Airlock Alpha already has a series of popular columns such as Emotional Resonance & Rocket Launchers with Scott Nance, Wayne's Worlds with Wayne Hall, and SciFriday with Michael Hinman. But the SyUniverse Group Inc.-owned science-fiction news Web site will expand its original content even more with a new column focused on the seemingly never-ending universe of Star Trek.

Brian Meskimen, who nearly a decade ago ran one of the first major online Star Trek newsletters -- the Star Trek Galactic Newsletter -- is returning to the franchise to write a new bi-weekly column called "The Trek Within."

"Airlock Alpha has always been known as an aggregator of genre news from all corners of the Earth, but we have been growing as an original content provider with interviews and columns which not only get people talking, but gets them thinking as well," said Michael Hinman, Airlock Alpha's site coordinator and head of The SyUniverse Group Inc. "Brian has been a good friend to me and to Airlock Alpha almost since the beginning back in 1998, and I'm honored to have him here with us on this project."

The new column, which debuts Wednesday, is called "The Trek Within," and will take a focus on Star Trek and how it relates to this day and age. It's been nearly two years since the last Star Trek television series went on the air, but the franchise continues to live with a new movie planned by director J.J. Abrams.

The column will appear every other Wednesday on Airlock Alpha, but also will be published at Roddenberry.com, the official Web site for the family of Gene Roddenberry, the late creator of Star Trek. Roddenberry's son, Eugene W. Roddenberry Jr., operates the site as well as several other projects including Roddenberry Productions.

"This unique news column brings the real-life influences of Star Trek to the forefront of readers' minds on an ongoing basis," said Trevor Roth, chief operating officer of Roddenberry Productions. "We are more than happy to be a part of any endeavor with such a goal."

As an added bonus to bring people from Airlock Alpha to Roddenberry.com -- where fans can buy replicas of many of the props and other memorabilia from the universe of Star Trek -- site coordinator Michael Hinman -- who already writes the popular weekly column SciFriday -- will offer an additional column continuing whatever theme Meskimen has written about. This added content will not be featured on Airlock Alpha, but on Roddenberry.com only.

"I create enough controversy here at Airlock Alpha anyway, so why not see what I have to say over at Roddenberry.com?" Hinman said.

Meskimen lives in rural Minnesota, and while still in middle school, founded the Star Trek Galactic Newsletter which lasted several years and had a subscriber base of thousands. He is currently a student at the University of Minnesota finishing up his studies in political science and social justice concentrating on specific interests of poverty, human rights, and social/systems change.

"It's a thrill to be starting this new column," Meskimen said. "I've been involved with Airlock Alpha on some level almost since its inception in 1998, but am glad to be taking on a more public role with 'The Trek Within.'

"Star Trek has been a part of my life for almost as long as I can remember and the ideas and values behind it have helped to shape me into who I am today. That is why it is such an honor to have the Roddenberry family supporting this column by placing it on Roddenberry.com. For a Star Trek fan, it is almost surreal."

Airlock Alpha, which was founded Aug. 13, 1998 as Syfyman's World, will begin voting on its annual SyFy Genre Awards in June, and later this year, will begin its "10 Years of SyFy" celebration. The SyUniverse Group also is operating a new site beginning in June focusing on horror entertainment news called Rabid Doll.