Didn't like the movie? How would YOU have made it?

[OneBuckFilms]

As an exercise, and for the fun of it, I though it would be interesting to see how a Star Trek movie would be made by those who were not pleased with JJ Abram's approach.

As a framework, lets assume that you have full creative control, and $150m to spend on the movie.

Some things to consider:
- How would the story break down, beginning to end?
- How would you hook a non-Trek audience into the Star Trek property?
- Do you create a ground-up reboot, or something within continuity?
- What kind of pacing or character interactions would you choose?
- How close, and in what fashion, would you adhere to TOS in terms of design or style?

In short, what would be the RIGHT way to do it, from your perspective?

Break out those creative genes guys !!!

 

[Mach5]

I would have made the entire movie about Robau.

 

[OneBuckFilms]

I would have made the entire movie about Robau.

 

[GhostFaceSaint]

I would have made the movie about me of coarse and Captain Robau because that would have been a team greater than Kirk, Spock, and McCoy; it's only logical!

 

[6079SmithW]

I would have made the entire movie about Robau.

The movie would be over within three minutes as Robau destroys all the enemies of the Federation just by glaring at them.

 

[Mach5]

I would have made the entire movie about Robau.

The movie would be over within three minutes as Robau destroys all the enemies of the Federation just by glaring at them.

Nevertheless, I would have payed sh#tload of moneyz to see it. Heck, I'd even go see it in black & white. With no sound... With Albanian subtitles...

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Full frontal nudity for Saldana.

 

[6079SmithW]

Joking aside, from a visual perspective I would have preferred what they did in "In A Mirror Darkly" 1 and 2, keeping the original TOS look but enhancing it to be on par with modern standards. So, we have 1701 digitally remastered outside and inside, "modern" warp effect, add more phaser banks ( blue!) and visible torpedo launchers. Uniforms are the same as in XI. More TOS looking ship classes. I'll consider characters and plot later.

 

[OneBuckFilms]

I would have made the entire movie about Robau.

The movie would be over within three minutes as Robau destroys all the enemies of the Federation just by glaring at them.

His enemies would be confused when asked "Where are you from?"

 

[Mach5]

Joking aside,

I wasn't joking when I said I would have made a movie about Robau. I'd always take new, original stuff over rehashing of the old.

 

[thumbtack]

I'd have embezzled the 150M and skipped off to Costa Rica.

 

[Shikarnov]

I would have made Kirk truer to the original. The whole cliche about the bad boy turning into a hero is so tired. I would have liked to see him earn his ascension to command.

I'd also get rid of some of the clown humor. Kirk with giant hands and a tongue like Jar Jar? Scotty beaming into water tubes? Not. Funny.

Finally, and this is a bit of a nitpick, but the story of these characters' meeting was a bit contrived. With the exception of McCoy, the idea that Kirk met any of this crew while at Starfleet Academy is a stretch -- especially in the case of Chekov, who should be riding bikes and studying Algebra at this point in time.

Everything else I have forgiven -- like plot holes big enough to drive trucks through, the destruction of Vulcan for shock effect, Spock/Uhura, the Enterprise, Red Matter, and the almost continuous disrespect Abrams has shown to the passionate fans which kept money in Paramount's pockets for forty years.

 

[OneBuckFilms]

Okay, how about a treatment, a bullet-point list, with a plot for the movie?

I'm interested to see how the challenge of coming up with a basic movie story that works could be done within established Canon.

 

[PixelMagic]

I liked the movie. But I did make a teaser trailer based on how I would have done it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HN1H_ShuIo

 

[6079SmithW]

characters: USS Enterprise
Kirk: Captain from the start, less of an asshole/jerk, more mature, catches crap for being so young and a main plot of my movie is he has to prove himself worthy.

Spock: More un-emotional and more logical then XI. Still has trouble with cultural duality, still struggling to control those emotions. No Spuhura.

Scotty: TOS same.

Sulu: TOS same. If fencing is involved, uses actual fencing sword and not katana.

Chekov: TOS same. Real Russian accent, whiz-kid, patriotic for the motherland.

Janice Rand: Chief of security.

Uhura: Give her more lines and more important things to do then just "hailing frequencies open".

McCoy: Pretty much the same. He did not go to the Academy, he was a civilian doctor first, rank is equivalent to civilian experience, has trouble conforming to military regulations.

 

[Shikarnov]

Chekov: TOS same. Real Russian accent, whiz-kid, patriotic for the motherland.

I don't know why Koenig's accent gets such a bad rap. I lived in Russia for 3 years, and know many many Russians that speak English. His accent, while not perfect, is very very close -- including the W/V switch (which happens quite often).

 

[Shikarnov]

Okay, how about a treatment, a bullet-point list, with a plot for the movie?

I'm interested to see how the challenge of coming up with a basic movie story that works could be done within established Canon.

Pick up any Trek novel. Those guys manage to work within canon all the time and they usually do a great job.

It takes a creatively blind individual to view space, the final frontier, as being too void of stories to find. Paramount should hire Diane Duane, Vonda N. McIntyre, Diane Carey, Margaret Wander Bonanno, A.C. Crispin, Peter David, and all the other great TOS writers.

Oh, and just because Kirk can't die doesn't mean the drama is gone. TV shows go on all the time knowing that a main character will not (or at least is highly unlikely to) die. Abrams and his team are simply too lazy and untalented to work within an established setting. It's too hard to play by the rules.

 

[6079SmithW]

Characters: USS Kelvin NCC-514 (which is the single-nacelle scout type from the TOS manuals.)

Robau: Captain (in gold!), doesn't die within 5 minutes,recurring character throughout my movie, Kelvin and him show up at end to aid Kirk similar to TUC.

Number One: Robau's XO

Gary Mitchell: helmsman/navigator

Finney: helmsman/navigator.

Lt. Kyle: chief engineer (bump him to Lt Cmdr.)

Nurse Chapel: Chief medical Officer (bump to doctor).

M'Benga: head nurse.

Garrovick: Chief of security

 

[USS Excelsior]

Get rid of the time travel angle and write a story that doesn't conflict with previous Trek, even though the characters would look different of course.

And make the Enterprise look the same inside and out but a bit with less buttons and switches.

 

[OneBuckFilms]

Story: How about beat by beat? First scene, next scene, how to introduce the characters?
How do you make a non-fan care about the characters?
How do you make a non-fan love the Enterprise?