ST XI issues you want tackled in the sequel

[Pauln6]

We probably need a few more female characters.

Yeoman Rand? Nurse Chapel? Number One?

I think Number One may have missed the boat unless she is given a cameo as the captain of another ship. I was rather irked at her absence. Spock could have been second officer Lt-commander and they could have injured her in the battle at Vulcan. I suppose the 'timeline' didn't consider her significant enough to restore...

Rand definitely. In fact Rachel Nichols would make a pretty good Rand if Gaila is axed. Chapel just needs some screen time and some lines. I'd like to see Ann Mulhall as Scotty's number two and also an expert astrobiologist and exobiologist.

I'd like to see a continuation of the Vulcan problem. If the sequel is to stand on its own, they may need to recap this part of the plot. Ben Kingsley adds a personal element but T'Pau should be involved in the repatriation of the surviving Vulcans - I wonder if Mira Furlan would be willing to dip her toe into sci fi again?

I also agree about Uhura being overlooked for the big chair when Kirk and Spock left the bridge. I think Kirk puts Chekov in charge. I agree that command personel would normally be placed in charge but Chekov is 17, an ensign, untested as a commander in a crisis, while she is an older lieutenant (and has taken the Kobayashi Maru test), and they're in the middle of a crisis. It felt like a slap in the face for the sake of a cheap joke.

 

[JarodRussell]

Hm, did I miss something, or why seems everybody so obsessed with Gaila? Was on screen for like... 2 minutes, and got probably killed. Sounds like a simple forgetable redshirt character to me.

 

[Shazam!]

 

[Pauln6]

Lol! Nice one. Although that figure is wearing too many clothes to be Gaila... she probably shortened her regulation issue skant so it was little more than a belt.

 

[Greg Cox]

Hm, did I miss something, or why seems everybody so obsessed with Gaila? Was on screen for like... 2 minutes, and got probably killed. Sounds like a simple forgetable redshirt character to me.

Er, did you see her?

 

[number6]

Hm, did I miss something, or why seems everybody so obsessed with Gaila? Was on screen for like... 2 minutes, and got probably killed. Sounds like a simple forgetable redshirt character to me.

Er, did you see her?

It's pretty obvious from his comments that he probably saw an entirely different film than the rest of us.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Fantasy, not sci-fi.

Six of one, half a dozen of the other. Star Trek never for an instant (well, maybe an instant) was the kind of "hard" or methodically extrapolated science fiction that impressed many people who wrote or extensively read prose science fiction. That traditional science fiction fans got pretty tired of Trek fans pretty fast is one big reason that Trek conventions split off from science fiction conventions in the 1970s.

It looks like there may be a three year gap between the movies, now. So some of the age difference between the new versions of the characters and the originals as they appeared in the 1960s television series will have closed by the time of the next film.

 

[Rusty0918]

NO Yeoman Rand.

The only reason she was on TOS was that she was a cheap piece of flesh. Nothing more. "I've always been trying to get you to look at my legs!" At least she was given decent stuff to do in TMP, TVH, and TUC.

You put another female character on, you should perhaps put her in charge of security, and give her the rank of lieutenant commander. Oh and no short-skirted uniform for her (you can keep 'me on Uhura and some of the background character). I think the short skirts are highly inappropriate but if you must keep 'em, you should consider my idea as a fair compromise.

I agree that the whole cadet-captain thing is way too contrived. It's possible that there may have been some time differential between, but we didn't see it.

I don't care about the lens flares, one way or another.

Yeah, get a proper engineering set. WATER TURBINE CONTROL?!! Does the Enterprise run on hydroelectric power?! Massive failure there. That does not click.

 

[Pauln6]

NO Yeoman Rand. The only reason she was on TOS was that she was a cheap piece of flesh. Nothing more. "I've always been trying to get you to look at my legs!" At least she was given decent stuff to do in TMP, TVH, and TUC.

Uhura was a glorified secretary and Chapel only ever got to assist McCoy during biological reaerch even though she was more qualified to do it than him. Don't judge the women by their TOS origins; look past that at character potential. Plus Gaila is a cheap piece of flesh and she's very popular!

Characters will only be used if they can fill a niche around the other characters. Rand would make great comic relief and could be an over-eager, over-protective, security-conscious yeoman, butting up against Kirk's machismo. That would be fun in a few brief character-driven scenes. She could even get to save his butt. Real Rand was bounced from services to engineering ro command to science as the plot dictated. Chekov went from command to security to science. I think Rand is defined enough and yet vague enough for them to give her a well-deserved make-over.

I'm with you on a female security chief. Maybe Number One is free... I also agree that senior officers look better in trousers, but I'm willing to be proven wrong if Pine and Quinto want to wear tight shorts in a wrestling scene.

 

[Rusty0918]

Well, I still stick with the lieutenant commander female character in trousers idea (whether she's security chief or if they want to off Sulu or Chekov - I like the characters but why not take some chances?). Someone who will keep Kirk in check, and will not take any of his womanizing crap. Oh and don't kill her off. And perhaps questions Kirk's abilities initially ("yes you saved Earth from Nero, but there are a lot of other officers who consider your long-jump promotion as ludicrous.").

You make a good point Pauln6. Perhaps in the Abrams-verse, Rand isn't a wimpy yeoman waitress. Maybe she assists Scotty in engineering.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I also agree about Uhura being overlooked for the big chair when Kirk and Spock left the bridge. I think Kirk puts Chekov in charge. I agree that command personel would normally be placed in charge but Chekov is 17, an ensign, untested as a commander in a crisis, while she is an older lieutenant (and has taken the Kobayashi Maru test)

There's no indication that Uhura ever took the Kobayashi Maru test. She isn't a command division officer, so it's unlikely that she did.

 

[M'Sharak]

I also agree about Uhura being overlooked for the big chair when Kirk and Spock left the bridge. I think Kirk puts Chekov in charge. I agree that command personel would normally be placed in charge but Chekov is 17, an ensign, untested as a commander in a crisis, while she is an older lieutenant (and has taken the Kobayashi Maru test), and they're in the middle of a crisis. It felt like a slap in the face for the sake of a cheap joke.

Just one thing about that:

KIRK: Whatever happens, Mr. Sulu, if you think you have the tactical advantage you fire on that ship even if we're still on board.
SULU: ...
KIRK: That's an order.
SULU: Yes, sir.
KIRK: Otherwise, we'll contact the Enterprise when we're ready to be beamed back.

Is it still a cheap joke when it's not the 17-year-old ensign with the funny accent who's put in command?

 

[SilentP]

The only time I think Chekov was in command was in the brief period between Spock leaving the bridge to go down to Vulcan and when Kirk and Sulu are beamed back up. And that was for how long? A few minutes at best.