Nicholas Meyer's A View from the Bridge

[Joel_Kirk]

I know there was another post or thread in regards to this book, but I couldn't find it....

Anywho:

I'm currently breezing through this book (of course, I went through the Trek pieces first...lol)

As a person looking to work in the film biz this book was of interest. (I hate Hollywood, so I only want to utilize them for my needs; I too want to work in the Chinese or Taiwanese film industry, and I know that will bring it's own obstacles when trying to get projects off the ground since Taiwan is still trying to get their film industry off the ground).

Anyway:

Nicholas Meyer makes it clear that he wasn't a fan; and he still isn't much of a fan, although there is a line (I forget) which tells the reader that he did miss the franchise when working on non-Trek related projects.

There were things that I somewhat forgive him for, since he wasn't much of a fan in the beginning:

-Meyer mentions that there were about 69 episodes of the series, that the original cast had to work with.

-Meyer mentions that Star Trek had the first interracial kiss on television....(Unless we count the kiss between France Nuyen and William Shatner...)

JJ Abrams made the same mistake, and Abrams isn't a Trek fan himself...

I don't forgive him for:

-Those uniforms! Ugh....

Meyer didn't really care for the TOS uniforms from the series; and he wanted to push the military aspect of the franchise. That even inspired the interior look of the ENT itself.

Modified versions of those uniforms turned up in TNG; and they looked even more horrid.

***

It was interesting how each Trek film became somewhat underfunded (or at least, by the time Star Trek VI came by, the Trek feature series was underfunded).

I thought it was interesting how ST II was first called The Undiscovered Country, then Vengeance of Khan, then finally The Wrath of Khan...(Part of it was due to Lucas, who was 'hot stuff' at the time with his Star Wars franchise)...

Meyer (like Abrams years later) was hired to save the ST franchise; and I like how he was given--somewhat--leeway to do what he wanted. (Again, he was 'somewhat' given leeway, as there were still people calling the shots and making decisions).

On that same note, I would love to read Abrams' account of Trek 2009; and if he had the coveted 'final cut' that many directors seek.

I want to go to back and read his account of the film Sommersby (a remake of the French film which starred Gerard Depardeu)...a film that seemed to change once the script got out of his hands.

It's an interesting book.

I like how he mentions to the effect that everyone connected with the Trek franchise has a memoir of some sort...

 

[Christopher]

-Meyer mentions that Star Trek had the first interracial kiss on television....(Unless we count the kiss between France Nuyen and William Shatner...)

"Elaan of Troyius" was filmed first, yes, but "Plato's Stepchildren" was broadcast first.

However, Barbara Luna (from "Mirror, Mirror") is partly Filipina, so maybe that should count.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

However, Barbara Luna (from "Mirror, Mirror") is partly Filipina, so maybe that should count.

Thank you for using Filipina and not Filipino. It always bugs me when "Filipino" is used to indicate a female. As a collective, we are Filipinos. As a male, I am Filipino (well, part), and Barbara Luna, as you wrote, is partly Filipina. A male can also be called a Pinoy and a female can be called a Pinay.

And that concludes my little quirky lesson.

 

[Joel_Kirk]

-Meyer mentions that Star Trek had the first interracial kiss on television....(Unless we count the kiss between France Nuyen and William Shatner...)

"Elaan of Troyius" was filmed first, yes, but "Plato's Stepchildren" was broadcast first.

However, Barbara Luna (from "Mirror, Mirror") is partly Filipina, so maybe that should count.

I would personally think Luna/Shatner should count, but I think the racial attitudes of the day had everyone focusing on the Nichols/Shatner kiss...(Too, I'm sure not everyone could tell that Luna was half-Asian).

However, Barbara Luna (from "Mirror, Mirror") is partly Filipina, so maybe that should count.

Thank you for using Filipina and not Filipino. It always bugs me when "Filipino" is used to indicate a female. As a collective, we are Filipinos. As a male, I am Filipino (well, part), and Barbara Luna, as you wrote, is partly Filipina. A male can also be called a Pinoy and a female can be called a Pinay.

And that concludes my little quirky lesson.

I am familiar with those terms, but I always thought Pinoy and Pinay was a sign of affection among Filipinos; not necessarily among non-Filipinos...

 

[Christopher]

(Too, I'm sure not everyone could tell that Luna was half-Asian).

I don't know if it's as much as half. Wikipedia says she's "of Italian, Hungarian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Filipino descent."

But I think her features were always considered pretty clearly "exotic." Early in her stage career, she played a lot of Asian characters on Broadway, according to her official bio. And quite a few of her screen roles are Asian or Native American characters, and quite a few are Latina characters.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

However, Barbara Luna (from "Mirror, Mirror") is partly Filipina, so maybe that should count.

Thank you for using Filipina and not Filipino. It always bugs me when "Filipino" is used to indicate a female. As a collective, we are Filipinos. As a male, I am Filipino (well, part), and Barbara Luna, as you wrote, is partly Filipina. A male can also be called a Pinoy and a female can be called a Pinay.

And that concludes my little quirky lesson.

I am familiar with those terms, but I always thought Pinoy and Pinay was a sign of affection among Filipinos; not necessarily among non-Filipinos...

Pinoy and Pinay are more colloquial, but there's nothing from a non-Filipino from using the terms.