Is a Galaxy-Quest type movie the best way to restart Star Trek?

[Cyke101]

[
When is saving the Earth not considered significant? That's a Herculean feat right there. He helped plan an attack, coordinated the crew, got his ship ready in no time.

I honestly think there's a huge disconnect between being a viewer and being an actual character in the movie, t to the point where 40 years of Trek have desensitized us to a degree. We the viewer can sit back and make judgement calls, sure. But if a cadet saved the modern-day US from nuclear annihilation, we would never stop giving him accolades and promotions. Not to demean Capt. Sully Sullenberger, but he got a ton of attention and was praised as a national hero for landing a plane, to give the topic some perspective. If any one of us was an actual high ranking member of Starfleet, we would give Kirk the moon if he wanted (Thank goodness old Spock told him to be captain instead).

On the side, Riker was offered command of the Drake right after he became XO at the age of 29. He would have beat Kirk Prime's record of youngest captain by two years.

Your hippothetical cadet would get a medal, maybe even a honorary rank, but no way would he become a captain of a carrier.
But Riker still had to go through the ranks, no shortcuts.

Show me an historical precedent where a cadet achieved similar results on a similar scale but was given only a medal and then I'll agree.

 

[Squiggy]

Which is, if you ask me, sad.

Yes. Heaven forbid people want to be entertained. The horror!

And heaven forbid us wanting entertainment and something for our brain to chew on at the same time...

Since Trek hasn't ever given us that before, I don't know why you were expecting one now.

 

[number6]

Since Trek hasn't ever given us that before, I don't know why you were expecting one now.

Kirk got a medal, AND a promotion.

 

[miniglik]

As a non-Trek fan, I have to say: I never really thought Trek was less silly than other forms of science fiction. It just thought it was more serious. Which is part of why Galaxy Quest is awesomely funny. It pokes holes in the Very Serious Business of science fiction television. The thing is, modern audiences have seen Galaxy Quest. The veil has lifted and we can no longer take a five year mission quite so seriously.

While I agree with much of what you're saying, I must take issue with the view that Galaxy Quest "pokes holes" in anything. I would call Galaxy Quest an extremely loving tribute to science fiction television and fandom.

Of course, that's what makes it such a great movie. Everyone is able to see in it what they want to see.

I would argue it does both (pokes holes and plays loving tribute).

What I'm trying to say is that modern audiences expect something a little different out of their science fiction. They expect it to either be hyper realism (the BSG "everything's in space/thefuture/another dimension but it's otherwise just like normal gritty/depressing life") or to be genre savvy. Like super hero movies: in the well received versions, either the super heroes kind of know they're in a super hero world, or they're too damn disturbed to do anything but just survive. The days of straight up serious altruism seem to be past, or they're at least waiting for a return to populatiry.

 

[mredom]

This thread makes my head hurt. To paraphrase a segment of "The West Wing" "This is killing the party. This thing...This is why good people hate us"

 

[number6]

You do know that Galaxy Quest is based loosely on a Star Trek short story, written by Joan Winston.

 

[Cyke101]

Since Trek hasn't ever given us that before, I don't know why you were expecting one now.

Neither Trek nor real history has given us such an example before. Given the scale of the threat and the urgency of the action, I'd say the rise to captain is something Starfleet or the Federation had no qualms about, all things considered. Heck, the drill beam had already hit the planet!

 

[Squiggy]

Sorry guys, edited in a quote.

 

[miniglik]

You do know that Galaxy Quest is based loosely on a Star Trek short story, written by Joan Winston.

If you're addressing this to me, I'm not sure how that should affect my opinion. Yes, it's obviously got a lot of affection for Star Trek. But it was still certainly more genre savvy than any Star Trek I ever saw (I mean, it's kind of the definition of genre savvy) and reflects the more modern audience view towards classic Trek.

 

[neozeks]

Yes. Heaven forbid people want to be entertained. The horror!

And heaven forbid us wanting entertainment and something for our brain to chew on at the same time...

Since Trek hasn't ever given us that before, I don't know why you were expecting one now.

Why, oh why is it neccessary to denigrate earlier Trek just to propel this one?
Ok, Wrath of Khan, Best of Both Worlds, First Contact. Or are they not entertaining enough?

 

[number6]

I just wanted to point that out. I don't think Star Trek XI was attempting to be anything like Galaxy Quest and comparing the two would be like comparing Free Enterprise to Wrath of Khan.

 

[number6]

And heaven forbid us wanting entertainment and something for our brain to chew on at the same time...

Since Trek hasn't ever given us that before, I don't know why you were expecting one now.

Why, oh why is it neccessary to denigrate earlier Trek just to propel this one?
Ok, Wrath of Khan, Best of Both Worlds, First Contact. Or are they not entertaining enough?

I thought Star Trek was certainly as entertaining as TWOK, BOBW and FC.

 

[neozeks]

Since Trek hasn't ever given us that before, I don't know why you were expecting one now.

Neither Trek nor real history has given us such an example before. Given the scale of the threat and the urgency of the action, I'd say the rise to captain is something Starfleet or the Federation had no qualms about, all things considered. Heck, the drill beam had already hit the planet!

They will have qualms when he hits a problem he can't solve simply because he has practicaly no experience in commanding a starship, however genius he may be.
Actually, what was it exactly that Kirk did that was so exceptional? Spock was the one who crashed the jellyfish in the Narada. Sulu was commanding the Ent at the time IIRC. Did they get such a promotion?

I thought Star Trek was certainly as entertaining as TWOK, BOBW and FC.

So did I. It's just that those were not ONLY and primarily entertaining.

 

[number6]

The promotion has to do with Kirk's leadership. None of this would have ever happened without Kirk's intuition and leadership qualities. That's why he get decorated and given the command of a starship.

 

[Squiggy]

And heaven forbid us wanting entertainment and something for our brain to chew on at the same time...

Since Trek hasn't ever given us that before, I don't know why you were expecting one now.

Why, oh why is it neccessary to denigrate earlier Trek just to propel this one?
Ok, Wrath of Khan, Best of Both Worlds, First Contact. Or are they not entertaining enough?

1. Simmer. I'm not "denigrating" anything.
2. They're all plenty entertaining.
3. None of them were exactly Citizen Kane.

 

[fresh]

TOS was silly.
It was an adventure show in space, not serious sci-fi.
The average TOS episode was MORE silly than this movie.

Quit revising history, Trek was always lighthearted fun mixed with serious issues.
TNG and DS9 changed things, and they were great, but they were major departures from TOS, the best series, and the series this movie is based upon.

 

[number6]

Since Trek hasn't ever given us that before, I don't know why you were expecting one now.

Why, oh why is it neccessary to denigrate earlier Trek just to propel this one?
Ok, Wrath of Khan, Best of Both Worlds, First Contact. Or are they not entertaining enough?

1. Simmer. I'm not "denigrating" anything.
2. They're all plenty entertaining.
3. None of them were exactly Citizen Kane.

TFF was Citizen Kane in Space.

 

[neozeks]

Yeah, but even the most talented guy has to hone his skills first. What does he know about he day-to-day bussines of commanding and running a starship? Being a captain isn't just saving the world every day.

Ok, we are maybe getting a bit OT. There were massive threads about this already...

 

[Squiggy]

Why, oh why is it neccessary to denigrate earlier Trek just to propel this one?
Ok, Wrath of Khan, Best of Both Worlds, First Contact. Or are they not entertaining enough?

1. Simmer. I'm not "denigrating" anything.
2. They're all plenty entertaining.
3. None of them were exactly Citizen Kane.

TFF was Citizen Kane in Space.

TFF was Epic Failure in Space.

 

[number6]

Yeah, but even the most talented guy has to hone his skills first. What does he know about he day-to-day bussines of commanding and running a starship? Being a captain isn't just saving the world every day.

Ok, we are maybe getting a bit OT. There were massive threads about this already...

Maybe you should go and read some of them.


Being a Captain doesn't preclude having a natural aptitude.