Star Trek XI discussion [Spoiler]

Count me as another fan who was displeased with the new movie. I won't expand on comments because I think most of my problemas with the movie have been cited along this thread: bad plot, stylistic decisions, acting etc. Just to position me in the fan country, I'm a fan of TOS, TNG (my favorite) and DS9. I didn't care for Voyager and positively disliked Enterprise.

As for backing up the new franchise, even though I disliked the new movie, I can't say I agree. I can only things I like. I don't have an unconditional love for things Trek, so I don't feel like I should help maintain a vision I don't connect with. And I don't really feel we, a sfans, need it. Star Trek had its time and as TV shows go, it had an incredible longevity. How many shows can say they have 5 seriers under their belts? Maybe Law & Order (not five, but it comes close). ;)

Tchau!

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Originally Posted by Fred

Maybe Law & Order (not five, but it comes close). ;)

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Actually (read: hilariously), the L&O franchise can count The Wire, Homicide: Life on the Street, The X-Files and therefore Millienium and The Lone Gunmen as well as co-continuities, beating out Star Trek by... seven.

Blame Richard Belzer : P

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Originally Posted by mechascorpio

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To paraphrase the words of another, we are now all children of two worlds, and fully capable of deciding our own destiny. The question we face is which path will we choose? :)

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You presented a lot of very valid points (including the fact concerning the liveness of this board: I probably posted more this week than the entire last year - that, and I heard people in the street talking about Star Trek, and that never happens in France), and I appreciate your positive thinking.
Right now, I'd love to see you right when you predict that the entire franchise will benefit from this renewal of interest.
What I fear is that "old" Trek (that is, TNG, DS9, VOY, ENT - TOS is probably certain to gain viewers as people will want to see some Kirk action while waiting for the next movie) will suffer the same fate as the original BattleStar Galactica series. I have not been following closely (and did not watch BSG), but it seems to me now that few people have heard of the original series, and if so only as a thing of the past. Right now, I see the same thing happening to post-TOS Trek in the near future.
And of course, while I can still imagine that "old" Trek still exists somewhere (the same way I edited some movies or episodes from my personal continuity), if there is absolutely nothing to back it up save a few antique toys and a handful of books, it's not much more than a fanboy fantasy.

Only time will tell us who's right. I dearly hope you are. :)

There is a huge difference between BG and Star Trek, the old BG only had a season's worth of episodes. Star Trek will survive on in syndication, as it has since the beginning, for many decades. I am positive that some people who enjoy this new Trek will check out the old Trek and it will soldier on into the future. Personally, I don't think there will be a new TV series with the reboot. I think Paramount knows that the success of the movies requires there to be only the movies. So just is sheer quantity of hours of entertainment, old Trek will dominate the new franchise probably indefinitely.

I tend to agree that the new film and likely film series will not have much an impact on the perception of past Treks. The old Bond movies aren't forgotten nor are the pre-Batman Begins Bat-films (although the later ones get the scorn they probably deserve).

I also doubt there will be a new TV show based on this - which is probably a pity, because a lot of the issues people have with the reboot are really issues better handled on a weekly television series. What I'd really love to see is more of the British television or American cable series concept of seasons of like 10-12 episodes. Really get some high quality stories, good budget, no filler, no weekly grind.

and if they do do a series, say on Sci-Fi or Spike (Who use to have the syndication license before SciFi (oh wait what is it called now? Syfy?)) maybe it could be about another ship. That would be a background to the Enterprise. But it can't be the Farragut, they blew her up as part of the armada.

I was talking about the movie with a friend of mine at work, and we came up with something that I think might have been missed on this board; if it hasn't, I apologize.

While this movie does not capture the "spirit of Utopia" that has been built up around the Trek Franchise, it does do a great job of capturing the spirit of TOS.
The orginal show was about larger than life heroes swashbuckling their way across the stars, getting in big bar fights, blowing up alien supercomputers, and seducing the alien slave girl.

Yes, this movie is lacking in the moral lesson that we got from most TOS eps., although maybe "be true to yourself" is the lesson? And there are some omissions and alterations that aren't quite like the original show. And we sorta revert back to the "Guys rule; girls get to the back!" male-centric themes from the 60's. But all in all, this show is more like TOS than TNG.

Liveblogging the viewing:

# Everyone talks moviespeak. "It's the only way!"

# "Citizen?" Can't they tell who he is? He's carrying a cell phone, can't they scan it and determine who he is?

# These kid actors needed a few more rehearsals.

# Man, everyone's so serious. THIS IS IMPORTANT. WE ARE FILMING BACKSTORY.

# Dude it's yakface from DS9. Or is it a Klingon? He's got head ridges. I think this alien fails the squint text.

# Is there a scriptwriting school where they give you a book with cliché dialogue to get you from plot point without having to make the audience pay attention? Protagonist makes pass, mentions name, sex interest deflects with farm sex joke indicating cosmopolitan attitude, barfight begins, protagonist punched, mentor appears and gives advice, protagonist acts like he's not interested, follows it anyway. LEVEL CLEARED. SAVE Y/N?

# Apparently Starfleet's admission requirements are as follows:

1. Can you find a shuttle.

Yes? YOU ARE IN. HERE'S A SPACESHIP.
# I like how patient these guys are. It's not like they could show up at Romulus and say "Hi, we have a supership from the future, let's conquer the galaxy." No, let's wait around punching Klingons for 25 years.

# "Tracking solar systems"?

# It'd be nice if they chose someone with a pretty voice for Uhura.

# What's wrong with the Farragut? Don't like bad weather?

# Hey they filmed this in Toronto too! Oh wait that's just San Fransisco Brutalized.

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Originally Posted by The Tatterdemalion King

Liveblogging the viewing:

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How d'you do that?

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Originally Posted by The Tatterdemalion King

Liveblogging the viewing:
# It'd be nice if they chose someone with a pretty voice for Uhura.

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Hey nothing bad about Uhura, I've got my approaching-middle-age geek crush on her. (How scary is it I was still in my 20s when I joined this site ten years ago.)

I was trying to remember where I'd see Zoë Saldana before. Imdb reminded me she actually played a Trekkie in "The Terminal".

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Originally Posted by The Tatterdemalion King

# It'd be nice if they chose someone with a pretty voice for Uhura.

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Er...they did. I think Zoe Saldana's voice is gorgeous. Your lack of taste is your issue, dude.

# Cue the stargate theme! Hey, it's the Enterprise.

# How can they walk around this set without shades?

# Nice kitbashing job, CGI dudes.

# "Jump to hyperspace!" Look, guys, Star Wars is not a universal language. Are their sensors broke?

# AUGH WHY IS THERE A ZOMBIE BURN VICTIM ON THE BRIDGE

# Did everyone just die? Why are they on the bridge?

# Okay, I know we're all tired of technobabble, but "lightning storm in space?"

# I'm probably one of the few people on this planet who gets teary when I see someone with swollen hands.

# NOOO YOU'RE DESTROYING SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

# How'd they know the Narada was Romulan?

# "Hi Chris, I'm Nee-Ro!" Distinguished pronunciation fail.

# Um... you know, I actually think the makeup on this show is worse than usual for Trek. The Romulans don't really look sinister, they look kind of... Neanderthoid.

# Nonsensical callback!

# This movie feels short.

# I like the shuttle controls.

# This movie is aping BSG effects style without BSG's well-practiced effects direction.

# They're kind of inconsistent with the sound-in-space thing.

# Why do they have chutes instead of antigravity pods or something? Or space-bikes! They could space bike down to the platform!

# I'm no rock climber, but fighting at that altitude should tire you out pretty fast.

# Starfleet vs. Romulan Pirates of the Neutral Zone

# We must protect... Our Cultural History! Isn't that like Parliament hiding in the Museum of Civilisation?

# Way to suck, Starfleet.

# Meditating around a fire is not a logical reaction to this crisis.

# Vulcan can support 6 billion people? I'm assuming that means they have a few arcologies around somewhere.

# Subspace frequencies can help... why?

# This movie should probably have started with Romulus blowing up.

# Nero, Khannabe. He's got his own brainworms, his own superweapon, his own lackey, his own sob story. Seriously, guys, Khan was Khan. You did it already.

# Spock... is a crazy old man living in a cave. Do TOS characters have to come to such pathetic ends?

# Why is Spock piloting a ship? Don't they have... pilots?

# No technobabble is not an excuse to not think things through. For example: Delta Vega is Vulcan's moon?

# Do any of these actors have a theatre background?

# This is hell, and there are midgets.

Okay I'm done for now... I'll pick it up at 1:21:30 later.

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Originally Posted by Cut

How d'you do that?

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Talking about the details is against board rules, last I checked.

I thought the new film was very good & very much like the old Star Trek formula. I still think Wrath of Khan is the best ST film but this is one at least #3 for me.

It's really a re-imagining of Star Trek just like the new BSG re-imagined the old BSG.

But what still made it Star Trek is that at its core, the movie is about friendship & loyalty between Kirk, Spock & McCoy as well as the other main crew members.

The way I see it, the story in the new Star Trek film doesn't change the old stories or canon from TOS. Instead, it's created an alternate timeline or alternate Star Trek universe. This way, future movies or TV series are free to create new stories w/o being restricted by the canon from previous films or series. It's really a whole new Star Trek universe to explore.

I must say the audience in the theater I saw it seemed to enjoy it immensely as well.

I think it's doing well enough in the box office for Paramount to do a sequel. I wonder if it will give impetus to a new Star Trek series as well?

Check this out

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1910892