You know…just when I thought that it was finally all just calming down and the new Star Trek movie was going to settle in and letting ourselves concentrate on watching the rest of the unviewed Trek tales we have on DVD…crap like this makes its way across my laptop screen…
http://trekmovie.com/2009/05/30/saldana-talks-sequel-star-trek-crosses-200m-domestic/
Here's the original source:
www.jonathancrocker.com/2009/05/29/1538/
Ms. Saldana, it seems, is being interviewed to talk about rumors for the inevitable sequels that Paramount, JJ & gang have planned. But what's the focus of Ms. Saldana's interview?
Who her character will be sleeping with next…
Sigh.
Pascale chose a few juicy tidbits from Crocker's article and used them for the TrekMovie.com article – just to give his "readers" some things to froth about – "Could Spock be getting the shove???" the picture asks.
*headdesk*
When did TrekMovie.com turn into Tiger Beat Magazine?
There were no questions about Uhura's strength of character. (Well, really – I guess it is difficult to come up with a question about a supposedly rich character when really all she did was use a foul mouth, strip to bra and panties, sleep with her professor – use ….okay I'll stop…)
Ms. Saldana was quoted as saying that Abrams creates amazing roles for women (frankly I have yet to see how Uhura is an amazing character, but I'll leave that here for the moment) and agreed with Mr. Crocker's interpretation that Abrams didn't "fear" putting her in a mini-skirt.
This? This is an intelligent interview?
*rolleyes*
Pardon me…what phloxing Hollywood producer FEARS putting a gorgeous woman in a mini-skirt? Only suckers think JJ's being brave here.
This had to be the dumbest interview ever.
Ever.
And I'm pretty disappointed that Mr. Pascale seems to have lowered his site by using the three lousiest questions from the lousiest interview of Zoe Saldana ever written just to pander to the lowest common denominator and get a few people to drop by the site.
But – Mr. Crocker…you sir…really need to learn how to interview. Those questions were pathetic and not uncommonly insulting to Trekkies/Trekkers by making assumptions that we would be "freaky" around Ms. Saldana. Your interview did nothing to reflect that Ms. Saldana has talent beyond being pretty or a sex object on or off the screen.
You see – everyone talks about how Saldana got a great role of a strong woman…but they don't let Ms. Saldana explore the reasons WHY that may be!
So I will ask her myself.
In the hilariously ridiculous chance that Zoe Saldana would ever read this blog…I have one question for her:
Ms. Saldana; Please tell me and the rest of the world, what is contained in your portrayal of Nyota Uhura as someone that not just young women, but young people should look up to?
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
5-18-09 Characters with Character
This past weekend The Husband and I worked our respective tails off cleaning and running errands. Saturday and Sunday nights we were able to partake in quiet evenings in our recently painted living room and enjoyed a couple of DVDs. We purchased a blu-ray player not too long ago and we love how great our standard DVDs look when played by it.
Since it had been a long time since I had seen it in its entirety we watched The Wrath of Khan on Saturday night. I always remember that it's an enjoyable movie, but I keep forgetting how enjoyable. There's action, there's suspense, there's larger than life characters in a battle of wills and skill.
On Sunday we watched The Undiscovered Country. Every time I see this movie, it creeps up my list of favorites. It's ALMOST a perfect Trek film. (The forced scene at the end is just painful, but it was the last curtain for the cast as an ensemble really, but still...oof, it's hard to take because it's so frickin cheesy.) But again it's got action, it's got intrigue and a few laughs.
These two films also had a few others things that the new film just seemed to be missing. An interesting plot, meaningful and dramatic dialogue and, sigh...a message about revenge and hate that just seemed to flow better than any supposed message from Abrams new film.
Don't get me wrong, several people have told me that they got a message about....*thinks about what they said*...oh yeah - that change is inevitable and that sometimes change sucks and that there's nothing you can do to stop change and that you just have to life with it.
That was the message from Abrams' Trek? Really?
Yikes.
Well as honest as that message may be...how could that be the positive message that Trek is supposed to be about?
Khan was the representation of why revenge is, at its core, fruitless. Once revenge is achieved you still die. Undiscovered Country was about the futility of prejudice and the power of forgiveness and CHANGE. But not about how hopeless change is, but how to make any change into a positive one.
In the new Trek film - their universe is forever altered. Vulcan is gone in the "Alternative Timeline" and Romulus (and presumably Remus) have been destroyed in the "Prime Timeline." Yes change is inevitable...but what did Nero's death in the movie do to teach anyone that lesson? What did Kirk learn about that change that showed there was any hope for him to be a better person - that if you cheat, yell and "take control" you can take advantage of the situation to your own benefit? What did Spock learn? He lost the majority of his SPECIES. He lost his position and rank on the ship. He lost his mother. How unfathomable is that to any of us? And the lesson he learns is...tough it out, your friendship with the manipulative cheater might pay off by the time he dies?
*holds hands up in surrender.* Sorry. I'm just not as thrilled with STXI's "message" as a lot of other people seem to be. To me, it's not a very hopeful message and it leaves me to wonder if the younger generation really is that apathetic about their own future.
Trek used to be very family friendly. I started watching Trek when I was THREE. My uncle used to comfort me when the "monsters" showed up, but eventually I got through the shows because I was learning something - something I still know - that humanity is capable of achieving great things, even peace amongst ourselves. That we have the capability of becoming the teachers of those lessons to other species when we come across them. I learned never to sell the species' potential short.
But now Trek has been elevated in sex and violence to the point bringing children to a Trek film isn't advisable. My nephew is coming to visit this weekend. He's three and a half. He's bloody brilliant. The thought that even when he's five or seven he still won't be old enough to see Trek in a theatre saddens me.
Yes, change IS inevitable but it's how we deal with that change that's important.
In Undiscovered Country, Kirk got his own prejudices and preconceptions thrown back in his face. HE learned the lesson that generalizations and racism are forms of ignorance and hate. He learned that it was HE who was one who was afraid, and through him we as an audience learned those lessons too. I didn't see the new Kirk learn any type of real self-improvement in the new movie. He was always cocky, he cheated, he manipulated and he got rewarded for it. I don't want my nephew to think that's how to get ahead in life. I want my nephew to be taught that character counts.
And in my opinion, it's character that seems be missing in the new Kirk.
Abrams' and his writers have made a movie that focuses on the special effects and the 90210ishness of the new crew. They're going to make a mint no doubt. Good for Viacom shareholders - I'm happy for you. But as hard as I try to see their supposed positive message...I'm sorry everyone...they surgically removed Trek's heart from the script - along with Vulcan, Romulus and Remus.
Call me any name in the book (Universe knows I've already been told I'm a talky geek, a phloxhead and a cultist) I don't care. I prefer well-told stories; stories that give rise to their action sequences organically through the tale, not stories that are created in an effort to get the cool shot on the screen. It's backwards writing and is what, IMHO, gave rise to the implausible plot details that STXI was full of.
TWOK and TUC are simply better Trek films. They're simply better stories that have simply better characters...characters with character.
Since it had been a long time since I had seen it in its entirety we watched The Wrath of Khan on Saturday night. I always remember that it's an enjoyable movie, but I keep forgetting how enjoyable. There's action, there's suspense, there's larger than life characters in a battle of wills and skill.
On Sunday we watched The Undiscovered Country. Every time I see this movie, it creeps up my list of favorites. It's ALMOST a perfect Trek film. (The forced scene at the end is just painful, but it was the last curtain for the cast as an ensemble really, but still...oof, it's hard to take because it's so frickin cheesy.) But again it's got action, it's got intrigue and a few laughs.
These two films also had a few others things that the new film just seemed to be missing. An interesting plot, meaningful and dramatic dialogue and, sigh...a message about revenge and hate that just seemed to flow better than any supposed message from Abrams new film.
Don't get me wrong, several people have told me that they got a message about....*thinks about what they said*...oh yeah - that change is inevitable and that sometimes change sucks and that there's nothing you can do to stop change and that you just have to life with it.
That was the message from Abrams' Trek? Really?
Yikes.
Well as honest as that message may be...how could that be the positive message that Trek is supposed to be about?
Khan was the representation of why revenge is, at its core, fruitless. Once revenge is achieved you still die. Undiscovered Country was about the futility of prejudice and the power of forgiveness and CHANGE. But not about how hopeless change is, but how to make any change into a positive one.
In the new Trek film - their universe is forever altered. Vulcan is gone in the "Alternative Timeline" and Romulus (and presumably Remus) have been destroyed in the "Prime Timeline." Yes change is inevitable...but what did Nero's death in the movie do to teach anyone that lesson? What did Kirk learn about that change that showed there was any hope for him to be a better person - that if you cheat, yell and "take control" you can take advantage of the situation to your own benefit? What did Spock learn? He lost the majority of his SPECIES. He lost his position and rank on the ship. He lost his mother. How unfathomable is that to any of us? And the lesson he learns is...tough it out, your friendship with the manipulative cheater might pay off by the time he dies?
*holds hands up in surrender.* Sorry. I'm just not as thrilled with STXI's "message" as a lot of other people seem to be. To me, it's not a very hopeful message and it leaves me to wonder if the younger generation really is that apathetic about their own future.
Trek used to be very family friendly. I started watching Trek when I was THREE. My uncle used to comfort me when the "monsters" showed up, but eventually I got through the shows because I was learning something - something I still know - that humanity is capable of achieving great things, even peace amongst ourselves. That we have the capability of becoming the teachers of those lessons to other species when we come across them. I learned never to sell the species' potential short.
But now Trek has been elevated in sex and violence to the point bringing children to a Trek film isn't advisable. My nephew is coming to visit this weekend. He's three and a half. He's bloody brilliant. The thought that even when he's five or seven he still won't be old enough to see Trek in a theatre saddens me.
Yes, change IS inevitable but it's how we deal with that change that's important.
In Undiscovered Country, Kirk got his own prejudices and preconceptions thrown back in his face. HE learned the lesson that generalizations and racism are forms of ignorance and hate. He learned that it was HE who was one who was afraid, and through him we as an audience learned those lessons too. I didn't see the new Kirk learn any type of real self-improvement in the new movie. He was always cocky, he cheated, he manipulated and he got rewarded for it. I don't want my nephew to think that's how to get ahead in life. I want my nephew to be taught that character counts.
And in my opinion, it's character that seems be missing in the new Kirk.
Abrams' and his writers have made a movie that focuses on the special effects and the 90210ishness of the new crew. They're going to make a mint no doubt. Good for Viacom shareholders - I'm happy for you. But as hard as I try to see their supposed positive message...I'm sorry everyone...they surgically removed Trek's heart from the script - along with Vulcan, Romulus and Remus.
Call me any name in the book (Universe knows I've already been told I'm a talky geek, a phloxhead and a cultist) I don't care. I prefer well-told stories; stories that give rise to their action sequences organically through the tale, not stories that are created in an effort to get the cool shot on the screen. It's backwards writing and is what, IMHO, gave rise to the implausible plot details that STXI was full of.
TWOK and TUC are simply better Trek films. They're simply better stories that have simply better characters...characters with character.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
5-12-09 Can Ninjas & Zombies Save Trekkiedom?
Over the course of the last few days I've been participating in the spirited debates about STXI here and at the Omega Sector and have also been monitoring the less-than-courteous slam-fests at other forums. I've been rather put off...No, I'm not just put off, I've been disgusted by the tenor of the treatment of those who are even slightly critical about the new film by those who are blissfully happy about it.
I would hate to think that I'm weird for enjoying an atmosphere where my (relatively) dissenting view from the majority is still listened to, even though I don't expect to be agreed with. So I do find it strange that there are places where people who call themselves Trek fans bully those with dissenting opinions right off their boards. Have fun sitting in your own mire guys. I think you're just sad.
To that end, I have to say, I feared that the new movie was going to do this. I've spoken to many Trekkies - Trekkies who have been hard-core fans for DECADES longer than I and I have asked them all the same thing...Is this what it was like when TNG came through? Is this what is was like when Enterprise rocked their world?
And the resounding answer was...No.
Apparently this time around it's much worse, much more palpable, much more divisive and much more...personal.
This movie seems to have done what no other Trek film or show had ever done before and that's literally divide the fandom...almost like the US is divided by the extreme left and right views right now. No one seems to be able to see the middle ground for fear that doing so makes them appear weaker somehow.
Those who love the movie have been so cruel, so spiteful, so vengeful and so ridiculing to those who hate the film, they're asking them to give up the fandom because they were never worthy. Those who hated the film are so intolerant of those who loved it that they're calling them traitors or fair-weather.
And people like me - in the middle - the people who liked parts and hated parts - are caught in the middle by both factions. We're being told that we must choose a side to be heard.
Now - it's not true here at TrekUnited. While there've been some choice words slung by both sides for the most part things here have been great. It's the reason I post here and not at other sites. It's also the same for The Omega Sector (TrekCore's forums). But other sites have allowed things to become been shockingly cruel.
And I have to ask...is this was Paramount was hoping for? Is this what Trekkies themselves want? - To let a bunch of jerks in Hollywood tell us how we're allowed to enjoy our fandom?
Since when?
I may not have adored this film. Some people on other forums may call me a phloxhead and used Nimoy's JOKING words as an anthem to do it. I and another member here have discussed proudly displaying our "Talky Geek" status on a t-shirt, but I'll be damned if I give up my fandom for TNG or ENT or my burdgeoning admiration for DS9 over the new movie! Seriously. How ridiculous is that!?
There's room for all of us folks. There always has been and there always will be.
Don't let any one side tell you there is a right or a wrong way to be a fan. Trekkies are the most amazingly diverse group of people I've ever known, why are we letting one 2 hour script divide us?
I started to think about how it must have been for Trekkies to handle Enterprise as it came into fruition. It was a prequel - filling in the blanks of canon that a lot of Trekkies (yes, even me) protect zealously. It was filled with characters they didn't know and weren't sure they wanted to know. It had yet another chick in a catsuit screwing her crewmate. The first two seasons are on the verge of being painful to watch. There was no direction and no real target - even though there was a canon show to aim for. Things started to change late in the 3rd season and suddenly it looked like it might actually jump the hurdle of the fans' acceptance. Unfortunately, the death knell had been rung before the fandom could make a financial difference, ratings or anything that could save it from the Suits' accounting books and the casket was nailed shut. I know quite a few Trekkies who did not like Enterprise at all at the time who have not only acknowledged its existence but have accepted the show and its fans as part of the wider group. The same goes with every other incarnation of Trek.
The new movie definitely steps on "sacred" territory. It actually reboots one of those incarnations. I think that's what a bunch of people feared was the universe-shattering changes that occurred to their beloved characters. I don't blame them. I've been reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and let me tell you - talk about taking one of my favorite characters of literature (Jane Austen's Elizabeth Bennet) and turning her into something completely different. (She takes on ninjas too.) The book is hilarious.
But it started to irk me today when I thought about the new movie. The Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Scott, Sulu, Chekov and McCoy are NOT the same characters we knew from the shows. Kirk is brasher and less thoughtful. Spock is more emotional. Uhura is...*sigh*...Uhura is in love. Chekov is the new Wesley Crusher. Sulu forgets about the parking brake and Scott has no compunction about animal testing. McCoy is much more bitter about his divorce.
Starfleet is NOT the same organization we've loved for 40 years. It's got no rules of military protocol. Captains can eject their uppity First Officers into exile without due process. Bridges are filled with cadets all the frickin time. XO's and Captains are field promoted in the turbolifts. And they apparently don't know how to hunt down a HUGE Romulan mining ship that's been trolling around the quadrant for 25 years after it destroyed one of its ships.
It is a completely different Star Trek. It's a Star Trek I do not like. But that doesn't mean I hate the people who do like it. I can understand the reasons why they like the movie. I just don't agree with them. It doesn't make them less a Trekkie. The same way that not liking the new movie lessens my fandom for other variations of the franchise.
I will likely never like much of the new Trek. And that's okay.
Now. If they add ninjas and zombies, I might have to reconsider this stance.
I would hate to think that I'm weird for enjoying an atmosphere where my (relatively) dissenting view from the majority is still listened to, even though I don't expect to be agreed with. So I do find it strange that there are places where people who call themselves Trek fans bully those with dissenting opinions right off their boards. Have fun sitting in your own mire guys. I think you're just sad.
To that end, I have to say, I feared that the new movie was going to do this. I've spoken to many Trekkies - Trekkies who have been hard-core fans for DECADES longer than I and I have asked them all the same thing...Is this what it was like when TNG came through? Is this what is was like when Enterprise rocked their world?
And the resounding answer was...No.
Apparently this time around it's much worse, much more palpable, much more divisive and much more...personal.
This movie seems to have done what no other Trek film or show had ever done before and that's literally divide the fandom...almost like the US is divided by the extreme left and right views right now. No one seems to be able to see the middle ground for fear that doing so makes them appear weaker somehow.
Those who love the movie have been so cruel, so spiteful, so vengeful and so ridiculing to those who hate the film, they're asking them to give up the fandom because they were never worthy. Those who hated the film are so intolerant of those who loved it that they're calling them traitors or fair-weather.
And people like me - in the middle - the people who liked parts and hated parts - are caught in the middle by both factions. We're being told that we must choose a side to be heard.
Now - it's not true here at TrekUnited. While there've been some choice words slung by both sides for the most part things here have been great. It's the reason I post here and not at other sites. It's also the same for The Omega Sector (TrekCore's forums). But other sites have allowed things to become been shockingly cruel.
And I have to ask...is this was Paramount was hoping for? Is this what Trekkies themselves want? - To let a bunch of jerks in Hollywood tell us how we're allowed to enjoy our fandom?
Since when?
I may not have adored this film. Some people on other forums may call me a phloxhead and used Nimoy's JOKING words as an anthem to do it. I and another member here have discussed proudly displaying our "Talky Geek" status on a t-shirt, but I'll be damned if I give up my fandom for TNG or ENT or my burdgeoning admiration for DS9 over the new movie! Seriously. How ridiculous is that!?
There's room for all of us folks. There always has been and there always will be.
Don't let any one side tell you there is a right or a wrong way to be a fan. Trekkies are the most amazingly diverse group of people I've ever known, why are we letting one 2 hour script divide us?
I started to think about how it must have been for Trekkies to handle Enterprise as it came into fruition. It was a prequel - filling in the blanks of canon that a lot of Trekkies (yes, even me) protect zealously. It was filled with characters they didn't know and weren't sure they wanted to know. It had yet another chick in a catsuit screwing her crewmate. The first two seasons are on the verge of being painful to watch. There was no direction and no real target - even though there was a canon show to aim for. Things started to change late in the 3rd season and suddenly it looked like it might actually jump the hurdle of the fans' acceptance. Unfortunately, the death knell had been rung before the fandom could make a financial difference, ratings or anything that could save it from the Suits' accounting books and the casket was nailed shut. I know quite a few Trekkies who did not like Enterprise at all at the time who have not only acknowledged its existence but have accepted the show and its fans as part of the wider group. The same goes with every other incarnation of Trek.
The new movie definitely steps on "sacred" territory. It actually reboots one of those incarnations. I think that's what a bunch of people feared was the universe-shattering changes that occurred to their beloved characters. I don't blame them. I've been reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and let me tell you - talk about taking one of my favorite characters of literature (Jane Austen's Elizabeth Bennet) and turning her into something completely different. (She takes on ninjas too.) The book is hilarious.
But it started to irk me today when I thought about the new movie. The Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Scott, Sulu, Chekov and McCoy are NOT the same characters we knew from the shows. Kirk is brasher and less thoughtful. Spock is more emotional. Uhura is...*sigh*...Uhura is in love. Chekov is the new Wesley Crusher. Sulu forgets about the parking brake and Scott has no compunction about animal testing. McCoy is much more bitter about his divorce.
Starfleet is NOT the same organization we've loved for 40 years. It's got no rules of military protocol. Captains can eject their uppity First Officers into exile without due process. Bridges are filled with cadets all the frickin time. XO's and Captains are field promoted in the turbolifts. And they apparently don't know how to hunt down a HUGE Romulan mining ship that's been trolling around the quadrant for 25 years after it destroyed one of its ships.
It is a completely different Star Trek. It's a Star Trek I do not like. But that doesn't mean I hate the people who do like it. I can understand the reasons why they like the movie. I just don't agree with them. It doesn't make them less a Trekkie. The same way that not liking the new movie lessens my fandom for other variations of the franchise.
I will likely never like much of the new Trek. And that's okay.
Now. If they add ninjas and zombies, I might have to reconsider this stance.
Monday, May 11, 2009
5-11-09 I Think I Might be a Nickname-for-Richard-Head
It's been four days since I viewed Star Trek XI (Sorry JJ…it's the eleventh film. I will continue to call it STXI no matter how much you whine.)
I've had time to sit and stew and think and review.
I've re-read my review numerous times and for the most part it stands.
STXI is one hell of an action flick!
But now that I've had time to think about it more and more, the plot holes and script flaws are becoming more than just niggles to me. They're growing wider and wider and wider.
The movie simply isn't Star Trek.
I had the same reaction to Nemesis when I first saw it two years ago. I never saw Nemesis in the theatre because my interest in Trek had not yet re-blossomed and I heard they were killing off Data. I wasn't about to pay to see Data go off-line so I decided to bypass seeing the movie until 2007. When I watched it, I had the same reaction – hey fun action flick! Big booms! The Ent-E slammed into the Scimitar! Cool! But then a couple days later things just started to nag me. Since when does Jean-Luc Picard knowingly break the Prime Directive to go fart around on a dune buggy? The script writers really had to work to come up with an excuse to get that action shot into the movie. It was pathetic.
It's now that I'm beginning to see a LOT of that type of script work in STXI, and these plot holes are just flat-out inexcusable and sad really. The script seemed to have been written around the action sequences the boys wanted to see instead of the story being written well, and letting action sequences develop organically. It's typical summer blockbuster writing - upside down.
I'm going to stew on it some more, but someone posted the bit with Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Leonard Nimoy from SNL. It was hilarious and a perfect dig on we Trekkies. (Hey, we're used to it.) But in this parody, Nimoy said if someone didn't like the new movie - that they were "nickname-for-Richard-heads." (Knowing the stupid censor thing here will change the word to phlox I wanted you to comprehend the actual word.)
Well, after four days of thinking about the stuff that really bugs me about the new movie: the fact that it no longer carries Trek's true core message (Note to Rod Roddenberry: You're a sweetheart, but I'm begging you to tell me where in this movie there is a message to people about tolerance, acceptance and humanity bettering themselves as a species as opposed to Kirk just pulling his head out his ass…which I'm never really sure he does in the movie.) and that it's full of implausible bullphlox in order to achieve the BOOM! BANG! PEW! JJ wanted to make this film more Star Wars-like, I'm beginning to force myself to admit that I am a "nickname-for-Richard-head."
I think I'm going to have t-shirts made or maybe a lapel pin. I'll wear it to the next Star Trek function I'll go to and proudly state that I'm a phloxhead!
Sigh. Or maybe I'll change my mind in another week.
Nah.
I AM A phloxhead.
I've had time to sit and stew and think and review.
I've re-read my review numerous times and for the most part it stands.
STXI is one hell of an action flick!
But now that I've had time to think about it more and more, the plot holes and script flaws are becoming more than just niggles to me. They're growing wider and wider and wider.
The movie simply isn't Star Trek.
I had the same reaction to Nemesis when I first saw it two years ago. I never saw Nemesis in the theatre because my interest in Trek had not yet re-blossomed and I heard they were killing off Data. I wasn't about to pay to see Data go off-line so I decided to bypass seeing the movie until 2007. When I watched it, I had the same reaction – hey fun action flick! Big booms! The Ent-E slammed into the Scimitar! Cool! But then a couple days later things just started to nag me. Since when does Jean-Luc Picard knowingly break the Prime Directive to go fart around on a dune buggy? The script writers really had to work to come up with an excuse to get that action shot into the movie. It was pathetic.
It's now that I'm beginning to see a LOT of that type of script work in STXI, and these plot holes are just flat-out inexcusable and sad really. The script seemed to have been written around the action sequences the boys wanted to see instead of the story being written well, and letting action sequences develop organically. It's typical summer blockbuster writing - upside down.
I'm going to stew on it some more, but someone posted the bit with Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Leonard Nimoy from SNL. It was hilarious and a perfect dig on we Trekkies. (Hey, we're used to it.) But in this parody, Nimoy said if someone didn't like the new movie - that they were "nickname-for-Richard-heads." (Knowing the stupid censor thing here will change the word to phlox I wanted you to comprehend the actual word.)
Well, after four days of thinking about the stuff that really bugs me about the new movie: the fact that it no longer carries Trek's true core message (Note to Rod Roddenberry: You're a sweetheart, but I'm begging you to tell me where in this movie there is a message to people about tolerance, acceptance and humanity bettering themselves as a species as opposed to Kirk just pulling his head out his ass…which I'm never really sure he does in the movie.) and that it's full of implausible bullphlox in order to achieve the BOOM! BANG! PEW! JJ wanted to make this film more Star Wars-like, I'm beginning to force myself to admit that I am a "nickname-for-Richard-head."
I think I'm going to have t-shirts made or maybe a lapel pin. I'll wear it to the next Star Trek function I'll go to and proudly state that I'm a phloxhead!
Sigh. Or maybe I'll change my mind in another week.
Nah.
I AM A phloxhead.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Well, I saw it.
Then I drank three beers.
I thought long and hard about how I would deal with this review and I can only say. It's going to be a dissertation folks! So prepare yourselves!
ALSO…
BE WARNED!!!!!
THIS REVIEW WILL BE SO FULL OF SPOILERS IT WILL MAKE YOUR HEAD SPIN. SO IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN STAR TREK XI YET – DON'T READ THIS BLOG!!!!!
SERIOUSLY!!!!!
THIS BLOG WILL BE FULL OF SPOILERS and I DON'T USE RED TAGS!!!!!
REALLY!!!
OKAY…You've been duly warned.
First of all let me say. It was a first-rate action flick!
What kills me is that for all of the things that Orci and Kurtzman (Exec Producers BTW) and Abrams got right…they sure did know how to blow it with other stuff.
Okay. What did I love about this movie? Lots actually.
WHAT WENT RIGHT (From "Best-of-the-best" to "Pretty-darn-close.")
#1) The USS Enterprise: I must personally apologize to all of the techno-canonites out there, but I absolutely loved the look and feel of the 1701. She's beautiful in the film. The shots of her in every situation made me want to be on her. The engineering section looks like an engineering section should! (I will address the Engineer in another section of this tome.) The shuttle bay looks the way a shuttle bay should! Her mere presence in the space that surrounded her looked, felt and sounded absolutely real. She has a dimension to her that I have never experienced before and I would watch the movie again if only to drool over the ship. The artists deserve every accolade they will be getting, because the USS Enterprise was the real star of this movie.
#2) Leonard McCoy: This was the only character that seems to have survived the new timeline unscathed. Karl Urban nails McCoy. Everything about him is spot on; his techno-phobia, his mannerisms and character-defining lines are handled without trying to copy DeForest Kelley, but rather to pay homage to his portrayal. It felt natural coming from Urban. He is part of one of the funniest scenes in the movie and although something medically has gone horribly wrong, (it's not because of his mistake) he gets to show us why Bones is such an amazing physician. Another intense scene cements it for us. Space may be disease and danger wrapped in darkness and silence, but Leonard McCoy shows us that he has the gift of living in space with grace, aptitude and humor.
#3) Every single line/reference/nod to TOS: There were many of them. They all made me laugh or be nostalgic or giggle with glee. All of them worked, like gold.
#4) Captain Pike: Bruce Greenwood shows us all what a true starship Captain is all about. Dignity, honor, poise under pressure and duty-bound to the core. (Although there's no way in hell I'd believe he'd make fresh cadet the XO of his ship – that was just laughable…and people did laugh.) But Pike was exactly the man I always thought he was from the show.
#5) Spock: Well, I have to say it. Zachary Quinto was alright. He had a tough role. It can't be easy to play someone who stifles his emotions and still comes off as being more than cardboard. Spock was almost true-to-form. There are aspects about him that were missing, but nothing that I couldn't overlook. There is only one huge mistake with him, but I will address it later in the rant phase of this blog.
#6) Sulu: Cho brings Sulu home. Yeah, there's not whole lot with him, but what scenes he does have are all fun. His fight scene was a ball, sword and all. His time at the helm brought a smile to my face and it returned every time I saw him there. There wasn't a whole lot that could go wrong with Sulu, and I'm glad that none of it occurred. There wasn't a whole lot that Sulu could bring to the table either.
#7) Kirk: Orci and Kurtzman gave us two different Kirks in this tale. The first one is a royal ****. I hate him. I hate everything about him and I don't for a moment believe that he has any potential. I will address plot points later, but Kirk undergoes a significant and (thankfully) believable change when he encounters Old Spock. It's then that Kirk comes out of his phloxhole closet and it's only then I believe he's the Kirk we all knew and loved. Pine is quite good, but he doesn't really get a chance to act in this movie. His role is mainly written as being everyone's literal punching bag. Pine is really good at stunt fighting, but there was so damn much of it, it was becoming laughable and ridiculous. At one point during the movie I turned to The Husband and said…is there anyone who hasn't beat the crap out of him yet? He shrugged.
#8) Nero: Meh. He's bad simply because he's a freak who destroys a planet. (This plot point will be addressed later.) We never really experience his anger, never see his madness and we never see his lunacy. He was too cool, too bland and too nice. We didn't see the toll the 25 year wait took on him and/or his crew. (Again this will be addressed later.) We didn't see anything but his pointy ears, his pointy sword, his pointy ship and his pointy tweezers holding his pointy bug. (TWOK fans were sniggering over the use of the pointy bug.) We didn't see anything but a really cranky guy. As a villain Nero is villainy, but he's NOT one of Trek's worst. Khan and the Borg Queen still rule the realm in that regard.
WHAT DIDN'T WORK: (Again in descending order, from "Not-so-bad" to "OMG-I-can't-believe-this-bullphlox!")
#1) Chekov/Scott: Why am I placing these two characters together? Because I'm convinced that Orci and Kurtzman must have accidentally switched names on the scripts. In this movie Chekov is a 17-yr old prodigy. He's a brain with a very thick accent. He's a physics and engineering demi-god. Wait, "That's Scott!" you say? Well, in any other world you'd be right. The Montgomery Scott we knew from TOS was that person – Third in Command and Second Officer of the Enterprise and an Engineering demi-god. But in this movie, that role was given to Chekov, NOT Scott. No, Scott in this movie is the comic relief, the buffoon, the Engineering guy who just happens to get lucky sometimes. It's a crying shame. Montgomery Scott has been emasculated by Chekov. And it's a travesty.
#2) The Destruction of Vulcan and Romulus: Yep. You read that right. Romulus has been destroyed in the "original" timeline. When Nero tries to kill Spock for Spock's apparent failure to save Romulus, they both get sucked back into time. It's just that Nero gets sucked back 25 years earlier than Spock. So he destroys the Kelvin when he gets there and kills Kirk's daddy. (This is the opening scene of the movie and it's very intense, emotional and frankly – brilliant. Not only do I want a Captain Robau mug, I want a George Kirk mug.) This is what creates the now infamous alternate universe. Now Nero is really cranky. He's been sucked back into time and is forced to wait until Spock shows up to inflict his revenge upon him. He wants Spock to suffer the same exact pain he suffered when he watched Romulus go kablooey and sits around the AU doing pretty much nothing for 25 years until Spock arrives. Yeah. Seriously, he just waits. And when "future" Spock does finally appear, he captures him – sends him to an ice planet (can anyone say Hoth?) and is forced to watch as Nero blows up Vulcan to just to spite the old guy. So, we're left with our "orginal" timeline with a missing Romulus and an "alternate" timeline with a missing Vulcan. EPIC, EPIC FAIL.
#3) Plot devices: Here's just a short list of the amazing amount of work these two writers made up to make this movie work. And most are just pathetic:
a) Young Spock orders Kirk off the Enterprise and Kirk's placed in a pod and shot out and lands on said ice planet – expelled like trash. Uhm…what was wrong with just locking him up in the brig?
cool.gif Scott just happened to be on said ice planet, also banished for torching a beagle while practicing warp speed transporting. Uh…yeah.
c) Apparently when you "enlist" in Starfleet you automatically get to go to the Academy. It's not an officer's school it's just 3-4 years of basic training.
d) Captains make cadets First Officers all the time. (*headdesk*)
e) Kirk cheating on the Kobayashi Maru. Orci: you call yourself a Trek fan? I think you missed the mark on this. Kirk never cheated. "He changed the parameters of the test." Kirk should have been able to show everyone in the audience that he's a BRILLIANT strategist, not that he's a cheater. How could that have been done? Easily – by having Kirk show that he didn't see the Klingons as the enemy in the test, but that the test itself was the enemy and the programmer was its leader. By taking on the test as the enemy as opposed to the enemy within the test, Kirk could have shown everyone the reasons he was deserving of early promotion. By intimating that he cheated, you've lessened the man and the hero he was.
#4) Product Placement: From Budweiser to Nokia, there's advertising all through this movie. While the Nokia ring made me laugh a bit, the man sitting next to me questioned how much Nokia paid to get that bit in the movie.
#5) The senseless destruction of a classic Corvette: Nuff said. wink.gif
#6) And finally, the rant you've all been waiting for….
The WORST THING ABOUT STXI?
UHURA and the rest of the female characters in the film
For the life of me I do not understand people sometimes. Some people who have reviewed this film said Uhura was "nobody's fool" and a "strong woman" in this film.
Pardon me while I disagree…with fervor.
When we first meet her, she's bopping around a club in Iowa. She's on her way to, or back to (it's never really made clear) San Francisco. Why they're in Iowa is anyone's guess. But she's there, ordering a boat load of drinks for her buds in the other room. Kirk, being the sex maniac he is, tries to pick up on her. You know what? The exchange between them doesn't bother me as much as "cupcake" who "defends" Uhura's damsel-not-really-in-distress. Why he doesn't end up in the brig pisses me off to no end. Kirk gets the crap beat out of him. Well he should of, because the look on his face after he got two handfuls of Uhura breasts was enough to make me want to kick his ass too.
The next time we see Ms. Uhura, she interrupts her Orion roommate and Kirk getting hot and heavy on her bed. Just because Abrams felt it was entirely necessary, she starts to undress; before she starts undressing however, the Orion panics – saying that her roommate doesn't appreciate her bringing home so many men. Okay – here's the big spoiler. Why the eff should Uhura give a crap about a fellow cadet's sex-life when she's already banging Professor Spock?
Yep – you read that right. Spock and Uhura are a solid item in this movie. Uhura is sleeping with Spock – her superior. She even threatens him when he assigned her to the Farragut because he didn't want to "show favoritism"! He caves of course (because he loves her or because he fears the sexual harassment allegations we're not sure) and he assigns her to the Enterprise, where he himself is assigned as First Officer.
Putting the S/U thing aside for a moment…
There is a scene (frankly, it's the funniest scene in the movie) where Kirk knows something's wrong and he runs to Uhura to get some information from her. Now, I realize it's necessary to keep a tight-flowing script, but Uhura TELLS him about a series of Romulan messages she's intercepted and translated. Thing is? We don't get to see her perform this incredible talent. We only hear that she's got it.
During this film, we got to see Chekov's brilliant mind at work. We got to see Scott's (albeit clumsy) engineering skills in action. We got to see Sulu's fencing skills put to the test. We get to see Spock's logic save the day. We got to see Kirk's tactical mind put into practice and we got to see Bones use his extraordinary skills as a physician. But we only got to hear about Uhura's talent. What we got to see of Uhura was her bra-covered breasts, her kissing Spock and her being the pretty sex-object, stereotypical woman she was.
Strong woman eh? One that has a talent that still can't get her anywhere but into her Professor's bed in order to get the job she's actually qualified for?
Her only scenes in this movie were to show skin or be the emotional grounding rod for Spock when his mother and his planet are destroyed by Mr. Spiky-Pole.
Abrams, Orci…Kurtzman…You motherphloxers.
What women are in this movie?
Mrs. Sarek – Spock's mother. She loves her son and she consoles him when he's in tumoil. She dies. Boo hoo.
Mrs. Kirk – Kirk's mother. She loses her husband who heroically slams his ship into Nero's while she's giving birth to their son. She's never heard from again…conveniently "off-planet" when Kirk decides to "enlist." We only see her crying.
Orion Cadet: Sex object for Kirk.
Yeah, that's pretty much it.
Uhura was described as a "nobody's fool" by another reviewer. She did know very well how to manipulate her man into giving her want she wanted. Yet we never get to see her "true" talent of xenolinguistics put into practice and she ends up being the stereotypical emotional pillar for all the men on the ship.
Disappointment doesn't begin to describe my feeling about this development.
Once more, the women in Trek are relegated to being the stereotypical nurturer either by being a mother or by being a love interest for a male character. Uhura is defined by her relationship with Spock, not because she got to show off her own skills.
IN SUMMARY
This is an amazing action movie. I recommend that you see it just for the effects, pace and to laugh at the funny parts.
It's new.
It's shiny.
It's pointy.
It's fun.
It's pathetic.
It's a blast.
It's mindblowing.
It's enraging.
It's Trek AU.
It's not the Trek I know and it never will be.
I think I'm going to watch Nemesis…Romulus still exists in that movie and no one loses a Corvette.
Then I drank three beers.
I thought long and hard about how I would deal with this review and I can only say. It's going to be a dissertation folks! So prepare yourselves!
ALSO…
BE WARNED!!!!!
THIS REVIEW WILL BE SO FULL OF SPOILERS IT WILL MAKE YOUR HEAD SPIN. SO IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN STAR TREK XI YET – DON'T READ THIS BLOG!!!!!
SERIOUSLY!!!!!
THIS BLOG WILL BE FULL OF SPOILERS and I DON'T USE RED TAGS!!!!!
REALLY!!!
OKAY…You've been duly warned.
First of all let me say. It was a first-rate action flick!
What kills me is that for all of the things that Orci and Kurtzman (Exec Producers BTW) and Abrams got right…they sure did know how to blow it with other stuff.
Okay. What did I love about this movie? Lots actually.
WHAT WENT RIGHT (From "Best-of-the-best" to "Pretty-darn-close.")
#1) The USS Enterprise: I must personally apologize to all of the techno-canonites out there, but I absolutely loved the look and feel of the 1701. She's beautiful in the film. The shots of her in every situation made me want to be on her. The engineering section looks like an engineering section should! (I will address the Engineer in another section of this tome.) The shuttle bay looks the way a shuttle bay should! Her mere presence in the space that surrounded her looked, felt and sounded absolutely real. She has a dimension to her that I have never experienced before and I would watch the movie again if only to drool over the ship. The artists deserve every accolade they will be getting, because the USS Enterprise was the real star of this movie.
#2) Leonard McCoy: This was the only character that seems to have survived the new timeline unscathed. Karl Urban nails McCoy. Everything about him is spot on; his techno-phobia, his mannerisms and character-defining lines are handled without trying to copy DeForest Kelley, but rather to pay homage to his portrayal. It felt natural coming from Urban. He is part of one of the funniest scenes in the movie and although something medically has gone horribly wrong, (it's not because of his mistake) he gets to show us why Bones is such an amazing physician. Another intense scene cements it for us. Space may be disease and danger wrapped in darkness and silence, but Leonard McCoy shows us that he has the gift of living in space with grace, aptitude and humor.
#3) Every single line/reference/nod to TOS: There were many of them. They all made me laugh or be nostalgic or giggle with glee. All of them worked, like gold.
#4) Captain Pike: Bruce Greenwood shows us all what a true starship Captain is all about. Dignity, honor, poise under pressure and duty-bound to the core. (Although there's no way in hell I'd believe he'd make fresh cadet the XO of his ship – that was just laughable…and people did laugh.) But Pike was exactly the man I always thought he was from the show.
#5) Spock: Well, I have to say it. Zachary Quinto was alright. He had a tough role. It can't be easy to play someone who stifles his emotions and still comes off as being more than cardboard. Spock was almost true-to-form. There are aspects about him that were missing, but nothing that I couldn't overlook. There is only one huge mistake with him, but I will address it later in the rant phase of this blog.
#6) Sulu: Cho brings Sulu home. Yeah, there's not whole lot with him, but what scenes he does have are all fun. His fight scene was a ball, sword and all. His time at the helm brought a smile to my face and it returned every time I saw him there. There wasn't a whole lot that could go wrong with Sulu, and I'm glad that none of it occurred. There wasn't a whole lot that Sulu could bring to the table either.
#7) Kirk: Orci and Kurtzman gave us two different Kirks in this tale. The first one is a royal ****. I hate him. I hate everything about him and I don't for a moment believe that he has any potential. I will address plot points later, but Kirk undergoes a significant and (thankfully) believable change when he encounters Old Spock. It's then that Kirk comes out of his phloxhole closet and it's only then I believe he's the Kirk we all knew and loved. Pine is quite good, but he doesn't really get a chance to act in this movie. His role is mainly written as being everyone's literal punching bag. Pine is really good at stunt fighting, but there was so damn much of it, it was becoming laughable and ridiculous. At one point during the movie I turned to The Husband and said…is there anyone who hasn't beat the crap out of him yet? He shrugged.
#8) Nero: Meh. He's bad simply because he's a freak who destroys a planet. (This plot point will be addressed later.) We never really experience his anger, never see his madness and we never see his lunacy. He was too cool, too bland and too nice. We didn't see the toll the 25 year wait took on him and/or his crew. (Again this will be addressed later.) We didn't see anything but his pointy ears, his pointy sword, his pointy ship and his pointy tweezers holding his pointy bug. (TWOK fans were sniggering over the use of the pointy bug.) We didn't see anything but a really cranky guy. As a villain Nero is villainy, but he's NOT one of Trek's worst. Khan and the Borg Queen still rule the realm in that regard.
WHAT DIDN'T WORK: (Again in descending order, from "Not-so-bad" to "OMG-I-can't-believe-this-bullphlox!")
#1) Chekov/Scott: Why am I placing these two characters together? Because I'm convinced that Orci and Kurtzman must have accidentally switched names on the scripts. In this movie Chekov is a 17-yr old prodigy. He's a brain with a very thick accent. He's a physics and engineering demi-god. Wait, "That's Scott!" you say? Well, in any other world you'd be right. The Montgomery Scott we knew from TOS was that person – Third in Command and Second Officer of the Enterprise and an Engineering demi-god. But in this movie, that role was given to Chekov, NOT Scott. No, Scott in this movie is the comic relief, the buffoon, the Engineering guy who just happens to get lucky sometimes. It's a crying shame. Montgomery Scott has been emasculated by Chekov. And it's a travesty.
#2) The Destruction of Vulcan and Romulus: Yep. You read that right. Romulus has been destroyed in the "original" timeline. When Nero tries to kill Spock for Spock's apparent failure to save Romulus, they both get sucked back into time. It's just that Nero gets sucked back 25 years earlier than Spock. So he destroys the Kelvin when he gets there and kills Kirk's daddy. (This is the opening scene of the movie and it's very intense, emotional and frankly – brilliant. Not only do I want a Captain Robau mug, I want a George Kirk mug.) This is what creates the now infamous alternate universe. Now Nero is really cranky. He's been sucked back into time and is forced to wait until Spock shows up to inflict his revenge upon him. He wants Spock to suffer the same exact pain he suffered when he watched Romulus go kablooey and sits around the AU doing pretty much nothing for 25 years until Spock arrives. Yeah. Seriously, he just waits. And when "future" Spock does finally appear, he captures him – sends him to an ice planet (can anyone say Hoth?) and is forced to watch as Nero blows up Vulcan to just to spite the old guy. So, we're left with our "orginal" timeline with a missing Romulus and an "alternate" timeline with a missing Vulcan. EPIC, EPIC FAIL.
#3) Plot devices: Here's just a short list of the amazing amount of work these two writers made up to make this movie work. And most are just pathetic:
a) Young Spock orders Kirk off the Enterprise and Kirk's placed in a pod and shot out and lands on said ice planet – expelled like trash. Uhm…what was wrong with just locking him up in the brig?
cool.gif Scott just happened to be on said ice planet, also banished for torching a beagle while practicing warp speed transporting. Uh…yeah.
c) Apparently when you "enlist" in Starfleet you automatically get to go to the Academy. It's not an officer's school it's just 3-4 years of basic training.
d) Captains make cadets First Officers all the time. (*headdesk*)
e) Kirk cheating on the Kobayashi Maru. Orci: you call yourself a Trek fan? I think you missed the mark on this. Kirk never cheated. "He changed the parameters of the test." Kirk should have been able to show everyone in the audience that he's a BRILLIANT strategist, not that he's a cheater. How could that have been done? Easily – by having Kirk show that he didn't see the Klingons as the enemy in the test, but that the test itself was the enemy and the programmer was its leader. By taking on the test as the enemy as opposed to the enemy within the test, Kirk could have shown everyone the reasons he was deserving of early promotion. By intimating that he cheated, you've lessened the man and the hero he was.
#4) Product Placement: From Budweiser to Nokia, there's advertising all through this movie. While the Nokia ring made me laugh a bit, the man sitting next to me questioned how much Nokia paid to get that bit in the movie.
#5) The senseless destruction of a classic Corvette: Nuff said. wink.gif
#6) And finally, the rant you've all been waiting for….
The WORST THING ABOUT STXI?
UHURA and the rest of the female characters in the film
For the life of me I do not understand people sometimes. Some people who have reviewed this film said Uhura was "nobody's fool" and a "strong woman" in this film.
Pardon me while I disagree…with fervor.
When we first meet her, she's bopping around a club in Iowa. She's on her way to, or back to (it's never really made clear) San Francisco. Why they're in Iowa is anyone's guess. But she's there, ordering a boat load of drinks for her buds in the other room. Kirk, being the sex maniac he is, tries to pick up on her. You know what? The exchange between them doesn't bother me as much as "cupcake" who "defends" Uhura's damsel-not-really-in-distress. Why he doesn't end up in the brig pisses me off to no end. Kirk gets the crap beat out of him. Well he should of, because the look on his face after he got two handfuls of Uhura breasts was enough to make me want to kick his ass too.
The next time we see Ms. Uhura, she interrupts her Orion roommate and Kirk getting hot and heavy on her bed. Just because Abrams felt it was entirely necessary, she starts to undress; before she starts undressing however, the Orion panics – saying that her roommate doesn't appreciate her bringing home so many men. Okay – here's the big spoiler. Why the eff should Uhura give a crap about a fellow cadet's sex-life when she's already banging Professor Spock?
Yep – you read that right. Spock and Uhura are a solid item in this movie. Uhura is sleeping with Spock – her superior. She even threatens him when he assigned her to the Farragut because he didn't want to "show favoritism"! He caves of course (because he loves her or because he fears the sexual harassment allegations we're not sure) and he assigns her to the Enterprise, where he himself is assigned as First Officer.
Putting the S/U thing aside for a moment…
There is a scene (frankly, it's the funniest scene in the movie) where Kirk knows something's wrong and he runs to Uhura to get some information from her. Now, I realize it's necessary to keep a tight-flowing script, but Uhura TELLS him about a series of Romulan messages she's intercepted and translated. Thing is? We don't get to see her perform this incredible talent. We only hear that she's got it.
During this film, we got to see Chekov's brilliant mind at work. We got to see Scott's (albeit clumsy) engineering skills in action. We got to see Sulu's fencing skills put to the test. We get to see Spock's logic save the day. We got to see Kirk's tactical mind put into practice and we got to see Bones use his extraordinary skills as a physician. But we only got to hear about Uhura's talent. What we got to see of Uhura was her bra-covered breasts, her kissing Spock and her being the pretty sex-object, stereotypical woman she was.
Strong woman eh? One that has a talent that still can't get her anywhere but into her Professor's bed in order to get the job she's actually qualified for?
Her only scenes in this movie were to show skin or be the emotional grounding rod for Spock when his mother and his planet are destroyed by Mr. Spiky-Pole.
Abrams, Orci…Kurtzman…You motherphloxers.
What women are in this movie?
Mrs. Sarek – Spock's mother. She loves her son and she consoles him when he's in tumoil. She dies. Boo hoo.
Mrs. Kirk – Kirk's mother. She loses her husband who heroically slams his ship into Nero's while she's giving birth to their son. She's never heard from again…conveniently "off-planet" when Kirk decides to "enlist." We only see her crying.
Orion Cadet: Sex object for Kirk.
Yeah, that's pretty much it.
Uhura was described as a "nobody's fool" by another reviewer. She did know very well how to manipulate her man into giving her want she wanted. Yet we never get to see her "true" talent of xenolinguistics put into practice and she ends up being the stereotypical emotional pillar for all the men on the ship.
Disappointment doesn't begin to describe my feeling about this development.
Once more, the women in Trek are relegated to being the stereotypical nurturer either by being a mother or by being a love interest for a male character. Uhura is defined by her relationship with Spock, not because she got to show off her own skills.
IN SUMMARY
This is an amazing action movie. I recommend that you see it just for the effects, pace and to laugh at the funny parts.
It's new.
It's shiny.
It's pointy.
It's fun.
It's pathetic.
It's a blast.
It's mindblowing.
It's enraging.
It's Trek AU.
It's not the Trek I know and it never will be.
I think I'm going to watch Nemesis…Romulus still exists in that movie and no one loses a Corvette.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
5-6-09; Terilynn's Trek: My 1701-A Coffee Mug Broke. Is it an Omen?
This morning my favorite Star Trek mug broke. I didn't drop it, it didn't shatter…it simply split in two as I poured my coffee into it. This isn't the first Trek mug I've had break – my father dropped my Star Trek: The Tour mug a few months ago. That bummed me out because there's no such thing as Star Trek: The Tour anymore, it split into two and became Star Trek: The Exhibition.
But this is the first time someone tried to tell me it was…
…an omen.
Okay. Wait. I'm laughing with you here. I don't believe in omens. Heck I don't believe in anything. I either know something or I don't know something. I am a skeptic. And the person who said this to me did say it tongue-in-cheek; but she went on to say that the breaking of my (NCC-1701-A) china cup was a sign that the old Trek was dead and that I would now be forced into purchasing a shiny new Star Trek mug with Christopher Pine's face on it.
I laughed and laughed and then I stopped short.
Oh crap! I thought. What if she's right? What if I can never get a replacement mug from TOS, TNG or even VOY or DS9? Pshaw! Of course I can – eBay has them all the time!
But then it hit me…would I feel comfortable drinking from said mug knowing it really was a collector's item now; that they may not be making more of them, that the market really will be flooded with Trek merchandise I don't want.
Don't worry. I chilled out. I know I'll be able to find a new Trek mug that I will want to drink from, I know it.
But the whole bizarre process brought to mind exactly what a lot of us Trekkies seem to be going through with the advent of the new film. We're a protective bunch and the new film has pushed a lot of us into a state where we feel that we're something akin to torch bearers – the group that will assure that the "real" Trek won't fade away in the face of the shiny, new iBridge of Abrams' Trek.
I know real Trek won't fade away. I'm confident that Trek, in all its forms, will continue. It's very likely that the new film will rekindle people's passions for the television shows they've loved.
And there'll be a run on TNG mugs.
OH CRAP!!! I've got to get to eBay!
But this is the first time someone tried to tell me it was…
…an omen.
Okay. Wait. I'm laughing with you here. I don't believe in omens. Heck I don't believe in anything. I either know something or I don't know something. I am a skeptic. And the person who said this to me did say it tongue-in-cheek; but she went on to say that the breaking of my (NCC-1701-A) china cup was a sign that the old Trek was dead and that I would now be forced into purchasing a shiny new Star Trek mug with Christopher Pine's face on it.
I laughed and laughed and then I stopped short.
Oh crap! I thought. What if she's right? What if I can never get a replacement mug from TOS, TNG or even VOY or DS9? Pshaw! Of course I can – eBay has them all the time!
But then it hit me…would I feel comfortable drinking from said mug knowing it really was a collector's item now; that they may not be making more of them, that the market really will be flooded with Trek merchandise I don't want.
Don't worry. I chilled out. I know I'll be able to find a new Trek mug that I will want to drink from, I know it.
But the whole bizarre process brought to mind exactly what a lot of us Trekkies seem to be going through with the advent of the new film. We're a protective bunch and the new film has pushed a lot of us into a state where we feel that we're something akin to torch bearers – the group that will assure that the "real" Trek won't fade away in the face of the shiny, new iBridge of Abrams' Trek.
I know real Trek won't fade away. I'm confident that Trek, in all its forms, will continue. It's very likely that the new film will rekindle people's passions for the television shows they've loved.
And there'll be a run on TNG mugs.
OH CRAP!!! I've got to get to eBay!
Monday, May 4, 2009
5-4-09 Terliynn's Trek; Tick, Tick, Tick!
So with three days to go before I go assure The Husband and I get decent seats for the 7:00 pm show Thursday night, I've seen a huge push from Trekkies in their excitement and frankly, from the media itself.
And yes, even me.
First, I was glad to hear that the former Trek stars were invited to attend the LA Premier. I was happier still to see that many of them showed. Trust me, this goes a long way to showing that even if old Trekkies hate this movie, we're still all Trekkies (no matter what the new kids think.)
Second, I've never apologized for my unbridled excitement over the CG and the action this movie looks like it will have. My recent viewings of the scenes showing Bones have just tickled me to death. McCoy is one of my favorite…let me rephrase that…McCoy IS my favorite TOS character and just the few snippets I saw with Karl Urban as McCoy and I found myself squeeing out loud.
Third, I'm just ready to see the damn film already!!! It's been held over for five months and it's been in the can since December! For crap's sake…let's just get this over with!
I know many people who have seen the film already and have been ever-so-kind as to not say a word about it until Friday, after the official opening. For that I am forever grateful. I can't WAIT to be able to talk about it with all of you!
To that end I have to say, I'm not sure how I will handle my review. I guess it depends on how I feel afterward.
I'm not a person who should really sit down and write immediately after seeing a film. Normally I need to verbalize my thoughts with The Husband first so I can really let my thoughts gel into a cohesive and understandable framework, but I'm not sure I'll be able to do that. We'll see. I may wait until Friday to really get my review out with foundations for any arguments I MAY have…
In the meantime, I've been on Twitter, Facebook, TrekUnited, The OmegaSector (TrekCore) and the like, fielding the amazing amount of Trek stuff that we're being blitzed with.
Burger King's tie-in is hilarious: www.whenkingonsattack.com it's just a pure laugh-fest, trust me. (Thanks to Captain_Hair for the tip on this one…I laughed all afternoon!)
The Onion's SLAM on Trekkies is painfully funny (and I do mean painfully):
Trekkies Bash New Star Trek Film As 'Fun, Watchable'
(I can't wait to see what Dennis Rayburn at Roddenberry.com has to say about this! We were both rather taken aback by the use of the term "hack" with Gene Roddenberry's name, but we both know they meant it as a joke. Still, it's worth a retort and I'm hoping he'll make one!)
But this one week blitz may not be enough. I hope it is. The movie really does need to succeed. But Wolverine pulled in $87 million last weekend. It's going to be real competition. I still think Trek will do very, very well.
We'll see!
Oh…and any of you forum administrators out there….tell me, how do you plan on dealing with this on your forums. Are you setting up separate threads yet? Have you gone to Star Trek 09 (or in some cases Star Trek AU) so not to confuse it with TOS?
I'd like to hear from you…
And yes, even me.
First, I was glad to hear that the former Trek stars were invited to attend the LA Premier. I was happier still to see that many of them showed. Trust me, this goes a long way to showing that even if old Trekkies hate this movie, we're still all Trekkies (no matter what the new kids think.)
Second, I've never apologized for my unbridled excitement over the CG and the action this movie looks like it will have. My recent viewings of the scenes showing Bones have just tickled me to death. McCoy is one of my favorite…let me rephrase that…McCoy IS my favorite TOS character and just the few snippets I saw with Karl Urban as McCoy and I found myself squeeing out loud.
Third, I'm just ready to see the damn film already!!! It's been held over for five months and it's been in the can since December! For crap's sake…let's just get this over with!
I know many people who have seen the film already and have been ever-so-kind as to not say a word about it until Friday, after the official opening. For that I am forever grateful. I can't WAIT to be able to talk about it with all of you!
To that end I have to say, I'm not sure how I will handle my review. I guess it depends on how I feel afterward.
I'm not a person who should really sit down and write immediately after seeing a film. Normally I need to verbalize my thoughts with The Husband first so I can really let my thoughts gel into a cohesive and understandable framework, but I'm not sure I'll be able to do that. We'll see. I may wait until Friday to really get my review out with foundations for any arguments I MAY have…
In the meantime, I've been on Twitter, Facebook, TrekUnited, The OmegaSector (TrekCore) and the like, fielding the amazing amount of Trek stuff that we're being blitzed with.
Burger King's tie-in is hilarious: www.whenkingonsattack.com it's just a pure laugh-fest, trust me. (Thanks to Captain_Hair for the tip on this one…I laughed all afternoon!)
The Onion's SLAM on Trekkies is painfully funny (and I do mean painfully):
Trekkies Bash New Star Trek Film As 'Fun, Watchable'
(I can't wait to see what Dennis Rayburn at Roddenberry.com has to say about this! We were both rather taken aback by the use of the term "hack" with Gene Roddenberry's name, but we both know they meant it as a joke. Still, it's worth a retort and I'm hoping he'll make one!)
But this one week blitz may not be enough. I hope it is. The movie really does need to succeed. But Wolverine pulled in $87 million last weekend. It's going to be real competition. I still think Trek will do very, very well.
We'll see!
Oh…and any of you forum administrators out there….tell me, how do you plan on dealing with this on your forums. Are you setting up separate threads yet? Have you gone to Star Trek 09 (or in some cases Star Trek AU) so not to confuse it with TOS?
I'd like to hear from you…
5-1-09 ONE WEEK!
Sorry for the long absence! I have a new job that required travel and my mother's health is still a priority. However, I think I'll be back in the saddle now.
Besides…
There's only one week to go! I have already purchased our tickets for the Thursday night showing at the local theatre in Albuquerque. At 7:00 pm I plan on being front and center of the Regal Cinema in Albuquerque, popcorn in my right hand, soda in the cup holder and a box of Red Vines in my left hand grinning from ear to ear.
I only hope that the stupid scare over swine flu doesn't play havoc with the public's willingness to go see a movie.
As much as I have concerns over this movie and its creator's lack of real comprehension about the sanctity of the characters that we have (some of us literally) grown to love, this movie NEEDS to succeed.
I know I'll always love "my" version of Trek better than this movie. I will always think that the "real" Uhura is better. I will always think that Roddenberry's vision of the future will always be better than the vision that Abrams is apparently putting forward in this flashy new film….but, this new movie really does need to do well. Not just for Paramount or Abrams or Orci and Kurtzman…but for the fandom too.
I really do believe the potential influx of new fans will spark HUGE debates. Personally, I anticipate being fully involved in those debates. But it might be the spark that's needed right now.
I'm not saying that the Trek fandom is dying. Oh hell no. Heck I just renewed my fandom just over a year ago! New young fans of the original series sign onto the forums frequently; but the one thing I have to say about Trekkies is…we LOVE to argue.
And personally I think this movie has given, and will give us PLENTY to argue about.
So…here's to the week ahead.
I'm sure I'll be blogging before the movie and after it. It may take me awhile to cogitate on the new flick, but I will.
In the meantime – buy your tickets!
Besides…
There's only one week to go! I have already purchased our tickets for the Thursday night showing at the local theatre in Albuquerque. At 7:00 pm I plan on being front and center of the Regal Cinema in Albuquerque, popcorn in my right hand, soda in the cup holder and a box of Red Vines in my left hand grinning from ear to ear.
I only hope that the stupid scare over swine flu doesn't play havoc with the public's willingness to go see a movie.
As much as I have concerns over this movie and its creator's lack of real comprehension about the sanctity of the characters that we have (some of us literally) grown to love, this movie NEEDS to succeed.
I know I'll always love "my" version of Trek better than this movie. I will always think that the "real" Uhura is better. I will always think that Roddenberry's vision of the future will always be better than the vision that Abrams is apparently putting forward in this flashy new film….but, this new movie really does need to do well. Not just for Paramount or Abrams or Orci and Kurtzman…but for the fandom too.
I really do believe the potential influx of new fans will spark HUGE debates. Personally, I anticipate being fully involved in those debates. But it might be the spark that's needed right now.
I'm not saying that the Trek fandom is dying. Oh hell no. Heck I just renewed my fandom just over a year ago! New young fans of the original series sign onto the forums frequently; but the one thing I have to say about Trekkies is…we LOVE to argue.
And personally I think this movie has given, and will give us PLENTY to argue about.
So…here's to the week ahead.
I'm sure I'll be blogging before the movie and after it. It may take me awhile to cogitate on the new flick, but I will.
In the meantime – buy your tickets!
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