Differences between Trek XI movie vs. novelization

[T J]

I haven’t seen a thread on this yet. There are several differences from the book and movie; I thought we could discuss them here. The ones that were the biggest for me was the characterization of young Spock.

When Kirk and Spock board the Narada in the movie there is a fierce firefight. Yet in the book Spock breaks out in some Vulcan martial arts and viciously yet logically dispatched every Romulan by hand starting from biggest to smallest.

At this point in the movie Spock then mind-melds with the surviving Romulan and learns the location of Pike and the Red-matter.

In the book however Spock proceeds to beat the living shit out of his victim with his fists, the whole time screaming at him matching punch for word on the Romulans face. Needless to say both methods yielded the same result.

It would have been… different… to see the more violent Spock in the movie. It might have taken the point too far as far as his being emotionally compromised over the destruction of Vulcan.

Anyone else?

 

[Jeri]

I did notice the difference in the Narada fight, but I think it would have left Kirk out if they had let Spock handle it the way he did in the book.

The biggest difference in the book and movie to me was that the movie left out Sam, Jim's brother. Those scenes made sense out of the Corvette destruction, which had no particular explanation in the movie and gave a cavalier impression of J.T.

 

[SalvorHardin]

In the book however Spock proceeds to beat the living shit out of his victim with his fists, the whole time screaming at him matching punch for word on the Romulans face. Needless to say both methods yielded the same result.

It would have been… different… to see the more violent Spock in the movie. It might have taken the point too far as far as his being emotionally compromised over the destruction of Vulcan.

Intriguing. However I think I prefer the way the movie handled that scene.

I think having Spock beat the crap out of that Romulan would be too.... Dark Knight for Trek.

 

[Mach5]

Here's an obvious difference - in the book Robau's name is Pierre, instead of Richard...

 

[SalvorHardin]

Here's an obvious difference - in the book Robau's name is Pierre, instead of Richard...

Seriously ?

 

[Jeri]

Salvor, are you serious? Or maybe you weren't around when that was chewed over...

 

[SalvorHardin]

Salvor, are you serious? Or maybe you weren't around when that was chewed over...

It must have been discussed while I was on one of my sea and sun gathering summer adventures.
Because I somehow managed to completely miss this one.

I don't get it though.
Why would Foster change the guy's name when every official material for the movie has him as Richard ?

 

[USS Kongo]

Salvor, are you serious? Or maybe you weren't around when that was chewed over...

It must have been discussed while I was on one of my sea and sun gathering summer adventures.
Because I somehow managed to completely miss this one.

I don't get it though.
Why would Foster change the guy's name when every official material for the movie has him as Richard ?

Because Robau is so badass he's got more than one first name.

Sean

 

[SalvorHardin]

Salvor, are you serious? Or maybe you weren't around when that was chewed over...

It must have been discussed while I was on one of my sea and sun gathering summer adventures.
Because I somehow managed to completely miss this one.

I don't get it though.
Why would Foster change the guy's name when every official material for the movie has him as Richard ?

Because Robau is so badass he's got more than one first name.

Sean

I can accept that

 

[Rackon]

In the book however Spock proceeds to beat the living shit out of his victim with his fists, the whole time screaming at him matching punch for word on the Romulans face. Needless to say both methods yielded the same result.

It would have been… different… to see the more violent Spock in the movie. It might have taken the point too far as far as his being emotionally compromised over the destruction of Vulcan.

Intriguing. However I think I prefer the way the movie handled that scene.

I think having Spock beat the crap out of that Romulan would be too.... Dark Knight for Trek.

I definitely prefer the way the Narada fight was shot in the film. Abrams actually changed this from the original script because he felt there were already enough "fist" fights in the movie and one more woulda been too many. (I agree, and, in fact, I coulda used one less.)

I'd have found it highly distasteful to see Spock pummel anybody in that scene, especially after his emotional epiphany on the Enterprise. It just doesn't fit. But I'm sure we'll get some spiffy Spock Vulcan martial arts in the sequels - the fight styles have been developed and Quinto's learned the moves. I look forward to it

Meanwhile back in the book...

I found the dynamics between JTK and his brother Sam and his onerous stepdad revealing, especially the info that Jim is the "good" brother, who studies hard and gets good grades. It's "Sam" who's the rebel. The stepfather's selling George Kirk's beloved car and Sam's running away from home are what send JTK over the edge (literally). This short snippet provides context for the Corvette massacre.

Along those same lines...at the Academy, when the cadets gather to hear the cheating charges against JTK, Jim is clueless - he thinks they're in the auditorium for the announcement of senior honors - and he fully expects to be named class valedictorian.

These brief additions add a little nuance to the character and mitigate the brash rebel Jim Kirk seems to be in much of the movie.

 

[shapeshifter]

In the book Spock flips the bird at the Council after they insult him and his mother.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

In the novel, Nero himself kills Ayel for questioning an order. In the movie, Ayel is shot by Kirk ("I've got your gun").

 

[trampledamage]

Along those same lines...at the Academy, when the cadets gather to hear the cheating charges against JTK, Jim is clueless - he thinks they're in the auditorium for the announcement of senior honors - and he fully expects to be named class valedictorian.

I actually got something of this from Kirk's reaction in the movie. Not that he expected to be valedictorian, but he definitely seems thrown by the idea that anyone could bring him up on charges of cheating.

 

[diftorhehsmusma]

i still haven't gotten all the way through the book yet, but it brings to mind a question i have long held about 'novelisations' of movies - how is it a novelisation of the film if it is so different? i understand that there is some order of the production that dictates the book must be begun before the film is finished, but how is it not just a different interpretation of the story? how can it be called a novelisation of the film if it differs so markedly? reminds me of 'soundtracks' which are, in fact, different renditions of the songs from a film. then, it isn't a soundtrack, is it? (also when i was a kid, soundtracks were just that, dialogue and all, but i digress....)
so, it's fun and all, but i don't understand how it can be considered to be a novelisation of the film itself. i have always wondered why such a thing isn't made from the film. ah, hollywood. as if i can demand it make sense. heh.

 

[Therin of Andor]

i still haven't gotten all the way through the book yet, but it brings to mind a question i have long held about 'novelisations' of movies - how is it a novelisation of the film if it is so different?

Because it's not "so different".

There is a certain amount of author license. Films are a visual medium, and certain scenes that work perfectly well as an audiovisual simply don't work as prose.

If you want a totally accurate transformation, buy an official screenplay, but even then you'll find lots of differences. Why are movies often different to what their screenplays suggested? Because often the scene ends up playing differently. There's not much challenge for an author writing a novelization if all they're allowed to do is convert the screenplay into full narrative prose. And not much point in anyone reading such a book, if it's such a pedestrian facsimile, and you've already seen the movie.

(also when i was a kid, soundtracks were just that, dialogue and all, but i digress....)

Since when? I'm 50 - and I think the only music-and-voice soundtracks I have in my extensive collection are "Airplane" and some "Monty Python" movies. And stage musicals, of course. Most soundtrack albums are selections from the musical soundtrack. A few are the full musical soundtrack, in order of the film's sequence. Some are "Music inspired by...", or "Songs from...", and then there are soundalike soundtracks that are covers by other musicians.

 

[Greg Cox]

so, it's fun and all, but i don't understand how it can be considered to be a novelisation of the film itself. i have always wondered why such a thing isn't made from the film. ah, hollywood. as if i can demand it make sense. heh.

I can answer that. Because 99% of the time, the author of the novelization never gets a chance to see the movie. The book has to be on sale when the movie comes out, so it has to be written long before the movie is finished. Most of the time, we're working from an early version of the script plus a handful of still photos and maybe, if we're lucky, some early production sketches.

Basically, it's all about describing a movie you haven't seen yet--which can be just as tricky as it sounds!

I've written six movie novelizations, and edited many more, and I have never seen more than a few minutes of footage from the movies in the question.

 

[trampledamage]

Is it then bizarre for you when you do see the movie, Greg? Since you know this other version so well from writing it.

 

[Jeri]

I think this novelization was different in that respect, though; they delayed the movie release from Christmas to May, and the author did have time to see the movie, IIRC.

 

[Greg Cox]

Is it then bizarre for you when you do see the movie, Greg? Since you know this other version so well from writing it.

Definitely. It usually takes me a couple of viewings before I can appreciate the movie on its own terms, as just a casual viewer. The first time through, I can't help noticing all the things I got wrong!

"Hey, what happened to the basement scene?"

"So that's what that monster looks like!"

"Whoa. Nobody told me that character was a robot!"

 

[Jeri]

You are too hard on yourself! Nobody's really upset about stuff like that; most fans I suspect read novelizations to spend more time with the characters and in the general movie ambiance.