Abrams: ST is silly and ridiculous
- Thread starter I am not Spock
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And both IDW and Tokyopop are showing far more respect for the original designs.
What on Earth makes you think it's about a lack of respect?
What if it's just about they want to try something different, something that will create a new appeal for a new audience?
I mean, you might as well claim that the producers of TOS were showing no respect for "The Cage" when they decided on a much more colorful design aesthetic for most of TOS, or that the producers of TMP were showing a lack of respect for the designs of TOS when they decided to go with a much more austere aesthetic.
Why is the aesthetic design so important to you? I mean really, why? Shouldn't you care more about what kind of a story it would tell? Those are freakin comics and the movie is a $150 million summer blockbuster for God's sake! Why can't you get that through your head?
I too thought the TOS bridge looked like a third grade class room and like most elements of the new bridge except that it didn't need to necessarily be radically different. a little more subtlty would have made it more palatable and a little less jarring. I hope there's togles and switches though. I hate the digital watch look. Spock's haircut was supposed to resemble an oriental do whose emotions are more supressed.
Than Pocket? Or than Abrams?
The licensed tie-ins must reflect canonical Star Trek of the day. After JJ's film comes out, some licensed tie-ins will be expected to reflect the look of JJ's film's design, depending on contracts and licensing.
I've not read the full thread (my apologies), but I'd just like to pop my head in and shout
"STAR TREK DOES LOOK SILLY AND RIDICULOUS!!!"
You know why? It was made 40 years ago.
Does that make it bad? Of course not!!!
When I look at photographs from 20 years ago I think "Shit, did I really wear that?" - look at my hair!!! Oh my god, look at the wallpaper!
Just because something looks silly now, doesn't mean it was silly then. TWOK looks a bit silly now. TNG looks a bit silly now. They are wearing fucking spandex! In space! What?
Its called the passage of time...
"STAR TREK DOES LOOK SILLY AND RIDICULOUS!!!"
You know why? It was made 40 years ago.
Does that make it bad? Of course not!!!
When I look at photographs from 20 years ago I think "Shit, did I really wear that?" - look at my hair!!! Oh my god, look at the wallpaper!
Just because something looks silly now, doesn't mean it was silly then. TWOK looks a bit silly now. TNG looks a bit silly now. They are wearing fucking spandex! In space! What?
Its called the passage of time...
We're not talking styles which come and go with time, but the basic advancement of technology.
TOS is based around 60's technology. It's also based around 60's era limitations. The ship never landed because it was too expensive to show. Most aliens were human-looking, like Spock. A lot of clothing was made of that sparkling tinfoil fabric. That was fine for the show. Not for a movie in 2009, or a movie in 1978 for that matter.
Anyway, Abrams was clearly talking about the things he kept in the movie, not the things he changed.
TOS is based around 60's technology. It's also based around 60's era limitations. The ship never landed because it was too expensive to show. Most aliens were human-looking, like Spock. A lot of clothing was made of that sparkling tinfoil fabric. That was fine for the show. Not for a movie in 2009, or a movie in 1978 for that matter.
Anyway, Abrams was clearly talking about the things he kept in the movie, not the things he changed.
When did they say world war three was again ?
No, it sets technology back. People have been trying to outthink and out guess Roddenberry for too long now. When will they ever learn ? Oh well Roddenberyy did say Star Trek would be done better one day, let's hope this is it. They certainly found the cleverest people on Earth and a uber nerd. The bowl cuts come from the chinese as does the surpressed emotions.
Sorry, there is no way that technology itself was pushed back to pre-digital days AND we developed advanced technologies. That's just not plausible or realistic. Not to mention that no one outside of fandom really knows about ST's WWIII. Heck, neigther do we, it's only been mentioned in passing, and those few times have been somewhat contradictory. (the horror)
Uh huh. Man, take this too seriously much?
Uh huh. Man, take this too seriously much?
man racist much? Are you sayng the Chinese have no emotions? And I've never seen a Chinese guy with a bowl haircut -- that was an American 1960's style.
I dunno, I just don't see WW3 making us try to fly a frakking starship with 1960's technology. Even the outdated NASA shuttles are on to 1970's technology by now. Why the hell would future space travellers use technology that is less powerful than my iPhone?
Did I not say WWIII would change all that. The chinese will have vases that say made in America.
There are so many things wrong with the above statements.
1) Where in the whole of Trek literature on the making of TOS has there been made any reference to Spock being inspired or based upon such a "yellowface" stereotype of the Chinese and Asiatic cultures?
Spock's emotionless, logical mindset was taken from the original concept of Number One as a "computerized mind" (Vina points this out in "The Cage" by saying, "They'd have better luck breading with a computer.") Originally, Spock was just the alien on the ship to represent the fact that the Enterprise was in space. The character of Number One was hardly "yellowface." Bland, yes. But hardly the Chinese stereotype.
However, academics have written extensively on the so-called "white" imperialistic aspects of Trek and some have noted particulary of Spock's role as the "half-breed" akin to the mixed Native American found in the Western genre of literature, film and television. And like all academics this must be taken with a grain of salt. Yet, you make no such argument in this regard. You only putting forth a generalized and inaccurate statement.
2) It is a 1930s pulp and earlier stereotype that Chinese and Asians in general are emotionless, calculating and unscrupulous. This is also attributed to the "yellowface" portrayl of a Caucasian actor in the role of an Asian. The 60s example being David Carridine in Kung Fu. (Although, he was playing it as a "half-breed.")
Asians, including Chinese, are quite emotional and passionate. I am a mixed Filipino-American and our culture stradles both Pacific Islander and Asian cultures with a great deal of color and flavor. There is a great deal of Chinese influence in our culture. We are a passionate people, as are the Chinese. They may have a world-view that is not "exactly" like western culture but that's what makes them different. Different not cold or emotionless. They have an outlook that is just as different as Japanese from Vietnamese to Spainish to British to French and so on.
3) Once again:
Oriental is a pejorative when referencing someone of Asian descent. In other words, it's a carpet not a person. Thus is offensive. Not in all cases, but in most concerning people, especially if one considers its past usage. In the above statement, it is very offensive as it is combined with a "yellowface" stereotype.
Not to mention that Roddenberry's description of Sulu was that he was definitely not "inscrutable", because Gene was tired of that stereotypical (and incorrect) portrayal of Asians.
Spock has nothing to do with the Chinese or Asians.
Spock has nothing to do with the Chinese or Asians.
This actually is a line of dialogue in Jerry Sohl's final draft script for "The Corbomite Manuever." It was part of some break-the-tension chatter between Sulu and other bridge officers during one of the waiting-for-Balok periods, and it's probably best that the whole conversation was dropped - it reads as very dated and yeah, stereotypical.
At one point someone (I don't remember who, and the script is not in front of me) says "Mr. Sulu, you're about the most scrutable person I know."
A variation of this remark made its way into one of the later Writers Guides for "Star Trek" or "Star Trek Phase II". I'd bet that GR lifted it from Sohl rather than originating it.
During the first attempts to pitch Trek to the networks, one of the Desilu executives (I want to say Oscar Katz, but I'd probably be wrong without checking on that) explicitly pitched Spock as the "half-breed" character from American westerns. "Mingo" was one such character then popular on NBC's own "Daniel Boone" series.
That's the tagline from a TAS episode.
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