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Orci & Kurtzman's fan commentary

Sabataage

Commander
Red Shirt
On the recent Voyage Home DVD there was a "fan" commentary from Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. they explained that if they hit a disagreement or impase while writing Star Trek XI they would consult previous trek canon for proof, precedent or at least a valid excuse. Among other things they took note of was the level of comedy in that TVH. After watching XI, it should be obvious why they'd want to point this out.

They also argued that the use of time travel in TVH fit with what they were doing in XI. Orci, I think, maintained that the movie took place in a alternate universe created when the HMS Bounty travelled back through time. The reason there weren't any future repurcusions for their actions (like, stealing a pair of humpback whales and taking a marine biologist with them, while leaving behind a hand phaser) was because that timeline wasn't their's to begin with. It was an "alternate reality." And by travelling back around the sun they left that universe they inadvertantly created and returned to their own just as they left it. While its a plausible notion, it's funny to hear was is essentially a fanwank coming out of a credible source. Its like inmates running the asylum or something...

Anyway the real reason I wanted to post this here and not in the another forum was because of a comment they made while the movie played that hinted toward their plans for future trek. Throughout the movie they kept pointing out that each castmember had their own unique costume. Scotty had a vest, Spock had the robes, McCoy was wearing his "civilian" clothing and Chekov had that brown leather(vinyl?) thing with the bell bottoms.
I'm interested in what other fans' opinions would be if they followed through on this (not-so) casual observation. What if in future trek movies the entire cast had their own personalized uniform ( and not just Kirk's green tunic as some would think)?

Some people here took issue (to put it mildly) with Uhura's sleeveless top and skirt as it didn't look "professional" or like modern military attire. One way to solve that "problem" without forcing Uhura to put on a pair of pants (and be like the boys) is to to personalize all of the cast's uniforms (short sleeves, jackets, vests, mankinis etc) making her bare legs a moot point. Doing so would also establish that this is not the Navy. This is Starfleet. Kirk is allowed to jump from Lieutenant to Captain and women are permitted to wear make up and skirts because while this organization is similar to the military, its not the same.
 
I'm interested in what other fans' opinions would be if they followed through on this (not-so) casual observation. What if in future trek movies the entire cast had their own personalized uniform ( and not just Kirk's green tunic as some would think)?

I doubt they'll do any radical uniform changes for XII but even if they did give them some kind of alternate, personalized uniform it would be fine by me... providing that I liked them :p


Some people here took issue (to put it mildly) with Uhura's sleeveless top and skirt as it didn't look "professional" or like modern military attire.

Meh... I'll take the skirts and the legs, thank you very much.:shifty:
 
They also argued that the use of time travel in TVH fit with what they were doing in XI. Orci, I think, maintained that the movie took place in a alternate universe created when the HMS Bounty travelled back through time. The reason there weren't any future repurcusions for their actions (like, stealing a pair of humpback whales and taking a marine biologist with them, while leaving behind a hand phaser) was because that timeline wasn't their's to begin with. It was an "alternate reality." And by travelling back around the sun they left that universe they inadvertantly created and returned to their own just as they left it. While its a plausible notion, it's funny to hear was is essentially a fanwank coming out of a credible source. Its like inmates running the asylum or something...

That does sound like fanwank. It's a silly and totally unnecessary rationalization for what they did in ST09.
-- Taking two whales into the future was hardly likely to change the course of history between 1986 and the 2280s.
-- Dr. Gillian Taylor is more problematic, but they were willing to take Major Christopher to the future with them ("Tomorrow is Yesterday") until they realized doing it would change history. So maybe they did a run on Taylor and found she either was reported missing around the time she left with them, or that her absence would not change history.
-- The phaser might have been something that was dissected by experts and simply filed away as secret and forgotten as unknown technology that they couldn't use right then.
-- The only real thing they did that could've polluted the timeline was when Scotty gave over the formula for transparent aluminum. But again, he may have done it knowing there was a very slim chance the guy would ever figure out the matrix. Or as he speculated, maybe this was how it was "invented."

Anyway the real reason I wanted to post this here and not in the another forum was because of a comment they made while the movie played that hinted toward their plans for future trek. Throughout the movie they kept pointing out that each castmember had their own unique costume. Scotty had a vest, Spock had the robes, McCoy was wearing his "civilian" clothing and Chekov had that brown leather(vinyl?) thing with the bell bottoms.
I'm interested in what other fans' opinions would be if they followed through on this (not-so) casual observation. What if in future trek movies the entire cast had their own personalized uniform ( and not just Kirk's green tunic as some would think)?

Besides Kirk's green tunic, McCoy did have a shinny blue short-sleeved tunic he wore from time to time in TOS. The black collar of Spock's uniform looked a bit higher on the neck to me than the others, too. In earlier episodes there was also more variation in uniform types seen being worn by people walking the corridors.
On TV (episodic television) it was probably important to keep the uniforms consistent from week to week. In the movie, maybe they will wear different uniforms of the day. I'd just hope there aren't as many costume changes as Kirk made in TMP, however.
 
That does sound like fanwank. It's a silly and totally unnecessary rationalization for what they did in ST09.
-- Taking two whales into the future was hardly likely to change the course of history between 1986 and the 2280s.
-- Dr. Gillian Taylor is more problematic, but they were willing to take Major Christopher to the future with them ("Tomorrow is Yesterday") until they realized doing it would change history. So maybe they did a run on Taylor and found she either was reported missing around the time she left with them, or that her absence would not change history.
-- The phaser might have been something that was dissected by experts and simply filed away as secret and forgotten as unknown technology that they couldn't use right then.
-- The only real thing they did that could've polluted the timeline was when Scotty gave over the formula for transparent aluminum. But again, he may have done it knowing there was a very slim chance the guy would ever figure out the matrix. Or as he speculated, maybe this was how it was "invented."

If you'll indulge me for a moment in some fanwank of my own, I think that much smaller changes would cause catastrophic repercussions for any "timeline." When one considers the infinitesimal chance that any particular baby will be conceived, any change whatsoever, such as someone pausing to read a headline about about a mysterious encounter between a whaling ship and a UFO, could irrevocably alter the future. There was tons of disruptive stuff the crew of the Enterprise accomplished just by being in the past; the antique store, the garbage men, Spock diving in with Gracie, the list goes on. As long as we're dealing with fantasy, I subscribe to the alternate universe explanation. Makes more sense to me at least.
 
Everything that happened in The Voyage Home was a predestination paradox. Everything they did had already happened. Gillian Taylor and the two Whales had vanished, the guy invented transparent aluminum, someone left a not functioning phaser on an aircraft carrier, and a Bird of Prey left its "footprints" in Golden Gate Park.



I love how Orci says "as long as I'm in charge you can't just slingshot around a sun to timetravel" but then uses The Voyage Home to try to back up how his version of time travel works in the new movie. Ri-di-cu-lous.
 
Everything that happened in The Voyage Home was a predestination paradox. Everything they did had already happened. Gillian Taylor and the two Whales had vanished, the guy invented transparent aluminum, someone left a not functioning phaser on an aircraft carrier, and a Bird of Prey left its "footprints" in Golden Gate Park.



I love how Orci says "as long as I'm in charge you can't just slingshot around a sun to timetravel" but then uses The Voyage Home to try to back up how his version of time travel works in the new movie. Ri-di-cu-lous.

I don't think it was his justification at all. His JUSTIFICATION is Quantum Mechanics and finding a way to reboot within Canon.

What he was doing was explaining how past Time Travel stories fit within the Alternate Reality/QM understanding of Time Travel.
 
I love how Orci says "as long as I'm in charge you can't just slingshot around a sun to timetravel" but then uses The Voyage Home to try to back up how his version of time travel works in the new movie. Ri-di-cu-lous.

No. :techman: Try to actually see what he's speaking of first before equating to things that actually don't equal out.
 
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