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Public perception of Star Trek?

You've been the one driving this train of thought straight off the tracks since you've arrived in the thread.

That's a lie and I'll prove it to you with the order of comments that led to my comment about black families having been destroyed in the last 60 years:

fireproof78 said:
I think that the Abrams Trek films are a lot of fun, allowing non Trek fans to enjoy it without backstory, and providing some interesting insights in to what makes Kirk Kirk. He isn't a hero by virtue of being Kirk. He has to go through some tough lessons, and have a father figure to inspire and challenge him to better himself.

AdmiralShran said:
Kirk was a hero on virtue of having earned his position and never reliquished his wisdom.

fireproof78 said:
And a lack of a father may seem insignificant but psychological research has indicated otherwise. That is why Kirk is so fascinating to me.

AdmiralShran said:
It's not remotely insignificant - one of the many reasons vapid and amoral media is dangerous and should be shunned. The media has been the sole arbiter of the absolute dismantling of families in the United States and Europe and Abrams' crew is a part of that, not an opponent.

Dennis said:
Individuals no longer willing to put up with abusive shit is the leading cause of the loosening of "traditional family" ties and values in the United States.

AdmiralShran said:
So, then, 75% of black fathers are abusive given that 75% of black children are born out of wedlock?
 
Khan had an out as well. He could have beamed up Kirk and killed him when he retrieved the Genesis device. Beams Kirk up, kills him with his bare hands... end of movie. Or this is all moot if the Reliant crew knew how to read star charts.

Pretty much every movie is chalk full of plot problems if one looks closely enough. It is all about how engaging the characters and drama is. I find the characters and drama of Star Trek II engaging, I feel the same way about Star Trek Into Darkness.
Both movies play out flaws in Kirk and how he comes to grips with them. In both he deals with his hubris of invincibility vs his general denial of his own mortality. The plots and characterization feed one another pretty well in both films.

I think, for a lot of the movies and series, though, the characters come across as heroes who we're supposed to admire by virtue of being protagonists. The writers hit the nail on the head, intentionally or not, when they had Quark describe the Federation as root beer, cloying and bubbly. The heroes were admirable but not ones to care about or feel for. They had too little internal distress for the audience to care what happened to them. The new movies brought back that vital dramatic internal distress for Kirk and Spock and have been all the better for it.
 
Okay just finished reading the whole thread and now to quote some ppl from page one. ;)

I've only ever met one person who became a fan of Trek in general after their first experience was the '09 movie.
I became a fan of Trek after watching ST 09. I'd heard of trek before and seen clips of the original series and some of Next Gen, but wouldn't call myself a fan of it and wouldn't have chosen to watch it over something else.

Have any of you had experiences where those two films encouraged non-fans to go back and watch the older stuff and eventually become fans?
Again me! ST 09 pulled me in. Afterward I was curious to see how the TOS Spock/Kirk compared so bought TOS and watched all of it and then all the older movies. Well the ones with Kirk and Spock. I find myself fascinated by their dynamic along with McCoy. I like TOS a lot now. But I also love JJ's verse.

At first, after watching TOS, I didn't like how they made Kirk in comparison in the new movie. They seemed at first glance polar opposites. Some words for NuKirk were arrogant, womanizing and cheater springs to mind. And then after re-watching 09 I realized Kirk's backstory in the AU is vastly different than it was in TOS and because of that he turned out different but the same personality was still there. He is still Kirk at his core with the possibility to become much more as he was in the other reality and that's why I like STID because it shows the progression from an arrogant Captain thinking he could do no wrong to one who realized he was not ready at all and his mistakes would end up getting others killed. Not saying that movie didn't have its problems, because for starters, I mean really Khan? But it had enough character development on Kirk's part and between Kirk and Spock that I still really enjoyed it. I saw it live-to-picture (live symphony playing soundtrack) and totally geeked out. Best movie experience ever!

I also liked the beginning where they saved Nibiru from extinction. After what happened to Vulcan I can totally understand how both Kirk and Spock couldn't stand back and let that happen to Nibiru, despite regulations against it.

So yeah I became a Star Trek fan after watching those films. You could say I'm a bigger Trek fan now than I am a Star Wars fan, and previously I was all Star Wars.
 
I also liked the beginning where they saved Nibiru from extinction. After what happened to Vulcan I can totally understand how both Kirk and Spock couldn't stand back and let that happen to Nibiru, despite regulations against it.
That actually hadn't occurred to me before!
 
I also liked the beginning where they saved Nibiru from extinction. After what happened to Vulcan I can totally understand how both Kirk and Spock couldn't stand back and let that happen to Nibiru, despite regulations against it.

Very nice interpretation. :techman:
 
Okay just finished reading the whole thread and now to quote some ppl from page one. ;)


I became a fan of Trek after watching ST 09. I'd heard of trek before and seen clips of the original series and some of Next Gen, but wouldn't call myself a fan of it and wouldn't have chosen to watch it over something else.


Again me! ST 09 pulled me in. Afterward I was curious to see how the TOS Spock/Kirk compared so bought TOS and watched all of it and then all the older movies. Well the ones with Kirk and Spock. I find myself fascinated by their dynamic along with McCoy. I like TOS a lot now. But I also love JJ's verse.

At first, after watching TOS, I didn't like how they made Kirk in comparison in the new movie. They seemed at first glance polar opposites. Some words for NuKirk were arrogant, womanizing and cheater springs to mind. And then after re-watching 09 I realized Kirk's backstory in the AU is vastly different than it was in TOS and because of that he turned out different but the same personality was still there. He is still Kirk at his core with the possibility to become much more as he was in the other reality and that's why I like STID because it shows the progression from an arrogant Captain thinking he could do no wrong to one who realized he was not ready at all and his mistakes would end up getting others killed. Not saying that movie didn't have its problems, because for starters, I mean really Khan? But it had enough character development on Kirk's part and between Kirk and Spock that I still really enjoyed it. I saw it live-to-picture (live symphony playing soundtrack) and totally geeked out. Best movie experience ever!

I also liked the beginning where they saved Nibiru from extinction. After what happened to Vulcan I can totally understand how both Kirk and Spock couldn't stand back and let that happen to Nibiru, despite regulations against it.

So yeah I became a Star Trek fan after watching those films. You could say I'm a bigger Trek fan now than I am a Star Wars fan, and previously I was all Star Wars.


Welcome to the Universe(s?), JKM. As you have, doubtless, already figured out, it can be a very intelligent, passionately opinionated place! But you will learn a lot and surely make you share of contributions! Qapla!
 
That actually hadn't occurred to me before!
Yes it made sense to me that after Kirk and Spock were forced to watch a planet and in Spock's case his home planet be destroyed that they wouldn't be able to stand back and let it happen again if they could stop it. It wasn't just Kirk breaking rules for kicks.
Very nice interpretation. :techman:
Thanks!
Welcome to the Universe(s?), JKM. As you have, doubtless, already figured out, it can be a very intelligent, passionately opinionated place! But you will learn a lot and surely make you share of contributions! Qapla!
Yes, many topics can be passionately opinionated but that just means we all love Trek. :)
 
Neither Kirk (nor anyone in real-life) sought/seeks to be heroes.

A hero is born of circumstances, not of some desire to constantly save the day.

Kirk's circumstances each week, and with each film, simply finds him and his comrades in the right place at the wrong time, or the wrong place at the right time, or the other way around in reverse.

But such is the nature of fiction. Kirk (in either universe) is always played as the guy who just happens to end up being the hero each week or each movie. In real life, I don't think there is anyone who somehow ends up being the quintessential "hero" every day, week, or constant state of periodicity. (Heh... there must be such a word because I didn't get the spell-check squigglies under that word... periodicity.) :D
 
^
I see what you're saying, but I'm not quite so sure with Pine's Kirk. I mean Captain Pike does lay on that Kirk is meant for more, almost like he has a destiny. And he evoked George Kirk's heroic sacrifice to put some fire under Kirk in Trek '09. I can agree with you more on the Prime Universe Kirk. That being said, he was obviously a very ambitious, capable guy who wanted to make a difference too, though it wasn't wrapped up in a this is your destiny kind of deal.

Part of it too is the nature of the mediums. I mean on the small screen you can stumble or run across the problem of the week, whereas I think in films you are likely thrust or interjected into things more purposely.
 
Neither Kirk (nor anyone in real-life) sought/seeks to be heroes.

A hero is born of circumstances, not of some desire to constantly save the day.
I don't think I can agree with that. I think some people join the army/fire brigade/medics with the hope of doing heroic deeds. And all those young men who volunteered for WWI, thinking it would be a "boy's own" adventure of bashing the Bosch and saving the day.

What people think in the moment when they actually do a heroic deed is a matter of speculation. I know some say in interviews that they didn't think of the danger, or they just wanted to help, but really, who is going to admit that they took a risk because they hoped people would think they were awesome?
 
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