If you've looked at this week's TV Guide, you might have spotted Star Trek on the cover (on some versions of the cover) in relation to the article "100 Most Unexpected TV Moments." The Original Series episode "The City on the Edge of Forever" is listed as no. 28 on that illustrious list. The explanation reads:

"For Star Trek's Captain Kirk to keep the past from changing, Joan Collins' Edith Keeler must die!"

Aside from that item, William Shatner scored again at no. 76:

"Shatner Sings 'Rocket Man' (January 21, 1978) — We think it's gonna be a long, long time before we forget William Shatner's spoken-word fiasco that crashed on liftoff."

The magazine is referring to a performance during a science-fiction awards show that Shatner hosted. (You can easily find video of that infamous performance by Googling "Shatner Rocket Man.")

The cable channel TV Land will broadcast a five-part special called "The 100 Most Unexpected TV Moments" all this week, starting tonight (Monday, Dec. 5), at 10 p.m. ET/PT (9:00 Central) each night. The Shatner/Rocket Man item should be mentioned in the Tuesday night episode, and "City of the Edge of Forever" will likely be mentioned Thursday night (we don't know if they'll run clips). Check your local listings. For more about this article and TV Land special, visit tvguide.com/moments.

Mercury Astronaut's Ashes to Join Doohan's

Gordon Cooper, one of the original "Mercury 7" astronauts who died last year (related story), will be one of those whose cremated remains will be shot into orbit on the same flight as James Doohan.

Susan Cooper, the astronaut's widow, told MSNBC.com last week that her late husband's ashes will be included in the "Explorers Flight" being launched by Space Services Inc. early next year.

"In life, Gordon would have taken another trip into space ... so I figured, why not now?" Mrs. Cooper said.

Cooper was one of those known to have "The Right Stuff," and piloted the sixth and final flight of the Mercury program — becoming the first American to spend more than 24 hours in space — in 1963. Later he commanded Gemini 5 on an eight-day mission to prove humans could withstand weightlessness long enough for a trip to the Moon. For more about this story, visit this MSNBC.com link. Space Services has set up a memorial Web page for Cooper at Spacehero.net, similar to one already established for Doohan.

The "Explorers Flight," containing the ashes of more than 170 participants, will lift off from Vandenburg Air Force Base in California no earlier than February 2006. A public memorial service will be held for Doohan the day before the launch, once that launch date is precisely determined (related story).

Shannon Cochran in "Private Lives"

Shannon Cochran, who has played several parts in Star Trek including that of "Senator Tal'aura" in "Star Trek Nemesis," will be on stage in New Haven, Connecticut, to perform the Noel Coward comedy "Private Lives." She will play the lead female role, "Amanda Brynne." The show will run from January 11 to February 5, 2006, at the Long Wharf Theatre. For more information visit LongWharf.org.

Besides her "Nemesis" role, Cochran also played "Kalita" in "Preemptive Strike" and "Defiant," and "Lady Sirella" in "You Are Cordially Invited..."

"Where No Man Has Gone Before" Taken from White House Document?

An essay at The Space Review — a site devoted to in-depth commentary regarding space exploration — claims that the last line of William Shatner's famous "Space the final frontier" monologue came from a White House document produced in 1958 to help calm post-Sputnik hysteria.

An excerpt from that Eisenhower-era document reads: "...the compelling urge of man to explore and to discover, the thrust of curiosity that leads men to try to go where no one has gone before." The Space Review article points out that the Star Trek line is slightly more polished, and that "no one" was changed to "no man" in the Original Series and then changed back to "no one" for The Next Generation.

The author cites Gene Roddenberry's ties with the then-thriving Southern California aerospace community as the probable linkage between him and the document. He also conjectures that the Station K-7 model used in "The Trouble With Tribbles" was based on a 1960 proposal from Douglas Aircraft for an extendable space station. The essay can be found at this link at www.thespacereview.com.