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

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.
Also—and I don't want to sound like I'm aggressively nitpicking, because I love talking through the possible meanings of this—but if it's the 26th century and it's not an afterlife of some sort, then how is Saavik there? Woudn't she have to be 300 years old?

That said, the intent of it being the Ent-J does seem to check out based on the pictures of the ship interior. I'm curious what the intended story is behind this, or if it was just purely a "throw it all together and enjoy the tribute but don't think about it too much" type of thing.
 
I hope, sincerely, that it's not the J. I think it being Spock's memorial post his disappearance. Then Yor moves Kirk across time and space.
 
Also—and I don't want to sound like I'm aggressively nitpicking, because I love talking through the possible meanings of this—but if it's the 26th century and it's not an afterlife of some sort, then how is Saavik there? Woudn't she have to be 300 years old?

That said, the intent of it being the Ent-J does seem to check out based on the pictures of the ship interior. I'm curious what the intended story is behind this, or if it was just purely a "throw it all together and enjoy the tribute but don't think about it too much" type of thing.

We don’t actually know it’s the 26th century. We only know that the Enterprise-J was battling the Sphere Builders in the 26th century of an alternate timeline. For all we know, this Enterprise-J was built at any time between 2402 onwards.
 
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When we're talking about an actor who has passed, like Peter Cushing, I think that is where we probably need some new/clarified legislation... although to be completely honest i'm probably on the side opposite of much of the actors in that I think that once someone has passed, unless there is some kind of specific arrangement made for their likeness, it's fair game.
I couldn't possibly disagree more vehemently on this particular point. Such would be incredibly disrespectful and even harmful to the surviving family members. See the recent example of the AI "George Carlin" "comedy" special and the Carlin family reaction to that. Personally, I found that particular example distasteful to the point of obscenity. I hate to sound provincial, but it was a modern day, real-world equivalent of necromancy. Yuck. Just yuck.
 
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I couldn't possibly disagree more of a humanly on this particular point. Such would be incredibly disrespectful and even harmful to the surviving family members. See the recent example of the AI "George Carlin" "comedy" special and the Carlin family reaction to that. Personally, I found that particular example distasteful to the point of obscenity. I hate to sound provincial, but it was a modern day, real-world equivalent of necromancy. Yuck. Just yuck.

I think what they’ve done with Leonard Nimoy is quite respectful to both him/his family, and the character of Spock.
 
I couldn't possibly disagree more of a humanly on this particular point. Such would be incredibly disrespectful and even harmful to the surviving family members. See the recent example of the AI "George Carlin" "comedy" special and the Carlin family reaction to that. Personally, I found that particular example distasteful to the point of obscenity. I hate to sound provincial, but it was a modern day, real-world equivalent of necromancy. Yuck. Just yuck.
Indeed. The disrespect towards the deceased is becoming rather strange.
 
That's been a segment of fandom's goal for a long time now. They don't want to move on and wish to preserve the past perfectly. in some ways, it's an attitude reflected in the Elves and their Rings of Power.
I can't see it happening myself. Quite apart from the cost, since you have to employ actors and also expensive CGI. She-Hulk broke the bank with just two occasional CGI characters.

Something more akin to Prodigy or Star Wars Rebels is more plausible, or continuing the recasting for a sequel to SNW.

This was a glorious tribute, a labour of love to show what is possible within the archive. Shatner is keen on having his digital self preserved but the other actors may not have been, especially those who passed away before this tech had even been imagined.
 
can't see it happening myself. Quite apart from the cost, since you have to employ actors and also expensive CGI. She-Hulk broke the bank with just two occasional CGI characters.
I'm not saying it will happen; only that this reflects a preservation goal I've seen expressed in fandom. I see the potential of becoming the gold standard for recreation and leave some unsatisfied with other interpretations of the characters.
 
For all we know, this Enterprise-J was built at any time between 2402 onwards.
True. And even if we take the "Azati Prime" future as canon, I actually kind of love the concept that, after flying through a bunch of letters in a short period of time, they made a massive Enterprise that's basically a flying starbase and maintained it in use for 200 years.
I think what they’ve done with Leonard Nimoy is quite respectful to both him/his family, and the character of Spock.
Agreed. And his widow was prominently credited as an executive producer.
 
I couldn't possibly disagree more vehemently on this particular point. Such would be incredibly disrespectful and even harmful to the surviving family members. See the recent example of the AI "George Carlin" "comedy" special and the Carlin family reaction to that. Personally, I found that particular example distasteful to the point of obscenity. I hate to sound provincial, but it was a modern day, real-world equivalent of necromancy. Yuck. Just yuck.

Does George Carlin's family own the IP rights to his likeness? Do we have any evidence of how George Carlin himself felt about the matter of his likeness being used?

I couldn't disagree more. I think that there is no greater honor for an actor to be outright immortalized in such a way. Not only were they so loved in life, they continue to be loved by millions in death to the point that they are deemed so important that we resurrect their likeness so they can continue to entertain people even after they gone. There is quite literally no greater honor. Now I *DO* think that it would be proper to consult with surviving family if that is possible prior to doing something, but I also would be somewhat suspect of their motives. If they are against the use, is it because they have some awareness that this person truly did not want this... or are they trying to find a way to profit off their loved one? Which one is worse to you? Because... I certainly have an opinion on that...

On the legal front, sure it's more problematic for older celebrities who had passed prior to this sort of thing being a reality. Anyone alive today should have zero issues at all... if an actor does not wish for their likeness to be used after their death, it's not difficult at all to claim the ownership of your likeness and pass that ownership onto an estate.
 
I can't see it happening myself. Quite apart from the cost, since you have to employ actors and also expensive CGI. She-Hulk broke the bank with just two occasional CGI characters.

Something more akin to Prodigy or Star Wars Rebels is more plausible, or continuing the recasting for a sequel to SNW.

This was a glorious tribute, a labour of love to show what is possible within the archive. Shatner is keen on having his digital self preserved but the other actors may not have been, especially those who passed away before this tech had even been imagined.
An animated short film definitely would have been more tasteful, but our culture has a weird bias against animation, so it wouldn’t have the same impact. In an ideal world, the MCU would be an animated franchise, which would have meant there would be no need to write off characters due to actors wanting to move on.
 
Agreed, he was really good in replicating Shatner’s mannerisms. There was just one shot where I felt he walked a little funky …

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What’s he doing with his arms? :lol:

Yeah, this was also the shot that made me think Shatner might've played himself for some of it. He's very much walking like a 93 year old man, not a 63 year old.
 
I'm not saying it will happen; only that this reflects a preservation goal I've seen expressed in fandom. I see the potential of becoming the gold standard for recreation and leave some unsatisfied with other interpretations of the characters.
The latest thing is you can animate photos. Maybe someone should have a go at some of the cast photos, especially the Motion Picture. Everyone was in those.
 
I just watched it. It was decent, but I wouldn't necessarily give it universal praise. It was a nice tribute to celebrate 30 years of Generations. It was also a fan film. I was impressed they got Curtis back and she agreed to do it. I thought she had left acting long past her.
 
An animated short film definitely would have been more tasteful, but our culture has a weird bias against animation, so it wouldn’t have the same impact. In an ideal world, the MCU would be an animated franchise, which would have meant there would be no need to write off characters due to actors wanting to move on.

But don't animate it TOO well (which is much of what was done here by other means) because then it's not tasteful anymore.
 
True. And even if we take the "Azati Prime" future as canon, I actually kind of love the concept that, after flying through a bunch of letters in a short period of time, they made a massive Enterprise that's basically a flying starbase and maintained it in use for 200 years.
I also pictured it as a long-duration intergalactic explorer, hence its size and and longevity. It's taking the idea of a generation ship and just made it go further. The Universe class is more than a name, it's a mission statement.
 
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