Do you think Star Trek needed a reboot?

Discussion in 'Star Trek Movies: Kelvin Universe' started by The Overlord, Dec 28, 2012.

  1. Ssosmcin

    Ssosmcin Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Did Star Trek need a reboot? Well it sure needed something.

    I'm not the biggest fan of JJ Abrams, but the cast is great which helps a lot. These are fun, summer action flicks and have to appeal to a larger audience than Trek fans. This is obvious.

    Aside from two huge plot contrivances in the 2009 flick (which were lazy writing, Star Trek or not), whatever bugs me about these films does so on a cheesy fanboy level and not worth mentioning. If I have fun, then I'll get my money's worth. I'd love to see "classic timeline Trek" again, but until that happens, this is all we've got on screen.
     
  2. Jackson_Roykirk

    Jackson_Roykirk Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    In the U.S., Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock are pop culture icons. Jean-Luc Picard is not.
    The common average NON-Star Trek fan American (some of whom are people who never watched any Star Trek of any kind in their lives) have mostly heard of Kirk and Spock, but not Picard.

    By the way, I'm a big fan of TNG, as well as TOS. I'm just pointing out that the knowledge of the character "Captain Kirk" is ubiquitous among a wide range of people the United States. Picard is mostly known by Star Trek fans.
     
  3. Nagisa Furukawa

    Nagisa Furukawa Commander Red Shirt

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    For example:

    As I've been watching DS9, I told my roommate (roughly DalekJim and I's ages; early twenties) I was watching "Star Trek" and he immediately went to Next Generation, or as he put it, "the one that was always on TV." For people of our age, IT is the syndicated classic that's interwoven with our psyches, while "Kirk" and "Spock" remain peripheral culture figures, but few have actually seen an episode of TOS. Now that's a shame as I have the same warm love towards TOS as I do Classic Who, but this has nothing to do with quality or what should be; this is about fame, and yes, DalekJim is right; for most of the people of my generation, Next Generation is the most well-know ST.
     
  4. lurok

    lurok Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Changing times. TOS is cool again (thanks in part to 09 film). TNG will always be there for those who like it, but it's just not hip. Apart from Worf. Who never goes out of style.
     
  5. DalekJim

    DalekJim Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    I... really don't think that's right. Especially when taking in to account Nagisa's post.

    TNG was a huge phenomenon. Somebody had to think so if it got 4 Hollywood movies based on it.

    Well, I've never been cool and I think Star Trek should be more than a nostalgia piece for a 60s action show.
     
  6. The Mirrorball Man

    The Mirrorball Man Vice Admiral Admiral

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    No one is denying that. It WAS a huge phenomenon. Like breakdance. It no longer is, it may be huge again one day, but right now, it's not. Really, does it matter?
     
  7. Dale Sams

    Dale Sams Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    (pssst) Don't tell anyone, but I think Stewart is badly overrated. He's great as Picard, he's fine as Professor X (not a huge stretch)...I don't like a lot of choices in his Shakespeare work. Not a fan of Moby Dick.

    Let's just say he's no Hopkins or McKellan.
     
  8. Dale Sams

    Dale Sams Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Love the Genesis (the band) sig.
     
  9. DalekJim

    DalekJim Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    What? Of course it matters because the exact same could be said for TOS.
     
  10. Nagisa Furukawa

    Nagisa Furukawa Commander Red Shirt

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    I said you wouldn't understand...

    Take what's yours and be damned :techman:

    /Phil Collins with Dirty Beard
     
  11. Borgminister

    Borgminister Admiral Moderator

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    The Big Bang's gonna have a huge riff on Star Trek Thursday... The Next Generation, that is.

    Can we call it a tie? :p
     
    Last edited: Jan 6, 2013
  12. DalekJim

    DalekJim Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    If we can, then it's admitting I'm right when I say audiences have an appetite for Trek without Kirk, Spock and McCoy. Hence why a new crew in a new era was the best idea, rather than making it some misty eyed nostalgia caricature :).
     
  13. Jackson_Roykirk

    Jackson_Roykirk Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    When you say "Star Trek" to the average person in the U.S., the first thing that probably pops into their mind is something like this:
    http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x38/blackbirdsongz/kirk-and-spock.jpg

    Instead of this:
    http://le0pard13.files.wordpress.co...ation-star-trek-the-next-generationphoto.jpeg

    That's not to say that TNG wasn't popular among science fiction TV fans in the U.S. -- it was hugely popular. However, the knowledge of who Kirk and Spock are among Americans goes way beyond just science fiction fans. People who are NOT fans of the genre (people who don't watch Star Trek TV shows, or science fiction in general) still know those TOS characters, while many of them probably have no idea whatsoever who Data is.
     
  14. Borgminister

    Borgminister Admiral Moderator

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    Here's the thing. Everything old is new again. The fact that Kirk and Spock are known, if hazily, among the general public after 40 plus years made it the logical choice for a reboot of the movie franchise, especially after the box office turd that was Nemesis (which I saw 4 times).

    I missed Seth McFarlane of course...

    On the small screen, one sitcom is remembering TNG. If memory serves--not a sure thing--other serials have been throwing in general Star Trek references more from TOS. In the end, I'm just happy both are being remembered, but TOS is overall (IMO) the bigger cultural icon than TNG.
     
  15. DalekJim

    DalekJim Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Again, I'd say Jean-Luc Picard is absolutely one of the most famous characters in TV history. Everybody my age, or of any age, will know who he is.
     
  16. Nagisa Furukawa

    Nagisa Furukawa Commander Red Shirt

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    For people in their 50s and 40s and maybe even 30s?? Certainly. For people in their early 20s?? The second picture comes to mind when you say ST; that literally happened when I went to talk to my roommate.
     
  17. F. King Daniel

    F. King Daniel Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Shame none of them went to see Nemesis...
     
  18. Nagisa Furukawa

    Nagisa Furukawa Commander Red Shirt

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    I honestly wasn't aware of Nemesis until it came out on DVD; that's how poor the marketing was. Shame the film itself DID suck and guaranteed zero word of mouth.
     
  19. Ovation

    Ovation Admiral Admiral

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    Just finished a complete run-through of this album 20 minutes ago. Excellent stuff.

    Famous? Sure. More famous than Kirk or Spock? Umm...no. Not even close.
     
  20. DalekJim

    DalekJim Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Well, at least we can agree that Genesis are the best band of all-time. I'm listening to Nursery Cryme right now.