You F--king Vulcan!!!

[RobertScorpio]

Do think a Star Trek tvshow, or even a movie, should ramp up cussing factor?? If they did a STAR TREK show on showtime/HBO, and it included a bunch of four letter words, would you watch it? Or do you think, to stay to its nature of presenting scifi to young audiences, it should refrain from going there???

P.S.
I could really see Pacino saying that line...You F---------cking vulcan! Just imagine scarface in a Starfleet uniform!!!

Rob
Scorpio

 

[Zulu Romeo]

I actually believed that in Star Trek II, McCoy exclaimed to Spock in the engine room scene "Are you out of your f***ing mind?" instead of "Are you out of your Vulcan mind?"

As to whether having increased use of colourful metaphors would be a good thing, might it simply detract from the drama in terms of pure shock value? I mean, yeah, if it's a depiction of the future, realistically some of the more severe swear words would naturally be in common usage by that time, while others might simply die out and be replaced by new ones. But from a TV audience point of view, even in the era of Rome, The Sopranos and such and such, I still don't know if mainstream audiences are ready to accept that change in language evolution in a well-established franchise yet.

Me, I'm all up for it.

 

[JustKate]

Nah. I admit that I have been known to use unladylike language from time to time, but let's face it, it's not a sign of creativity or anything. Why not find a more original way to express emotion?

 

[JiNX-01]

Nah. I admit that I have been known to use unladylike language from time to time, but let's face it, it's not a sign of creativity or anything. Why not find a more original way to express emotion?

I'm with you.

 

[RobertScorpio]

Nah. I admit that I have been known to use unladylike language from time to time, but let's face it, it's not a sign of creativity or anything. Why not find a more original way to express emotion?

Ummm...I'm not sure I agree. I think there are some movies where cussing, if it were missing, just wouldn't be the same. I think there is room for it, if its done well.

I mean would ALIENS be as good if she said...YOU MEAN ALIEN FEMALE MONSTER rather than YOU BITCH???

Rob

 

[JustKate]

^ Yes, there are such movies - you show guys in the trenches of WWII or commiting a crime on the streets of 21st century New York, there should be some cussing for the sake of realism.

But come on - we have no idea what the cuss words will be in the 24th century, so how real is it gonna be? I think it would be cool to make up cuss words. If the actors deliver them well, it will still be really obvious that, say, "Oh, zark!" is at least slightly naughty. Didn't Douglas Adams do this in the Hitchhiker books? I can't seem to remember any specific examples right now, except "hoopy frood," which isn't a cuss word.

Also, I think it's good that Trek doesn't get too adult of a rating. You should be able to take your kids to see Trek.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

But come on - we have no idea what the cuss words will be in the 24th century, so how real is it gonna be? I think it would be cool to make up cuss words. If the actors deliver them well, it will still be really obvious that, say, "Oh, zark!" is at least slightly naughty. Didn't Douglas Adams do this in the Hitchhiker books? I can't seem to remember any specific examples right now, except "hoopy frood," which isn't a cuss word.

There is a very foul swearword which is considered beyond the pale everywhere... except in one planet, where they don't know what it means.

 

[JustKate]

^ Ah, yes - that one I do remember! Not sure it would work so well for Trek...

 

[cb31]

Sometimes I curse like a fucking sailor, but I'd just as soon not have it in my Star Trek.

 

[Myasishchev]

I would like slightly more. Sometimes you've just gotta say "What the fuck."

 

[Solariabsg25]

C'Mon, everyone forget Picard's "merde" in Season One?

Or doesn't it count cos wasn't English??

 

[Myasishchev]

C'Mon, everyone forget Picard's "merde" in Season One?

Or doesn't it count cos wasn't English??

I had forgotten. I didn't catch it until years later (indeed, only a few months ago), after I'd learned what "merde" meant.

 

[Astraea]

^
But come on - we have no idea what the cuss words will be in the 24th century, so how real is it gonna be? I think it would be cool to make up cuss words. If the actors deliver them well, it will still be really obvious that, say, "Oh, zark!" is at least slightly naughty.

Couldn't we use "frack" from BSG as the prime example?

I don't think swearing matters too much one way or another. But I did get into Star Trek as a kid, and it was good that Trek didn't have all the sex-violence-swearing etc., because I wouldn't have been allowed to watch. (OTOH, most of my other favorite TV shows now - Rome is the best example, but also Dexter or even nu-BSG - do feature all those things.)

 

[jamestyler]

I had forgotten. I didn't catch it until years later (indeed, only a few months ago), after I'd learned what "merde" meant.

I learned it from Bill & Ted. Napolean hates losing.

We know the words still exist thanks to Data in Generations, and (though a lot of people I know are 50/50 on it) the big B word has shown up a few times. But it would kill the idea of sophisticated gentlemen in space.

Though I have had the temptation to write down some intriguing lines for a thing I'm writing. My personal favourite being a Scottish character dealing with a Romulan with the phrase "Don't talk yer pish."

 

[Joemac]

Spock:- "your use of language has altered since our arrival. It is currently laced with-shall i say- more colourful metaphors.""Double dumb ass on you"" and so forth." Kirk." you mean the profanity.That's simply the way they talk here. No-one pays any attention to you if you don't swear every other word.You'll find it in all the literature of the period" Spock"for example." Kirk"oh the complete works of Jacqueline Susan, The novels of Harold Robbins." Spock"ah....The greats"

I presumed from this that our speech would improve not get more disgusting.how wrong i was. I'm no spoilsport ,but everything in it's place. if i hit my thumb with a hammer i'll swear, but the rest of the time isn't it nicer to be polite?less is more

 

[shapeshifter]

My SO always gets a kick out of the edited for TV version of Repo Man. "Flipping" this and "Flipping" that.

 

[Joemac]

I use Shazbat. Have done for years. I heard it in Tangiers but more recently on a re-run of Mork and Mindy. Any-one know where it originates

 

[Mike Farley]

"Shazbut" comes from Mork and Mindy.

 

[SpockWeed]

I use Shazbat. Have done for years. I heard it in Tangiers but more recently on a re-run of Mork and Mindy. Any-one know where it originates

I first heard it on Mork and Mindy. Thought that was the origin.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

^
But come on - we have no idea what the cuss words will be in the 24th century, so how real is it gonna be? I think it would be cool to make up cuss words. If the actors deliver them well, it will still be really obvious that, say, "Oh, zark!" is at least slightly naughty.

Couldn't we use "frack" from BSG as the prime example?

I don't think swearing matters too much one way or another. But I did get into Star Trek as a kid, and it was good that Trek didn't have all the sex-violence-swearing etc., because I wouldn't have been allowed to watch. (OTOH, most of my other favorite TV shows now - Rome is the best example, but also Dexter or even nu-BSG - do feature all those things.)

Like Astraea says...I think that if you want to keep Trek kid-friendly, you need to keep the swearing out.

Plus...overuse of swear words really gets old after awhile. But I wouldn't mind the very, very occasional use--kind of like how Data's "OH, SHIT!" in Generations was so funny because it was so unexpected and so rare. Because of its rarity, even a fairly mild word was able to have a pretty strong impact.