# Star Treck Commercials **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 16, 2007, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-treck-commercials/388199 "2007-01-16T16:05:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![spifflog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@spifflog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spifflog)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2007, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-treck-commercials/388199/1 "2007-01-16T16:05:30Z")
What is the deal with commercials featuring Star Trek clips or songs? There is a commercial with Shatner and Nimoy using a Star Trek movie clip, and a Hummer add using the TOS theme song. I can’t ever remember seeing this ever before. Does anyone know why that is now? Ms. Barrett a little short on cash after the holidays or something?? ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2007, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-treck-commercials/388199/2 "2007-01-16T16:26:04Z")
You’re talking about the Direct TV ad with Shatner adding new lines to clips from one of the movies, right? Those are showing up everywhere, and not just using Start Trek characters. The one with Verne Trower as Mini Me comes to mind, as does Christopher Lloyd doing his Doc Brown in _Back To The Future_\*. I would have to say Direct TV is trying to hit the boomer demographic by using familiar characters and movies. As for the Hummer commercial, would the Roddeenberry estate get that money? Who owns the rights to it, them, the writer or Paramount? I remember seeing Nimoy and one of his daughters selling a minivan in the '80s or '90s. They used Start Trrek music in that as too. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2007, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-treck-commercials/388199/3 "2007-01-17T03:07:47Z")
[QUOTE=Sean Factotum] As for the Hummer commercial, would the Roddeenberry estate get that money? Who owns the rights to it, them, the writer or Paramount? [/QUOTE] Paramount owned the rights to all Star Trek properties until CBS’s recent split from Viacom. The new CBS company now owns all rights to all Paramount television properties. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2007, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-treck-commercials/388199/4 "2007-01-17T04:19:27Z")
[QUOTE=spifflog] What is the deal with commercials featuring Star Trek clips or songs? There is a commercial with Shatner and Nimoy using a Star Trek movie clip, and a Hummer add using the TOS theme song. I can’t ever remember seeing this ever before. Does anyone know why that is now? Ms. Barrett a little short on cash after the holidays or something?? [/QUOTE] What really drives me nuts is in that Hummer commerical, the first half is the opening to ST:TNG while the second half is from somewhere in the middle of the opening to ST:TOS. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2007, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-treck-commercials/388199/5 "2007-01-17T04:30:35Z")
Then again, I could be wrong. There’s been so many freaking Star Trek series and I’ve never watched much of any of them. Actually, I think I mixed myself up. It’s the _DirectTV_ commerical that has the ST:TNG music after the Star Trek VI clip. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-treck-commercials/388199/6 "2007-01-18T04:27:45Z")
[QUOTE=asterion] Actually, I think I mixed myself up. It’s the _DirectTV_ commerical that has the ST:TNG music after the Star Trek VI clip. [/QUOTE] The theme song for _The Next Generation_ was originally written for _Star Trek: The Motion Picture_, so the use of the song with Captain Kirk is appropriate even though the song is more generally associated with Picard. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2007, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-treck-commercials/388199/7 "2007-01-18T04:49:42Z")
[QUOTE=mobo85] The theme song for _The Next Generation_ was originally written for _Star Trek: The Motion Picture_, so the use of the song with Captain Kirk is appropriate even though the song is more generally associated with Picard. [/QUOTE] Ah. I never liked that movie.