Abrams turns Star Wars because of his "loyalty" to Trek

[DalekJim]

I just think that the conflict between his alien nature and humanity could be portrayed more interestingly than his indecision whether to touch Uhura's boobs or not.

[BillJ]

DalekJim wrote:

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I just think that the conflict between his alien nature and humanity could be portrayed more interestingly than his indecision whether to touch Uhura's boobs or not.

I never saw that. Not sure what movie you were watching.

[The Stig]

BillJ wrote:

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I never saw that. Not sure what movie you were watching.

The one that he made up in his own head before seeing a frame of footage. I'm guessing that, in that movie, girls have cooties.

Here's the thing about Trek 09: it was fun. It was the most fun I've had watching Star Trek since I was a little kid, sneaking out of bed late Sunday nights to catch TNG on syndication. And the details, my God the details. The light falling over Pike's face when he takes the command chair for the first time. The sound of the intra-ship intercom, the electronic whoosh of the phaser fire heard from the bridge. The uniforms, essentially unchanged from fifty years ago. Trek 09 was a labour of love, made to be a cracking summer blockbuster but with the kind of care and respect for the source material that is almost universally absent in these kinds of movies.

Seeing the Enterprise for the first time through Kirk's eyes felt like coming home. It was a return to the excited days of childhood, when grand adventures of derring-do amongst the stars captured my imagination.

That's what Abrams did: he recaptured my childhood. He's remarkably good at telling emotional stories within the structures of the action-adventure movie. So, yeah, he's the absolute right choice for Star Wars. His attachment to the new movie is pretty much the only reason that I'm excited for another Star Wars. Maybe he can make me a kid again, for a couple of hours two summers from now.

We'll see.

[DalekJim]

The Stig wrote:

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The one that he made up in his own head before seeing a frame of footage. I'm guessing that, in that movie, girls have cooties.

It's like you're intentionally playing up to the Nuts readership stereotype of a Top Gear fan.

I'm slightly different to you, therefore I'm less of a man and afraid of girls. Brilliant. Clarkson would be proud.

[Greg Cox]

DalekJim wrote:

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I just think that the conflict between his alien nature and humanity could be portrayed more interestingly than his indecision whether to touch Uhura's boobs or not.

I don't know. I think the relationship went a bit deeper than that.

Meanwhile, STAR WARS. It seems to me that the lesson of the PT is that Jedis are best in small doses. Alec Guiness added a welcome touch of class and mysticism to the original film, but, by the time, you got to the prequels, everybody seemed to be a Jedi or a Sith or closely affiliated with them, so that everybody was solemnly going on about "destiny" and "the Dark Side" and "the balance of the Force."

To my mind, the PT needed a few more cynical, smart-aleck space smugglers to keep things a bit more down-to-earth and a little less pompous. And a snarkier heroine, who is more Leia than Amidala.

[Mutenroshi]

Star Trek author


meets


Trekkie



Hilarity ensues.

[DalekJim]

Greg Cox wrote:

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To my mind, the PT needed a few more cynical, smart-aleck space smugglers to keep things a bit more down-to-earth and a little less pompous. And a snarkier heroine, who is more Leia than Amidala.

Every EU writer ever agrees with you. And they're wrong . Han clones are now a tired cliche. Hell, Firefly had one as it's main character. I agree with you on Leia though. The prequels definitely were missing a character like her.

It probably speaks volumes that I've always thought Luke was cooler than Han. Han doesn't even do anything in Jedi! A total spare part.

[BillJ]

DalekJim wrote:

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I just think that the conflict between his alien nature and humanity could be portrayed more interestingly than his indecision whether to touch Uhura's boobs or not.

The Stig wrote:

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Seeing the Enterprise for the first time through Kirk's eyes felt like coming home. It was a return to the excited days of childhood, when grand adventures of derring-do amongst the stars captured my imagination.

I think what your missing DalekJim is exactly what The Stig is talking about in his post. There is a moment of childhood magic that no review or dissertation can take away from fans of the original series. When I watched the movie it was like being a kid sitting in front of our old floor-model 25" color TV again.

It doesn't mean the movie doesn't have issues. But when I measure the issues vs. the "fun factor", the "fun factor" wins out.

As far as Spock goes, all I can say is that your wrong, wrong, wrong, so completely wrong. You talk like someone who is basing their opinion entirely on the pop-culture image and not like someone who has actually watched the show. Spock's father married not one, but two human women. Spock had a relationship six years prior to TOS with a human woman (Leila Kalomi, This Side of Paradise). Spock had family issues (The Naked Time, Journey to Babel). Spock wasn't readily accepted by other Vulcans (Amok Time, Yesteryear).

This Side of Paradise wrote:

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I have little to say about it, Captain, except that for the first time in my life I was happy.

[DalekJim]

BillJ wrote:

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I think what your missing DalekJim is exactly what The Stig is talking about in his post. There is a moment of childhood magic that no review or dissertation can take away from fans of the original series. When I watched the movie it was like being a kid sitting in front of our old floor-model 25" color TV again.

No offence but your inarticulate, cosey, nostalgic, twee, gut-reactions are of no real use if you aren't able to explain them.

Kirk looking at the Enterprise wasn't "magical". It was a scene lazily pasted from Star Wars.

[BillJ]

DalekJim wrote:

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No offence but your inarticulate, cosey, nostalgic, tee, gut-reactions are of no real use if you aren't able to explain them.

There is no need to explain them, those reactions were enough to get me to buy tickets to the film on four separate occasions.

One day you'll understand.

[DalekJim]

BillJ wrote:

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There is no need to explain them, those reactions were enough to get me to buy tickets to the film on four separate occasions.

And that is fine for you but saying the film made you feel gooey inside for reasons you're unable to explain isn't very good in a debate. Especially as I am continually pushed to explain my opinions in a way that people who adore the film never will have to.

[BillJ]

DalekJim wrote:

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And that is fine for you but saying the film made you feel gooey inside for reasons you're unable to explain isn't very good in a debate. Especially as I am continually pushed to explain my opinions in a way that people who adore the film never will have to.

Well, I gave you a reason why you're completely wrong about Spock (and the episodes for reference) and so have others, several times, yet you choose to completely ignore them.

[The Stig]

DalekJim wrote:

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No offence but your inarticulate, cosey, nostalgic, twee, gut-reactions are of no real use if you aren't able to explain them.

If you're going to be an elitist prick, own it. You can't preface an offensive statement with 'no offense' and calmly assume that your hands are clean.

I hate to break it to you (that's a lie, I'm enjoying it quite a bit) but we're talking about entertainment. It is, by definition, a gut-reaction affair. We can go round and round on the mechanics behind it but at the end of the day these movies, television shows, books, comics, and games exist to produce an emotional response.

Kirk looking at the Enterprise wasn't "magical". It was a scene lazily pasted from Star Wars.

Right, because never before in the history of film did a protagonist stare into the middle distance and contemplate his future.

[DalekJim]

BillJ wrote:

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Well, I gave you a reason why you're completely wrong about Spock (and the episodes for reference) and so have others, several times, yet you choose to completely ignore them.

I haven't ignored them, I just disagree and genuinely don't see Spock/Uhura as a moving love story but as crass titillation for the casual audience that would absolutely not have existed if Star Trek was still popular. It was a cynical attempt at making Spock not look gay or weird, and to show he's one of the lads.

The Stig wrote:

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If you're going to be an elitist prick

Could you be any more of a Top Gear fan? You're acting so loutish and faux-alpha male that I flat out refuse to talk to you anymore. Can't be good for my brain at all.

[The Stig]

DalekJim wrote:

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I haven't ignored them, I just disagree and genuinely don't see Spock/Uhura as a moving love story but as crass titillation for the casual audience that would absolutely not have existed if Star Trek was still popular.

Yeah, because dancing green Orion slave girls and plunging necklines on female crewmembers is the height of class. You know that the neckline on the female uniforms changes by department: Command has the highest neckline, operations next and medical has the lowest of them all. I'm guessing it's to help the male patients recuperate faster. Good ol' Franz Joseph.