Trek cliches that annoy you

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

And I'd like to add, fans who use canon (or its often misspelled counterpart, cannon) and "Roddenberry's Vision" as the end all be all to an argument, and treat Star Trek pre-Abrams as something sacrosanct.

And on the flip-side, all those who have somehow lost all sense of objectivity and treat any criticism of the new movie as an insult to their first born.

Hey it goes all ways (wait that doesn't sound right, a little nasty...oh well). Canon is also invoked by those who support the movie as well as those who do, i.e. "it's on film, it's canon."

I loved the movie, but I'm willing to critique it just as much as the next guy. However, there's a difference between criticism and inflammatory statements. Once again, on both ends of the spectrum.

Moreover, what is objectivity when it comes to any criticism of any art, film, television, literature, or otherwise. It's all subjective, but we can all make one hell of a reasoned argument. Or we can reduce our points to nothing more than shock terms like "cinematic masturbation," where nothing is really gained except the knee jerk reactionary response.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I can handle criticism directed at ST XI. Heck, I've even *made* some of it. But it saddens me when I hear people dismiss it out of hand simply because it exists.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Meaning... that it annoys me? What do you want to hear?

The bolded part. Why is it "bad writing" and what cult are you refering to.

Because the characters killed off are totally hollow, hence their death has no impact. Then they are always killed in the most stupid ways. The new movie was no exception.

It has already been made fun of a dozen times, most notably in Galaxy Quest because of that.

And the cult... all those Trekkies who get a hard on every time a redshirt dies. There are many of them. Probably the same people who prefer that god-awful "fight" between Shatner and the Gorn over a good, fast, well choreographed fight scene.

You dont like Star Trek much, do you? They're cannon fodder, they dont need deep, complex characterization and backgrounds. Their only purpose is to die and show the villians mean business. Not a whole lot of time develop them in less than an hour anyway. Stupid ways? No more stupid than cannon fodder in other films or movies. Reminds of the character of "Dead Meat" in Hot Shots. There's always one.

Cant say I know of any Trekkies who get a hard on for Red Shirt deaths. But the Trekkies I know like to have fun and don't haver sticks up their butts. The fight between Kirk and the Gorn is fun, not because of the fight its self but because we get to see Kirk use his brain.(With Spock doing the play by play)

 

[The Wormhole]

[not even soccer the most popular team sport on earth (not here).

Actually, there is a soccer referance in Enterprise. Archer once tries having a conversation with Reed about the World Cup.

 

[Shazam!]

Moreover, what is objectivity when it comes to any criticism of any art, film, television, literature, or otherwise. It's all subjective, but we can all make one hell of a reasoned argument. Or we can reduce our points to nothing more than shock terms like "cinematic masturbation," where nothing is really gained except the knee jerk reactionary response.

I think in this instance I meant objectivity as short-hand for being able to identify and acknowledge obvious shortcomings as opposed to sticking your fingers in your ears and shouting "lalalalalalalala"

 

[Crazy Eddie]

Every time the plot calls for some innocent vessel to be attacked/jeopardized by the bad guy, it's either "Medical supplies" or "scientific research" or something.

Just once, I'd like to see the Enterprise pursue some ruthless brigand as he tries to attack a poor innocent freighter and hear the exchange:
"What's their cargo?"
"Retail freight, Captain. Mostly athletic equipment and several thousand pairs of gym shoes."

 

[JarodRussell]

You dont like Star Trek much, do you? They're cannon fodder, they dont need deep, complex characterization and backgrounds. Their only purpose is to die and show the villians mean business. Not a whole lot of time develop them in less than an hour anyway. Stupid ways? No more stupid than cannon fodder in other films or movies. Reminds of the character of "Dead Meat" in Hot Shots. There's always one.

Hot Shots, hu? Now that's the prime example of a serious movie. And funny, because even Dead Meat had a bigger character than any of the redshirts in Trek.

 

[Tom Riley]

Well, one of the things that would annoy me, was when they would have scenes(usually the last scene of the episode) of the type where someone (usually Data, in the case of TNG) would say something cutesy/childish/or some other attempt at comic relief that just fails miserably and the rest of the cast throws out a lighthearted chuckle.

Wesley: Say goodbye, Data.
Data: Goodbye Data.
All: Hehe!
*Credits*

(I don't remember if the credits happened right in that spot or if there was a little more left, but you get the idea of the type of scene...)

 

[Nerys Myk]

You dont like Star Trek much, do you? They're cannon fodder, they dont need deep, complex characterization and backgrounds. Their only purpose is to die and show the villians mean business. Not a whole lot of time develop them in less than an hour anyway. Stupid ways? No more stupid than cannon fodder in other films or movies. Reminds of the character of "Dead Meat" in Hot Shots. There's always one.

Hot Shots, hu? Now that's the prime example of a serious movie. And funny, because even Dead Meat had a bigger character than any of the redshirts in Trek.

You're not big a humor are you. Even with a you don't get it.

Like I said redshirts are supposed to die and episodic TV isn't the best format to give them "depth". Movies are of course different. They get only enough depth to get a little empathy ( see the marines in Aliens) Redshirts, be they security guards on Trek or nameless survivors on "Lost" are even lower on the cast food chain. They're lucky to even have names much less depth or characterization. Again, they die to show just how evil, bad or dangerous the situation is.

Books are the best format for developing and killing characters. Stephen King is a master at giving characters depth and characterization, then killing them off. With the written word time and budget is unlimited.

 

[Smellincoffee]

My least-favorite cliche is when people in Starfleet forget that they have shuttles. In "The Devil Within", Sulu and a band of redshirts are on an ice-planet and can't be transported up because the transporters split Kirk into a good half and an evil half. The transporters must be fixed before the crew can be beamed up, but the crew is slowly freezing to death. Despite this, it never occurs to Kirk to use a shuttle to fetch them, even though we know from other episodes the Enterprise carries them.

This happens in the other ship shows: the Enterprise or Voyager's transporters or sensors go down, and plot hinges on this. No one ever says "Hey, let's use the shuttle's transporters", or "Let's use the shuttles for this." The lone exception I know of is in "Macrocosm" when Janeway decided to use the shuttle's sensors because the ship's weren't functioning. I nearly fell out of my chair with surprise. Kudos to THAT writer.

They also forget there are transporters in the cargo bays.

 

[SFRabid]

TNG:
Lay in a course for ....
Course laid in Sir.

(Long pause.)
5
4
3
2
1

Engage.

Why not just:
Take us to ...
Heading that way sir.

 

[T'Girl]

I don't believe during the series Kirk ever used "engage". He gave the order, when Sulu was ready he completed the order.

 

[Myasishchev]

Picard likes to sound cool.

 

[Nerys Myk]

My least-favorite cliche is when people in Starfleet forget that they have shuttles. In "The Devil Within", Sulu and a band of redshirts are on an ice-planet and can't be transported up because the transporters split Kirk into a good half and an evil half. The transporters must be fixed before the crew can be beamed up, but the crew is slowly freezing to death. Despite this, it never occurs to Kirk to use a shuttle to fetch them, even though we know from other episodes the Enterprise carries them.

Believe it or not, there were no shuttles when that episode was made.

 

[number6]

My least-favorite cliche is when people in Starfleet forget that they have shuttles. In "The Devil Within", Sulu and a band of redshirts are on an ice-planet and can't be transported up because the transporters split Kirk into a good half and an evil half. The transporters must be fixed before the crew can be beamed up, but the crew is slowly freezing to death. Despite this, it never occurs to Kirk to use a shuttle to fetch them, even though we know from other episodes the Enterprise carries them.

Believe it or not, there were no shuttles when that episode was made.

Ssshhhh.. Don't let the facts get in the way of a good Trek bashing..

 

[Orcus]

Trek cliches that annoy me...?

Some fans who have trouble diffentiating between Star Trek and the real world...

It's only a TV show; it's not real...

...and you'll never sell that flat you've decorated as a TNG-style USS Enterprise set: nobody* wants to pay a stupidly over-inflated price to own that...



* nobody with more sense than money, anyway...

 

[number6]

Trek cliches that annoy me...?

Some fans who have trouble diffentiating between Star Trek and the real world...

It's only a TV show; it's not real...

...and you'll never sell that flat you've decorated as a TNG-style USS Enterprise set: nobody* wants to pay a stupidly over-inflated price to own that...



* nobody with more sense than money, anyway...

QFT!