STXII news: Kirk love interest, first draft of script done.

[6079SmithW]

Well, STXI is a reboot disguised as an alternate universe. The whole time travel alt universe stuff was just there to appease the established fanbase and assure them that their prime continuity is still intact. I wouldn't put it past them to conveniently forget the alt universe business and just treat trek as a hard reboot from now on.

This means that they can change Kahn's gender if they want and also the time period of the eugenics wars. Put them in the late 21st century and maybe make the EW and WW3 the same thing. I wished they had done a hard reboot anyway.

 

[JarodRussell]

The whole time travel alt universe stuff was just there to appease the established fanbase and assure them that their prime continuity is still intact.

We all very well know where the Appeasement Policy lead to.

 

[Rush Limborg]

The whole time travel alt universe stuff was just there to appease the established fanbase and assure them that their prime continuity is still intact.

We all very well know where the Appeasement Policy lead to.

The irony of ironies. Berman and Braga went out of their way to appease the memory of Roddenberry--even after DS9 proved that Trek would best grow beyond that.

Result? The fans hate them for...not being consistant with the vision of The Great Roddenberry Who Can Do No Wrong.

 

[Satyrquaze]

^ Those are some mixed-up fans.

 

[Rush Limborg]

^That they are.

Back on topic (somewhat)...would a character such as Andrea work today--without being re-written in the "tough gal" stereotype? Who could play such a girl?

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Hmm...except the entire nuTrek is based on the premise that Nero changed the timeline, beginning with the attack on the Kelvin.

All we know is that nuTrek is in a different reality. We don't know if a) it was the same reality as the Prime U before the Kelvin attack and was created (branched off) from there or b) it always existed in parallel to Prime U, and presumably was very similar (and still is very similar) but could have differences here and there previous to the Kelvin attack. (Even if it were 100% the same, it could have been physically a different universe the whole time. There's no law against two universes being exactly the same.)

This will remain unknown until we see something previous to the Kelvin attack that differs from the Prime U, proving (b). Since you can't ever prove that everything previous to the Kelvin attack, in the whole history of the whole universe, was the same, we'll never get proof of (a).

I'd argue that we have seen proof of (b). Scotty and McCoy are older than Kirk in the Prime U, and therefore were born before the Kelvin attack. In nuTrek, they look different than they should. With the younger characters, we can rationalize that maybe the original Chekov is the brother of the guy who turns out to be Chekov this time - something in the changed timeline impacted his parents so that a different egg and sperm met up - but for Scotty and McCoy (and really also Spock) this rationalization doesn't work. Therefore, Khan can be female, or whatever.

EDIT: and before anyone objects that Scotty and McCoy couldn't have been cast to look "right," if the writers had been determined to go with a branching-universe notion, they could have kept their timeline "pure" by simply not having Scotty or McCoy in the story because their careers took them elsewhere, or they got killed off because of post-Kelvin changes in the timeline.

I'll give them a pass on Spock because Zachary Quinto looks so incredibly much like Leonard Nimoy. Also because without Spock, you might as well not have Star Trek at all.

 

[M'Sharak]

All we know is that nuTrek is in a different reality. We don't know if a) it was the same reality as the Prime U before the Kelvin attack and was created (branched off) from there or b) it always existed in parallel to Prime U, and presumably was very similar (and still is very similar) but could have differences here and there previous to the Kelvin attack. (Even if it were 100% the same, it could have been physically a different universe the whole time. There's no law against two universes being exactly the same.)

This will remain unknown until we see something previous to the Kelvin attack that differs from the Prime U, proving (b). Since you can't ever prove that everything previous to the Kelvin attack, in the whole history of the whole universe, was the same, we'll never get proof of (a).

I'd argue that we have seen proof of (b). Scotty and McCoy are older than Kirk in the Prime U, and therefore were born before the Kelvin attack. In nuTrek, they look different than they should. With the younger characters, we can rationalize that maybe the original Chekov is the brother of the guy who turns out to be Chekov this time - something in the changed timeline impacted his parents so that a different egg and sperm met up - but for Scotty and McCoy (and really also Spock) this rationalization doesn't work. Therefore, Khan can be female, or whatever.

So... Rosario Dawson as Khan?

 

[F. King Daniel]

they look different than they should

You are joking, right?



...riiiiiiight?

 

[Rush Limborg]

To be fair, a deleted sequence on the Trek XI DVD makes it clear that Spock was born the same year he was in the Prime Universe.

I don't know about Scotty. Perhaps he just looks more "small" and frail because of all that time on a diet of protein nibs and the promise of a good meal....

 

[Temis the Vorta]

they look different than they should

You are joking, right?



...riiiiiiight?

Nope.

If the writers really were determined to lock in the idea that history was the same before the Kelvin, they could have simply not had any characters who were born before that time as part of the story. Scotty and Bones could both be doing something different because of the timeline change, or they could be dead.

Sure, there are good reasons (external to the story) why at least Bones must be in the movie, but they did have the option. Or, they could have set the incident that changed the timeline earlier, before any of the characters were born. Therefore either their intent is that pre-Kelvin history was different at least a little bit, or more likely, they don't care all that much one way or the other, and it's up to us to decide what we want to believe. I'm going with the literal interpretation on this one.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Nonsense. They were recast, just like Saavik, Cochrane and the rest. Do you insist on explanations for the different actors' interpretations of those characters? Do you pretend Saavik had plastic surgery and underwent Kolinahr between STII and III?

If you can't suspend your disbelief over something like that, how do you cope with the utter nonsense that is Trek's version of... well, anything? Space travel, aliens, technology, universal translators... even the warp speed effect is massively inconsistant throughout Trek's history (and nonexistant during TOS). Surely, by your reckoning, they deserve the same level of scrutiny as Scotty's hairline.

 

[Set Harth]

All we know is that nuTrek is in a different reality. We don't know if a) it was the same reality as the Prime U before the Kelvin attack and was created (branched off) from there or b) it always existed in parallel to Prime U, and presumably was very similar (and still is very similar) but could have differences here and there previous to the Kelvin attack.

Actually, we do know that (a) is correct, because Orci said so. There's also that handy graphic from STO, along with the fact that the film itself makes the point that Nero's time travel is what "changed history".

 

[Trekkie2]

I don't understand the contention that they look different, they are suppose to. The destruction of the Kelvin would have changed life quite a bit, just as the events of September 11, 2001 changed our lives.

Some of the actors heights.

James Doohan (5'8") Simon Pegg (5'10")
DeForrest Kelley (5'10") Karl Urban (6"1)
William Shatner (5'9") Chris Pine (6'0").
Leonard Nimoy (6'1") Zachary Quinto (6'1')
Nichelle Nichols (5'5") Zoe Saldana (5'7")

Other than this cast is taller?

Kirk's blue eyes could be explained as such that melanin development in the first six months of life can be affected by premature birth.

Only Kirk's DOB is established and that's it. The actor's ages have no bearing on character ages, not now, and not then. Checkov's curly hair could be a phase.

Would they have the same goals? I say yes. And these goals might have been enhanced because they had already spent their lives maybe wishing for a change in certain areas. Citing "STTNG: Cause and Effect."

 

[Tarek71]

I don't understand the contention that they look different, they are suppose to. The destruction of the Kelvin would have changed life quite a bit, just as the events of September 11, 2001 changed our lives.

They look different because they are played by different actors. Ive never really thought much of attempts to come up with some in-story explanation for Kirk being taller or Chekov possibly being born earlier, etc. Its just new actors and a little fudging by JJ and Co. Thats it. Characters dont look like any one actor. Lots of people could play Spock, Uhura, etc. And they would all be Spock. You might have favorites, etc, but the characters look like whatever the actor looks like.

 

[Adagio]

Maybe Carol Marcus?

 

[JonnyQuest037]

I don't understand the contention that they look different, they are suppose to. The destruction of the Kelvin would have changed life quite a bit, just as the events of September 11, 2001 changed our lives.

They look different because they are played by different actors. Ive never really thought much of attempts to come up with some in-story explanation for Kirk being taller or Chekov possibly being born earlier, etc. Its just new actors and a little fudging by JJ and Co. Thats it. Characters dont look like any one actor. Lots of people could play Spock, Uhura, etc. And they would all be Spock. You might have favorites, etc, but the characters look like whatever the actor looks like.

Isn't any difference in the actors' appearances a moot point? Spock Prime recognizes both Kirk and Scotty without any prompting from anyone. That makes it perfectly clear that however different Chris Pine and Simon Pegg may look from William Shatner and James Doohan, the characters of Kirk and Scotty look exactly the same as they do in the Prime Universe.

 

[UFO]

... That makes it perfectly clear that however different Chris Pine and Simon Pegg may look from William Shatner and James Doohan, the characters of Kirk and Scotty look exactly the same as they do in the Prime Universe.

I'm confused. Does that mean my optometrist owes me a refund or not?

 

[Cake]

Maybe Carol Marcus?

Hopefully not!

 

[Tarek71]

I don't understand the contention that they look different, they are suppose to. The destruction of the Kelvin would have changed life quite a bit, just as the events of September 11, 2001 changed our lives.

They look different because they are played by different actors. Ive never really thought much of attempts to come up with some in-story explanation for Kirk being taller or Chekov possibly being born earlier, etc. Its just new actors and a little fudging by JJ and Co. Thats it. Characters dont look like any one actor. Lots of people could play Spock, Uhura, etc. And t
hey would all be Spock. You might have favorites, etc, but the characters look like whatever the actor looks like.

Isn't any difference in the actors' appearances a moot point? Spock Prime recognizes both Kirk and Scotty without any prompting from anyone. That makes it perfectly clear that however different Chris Pine and Simon Pegg may look from William Shatner and James Doohan, the characters of Kirk and Scotty look exactly the same as they do in the Prime Universe.

Yes, I think we are supposed to imagine that they look the same.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

... That makes it perfectly clear that however different Chris Pine and Simon Pegg may look from William Shatner and James Doohan, the characters of Kirk and Scotty look exactly the same as they do in the Prime Universe.

I'm confused. Does that mean my optometrist owes me a refund or not?

Depends if you live in the Trek 09 universe or not, I suppose.