Your impressions of Zephram Cochrane...the drunk?

...after having seen Star Trek: First Contact?


Mods, please do not remove. This question is specifically for the TOS fans only.

 

I thought it was a good move. I didn't look at him as just a drunk, but a complex guy who knew how to have a good time. A real person to draw a contrast with the overly perfect TNG types. Plus it showed that he grew into the hero that he was....it gave him an arc. What actually bugged me is that it gave the TNG guys a bit too much credit for the first warp flight, but it was their movie I guess

 

There are some fans who consider Zephram Cochrane to be a TNG character, and pretty much ignore or do not acknowledge the existence of "Metamorphosis."

As for me, I prefer the original. Always have.

 

I was bothered by the drunk portrayal of him but it was that stupid hat he wore that truly irritated me.

 

I think history presents most guys as better than they were. Just look at America's great Presidents for this evidence. If Cochrane was a drunk, history wouldn't look at him that way.

 

I wouldn't mess with him. He tried to kill his son Jack Bauer, after all.

 

Didn't bother me then and doesn't bother me now. I find it very easy to believe that a genius could be a flawed being and Cochrane's reluctance at being deified struck me as rather touching--a sign of humility and true greatness. Besides, I grew up on TOS, where the heroes--like FC's ZC--were quite fond of alcohol and naked ladies. Hell, I'm rather partial to them myself.

 

I thought it was a nice contrast to the more mature Cochrane we saw in Metamorphosis. You really could see how this flawed character would undergo some positive experiences and grow into the more mature Cochrane.

 

I think it is a testament to TOS that the most successful TNG films (GEN & FC) had TOS characters in them. In fact the two of the best films of the whole franchise (FC and STII) had TOS guest stars as major characters (Khan and Cochrane).

and some people wonder why Paramount are looking to TOS again...silly rabbits

 

I agree with you PoweredToastMan.


Some modern day Trekkers forget that the root of all future Star Trek successes originate from TOS.

 

By the way, for those of you that don't already know, actress Julie Cobb was the "Yeoman" in the TOS episode "By Any Other Name."

She has been married to James Cromwell since 1986, but has recently filed for divorce.

 

No one's touched on the fact that the actors James Cromwell and Glenn Corbett don't resemble each other at all.

 

I don't see that as an issue. In Metamophasis, Cochrane himself says that he was an old man and had been rejeuvanated by the Companion.
Who's to say that he couldn't look more like Jamie Cromwell later in life?

 

I would still expect there to be some recognizable physical resemblence between the old Cochrane and the young one. In the case of Cochrane and Corbett it's just not there at all. The two men don't really look the slightest bit alike.

 

I differentiate the two Cochranes as Pig-Farmer ZC and Not-Pig-Farmer ZC.

Robert

 

I much prefer the character as he was portrayed in the novel, Federation.

 

I did not appreciate his characterization in FC at all

 

Fans will also remember that Julie Cobb was mentioned by name in the "Get A Life" sketch on SNL starring Shatner back in the day (I believe she was supposed to be played by Victoria Jackson, but I haven't re-watched that bit in a while).

 

Cromwell did a good job as Cochrane, but I don't think he was the guy they wanted to play the part. I think they wanted Tom Hanks originally if I remember right.

 

Tom Hanks?

I too wished that the old Cochrane and the new were sort of similar but it didn't really detract from my enjoyment of the movie.