What are your controversial Star Trek opinions?

[Forbin]

I don't get not wanting physical media. I love looking thru my colorful shelves full of DVDs and BDs for something to watch. Yes I have streaming services, and yes I DL video files of things I want if I can. But if those things come out on disk, I delete the files for space. The disks are never, ever, going to be recalled, pulled, cancelled, EMPed by a nuke, degaused by armed Sony stormtroopers...

 

[Ovation]

EMPed by a nuke,

Your player will, however (not to mention an EMP from a nuclear weapon makes my complete X-Files box set suddenly less important). You’re correct about the rest, however.

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

Though the opening titles by Jerry Goldsmith have that interesting sound effect as the title appears that sounds like a jet engine revving up. The soundtrack of that film is fire.

Every time I'm in a hopeful mood (yesterday included) I start up my soundtrack flash drive, toggle down to TREK V, and play the ''A Busy Man'' melody. It's nowhere near a bad score, though ''Busy'' sticks with you more than the relatively generic combat symphonies.

The process by which people are converted seems too easy. I know Shatner supposedly based Sybok on televangelists and religious conversion, but I just feel like Kirk's senior staff, people who have shown they would follow Kirk into hell, wouldn't turn on him and Starfleet as easily as they do in the movie.

Of course Spock and Bones do not, and Scotty's too clumsy at the moment to do so.....though the writers might have considered doing it. Since Sulu, Uhura and Chekov betray or at least disobey Kirk, it would have worked better had we'd been given their hidden pains. They might have done so in the novel tie-in, but I can't recall.

I don't get not wanting physical media. I love looking thru my colorful shelves full of DVDs and BDs for something to watch. Yes I have streaming services, and yes I DL video files of things I want if I can. But if those things come out on disk, I delete the files for space. The disks are never, ever, going to be recalled, pulled, cancelled, EMPed by a nuke, degaused by armed Sony stormtroopers...

I discard a small fraction of truly terrible movie DVDs on occasion (the 21st-century RUNNING SCARED was mega-atrocious), though I keep the vast majority of the others. But if certain films are not as memorable, I often ditch the box and place it in a small sleeve. I never toss the classic boxes, or my guilty pleasures like the LOST HORIZON remake. Since I've collected a ton over 24 years I've found creative places to place these sleeves to save shelf-space. A standard DVD box can sometimes hold three more discs inside it. So I often combine a classic Blu-ray with an earlier edition DVD for the same title, especially if older special features differ. I've made DVD combos of LITTLE WOMEN, HAMLET, FRANKENSTEIN, 12 ANGRY MEN, etc., and it's a refreshing way to join similar films together, like AIRPLANE and ZERO HOUR. There are limitless combinations.....

 

[Forbin]

I discard a small fraction of truly terrible movie DVDs on occasion (the 21st-century RUNNING SCARED was mega-atrocious), though I keep the vast majority of the others. But if certain films are not as memorable, I often ditch the box and place it in a small sleeve. I never toss the classic boxes, or my guilty pleasures like the LOST HORIZON remake. Since I've collected a ton over 24 years I've found creative places to place these sleeves to save shelf-space. A standard DVD box can sometimes hold three more discs inside it. So I often combine a classic Blu-ray with an earlier edition DVD for the same title, especially if older special features differ. I've made DVD combos of LITTLE WOMEN, HAMLET, FRANKENSTEIN, 12 ANGRY MEN, etc., and it's a refreshing way to join similar films together, like AIRPLANE and ZERO HOUR. There are limitless combinations.....

Sounds practical and fun.
I ripped the entire Calisto/Hope storyline from Xena and Hercules (20 eps) and burned it to a 10-disk set in one thick jacket. So now I have one crossover storyline in one set. nade a nice label, printed disk labels. Fun project. Now I can stuff the stupid Herc disks in a cabinet somewhere (only bought the ones that had the storyline on them, the series was too stupid to save otherwise )

 

[Macintosh]

(Watching this now) TOS This side of paradise had 150 colonists, that cannot be enough for genetic diversity. Were they planning to hook up with their first cousins?

Some recent computer models (Frédéric Marin, 2016) suggest that, assuming you can pre-select individuals for genetic diversity and health, the minimum number of people needed for a self-sustaining population (minimal viable population in biological terms) is 98. In this case you'd need to artificially reproduce rather than rely on natural partnering to meet specific population and recombination targets, and it doesn't take into account the resources required raise and educate any offspring, but it does indicate that a suitably screened founding population of 150 should be perfectly viable, especially assuming they're open to immigration once the colony is established.

 

[Citiprime]

I don't get not wanting physical media. I love looking thru my colorful shelves full of DVDs and BDs for something to watch. Yes I have streaming services, and yes I DL video files of things I want if I can. But if those things come out on disk, I delete the files for space. The disks are never, ever, going to be recalled, pulled, cancelled, EMPed by a nuke, degaused by armed Sony stormtroopers...

I think the problem is going to get worse for people that like physical media. Since every media corporation wants to have their own streaming service, it makes more economic sense to pull the material (both off store shelves and other streaming services) in order to drive traffic to their own service. So that's going to be a pressure to pull back the availability of physical media, even if there's a demand for it.

That's how you get Warner Bros. Discovery, which is deep in debt after a dumb merger deal, making the decision to pull the licensing of their TV/movie content off Sony's PlayStation Network, leaving PSN users in the position of having material they thought they had bought and owned DELETED from their systems. And that's happening because Warner Bros. Discovery probably wants to require people to subscribe to (HBO) Max in order to watch those TV series and movies, so they were trying to charge a premium to Sony in order to continue the license that Sony wasn't going to pay.

Whether or not the next generation of platform gaming systems from Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, etc., will even have the option for physical media has been an open question. And if Ubisoft wanted to pull Assassin's Creed off of Steam tomorrow and have it nuked for everyone that they thought bought it, they probably could based on the fine print of Steam's terms of service.

For me, the biggest reason to buy physical media is that this issue becomes compounded because there's no guarantee the streaming/digital version will be either the original form of it or you'll have the choice to use/view the version that you'd like. It could be a George Lucas-ish situation where the content provider pulls all of the versions except the one's they like and feel is the "definitive" vision. Or with controversial material, it's possible the only version that gets streamed is one that's edited or altered.

 

[cooleddie74]

The 2006 DVDs of the original theatrical cuts of the Star Wars Trilogy are far from ideal in sound and picture quality but I'll take them any day over having no available copies of the 1977, 1980 and 1983 cuts except in old VHS and Betamax cassette formats.

 

[James Cole]

Physical media wise, I could understand people objecting if we were still in the age of a season of TNG costing $90 on DVD. But now with good timing a brand new complete series of TNG on Blu-ray can be found on Amazon UK for $60. It's probably cheaper to buy TNG on BD than pay for Paramount+ all the months it would take to watch the series through in its entirety (well unless you were at home all day and powered through like 8 episodes a day...). Let alone the odds that you'd probably re-watch it in the future.

TV on BD is even having a bit of a renaissance, with many series finally being released in the last year or two. Studios are also more open to licensing out titles to outfits like Shout Factory, Kino Lorber, Arrow, and god forbid Mill Creek. I think physical media is relatively safe until 2030. Then I'd probably want to have a few backup players from various manufactures on hand just in case.

For me, the biggest reason to buy physical media is that this issue becomes compounded because there's no guarantee the streaming/digital version will be either the original form of it or you'll have the choice to use/view the version that you'd like. It could be a George Lucas-ish situation where the content provider pulls all of the versions except the one's they like and feel is the "definitive" vision. Or with controversial material, it's possible the only version that gets streamed is one that's edited or altered.

It's definitely easy for more obscure material to vanish into history. But for anything with unmet popular demand, demand finds a way. Spain and China have very different copyright laws/enforcement than most countries, so some releases might only be available there. And Star Wars wise... there are 35mm prints out there of the original trilogy, and fans have digitally restored them.

 

[Nerys Myk]

That every series after Voyager and DS9 are so outside of the history that they shouldn't even be considered to be a part of Star Trek

Nah,

 

[cooleddie74]

That every series after Voyager and DS9 are so outside of the history that they shouldn't even be considered to be a part of Star Trek

 

[FormerLurker]

Vulcans don't need to touch your face to meld, that's just the shortest path to your brain. Sybok is also powerful enough to not need to touch to telepathically manipulate. He was controlling Sulu, Chekov, and Uhura as new converts. Given enough time, he wouldn't need to control them, they'd serve him willingly.

 

[Forbin]

Physical media wise, I could understand people objecting if we were still in the age of a season of TNG costing $90 on DVD. But now with good timing a brand new complete series of TNG on Blu-ray can be found on Amazon UK for $60. It's probably cheaper to buy TNG on BD than pay for Paramount+ all the months it would take to watch the series through in its entirety (well unless you were at home all day and powered through like 8 episodes a day...). Let alone the odds that you'd probably re-watch it in the future.

Which reminds me, anybody wanna buy my complete original DVD season sets of TNG and DS9. I think I paid about $50 a season or so.
(A lot cheaper than the season VHS sets of Highlander and Xena!)

 

[kkt]

TOS - "AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD"... almost no competition, really.

Turnabout Intruder is some serious competition.

 

[cooleddie74]

TOS - "AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD"... almost no competition, really.

This. Every single word of this.

 

[James Cole]

Which reminds me, anybody wanna buy my complete original DVD season sets of TNG and DS9. I think I paid about $50 a season or so.
(A lot cheaper than the season VHS sets of Highlander and Xena!)

Looks like TNG is going for around $5 a season used on Amazon. Some DS9 seasons command up to $20 a season used...

 

[Tuskin38]

Vulcans don't need to touch your face to meld, that's just the shortest path to your brain. Sybok is also powerful enough to not need to touch to telepathically manipulate. He was controlling Sulu, Chekov, and Uhura as new converts. Given enough time, he wouldn't need to control them, they'd serve him willingly.

Even Spock has used his powers on someone touching the same door as him in TOS.

 

[Enterprise1701]

Vulcans don't need to touch your face to meld, that's just the shortest path to your brain. Sybok is also powerful enough to not need to touch to telepathically manipulate. He was controlling Sulu, Chekov, and Uhura as new converts. Given enough time, he wouldn't need to control them, they'd serve him willingly.

In the 2014 novel Section 31 - Disavowed by David Mack, Sakonna joined Section 31 after the Dominion War and had upgraded her Vulcan psionics to influence a guard standing outside her holding cell to let her team out.

 

[Citiprime]

Vulcans don't need to touch your face to meld, that's just the shortest path to your brain. Sybok is also powerful enough to not need to touch to telepathically manipulate. He was controlling Sulu, Chekov, and Uhura as new converts. Given enough time, he wouldn't need to control them, they'd serve him willingly.

Although, it is possible to resist a mind-meld. Gul Dukat was able to fight it off. However, whether that speaks to a general technique that would work against any meld or the skills of the Vulcan that was performing it is up to debate. And I would think that, similar to how Betazoids can't read the thoughts of some species, there's probably species where a mind-meld doesn't work. Although, Spock was able to do a meld on a Horta and a humpback whale.

One of the implications that's never really explored but should exist is that investigations within the Federation should be easier than the way they're portrayed, since with both Vulcans and Betazoids as members it should be really, really, hard to pull off crimes and conspiracies. I would think Starfleet Security and the Federation version of the FBI would have telepaths on staff to screen suspects and perform interrogations (e.g., you do have the hint of that in "The Drumhead" where Admiral Satie has a Betazoid aide who scans witnesses during interviews).

 

[at Quark's]

Although, it is possible to resist a mind-meld. Gul Dukat was able to fight it off.

Agreed, we don't know whether it is something every Vulcan can do or only a subset of them, or, if yes, every Vulcan is equally proficient at it. Perhaps some specialized training is required.

On the other hand, there really might be something to Dukat's claim that it's a matter of 'discipline', even though he is bragging. It's quite likely that in Cardassian society and culture, a high degree of mental discipline is advantageous or even essential.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

Everytime I see a picture of the Okudas I retch. Its Pavlovian, I associated their faces with TOS-R..

I'd see a doctor about that. That sounds like a serious medical condition.

It should [...] be showrun by someone with diverse life experience

I don't really know what this is supposed to mean. Everyone has "diverse life experience" after they've been on this planet for a certain number of years.