondering who this Christopher Pike fellow is? It's my "go-to" Star Trek trivia. Captain Pike is played by none other than Jeffery Hunter, the man who played "the man", Jesus Christ in "King of Kings". I leave it to you to decide which part was more seminal in our culture.
Now Hollywood is getting ready to "re-boot" the Star Trek franchise. We are about to be treated to the origin stories of starfleet cadets James T. Kirk and all his crew. The casting for these iconic roles has been the subject of great Trekkish discussion, but I'm saving my furor for Bruce Greenwood as (you guessed right) Captain Christopher Pike. I'm not sure if it was his work as the distraught father in "Firehouse Dog" that got director J.J. Abrams interested, but the fact that this little slice of Trekktriv will now become big-time pop culture news means I've got to start watching more Sci-Fi Network or stock up on my quadro-triticale.