Resurrected StarShips - The Mandalorian vs Star Trek Discovery - a Critical Review

Discussion in 'Star Wars' started by KamenRiderBlade, Nov 29, 2020.

  1. KamenRiderBlade

    KamenRiderBlade Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    You know he's going to be fine. We all know when Han Solo is going to die thanks to the movies, so anything that happens in the middle is largely just a step along his time line.
     
  2. publiusr

    publiusr Admiral Admiral

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    I also have a great love of ships.

    Some hold that everything has a manitou.
    Borges once said that everything wants to go on being what it is.

    A rock wants to be a rock (if it could want anything)...a tiger, a tiger.

    To this day, I think of the ship from PASSENGERS as a work of art
     
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  3. Jesse1066

    Jesse1066 Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    I feel pretty much the same way about Spock's death in Wrath of Khan vs the destruction of the Enterprise in TSFS. Spock's death is a very emotional scene, but I know when I watch it that he'll recover, good as new. After 80 episodes and three films, I'm as attached to the Enterprise itself as to any of her crew. It's normal to become attached to a longtime vehicle, home, or any place where one has many fond memories. For Kirk and his associates, the Enterprise was all of those things.

    Meanwhile, in the real world, the Enterprise is a fictional inanimate object brought to life by an eleven foot model and interior sets that were torn down long before I was born. Still, after years of watching and rewatching TOS, it feels almost real to me. The Enterprise is a place where I've spent a great deal of time. I don't think this is "deeply weird"
    [​IMG]
    Unlike Spock, the Enterprise never returns once it's gone. It gets replaced by a new ship that's nothing but a shadow of the original. To me, 1701 is a beloved character, but 1701-A is just a ship. Similarly, the Enterprise E and the São Paulo are just ships. They're functionally identical or even superior to the ships they replaced, but we never really got to know them.

    On the other hand, the Millennium Falcon has probably had less overall screentime than the Enterprise E, but from the moment it appeared on screen, it was packed with character. It's clearly a ship with a lot of history, even if we didn't get to see most of it. The first thing we learn about it is that it's very fast, but it's also old, worn out, and prone to breaking down. The Falcon's quirks and troubles are endearing and relatable. It's been heavily modified over the years, so if Han replaced it with another YT-1300, it would never quite be the same. Uniqueness isn't everything, but it goes a long way. It's a bit harder to become attached to something when there are thousands of others just like it.

    TLDR: Some ships are characters, some are just ships.

    As for the video, I don't agree with the assertion that you need to be a superfan to make good franchise TV or that Star Trek shouldn't emulate other franchises. Star Trek should take note of what else is going on in television and learn from it. Also, I think Kurtzman is clearly at least as passionate about Star Trek as Nicholas Meyer. Kurtzman's Star Trek tries to push boundaries and do things we haven't seen before, which is very hard to do in such an expansive franchise. The Mandalorian embraces OT nostalgia with a dash of Sergio Leone/Akira Kurosawa. It tends to feel comfortably familiar. I enjoy both about equally.
     
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  4. Skipper

    Skipper Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Both shows have plot devices for going from point A to point B. They are called "starships". End of similarities.

    It would be like comparing completely different movies only because characters use cars when they need to move. It simply doesn't make sense.
     
  5. BillJ

    BillJ The King of Kings Premium Member

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    The only ship I've ever seen as a character is the original Enterprise. That is because that is how Kirk sees it.
     
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  6. Serveaux

    Serveaux Fleet Admiral Premium Member

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    Since none of it is real at all, there's nothing at stake either way. I'm still more interested in the characters the story is about than the gadgets and hardware. Fuck the Millennium Falcon - I paid to see TFA to see Ford/Solo, not a setpiece.
     
  7. BillJ

    BillJ The King of Kings Premium Member

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    Though its appearance, pretty much exactly how we saw it in the original trilogy did push all the right nostalgia buttons for me.
     
  8. Serveaux

    Serveaux Fleet Admiral Premium Member

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    Sure, the Enterprise does the same thing when they do it well. It's still not what the story's about.
     
  9. Ithekro

    Ithekro Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I don't know. One of the big moments of TFA was the first proper view of the Millennium Falcon. The musical queue helps. ("The garbage will do.")
     
    Last edited: Dec 2, 2020
  10. fireproof78

    fireproof78 Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Same here. And I've always hated the Millennium Falcon. Han Solo I've warmed up to.
     
  11. KamenRiderBlade

    KamenRiderBlade Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    The amount of Star Wars Fan Boys that would gasp at that statement =D
     
  12. fireproof78

    fireproof78 Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    And?

    I had a friend who was a huge Han Solo/Millennium Falcon fan, and designed his own ship, and did the costuming and blaster and whatnot. So, I'm aware that it is hugely fan favorite, that many consider it to be the best. I'm just not one of them.