Rick Berman Interview on StarTrek.com

[JarodRussell]

Thank you, no. Life is too short, and quality media too plentiful and accessible, to purposely squander on mediocrity

Proud founding member of the Star Wars Prequel Rejection Society - now in blog form! updated 3/13

1) The purpose of the SWPRS Blog is to create satire, not to consume anything.

2) The SWPRS Blog is far more about celebrating the OT than dwelling on the PT. If there were a PT but no OT, there would be no SWPRS.

Yeah, which is why it's called the Prequel Rejection Society, and not the Original Trilogy Appreciation Society.
How many times have you consumed the prequels to make a satire of them?

 

[Gaith]

Yeah, which is why it's called the Prequel Rejection Society, and not the Original Trilogy Appreciation Society.

Merriam-Webster:

sat·ire : noun \ˈsa-ˌtī(-ə)r\

1 : a literary work holding up human vices and follies to ridicule or scorn
2 : trenchant wit, irony, or sarcasm used to expose and discredit vice or folly

If it were the "Original Trilogy Appreciation Society", it wouldn't be satire.

Yes, the SWPRS Blog is somewhat subtle in its humor, and it may require analytical thinking to grok. But it isn't written for those unwilling or unable to do so.

How many times have you consumed the prequels to make a satire of them?

Too many, granted, but I haven't seen an unedited PT movie in many years, and frankly never intend to do so again.

 

[Solarbaby]

A fan who calls that stupid or disrespectful or whatever is simply just arrogant.

This from a troll lol

 

[AstroSmurf]

^ That was completely uncalled for and I would suggest you not do it again.

For the second time... everyone needs to STOP making their arguments personal. The last thing I want to do is close this thread but I will if you folks continue to behave like this.

 

[Gaith]

^ Whew, for a terrifying moment I thought you were referring to moi.

 

[ichab]

Thanks for the links.

I myself have never understood the hate for Nemesis. I thought it was the second best TNG movie right under First Contact. Far as why it didn't catch on I would guess that it had to do with the lack of marketing done for the movie. Plus releasing it right before LOTR:The Two Towers guarenteed the movie not having any legs.

I'll be interested to read his book as well. I was no fan of Voyager and Enterprise and think that Berman spent too much time asking "What would Gene do" instead of "What should we do to make this entertaining?" Gene lost his creative freedom to create movies because his 'perfect man" ideals got in the way of making an entertaining movie. So why straight jacket yourself to someone like that just because he was the creator?

 

[Gaith]

^ RLM nailed it: Nemesis is a good action movie, but it's not a good TNG movie. In two hours, what new stuff do we learn about any of our main characters? That there was another Data prototype. Okay. Big whoop. But why are Worf and Wesley back in the Fleet?

In two hours, what character movement do we get? Riker and Troi get married; cool, that's something, even if it's over in the first ten minutes. How does the crew feel about splitting up? How much longer will Picard want to captain the Enterprise, with so many familiar faces gone? Is Geordi seeing anyone (no pun intended)? When will Barclay and Seven finally hook up?

All we get is action, a hissable villain, and a random death-but-not-really-maybe. It's well done, sure - the acting is strong, the writing ain't bad, and the battles are pretty badass. And to longtime fans, the resistance to innovate just feels insulting: each of the TNG movies end with an onscreen digital countdown to an explosion. That's just laziness, that is. Say what you like about XI, up to and including the fact that's it's basically a remake of Nemesis, but at least it felt fresh in both character interaction (youngun genius brats in action) and battles (the escape from the black hole).

 

[ichab]

^ RLM nailed it: Nemesis is a good action movie, but it's not a good TNG movie. In two hours, what new stuff do we learn about any of our main characters? That there was another Data prototype. Okay. Big whoop. But why are Worf and Wesley back in the Fleet?

In two hours, what character movement do we get? Riker and Troi get married; cool, that's something, even if it's over in the first ten minutes. How does the crew feel about splitting up? How much longer will Picard want to captain the Enterprise, with so many familiar faces gone? Is Geordi seeing anyone (no pun intended)? When will Barclay and Seven finally hook up?

Are we supposed to be watching a movie or a soap opera? Who cares who Geordi is seeing or if Barclay and Seven hook up? I want to see Star Trek, not Sex in the City in space.

All we get is action, a hissable villain, and a random death-but-not-really-maybe. It's well done, sure - the acting is strong, the writing ain't bad, and the battles are pretty badass. And to longtime fans, the resistance to innovate just feels insulting: each of the TNG movies end with an onscreen digital countdown to an explosion. That's just laziness, that is. Say what you like about XI, up to and including the fact that's it's basically a remake of Nemesis, but at least it felt fresh in both character interaction (youngun genius brats in action) and battles (the escape from the black hole).

I actually enjoyed the remake, but I just don't see how anyone can like that one but hate Nemesis. The only real differences between the two is that J.J's Trek used younger actors and had more money to work with. I certainly felt a bigger loss when Data died than when Spock's mother did and the conversations Picard had with Data were much deeper than anything in J.J Trek.

 

[sonak]

there's a current thread on nemesis on the movie forum where a similar point is brought up, namely that there are a lot of similarities between NEM and Trek XI. Goes to show how much timing, demand, marketing, etc. factor in the line between success and failure.