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What are your controversial Star Trek opinions?

At the end of the day does anyone really, truly care that much about such things. I mean yes the most anal fans will stew endlessly over such details because that's the way they're wired. But I look at these shows as my entertainment and as long as they keep me happy all is right with the world and I won't fuss with every single detail or minutia inside.
My answer is fully sometimes. Taking SNW as an example: I don't care about the ship. It's ugly and I wish it wasn't. But there is nothing in the show that says that this ship somehow looks different to the characters any more than Anson Mount (not ugly, probably) looks different than Jeffrey Hunter.

Christine Chapel is a totally different character. But she's awesome. I mean, is there ANYONE who ever shipped TOS Spock and Chapel? (I mean, there's always somebody.) So I find myself thoroughly enjoying SNW but thinking much less of Spock in the context of TOS. And boy does it make the role of T'Pring even more thankless than it was from the get go.

The Gorn make NO sense in the context of Arena. So why are they there? Why is it the Gorn? (And how the heck would even an alternate timeline explain THAT?) It's a cool thing in the story of SNW and sure, it's a fun way to get a little Alien into Star Trek. But they're not very much like the Gorn. So calling them that is nothing but downside. (Again, not making Spock look great in Arena. "Captain. I do seem to remember a time when people of this species slaughtered our chief engineer and tried to kill your brother... What was his name again? Lieutenant Uhura, do you recall the name of the Captain's brother? Neither do I. No matter, certainly.")
 
My answer is fully sometimes. Taking SNW as an example: I don't care about the ship. It's ugly and I wish it wasn't. But there is nothing in the show that says that this ship somehow looks different to the characters any more than Anson Mount (not ugly, probably) looks different than Jeffrey Hunter.

Christine Chapel is a totally different character. But she's awesome. I mean, is there ANYONE who ever shipped TOS Spock and Chapel? (I mean, there's always somebody.) So I find myself thoroughly enjoying SNW but thinking much less of Spock in the context of TOS. And boy does it make the role of T'Pring even more thankless than it was from the get go.

The Gorn make NO sense in the context of Arena. So why are they there? Why is it the Gorn? (And how the heck would even an alternate timeline explain THAT?) It's a cool thing in the story of SNW and sure, it's a fun way to get a little Alien into Star Trek. But they're not very much like the Gorn. So calling them that is nothing but downside. (Again, not making Spock look great in Arena. "Captain. I do seem to remember a time when people of this species slaughtered our chief engineer and tried to kill your brother... What was his name again? Lieutenant Uhura, do you recall the name of the Captain's brother? Neither do I. No matter, certainly.")


Thank you for the reply. I am glad you didn't take offense.

I always got the impression Trek tried the make the Gorn more then they were some really fierce race that would give the other races a run for their money. They even get a mention in Discovery season 4 I think at the start as if they were some kind of badaass species.
 
Lazarii?

Or Mr. Brown if you're nasty.

Nice callback to Janet Jackson. :techman:



My answer is fully sometimes. Taking SNW as an example: I don't care about the ship. It's ugly and I wish it wasn't. But there is nothing in the show that says that this ship somehow looks different to the characters any more than Anson Mount (not ugly, probably) looks different than Jeffrey Hunter.

Christine Chapel is a totally different character. But she's awesome. I mean, is there ANYONE who ever shipped TOS Spock and Chapel? (I mean, there's always somebody.) So I find myself thoroughly enjoying SNW but thinking much less of Spock in the context of TOS. And boy does it make the role of T'Pring even more thankless than it was from the get go.

The Gorn make NO sense in the context of Arena. So why are they there? Why is it the Gorn? (And how the heck would even an alternate timeline explain THAT?) It's a cool thing in the story of SNW and sure, it's a fun way to get a little Alien into Star Trek. But they're not very much like the Gorn. So calling them that is nothing but downside. (Again, not making Spock look great in Arena. "Captain. I do seem to remember a time when people of this species slaughtered our chief engineer and tried to kill your brother... What was his name again? Lieutenant Uhura, do you recall the name of the Captain's brother? Neither do I. No matter, certainly.")

Regarding the Gorn and "ARENA"...

They are called the Gorn Hegemony, which implies there are more Gorn. It's probably as simple as the Xindi... multiple types of the same species. I don't see a problem with it.

And if I remember correctly, the Gorn were not mentioned by name until the Metron stopped both ships and took Kirk. Until that point, the Gorn ship was unidentified, so Spock wouldn't have been able to tell Kirk about the events in SNW.

So far, I'm not seeing any contradiction with what was established in "ARENA".
 
And if I remember correctly, the Gorn were not mentioned by name until the Metron stopped both ships and took Kirk. Until that point, the Gorn ship was unidentified, so Spock wouldn't have been able to tell Kirk about the events in SNW.
Yeah, the only way Spock could have told Kirk is by interjecting during Kirk's conversation with the Metron. IMO SNW kind of improves the episodes, with regard to Uhura screaming in terror when Kirk is teleported away. Makes a lot more sense if she knows what (could) await him.

Also Lower Decks already portrayed the Gorn as eating sentient beings, so Strange New Worls is only following canon in that regard.
 
Yeah, the only way Spock could have told Kirk is by interjecting during Kirk's conversation with the Metron. IMO SNW kind of improves the episodes, with regard to Uhura screaming in terror when Kirk is teleported away. Makes a lot more sense if she knows what (could) await him.

Also Lower Decks already portrayed the Gorn as eating sentient beings, so Strange New Worls is only following canon in that regard.

That's a good point about Uhura's scream. That does retroactively put it in a better perspective.
 
So far, I'm not seeing any contradiction with what was established in "ARENA".
Maybe I have to watch it again. Oh. Darn. Watching a great TOS episode for nerdy research. Stop. Help. Police.

Also Lower Decks already portrayed the Gorn as eating sentient beings, so Strange New Worls is only following canon in that regard.
Did it? I don't remember that part. (LD is super dense.)

Re-watching the courtroom scene in The Voyage Home yesterday I realized that before the trial Spock, Sarek, and Christine are all hanging out together. Taking SNW into account it seemed very sweet. OR it's Spock hanging out with Mom and Dad from Yesteryear!

Not controversial, I suppose. It was just something I noticed.
 
That's a good point about Uhura's scream. That does retroactively put it in a better perspective.
SNW also adds interesting context to Spock's emotional development up to that episode. "All Those Who Wander" has some of the most emotional Spock moments in SNW, indirectly caused by the Gorn and now that he encounters them again he doesn't even flinch. (Of course because SNW hasn't been written at the point, but it's interesting to look at "Arena" through that new lens)
 
So, I watched TMP last Saturday (restored, Director's Cut, of course) and here's my controversial opinion.

It's good. :hugegrin:

I enjoyed it immensely. It's gorgeous and it didn't feel long or padded. I'd forgotten this was where we first heard what would become the TNG theme! They probably could've cut some of the Magical Mystery Tour through V'Ger, but I think they were 1) trying to show the sheer scale and 2) enjoying having a budget.

I'm at work so I don't have the novelization in front of me: does it have why Spock goes for Kohlinor? Yes, it's because he wants to purge those pesky (human) emotions, but was it losing Kirk and The Gang that drove him there? I think so. Trying to stop pain and grief. A very human thing to do!

I'd also forgotten about Spock laughing. What an awesome scene! Laughing at his own absurdity. The realization that Pure Cold Logic is not what he wants. It made me think about the older & wiser Spock who will eventually tell Valeris that logic is the beginning of wisdom, not the end, and appreciate Spock's journey all over again.
 
Now that you mention it, TNG has the distinction of being the ONLY show in the franchise to not have their own theme.

(I'm including ENTERPRISE, because even though it was a cover of another song, it was never used anywhere else in the franchise. Or anywhere else period, as far as I know.)
 
TMP made for the big screen. It’s spectacle. They prob should have had an adventure on a SNW and not a ship show (a bottle show as that phrase commonly used). But it was pretty groovy in 79. A film, baby! A MOTION PICTURE, not kiddie fare like some other flick from 77. (Which I highly esteem, let the record show.)
 
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