Abrams says original Trek inaccessible?!

[BriGuy]

Referencing this news item:

[You mean this news item? - M']

Watching the original series was enjoyable to Abrams, who liked the idea of different species working together, but he didn't feel that he was part of that universe. "I always felt like I missed the way in," he explained. "I enjoyed the idea of [Star Trek]. I thought the notion of this group collaborating, various cultures and races and species working together, not conquering but exploring and discovering, there was something inherently, obviously interesting. but... I felt like, well, you missed me."

This guy has got to be joking.

Just look at Lost.

Last I knew, that show is one gigantic convoluted mess. I jumped in with it at the start and greatly enjoyed the first season, considering it some of the best TV I'd ever seen, with diminishing returns as the seasons progressed. The more they tried to explain mysteries, the worse it got. The interconnections and links built between characters grew to an unbelievable, incredible amount.

And then, at one point, I missed one - just one - episode, and bam, it was completely impossible to follow the show anymore and I gave up watching it. And I don't miss it.

So for him to say the original Trek was not accessible, or that people couldn't relate to it, rings absolutely hollow with me.

P.S. Anyone want to buy a Lost Season 1 DVD set? Just kidding.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Well, the quote you posted from Abrams doesn't support your contention that he called Star Trek "inaccessible." He just says that it wasn't for him, which is entirely fair - it's an impression he shares with the vast majority of folks in the world who've heard of it.

The proof of Lost's success or failure at drawing people in would be in its ratings and profitability, of course.

 

[Ovation]

Well, the quote you posted from Abrams doesn't support your contention that he called Star Trek "inaccessible." He just says that it wasn't for him, which is entirely fair - it's an impression he shares with the vast majority of folks in the world who've heard of it.

The proof of Lost's success or failure at drawing people in would be in its ratings and profitability, of course.

Exactly. Abrams did not say it was inaccessible to all--in fact he didn't say it was inaccessible to him. He simply did not identify with any of the characters in a sufficiently compelling way to be a devotee of the show. And there is nothing wrong with that at all.

 

[Eddie Roth]

Well actually he never says that TOS was "inaccessible". He says he didn't get how they got to where they are in the show.

His perspective is that of a storyteller who enjoys (as visible in Lost) knowing and showing the backstory and the development of characters. Which is a very modern perspective on TV shows. In the 60s, they did it differently and serialized shows were rare in primetime. Nowadays (and also starting in the 80s as far as Trek is concerned), a show's pilot would always be kind of an origin story: How they all meet, what brings them to the ship/station, what the conflicts are, in what direction this could all develop, it's all right there if you look at Emissary, Caretaker, Broken Bow. This is also what Abrams did in the Lost pilot. And what every new shows these days does. So I suppose what he means is he missed an introduction to the characters, an actual pilot as it would be done today, instead of a pilot that could be aired as the thir episode (as it happened on TOS) without much explanation. And maybe he's also implicitly complaining about the lack of continuity on the show, that the status quo is never really challenged by events in episodes.

 

[indranee]

I think he was talking about the journey (of the various characters) to where they were in TOS. and you've got to admit (knowing how big Abrams is on these "journeys") that other than a few eps, TOS didn't really show that. actually, the movies show snippets here and there much more so than the series. I can totally see Abrams not "being there". for me, the journey was a given, but yeah, I can agree that we needed more. however, we only had three seasons on TOS and, unlike, many fans, I kinda liked S3 and could easily see them delving more into that kind of stuff thereafter.

 

[Cheebo]

My question is:

WHO CARES?


I remember a certain fellow by the name of Nick Meyers who didn't like the TOS at all and I think that worked out pretty well now didn't it?

 

[Franklin]

It just didn't connect with him. Well heck, Star Wars never connected with me. I can see why some like it, but I have absolutely no interest in it. That's the way it goes. He wasn't saying he didn't like TOS or understand where it was coming from, but it just didn't hook him.

I guess some fans may react a little like doting parents would if someone said their perfect kid was "fine."

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Y'know, I enjoyed the hell out of Star Wars and its sequel The Empire Strikes Back, but I was an adult when the first movie premiered. I'd been a hard-core trekkie since the beginning (before anyone called us trekkies). I suppose if I'd been twelve years old instead of twenty-three when Star Wars launched I might prefer it.

 

[JoeRalat]

Correct me if I am wrong. (I can point to someone in this thread, who will say I am wrong, no matter what is said..Just to defend the movie)

But the idea of different species working together...isn't that one of the core elements in Gene's vision of the future? Didn't JJ say this movie is true to that vision?

Watching the original series was enjoyable to Abrams, who liked the idea of different species working together, but he didn't feel that he was part of that universe. "I always felt like I missed the way in," he explained. "I enjoyed the idea of [Star Trek]. I thought the notion of this group collaborating, various cultures and races and species working together, not conquering but exploring and discovering, there was something inherently, obviously interesting. but... I felt like, well, you missed me."

 

[archeryguy1701]

Correct me if I am wrong. (I can point to someone in this thread, who will say I am wrong, no matter what is said..Just to defend the movie)

But the idea of different species working together...isn't that one of the core elements in Gene's vision of the future? Didn't JJ say this movie is true to that vision?

Watching the original series was enjoyable to Abrams, who liked the idea of different species working together, but he didn't feel that he was part of that universe. "I always felt like I missed the way in," he explained. "I enjoyed the idea of [Star Trek]. I thought the notion of this group collaborating, various cultures and races and species working together, not conquering but exploring and discovering, there was something inherently, obviously interesting. but... I felt like, well, you missed me."

I do recall him saying something along those lines. And forgive me if I'm following your post in the wrong direction, but I'm not seeing anything in that quote that says he is going to drop that concept. All he is basically saying is that the idea of Star Trek was an interesting concept to him, but he just couldn't jump on board. I don't see the issue.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Nor do I. The entire point of this seems confused.

 

[pookha]

Correct me if I am wrong. (I can point to someone in this thread, who will say I am wrong, no matter what is said..Just to defend the movie)

But the idea of different species working together...isn't that one of the core elements in Gene's vision of the future? Didn't JJ say this movie is true to that vision?

Watching the original series was enjoyable to Abrams, who liked the idea of different species working together, but he didn't feel that he was part of that universe. "I always felt like I missed the way in," he explained. "I enjoyed the idea of [Star Trek]. I thought the notion of this group collaborating, various cultures and races and species working together, not conquering but exploring and discovering, there was something inherently, obviously interesting. but... I felt like, well, you missed me."

and if you carefully read what he is saying he finds that part of interesting..

"I enjoyed the idea of [Star Trek]. I thought the notion of this group collaborating, various cultures and races and species working together, not conquering but exploring and discovering, there was something inherently, obviously interesting

see you need to see the but as a different thought..
i like the basic idea of the vision but i couldnt get into the show despite this is one way to look at what he saying.

i go with some of the others., it may be the idea of just getting put into the middle of the story without an introduction of who are these people, who are they working for is what he might have had trouble with.



some of what abrams had to say elsewhere..

The themes that got me excited honestly had less to do with Star Trek and space and more to do with the optimism and humanity and of finding your purpose through unity. It ends up being a guiding principle of the movie - it needed to be faithful to the optimism that Gene Roddenberry wrote with during a time of fear and hate and suspicion. He was writing of our future where we were not just surviving it, but by cooperating and collaborating, we actually thrived. That to me, more than ever is a relevant idea.

 

[Cheapjack]

duplicate topic - merged

It says on the official site and TrekWebthat JJ didn't identify with ANY of the characters in TOS.

http://www.trektoday.com/content/2009/04/abrams-star-trek-for-a-non-fan.html

Some of the things he has said are a bit worrying.

I mean, how can you NOT identify with these people?

It seems to me that the present generation are trying to wipe out all that happened before. I was in a bar the other night and put on some 80's tracks. It nearly caused a fight. I don't think when I was that age, I hated EVERYTHING pre 1978.

They just seem to HATE everything before Reagan and Thatcher. I hope it doesn't warp ST, though ST is so good, I doubt it will.

 

[Pindar]

Re: JJ didn't identify with the characters??

Didn't we do this already?

http://www.trekbbs.com/showthread.php?t=88796

 

[Nardpuncher]

Re: JJ didn't identify with the characters??

I don't even really know what 'identify with' means.

Do I ever feel like Captain Kirk? Hell no...he's the coolest guy in the galaxy! Spock is a half-Vulcan scientist guy...how do I identify with him? Etc. etc.

I love these characters, but I don't indentify with them in that I feel they are going through the same things I am and all that.

 

[Cheapjack]

Re: JJ didn't identify with the characters??

I don't even really know what 'identify with' means.

Do I ever feel like Captain Kirk? Hell no...he's the coolest guy in the galaxy! Spock is a half-Vulcan scientist guy...how do I identify with him? Etc. etc.

I love these characters, but I don't indentify with them in that I feel they are going through the same things I am and all that.

Gene Roddenberry said that they were all bits of him. The brave airline pilot, the down-to earth human, the screwed up emotional teenager.

I certainly identify with them.

 

[Nardpuncher]

Re: JJ didn't identify with the characters??

I see Trek characters as I see Indiana Jones, James Bond and Superman. I look up to them, I want to somehow be them, I ,in a childhood way, idolize them...but I still don't identify with them. That's OK.

 

[Cheapjack]

Re: JJ didn't identify with the characters??

I see Trek characters as I see Indiana Jones, James Bond and Superman. I look up to them, I want to somehow be them, I ,in a childhood way, idolize them...but I still don't identify with them. That's OK.

There's a lot of people who went into medicine because of McCoy. A lot did science degrees because of Spock. My mate did. I want to. Maybe this film will do the same, in a more subliminal way.

 

[USS Triumphant]

Re: JJ didn't identify with the characters??

I identify with all of the TOS bridge crew, save for Uhura. I liked her, but I found her behavior even more alien than Spock's a lot of the time.

(Like that fan dance from ST:V. Dude, WTF?)

But I can see why J.J. can't identify with any of them. I don't recall any of the crew wanting to scoop out our brains with a melon baller and eat them. 'Cause you know Abrams is one of them.

 

[Cheapjack]

Re: JJ didn't identify with the characters??

I see Trek characters as I see Indiana Jones, James Bond and Superman. I look up to them, I want to somehow be them, I ,in a childhood way, idolize them...but I still don't identify with them. That's OK.

There's a lot of people who became doctors because of McCoy. A lot did science degrees because of Spock. I did. Maybe this film will do the same in a more subliminal way.