Time Travel Is Just So Overused!

[FlightCntrl]

When ENTERPRISE was on television and time travel was a big portion of it's story arch, I never thought I would ever hear the end to whiners complaining and bitching over time travel and how over used it is.

However, I now see some of those same complainers PRAISING this new Trek movie and all excited, however, more than willing to look OVER this factor because it's TOS.

Do you feel this is a double standard or proof of the decline of Trek Fandom?

 

[bullethead]

Well, it depends on how time travel is used and how well it is implemented in the story. But I too find it ironic that the same people who complain about changing the appearance of the Enterprise or her interior will accept time travel (keep in mind that TOS had time travel too).

 

[Kegek]

Time travel isn't overused. It's just been misused on more than one occasion in Star Trek's long history, and on many other occasions in sci-fi in general. But it remains an interesting idea that can be the basis for compelling storytelling.

It's entirely possible this film won't be compelling storytelling. But if time travel becomes a major flaw in the film, it will be due to its mishandling by the writers, not a problem with the storytelling concept itself. And, on the other hand, the film might work even with the time travel.

I'm more worried about time travel becoming too wedded to the issue of continuity. That could make it feel decidedly forced and inorganic.

 

[Sharr Khan]

What matters is if the story is any good. If so whatever means it used to get there will beside the point since viewers will have enjoyed themselves.

Plus lets all remember GR was constantly pitching a time travel story involving JFK... I'm of the notion had he been making that film half the complainers regarding time travel here wouldn't be nearly as vocal.

What matters is the story and if its entertaining not how many times Trek as a franchise has used time travel since its not like such a plot device is either exclusive to or can ever truly be "over used". again what counts in how its fits into the bigger story. I'm sure there will be a number of unmentioned trekisms aside from time travel - and we wouldn't be complaining about them either.

Just watched this interesting moving named "Krrish" it in a manner of speaking relied on time travel I found it very unique.

Sharr

 

[Tralah]

Time travel isn't overused. It's just been misused on more than one occasion in Star Trek's long history, and on many other occasions in sci-fi in general. But it remains an interesting idea that can be the basis for compelling storytelling.

It's entirely possible this film won't be compelling storytelling. But if time travel becomes a major flaw in the film, it will be due to its mishandling by the writers, not a problem with the storytelling concept itself. And, on the other hand, the film might work even with the time travel.

I'm more worried about time travel becoming too wedded to the issue of continuity. That could make it feel decidedly forced and inorganic.

I completely agree with Kegek. Time Travel can make for a compelling and fun story, or can bring us the dreck that was Enterprise's stupid temporal cold war. We've seen time travel used well in Star Trek (First Contact, Voyage Home hmm both were movies too!), and we've seen it mishandled too. Let's hope this movie is the former.

 

[Yeffrey]

Time travel is easily the most overused plot device for all of Trek. I think its just a symptom of lazy, bad writers over the years. While Trek has had many good episodes, the horrible ones with overused plot devices (time travel, malfunctioning holodeck & transporters) seem to outnumber them.

I will go see the new movie obviously, but when I first heard of the plot I was very disappointed.

 

[Sharr Khan]

the dreck that was Enterprise's stupid temporal cold war.

You know, had it been handled better such as being thought out with a planned arc the Temporal Cold War could have been a vastly compelling plotline that could have been used to bring a unified theory to all of Trekdom.

I think the nature of movies demands having a solid story structure so time travel is bound to be better thought out and used in a film.

Sharr

 

[Tralah]

I agree, Sharr, the TCW of Enterprise had a lot of potential, but was one of the many things mishandled during the show. As I think about it, I really have to challenge the notion that "time travel is the most overused plot device for all of Trek." I think we got far, far more cliche "space anomalies cause wacky things to happen!" than we did time travel. Or the old "mysterious alien race we'll only see once does a bunch of stuff we don't understand until the end, and all ends well with a nice speech. Unless you're Archer then we get something about gazelles!

 

[Jon1701]

I'm pretty sure the time travel element was added at the request of the studio. That's why it didn't really fit into the original premise properly.

This time around, I doubt there were such pressures and as such, if done well, I have no real problem with time travel in this movie...

:thumbsup:

 

[darkshadow0001]

When ENTERPRISE was on television and time travel was a big portion of it's story arch, I never thought I would ever hear the end to whiners complaining and bitching over time travel and how over used it is.

However, I now see some of those same complainers PRAISING this new Trek movie and all excited, however, more than willing to look OVER this factor because it's TOS.

Do you feel this is a double standard or proof of the decline of Trek Fandom?

Time travel may have been over used in the series, but in films time travel was actually only used twice... The Voyage Home and First Contact. Generations doesn't really count since the travel was through the "Nexus." It's main setting was the 24th century, and the only reason Kirk ended up there was because of the Nexus, so I don't consider that time travel. So including this new film, time travel only occured in 3/11 films

 

[NiteTrek]

Time travel may have been over used in the series, but in films time travel was actually only used twice... The Voyage Home and First Contact. Generations doesn't really count since the travel was through the "Nexus."

Why does it matter which method was used for time travel? That's like saying that the City on the Edge of Forever doesn't count as time travel because the Guardian of Forever was used.

 

[General_Phoenix]

I don't mind time travel stories, but I would like more risk to be involved. I don't like it when they go back to the future and everything is the way it was before, you know, the safe way out. I wouldn't mind things getting shook up a little bit, or things getting totally screwed up when they return to their time. But, if the story is well written I'll watch it regardless... I just like stories that turn everything upside down, atleast for awhile.

 

[Sharr Khan]

I don't mind time travel stories, but I would like more risk to be involved. I don't like it when they go back to the future and everything is the way it was before, you know, the safe way out. I wouldn't mind things getting shook up a little bit, or things getting totally screwed up when they return to their time. But, if the story is well written I'll watch it regardless... I just like stories that turn everything upside down, atleast for awhile.

I'm of the sneaking suspicion that by the end of all this everything is going to be alot less certain then it was before. Destiny will become an open book yet to be read.

Sharr

 

[T'Cal]

There's nothing like a good time travel story in which all of the bases are overed and there's an unexpected twist at the end. TNG's Time's Arrow was excellent in the way things came together such as when they put Data's older head on his younger body. The creation of Sela as a result of Yesterday"s Enterprise was outstanding.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Trek has to travel into the past, because it has no future.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Time travel is too easily abused by lazy writers. (ENT was the most horrible example of that, but it's not the only one.) It's not impossible that time travel can make a good basis for a story - it just requires writers that pay attention and think about what they're doing.

 

[Sharr Khan]

Time travel is too easily abused by lazy writers. (ENT was the most horrible example of that, but it's not the only one.) It's not impossible that time travel can make a good basis for a story - it just requires writers that pay attention and think about what they're doing.

Of course that logic applies to almost any story element ever made up or used. If you don't think through your intents on most levels the outcome often sucks.

Sharr

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Will Abrams Enterprise have a holodeck? It would be a trifecta if they could have time travel, a transporter error and a holodeck malfunction all at once.

 

[Neroon]

Will Abrams Enterprise have a holodeck? It would be a trifecta if they could have time travel, a transporter error and a holodeck malfunction all at once.

You just named three of my biggest complaints with Trek in the past few iterations.

On the subject of the overuse of time travel, anyone ever heard Tom Smith's "Time Plot" ?

 

[Rico]

I think it's like any plot device. It can be used well or poorly. Depends on the writing.