new ST-TMP book

[Firebird]

That quite says it has "a reputation as the worst film" and goes on to say "Nicholas Meyer’s overpraised 1982 sequel". So I don't know what you're grousing about.

Basically agreeing with @Indysolo’s sentiment. What’s the point in writing a book about a thing you don’t like? The author seems to have a bias against TMP based on the book blurb, and the reputation line seems to me the author hiding personal opinion by shifting the blame of its perceived quality to society. And her being critical of TWOK is also baffling. Is there any Trek she actually likes?

 

[Maurice]

I went to the original article and nowhere in it does she trash it. She only refers to its reputation and how that seems to have impacted advance ticket sales.

"The Motion Picture is still worth seeing in the theater if only because it’s the only original Star Trek film designed to be seen on as big and wide a screen as possible. It was intended to be a truly cinematic experience, with a scope and sense of grandeur none of the later films attempted."

That's not love but neither is it a slam.

Me, I won't be going. I've seen the 35mm prints at the Castro and there's no point in diluting that memory to watch something BluRay res.

 

[David cgc]

I went to the original article and nowhere in it does she trash it. She only refers to its reputation and how that seems to have impacted advance ticket sales.

"The Motion Picture is still worth seeing in the theater if only because it’s the only original Star Trek film designed to be seen on as big and wide a screen as possible. It was intended to be a truly cinematic experience, with a scope and sense of grandeur none of the later films attempted."

That's not love but neither is it a slam.

My bad, there was a block of links to related articles right after the part I quoted, and I thought that was the end of the section on TMP. I edited my post and included the rest of the blurb in my quote.

 

[Maurice]

My bad, there was a block of links to related articles right after the part I quoted, and I thought that was the end of the section on TMP. I edited my post and included the rest of the blurb in my quote.

Thanks. When you make an edit like that you might consider flagging EDIT in the post otherwise it gets confusing seeing the replies without knowing the context has changed. Just my 2¢.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

The closing quote of the blurb doesn't seem bad to me. It ends: "Despite instant financial success, the film was panned by both critics and the public, leaving this enterprise nowhere to boldly go but down."

The fact that the reviews and public reception weren't great on TMP is a matter of historical record. It made lots of money, but I think that most people would acknowledge that that was more because of the public's hunger for more Star Trek than because it was a great movie in its own right. And the fact that the movies didn't continue in the direction that TMP established shows that the studio and creators also thought they could've done better. It seems obvious to me that when she's talking about "this enterprise," she talking about the first movie, not the Trek films as a whole.

I have a feeling that the blurb is an excerpt from a longer intro and what follows puts TMP into a more positive light overall. But I doubt that Sherilyn Connelly would bother spending the time to research and write a book about Star Trek's journey to cinemas if she didn't like the finished film at least a little bit.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

Me, I won't be going. I've seen the 35mm prints at the Castro and there's no point in diluting that memory to watch something BluRay res.

I was there with you to see that print. Oh, I do miss the Castro Theater!

 

[Therin of Andor]

Basically agreeing with @Indysolo’s sentiment. What’s the point in writing a book about a thing you don’t like? The author seems to have a bias against TMP based on the book blurb, and the reputation line seems to me the author hiding personal opinion by shifting the blame of its perceived quality to society. And her being critical of TWOK is also baffling. Is there any Trek she actually likes?

Yes, TMP.

I just got the book. Connelly was six and a half when she saw the movie in 1979 and, when it came out on home video, watched the VHS regularly, unaware that many other fans complained the film was boring. So, good start!

She references Preston Neal Jones’ “Return to Tomorrow” book about TMP, and rejects other later sources that don't specify interview dates and reminiscences that do not tally with the oral histories in that book. On a quick riffle, Connelly's book already seems to cover different ground. Covers the gala premiere night at the MacArthur Theatre, info on “Phase II” and “Planet of the Titans”, TMP marketing woes, Roddenberry’s cautions about overusing Klingons in subsequent Trek and, at the end, a chapter with some commentary on the odds/evens theory on Trek movies. So far so good.

The titles of each chapter are amusing wordplays on Season One “Star Trek: Discovery” episode titles, which adds to the freshness of a 40-year old topic.


New DS9 and TMP stuff by Ian McLean, on Flickr

 

[Vger23]

Basically agreeing with @Indysolo’s sentiment. What’s the point in writing a book about a thing you don’t like?

People write volumes at least equal to a regular-sized book about things they don't like all the time.

See this site for further proof.

 

[mb22]

So Therin, it seems you liked it. (?)

Does the book tell us anything that Trek/TMP fans don't already know (aside from the author's personal opinions)?

 

[Therin of Andor]

So Therin, it seems you liked it. (?)
Does the book tell us anything that Trek/TMP fans don't already know (aside from the author's personal opinions)?

As I said, I've really only skimmed it, but there is some stuff about the reactions of various fans in costume behind the cordoned-off area at the gala premiere, and the way different fan groups reacted to not being "included", while other rival fans were mingling with the stars on the red carpet. Some complained bitterly, of course, some expected there would be reserved tickets just for them, some had travelled miles to watch the stars - and one group's resilient leader booked out a neighbouring theatre for its first performance and invited other groups to join. A guy dissing Stephen Collins for being, "The new guy. Where's Spock?" And a lovely scene wherein Persis Khambatta spots a female fan in a bald cap and, from afar, tugs on her own hair. The fan calls out, "You look good with hair!", to which Persis responds, "And you look good bald!"

I'd not heard any of those anecdotes before, although I had seen footage where a fan was unexpectedly presenting the cast with corsages on the red carpet and she was getting varied responses (from the actors and the onlookers).

It's a scholarly work, so many different sources are harvested and footnoted, including from Aussie fan Sue Batho's university thesis (about the Viacom attempts to quash unlicensed fan activities in the early 90s). Sue was the first President of Astrex, the club I ran from 1984-92.

Plenty of quotes from Susan Sackett's editorship of the Lincoln Enterprises newsletters ("Star Trektennial News", and her "Starlog" columns), which many newer fans may not have ever seen.

The subheading on the book's cover is misleading, though, because it does cover reactions to the later films somewhat.

Lots more to read!

 

[mb22]

Sounds good!

 

[Qonundrum]

That quote says it has "a reputation as the worst film" and goes on to say "Nicholas Meyer’s overpraised 1982 sequel". So I don't know what you're grousing about.

We're all human, misinterpretation can happen - which explains "reputation as the worst film". Not sure how "overpraised" fits TWOK, but I'm sure the book might go into detail - though what a book about TMP has anything to do with the sequels... It's nice to know I'm not the only one who spouts tangents.

 

[Qonundrum]

The chapter titles are all plays on Discovery episode titles...talk about missing the target audience.

The list seemed more like a bunch of unused titles of Big Bang Theory season 12 episodes... with a few notable exceptions that are either direct takes from DSC or are so naff they wouldn't be out of place...

Given the number of other shows and characters being referenced that aren't even Star Trek in the slightest (the title of the book suggesting it's only Star Trek, not a planet with some apes and other things), at least now I have an inkling of what "yet another book about old Star Trek" can put in... like some of those lame Kindle books (from other authors) I spent ($5~$8) a pop on that are little more than glorified fan pieces littered with the author's more brazenly-injected opinions that in one day and age would be deemed unbecoming for what's ostensibly a "professional" publication, this one I'm getting not dissimilar riffs on and am waiting out on. But I'm intrigued enough to wait for a sale. Or will find the same news articles being used.

 

[Maurice]

[...]Not sure how "overpraised" fits TWOK[...]

The subject of it being overrated has come up several times on the board, as in here and here.

 

[Daddy Todd]

Well, I liked Connelly’s book. It’s exhaustively footnoted, and covers essentially the same territory as Cash Markman’s in-progress duology. But, you know, exhaustively footnoted.

and it’s probably a sixth the length. So it’s concise, fun, and a lot closer to objective truth than anything Cushman has ever published.

The only thing that annoyed were a few too many “jokes” about buying Connelly’s My Little Pony book. She almost had me looking for it on Amazon after the second or third joke, but after three or four more repetitions, I had to “nope” out.

 

[Indysolo]

... covers essentially the same territory as Cash Markman’s in-progress duology.

Did someone say, "Cash?"

 

[mb22]

Well, I liked Connelly’s book. It’s exhaustively footnoted, and covers essentially the same territory as Cash Markman’s in-progress duology. But, you know, exhaustively footnoted.

I'm won't defend Cushman's accuracy (or lack thereof) but in fairness, he does have a 'quote index' at the end of his books.

 

[Daddy Todd]

I'm won't defend Cushman's accuracy (or lack thereof) but in fairness, he does have a 'quote index' at the end of his books.

I can’t check that, because the Kindle version of Cushman’s book was so badly formatted, I made Amazon give me my money back. So, I’ll take your word for it.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

Did someone say, "Cash?"

This is the content that keeps me coming back to the BBS.

 

[mb22]

I can’t check that, because the Kindle version of Cushman’s book was so badly formatted, I made Amazon give me my money back. So, I’ll take your word for it.

From his TOS First Season book: