The Thing That Worries Me The Most About Trek 11

[Franklin]

Ubik said:
Yes, there certainly nothing topical about space hippies.


Anyway, everything that J. J. Abrams has produced lately (Lost and Mission Impossible 3) has been highly intelligent, in both thematic complexity and depth of character, not to mention crazy-ass excitement, tension, and suspense. All sounds like the very best of the TOS movies (Wrath of Khan, Undiscovered Country, etc). I got no worries here.

I reach. I reach everything you say, brother.

 

[Kokomo]

Ubik said:
Anyway, everything that J. J. Abrams has produced lately (Lost and Mission Impossible 3) has been highly intelligent, in both thematic complexity and depth of character, not to mention crazy-ass excitement, tension, and suspense.

I totally agree! In Mission Impossible 3, Ethan is a character that has depth and emotion. He is torn up inside about the death of his apprentice, and Abrams really explores his sadness and anger about it. But, we also see Ethan get slammed into a car and break the back window and jump from one building to another - I cannot wait to see what Abrams has in store for Star Trek. I have complete faith it is gonna be an awesome movie! Abrams isn't just about action or drama; he is about both, and that in my mind makes him really stand out above other directors. It's his vision that I find very intelligent. I can't wait for next Christmas!

 

[xortex]

The space hippies antitechnology message has no relevance today ?

 

[Ubik]

Who said it has no relevance? I just suggested that it dates it, terribly. It is highly unlikely that, in the future, there will, at some point, be hippies who look like they're out of the American 60's. The message may be useful, but the hippies place the episode very firmly in a late 60's context. To offer a relevant quote from a Space advertisement for the original Battlestar Galactica: "Who knew the future...would look so much like the 70's?" Well, who knew the future would look so much like the 60's?

 

[number6]

^^Agreed, but I think it's only fair to say that The Way To Eden is one of a very small handful of episodes that really "date" TOS. A great deal of the series has stood up pretty well, all considered.

 

[Cary L. Brown]

Ubik said:
Who said it has no relevance? I just suggested that it dates it, terribly. It is highly unlikely that, in the future, there will, at some point, be hippies who look like they're out of the American 60's. The message may be useful, but the hippies place the episode very firmly in a late 60's context. To offer a relevant quote from a Space advertisement for the original Battlestar Galactica: "Who knew the future...would look so much like the 70's?" Well, who knew the future would look so much like the 60's?

And it's worth noting that the "new" BSG is almost certainly going to suffer from the same thing just a few years down the road. "Who knew that the future would be bought off-the rack at Brooks Brothers in 2003?"

In reality, except for the "70s hair," TOS BSG was a lot less "70-ish" than "nuBSG" is "200x-ish." Will people in twenty years look back and not notice? Well, suffice it to say that TOS BSG was completely "normal" for the period it was shot, and none of that stood out as unusual.

 

[Kelso]

BSG isn't set in the future (as far as we know).

 

[Brutal Strudel]

Starship Polaris said:


ST:TWOK was no more "politically and socially relevant" than any other action and/or skiffy hit film in the Summer of 1982 - possibly less so than a film like "Blade Runner" - and it turned out to be popular with trekkies.

Seeing as how Blade Runner dealt with the regrettably perpetually relevant themes of slavery and how we dehumanize those we conveniently call Other, I'd say certainly less so.

 

[Balthier the Great]

xortex said:
The space hippies antitechnology message has no relevance today ?

How about don't follow cult leaders? You don't think there are Charles Mansons running around today? There are all kinds of weird cults and bizaare ideas out there.

 

[xortex]

I disagree, there will always be free thinkers confined by conformity - look at the Star Trek writers themselves - post TOS.