How was XI closer to the spirit of TOS ...

[suarezguy]

Than Enterprise was?

While they had some differences from each other and TOS, they both seemed to be trying to return to that spirit and some of the concepts.

While I like some ST episodes, I admit I prefer the feel of the 24th century shows more and so don't really like the attempt to return to the "basics" rather than going further forward.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Depends on who you ask.

 

[The Wormhole]

Neither really re-captured the spirit of TOS, IMO. But at least Enterprise had that kick-ass fourth season to redeem it, fanwank though it may have been.

 

[KirkSpockTOSFan]

I think there is nothing wrong with the new movie, I actually really loved it! Yeah this movie might of been different from TOS, but after all this is a new timeline. I think its great they decied to go back to the begaing and tell some stories that was never told before. Its also kind great that told something that what happend if the timeline got changed. Its always great to go in new directions and tell something that wasnt done before. Besides what else could they do from the 24th centery? And anyother unkown charcters in new movie I dont think wouldve worked as well. I mean charcters such as Kirk,Spock,McCoy and the rest of TOS crew are well known and legendary.Besides there was nothing else to be told from TNG era.

 

[Gaith]

It took Enterprise more than two season to kill of a single crewman. We got a Kelvin fatality in something like the first two minutes, and plenty more thereafter.

For all its faults, STXI dared to be goofy. It went too far sometimes, but it really did feel like anything was possible after the next warp jump. In Enterprise's very second episode, however, they met a strange new alien race, and not only did nobody find that worth remarking upon, Hoshi learned to speak their language in something like five minutes. "Strange new civilizations" my butt.

There was something about the cheesiness of TOS' production values, I think, that encouraged a certain levity. The movies, TNG and later series brought more believability to the table, which was all well and good, until it was presented incompetently and boringly, a la VOY and ENT.

In some ways, I think Nemesis could almost be closer to TOS' spirit than either ENT or XI. We got action, drama, a casual approach to continuity and weird new stuff (the high-contrast planet, the zoom-in on the Romulan Senate), but also the sort of moral/philosophical moments that helped make Trek so popular in the first place.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

ENT S4 was getting close to the spirit of TOS. The other seasons were too dreadfully written to remind me of anything but the bad episodes of TOS (which, granted, were about a third of the total).

TOS, DS9 and S4 of ENT is the Trek I want: wild, fun, serious, colorful characters, not afraid to deal with consequences or the messiness of the cosmos, competently written by people who can generally remember the content of previous episodes.

 

[Pemmer Harge]

It had joy. Never forget the joy.

 

[CoveTom]

Nothing has truly captured the spirit of TOS since, well, TOS. And I doubt anything ever will.

 

[Sector 7]

The new Star Trek movie went back to the spirit of TOS: bold new adventures where anything can happen. They seem to have left the technobabble and long-winded, preachy monologues in favor of real action, adventure combined with a message.
See my signature line for the morals of the story.
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[Yeoman Randi]

It had joy. Never forget the joy.

I love this post!

 

[CoveTom]

The new Star Trek movie went back to the spirit of TOS: bold new adventures where anything can happen. They seem to have left the technobabble and long-winded, preachy monologues in favor of real action, adventure combined with a message.

Have you ever actually watched DS9?

 

[Gaith]

^^ If you can choose it, it's not destiny. I liked the movie overall, but hearing Vulcans using predeterministic language makes me want to hit something.

 

[CoveTom]

Let me start by saying that I like Star Trek XI. I really do.

However, I like it for what I think it is: A pretty lightweight popcorn action/adventure flick. It tries to put on some of the trappings of "having something to say" in order to appease the Trek fans who expect a Trek story to have a deeper element to it. And it has a nice character moment here and there. But, ultimately, it's really not that deep of a film. Fun, engaging, entertaining, yes. Thought-provoking, no.

The reason I referenced DS9 above is because, of all the Trek ever produced, I think DS9 did the best job of combining real edge-of-your-seat exciting eye candy action adventure with serious, thought-provoking issues and messages. DS9 has some of the best space battles in all of Trek, not to mention some great hand-to-hand combat and other action as well, yet it always has an undercurrent of being -about- something and not just mindless action.

Other Trek series, including TOS, have combined the two, but I just never felt that any got the balance quite as right as DS9.

In any case, my point is that I think it is a fallacy to say that previous Treks have been largely comprised of long-winded, preachy monologues. There have been some moments like that, mostly from Picard, but usually Trek wasn't about that.

Nor do I think it's correct to say that Trek XI is finally combining action adventure with a message. Mostly, I think it's just action adventure. No message included. That's not a bad thing. A good action adventure sci-fi film can be alot of fun, and Trek XI certainly is. Let's just not make it something it's not.

 

[Chaos Descending]

I guess you need to define "the spirit of TOS".

That could mean many things to many people.

 

[Greg Cox]

It got STAR TREK back in touch with its pulp sci-fi roots, something TREK was in danger of losing track of, IMHO. Space monsters! Green-skinned alien women! Bravado and derring-do. You know, the fun stuff.

 

[ChristopherPike]

Space monsters ain't what Star Trek is about at all. That would be Lost in Space or Doctor Who. Pulp Sci-Fi would be those roots the show only resorted to in its final year. Fun? Oh yeah, unquestionably... but my reason for becoming a fan in the first place runs a little deeper than that.

 

[Greg Cox]

Perhaps, but it seems to me that the later incarnations of TREK sometimes swung too far in the opposite direction. That they took themselves so seriously that they sometimes forget that STAR TREK was supposed to be fun, too. I loved that the new movie wasn't afraid to throw in a couple of gratuitous space monsters.

The Trek I grew up on had Gorns and Hortas and mugatos and glamorous alien witches who turned into giant cats . . . .


(Then again, I love the new Doctor Who show, too.)

 

[CoveTom]

Pulp Sci-Fi would be those roots the show only resorted to in its final year. Fun? Oh yeah, unquestionably... but my reason for becoming a fan in the first place runs a little deeper than that.

You think TOS only ventured into pulp sci-fi territory in its last year? Now, I'm not disagreeing that it was deeper than space monsters. It definitely was. But seasons 1 and 2 definitely had their share of campy pulp sci-fi. Don't tell me the Gorn doesn't fall into that category.

 

[Sector 7]

The new Star Trek movie went back to the spirit of TOS: bold new adventures where anything can happen. They seem to have left the technobabble and long-winded, preachy monologues in favor of real action, adventure combined with a message.

Have you ever actually watched DS9?

I am not, nor shall I ever be a soap opera watcher... therefore I am not a Niner either. Since joining TrekBBS I have tried watching DS9. I can only take it in small doses.

My favorite DS9 episodes (and the only ones I have on DVD) are Trials and Tribble-ations and Little Green Men. Is it coincidence that they are the most like TOS? I think not.

It got STAR TREK back in touch with its pulp sci-fi roots, something TREK was in danger of losing track of, IMHO. Space monsters! Green-skinned alien women! Bravado and derring-do. You know, the fun stuff.

I agree completely. I am amused by those who claim to be real and true Star Trek fans yet claim that TOS was soooo serious. TOS knew how to have fun and give an occasional message, as well. The new Star Trek went back to those roots. Later incarnations did, indeed, take themselves so seriously that they forgot the fun part.

 

[DevilEyes]

The new Star Trek movie went back to the spirit of TOS: bold new adventures where anything can happen. They seem to have left the technobabble and long-winded, preachy monologues in favor of real action, adventure combined with a message.

Have you ever actually watched DS9?

I am not, nor shall I ever be a soap opera watcher... therefore I am not a Niner either. Since joining TrekBBS I have tried watching DS9. I can only take it in small doses.

In other words, you are not, nor shall ever be a watcher of continuing drama series with character development and no reset button? Too bad you won't ever be a watcher of such soap operas as DS9, or BSG, or The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Deadwood, Mad Men, etc. Stick to your episodic TV, but it's your loss.