Restoring what made Star Trek great
- Thread starter JohnD
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doubleohfive
Fleet Admiral
Film Score Monthly founder and Return to Tomorrow: The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture co-editor Lukas Kendall (also a new member of this BBS!) wrote a great piece on this very subject for TrekMovie the other day:
The Future of Star Trek: It’s the Story, Stupid
If you take the time to read it, you'll see he does address the main points this thread seems to be gravitating toward.
The Future of Star Trek: It’s the Story, Stupid
If you take the time to read it, you'll see he does address the main points this thread seems to be gravitating toward.
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This
Personally, Star Trek was always fun for me, as well as made me think. It is an aspect of the show that seems to sometimes be lost in the extremes, either towards the "message show" or the completely goofy.
I think Star Trek is great when it doesn't take itself too seriously. I think that sometimes Trek writers should read things like Heinlein's "Space Cadet" and "Hornblower" to see where Trek came from and what inspired it.
The sense of adventure and positivity are always what stood out to me. Star Trek was something unique, and used technology in creative and fun ways. It doesn't have to be a strict commentary on social issues. Sometimes, you just have to present a different view on a society to start a dialog.
We can't agree on what "greatness" is, but I'd be satisfied if I at least knew that the product was done in the highest quality way possible and presented to the audience as the best product that could've been produced by those involved. I haven't always had that sense with Trek movies.
Very much agree that Trek is best when it doesn't take itself too seriously. (Us fans are at our best then, too.
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This
Personally, Star Trek was always fun for me, as well as made me think. It is an aspect of the show that seems to sometimes be lost in the extremes, either towards the "message show" or the completely goofy.
I think Star Trek is great when it doesn't take itself too seriously. I think that sometimes Trek writers should read things like Heinlein's "Space Cadet" and "Hornblower" to see where Trek came from and what inspired it.
The sense of adventure and positivity are always what stood out to me. Star Trek was something unique, and used technology in creative and fun ways. It doesn't have to be a strict commentary on social issues. Sometimes, you just have to present a different view on a society to start a dialog.
We can't agree on what "greatness" is, but I'd be satisfied if I at least knew that the product was done in the highest quality way possible and presented to the audience as the best product that could've been produced by those involved. I haven't always had that sense with Trek movies.
Very much agree that Trek is best when it doesn't take itself too seriously. (Us fans are at our best then, too.
I agree on the production values. I think TOS showed that the best, when they were on limited budgets and reuse of props and available resources from the studio. Hence the oft lamented Western planet, Nazi planet, etc.
Despite the weaknesses of Abrams films, I think the production value is there for Star Trek to be competitive in the modern film market.
Interestingly enough, I only notice the pace of a film when my 2 year old son is watching it. Older films from the 50's and 60's are appealing to him because they move at a slower pace, taking time to establish the location of the shot, breaking up the pace with little musical interludes, bracketing action scenes with long build ups and slow cool downs, etc.
Modern fast paced action films like Skyfall and STID make him very nervous and upset.
Modern fast paced action films like Skyfall and STID make him very nervous and upset.
JohnD said:
Well, clearly it's just a different place named Delta Vega.
No proximity inferred or intended; Spock saw the destruction of Vulcan in his mind's eye. As for Delta Vega being like Hoth or Antarctica, who cares? It's great to see a snowy planet be a place for a Starfleet base.
Said time will happen when Leslie Moonves is no longer head of CBS, or CBS can justify making a Star Trek show with a large budget. Anything else is wishful thinking.
JohnD said:
Well, clearly it's just a different place named Delta Vega.
No proximity inferred or intended; Spock saw the destruction of Vulcan in his mind's eye. As for Delta Vega being like Hoth or Antarctica, who cares? It's great to see a snowy planet be a place for a Starfleet base.
Said time will happen when Leslie Moonves is no longer head of CBS, or CBS can justify making a Star Trek show with a large budget. Anything else is wishful thinking.
True - Leslie Moonves hates sci-fi & Star Trek in particular, he likes the MONEY that Star Trek gets him, but that's about it....
Everyone expecting Trek's return to TV is dreaming until Leslie goes away one way or another....
So unless you have a few trillion to buy back Trek from CBS, it's not gonna happen on Leslie's watch....
Granted I do think that there will be SOMETHING for the 50th on TV, a special anniversary get together or whatever have you....
He'll do that much if he does anything....
Well, clearly it's just a different place named Delta Vega.
No proximity inferred or intended; Spock saw the destruction of Vulcan in his mind's eye. As for Delta Vega being like Hoth or Antarctica, who cares? It's great to see a snowy planet be a place for a Starfleet base.
Said time will happen when Leslie Moonves is no longer head of CBS, or CBS can justify making a Star Trek show with a large budget. Anything else is wishful thinking.
True - Leslie Moonves hates sci-fi & Star Trek in particular, he likes the MONEY that Star Trek gets him, but that's about it....
Everyone expecting Trek's return to TV is dreaming until Leslie goes away one way or another....
So unless you have a few trillion to buy back Trek from CBS, it's not gonna happen on Leslie's watch....
Granted I do think that there will be SOMETHING for the 50th on TV, a special anniversary get together or whatever have you....
He'll do that much if he does anything....
Seeing as there have not really been any reunion specials, or retrospectives of past shows, or talks about the history of TV (all of those have been aired on PBS and special on-line videos from The Paley Center For Media), I doubt it (want proof? The 1993 Laugh-In 25 Anniversary Special that aired on NBC in has been airing on PBS for the past couple of years [mostly during Pledge Week, and with the station(s) in question offering a free gift of the Laugh-In 25 Anniversary Special as a reward for pledging a large sum of money!])
IF there's going to be a anniversary special (or at least a documentary) it'll probably by on PBS-of course, I could be proved wrong and CBS might have said show, in which case, I'll be glad (and hope that I can even see it, or even be here to see it.)
Well, clearly it's just a different place named Delta Vega.
No proximity inferred or intended; Spock saw the destruction of Vulcan in his mind's eye. As for Delta Vega being like Hoth or Antarctica, who cares? It's great to see a snowy planet be a place for a Starfleet base.
Said time will happen when Leslie Moonves is no longer head of CBS, or CBS can justify making a Star Trek show with a large budget. Anything else is wishful thinking.
True - Leslie Moonves hates sci-fi & Star Trek in particular, he likes the MONEY that Star Trek gets him, but that's about it....
Everyone expecting Trek's return to TV is dreaming until Leslie goes away one way or another....
So unless you have a few trillion to buy back Trek from CBS, it's not gonna happen on Leslie's watch....
Granted I do think that there will be SOMETHING for the 50th on TV, a special anniversary get together or whatever have you....
He'll do that much if he does anything....
I can imagine similar arguments being made about DW during its hiatus. It'll never return, the BBC hates it, the current director of BBC1 hates it etc...
So it might not return to the small screen for another X years. But it's too valuable a property to leave collecting dust forever. And in some respects the longer it off the better make the audiance want it.
When did he ever say that he hates scifi and Star Trek? Because it's not profitable? So by that logic, he must be reality TV's biggest fan and have posters of the cast of Big Brother all over his bedroom. If anything, he's probably indifferent to scifi unless it makes money for him, as you said.
doubleohfive
Fleet Admiral
Well said.
The reason that Trek went back to square one was to be rid of the baggage that had bogged it down after all these years....
A fresh start so to speak.... Back to basics one might say....
What made Trek "Great" is debatable 'till the cows come home, to coin a phrase, I liked the new films, and I just turned 50 myself, I remember when all we had were the reruns....
When TMP came out I was surprised how much older the cast was, I hadn't been to a convention at that time, had I been I wouldn't have been so surprised....
The fact is, what is it that made Trek "Great" ? Ask 100 fans & you'll get 100 different answers, and that's the point....
We on the whole can't agree on what it is or what it was....
As far as John Q Public goes, Star Trek is Kirk, Spock, McCoy, etc etc etc, and that's why we're back to that era & will be for the foreseeable future....
A fresh start so to speak.... Back to basics one might say....
What made Trek "Great" is debatable 'till the cows come home, to coin a phrase, I liked the new films, and I just turned 50 myself, I remember when all we had were the reruns....
When TMP came out I was surprised how much older the cast was, I hadn't been to a convention at that time, had I been I wouldn't have been so surprised....
The fact is, what is it that made Trek "Great" ? Ask 100 fans & you'll get 100 different answers, and that's the point....
We on the whole can't agree on what it is or what it was....
As far as John Q Public goes, Star Trek is Kirk, Spock, McCoy, etc etc etc, and that's why we're back to that era & will be for the foreseeable future....
Blackanvill0
Ensign
Star Trek always made their storylines in line with major happenings in the world. With all the terrorism and religious persecution and even North Korea wanting to do something to us for making a movie about him, etc, there is ample ammunition for great storylines in Trek. Seems to me that is how to restore it back to greatness. I liked the new films but something is lacking when compared to the TOS movies - just my .02 that means nothing in the entire scheme of things.
I don't know, STID seemed to me to be one of the most topical Trek movies of them all. It dealt with terrorism, our response to it, what is proper justice, and to a extent, even medical ethics, among other things. Just my two cents.
Except STID was about terrorism and conspiracy from within. TNG did that too. Did TOS?
I don't know, STID seemed to me to be one of the most topical Trek movies of them all. It dealt with terrorism, our response to it, what is proper justice, and to a extent, even medical ethics, among other things. Just my two cents.
Except STID was about terrorism and conspiracy from within. TNG did that too. Did TOS?
I don't know, STID seemed to me to be one of the most topical Trek movies of them all. It dealt with terrorism, our response to it, what is proper justice, and to a extent, even medical ethics, among other things. Just my two cents.
No, TOS didn't really. But, STID addressed numerous social issues that seemed relevant to me-terrorism and conspiracy (as you said), remote drone strikes (a hot button topic in the USA at the time), self-sacrifice, and trust.
I found it quite fascinating
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