UPN announced today that it will change its previously announced Friday night lineup for the upcoming 2004-2005 season. Star Trek: Enterprise will now air Fridays from 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET/PT (7:00 Central), instead of the 9:00 slot previously announced. The 9:00 slot will be filled by America's Next Top Model.

The move to the new timeslot will actually take place in advance of the launch of the fourth season. Third-season repeats — those remaining — will begin airing Fridays at 8:00 beginning August 6.

Fall premiere dates for Enterprise and all other UPN shows will be announced at a later time.

Star Trek at Comic-Con 2004

Comic-Con 2004 is approaching, and comic book, science fiction and fantasy enthusiasts from all over the world are converging on San Diego for the massive annual convention. Taking place July 22-25, Comic-Con features dozens of panels, events, demonstrations and presentations ranging from obscure comic specialties to big Hollywood studio unveilings, and includes offerings for Star Trek fans as well.

On Friday, the 23rd, a panel entitled "The Future of Star Trek Publishing" will feature best-selling Trek authors and Pocket Books editors discussing the future of the franchise in novels, e-books and comic books. Authors scheduled to attend include Keith R. A. DeCandido, Andy Mangels and Peter David.

Later that day is the "Klingons Lifestyle Presentation" in which the "crew" of the IKV Stranglehold return with their latest "mission." Experience their latest ongoing voyage of life aboard a Klingon vessel.

On Saturday is the panel "Writing and Pitching Star Trek" with tips on what it takes to develop a story for Star Trek or for Star Trek publishing with author DeCandido along with scripters Jimmy Diggs, Jack Trevino, and Harry "Doc" Kloor (freelance writers for Voyager and DS9); and Steve Fratt and Dr. Joseph D. Di Lella (veteran Trek pitchers).

On Sunday is a presentation for the horror film "Creature Unknown" featuring the cast which includes Chase Masterson (DS9's "Leeta"), and another presentation for the TV show Wonderfalls where unaired episodes will be presented by former Voyager writer Bryan Fuller, who served as a writer and executive producer on the critically acclaimed yet cancelled series. Masterson will also be there on Thursday for a panel on independent film production and distribution.

Comic-Con will be held at the San Diego Convention Center. For ticket information and a complete lineup of the staggeringly large event, visit their site at www.comic-con.org.

The 4400 Shatters Cable Record

The newest cable TV show written and produced by Star Trek alumni has shattered the record for basic cable's most-watched series premiere. The 4400 launched last Sunday, July 11, drawing an astounding 7.4 million total viewers, beating previous record holder The Dead Zone by a million, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The limited series boasts Rene Echevarria and Ira Steven Behr, former writer/producers on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, as Executive Producers, with DS9 and TNG writer Robert Hewitt Wolfe also on the creative team. The two-hour premiere of The 4400 will repeat on USA Network several times this week (check your local listings), then four more episodes will air on subsequent Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. The title refers to a group of alien abductees who are returned to Earth and find they have special powers (related story).

German Trek Parody "First Democratically Elected Feature Film"

A new movie premiering in Germany on July 22 definitely applies a Queer Eye to the Final Frontier guy. But what makes "Spaceship Surprise – Period 1" especially unique is that it may well be the world's first democratically elected feature film. According to a story in The Hollywood Reporter, Michael "Bully" Herbig, the host of popular German TV comedy show Bully Parade, asked his fans to choose the movie they'd like him to make next (his last was Germany's biggest box office hit ever). Hands down the winner was his proposed Star Trek takeoff. The characters in the film have names such as Kapt'n Kork, Mr. Spuck and Schrotty and "is predicated largely on such things as their preoccupation with rehearsing a hula dance for the Miss Waikiki contest, or their tendency to wear unauthorized personal articles while in uniform — like iron chastity belts." The full story can be found at this hollywoodreporter.com link.

Shatner at SpaceShipOne Launch

Three weeks ago we noted the historic flight of SpaceShipOne, the first privately funded manned craft to reach space, on June 21 (related story). We recently learned that Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner, was in attendance at the groundbreaking event in the Mojave Desert. Shatner was the guest of Dr. Peter H. Diamandis, founder and chairman of the X PRIZE Foundation (see picture on left). The "Ansari X Prize" is the $10 million award that the SpaceShipOne team is competing for, along with 26 other teams from seven nations. The cash prize will go to the first team that launches a privately funded spaceship able to carry three people to the edge of space (100 kilometers or 62.5 miles) and return safely to Earth, then repeats the launch with the same ship within two weeks. The June 21 flight that Shatner observed was a test mission, a step toward future flights that will actually qualify for the X PRIZE.

Eugene W. Roddenberry Jr., son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, recently became a member of the X PRIZE Advisory Committee, stating on www.xprize.org that "the ANSARI X PRIZE represents the vision and spirit of exploration embodied in Star Trek."

Celebrity Watch

Andy Dick ("Message in a Bottle") stars in The Assistant, a spoof of the reality TV genre which premiered on MTV this week. It airs Mondays at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT, repeating throughout the week. "The gag here is that Dick must weed through a dozen twenty-something contestants who hope to be his protégé, or whatever it is you'd call an assistant to this guy," states a Hollywood Reporter review. It describes the show as The Apprentice meets The Twilight Zone.

Michael McKean ("The Thaw") has gone drag and taken over Harvey Fierstein's part in "Hairspray," playing at the Neil Simon Theatre in New York. McKean plays Edna Turnblad, the very large and over-protective mother of the play's main character.

Ashley Judd ("Darmok," "The Game") was interviewed by CNN Entertainment regarding her current film, "De-Lovely." That interview can be found this CNN.com link.