‘Star Trek’ Prequel, Anyone?

41 comments on this post so far. Add yours!

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  Nick_Adams on May 12 at 1:31 p.m.

  My girlfriend and I absolutely loved the movie. From start to finish it never slowed down, played appropriate homage to the Star Trek legacy and was cast almost perfectly. The only nit I would pick was that the original Ohura was hotter than the new one.

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  toadman on May 12 at 1:42 p.m.

  I’m mixed about the new film. Though it was definitely a sensory and special-effects-explosion-nerd-gasm of epic proportions, I felt the story line to be a little flat.

  Re-using characters that we all know and love, even in new younger and hipper skin, is kind of a sad little crutch where writing is concerned. If you’re gonna re-use characters, change them so drastically that your viewer/reader doesn’t recognize them in the least, as was done in the new Battlestar Galactica, which was such a departure from the original that it stood alone as a completely new interpretation, not an extension of the original in any way.

  Still, since the time-line of the original show has essentially been re-booted by this film, I can totally see a new television series or movie franchise emerging. That could be fun.

  Oh, and Nick, I felt the new Uhura to be every bit as hot as the original…she was an excellent choice.

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  Sam on May 12 at 1:58 p.m.

  I absolutely loved it. My wife absolutely loved it.

  It was smart, funny and adventurous.

  I hope another one comes out, like, TOMORROW.

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  Token on May 12 at 2:19 p.m.

  LOVED it! Funny, great action and some well done obligatory lines like “Are you out of your Vulcan mind?” My daughter, who is not a Trekkie, was nearly hysterical during a couple of parts. Not all the laughs were because of the movie. I was a little iffy on the whole prequel idea at first, but it turned out great. I’m ready to go see it again.

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  Token on May 12 at 2:21 p.m.

  Whoops. A preview button and I still left in a comment about not all the laughs being part of the movie, where I started to tell a long story about something someone in the audience said to a teenaged youth that absolutely cracked me up, but then I took it out. Nevermind. Beam me up, Scotty!

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  Nick_Adams on May 12 at 2:22 p.m.

  Toad, I agree that the plot was a little flat, too, but I couldn’t have cared less given the fact that we (due to the weak time-travel gimmick) were exposed to alternate version of characters we geeks have come to know and love through the years. I thought that the reinterpretations of McCoy, Scotty and Checkov were terrific. Spock was good. Kirk was a little weaker (although my girlfriend disagrees).

  You’re analogy to Battlestar Galatica is not quite realistic, given that so more many people are completely familiar with the characters of Star Trek vs. a small portion of those lucky enough to have watched the original BG. Plus, I’m not a huge fan of the new BG—I found it to be almost completely devoid of humor. But, the chicks are hot.

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  Sisyphus on May 12 at 2:25 p.m.

  The reviews I heard were all positive. Most were from highly critical fans. There’s few movies anymore that draw me to a theater. This will. I had one critic whose opinion I trust rank it as the third best Trek after Khan and First Contact. High praise indeed.

  I disagree Toad, that Battlestar II was not an extension in any way. They ditched the cheesy Hollywood set and focused on much better writing and effects. Some of us wrongfully thought the concept was the bad part.

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  raymond_pert on May 12 at 2:25 p.m.

  I enjoyed the casting a lot. I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed good ole “Bones” McCoy and I liked how this movie played him. I don’t know why, but I *really* enjoyed Sulu, especially when he sword fought on the drill platform and his sense of cool inside the USS Enterprise. Likewise, I enjoyed the 17 year old Chekov and I laughed and laughed at how Scotty got weaved into the story and was thrilled by what he brought to the Enterprise. I enjoyed both Spocks, it was wonderful to see Winona Ryder in a movie again (it had been a while for me),and I got quite a kick out of the young Kirk, and his smarts, recklessness, and vigor were thrilling.

  I haven’t followed the Star Trek brand very closely over the years — I guess enough to say I enjoyed Bones — so I didn’t have a lot to compare/contrast it to re: the television show(s) and the other Star Trek movies.

  I went to escape the earthly annoyances, like pneumonia and a lack of energy, I’ve been going through lately and getting absorbed in this movie’s universe and in the USS Enterprise’s fight against a formidable enemy did the trick.

  I had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the casting.

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  Sisyphus on May 12 at 2:30 p.m.

  “I’m not a huge fan of the new BG—I found it to be almost completely devoid of humor.”—heresy. Like yuks rule the galaxy when your robot spawn is one jump away from annihilating your genetic structure. The dark story line is what saved it.

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  Nick_Adams on May 12 at 2:45 p.m.

  Yes, I’m a heretic. Frankly, the success of BG has me concerned that the new Stargate series will follow the same dark tone. One the things I really enjoyed about both SG1 and SG Atlantis was that they had some truly witty characters who could also be deadly serious.

  Besides, Samantha Carter could kick Starbuck’s butt any day. : )

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  JeanC on May 12 at 2:54 p.m.

  I’m a big ST fan and I have absolutely no desire to see the new movie.

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  Sisyphus on May 12 at 3:11 p.m.

  “Samantha Carter could kick Starbuck’s butt any day”—pshaw. We have Lucy Lawless as queen cylon. I’m still waiting for the Starbuck battle with her. But I’m only on season three. Tricia Helfer even caused my seven of nine fantasies to fade.

  I couldn’t get locked into the stargate series. I tried.

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  toadman on May 12 at 3:13 p.m.

  “so more many people are completely familiar with the characters of Star Trek vs. a small portion of those lucky enough to have watched the original BG.” - Nick

  Good point. The characters of Star Trek are much more iconic within our shared pop culture, than those in Battlestar. Nobody gets it when I say they’re acting like a total Baltar…but when I say “don’t go all Spock” on me.. they totally get it.. Messing with the personalities of cultural icons is definitely harder and riskier to do…

  “The dark story line is what saved it.” [re: BG] - Sisy..

  Indeed. Why was there precious little humor in BGII? The question should be turned around, actually, “What, with the destruction and decimation of your entire civilization, could you find so funny anyway?” Having said that, it was those precious few funny moments in BGII that let that inkling of hope into a desperate and dark situation. The whole package was well done, in my opinion, dark, though it was.

  Will the new Stargate follow the same pattern? I’ll say this, I hope the writing is at the same level, since the last few seasons of Stargate really fizzled for me, and Atlantis turned into just another SciFi channel monster show featuring alien vampires. It had a few redeeming moments, but overall, I felt it to be a little weak.

  Lastly, when my son and I went to the 1:30 showing at the Riverpark Square AMC in Spokane, I was bemused to see two ladies in Next Generation uniforms. It made me smile.

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  toadman on May 12 at 3:20 p.m.

  “Samantha Carter could kick Starbuck’s butt any day” - Nick

  Dude.. Starbuck killed that Cylon like fourteen times! And she had that epic fist to fist with Six! Man.. no.. I think you’re off on your bad ass sci-fi chicks on this one…

  ;-)

  “I *really* enjoyed Sulu, especially when he sword fought on the drill platform and his sense of cool inside the USS Enterprise.”

  That was indeed a good scene.. because it wasn’t what you expected.. because he said he had “fencing experience,” and what you actually got was, well, “fencing-plus.”

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  raymond_pert on May 12 at 3:27 p.m.

  I saw Star Trek at 11:15 a.m yesterday (Monday) here in Eugene. The theater was about half full, maybe less, and I swear I was the youngest member of the audience, and I’m in my mid-fifties. I didn’t see anyone dressed in uniform. It’s funny. When I’m in an audience with people my age and older, I still think I’m like fifteen and find myself saying, “What are all these old f**ts doing here, and then I go to the men’s room, wash my hands, look up at the mirror, and the truth hits me. I’m not fifteen and I’m one those old f**ts, too. <shakes head..chuckles=”“>

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  idawa on May 12 at 4:11 p.m.

  I have alway been a fan of Star Trek, I grew attached in Cd’A when channel 4 would play them in the after school hour. I have seen every episode of the original, TNG, and Voyager (I saw the first couple seasons of DS9 as well but bailed after the whole Dominion war and the show devolved into the Odo show and didn’t have cable when Enterprise was on), and I love this movie.

  I saw it with another big fan at the Imax the day that it opened. It was well balanced, gave enough nods to canon to satisfy the trekkers out there, but still managed to inject some new adrenaline into the concept. The actors all did justice to the content with only the character playing McCoy doing what could be called an impersonation; the only beat the movie missed was the alien companion of Scotty (not sure why movies always have to fall into the cute alien sidekick trap - the jar jar phenomenon I guess).

  I highly recommend it to any sci-fi fan. And won’t go so far as to compare this to BSG - completely different concepts and reboots - both work.

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  Sam on May 12 at 4:31 p.m.

  Idawa, I totally used to watch TNG on 4, too! As did my parents and my little bro. Good times.

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  raymond_pert on May 12 at 5:58 p.m.

  Now that you mention it, idawa, that little sidekick of Scotty’s was kind of inexplicable and kind of, well, dumb. It didn’t stick with me. I erased it. Like you, I enjoyed this movie a lot and that little alien guy wasn’t part of my enjoyment. He had no impact.

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  JamesBond on May 12 at 6:48 p.m.

  I loved it. I thought the Kirk actor was excellent, and I would give high marks to Spock, Scotty, Bones, and Uhura. Just a great, great movie.

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  Transplanted_Texan on May 12 at 9:33 p.m.

  Loved it. What a clever way to reboot a franchise without changing the story - time travel and alternate realties! Coulda used more Bones, though, and kind of wish Syler as Spock was a little more serious (but maybe in the next movie as he ages?).

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  Transplanted_Texan on May 12 at 9:35 p.m.

  When I think of BG, I think of the A-Team.

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