Combadges in STXII?

[F. King Daniel]

In IDW's comic book #5, the first part of their nuTrek version of "Operation: Annihilate", Kirk taps his badge, TNG style, in an attempt to establish communications with the Enterprise. And these comics are supposed to include "easter eggs" for Star Trek XII. Does that mean combadges are coming into Trek's new timeline early? Or was it maybe another goof by the IDW people?

What do you think of the idea of TNG-style combadges in STXII? IMO the flip-lid communicator of TOS is too iconic to drop in favour of the TNG-style communicator badge, which is similarly an icon of TNG-era Star Trek.

 

[Kadratis]

I don't know; I agree with you about the iconic flip-lid communicator. They might use a TNG-era badge while on ship but need the old while on an away mission?

 

[7thsealord]

I have no real problem with them having commbadges. But, it does seem more than likely that the communicator, being larger (and presumably more powerful), would have more range - and probably extra capabilities (apps? ).

I think that there were a few TOS episodes where the communicators were used as direction-finders, for example.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Communicator insignia? by Therin of Andor, on Flickr

 

[Pavonis]

I don't suppose nuKirk could've had a subcutaneous transponder. I don't read the comics, but I know TOS used them.

 

[Mage]

Since it won't have anything to do with wether or not the plot, dialogue, acting or any other part essential to what makes a good movie, I don't really see why it matters, other then that to some it's not TOS enough.

I wouldn't mind combadges myself, since mobile phones can do more these days then communicators do in TOS. It would make sense they have something far more advanced 250 years from now.

 

[Patrickivan]

Since it won't have anything to do with wether or not the plot, dialogue, acting or any other part essential to what makes a good movie, I don't really see why it matters, other then that to some it's not TOS enough.

I wouldn't mind combadges myself, since mobile phones can do more these days then communicators do in TOS. It would make sense they have something far more advanced 250 years from now.

Holy shit, your mobile can contact ships in orbit??? What the hell kind of range does yours have? And Sans network?! I want one of your mobiles!

Seriously though. It does matter in a way. A good plot and story does need some consistency. Why hand comms in the first movie and then tiny little badge comms in the second? It's a little thing, but a bunch of little things add up to equal annoying.

That said, I sure as hell am not going to frett over it, and certainly won't care until we actually see the movie.

 

[JarodRussell]

The problem with the TOS communicators is that they are totally out of date. The commbadge idea already is. In the 23rd/24th century the device would be totally invisible (either hidden in the clothing or maybe even in the ear) and that smart that all you have to do is to say "Kirk to Enterprise" and the connection is established. No tapping necessary.

 

[Gojira]

The problem with the TOS communicators is that they are totally out of date. The commbadge idea already is. In the 23rd/24th century the device would be totally invisible (either hidden in the clothing or maybe even in the ear) and that smart that all you have to do is to say "Kirk to Enterprise" and the connection is established. No tapping necessary.

Even though you are 100% right, I still want hand held communicators in TOS movies and episodes.

 

[Franklin]

The problem with the TOS communicators is that they are totally out of date. The commbadge idea already is. In the 23rd/24th century the device would be totally invisible (either hidden in the clothing or maybe even in the ear) and that smart that all you have to do is to say "Kirk to Enterprise" and the connection is established. No tapping necessary.

Even though you are 100% right, I still want hand held communicators in TOS movies and episodes.

Agreed. This was another good reason to create the JJVerse. Almost fifty years since TOS, it would be unwise to keep Trek stuck in a 1960s view of 23rd century technological advances.

If there are commbadges in the movie, maybe a good compromise between it and the TOS communicators would be that when one taps the commbadge, it makes the old communicator opening sound.

 

[M'Sharak]

In IDW's comic book #5, the first part of their nuTrek version of "Operation: Annihilate", Kirk taps his badge, TNG style, in an attempt to establish communications with the Enterprise. And these comics are supposed to include "easter eggs" for Star Trek XII. Does that mean combadges are coming into Trek's new timeline early? Or was it maybe another goof by the IDW people?

I'm pretty sure I remember someone being quoted not too long ago as having said that the comics will contain a few clues and hints about the next movie.

EDIT:

I think this was it:

But apparently there is more to these new Star Trek comics. Writer Mike Johnson has revealed that the ongoing series will also be dropping hints about the upcoming Star Trek movie and in fact it apparently already has done so. In the latest Star Trek magazine [Johnson] says:

"One of the great things about working with Bob [Orci] is that we are able to use the ongoing series to very subtly lay in clues to the next movie. There might even be a tiny hint of a subplot in the first issue."​

Speaking to TrekMovie Johnson confirmed that there was a subtle hint in issue 1 from September and there will be more as the we get closer to the sequel. He says there is also some "thematic foreshadowing" in issue 4, due out tomorrow (see preview below). The writer noted that clues will "not be like the Da Vinci Code", but he also said that "when you see the movie you will be able to look back to the comics and say, ‘oh I see what they did there.’"

Read more [possible Comics Spoilers]

 

[MacLeod]

Since it won't have anything to do with wether or not the plot, dialogue, acting or any other part essential to what makes a good movie, I don't really see why it matters, other then that to some it's not TOS enough.

I wouldn't mind combadges myself, since mobile phones can do more these days then communicators do in TOS. It would make sense they have something far more advanced 250 years from now.

Holy shit, your mobile can contact ships in orbit??? What the hell kind of range does yours have? And Sans network?! I want one of your mobiles!

Seriously though. It does matter in a way. A good plot and story does need some consistency. Why hand comms in the first movie and then tiny little badge comms in the second? It's a little thing, but a bunch of little things add up to equal annoying.

That said, I sure as hell am not going to frett over it, and certainly won't care until we actually see the movie.

Sign me up for one of these phones that can get a signal at something like 36 000km away.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Communicator insignia? by Therin of Andor, on Flickr

Thanks for the pic!

 

[F. King Daniel]

In IDW's comic book #5, the first part of their nuTrek version of "Operation: Annihilate", Kirk taps his badge, TNG style, in an attempt to establish communications with the Enterprise. And these comics are supposed to include "easter eggs" for Star Trek XII. Does that mean combadges are coming into Trek's new timeline early? Or was it maybe another goof by the IDW people?

I'm pretty sure I remember someone being quoted not too long ago as having said that the comics will contain a few clues and hints about the next movie.

EDIT:

I think this was it:

But apparently there is more to these new Star Trek comics. Writer Mike Johnson has revealed that the ongoing series will also be dropping hints about the upcoming Star Trek movie and in fact it apparently already has done so. In the latest Star Trek magazine [Johnson] says:

"One of the great things about working with Bob [Orci] is that we are able to use the ongoing series to very subtly lay in clues to the next movie. There might even be a tiny hint of a subplot in the first issue."​

Speaking to TrekMovie Johnson confirmed that there was a subtle hint in issue 1 from September and there will be more as the we get closer to the sequel. He says there is also some "thematic foreshadowing" in issue 4, due out tomorrow (see preview below). The writer noted that clues will "not be like the Da Vinci Code", but he also said that "when you see the movie you will be able to look back to the comics and say, ‘oh I see what they did there.’"

Read more [possible Comics Spoilers]

Yeah, but I wouldn't entirely rule out the possibility it was just a silly mistake by an artist stuck in TNG mode. IDW's comics are full of them, like the mention of the Vulcan's praetor in "Countdown"

 

[22 Stars]

I vote silly mistake.

 

[Broccoli]

I vote CANON VIOLATION!!!11!!!one!!!! I call for an OPEN BOYCOTT!

 

[Therin of Andor]

And these comics are supposed to include "easter eggs" for Star Trek XII. Does that mean combadges are coming into Trek's new timeline early?

As I said over in TrekLit, the insignias are already metal rather than the embroidered leatherette of TOS.

(All the ST geeks and collectors have already bought their sets of four metal movie insignias. Now ThinkGeek.com can sell 'em all over again as working communicators! It's like how Playmates Toys celebrated every time the 24th century Starfleet uniforms were changed. It refreshed the toy lines.)

 

[shapeshifter]

Logically, no sort of manual or voice activated device should be necessary at all.

By that time I would expect total remote monitoring of away team activity delivered to the mother-ship via some microscopic transmitter embedded in their uniforms, as the norm.

Actually even that sounds archaic when you think about it. How about sensors able to view and record a live scene from hundreds, even thousands of klicks away... no local transmitter required. A sort of electronic remote viewing apparatus.

 

[Pauln6]

Logically, no sort of manual or voice activated device should be necessary at all.

By that time I would expect total remote monitoring of away team activity delivered to the mother-ship via some microscopic transmitter embedded in their uniforms, as the norm.

Actually even that sounds archaic when you think about it. How about sensors able to view and record a live scene from hundreds, even thousands of klicks away... no local transmitter required. A sort of electronic remote viewing apparatus.

The more your tech becomes like magic the more it takes over your story and you have to come up with convoluted ways to avoid it.

Personally, I prefer the little hand held communicators, which I think should have visual as well but we also had wrist communicators in TMP so a badge communicator isn't exactly fantastical by comparison; it's just very TNG rather than TOS.

Life sign monitors would be essenital in my view but the TNG badges were just an extension of the belt monitors from TMP. A subdermal device could be used but I personally think a larger more powerful device should be required. I've never understood the fantasy logic of transporters without a transmitter being at the target site (you have complex quantum scanners at one end but they are superfluous at the other?). You can avoid obvious questions about why Nero didn't just beam Kirk and Spock to the brig or into space if he couldn't access their encrypted transmitters to get a lock. Blakes 7 certainly understood that logic.

 

[Therin of Andor]

A subdermal device could be used

Not very interesting from a viewing standpoint, and much harder to commercialize as a licensed tie-in toy.