Oh, that was clearly the original intent. But times change.
Casting Pike's Number One
- Thread starter david kelly
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Oh, that was clearly the original intent. But times change.
In my experience, general audiences don't really know such historical details, and can barely sort out one historical era from another.
Kor
Just my point. Mere "cultural osmosis" wouldn't necessarily lead one to know this particular bit of trivia (among countless others). On the other hand, even a modicum of curiosity (and access to a search engine) turns it up within a minute. The problem, as I've been describing, is trying to cater to people who lack a modicum of curiosity.
(As for those who lack an interest in history, we know what they get: they're doomed to repeat it. Unfortunately, all too often they drag the rest of us along with them...)
Not sure what your personal experience is, but to whatever extent this is a generalizable observation, it just underscores my point that trying to cater to "general audiences" is a losing proposition. As an author, it's far better to assume one's audience has at least as well-rounded a base of cultural knowledge as oneself.
And really, I'm not quite as cynical as you about this. I think lots of people are reasonably knowledgeable about lots of topics. For instance, public trivia contests are a hugely popular pastime these days... heck, I can find them going on at one local bar or another almost every night of the week, and I don't even live in a particularly large town.
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But at least we can appreciate the irony!
Curiosity appears to a variety of ways, and does not mean terms cannot change over time.
Then how should the "Bones" nickname have been explained in ST09?
If Kirk had just started calling McCoy "Bones" with no explanation, perhaps while they were at the academy, then detail-oriented fans (and there are many, if online message boards are any indication) would have cried fowl at the missed opportunity for a canon, official explanation for the nickname.
On the other hand, perhaps they could grind the story flow down to a screeching halt so that Spock could offer some clunky exposition about the historical context of the American Civil War and 19th-century North American English vernacular morphemes, and why exactly McCoy would merit such a nickname four hundred years later when the obscure traditional origin wasn't even understood anymore by the early 21st century.
Kor
It's probably a conflation of the character and the actor's background. Though since I was born in Georgia on Mr Kelley's birthday, I'm not going to object.
Not most non-Star Trek fans.
And if they don't know, it is not something that needs to be explained.
Probably more than you think. Star Trek was on in mid-afternoon/early-evening, five days a week for twenty-plus years in a three/four channel world. Lots of people were watching Star Trek.
I wonder if the style her hair 60s style. Number One, I mean, not Bones
I certainly hope so!
And, even at that, the origin story in 09 doesn't eliminate the origin in TOS. The two can coexist.
Sure. 09 version just is terminally stupid. But that was kinda the defining feature of that film anyway.
Why was it dumb? I thought it was a clever way to bring the nickname into the 21st century.
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