Remembering Walter Koenig (1936-2026) and Patrick Stewart (1940-2026)

 

Us Trekkies have lost two of our favorites this week.  Walter Koenig and Patrick Stewart have passed away.

Walter Koenig, born September 14, 1936 in Chicago, Illinois, began acting in 1962 on Combat! in an uncredited role. He was cast as Anton Chekov on Star Trek (the original series) in 1967 due to his resemblance to Davey Jones of the Monkees.  The producers of Star Trek wanted to attract a younger, feminine crowd.  He reprised his role as Chekov in the Star Trek movies, video games, and the many new Star Trek television programs.  He appeared as a PsiCorp instructor on Babylon 5.  

He passed away October 15, 2026 from natural causes.

Sir Patrick Stewart, born July 13, 1940 in Yorkshire, England, began acting in 1964 when he appeared on the television show Story Parade.  He was cast as Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987. He reprised his role as Picard in the movie versions of the Next Generation.  Stewart appeared in the X-Men movies as Professor Charles Xavier.  

Sir Patrick has been nominated for four Primetime Emmys and eight Saturn Awards, winning five.  He won Best Genre Actor for Star Trek: TNG in 1990, Best Supporting Actor for Logan in 2018, and Best Actor in a television series Star Trek: Picard in 2021 and 2024. He won the Lifetime Achievment Award in 2024 with the rest of the TNG cast.

He died October 28, 2026 from dementia. 

Billy Joel says that brain surgery helped

Billy Joel has undergone brain surgery for normal pressure hydrocephalus, a buildup of fluid in the skull.  He was originally very reluctant when doctors said they wanted to drill into his brain, but reconsidered when he realized it could improve balance and memory.  Joel said that the surgery has "actually improved things". 

He still doesn't know when or if he'll return to performing, but he says "I'm not going anywhere. I'm here. I'm still here."

Billy Joel update 

"Battlestar Galactica" "The Incredible Hulk" win Primetime Emmys 1979

Battlestar Galactica and The Incredible Hulk both won Primetime Emmys at the 31st annual ceremony September 9, 1979.

Battlestar Galactica won for Outstanding Costume Design for a Series and Outstanding Individual Achievement-Creative Technical Crafts. The series was also nominated for Outstanding Art Direction for a series but lost to Little Women.

Mariette Hartley won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Series for her performance in The Incredible Hulk. Amazing that one of the top awards was given to a science fiction show!

Backstairs at the White House was nominated for a whopping eleven Primetime Emmys, but only won for Outstanding Achievement in Makeup.

Venera 11 launched 1978

 

Venera ll, an unmanned Soviet spaceship, blasted off September 9, 1978.  It traveled about 3 1/2 months to Venus and ejected the lander.  The lander entered the Venusian atmosphere on December 25, 1978. It transmitted data for 95 minutes until the flight platform moved out of range.

The flight platform continued on and settled into a heliocentric orbit, detecting solar winds and gamma ray bursts.  Its mission ended February 1, 1980.

Venera 11 lands on Venus

Remembering Dolly Parton (1946-2026)

 

Dolly Parton, one of the most iconic and beloved people in the history of the world, has passed away. So far, a cause of death has not been given.

I am very heartbroken about this because I've admired her for so long.  I remember watching her on the Porter Wagoner Show in the late sixties, so there really isn't a time in my life when she was not some part of it.

She was always humble and kind.

A Message from the family of Dolly Parton

"Sunset Boulevard" premieres 1950

 

Billy Wilder's classic film noir Sunset Boulevard premiered in New York City, August 10, 1950. It starred Gloria Swanson (Norma Desmond), William Holden, Jack Webb, and cameos from Buster Keaton, Hedda Hopper, and Cecil B. DeMille.

It was nominated for a whopping eleven Oscars and won three.  Best Writing, Story and Screenplay, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black and White, and Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture.  Gloria Swanson and William Holden were nominated for Best Actress and Best Actor, respectively. 

It got seven Golden Globe nominations and won four: Best Motion Picture, Best Director for Wilder, Best Actress for Gloria Swanson, and Best Original Score.

Sunset Boulevard trailer

"Sharknado 5: Global Swarming" premieres 2017

Sharknado 5:Global Swarming, he fifth installment of the crazy, popular Syfy Sharknado series, premiered on August 6, 2017.  In this chapter, the sharknados are occurring across the globe, so Fin and his crew travel all over the world to save it.

Ian Ziering and Tara Reid reprise their roles from the previous four films. It starred Nichelle Nichols, Bret Michaels, Olivia Newton-John, Greg Louganis, Fabio, Al Roker, Kathy Lee Gifford, and Dolph Lundgren.

Sharknado 5 trailer