How did TMP get a G rating?

[chardman]

I stand corrected. I thought for sure that "Dragonslayer" had been Disney's first foray into the world of PG. That I mis-remembered probably has something to do with the fact that "Dragonslayer" was Disney's first foray into the admittedly brief display of the late Caitlin Clarke's bare boobies.

[CorporalCaptain]

I really, really enjoyed Dragonslayer. They don't make them like that anymore.

[CoveTom]

Christopher wrote:

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Actually The Black Hole was the first PG-rated film produced by Disney -- the beginning of their attempt to diversify into more adult-oriented films, followed by others like The Devil and Max Devlin, Tron, Never Cry Wolf, and Something Wicked This Way Comes. I distinctly remember that when TBH came out, it was seen as kind of a big deal that Disney was doing a PG-rated film.

But preconceptions about the Disney name made it hard for them to market their PG-rated films effectively, so they created the Touchstone imprint to distribute those films under, beginning with Splash. And evidently they were wise to do so, because even to this day, the Disney name on The Black Hole leads to the perception that it was G-rated or directed at children.

And don't forget The Watcher in the Woods, Disney's attempt at doing a horror film.

[Christopher]

^Well, Something Wicked... is a horror film too.

[CoveTom]

^ True, but Watcher came first (1980) and was, I believe, the first time Disney had ever attempted anything in the horror genre.

[Christopher]

Well, you didn't say "first attempt," so I didn't know that was what you meant. And I wasn't claiming my listing was exhaustive.

[Greg Cox]

CoveZombie wrote:

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^ True, but Watcher came first (1980) and was, I believe, the first time Disney had ever attempted anything in the horror genre.

I don't know. I thought the Banshee in Darby O'Gill and the Little People was pretty creepy . . . .

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Conscious Circuits wrote:

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Curiously, the transporter accident resonates with the theme of Ilia and everything else scanned by V'Ger being turned into lifeless shadows of their former selves. It's a missed opportunity that nothing in the film suggests that any such resonance is actually intentional.

You're right.

[CoveTom]

Christopher wrote:

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Well, you didn't say "first attempt," so I didn't know that was what you meant. And I wasn't claiming my listing was exhaustive.

True, but if you'll read the original script for our conversation, or read the book The Making of This Thread, you'll see that there is plenty of evidence for my original intentions and no support for your position. Therefore, you are wrong. And if you disagree, I shall be forced to call you names and discount anything further you may ever have to say.

[Data Holmes]

My Name Is Legion wrote:

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You're right.

Dennis, as a pro how would you have handled it?

[mos6507]

CoveZombie wrote:

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Which is an interesting point in and of itself about TMP, actually. Here you have an absolutely horrific, gruesome accident involving two people being killed by the transporter. And then, just a couple scenes later, we're back to making jokes about cranky old McCoy and his attitude toward the transporter. Seems like an inappropriate time to be laughing about his attitude, and certainly his fears would seem more justified at that point.

Kirk also doesn't seem to grieve much when Ilia gets zapped by the probe. Decker does, of course, and doesn't like the cavalier way Kirk assigns Decker to work with the recreated Ilia-Probe as a sort of 'secret agent'. Kirk being somewhat empathetically challenged is very much a theme in TMP. I think they were going with him having a very selfish one-track mind to retake command of the Enterprise, so much so that it gave him a borderline personality disorder. When we get to Khan, Kirk behaves more like himself, but is just bored and brooding and not so much of a jerk.

[Admiral_Sisko]

mos6507 wrote:

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Kirk also doesn't seem to grieve much when Ilia gets zapped by the probe. Decker does, of course, and doesn't like the cavalier way Kirk assigns Decker to work with the recreated Ilia-Probe as a sort of 'secret agent'. Kirk being somewhat empathetically challenged is very much a theme in TMP. I think they were going with him having a very selfish one-track mind to retake command of the Enterprise, so much so that it gave him a borderline personality disorder. When we get to Khan, Kirk behaves more like himself, but is just bored and brooding and not so much of a jerk.

That scene has always made me uncomfortable, particularly the way he says, "Carry out your assignment, Mr. Decker," as though there's no reason at all why Decker shouldn't be reluctant to interact with the Ilia-probe.

Later, after Spock was traumatized by his attempted mind-meld with V'Ger, Kirk stood at his bedside and demanded answers, even when it become apparent that Spock was too exhausted to even answer his questions. At the end of the scene, Kirk ordered that Spock be returned to duty, not taking McCoy or Chapel's feelings about his condition into consideration.

"I need Spock on the bridge."

Did he not think about Spock's fitness for duty? Did it occur to him that having a crew member working so soon after an injury could have placed the ship at risk? Spock had recovered, but there was no way to know that would happen when Kirk first discovered him floating back to the Enterprise, unconscious.

[Maurice]

The Earth was hours and then minutes from potential annihilation. At that point Kirk didn't have the luxury of taking people's feelings into consideration, or let Bones keep Spock in bed.

[Christopher]

More to the point, the script needed Spock on the bridge. The story couldn't have resolved the way it had to if Spock had been stuck in a bed in sickbay for the rest of the movie. So Kirk's command decisions had to be what the story needed them to be.

[Peach Wookiee]

Christopher wrote:

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They actually showed Zeffirelli's R&J in one of my high-school English classes, 9th grade, I think. I had something of a crush on Olivia Hussey after that. I would've even if the nude scene hadn't been there, but I was awfully glad it was.

My teacher in high school English class wouldn't let us see the nude scene...