Spoilers The Roddenberry Archive brings every iteration of Star Trek’s USS Enterprise bridge to life

[Daedalus]

So after taking a day to process what I saw (and with a little help from some other posters' replies), I think I've figured out what's going on here. Jules can correct me if I'm wrong

During the events of PIC season 3, we find out that Section 31 stole Kirk's body from Veridian III and was storing it at Daystrom Station. By the late 25th/early 26th century, technology was available to bring Kirk back to life, but only from the point where he died, and only for a short while. Kirk is then taken to the Enterprise-J, where he 'awakens' and thinks he is in some sort of afterlife. He meets Saavik, Sorak (Spock's son), an old Wesley Crusher, and descendants of his friends and family. He then meets Yor, who gives him the ability to travel to the 23rd century of the Kelvin Timeline, where Kirk is able to reunite with the dying Prime Spock (but not before Kirk is in 'limbo' where he sees past versions of himself a la 2001 A Space Odyssey.) They both look off into the sunset (the implication being that they have now both died), the same sunset created by the sun which Gary Mitchell now hovers in front of, observing it all...

Agreed, perfect summary

Is that garden actually in the Enterprise-J, or does it just look similar? That's the one thing I'm not 100% sure on yet.

 

[Tomalak]

Agreed, perfect summary

Is that garden actually in the Enterprise-J, or does it just look similar? That's the one thing I'm not 100% sure on yet.

I'm 99% sure it's the same garden, the question for me is whether it's on the Enterprise-J, or if it's a real park that was itself later replicated on the ship.

 

[Tallguy]

I would think that it's Chekhov's gun (not that one): You can't show us the garden on the J and then show us this same garden and tell us that it's not the J.

 

[Dukhat]

I would think that it's Chekhov's gun (not that one): You can't show us the garden on the J and then show us this same garden and tell us that it's not the J.

I think they intentionally left it ambiguous so that people can make their own interpretations. But I also think that they know that hard-core Trekkies like us really know what's going on. I mean, what fan of just TOS and the TOS films would know who Yor was, much less the Enterprise-J?

 

[Tomalak]

I don't know if it was the same for anyone else, but when I go to the Starships section on the Archive, it defaults to the Enterprise-J. That's how I spotted the similarity. Almost like they're trying to tell us something.

 

[Hawku]

Soooo was that Kirk and Spock looking out at the mother of all lens flares?

 

[Ronald Held]

If Kirk was resurrected in the future, but only in a holodeck, why couldn't this all be what he would have wanted to see?

 

[vandevere]

All I want to know is what Gary Mitchell's involvement in this story was...

 

[MakeshiftPython]

This is kinda why I prefer the short clips OTOY posted before. I think that’s a better format for this tech demo, as opposed to an attempt at making a short film that tugs the heart strings.

The deep fakery is also why I couldn’t go with the Luke Skywalker appearance in THE MANDALORIAN. I’m too hyper aware of the limitations of the tech and of what they’re trying to do that the immersion is broken.

Ultimately, I think an animated format would have been better for the story they’re trying to tell. At least you can avoid the uncanny valley that way.

 

[fireproof78]

All I want to know is what Gary Mitchell's involvement in this story was...

He's the watcher. The avatar of all audience members viewership and the vicar of their discontent.

 

[MakeshiftPython]

Mitchell is whatever you want him to mean.

I get it though, Trek doesn’t usually go for abstraction. Things are usually technobabbled to death.

 

[137th Gebirg]

It's a refreshing change to see that some writers responsible for Trek-based content in Paramount feel that the fandom might have an intelligence level higher than retarded monkeys on a moon-bounce.

 

[fireproof78]

As we argue over canon status?

 

[F. King Daniel]

This is where I gently point out that Star Trek is extremely popular with neurodivergents who do not cope well with ambiguity.

 

[MakeshiftPython]

Perhaps this is what Kirk was seeing before his eyes at the end of GENERATIONS.

“Oh my.”

I’d probably react the same way if I saw such awful deepfakery.

 

[fireproof78]

I feel like the only status that is important is personal enjoyment.

Mileage varies clearly but I never got why canon took away from personal enjoyment.

 

[MakeshiftPython]

I feel like the only status that is important is personal enjoyment.

Mileage varies clearly but I never got why canon took away from personal enjoyment.

I think it comes from a desire to want to see Kirk’s death undone as “official”.

“I can now rest easy knowing Kirk didn’t die after all”

 

[flandry84]

I liked it.
I’m interpreting it that Jim was sent to help his old friend pass over.
People who have had near-death experiences sometimes speak of seeing deceased friends and relatives in a garden.If that was the intention it’s too bad that there weren’t some suitably out of focus lookalikes of the old crew in the crowd.Seeing Saavik there would just mean that she was “in Eden” too…timely-wimey stuff.
I don’t buy all this resurrection project business..these characters deserve their rest.

 

[137th Gebirg]

As we argue over canon status?

Well, some of us anyway.

 

[Tosk]

Jesus, people, just enjoy it for what it is, and stop bitching about whether it’s canon or not. OTOY made this wonderful tribute and you’re all arguing semantics

It's a discussion. Some Trekkies show they care by discussing the ins-and-outs of a thing. It's arguably no different to, say...someone who attempts to analyze the narrative of a purposefully ambiguous tale.