Star Trek Rocks Found!

Gorn_1
Okay, you know the episode (whatever it’s called) where Capt. Kirk fights the Gorn?

Thought so.

Well, in this episode they are fighting each other around some very prominent rocks that kind of jut up and to the right.

These rocks appear in *LOTS* of Star Trek episodes. Can’t tell you how many alien worlds these exact same rocks are on.

They also appear in *LOTS* of things besides Star Trek.

Vazrock_1
Last night I was talking to a friend about how I’m having a problem being distracted by continually recognizing the East and West Mitten Buttes from Monument Valley, Utah when I’m watching old John Ford westerns, and I thought about the ubiquitous “Star Trek rocks.”

So I Googled “star trek” and “rocks.”

FOUND THEM!

Vasquezbandit_2
Turns out that they’re called the Vasquez Rocks (named after an outlaw who hid there), and (according to maps.yahoo.com), they’re only two and a half hours from my house.

I SMELL ROAD TRIP!

Author: Jimmy Akin

Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live."

7 thoughts on “Star Trek Rocks Found!”

  1. Please, when you go, we need pictures of you wrestling with someone in a Gorn costume wearing a hockey Jersey with “Boetner” on the back over the big number “00”.

  2. I’m one of those people who absolutely loves the original Star Trek series.
    That’s cool that those rocks are near your house. I think they also appeared in one of Mike Myers’ movies (Wayne’s World?) didn’t they?
    If anyone knows any other movies in which they appeared, please do post.

  3. There was an homage to Star Trek on the Vazquez Rocks in Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey.
    “I totally loogied on the good dead me!”

  4. They actually play a prominent role in the epic and theological Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey. In fact, the great thing about this movie is the very clear allusion to the Star Trek episode. For those of you who have not seen the movie (First, is seriously recommend you do for some good and very clean dumbed down humour…quite hilarious and, in my opinion, Keanu Reeves at his best), a dramatic scene actually filmed at the rocks is immediately preceded by a scene of Bill and Ted watching the very Star Trek episode with an obvious focus on the rocks themselves. Great stuff!

  5. Note to self: be sure to carefully read all other comments before posting a semi-long one seemingly giving new information. Thanks, Bill, for your post. I am just glad someone else appreciates the Bogus Journey as much as I do (or at least remembers it)
    -Dude, if I die, you can have my Iron Maiden Collection
    -But we’re already dead, dude!
    -Oh yeah…then they’re yours…
    -Whoa! Thanks dude!
    Absolutely classic!

  7. I was in charge of landscaping Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey. Funny thing, we were watching a Star Trek episode and someone said “Wouldn’t it be cool if the robots killed them on THAT same rock?”
    Thanks jerk! I was forced to spend hours going through ST archives trying to find that location. Was it worth it? NO! We could have used any rock, and the camera angling for that particular rock was incredibly tricky.

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