Entertainment
Star Trek’s Biggest Actor Hates The Episode That Made Him Famous
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
What was the first episode of Star Trek? That’s actually something of a trick question: not only did The Original Series have an early pilot with (except for Leonard Nimoy) completely different actors, but producers shot episodes in a different order than they were originally shown on television. That first pilot (“The Cage”) would later have some of its footage reused in “The Menagerie” before being released as a separate episode. Meanwhile, “The Man Trap” became the first Star Trek episode that fans saw on television.
It’s a very solid sci-fi adventure featuring one of the ugliest (not to mention creepiest) monsters in genre history. The network carefully selected “The Man Trap” as the first episode to show, and their gambit worked. The new show instantly drew a legion of hardcore fans, and it would eventually become an even bigger cultural phenomenon once it was rediscovered by college students in the ‘70s. Ironically, though, nobody hates the first episode of Star Trek more than its biggest star: William Shatner!
Captain On The Bridge!
In “The Man Trap,” the Enterprise swings by an outpost to administer medical exams to all of the local residents. This is meant to be a routine mission, but things go sideways once Captain Kirk and his crew are assaulted by a shapeshifting monster. It’s hard for them to confirm who the alien is, especially when it can take the form of people like Dr. McCoy’s old flame. Eventually, the monster is revealed in all its horror as a salt vampire, constantly on the hunt for its next meal.
These days, “The Man Trap” is considered a very solid episode of Star Trek. Over on IMDB, it has a rating of 7.2, which is perfectly fair: while this is a decent sci-fi adventure, it’s nowhere near the heights of Original Series bangers like “Balance of Terror” and “City on the Edge of Forever.” However, Star Trek icon William Shatner really hated the episode. In his memoir Star Trek Memories, he noted how he and his fellow stars had already shot several episodes (including “Mudd’s Women” and “Charlie X”) but that the network “chose our absolute worst.” He went on to call it “a dreadful show” and reiterated “one of our worst ever.”
Still Salty About His Star Trek Premiere
It may sound shocking that Star Trek’s biggest star hates the episode that made him famous. However, Shatner may have been persuaded by some of the negative reviews this episode got back when it first premiered. A Variety reviewer dubbed “The Man Trap” a “dreary and confusing” episode, one that proved that this new sci-fi series “won’t work.” TV Guide was similarly negative and included in their mean review that “the sky’s not the limit for this Trek.” Leonard Nimoy agreed with Shatner, admitting in a documentary (which, confusingly, is also named Star Trek Memories) that this was the cast and crew’s least favorite episode compared to others that were already completed.
Fortunately, all’s well that ends well for the intrepid cast: Star Trek: The Original Series helped capture the public imagination in a big way. The show’s loyal audience basically invented the modern fan convention, and they also spearheaded multiple write-in campaigns to keep the show on the air.
Heck, Star Trek even inspired the first fanzines and modern fanfiction tropes, including slash fiction (Kirk/Spock) and the first Mary Sue. As for William Shatner, he became arguably the most famous sci-fi actor in the entire world, so there’s no need for him to be so weirdly salty about “The Man Trap.”
Obviously, being salty is downright dangerous. Do you want alien salt vampires, man? Because this is how you get alien salt vampires!
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Entertainment
Chuck Norris' Insane, R-Rated 80s Action Flick Is Exploitative, Violent, And Awesome
By Robert Scucci
| Published
1985’s Invasion U.S.A. Holy crap, what a movie. Chuck Norris doesn’t kill terrorists. Terrorists kill themselves when they learn that Chuck Norris is coming for them. This movie was made possible by Cannon Films, the studio that also brought us 1987’s Masters of the Universe and 1989’s Cyborg. The latter was famously written in a single weekend by Albert Pyun after Masters of the Universe underperformed, its sequel plans fell apart, and Cannon needed to repurpose expensive sets and props in a last-ditch effort to recoup their losses.
In case you’re wondering what caliber film Invasion U.S.A. is, the above paragraph is all the explanation you need. It was written by Chuck Norris and James Bruner, and directed by Joseph Zito, best known for classic punishers like 1979’s Bloodrage, 1984’s Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, and 1984’s Missing in Action, another powerhouse Chuck Norris vehicle that sits with a 19 percent critical score on Rotten Tomatoes but is revered as a cult classic.
One Lone Badass Against Every Single Terrorist
Chuck Norris is retired CIA Agent Matt Hunter in Invasion U.S.A., and before things truly heat up, he’s totally fine with his quiet life. He rides around on his airboat with his best friend John Eagle (Dehl Berti), wrestles alligators, and rocks a full Canadian tuxedo like it’s standard issue. What Matt Hunter doesn’t know yet is that he’s about to be forced out of retirement when he learns that his old rival Mikhail Rostov (Richard Lynch) is back to his old tricks.
And what are Mikhail Rostov’s old tricks, you ask? It’s a bit convoluted, but here’s what I picked up after watching Invasion U.S.A., not knowing what I was getting into. Rostov, a Soviet terrorist, wants to create civil unrest in the United States. He first leaves his mark by posing as the Coast Guard and murdering a group of Cuban refugees. He then walks into a flop house, shoots a random dude in the dick, and throws a cocaine-addicted woman through a window.
By themselves, these sequences are unintentionally hilarious, but they also establish exactly what kind of menace Rostov is. These incidents are just the tip of the iceberg, because what he plans next is total anarchy. Rostov, haunted by nightmares of Matt Hunter finally delivering brutal justice, decides to assassinate him so he can finally stop looking over his shoulder. He screws it up, misses his target, blows up Hunter’s swamp house, and kills John Eagle in the process. That’s enough to bring Hunter out of retirement so he can make Rostov’s nightmare come true after all.
Rostov and his goons, thinking they’ve eliminated Matt Hunter, show up in suburban neighborhoods with bazookas and start blowing up random houses. They hit a mall with enough explosives to blow the Santa display into the stratosphere. They show up at public spaces and mow down people coming out of church. All of these acts of terror build toward race wars and full societal collapse. Chuck Norris drives around in his truck wearing driving gloves, because he needs to keep his hands fresh for combat.
More Collateral Damage Than You Could Ever Reasonably Count
Everything explodes in Invasion U.S.A. There is a very clear bad guy and good guy here, and Rostov has a very specific, very insane calling card. He shoots multiple people in the crotch as if it’s his signature move. He literally pulls down the waistband, inserts the muzzle, and starts blasting. Right in the family jewels. He does this a lot. It’s a perfect action movie if these are the kinds of thrills you seek. As Matt Hunter gets further into his crusade for justice, he stays stoic, confident, and ready to tell the higher-ups exactly what they need to do to make sure America rebuilds and remains a dominant world power.
It’s all so stupid, but it’s such a great flick to throw on with friends. The rewind-and-laugh-your-ass-off value on this one is off the charts, making it perfect for a group setting. If you want to celebrate one of Cannon’s most insane clunkers from the 80s, you can stream Invasion U.S.A. for free on Tubi as of this writing.
Entertainment
How to watch Atletico Madrid vs. Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey final online for free
TL;DR: Live stream Atletico Madrid vs. Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey final for free on ITVX. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
Atletico Madrid are fresh from beating Barcelona in the quarter-final stage of the Champions League. They’re going to come up against Arsenal in the next round, but first they face off against Real Sociedad in the final of the Copa del Rey.
Atletico Madrid are comfortably above their opponents in La Liga, but Real Sociedad possess the quality to beat any side on their best day. The likes of Mendez and Oyarzabal will likely cause problems for Diego Simeone’s team this weekend.
If you want to watch Atletico Madrid vs. Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey final from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is Atletico Madrid vs. Real Sociedad?
Atletico Madrid vs. Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey final kicks off at 3 p.m. ET on April 18. This fixture takes place at the Estadio de La Cartuja.
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How to watch Atletico Madrid vs. Real Sociedad for free
Atletico Madrid vs. Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey final is available to live stream for free on ITVX.
ITVX is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock ITVX to live stream the Copa del Rey for free from anywhere in the world.
Live stream Atletico Madrid vs. Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey for free by following these simple steps:
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Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
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Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
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Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK
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Visit ITVX
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Watch Atletico Madrid vs. Real Sociedad for free from anywhere in the world
$12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the Copa del Rey without actually spending anything. This obviously isn’t a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Atletico Madrid vs. Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey final before recovering your investment.
What is the best VPN for ITVX?
ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on ITVX, for a number of reasons:
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Servers in 105 countries including the UK
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Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
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Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
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Fast connection speeds free from throttling
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Up to 10 simultaneous connections
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30-day money-back guarantee
A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).
Live stream Atletico Madrid vs. Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey final for free with ExpressVPN.
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