Star Trek XI, whats your opinion.
- Thread starter Cap.Sicho Nosk
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Since around the time of Generations I have been hoping for a prequel film or tv series set in the TOS era, preferably along the lines of the superb comic-book series Early Voyages. For those unfamiliar with the series, it attempts to tell the story of Pike's 5 year mission, beginning a few missions before the incident on Talos which was chronicled in The Cage. Unfortunately the series was cancelled and only made (IIRC) 17 issues.
So when this movie was announced I was pretty wrapped really - not only do we get a TOS prequel, but we are getting Pike. For me, that's mega-huge and exciting right there. This film is right up my alley.
So when this movie was announced I was pretty wrapped really - not only do we get a TOS prequel, but we are getting Pike. For me, that's mega-huge and exciting right there. This film is right up my alley.
A
Amaris
Guest
I want to see the movie and look forward to it.
J.
J.
There's actually one thing that struck me about one of the newer trailers, and it's something I'd noticed in some earlier screenshots as well. Some of the costume designs seem inspired by the 50's/60's.
I think that's really cool. I always felt that one of the design opportunities ENT missed was going with 50's style in order to help it feel more like a prequel. It's nice to see we're getting some of that here.
I think that's really cool. I always felt that one of the design opportunities ENT missed was going with 50's style in order to help it feel more like a prequel. It's nice to see we're getting some of that here.
I'm personally excited to see anything Star Trek, but I admit the trailers and the general idea have me on edge. I think this is the smartest way to continue the franchise, and in fact likely the only way for the franchise to continue. This is a new beginning and a back to basics approach that I have no doubt will be very successful. It's going to be a top grossing film.
On the other hand, What we've seen so far makes me fearful that this film will not resemble the trek we know. Star Trek should not be just an excuse for action scenes, and the very notion of "putting some star wars into it" is just insulting to those of us who enjoy trek for being a more cerebral experience than Star Wars. I also admit the idea of a new cast and redoing the original irks me slightly, but I understand it and will try to keep and open mind.
In conclusion, It could go either way. I'm willing to give it a shot.
On the other hand, What we've seen so far makes me fearful that this film will not resemble the trek we know. Star Trek should not be just an excuse for action scenes, and the very notion of "putting some star wars into it" is just insulting to those of us who enjoy trek for being a more cerebral experience than Star Wars. I also admit the idea of a new cast and redoing the original irks me slightly, but I understand it and will try to keep and open mind.
In conclusion, It could go either way. I'm willing to give it a shot.
I have to say that I don't understand the people that want it to fail. You cannot be a true ST fan if you want something bad to happen to the franchise. Failure would be really bad. On the other side, success could make being a Trek fan a little less nerdy.
This is almost starting to sound like a political discussion. So, let me play devil's advocate with this and give you a plausible response.
To a lot of people, myself included, the success of this film and what it would do to Trek would be worse for Trek than it's failure.
As I've said in the past, if you need to turn Trek into something that it's not in order for it to succeed, then it's not Trek that's succeeded. It's something else.
Just one problem. If the fluff and lack of substance that this movie has written all over it succeeds, there will never BE the morality aspects for you to introduce him too. Any subsequent films will just be more fluff.
If Pike is on the screen for more than about 10 minutes, I'll be amazed.
I still don't see it. The words "Star Trek" just has far too much baggage for the average movie goer to want to risk throwing $30-50 on. Just look at how many people who ARE Trek fans either aren't planning to see it at all or are waiting for it to hit DVD.
With people watching every dime they're spending at the moment, there are far too many choices out there in the action/scifi/adventure arena coming out at the same time based on far more successful franchises with far more marketable stars.
This movie will be on Netflix by the time school starts.
Star Wars is fine for the story it tries to tell. I've never intended for anything I, personally, have said to suggest that I had a Wars vs. Trek position. I've enjoyed both. I simply reject the opinion of the creators of this film that there is even the slightest similarity in the characters and story between the two. They both take place in space. They both have heroes and villians. And, that's pretty much where the similarity ends.
The whole thing just wreaks of Lost in Space to me. Well, it would, except at least THAT had a marketable star.
I see the movie as part of a much bigger issue revolving around the resurrection of Star Trek. Overall, I think the movie could play a positive role (and I can't think of a better strategy to achieving the goal).
I'm not that worried about the content of the movie - from what I've heard, it sounds like it should be perfectly acceptable and overall, the recasting seems to have been done well, especially where it counts (Kirk, Spock, McCoy). So I'll talk more about the business end of things which to me is more interesting than worrying what color the warp nacelles are.
I was here for Trek going in the toilet with the cancellation of ENT; there was a great deal of FUD about Trek being dead for good. I never thought a potentially lucrative, but mismanaged, brand name like Star Trek would be left alone for long. If they'll bring back Battlestar Galactica and Get Smart, they'll bring back Trek.
The real problem to me is making Star Trek a viable business proposition. Sci fi in movies is big biz, but it struggles on TV, and it's not just Trek. TV is dividing up into really lowest common denomenator stuff (police procedurals, reality TV), for which sci fi need not apply, and the niche stuff, for which sci fi is very popular but then the problem becomes the expense of sci fi vs. the smaller audience of a niche market.
Trek belongs on TV. Movies are a nice addition but Trek has always been about complex ideas and interactions between characters. Movies are good for slam-bang special effects and action scenes, but no substantial story can be told with one two hour movie every couple of years. That would waste Trek's potential to a maddening degree.
Abrams et al has hit upon the formula for resurrecting Trek - small screen and big - that is by far the most likely to work. Capitalize on the elements of Trek that are still the most high profile in the public mind: Kirk-Spock-Enterprise. Create a kick-ass mass-market movie and a certain percentage - not a majority but certainly more than the withered fanbase that has hung on this long - will want to see more. Continue with the movie franchise and spin the 23rd C off to TV. Maybe not the movie characters but new ones with the movie actors making cameo visits.
The question of where to show the series is tricky - CBS really doesn't have the right audience and Sci Fi is too small - but there's no reason a deal can't be struck to show Trek on, say, NBC, which has the right demographics and will probably be even more desperate in a few years' time. As long as there's profit to be made, the TV show will pop up somewhere. Add in the revenues that no doubt will accrue from DVD and international sales and you have a viable business model. And by then, maybe paid downloads will be a significant revenue stream as well. Plus you can't forget the merchandise.
And I say this as someone who would love to see highly-niche-interest topics such as the post-Dominion War or a real stab at the Birth of the Federation concept. Those things just won't resurrect Trek. I'm willing to wait for them - first things first.
Movies demand a certain Star Wars-iness to them. Think of it this way, Star Trek's virtues are the virtues of TV. Star Wars' virtues are the virtues of movies. Which is why Star Trek needs to be on TV with movies simply as the route to get there.
Don't blame Abrams for making a movie that does what a movie must do. But if you want to see "real" Trek again, you'll be watching it on TV.
I'm not that worried about the content of the movie - from what I've heard, it sounds like it should be perfectly acceptable and overall, the recasting seems to have been done well, especially where it counts (Kirk, Spock, McCoy). So I'll talk more about the business end of things which to me is more interesting than worrying what color the warp nacelles are.
I was here for Trek going in the toilet with the cancellation of ENT; there was a great deal of FUD about Trek being dead for good. I never thought a potentially lucrative, but mismanaged, brand name like Star Trek would be left alone for long. If they'll bring back Battlestar Galactica and Get Smart, they'll bring back Trek.
The real problem to me is making Star Trek a viable business proposition. Sci fi in movies is big biz, but it struggles on TV, and it's not just Trek. TV is dividing up into really lowest common denomenator stuff (police procedurals, reality TV), for which sci fi need not apply, and the niche stuff, for which sci fi is very popular but then the problem becomes the expense of sci fi vs. the smaller audience of a niche market.
Trek belongs on TV. Movies are a nice addition but Trek has always been about complex ideas and interactions between characters. Movies are good for slam-bang special effects and action scenes, but no substantial story can be told with one two hour movie every couple of years. That would waste Trek's potential to a maddening degree.
Abrams et al has hit upon the formula for resurrecting Trek - small screen and big - that is by far the most likely to work. Capitalize on the elements of Trek that are still the most high profile in the public mind: Kirk-Spock-Enterprise. Create a kick-ass mass-market movie and a certain percentage - not a majority but certainly more than the withered fanbase that has hung on this long - will want to see more. Continue with the movie franchise and spin the 23rd C off to TV. Maybe not the movie characters but new ones with the movie actors making cameo visits.
The question of where to show the series is tricky - CBS really doesn't have the right audience and Sci Fi is too small - but there's no reason a deal can't be struck to show Trek on, say, NBC, which has the right demographics and will probably be even more desperate in a few years' time. As long as there's profit to be made, the TV show will pop up somewhere. Add in the revenues that no doubt will accrue from DVD and international sales and you have a viable business model. And by then, maybe paid downloads will be a significant revenue stream as well. Plus you can't forget the merchandise.
And I say this as someone who would love to see highly-niche-interest topics such as the post-Dominion War or a real stab at the Birth of the Federation concept. Those things just won't resurrect Trek. I'm willing to wait for them - first things first.
Movies demand a certain Star Wars-iness to them. Think of it this way, Star Trek's virtues are the virtues of TV. Star Wars' virtues are the virtues of movies. Which is why Star Trek needs to be on TV with movies simply as the route to get there.
Don't blame Abrams for making a movie that does what a movie must do. But if you want to see "real" Trek again, you'll be watching it on TV.
I can't wait to see it. There, that's it.
Excellent, excellent post, Temis. I had to particuarly snip/dilute and quote the above as I feel it is the crux of what you're saying and the reason why this movie has to happen, one way or another, for Trek to get another chance to be Trek.
Except for the nineteen seasons and eleven motion pictures I have on DVD sitting on my bookcase.
Captain X
Rear Admiral
And just think, now they'll probably never be expanded on or added to, they'll just be rehashed at best in JJ's flashy new Apple Trek.
Except for the nineteen seasons and eleven motion pictures I have on DVD sitting on my bookcase.
I agree with Temis that the best of Trek so far has happened on TV. You can take more time to develop characters, and create arcs on a series. I hope JJs film succeeds, so we can get more television Trek greenlit.
And this new film may finally make it 'not nerdy' to be a Trek fan.
And this new film may finally make it 'not nerdy' to be a Trek fan.
I hope the movie fails because reboots almost always have no artistic merit. Besides that, rebooting legendary characters with different actors is insulting on a whole 'nother level; as is throwing out all the volumes of great work that went into the material by much more competent people (namely, the TOS and DS9 showrunners).
Captain X
Rear Admiral
Not likely.
i love going to the movies to watch sci-fi.as a trek fan i'm really looking forward to xi. if it's good great, if it's not i will be disappointed but watching a new trek is always going to be a good thing to me. as for jj abrahms, i am looking forward to his view on the trek world.if people don't like a film that's ok as everyone has their right to their own opinion, i just wish they'd let it come out before they decide it's rubbish.i like to watch things with an open mind. it's the trek in me!
And just think, now they'll probably never be expanded on or added to, they'll just be rehashed at best in JJ's flashy new Apple Trek.
Except for the nineteen seasons and eleven motion pictures I have on DVD sitting on my bookcase.
Do you actually read what you type or do you just mash the keyboard with your hand and click 'Submit Reply'?
How many times did you think Paramount could go to the well building off of something from a whole different era? Where sensibilties were so completely different? There comes a point in time where one must move on. I don't 'need' for people to continue to build on the current Trek continuity. It's a nice bonus and has went on far longer than I'd ever imagined. I'll be the first to admit that I got a hard-on when I saw the Defiant from the 'In A Mirror, Darkly' two-parter. But... the time's they are a-changin'.
Do I disagree with some of the things I've seen so far in the new movie? Sure. But them's the breaks...
When I get home at roughly 3am on May 8th, I'll check to make sure JJ hasn't broken into my house and stolen my Trek on DVD/Blu-Ray. Yes, even though JJ is over-writing current continuity I'll still be picking up the TOS Blu-Ray set on April 28th.
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Personally, I think Star Trek XI will be a good popcorn movie with a lot of fun, action, and really cool special effects.
I'm not really concerned at all about continuity or canon, because I think the days of there being just one Star Trek universe are over. IMO, I think Star Trek XI is where Trek's TV and movie franchises converge one last time and then go off and do their own separate things in the future...
I'm not really concerned at all about continuity or canon, because I think the days of there being just one Star Trek universe are over. IMO, I think Star Trek XI is where Trek's TV and movie franchises converge one last time and then go off and do their own separate things in the future...
I just get this sneaking suspicion I'm going to have to treat Trek XI like I did with Transformers. Shut the brain off and go along for the ride.
And that's a shame to me as this IS Trek we're talking about.
I mean, how'd Trekkers get the 'nerd' label to begin with? Because we like to think and Trek let us do that. I don't WANT to have to shut my brain off.
I'll go see it because I desperately want to be wrong I want it to be smart AND succeed.
And that's a shame to me as this IS Trek we're talking about.
I mean, how'd Trekkers get the 'nerd' label to begin with? Because we like to think and Trek let us do that. I don't WANT to have to shut my brain off.
I'll go see it because I desperately want to be wrong I want it to be smart AND succeed.
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