There were conflicting "fanon" and off-screen speculations and explanations for the Klingon change practically the instant they appeared in TMP. Roddenberry and co. tried to handwave away the difference and say something along the lines of "Just imagine that they always looked that way."
This always worked just fine for me, but I was 3 when TMP came out (amazingly already watching the show though...and YES I can remember those days).
Around that time, the "Best of Trek" fanzines/books published an article by Leslie Thompson which decried the wholesale change to the entire Klingon species as "change for the sake of change" and "an affront to Star Trek fans."
Where have I heard that kind of thing before?
Then came the John M. Ford explanation in his novels, and in the FASA role-playing game, that the ridgy Klingons were pure Klingons, described as "Imperial Klingons," and the smooth-headed ones were Klingon-human hybrids that the Empire had bred to deal with the Federation; there were also Romulan-Klingon hybrids for dealing with the Romulans, etc.
Kor
This was always the explanation I went with. It always made perfect sense to me. In a way, even after all these years and all these iterations on Klingons, this is still kind of "burned in" to my head canon.
Star Trek Nemesis is a great film! (and TNG is my fave show). The cinematography is first rate, the editing (as one would expect with Baird directing) is good, the pace is terrific. The story was zipping along, and I glanced up - only twenty minutes in! Most of the reasons people give for not liking it (e.g. Picard in a dune buggy) just don't bother me.
I agree. It's not a perfect film by any stretch, but none of the things that bother others have ever really phased me at all, and I find it very entertaining and fun to re-watch quite frequently.
The other big complaint you hear about Nemesis is that Shinzon's motivations make no sense. I also don't have a problem with this, because to me, it's clear that he's just a complete psychotic / sociopathic mass-murderer as a result of everything he's been through. He's literally just making stuff up as he goes as excuses to mind-rape and kill on a mass-scale. There IS no motivation that makes sense, that's what makes it so damn scary. "Some men just want to see the world burn"
Having rewatched Nemesis and enjoyed it so much, I then went back to the beginning and watched The Motion Picture. Enjoyed it a lot more than I used to. Yes, there are way more reaction shots as the crew observe something on the monitor than are needed, but the unique feel of this film makes it a worthy addition to the franchise. I also don't agree with criticism that the Kirk-Spock-McCoy relationship isn't there; it's more subdued, but there are definitely still moments (even the occasional look) to enjoy.
Agree. I love TMP. In fact, I feel it's one of the better movies for character stuff, because those characters and that relationship actually has a realistic arc throughout the movie. They start out a little cold and unsure of each other, because they've all been away and have become different people, but by the end, they are back in their more comfortable skins, having rediscovered their brotherhood.
A few more unpopular opinions:
* I feel the 'demonisation' of Roddenberry has gone on long enough, and is as extremely OTT as all the Roddenberry-worshipping pre-1991 was, just from the other side. I am not oblivious to his many flaws, but it seems they are often seen in isolation by many fans away from positives.
* DS9 used to be an under-rated gem for much of its existence, now it feels over-rated
* DS9 was at its best in the first four seasons. Season 6-7 are pretty poor IMO (with some obvious exceptions).
* Discovery is enjoyable, and a decent addition to the franchise.
1. Agree. I'm no fan of GR, but I also don't think he was the devil. He was a flawed human being who created something that changed the world.
2. Agree. I love DS9 (am currently re-watching), but I don't think it's the gold standard for how Trek should be, which seems to be the (somewhat ridiculous) position of a lot of fans.
3. I found S1 and 2 to be a much greater slog than 6 and 7.
4. Agree. Much like Nemesis, I find it flawed, but ultimately highly entertaining and re-watchable....so mission accomplished.[/QUOTE]
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