Last night, an African-American man made television history!  Sure, Barack has got our future in his very capable hands, but Will.i.am transported us straight into “Star Trek” territory! That’s right, the beat box behind the Black Eyed Peas, who also made the very viral “Yes We Can” video, was teleported into the CNN studio from Grant Park in Chicago. At a such a crucial time in our history, Anderson Cooper united nerds across this great land by saying, “Let’s see if we can beam him in.” Then, right there, before our very eyes, the first man ever in hologram, FOR REAL, on national television! 

Okay, so Will.i.am got it a little mixed up and said he felt like he was in “Star Wars.”  But, Cooper quickly corrected him that, much like cell phones, it was in fact The Trek that was responsible for this kind of totally awesome technology! [FYI, “Star Wars” had pre-recorded hologram messages (“Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.”) but could not beam people anywhere, though that sure would have come in handy.] Sigh, we love the Coop!

Simcha and Amelia have not kept their love for “Star Trek” a secret on this blog. That’s why they were the perfect people to review the casting for the upcoming “Star Trek” prequel feature film, in which the main characters have been recast with younger, shinier new actors. Do they approve? Find out, after the jump…

“Star Trek”‘s Captain James T. Kirk was my first crush. When I was five—and clearly part of a super nerdy family—my dad used to make up stories for me before bed. I was always an Ensign on the Enterprise (with a sweet beehive, natch) in the tales and Kirk was, like, the beautiful, blond, manly hero. Anyway, Simcha and I are going to give our cool nerdy take on the new “Star Trek” movie casting shortly, but in the meantime, check out Captain Kirk’s Guide To Women. The guy did bag a new alien slave girl in every episode.

Men have many options when it comes to showing some skin this summer: board shorts, classic speedos, spandex hot pants, banana hammocks, and now the mankini. While Borat and John Mayer have made the mankini a laughing stock in lime green, at the recent Alexander McQueen menswear show in Milan, the tan and black is so cutting edge it looks like the future, like something one of the guys on Star Trek would wear.  Maybe not Captain Jean-Luc Piccard, he’s totally a sporty shorty kinda guy.  However, a guy like Geordi LaForge would definitely make the mankini swoon. But is this look realistically rockable for the modern mman?  [Wake Up America]

Star Trek nerds (Me! Simcha!) rejoice—GeekSugar discovered that the “Star Trek Experience” attraction at the Hilton in Las Vegas offers not one, not two, but five Star Trek-themed wedding packages for geeky visitors wishing to have a Jean-Luc Picard lookalike conduct their ceremony. And, depending on the package, up to four other Star Trek characters will be in attendance. Do you think that instead of saying “I Do” you’re supposed to say “Aye, Aye Sir” instead? [Star Trek Experience]

Science Fiction is full of freaks, but the heroes make us want to get freaky. From spandex spacesuits to alien armor, just looking at these guys makes us sweat.  So, in honor of the gentlemen that fend off evildoers and fulfill our fantasies, here’s The Frisky’s Top Five Space Studs of Sci-Fi.

5. Sam Jones as Flash Gordon The bleach blond muscle-bound babe was tough enough to play professional football and fight off intergalactic bad guys.  He was an eyeful in spandex on screen, but if you want to see Flash in the flesh, check out his nsfw Playgirl pictorial from ‘75.  We’re pretty sure the “Flash! O-oh!” lyric from the theme song came after Freddie Mercury saw this spread.

Ever wanted to run your hands all over Captain Kirk?  Well, you’re not the only perverted geek. Artist Devorah Sperber has strung along Spock, McCoy, Kirk, Sulu, and even Uhura. She nailed them all by being crafty and recreated scenes from a vintage Star Trek episode in bead and spool curtains.  The pieces are as colorful as the late sixties and as awesome as the space explorer hunks themselves. Sperber, inspired by reruns on Spike TV, has elevated fan art to high art. Perhaps, our Amelia can get her Next Gen “I heart Wesley Crusher” notebook doodles in a gallery too? [Wired and Caren Golden Fine Art]

Previously: Celebrity Crushes: Didn’t Everyone Have One?