Star Trek fans put on “Arena Gorn Superstar” at local community college

Star Trek fans continue to show their creativity.

Star Trek fans are often inspired by the source material and end up creating some of the most unique and dynamic pieces of art or interactive pieces out there. Dr. Christina Allaback of Umpqua Community College is no different but while some make exact replica computers or full-on ships in their basement, she created a musical.

A Star Trek music called, “Arena Gorn Superstar.”

The Roseburg, Oregon community college put on the play in an outdoor setting on May 21, 2021, and used songs created by fellow Umpqua employee, Jason Herald, who is also the school’s Director of Music. The event debuted at the Umpqua Valley Arts Association outdoor stage.

Allaback spoke with The News-Review about the show and expressed a desire to see her theater troupe embrace their own take on the iconic Star Trek characters.

"I’ve been directing Star Trek plays for about six or seven years now and people want to come in and want to do a William Shatner impression or a Patrick Stewart impression, and I don’t want to do that. I always say this is our interpretation of Star Trek. You want the energy of the character without the impression, because there is something lost from the identity of the actor."

Based on a true Star Trek episode.

As the name of the play suggests, this is a play that centers on the famous Star Trek episode, “Arena” which saw James T. Kirk (William Shatner) fight an alien called a Gorn. The alien was nothing but a rubber suit, and the fight scene was a slow, drawn-out slog, that was so campy that it became one of the franchise’s most iconic moments.

The play is based around that very episode, and even features a rubber Gorn suit that captures the essence of the episode, even if it is slightly different.

Local news station KLCC covered the premiere and posted a snippet of the play. It’s not the best quality sound, but it can be made out just fine. The play may be your cup of tea or not, but what you can’t deny is the creativity and effort that went into making this iconic episode into a stage play.

Star Trek helps fans combine creativity and passion unlike so many other major franchises and this is just another example of what makes the Trek fandom so great.