Do You Believe the Official Chronology?

Discussion in 'Star Trek - The Original & Animated Series' started by ZapBrannigan, Mar 27, 2013.

  1. trevanian

    trevanian Rear Admiral

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    That last bit makes me think of the quantum realities TNG ... am imagining Dixon as Riker shouting: The Dennis Baileys are EVERYWHERE!

    (okay, I just saw the red band EVIL DEAD trailer and that grossed me out ALMOST as much as this thought.)
     
  2. Mysterion

    Mysterion Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I think the person posting there as "Xon" is most definitely Dixon.
     
  3. Ronald Held

    Ronald Held Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Update the prime universe chronology. The jjverse may not last more than 3 movies and the mirror universe is likely to be of longer duration
     
  4. aridas sofia

    aridas sofia Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I wish I could agree with you, Mysterion. But unless he has had an "inner voice" transplant, Xon just doesn't ring JD to me.

    I feel kinda responsible for the disappearance of the King of all Chronologies. I came down on him kinda hard when he stirred the pot at the old FRS forum a little too vigorously. The fact is, the voices of these people that so loved Star Trek that they could pick apart every little bit of minutiae and give it some sense of reason and order-- whether that be an Okuda or a James Dixon -- are not to be thrown away so carelessly. JJTrek has roots, and those roots extend back to stuff about which the folks that are buying tickets today often have no clue. We can believe that JJ's nebulous, action-packed blur, divorced from all Gene Roddenberry's talky bits, is what has made Trek big money. Maybe so. But there is some reason this reinvention was done with Trek and not something else like B5 or Buck Rogers. There is a heart that beats at the bottom of Trek that guys like Dixon understand and that those living off today's fat should ill ignore.
     
  5. Grant

    Grant Commodore Commodore

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    With every fibre of my being.
     
  6. Mysterion

    Mysterion Vice Admiral Admiral

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    You may be right. However, check out this post:

    Now the writing style is quite a bit more calmer than JD's stuff tended to be in the past, and the punctuation and capitalization are all of a much more normal style than he used typically. But, this reads to me like something from a Dixon who finally started using prozac. Still raging against the Okuda's of the world, but in a kinder gentler manner.
     
  7. aridas sofia

    aridas sofia Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Yeah... maybe. I can see what you mean. The lack of ellipsis, the word choice, all seem a little off. But you might be right. It just may be that he's getting older.

    Anyhow, to stay on point, when it comes to subjects like this, his presence is missed. Because canon has a function to those who depend on continuity, not the rest of us. My 1960s-70s Trek is different from somebody elses 1980s-90s Trek is different from the JJTrek of today. It's all good. And it's all different and should not be smashed together in one weird homogenous mass.
     
  8. Myko

    Myko Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    There are pages out there suggesting James Dixon commited suicide, no idea if they are true.
     
  9. Warped9

    Warped9 Admiral Admiral

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    I don't agree with a lot of the Okuda chronology nor did I agree with a lot in the Spaceflight Chronology. So if they ever did issue an updated chronology with a nod to JJ's Trek I'd hardly be troubled by it now.

    There really is no definitive chronology since the author's themselves essentially admitted as much. In a similar vein there is no definitive Trek technical reference manual either.

    And candidly I have a lot more fun with the explanations fans come up with than what the "official" experts settle on.
     
  10. EliyahuQeoni

    EliyahuQeoni Commodore Commodore

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    The way I read it, is the idea that too many fans get so wrapped up in canon and what is "real" Star Trek and what isn't that they end up not enjoying certain forms of Trek just because they're not canonical or because they contradict something else. I mean, I enjoy nitpicking and retconning as much as the next geek, but above all Trek is supposed to be entertaining.

    Yes, Checkov's age in Trek '09 doesn't mesh with his age in TOS. Can it be reconciled? Yes, because his birth is after Nero's incursion. But even if it couldn't, does that one line of dialogue ruin the entire film? No.

    In TOS it is said that Vulcan has no moon. In TMP it has a moon. Yes, it can be "explained" but this discrepancy doesn't change the quality of the movie.

    Just my thoughts,
     
  11. ZapBrannigan

    ZapBrannigan Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    While filming TOS, Leonard Nimoy was notorious for defending the "integrity" of his character, fighting weekly to ensure that Spock's established traits, values, and history were never contradicted. But apparently his concern didn't extend much beyond his own part in the show.
     
  12. ZapBrannigan

    ZapBrannigan Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Well said! JJ is a STAR WARS fan and that's what he stamped upon STAR TREK, altering its identity and style beyond recognition. I will still go see the new one, but with heavy misgivings.
     
  13. trevanian

    trevanian Rear Admiral

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    Yeah, even Doohan said (before TMP came out) that Nimoy was concerned with his character but Shatner was concerned with THE SHOW.
     
  14. Landru47

    Landru47 Ensign Red Shirt

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    Don't, all you're doing by paying to see the movie is giving them your support and encouraging them to produce more. I will never spend money on Abrams-verse.
     
  15. BillJ

    BillJ The King of Kings Premium Member

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    Huh?

    I haven't been around since the 60's, but I've been a fan of Trek since 1975. I love Star Trek: The Motion Picture and am lukewarm towards Star Trek 2009 but if you asked me which one was actually closer in spirit to TOS, I'd say it was the 2009 film. Hell, I've often joked the best TNG film was Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

    So I have no idea where you're coming from when you say that "JJ is a STAR WARS fan and that's what he stamped upon STAR TREK, altering its identity and style beyond recognition".
     
  16. Nerys Myk

    Nerys Myk A Spock and a smile Premium Member

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    :techman::guffaw:
     
  17. Warped9

    Warped9 Admiral Admiral

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    This.

    And JJ has actually said he felt Trek should be more like Star Wars.
     
  18. BillJ

    BillJ The King of Kings Premium Member

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    And he was right. A Trek feature film needed to be more like Star Wars in order to put butts into theater seats. But upping the action quotient doesn't make it Star Wars, it just makes it more palatable to a wider range of audiences.
     
  19. TREK_GOD_1

    TREK_GOD_1 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    This could be read as saying you have to dumb down ST by adding the traits of the often story-challenged SW for an audience reared on style over substance.
     
  20. Warped9

    Warped9 Admiral Admiral

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    Yup.