Swearing In Star Trek XI?

[StarMan]

First, brief history lesson.

Star Trek IV got out the gate with a few tentative "double dumb asses".

A few years down the track, with horizons broadened, Rick Berman and co took the next logical step when Data uttered "shit".

First Contact was a mixed bag; sure, Lily Sloane "BULLSHIT!"-ed a few times, but our intrepid heroes didn't utter so much as "merde" during The Borg onslaught.

Insurrection - like the whole production, things on the colourful metaphor front were weak. The closest we got was a modern day colloquialism referring to part of the female anatomy (see: boobs).

And as for Nemesis? Why, I believe we got diddilysquat.

Now Abrams has said he wants this film to be "more real" than the others.

Given this aim, I think it would only be appropriate for the script to be littered with obscene language. As I haven't seen the script, I will use dialogue from previous movies to stress my point.

"My God Bones... what have I fucking done?"

"And I will make them PAY for what they've fucking done!"

"What does GOD need with a fucking starship?"

"There is an old Vulcan saying: Only Nixon could go to fucking China."

"If I were human, I believe my response would be fuck off... if I were human."

Note how the inclusion of these words adds a dimension of realism to dialogue that is otherwise blatantly fictional.

Unfortunately the script for XI locked, so we can only hope Abrams had the same foresight as me.

Is there anyone who does not agree with me?

 

[Plum]

Cute. I suppose it's a matter of how folk in a particular sub-culture (like astronauts) generally talk, not just the tech lingo. I agree, colourful language is a part of language. Perhaps like we heard in "The Right Stuff".

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

"Fire phasers. Blow their fucking asses to Hell."

 

[Kegek]

There's realism and there's realism. Abrams no doubt wants a kid friendly movie, so there might be the odd profanity, but it won't be laced with it.

Unless he invents yet another fake swear word. I am so frelling sick of those, they're frakking ridiculous. I can't take anyone's felgercarb seriously if they prattle in that dren.

Oh, and TSFS, not TVH, started the swearing thing, with "You Klingon bastards, you killed my son!"

Kirk was not making a serious observation about the legitimancy of his alien opponents.

 

[StarMan]

North Pole-aris said:
"Fire phasers. Blow their fucking asses to Hell."

Yes!

Plum said:
Cute. I suppose it's a matter of how folk in a particular sub-culture (like astronauts) generally talk, not just the tech lingo.

I know I'd much rather hear "The warp core's fucked cap'n! Gimme 4 minutes to get our shit back together." "Cheers Scotty - you're the freakin' shit." As opposed to "the antimatter relays are fused! I need 4 minutes to create an inverse tetryon pulse to render the multiphasic distortion inert!" "Understood."

Realism. When the casual viewer sees XI and hears this language they'll identify with them as fellow foul-mouthed human beings, as opposed to walking encyclopedias of technical claptrap.

 

[Plum]

Hmm, seems to me that ST:TVH established that 'colourful metaphors' were more 20th Century language (that movie was in the 80s, remember. Back then the year 2001 was still sci-fi). Though, let's face it, words like "shit" have been around so long no one actually knows it's entomology, as far as I know.

Scotty: "Bogus #@*#." - The Doomsday Machine

Picard: "Merde."

 

[cardinal biggles]

They're going to want to keep the film at a PG-13 level, so the dropping of F-bombs will probably be kept to a minimum.

 

[Plum]

Oh you're so kind, but really, in the conservative world of mainstream movies today even having the word "fuck" brands the evil film as rated R. Politics accepted.

 

[cardinal biggles]

Plum said:
Scotty: "Bogus Ph**??t". - The Doomsday Machine

I think it's "borgus frat". Anyone know if that's actually Gaelic for anything?

 

[ITL]

I want the theme song to be the same as Team America.

"Star Trek....FUCK, YEAH!!"

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

I want to see Scotty look at the main fraberjabbit blow right in the middle of battle and go scurrying up a ladder frantically, growling: "Fuck me! Fuck me!"

 

[Lord Garth]

I don't give a damn if they have any fucking swears in the new movie. It beats the shit out of me what the next step is but whatever the Hell it is I'm sure it'll piss off the MPAA board. All they like to do is bitch about cursing, fucking, and kick-ass fighting.

 

[Plum]

Oh jesus fucking titty Christ on a shitty pogo stick doggy style. This sort of language is so grade school it's gangster rap today. Kids.

 

[number6]

I'm sure they'll be some hell, damn, bitch, and ass. I hope they don't have any frack or frell anywhere near this.

 

[Plum]

Oh frell!

santa biggles said:

Plum said:
Scotty: "Bogus Ph**??t". - The Doomsday Machine

I think it's "borgus frat". Anyone know if that's actually Gaelic for anything?

I remember a thread on this, but no real consensus was found I think. I gotta wonder how ad-libbed Jimmy Doohan's line here was. I'm not sure if it's been commented on by him in the past.

'Bogus' is common enough to a Canadian in Ontario (think Mike Myers), as Dooan was (playing a Scott).

There is no "frat" in Gaelic I know of (but what do I know?). He could have been saying 'bogus crap!' for all we know. I think only Doohan could answer this one.

Come to think of it (give me room here!), I'm always annoyed when people crap on Doohan's Scottish accent. Yea, I know Scots themselves do, but it's an accent with a North American influence. It's not like Doohan was doing some stereo-type comic gag.

 

[CaptainJon]

Actually, "son of a bitch" was used in TWoK by David Marcus in the season where Terrell blows himself away. So it was TWoK that started down that road, and that same term was subsequently used in TSFS ("That green-blooded son of a bitch"), next by TVH by Gillian ("You son of a bitch!") and then in TUC ("I bet that Klingon bitch killed her father.")

So if you want to point fingers, it all started in TWoK.

 

[Plum]

"Bitch" is another old word, rather like "shit", but I can't recall the history specifically. I mean, common language among friends, and enemies, over the years has it's consistencies.

 

[donners22]

Actually, Kirk did utter "dipshit" in TVH, though to be fair, that was quoting Catherine Hicks' character.

I find swearing in Trek quite jarring, and would be happy to see it left out.

 

[Plum]

^^^
Yea and, I liked that line. Sorta making fun of how silly such language can be, and it is is more than not.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

They're in a navy (well a navy of sorts) in dangerous situations. They should have a few colorful words. I'd expect damn, bastard, son of a bitch (all of which is said on TV anyway). Maybe a shit or two, depending on the situation (in case they are under fire). I don't expect anything worse, since, although I expect the movie to be PG-13, they'll want kids to see it.