TOS myths and misconceptions...

[AstroSmurf]

I'll never understand why Shatner is often accused of performing bad acting in TOS. His acting in TOS was always spectacular.

The way he delivered dialogue/acting has often been scrutinized or made fun of. But they do that with all the great actors...

Bette Davis
John Wayne
Humphrey Bogart
Cary Grant
Marlon Brando

Shatner should be flattered he is in such good company.

We also need to remember that the style of acting has changed over the years too. When films first started being made, many used theatrical actors. Theater actors are taught to be hugely over-the-top to be properly seen and understood by an audience from the stage. This style was used in film until the 1940's. By the 1960's, film and television acting had started to evolve into something more natural but certain aspects of its old theatrical roots were still visible. Now film and television acting is done almost in the reverse of theatrical acting. The current style works from a "less is more" approach. If you are comparing today's acting style with the style used in TOS, it is apples and oranges.

As for Shatner's acting, I thought he was brilliant. He really sold his scenes in TOS even when the scenes were completely unbelievable. He also knew when to play it serious or to slyly wink at the audience.

 

[plynch]

Wasn't that, though, Gene Rodenberry's intention from the beginning? To show us that a future Earth could be Utopian?

Not Utopian, but better than what we have. And note, too, that in TOS humanity (as represented by the Enterprise crew) always rejected apparent Utopias.

Charitable. I'd say they arrogantly wrecked 'em. Be well.

 

[Kain]

In fact, they wrecked them so arrogantly, that even they questioned it at the end of the episode. (Except Kirk, but he is an egomaniac in TOS). But still, TOS's approach of the Prime Directive is more realistic than the "Divine law that can never be broken" in Voyager. Heck, even Picard at TNG violated the Prime Directive some times...

Well, I remember reading somewere that Rodenberry Had in mind a Utopian future of the Earth for Star Trek, but maybe I just don't remember correctly.

About Shatner's acting, I heard he was a theatrical actor, so, especially in the fist season, he acted over the top, like he did in theater for his body language to be visible to the back, and harder to see him, rows.

 

[Ssosmcin]

Actually, I always felt he went over the top mostly in the third season. The scripts were of lesser quality, and a lot of new-to-the-series directors came in and probably had a hard time actually directing him. When Shatner believes in the material and has a good director, he is outstanding. Particularly in the early days, much of his work was measured and even subtle. By the time he got to episodes like Day of the Dove and so on, he was more extreme, more than the material demanded. He still had some great scenes, but he also had his "elevator scene" in And the Children Shall Lead.

 

[Hober Mallow]

^Wouldn't that be "atopia"?

"Ou" means "no," topos" means "place."

 

[Christopher]

^And it's a pun on "eutopia," meaning "good place."

"Atopia" would mean "the absence of a place" or "the opposite of a place." Which doesn't quite work.

 

[FormerLurker]

^^ & ^

But what does that make Ouranus, husband of Gaea?

 

[RobertScorpio]

^She packed my bags...last-night--PREFLIGHT!

ZERO hour--9 a.m....

And I'm gonna be...Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh...as a--KITE by then....

Great stuff there Rush...

When his TRANSFORMED MAN came out all those years ago, I got it. And, well, what can I say. My friends, who i had to bribe to listen to it, just shook their heads and looked at me like I was from another world. This was back in the days of the Doors, and early Pink Floyd, and I thought Shatner's spoken songs were as incredible.

Okay, now? Maybe not so much. But his newer album, Has Been, was pretty good and i still listen to it now and then.

But

 

[Hober Mallow]

^^ & ^

But what does that make Ouranus, husband of Gaea?

"No anus," a reference to a particular birth defect.

 

[Therin of Andor]

"No anus," a reference to a particular birth defect.

I hear he's a real pain in the ass.

 

[Christopher]

^^ & ^

But what does that make Ouranus, husband of Gaea?

Actually the Greek spelling is Ouranos. And just because there is a prefix ou- meaning "no," that doesn't mean every single Greek word beginning with those letters incorporates that prefix. Ouranos is the Greek word for "sky" or "heaven," just as Gaia is the Greek word for "Earth." It's a cognate of the English word "air."

 

[FormerLurker]

Ha! Gotcha!

That's why I misspelled it.

 

[Wynterhawk]

Racism/bigotry has been completely eliminated by the late 23rd century - Look no farther than Lieutenant Stiles in Balance of Terror to debunk this idea. Also, I always found a lot of characters' attitudes and actions towards Spock to be, at least, vaguely racist.

Yes, this always stood out to me. And the whole "charming negress" thing in the Lincoln scene was just... bad. Spock, it seemed, got a lot of racism thrown his way, subtle or no. He got it not only from crew members who were supposed to be his comrades, he got it from other alien races.

 

[3D Master]

Racism/bigotry has been completely eliminated by the late 23rd century - Look no farther than Lieutenant Stiles in Balance of Terror to debunk this idea. Also, I always found a lot of characters' attitudes and actions towards Spock to be, at least, vaguely racist.

Yes, this always stood out to me. And the whole "charming negress" thing in the Lincoln scene was just... bad. Spock, it seemed, got a lot of racism thrown his way, subtle or no. He got it not only from crew members who were supposed to be his comrades, he got it from other alien races.

He, of course, was no better.

 

[A beaker full of death]

And the whole "charming negress" thing in the Lincoln scene was just... bad.

Why?

 

[scotpens]

And the whole "charming negress" thing in the Lincoln scene was just... bad.

Why?

Maybe that bit seems awkward or makes some viewers uncomfortable. Actually the Abraham Lincoln created by the rock-men is being anachronistic. The real Lincoln wouldn't have seen any need to apologize for using the word “Negress,” as it was generally considered a polite and acceptable word in Lincoln’s time.

 

[Captain Robert April]

This Lincoln apparently was made aware that such terms were no longer in common usage, thanks to the war that he prosecuted.

 

[Nerys Myk]

This Lincoln apparently was made aware that such terms were no longer in common usage, thanks to the war that he prosecuted.

"Negress" went out of fashion because of the Civil War?

 

[Captain Robert April]

It started the process of not looking at black folks as something less than human. Took a while, and there are still a few holdouts scattered about, but the effort started in earnest with the abolitionist movement and Lincoln finally making slavery an issue in the war.

 

[T'Girl]

"Negress" went out of fashion because of the Civil War?

Outside of Star Trek I've never heard "negress," but in Brazil both negro and negra (for girls and women) is pretty common, neither is considered impolite.

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Uhura: "But why should I object to that term, sir? You see, in our century we've learned not to fear words."

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