Me, too.
Change Three Things About Each Film
- Thread starter JonnyQuest037
- Start date
For the most part, I prefer tiny tweaks and added scenes just to add depth. I enjoy the movies largely as they are.
TMP:
1. I love the look and feel of the movie, it just lacks enough character moments for me. I would add back in a few lines of the supporting cast dialogue from In Thy Image, particularly a scene in the Rec Deck with Uhura, Sulu, and Chekov, plus Chapel's early dialogue so that she isn't just delivering technobabble, and Rand's scene on the bridge so she appears in the second half.
2. Make Chapel a PhD in Xenobiology and Cybernetics rather than an MD. She needs to diversify into science to avoid being just support for McCoy .
3. Send a full rescue team after Spock to add a bit of action.
TWOK
1. Include some of the Peter/Saavik and Regula I scenes from the novelization and thus develop Saavik as a half Romulan.
2. Chapel and Rand at Kirk's birthday.
3. Make Spock's effort at code less subtle than a brick.
TSFS
1. I don't mind Robin Curtis but they should have continued development of Saavik's Romulan side.
2. Rand as the transporter operator, Uhura on the mission.
3. Chapel with Saavik and David.
TVH
1. A scene with Saavik and Amanda.
2. Some kind of explanation as to why going round the sun a second time doesn't just send you further back in time.
3. Stan Lee.
TFF
1. Make the story about the terrorists on the planet and forget about God.
2. Reveal something about the junior crew rather than brainwashing them off camera .
3. Reference Sulu's promotion.
TUC
1. Saavik.
2. Chekov and Chapel on Excelsior.
3. Reason with Saavik over David's memory . No mind rape.
TMP:
1. I love the look and feel of the movie, it just lacks enough character moments for me. I would add back in a few lines of the supporting cast dialogue from In Thy Image, particularly a scene in the Rec Deck with Uhura, Sulu, and Chekov, plus Chapel's early dialogue so that she isn't just delivering technobabble, and Rand's scene on the bridge so she appears in the second half.
2. Make Chapel a PhD in Xenobiology and Cybernetics rather than an MD. She needs to diversify into science to avoid being just support for McCoy .
3. Send a full rescue team after Spock to add a bit of action.
TWOK
1. Include some of the Peter/Saavik and Regula I scenes from the novelization and thus develop Saavik as a half Romulan.
2. Chapel and Rand at Kirk's birthday.
3. Make Spock's effort at code less subtle than a brick.
TSFS
1. I don't mind Robin Curtis but they should have continued development of Saavik's Romulan side.
2. Rand as the transporter operator, Uhura on the mission.
3. Chapel with Saavik and David.
TVH
1. A scene with Saavik and Amanda.
2. Some kind of explanation as to why going round the sun a second time doesn't just send you further back in time.
3. Stan Lee.
TFF
1. Make the story about the terrorists on the planet and forget about God.
2. Reveal something about the junior crew rather than brainwashing them off camera .
3. Reference Sulu's promotion.
TUC
1. Saavik.
2. Chekov and Chapel on Excelsior.
3. Reason with Saavik over David's memory . No mind rape.
^I don’t know. I think some of the ideas are good ones. As others have said, not everyone is going to agree on what constitutes a good Star Trek film, but there’s no harm in sharing ideas.
Well, the problem is that most fans aren't writers or filmmakers, so they don't know what they don't know, so you get a lot of ideas that would satisfy something they think they want but would probably actually damage the story.
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Robot's Return is basically TMP. It was a Genesis II story concept that Gene gave to Alan Dean Foster to turn into a story for the Star Trek [Phase] II show, and which was turned into a teleplay and then a screenplay by Harold Livingston.
From wikipedia:
"Robots Return" — The advanced computers and sophisticated machinery left on a moon of Jupiter by a 1992 NASA expedition have evolved into a new form of robot life and visit Earth in search of the "God" which created their life. They meet Hunt, formerly of NASA, and consider him a messiah.
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Yes that could have worked well, but I still loved the tension of them all sitting on the bridge whilst the Enterprise limps helplessly away.
It still sounds like TOS's "The Changeling" warmed over.
TMP
Change the computer voice to Majel.
Lose the "belt buckle."
Shorten some of the SFX sequences, substitute dialog and universe building.
TWOK
When Khan recognizes Chekov, insert a brief constructed "flash back" (mix of old images) of Khan meeting Chekov is some fashion.
Don't use the space dock images from TMP, just have the ship in orbit.
Marla McGivers is present (the actress is healthy), she's always whispering in Khan's ear, egging him on. Her death is what motivates Khan to activate the genesis device.
TSFS
Keep Kristie and have the sex scene between Saavik and old Spock (it's alway Nimoy) be sexy. Not dry and boring.
Have Grissom's captain be a competent captain, don't have Excelsor's captain be a dick. These are professional Starfleet officers.
After meeting with Morrow (?), Kirk enters the elevator and stares at the Starfleet emblem on the inside of the doors, it shows on his face that what he's doing (going against Starfleet) bothers him.
TVH
When Kirk sees the woman buying a newspaper he says "they're still using physical money, we need to get some."
When Gillian says don't they have money in the future, Kirk says not money that can be used in the 1980's.
Have the new Enterprise not be the refit, but also not the Excelsior. It's a new design.
TFF
Have the Klingon torpedo explode behind the Enterprise. It just sailing past makes no sense.
Different makeup prosthesis for the Klingon captain and the lead Klingon female.
Make it clear that more is going on beyond Sybok "removing people's pain." He putting people under mind control. When McCoy tells of his killing his father, Kirk quietly points out to Spock that McCoy's father is still alive.
TUC (oh boy)
Valeris in the drinking scene in Spock's quarters, make what later will be seen as a subtle move to begin recruiting Spock, Spock's agrees with some of what she says, but disagree with other points. When confronted in Sickbay, Valeris coherently explains her motivations to Kirk and Spock, and have the explanation make actual logical sense. I'm not saying Kirk and Spock would agree with her. But have her reasons be realistic, and not goofy.
Change the motivation of the top Starfleet conspirators. Starting with Cartwright in the early briefing room scene, no racism. There are real reasons not to trust the Klingon or go to their aid, have Cartwright present some of them at the meeting, but is overridden. Something more solid than they're all racists who just wanted to keep the tension and the cold war with the Klingon going so they would ... (uhh) ... have jobs?
In the battle with the BOP, Chang has a small fleet of cloaked BOPs. After Sulu arrives, Lt.Commander Saavik (Kristie) show up in command of a starship, soon other starships begin to arrive, they're all commanded by former subordinates of Kirk's. They've violated orders to come to their mentor's aid.
Change the computer voice to Majel.
Lose the "belt buckle."
Shorten some of the SFX sequences, substitute dialog and universe building.
TWOK
When Khan recognizes Chekov, insert a brief constructed "flash back" (mix of old images) of Khan meeting Chekov is some fashion.
Don't use the space dock images from TMP, just have the ship in orbit.
Marla McGivers is present (the actress is healthy), she's always whispering in Khan's ear, egging him on. Her death is what motivates Khan to activate the genesis device.
TSFS
Keep Kristie and have the sex scene between Saavik and old Spock (it's alway Nimoy) be sexy. Not dry and boring.
Have Grissom's captain be a competent captain, don't have Excelsor's captain be a dick. These are professional Starfleet officers.
After meeting with Morrow (?), Kirk enters the elevator and stares at the Starfleet emblem on the inside of the doors, it shows on his face that what he's doing (going against Starfleet) bothers him.
TVH
When Kirk sees the woman buying a newspaper he says "they're still using physical money, we need to get some."
When Gillian says don't they have money in the future, Kirk says not money that can be used in the 1980's.
Have the new Enterprise not be the refit, but also not the Excelsior. It's a new design.
TFF
Have the Klingon torpedo explode behind the Enterprise. It just sailing past makes no sense.
Different makeup prosthesis for the Klingon captain and the lead Klingon female.
Make it clear that more is going on beyond Sybok "removing people's pain." He putting people under mind control. When McCoy tells of his killing his father, Kirk quietly points out to Spock that McCoy's father is still alive.
TUC (oh boy)
Valeris in the drinking scene in Spock's quarters, make what later will be seen as a subtle move to begin recruiting Spock, Spock's agrees with some of what she says, but disagree with other points. When confronted in Sickbay, Valeris coherently explains her motivations to Kirk and Spock, and have the explanation make actual logical sense. I'm not saying Kirk and Spock would agree with her. But have her reasons be realistic, and not goofy.
Change the motivation of the top Starfleet conspirators. Starting with Cartwright in the early briefing room scene, no racism. There are real reasons not to trust the Klingon or go to their aid, have Cartwright present some of them at the meeting, but is overridden. Something more solid than they're all racists who just wanted to keep the tension and the cold war with the Klingon going so they would ... (uhh) ... have jobs?
In the battle with the BOP, Chang has a small fleet of cloaked BOPs. After Sulu arrives, Lt.Commander Saavik (Kristie) show up in command of a starship, soon other starships begin to arrive, they're all commanded by former subordinates of Kirk's. They've violated orders to come to their mentor's aid.
There's a lot of love for Saavik and it's frustrating that they let the character lapse with STV. Was their never a version of a script that featured her? It's notable that the movie also skips over other recurring characters like Sarek, Amanda, Chapel , Rand, Morrow/Cartwright, and avoids the subject of David and Carol when it might have been cool to see them in a vision (the moment that Kirk told Carol of David's death could have given us both Carol and Saavik in a neat flashback). Despite kicking off on the 'new' Enterprise, STVI feels far more connected to the overall narrative than STV.
Jaylah in Beyond has shades of what Saavik could have been: a cunning survivalist trying really hard to repress feral instincts that she honed on Hellguard would have been so much more fun than the sterile version we got in TSFS.
Jaylah in Beyond has shades of what Saavik could have been: a cunning survivalist trying really hard to repress feral instincts that she honed on Hellguard would have been so much more fun than the sterile version we got in TSFS.
Most of my changes would just be filling in gaps or smoothing continuity:
TMP: Not a lot to fix. Some mild pacing issues. Maybe smooth over the "black hole" reference by Decker to say "wormhole" instead. Expand upon Decker and Ilia's backstory...
TWOK: A more plausible explanation for why the Reliant was confused in the Ceti Alpha star system. A less contrived set-up that resulted in Kirk being on the Enterprise at this exact moment as Khan springs his trap. Clean up some of the science around the Genesis effect.
TSFS: A more plausible reason for Kirk to need to go to Genesis to recover Spock's body. Location shooting for some of the Genesis scenes. Better pacing to avoid the drawn-out scenes on Vulcan.
TVH: Eliminate/change some of the foolishness that would have absolutely decimated the integrity of the timeline (taking Gillian back to the 23rd century, revealing the transparent aluminum formula, leaving Klingon technology behind, etc). Let Horner or Goldsmith score the picture.
TFF: Less screen time with ridiculous humor (fan dance, lost in the woods, Scotty flirting) and instead fill-in the backstory of Sybok and his beliefs better. Show a secret pain of Chekov, Uhura or Sulu. More emphasis on the Great Barrier (what it represents, why it is believed to be impassible, how they got through with a little more about the entity they find.
TUC: Ugh...only 3 huh? Ummm.... Better pacing through the entire middle of the movie. More believable science and forensics around the investigation into the assassination. Scale up (don't make a galactic incident feel so small).
TMP: Not a lot to fix. Some mild pacing issues. Maybe smooth over the "black hole" reference by Decker to say "wormhole" instead. Expand upon Decker and Ilia's backstory...
TWOK: A more plausible explanation for why the Reliant was confused in the Ceti Alpha star system. A less contrived set-up that resulted in Kirk being on the Enterprise at this exact moment as Khan springs his trap. Clean up some of the science around the Genesis effect.
TSFS: A more plausible reason for Kirk to need to go to Genesis to recover Spock's body. Location shooting for some of the Genesis scenes. Better pacing to avoid the drawn-out scenes on Vulcan.
TVH: Eliminate/change some of the foolishness that would have absolutely decimated the integrity of the timeline (taking Gillian back to the 23rd century, revealing the transparent aluminum formula, leaving Klingon technology behind, etc). Let Horner or Goldsmith score the picture.
TFF: Less screen time with ridiculous humor (fan dance, lost in the woods, Scotty flirting) and instead fill-in the backstory of Sybok and his beliefs better. Show a secret pain of Chekov, Uhura or Sulu. More emphasis on the Great Barrier (what it represents, why it is believed to be impassible, how they got through with a little more about the entity they find.
TUC: Ugh...only 3 huh? Ummm.... Better pacing through the entire middle of the movie. More believable science and forensics around the investigation into the assassination. Scale up (don't make a galactic incident feel so small).
Harve Bennett has said that Saavik in the 20th century would've just been another pair of ears to hide. Who knows, maybe he would've felt differently if the role hadn't been recast.
I find it interesting that several folks seem to feel that TUC has more story problems than TFF.
I can see the logic for the limited appearance in STIV.
I find both V and Vi border too much on self parody although I can't put my finger on why IV gets away with it.
TMP
1. Limit the fly-overs, fly-arounds etc to less than 5 minutes in total
2. Change the uniforms
3. Change the lighting on the bridge it looked very dull.
1. Limit the fly-overs, fly-arounds etc to less than 5 minutes in total
2. Change the uniforms
3. Change the lighting on the bridge it looked very dull.
Such as?
Uhura - infertile, once miscarried her only child and told nobody, not even McCoy.
Chekov - had a cousin Piotr like a brother - he died when they were both children and Pavel blames himself - or he had to betray his cousin who had committed a crime/was part of a previous treason plot
Sulu - had a bitter fight with Demora's mother just before she died and didn't get to apologize to her
Maybe have Chekov mention a current system-wide sensor malfunction? Would also explain not being able to pickup Humans on the planet's surface.
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