Bad plot devices in Star Trek movies

[Agenda]

I saw a lot of flack for Red Matter in Star Trek XI. However, I don't see how it's any worse than the other stuff we've seen in these films.

One of the worst offenders to me is the Borg Temporal Vortex. At least in Voyage Home they attempted to make time travel look a little difficult.

 

[Shazam!]

My problem with the temporal vortex was with them getting back.

 

[Jeyl]

Bad plot devices in Star Trek movies

Earth is in danger!



So? We got like hundreds of colonized planets with humans on them and so many alien races that will probably be more than happy to lend their support to help us out if we ever lost Earth. Why must we always go back to Earth, a planet that unless we went to the past, was never significant to Star Trek in any way?

J.J. Abrams Team: You know what would really make Star Trek cool? If we get rid of some well established Alien planets (Vulcan) and save Earth again. Nobody would like it if we destroyed Earth, cause than that would put more emphasis in space exploration and exploring the unknown.

 

[Bones2]

Spock's aging being linked to the Genesis planet in III. Doesn't make any sense at all, and was only there so that Spock would be Nimoy age by the end.

 

[SilentP]

"Only ship in the sector" is one that gets my goat. Although considering the low life expectancy of any ship in proximity to the Enterprise, maybe all ships try to keep their distance.

Somewhat linked to that is in First Contact, why is it only the Enterprise that goes after the Sphere? Wouldn't the other ships join in to make sure that no Borg survives?

 

[Bones2]

^
Only the Enterprise was close enough to get caught in the Temporal Vortex? It's not one that's occurred to me.

The fact that the Son'a can't set up a colony on the Ba'ku planet because they say it'll take 10 years before the radiation takes effect. I mean, Geordi's eyes grew back in about a day.

 

[SilentP]

^
Only the Enterprise was close enough to get caught in the Temporal Vortex? It's not one that's occurred to me.

I meant as the Sphere departs from the Cube and heads to Earth, before it creates the vortex. Then again, it annoys me that Picard didn't order Worf to destroy it as soon as it was detected. Was it really that much faster?

 

[Shazam!]

J.J. Abrams Team: You know what would really make Star Trek cool? If we get rid of some well established Alien planets (Vulcan) and save Earth again. Nobody would like it if we destroyed Earth, cause than that would put more emphasis in space exploration and exploring the unknown.

If they had destroyed Earth that would've actually been amazing.

 

[Jeyl]

If they had destroyed Earth that would've actually been amazing.

And it wouldn't really hurt anything either. As I said in that JJ team conversation, having no Earth to go back to would actually force the future writers of this Star Trek universe to come up with scenarios and events that doesn't involve Earth, but something different, unique and quite possibly new. Unfortunately this new Trek movie goes so far out of it's way to make everything appear down to Earth that we can't help but wonder if the team even cares about what made Star Trek unique.

JJ Abrams: "You don't have to know Star Trek to love the new Star Trek movie."

So wait. All the stuff that had to be created from scratch when this series was first being made is now regarded as material that we must tone down because people who have never seen Star Trek won't get it? As I recall, the original Star Trek series was never made for people who knew anything about Star Trek either, because it never existed before!

So there's another bad plot device that's used in Star Trek movies:

Making plot devices that are only meant for the general audience.

 

[Timo]

The fact that the Son'a can't set up a colony on the Ba'ku planet because they say it'll take 10 years before the radiation takes effect. I mean, Geordi's eyes grew back in about a day.

The fact? more like the Son'a subterfuge. They wanted the Baku dead, but they wanted that with Starfleet's blessing, which is what they got through arguing that sanatorium wouldn't help them quickly enough that they'd consider it worth the bother and worth loaning their techspertise to the UFP.

Some plot devices that weren't halfway bad: the Genesis device and the katra. Completely out of the blue, both of them, but very dramatic, very workable, very effective in setting up sequels.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Kegg]

I saw a lot of flack for Red Matter in Star Trek XI. However, I don't see how it's any worse than the other stuff we've seen in these films.

Protomatter is slightly worse. I think David Gerrold once called that balonium.

 

[John Picard]

I saw a lot of flack for Red Matter in Star Trek XI. However, I don't see how it's any worse than the other stuff we've seen in these films.

One of the worst offenders to me is the Borg Temporal Vortex. At least in Voyage Home they attempted to make time travel look a little difficult.

Time Travel. Period.

 

[Shazam!]

Time Travel. Period.

He says, sporting a Doctor Who avatar ; )

 

[John Picard]

Time Travel. Period.

He says, sporting a Doctor Who avatar ; )

The Doctor is a Time Traveler. Star Trek is supposed to be about space exploration. The freaking reset buttons really irk me.

 

[Shazam!]

Unfortunately this new Trek movie goes so far out of it's way to make everything appear down to Earth that we can't help but wonder if the team even cares about what made Star Trek unique.

I agree with this, not necessarily the down-to-Earth part though.

To me, TOS was always about Kirk, Spock, McCoy & Ensign Redshirt beaming down to some wacky planet, being greeted by scantily clad bitches and then uncovering some nefarious shit.

The alternate timeline universe mirror blowing up planets time travel stuff was what Star Trek should be getting away from. If Enterprise had tried anything that we saw in the movie it would've been mercilessly ripped to shreds.

 

[Jeyl]

I agree with this, not necessarily the down-to-Earth part though.

Engineering and the Shuttlebay Areas being shot on location in a real Brewery. Vulcan having a clear blue sky instead of an orangy/red sky. Hypo sprays that hurt instead of ones where you don't feel a thing. Shields that act as armor instead of actual energy fields. Rap...wait...RAPPELLING IN A STARSHIP?! Cell Phone companies still in use. Budweiser still making Beer. Money still existing in the 23rd Century. Having the Enterprise be completely built on Earth. Big plastic freezer drapes that separate sections of a shuttle craft.

Still not enough?

 

[Bones2]

Transwarp beaming, just happening to meet old Spock after getting blasted out of the ship in a pod rather than being put in the brig.

 

[Shazam!]

I tend to think that the spaceships offset any down-to-Earthness. Many of the things you've listed were there for budgetary reasons or as aids to the audience to identify where we are on the ship or what was happening, which - as a someone who likes The Final Frontier - I can't really pull them up on.

I agree that the Enterprise being built on Earth was demented though.

 

[John Picard]

I agree with this, not necessarily the down-to-Earth part though.

Engineering and the Shuttlebay Areas being shot on location in a real Brewery. Vulcan having a clear blue sky instead of an orangy/red sky. Hypo sprays that hurt instead of ones where you don't feel a thing. Shields that act as armor instead of actual energy fields. Rap...wait...RAPPELLING IN A STARSHIP?! Cell Phone companies still in use. Budweiser still making Beer. Money still existing in the 23rd Century. Having the Enterprise be completely built on Earth. Big plastic freezer drapes that separate sections of a shuttle craft.

Still not enough?

In other words, it was a little more realistic and not the hippie Utopian dream of the 60's. DS9 was the same way -- what Star Trek *should have been* from the start.

 

[Jeyl]

Many of the things you've listed were there for budgetary reasons or as aids to the audience to identify where we are on the ship or what was happening

Star Trek First Contact's Budget: 45 Million
Star Trek 09's Budget: 150 Million

First Contact didn't use any practical sets (exception for the hologram sequence) for the Enterprise with it's budget, and they were all built from scratch. In fact, the Engineering set went through two different versions! Even with all that, I still don't remember a single review complaining about where they were in the ship because the movie didn't use practical sets.

45 million may be a big budget back in 1996, but it sure as heck wasn't 150 million by today's standards.

Geez marion. Do a James Cameron!

- Commentary Track for ALIENS
James: "I want a laser."
Gale: "We don't have the budget."
James: "I need the laser for the scene!"
Gale: "If you want a laser, it's coming out of your wallet."
James: "Ok."
The film had it's laser