Time Travel

[Sharr Khan]

Time travel is, to put it simply, lazy plotting and writing.

If anything in the hands of a creative person I'd say this is not at all true and requires a much more creative writer with understanding of plot and outcomes then a "straightforward story" (whatever that is...?) does.

And I personally don't see GEN as being a timetravel story - it would have been more interesting had it actually been that and less convoluted as well.

Sharr

 

[Gibraltar]

Sharr Khan said:And I personally don't see GEN as being a timetravel story - it would have been more interesting had it actually been that and less convoluted as well.Sharr

Not strictly speaking, perhaps, but any story that has James Kirk dying in the late 24th century certainly has strong time travel elements to it. And don't even get me started on the plot holes in that story!

As to the story being well crafted in the right hands... I sincerely hope that's the case. I very much want to see this movie succeed.

 

[John Picard]

Time Travel is an overused plot device used by writers who lack creativity.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

John_Picard said:
Time Travel is an overused plot device used by writers who lack creativity.

No, it's not.

 

[Jack Bauer]

John_Picard said:
Time Travel is an overused plot device used by writers who lack creativity.

One could say the samething about the visiting a planet/space station and something goes wrong episode. Or any number of plots. There's no new plots out there.

 

[Deckerd]

There's no need for time travel or holo suites or parallel universes. I've always thought that and this just makes me think 'intellectual bankruptcy', to paraphrase a soldier.

 

[steveman]

DarKush said:
I'll reserve judgment. But if the rumors were true, this movie might have the potential to wrap up the TWC, give us a little Earth-Romulan War, while serving to 'reboot' the franchise all in one swell swoop.

My thoughts were along those lines as well. If Romulans from the future are indeed a part of the movie, I wouldn't at all be shocked if we finally found out who ENT's Future Guy really was; that he, as some fans have conjectured, was a Romulan from the future.

I'm not saying your average Joe or Jane movie-goer will know or care about this plot element like most of us will. But it would nonetheless be a good move by Abrams to simply use a character who has already been established within the Trekverse instead of creating somebody completely new. It's a smart utilization.

That's what's ultimately funny though -- with all the concentration on the various hallowed elements of TOS, to see something from Ent sneak its way in. But hey, canon is canon.

 

[Outpost4]

^ I have a friend who's quite a good lead guitar player. His attitude is if he makes a mistake when playing a solo, just keep going. To try and do anything with the mistaken note is compound the mistake, to make an even bigger mistake.

The same thing is true about Future Guy. The B&B's even realized it was a mistake. When their mind was made to go a different direction in season 4, they dropped that plot line like a hot potato, never to be brought up again.

No, no more Future Guy.

 

[Sharr Khan]

Deckerd said:
There's no need for time travel or holo suites or parallel universes. I've always thought that and this just makes me think 'intellectual bankruptcy', to paraphrase a soldier.

First its not 'intellectual bankruptcy' - no such thing exists when it comes to art and entertainment.

Second, the only reason this is a big deal to anyone is - its Star Trek, which is really silly since if it were brought up minus the label "Trek" none of us would really bat an eye.

Lets take Heroes for instance - it relies in part on time travel to tell its story... now true there is no pressing *need* to do so... but then there never is a "pressing need" for anything when it comes to the realm of fiction - but all the same Heroes has integrated a time travel element into its ongoing plotline and it actually enhances that show. We can safely assume that "Time travel doesn't equal lazy or bankrupt".

Thirdly: Given this is a whole new crew involved in this production there's zero reason to assume that however time travel is utilized or not in this movie it won't be "the same old same old" like we've seen in the past in Trek. If only because there are different people running it and in that much bring their own artistic take on it all.

So basically what I'm saying: If B&B were involved, I might be worried but they're not - so I'm not.

*Oh as to the "Temporal Cold War" its problems only existed in that for a story like that - it really should have been planned out and knowing who exactly Future Guy was from the moment cameras rolled would have added both depth and the opportunity to make an engaging on going mystery for the fans to chew on.

Sharr

 

[xortex]

And I thought John Logan would write the next Star Trek movie. He thought so too. The future guy was a Suliban with Klingon blood who hated Klingons. IMO.

 

[Saul]

Starship Polaris said:

John_Picard said:
Time Travel is an overused plot device used by writers who lack creativity.

No, it's not.

*cough* Enterprise *cough*

A space war is far more interesting. At least characters won't go back in time to bring the dead back to life like in cartoons. But time travel is just a big reset button.

 

[Zachary Smith]

Romulans are the Wile E. Coyote's of the Star Trek universe. Always coming up with overly complicated, elaborate plots to try to do something that usually could be done by much simpler means, only to have their scheme blow up in their own faces. I have no particlar bone to pick with time-travel plots but, that said, why should they rehash the only DECENT "Next Gen" movie plot and replace the Borg with Romulans? It's no way to jump-start the franchise.

 

[steveman]

Outpost4 said:
^ I have a friend who's quite a good lead guitar player. His attitude is if he makes a mistake when playing a solo, just keep going. To try and do anything with the mistaken note is compound the mistake, to make an even bigger mistake.

The same thing is true about Future Guy. The B&B's even realized it was a mistake. When their mind was made to go a different direction in season 4, they dropped that plot line like a hot potato, never to be brought up again.

No, no more Future Guy.

I'd agree with you except for the fact that it wasn't B&B's decision to drop the TCW storyline. It was Manny Coto's. He was the showrunner in season 4.

 

[TorontoTrekker]

Y'know, if this rumour is true, and the Romulans are involved... toss in the other rumour that was going around a couple of weeks ago, and you get...

Jennifer Garner as the female Romulan Commander from "The Enterprise Incident".

What do you think?

(BTW, I'm not being particularly serious. I know that the Jennifer Garner rumour was a case of her saying that if asked, she would do the movie, but she hadn't been asked. Though I do think she could do a fairly good job with that character. )

 

[MarianLH]

I hope this rumor is false. There are few things I would like less than yet another time travel episode.


Marian

 

[Beyerstein]

i dunno if its the time travel part itself that sounds so bad but the old spock teaming up with young spock thing just sounds really hokey

 

[Vonstadt]

TOS had its time travel thing with TVH

It shared one with TNG (sorta) In GEN

TNG had its time travel Story in FC

Why do we need /another/ time travel story? There are plenty of plot devices out there to jump start the franchise. I think I could almost bear the cliche'd Spock reminiesing about the past thing before I could a time travel story.

I like the idea of a reboot/jumpstart and I'm still excited about it. But *groan* come on! The franchise needs something new and unexpected to get things going.

Star Trek was always about pushing the edge and trying the new. The rehashing the old got us to where we are now (basically I know there are more reasons than that but ...)

 

[seigezunt]

I just finished reading the Janus Gate trilogy, and it had me warming to the idea of a time travel story. It would make sense to be tempted to do a TT story what with a new cast and reboot to explain, MAYBE. Still, it's been done quite a bit.

Torn.

 

[StarMan]

John_Picard said:
Time Travel is an overused plot device used by writers who lack creativity.

I suggest you watch one of Doctor Who's latest episodes, Blink. You might then reconsider such a sweeping statement.

 

[Vonstadt]

How about, Time Travel is an over used plot device in Star Trek Flims and recently in Trek TV...period.

I love a good time travel story, I do. But come on the time travel, and Earth is in mortal danger plots have been done to death since the first movie!

It's time for something different, I do like time travel but come on not in the first film right out of the box!