Vasquez Rocks...Captain Kirk and the Gorn, 13 November 2010

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Vasquez Rocks, Agua Dulce, with large rock formations so fantastic that it's been featured in numerous "Star Trek" episodes.

Occasionally dubbed "Kirk's Rock", an episode of "Star Trek" called "Arena" featured what must be one of the worst fight sequences ever committed to film.  Truly, Vasquez Rocks Captain Kirk and the Gorn. The crew returned to film numerous shows and movies in this Southern California location.

Screen capture by Jörg.


These rock formations were formed by violent earthquakes along the San Andreas Fault.  However, that doesn't seem to alarm this person reading a book.

Captain Kirk ensnared in a clever trap by the man in a rubber lizard suit, Vasquez Rocks.

Screen Capture from Fortress Takes.


Another view of the most prominent rock formation, with this man paying an extended tribute to the Tataviam Indians, who inhabited these sacred grounds years ago, long before the Metrons landed here.

Did Captain Kirk know that Vasquez Rocks may be the only park named after a captured bandit?  It's true...Tiburcio Vásquez - one of California's most notorious bandits, considered a sort of "Mexican Robin Hood" by some, hid out in these rocks and caves to elude capture by law enforcement.

Screen capture from SCVTalk.com 2.0. 


Tiburcio Vásquez may have never encountered a slow-motion Gorn, but he did encounter plenty of California law enforcement.

"Pardon me...have you seen a little man wearing a tan shirt and black pants?"

Screen capture by Jörg.


A busload of people from Long Beach appeared and scurried up "Kirk's Rock".  They, however, found no perfectly round paper-mâché boulders to chuck at unsuspecting lizard-people.

Now, I've been focusing on the Gorn episode of "Star Trek".  But there were other episodes of "Star Trek" filmed here, including one involving shore leave, in which the crew of the Enterprise beamed down to an amusement planet, where Kirk thought of his past, and his old nemesis Finnegan.

Who was Finnegan?  Finnegan was the name of an older classmate at Starfleet Academy who tormented James T. Kirk.  A complete jokester, Finnegan played jokes on the then rather
"grim" Cadet Kirk.

Screen capture by Jörg.


A hawk soars over Vasquez Rocks, located in Agua Dulce, a small community of mostly large horse ranches located north of Los Angeles.

Sarek, Spock's pappy, and Amanda, played by Winona Ryder, bond on what is presumably the planet of Vulcan, with Vasquez Rocks in the background, albeit greatly CGI-enhanced (copy, paste, copy, paste!).

Screen capture from SCVTalk.com 2.0. 


 

Captain Kirk squares off with a guy in a rubber lizard suit.

Screen Capture from Vasquez Rocks blog.


Arrrrrrr.  Arrrrrr.

Screen capture from Trekmovie.com


Arrrrr.  Arrrrr.  Gus Lozada battles the Gorn.  These M-Audio guys don't mess around.

Creative Photoshop by Bill Plummer.


Vasquez Rocks, November 2010

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