What are your favorite memories of anticipation for a new Trek movie?

My favorite one was when they announced Star Trek: First Contact! When they announced that the Borg were going to be in the movie, I went nuts. I knew right then and there that it was going to be a great movie. I can't explain why or how, I just knew. Then the first trailer came out:



When I saw first saw this trailer in the theater I got chills. I knew I was going to love this movie! Back then, all we had were AOL, Entertainment Tonight, and the Entertainment Weekly magazine to give us movie news, so all we had were just tidbits of info for upcoming movies. So going into the movie, all I really knew was that it was going to be about Picard and the rest of the TNG crew going back into the past to stop the Borg. And I gotta tell you, after I walked out of the movie, I loved it so much that I saw it at least 15 or 16 times in the theater. I'm not even joking. I loved it that much! I can remember seeing the Enterprise-E for the very first time in the actual movie (for some odd reason I never saw the 2nd trailer that came out for it that actually showed the Enterprise-E in it) and thinking it was odd-looking at first but then it grew on me as the movie went on, lol.

A side note: One of the reasons I'm so excited for the upcoming Picard TV show is because it's giving me the same kind of joy and glee that the build-up for First Contact gave me. The exact same feelings!

What are some of your favorite memories of being excited for a Trek movie that was coming out?

 

FC was the first one I saw in theaters! I also found the E great but weird in the beginning, the deflector seemed so small and the engineering section so bloated (like a whale) compared to the D we were used to seeing which was more saucer-heavy and had a wide, mouth-like deflector. The E quickly became my favorite though, since it's much more elegant than the somewhat compressed D.
I remember how awesome "quantum torpedoes" sounded, and how much stronger they seemed, and how only the Enterprise seemed to have them, while the other ships fired their unimpressive old photon torpedoes. And all those new ship classes! The Akira looked great when it swooshed by after the cube exploded! Couldn't wait for more info on the fleet.
And when the aliens finally stepped out the door to make first contact, I was so excited and wondering who it'll be. Somehow I didn't expect Vulcans, and it felt so good to see these pivotal moments for the first time. When the guy revealed his ears, I remember I gave my brother the Vulcan salute and screamed HAAA! The Vulcans were the first!!

 

I must admit when I saw the posters come out for FC it made me excited for the movie, but then I could say the same about GEN and TUC too. Insurrection, not so much.

 

Having been born in the early 1960s, I was too young to catch Star Trek in it's original network airing but just the right age to watch it during its syndication breakthrough. I watched the animated version religiously. I subscribed to newsletters and regularly got the Lincoln Enterprise catalog which often had little tidbits of news that something new was happening in the Trek universe.

By the time Starlog came out in 1976, I was a full-fledged fan and looked for any information regarding the return of Star Trek. Even the appearance of Star Wars, Close Encounters, BattleStar Galactica and Buck Rogers couldn't dim my enthusiasm for Trek's return. When Starlog finally announced the new movie (possibly in Susan Sackett's column), I was incredibly enthused for the film.

By the time it opened in 1979, it was playing at a theater that was 20 miles away and I didn't drive so I had to wait until my birthday in March before seeing it a theater closer to home. Thank God theatrical runs were longer in those days!

And...I was disappointed. I remained disappointed for decades until the Blu-Ray version of the film came out and I finally watched it with fresh eyes and no hint of nostalgia. Only then did I reevaluate the film and now find that it's in the top 3 favorite Trek films.

 

Yeah the first Star Trek movie I saw in theaters was Star Trek IV, but I was like six when I saw it so I was too young to really process it at the time. I remember enjoying it though. I saw Star Trek V in theaters as well, and even at the age of nine I knew that what I saw was a terrible movie! When I saw Star Trek VI at the age of nine, I remember feeling kind of disappointed at the end of it because I thought the title "The Undiscovered Country" meant that the TOS crew was going to travel to some brand new and weird planet/dimension. Yeah, I was pretty dumb back then! I love Star Trek VI now though! I remember being entertained by Generations when I saw it in the theater and thinking how cool it was to see the Enterprise D on the big screen and the TNG crew, but feeling as though the movie was something of a missed opportunity. So, I can safely say that First Contact was the first Star Trek movie (the ones I saw in theaters in least) that actually blew my mind. I remember thinking that the Star Trek franchise was only going to get better after that. Then Insurrection came out and......yeah.

I remember seeing TMP as a kid and being so dead bored by it, especially after having seen Star Trek IV (which was the first Trek movie I ever saw). I was way too young to appreciate it for what it was back then. But, like yourself, I now love it and think it's a fantastic movie!

 

I have seen V, VI, all TNG movies, and BEYOND in the theaters.

But my fondest memory of anticipation was FIRST CONTACT. The trailers got me excited already, but the reason why that one places a special memory for me was because that was released only days after I got my driver's license, and it was the first place I drove to that was for something I wanted for myself.

As well it being the best TNG movie, having it directly connect to such a big moment in life will always have a special place in my memory.

 

I saw all Trek films first-run in the theatres, but wasn't a full Trekkie until after TSFS. The films for which I had the biggest anticipations were:

1. TVH: as mentioned, this was the first film for which I was in Trekkie mode. I had been following the build-up in Starlog magazine and similar outlets, made sure to tape the segments on Entertainment Tonight that highlighted the production, etc... The fact that the film came out at Christmas made it seem like a gift to me! I stood in line for an hour with the local ST fan club, freezing to death, waiting to get choice seats.

2. TUC: being at a different point in my life (undergraduate studies), this movie had nostalgia written all over it. It was the last time we'd see our TOS friends! I again tracked the production through the media of the day -- rec.arts.startrek.* ! -- and kept myself spoiler-free. Would Kirk really die? What did Spock mean in Unification when he said he was responsible for what happened to him?? Again as a December release, this felt like a present and I remember trekking through foot deep snow with friends to get to the theatre.

3. ST'09: Fast forward 18 years to a new phase of life and a very different anticipation. I eagerly devoured the Countdown series (first comic I'd bought in probably 20 years) and was psyched for the film. My wife and I were expecting our first born at the time, so that made the intro sequence very meaningful (to this day, we associate the Kelvinverse french horn fanfare with anticipation of impending parenthood!).

 

TMP. As a 15/almost 16-year-old, I had been a fan for only about six years, but can still remember the incredible buzz of seeing "the gang" again. Only later would I apply any critical analysis to the movie as a film.

Sir Rhosis

 

As a boy watching reruns of TOS and TAS with Starlog magazine covering the production, December 7th 1979 release of TMP was epic seeing the majestic Enterprise-Refit on the big screen.

 

hearing about the 2009 movie. I was not disappointed.

 

Great topic!

That first teaser trailer for STVI really excited me. Those wonderfully chosen clips, the great Christopher Plummer narration... To this day it still gives me goosebumps:



I'm still amazed that they did all that with NO new footage outside of the title card.

When the first proper trailer for STVI arrived, I was no less excited:



I loved the look of it (still do), and it had SO many great story hooks and intriguing moments (Kirk SURRENDERING! Captain Sulu! Kirk being hit by a phaser and disappearing!) that I just knew I was going to absolutely love this movie (and I did).

And while the trailers for Generations made the movie look very fun and exciting, the final product was... Not. A good lesson in how trailers can either lie to you or sometimes find the movie that got away:





And I remember visiting TrekMovie.com practically daily in 2008/2009, looking for updates on the new film. It'd been a few years since Enterprise ended, and I was hungry for new Trek. It was very cool to realize that they were going back to the TOS characters once again, and it was neat to follow the various casting announcements. I still really like the Abrams cast, despite the variable quality of their movies.

Regardless of how the final films turned out, it's really fun to remember your anticipation for them.

 

I became a diehard trekkie in earnest when I turned 12 years old, and went through my TNG VHS collection, watching every episode I owned. That was in 2001, and when I heard the TNG crew would be coming back, I was ecstatic (Enterprise was good, but it was no TNG lol). When I saw the trailers for Nemesis, I initially thought they were going to destroy the Enterprise-E at the end (when the ship crashes into the scimitar in the trailer, I remember my dad saying, "Whelp, there goes the E!"). Still, I had my Playmates Spacetalk Picard and Riker figures but I still needed a Data figure, so I remember asking Dad if I could get the new Nemesis Art Asylum Data figure (he said at the time "But their uniforms won't match!" but I didn't care). I remember hating that figure, because after playing with him just a few hours, his hands broke off, and the paint on his unfiform began to wear off, revealing blue plastic underneath. If that wasn't a disappointment enough, there was the movie itself. I've made it no secret over the years how much I hate Nemesis, and it all started the first night I saw it in theaters. "You can't kill Data!" I remember I kept thinking (and saying LOL). It was a rough lesson, early in my fandom, to learn that not all Star Trek movies are gems. Unfortunately, that was my first experience with Star Trek at the movies.

EDIT: Oh wait, this was supposed to be good memories? LOL I must've misread the thread title. When I have more time I'll tell you guys all about the 2009 Star Trek experience I had. That's a much happier story.

 

I remember being hugely excited for Insurrection, and lapping up every bit of news (most memorably the rumour that Arnold Schwarzenegger had been cast). I'd just got access to the internet at school, and would come home each night to repeat everything I'd read - to the point I was politely asked to please stop mentioning the damn film.

I went to the Melbourne premiere with a fan club - people in costumes laughing and cheering throughout and applauding at the end. I came out thinking it was a really good film.

I dragged some relatives along to see it the next week, and spent most of it wishing I could be swallowed by the floor, but at least I had that good initial experience!

 

The one that sticks out clearly in my mind was when Nemesis was going to be a Romulan movie. They teased the Romulans so much during the marketing and I was excited that for once we didn't have to deal with the Klingons and that Star Trek's best race was going to finally be featured. As it turned out, the Romulans were regulated to side characters for the most part, which added to my disappointment of that movie.

 

Hehe, I remember reading a leaked synopsis of Nemesis (here on TrekBBS actually) while it was filming and everyone on here just having a bad feeling about the entire movie, with like one or two people telling everyone else to wait until it comes out and give it a chance.

 

I don't know that I was ever more excited for a Trek movie than TUC. Those trailers are amongst my favorite trailers (Trek or otherwise) ever, and there was considerable buzz about this being the last original cast adventure. We had "Unification" on TNG that teased the film in a small way....and there was a 25th Anniversary Special televised about a month prior to the release that had additional footage, interviews, and some behind the scenes stuff. I was sufficiently excited.

Unfortunately, I had gotten grounded (the only time in my life) the week before the movie premiered, and it meant I was going to miss opening weekend.

Well, as luck would have it, we had a snow day on Fri Dec 6th, and my mom stayed home while my dad (who was the initiator of the aforementioned grounding) went to work. My mom was a bit more lenient and I was able to sneak in a 12 noon showing on opening day with two of my high school buddies who were older and could drive us to the theater. A third buddy, who had opted to see the movie with his dad later that night, drove up with his mom to buy advance tickets while we were waiting in line. His mom rolled down the window, looking all concerned, saying that my dad was calling around everywhere looking for me and that he sounded upset. While panic enveloped my 15-year old self...I realized I was being pranked when people couldn't hold their smiles back long enough.

I still can't get over the feeling of disappointment in that last Star Trek film, as it just never met my high expectations...but the anticipation was great, and it still has a certain place in my heart.

 

OMG I completely forgot about the leaked script! I read the beginning of it the night before the premiere! I remember thinking "YAY, Riker and Troi are finally getting married! A happy ending after all!" I didn't want to spoil the ending for myself, so I didn't read too far into it. My loss, I guess.

Dang, how old is this place? I didn't join until I was at least in my 20's, not long after the 2009 movie was released. But I think that was my first encounter with the TrekBBS, at the young age of 13.

 

I couldn't wait for TUC. The teaser, the trailer, "Unification", and the 25th Anniversary Special had me pumped for it. I had the T-shirt, the novel, and the comic. And I'd already seen the first five movies a bunch of times leading up to it. Then I went to go see it and I was blown away.

Nothing like it since, anticipation-wise.

It opened in March or April of 1999. I joined that August, two days before my 20th Birthday. My first post, fittingly, was about the direction I thought Star Trek should go in. I went in head first.

 

high anticipation for Trek movies for me started V onwards (but was also there for IV and III and maybe even a little for II ...but not of the high whacko full trekkie anticipation until V)

V - remember being very hyped as had become a full on trekkie by that era. remember seeing the starlog magazine, DC comic, even TFF calendar in the comic stores and being obsessed with it, saw a campfire clip on a late night movie show early hours of the morning. UK didn't get it until a few months later but then seeing the movie... could tell something was 'off' in comparison to the previous ones (FX/tone) and the other big movies that summer (Indy, Batman) but still enjoyed it and saw it twice. and bought the memorabilia (starlog magazine, DC comic, novel, etc) which had done for IV and since picked up some stuff for I-III

VI - this was most anticipated film for me. that era of the 25th anniversary/Unification/VI, going to comic store late Fri or Sat and reading all the VI news/1st pics in the pages of starlog, starburst, TOFC magazine, editorial/letters page of the DC comics. all the tantalizing bits of info - Starfleet Academy quashed! Bennett gone! Meyer directing! Nimoy producing! Klingon homeworld! courtrooms! battle cruisers! ice planets! Excelsior/Capt Sulu! TNG connections! (Dorn!/Unification!)..and seeing the ominous klingon head/Ent teaser poster on back of the DC comics! and the 1st pics of notably older Kirk and Bones on trial! snippet of the trailer on late night TV!...and the Shatner/Nimoy presented 25th anniversary special!(although heavily edited on UK tv). it was such a happy time and then as it got closer going in the comic store and seeing the Official starlog VI movie magazine, the 2 DC comics (standard/delux), the novel, the Cinefantastique issue, even an unofficial Making of book 'Charting The Undiscovered Country' (which is probably my favourite Trek book), these were all available at the time of VIs release in December - about 2months before the UK release so while initially was hesitant to read them was well and truly spoiled by time of uk release but too young to care. it was also around this time I started buying the Ertl model kits and TOS on CIC vhs, tech manuals/compendiums, Making of Trek films book (to go with Making of VI), the various 25th anniversary magazines (starlogs silver cover one was best), and bought all 6 of the 27x40 film posters and displayed them on wall alongside each other (just enough room to pull it off) although VI was difficult to track down in the uk (only could get the teaser poster for a while not the great looking main one sheet). actual movie was amazing. just seemed so 'big' and well done after V encapsulating all Trek (TOS , II/III/IV, and even TNG) with truly amazing 'T2' level FX and it felt like It was considered best Trek film at the time (see the CFQ issue)

VII - had tuned out of Trek pretty much as soon as VI was over as that was it for TOS and didn't have much interest in remaining TNG seasons (mainly due to standard UK tv losing the rights to show it so couldn't see it anymore! aside renting the VHS for the odd interesting ep like Relics, AGT).. and had no interest in DS9 after seeing the pilot and 1st ep. had become more into Rrated SF like T2, Aliens, Blade Runner etc. Then flicking through a Starburst one day and saw an all new pic of Shatner as Kirk for 'Star Trek VII' that would also feature TNG!! mind was blown - so was back on the Trek horse! there followed near VI level anticipation for what would surely be the greatest Trek film of all! briefly saw early trailer on late night tv showing Kirk seemingly on board the Ent D under attack! rumours of Kirks death in magazines/tv, there were usual trips to comic stores for starlog, DC, novel etc (again as usual the UK didn't get the movie until about 2 months later so by then the plot was spoiled if you were into the mags/comics - but obviously not like today when you get spoiled easy on FB/Twit etc)..even bought the movie poster to display along side previous 6. then there was seeing movie..... Star Trek V Part II.

VIII - even though Gen had disappointed wasn't long before started reading in the pages of mid/late 90s mags SF Universe/Cinescape about Trek 'VIII' aka 'Generations II' (like they were going to call each movie Star Trek Generations II, III ) and very early on was revealed itd be The Borg. clever move by Paramount to counteract the initial instalment (like the way Warners announced Man of Steel 2 would be Batman v Superman) so total high anticipation. just no way a borg movie wouldn't be all kinds of epic. rumours of title 'Resurrection' (b4 Alien stole it), and 'Renaissance' (when it was to be set then)... early days of the net saw the 1st poster, trailer/making of doc on freebie vhs, plus the usual comic store trips for the magazine, comic (Marvel this time), novel, making of book, poster. (plus 30h anniversary starlog). there were even choc bars in newsagents like it was TNGs TMP! (which it was really or maybe ..or the new WOK as 2nd improved film, sequel to an ep featuring popular villain, Moby Dick, revenge. It was like TNG had finally come into its own on the movie screen) it just felt a good time like it was for VI (and came out in UK only about a couple of weeks after US this time) think the success of ID4 that summer also helped anticipation for Star Treks 'alien invasion' movie

IX - after FC was pretty pumped to be reading about the next movie being Heart of Darkness (had got into Apocalypse Now around that time), yes I remember the Arnie rumours! (didn't seem that unlikely the biggest movie star could appear as FC had been such a success and Hanks had almost been in it too), wasn't sure what to make of the trailers but seemed action/First Contacty.. then of course the movie disappointed in just about every way imaginable (like FC was only a couple weeks after US release) didn't help that the Phantom Menace trailer showed before which just made it seem so lame in comparison. and first Trek film where it felt a chore to buy any stuff (magazine, no comic this time like TWOK, didn't bother with novel.but grudgingly picked up poster out of sense of obligation. as well as the Making of book when saw it cheap. Mainly to try figure out what went wrong)

X - bit like after VI had tuned out of Trek for a while probably due to non event of Ins (and never got into Voyager, all the treknobabble, even Enterprise didn't seem interesting despite the new setting/era) and by now the likes of The Matrix, FightClub, and Xmen taking up my SF time.. but time for an even number Trek - ..think Ridley Scott was mentioned, maybe even Meyer be back.. then rumours of Romulans, maybe Spock be back?.. Exec Decision/US Marshalls director seemed a cool choice. and getting the writer of Gladiator was very interesting.. trailer looked good (Blade Runner eye, space action battles saucer crash like FC) and Patrick had since become more of a movie star thanks to Xmen. Berman even said the early footage hed seen felt like a Ridley Scott or John Woo movie! so it felt like the stars were aligning and that Nemesis could be a crossover global hit like First Contact. of course the movie bombed and going to see it knowing it was Treks first flop didn't help (like FC/INS UK no get until a few weeks later). not much in way of stuff to buy either. No magazine, no comic, didn't bother with novel.

ST09 - this is probably 2nd highest anticipation after VI - by now fully connected to the net so every piece of info on TM.com. the idea of Trek coming back to big screen with a mega budget movie on the scale of biggest movies of that era like Transformers, XMen, with a cool 'in' director of such a big movie like MI3 and focusing on early days of TOS (like recent Batman & Bond) and the atom bomb announcement of Nimoy returning just made anticipation sky high..(even rumours of Shatner..and constant rumours of A listers like Crowe/villain and Cruise/Pike) Trek was truly entering the big league after looking down and out (initially due same year as Indy/Batman/Bond like 89 before being moved to summer following year 1st summer Trek since 89, and near Terminator almost like 91 - a sign the studio had major confidence )....then getting the awesome Countdown comics revealing its totally in canon with TNG/Nemesis (also feeling good about picking up usual stuff like for previous films official magazine, comic adaptation, novel, Art Of book etc - there was even a similarly themed TNG comic The Last Generation. and TWOK adaptation at last).. amazing tantalizing trailers ..of course the movie didn't really disappoint either (incredibly UK got it same time as US - a 1st since TMP. and was same for all JJ trilogy), just seemed so new/fresh/reinvented.. a ST:TMP for the modern age

STID - seemed to kept being pushed back - summer 2011?(should be)..then summer 2012, then 2013. constant rumours of the villain - Khan?(Benico Del Toro) or Gary? Mudd? Alice Eve as Carol or Elizabeth? the hand on glass trailer wtf? cant be TWOK redux..can it?... film turned out well imo pretty much Treks 'T2' (like ST09 picked up usual Magazine, novel..but no adaptation instead the intriguing IDW Khan series and Countdown to Darkness which had zip to do with movie)

STB - anticipation nice and high on hearing Shatner would return for 50th anniversary via timetravel? timelines converging? but Orci directing was abit wtf. then of course it all fell apart - Pegg writing (ok), F&F director (um..) leading to the F&F rock song motor bike trailer (anticipation code zero zero zero.. destruct..zero) and in front of Force Awakens! - Insurrection Part II (and like Insurrection felt abit meh on picking up the Magazine, but no comic again and no novel done- first time for a Trek film)

ST4 - so so anticipation for Hemsworth Trek (although being seemingly adapted from the Orci/Shatner ST3 was intriguing). new 'Legion guy' ST4 isn't enough to go on yet

Tarantino Trek - VI levels of anticipation (but concerned might not happen - esp with ST4 back on)

 

It's funny, your comment about FC being potentially helped by ID4's success.

I remember distinctly that an advertising line in the newspapers (Remember when newspapers had full-page spreads advertising movies and theater times using the poster art??? Man that was great!) for FC was "It's ID4 for the holidays!"