Is it time to put Star Trek to rest?

[Turtletrekker]

Yeah, I never got the Robau thing.

 

[Dukhat]

Maybe you had to be there.

Absolutely.

Although he was briefly eclipsed by Brian Brophy a few years ago.

 

[fireproof78]

Some other captains/commodores we’ve seen for five or so minutes:

Styles
Harriman
Stocker
A bunch of vaguely remembered ones in BermanTrek.

Robau seems rather more impressive. Cuz he’s a badass.

(But, to be fair, while I enjoy the memes, I can see where their appeal is not universal).

Commodore Wesley is also very cool.

 

[Qonundrum]

LCARS still looks great I think. It’s very distinctive and hasn’t aged.

Initially, at the time, it reminded me of an Atari 400 membrane keyboard. At least with looks. And, of course, every other galactic power also had a similar design - just swap colors and symbols for species. But add in how the control stations could be changed on the fly as the computer is generating the "keys" for each screen, which opens up a ton of flexibility, it is a cool idea, does look great, and has held up. And yet, Geordi always goes to the same screen when on the bridge. (Well, that makes sense too, and the computer can whip up controls anywhere on the ship since, at least prior to season 4 or so, you'd once in a while see a person tapping something on the shiny black wall surface. Especially season 1. Kinda cool if you leave your PADD in the quarters and had a thought of inspiration while walking down the corridor and had to enter it into the system real quick.)

 

[Tallguy]

The best thing that '09 did was indicate that Starfleet actually has competent, maybe even compelling captains who do not command the Enterprise.

It was the anti-Star Trek III in that respect.

 

[Ovation]

The best thing that '09 did was indicate that Starfleet actually has competent, maybe even compelling captains who do not command the Enterprise.

It was the anti-Star Trek III in that respect.

Not sure it’s the best thing they did but it is among the films’ strengths.

 

[F. King Daniel]

I think ‘accept blindly’ is a double edged sword here personally. There’s plenty accepting blindly what CBS says is right, even when it runs contrary to what they are actually putting onscreen.

Well yes, but I'm advocating a very large nudge and a wink when they say their show is in-continuity with the rest. Suspension of disbelief, same as you know aliens won't really look like humans with bits of rubber glued to their heads.

Isn't that just "speed of plot"? There are bound to be stories from TNG that couldn't possibly exist with other TNG episodes if travel speed had to remain precise.

(Just remembered how the Enterprise-E got from the Romulan Neutral Zone, to Earth, in time for the same battle they just heard on the wireless)

Yeah, there are countless examples, but this one wrecks the entire premise of the show, and is at least as egregious as updating the look and tone of a show from the 1960's.

 

[Starflight]

Regarding "canon" and visual continuity: the SNW visual design is one of the best things about the show IMO, I can absolutely believe I'm looking at the same ship as in TOS. It's maybe just a little bit too big, but other than that, the ship feels like the Enterprise to me.

The writing's another matter, there's no real way to make it line up with TOS without getting into increasingly amusing mental gymnastics, but visually it's hard to imagine how they could have done it much better.

 

[The Wormhole]

I never understood the Robau thing. He’s just a random bald guy who dies in 5 minutes.

Which I suppose is the point of the joke?

Maybe you had to be there.

Back in 2008 Orci or Lindelof were talking in an interview about whenever we see "guest star" Captains in the other movies like Esteban or Harriman they're usually depicted as inept or overwhelmed by the job so that Kirk could look all the more cool swooping in to save the day, which Orci/Lindelof (whoever it was) said he didn't agree with feeling "if you're a Starfleet Captain, you should be one of the coolest motherfuckers in the galaxy." They therefore promised that the character of Captain Robau "will be a total badass."

From there, fans began taking the term "Badass Captain Robau" and turning it into a meme and eventually we here on Trek BBS had our own "Captain Robau Facts" thread in the same style as the old Chuck Norris Facts internet meme that was so popular around the mid 2000s. Trekmovie even mentioned it to Faran Tahir himself when they were talking to him at the Trek XI premiere, as seen around the 5:20 mark of this video:

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So, yeah, maybe you did have to be here to get it, but for those of us who were, it was great fun.