What's your point, Axiom? I'm not trying to argue that the scene didn't happen, obviously; I saw the movie too. Nor am I unaware that "this is the direction in which Trek is traveling," although I'm not particularly happy about it.
Just discussion, really.
What I'm talking about is how it could have been done differently, and how those differences would have made for a better movie and a more textured characterization of Kirk. And as always, I've been trying to lay out my reasons; this isn't just a matter of tossing off arbitrary assertions that XYZ Suckz and ZYX Rulez.
I understand that in this case, the artistic differences are too divergent for your taste. However, the characterizations, to me, are within the bounds of believability when referenced to their origins. Kirk is Kirk, yes a little more rugged but the circumstances explain this fairly well. Spock is Spock, although, again, in this timeline Spock seems to have embraced his human half better than previously. McCoy is McCoy, Uhura is Uhura, Sulu is Sulu, Scotty is Scotty (a touch different but I like the portrayal), Chekov is Chekov.
The characterizations are not off the mark. They're presented with more flair and drama, but the core components are still there.
Your remarks here seem to boil down to "The movie is what it is, whether you like it or not, so suck it up." Which is not an attitude that's really conducive to discussion about... well, anything.
No, no, I don't tell people to suck it up. They don't have to like the movie. I'm more likely to find a common ground. The only thing that annoys me is the "big deal" people. For example,
Star Trek wins an Oscar, the first one ever in it's more than 30 years of motion pictures, and it's "big deal". If it were any of the previous incarnations, those same people would have been more inclined to be thrilled. Not all, but most.
You know,
Nemesis is not my favorite Trek by any means. However, if Westmore would have won for "Best Makeup", I would have been thrilled!
Star Trek deserves to be seen, it deserves to be noted. It has earned that right to be where it is, and finally, finally, someone took notice.
My point is not that people should "suck it up", but that they need to understand things change, they always change. Be happy for those who find something in this incarnation of Trek. Hey, who knows? They may look back and find a whole treasure trove of great adventure, maybe become Trek fans that consist of more than the new movie. Not in spite of it, but because of it. I'm not telling anyone to suck it up.
Trek09 simply doesn't seem to stand for the same kind of values that Star Trek used to represent... either artistically or ethically. I think that's something worth discussing.
You don't see that, and that's okay. I do see those values inherent in this movie, but you know what? The greatest common denominator about Star Trek as a whole and what it represents is that we all get something out of it that we love. You don't see the values you want reflected from yourself in the new movie. That's okay. I do see great values in the new movie, and that's okay too.
Art is subjective. Ethics are even moreso. We can all agree on some basics, but when it gets into the finer details, it really is in the eye of the beholder. We can discuss that, which I would do so (and have done in the past many times with others) gladly.
