Star Trek Film (2009)

[V'Roy 0]

They probably just wanted to hear Chekov say something about traveling to Wulcan at a high welocity.

[sad 0]

***SPOILERS THROUGH OUT THIS WHOLE POST....LOL BUT WHO CARES*** Well I surfed through a few forums looking to see peoples reactions to the new Star Trek film yay :). I was very surprised to see that not a lot of "true" Star Trek fans had spoke up. Now I don't claim to be a full fledged Trekmiester lol I don't wear the uniform and I don't go to conventions (I will admit I have thrown up the "live long and prosper" sign before in fun ;) lol but not serious).I have watched Star Trek since I was a kid, before Kirk, I watched all through the 70's and up threw the new millennium. The Next Generation, all the movies "Kahn!!!!!" lol, I watched #1 crash the Enterprise ;) and Data cuss (one of the best moments ever!), I even watched the damn cartoon series ~smiles~ all of it. And when I caught wind of the new movie I was ecstatic, ran off watched the trailer and got goose bumps, I was so excited. And this is what I asked for Mothers Day, and yes of course I got to see the movie lol. Now I will say that the actors were great! They were matched up very well and most defiantly made me feel like I was watching the younger generation of the originals(the writing for them though....well we'll get to that later lol). But this will be the only positive reaction you will find in my post, is for the actors. This movie was a FLOP BIG TIME! Let's start from the beginning with J.J. Abrams the director who from the start admits that he was not a "true" fan of Star Trek and prefers Star Wars.Star Wars? WTF dude then why make a movie that you are not really into? And this is very evident in this movie and shows through out. I think he wanted to make a Star Wars movie but with Lucas still around he had no choice but to pick on one of the greats who has passed on. Make your own damn movie, come up with your own damn ideas, don't just stomp on someones work that you don't really care for. It's kind of like saying " I don't really like Picasso" and then turn around and paint a Monet calling it Picasso....Fail Fail Fail!!! Please!, you should have left Gene Roddenberry's art alone if you don't respect it. And If I had wanted to see a Star Wars movie I would have looked to Lucas for one not to you J.J.. Let's start from the beginning with each character, first Anakin...oh I mean young Kirk...it's kind of always been known that Kirk is a rebel, but not a hooligan. Rippin off cars and having no goals in life wtf was that? And then some guy he doesn't know is gonna come up to him in the "Star Wars Cantina" after a drunkin bar fight and convince him that he should be in Starfleet? That's going to be the clincher to making Kirk change his evil ways? Hahahaha yeah right! Now on to Spock, I just love Zachary Quinto in heroes and I think that he did what he could with his part as Spock. You can not blame him for the lack of knowledge and history of the character, this falls into the hands of the director and writers. It took years for Spock to get with his human side thnx to his human mother and co-trekys, but you killed her off J.J. and his whole damn planet!!! Wtf no wonder he was an emotional human wreck pickin fights and tossing Kirk out on that planet in what looked like one of their coffins they use lol, and that the old Spoke just happens to be hangin out there to save Kirk from that Star Wars monster...paaalease. And mackin on Uhura, Holy Hell Q what was up with that?!?! Uhura and Kirk yes there has always been sexual tension between those two, but Spock? Lmao I couldn't believe before my eyes I get to watch Spock actually kiss her back. That would never happen....And you made Uhura into this slutty lil tart 1/2 naked with that dressing scenes, wth were you thinking? Did you even know Mr. J.J. that Nichelle Nichols was one of the biggest role models for her time for African American women? Taking one of the lead roles she was an inspiration to a lot of women. You should be ashamed of how you portrayed her in this movie! Moving onto the Doc I loved him and with the lack of writing he worked that role for all it was worth. Sulu rocked his part and Scotty (other then his Star Wars companion) played their roles very well. But here is one for you, let you in on a lil secret J.J., Chekov wasn't even in the first season lol so how could he jump onto the Enterprise with everyone else now? LOL FAIL!!!! Tattooed, clipped eared, looked nothing like the original Romulan who have always been compared to Vulcans...???...not even close to getting that right....And last but not least the Enterprise O M G what were you thinking? The ship looked nothing like the original. It looked like it was from the Next Generation!!!! I was waiting for the saucer separation COME ON!!!!! And the see-through plastic and pink interior ~smiles~ what a nice touch lol noob....But the main reason this movie had me so disappointed and lost was this....THEY MESSED WITH THE TIME LINE!!!!! And the reason you did this J.J. was to justify your tarded changes you made to the movie. You do realize you killed off all of Star Trek right? This director took it upon himself to just change the time line and start a new, like oh yeah everything you've watched through your life...all the shows/series, movies, logos, t-shirts, your Klingon coffee mug you drink from every morning lol GONE! Because Mr.Abrams has started a new time line for you and it's all a new beginning ~smiles~ Shesh man even the good ole Doc from Back to the Future knows you don't mess with the frickin time line....The Voyage Home written by: Spock, is even based on time travel and doing everything possible to not mess with the time line and the true future. Lenord you directed this movie why did you not pull J.J. to the side and explain to him how this defeats part of the prime directive ;) lol ~sigh~..... Better luck next time I guess, since now you can do anything you like with your new series ~cry~ Sincerely,Gene Roddenberry Fan

[Kairi 0]

Um...right... :)

[Leila Kalomi 0]

You'll get flamed, sad. And if not by anyone else, it'll be me. :)

You call yourself a Trek fan? ;)

Edited May 17, 2009 by Leila Kalomi

[Samantha_Kent 0]

::sigh:: It's that kind of response that is getting people who want to have an actual discussion flamed too... :-/

Edited May 17, 2009 by Samantha_Kent

[T'aral 0]

While I hope I haven't offered as much emotionalism as 'sad' has, his ( her? ) post did detail the fundamental flaws with this movie.

 

I agree with all those who said 'thank God they didn't spend ten minutes lovingly looking over the beautiful starship'. A certain level of increased pace is welcome. However: the people who came to this movie wanted to watch 'Star Trek'; not Star Wars or 5th Element or King Kong or any number of other movies which are breakneck on pace but slow on story.

 

And yes: I would also have preferred if the Enterprise looked like the Enterprise - cleaned up a little perhaps, but fundamentally the same. The changes in the bridge were also unwelcome: sure, the gummy-bear colored panels with no indicators needed changing, but a lot could be fixed without making the whole bridge out of transparent plastic.

 

 

 

As Sam Kent said: this is a discussion. It is unreasonable to assume that we will all agree on matters. 'Sad' was looking for the original story: instead we got what we got - good in some ways, poor in others. That is my opinion, and I'm content with the fact that it stands apart from others.

[Aliana Lucindak 0]

:)

 

Ok... I agree with sad on some parts, but I am more of an... eclectic Trekker, so I'll bow out of this discussion.

~Ali

Edited May 17, 2009 by Aliana Lucindak

[Shane 0]

"Messing" with the time line was a perfect way to open up new opportunities for Star Trek. I thought JJ Abrams was a genius for going with that! We're still able to keep the Trek that we grew up with and enjoyed, while at the same time exploring this new universe with familiar characters. The TOS characters are finally shown in future that is actually believable to my generation. The action scenes are awesome, which has always been my favorite part of any Star Trek movie. In truth, ST 11 gave Star Trek a lot of things it needed in order to survive and grow again, even if it went into the gray with a few things.

[Leila Kalomi 0]

Exactly. Though, I'm looking over my shoulder wondering if the time-folks from TOS: Assignment- Earth won't try to fix the timeline.

[Kairi 0]

I agree with all those who said 'thank God they didn't spend ten minutes lovingly looking over the beautiful starship'. A certain level of increased pace is welcome. However: the people who came to this movie wanted to watch 'Star Trek'; not Star Wars or 5th Element or King Kong or any number of other movies which are breakneck on pace but slow on story.

 

They tried making a more story driven movie once. It was called The Motion Picture, and it failed. They hit paydirt thought when they came out with Wrath of Khan. But anyways the point is, the first movie is just the set up for better things to come.

 

I'm pretty sure someone already said that.

 

 

 

And yes: I would also have preferred if the Enterprise looked like the Enterprise - cleaned up a little perhaps, but fundamentally the same. The changes in the bridge were also unwelcome: sure, the gummy-bear colored panels with no indicators needed changing, but a lot could be fixed without making the whole bridge out of transparent plastic.

 

 

 

No offense, but the old Enterprise looked like a frisbee attatched to three toilet paper rolls with a satellite dish on front of one. I thought the new Enterprise was absolutely gorgeous. It's the Cadilac of the Starfleet. :)

[T'aral 0]

They tried making a more story driven movie once. It was called The Motion Picture, and it failed. They hit paydirt thought when they came out with Wrath of Khan. But anyways the point is, the first movie is just the set up for better things to come.

 

I'm pretty sure someone already said that.

 

Each movie should stand on its own.

 

There seems to be a belief in the world that you are either one or the other: either story-driven or action-driven. There seems to be little attempt to find a medium. You can't have a vilian unless he's capable of destroying the entire universe ( even if it's just one piece at a time ). You can't have Spock simply have an emotional attachment - he's got to be having an unethical relationship with one of the cadets. Kirk can't simply be troubled: he's got to be trouble. There's no subtlety to the story; it all has to be over the top.

 

Yes: Star Trek TMP was a snoozer. Yet there's no reason to say that you can't do better than that without re-playing a variant of the 'Bongo' scene from Star Wars TPM, only this time in arctic conditions. :)

 

 

No offense, but the old Enterprise looked like a frisbee attatched to three toilet paper rolls with a satellite dish on front of one. I thought the new Enterprise was absolutely gorgeous. It's the Cadilac of the Starfleet. ;)

 

 

You're not offending me: you're offending the original designer who did his best with the budget available to produce a believable starship. What he produced became an iconic image for decades.

 

For myself I liked the classic designs, thought the TMP designs were a nice development, though really didn't like TNG engines. I liked the more mechanical look of the older systems. TOS Enterprise had one primary flaw: the engine struts were flimsy. This was illustrated in the old plastic models of the starship, which usually had a sagging engine somewhere. ;)

 

It could've been improved without such massive renovation. All the same - I do agree it is a nice looking vessel; just that it reflects the overall philosophy of the movie ... flash over substance.

[Atragon9 0]

I liked it, I really did. Sure it has problems, but it was a heavily Trek-flavored action movie. It would have been a nice homage to the old Trek if the Kelvin bridge looked JUST like TOS Enterprise, that would have made it fit into the "we're about to have an alternate timeline" argument. And it would have been cool/fun.

[Leila Kalomi 0]

And yes: I would also have preferred if the Enterprise looked like the Enterprise - cleaned up a little perhaps, but fundamentally the same. The changes in the bridge were also unwelcome: sure, the gummy-bear colored panels with no indicators needed changing, but a lot could be fixed without making the whole bridge out of transparent plastic.

 

I always thought the original bridge looked nice and homey. I like the red and black colorations and though the computers were incredibly lame technically they still added to the effect. When they "fix up" stuff I get to missing the old Enterprise. :) They make it too big and too clear. ;)

[V'Roy 0]

No offense, but the old Enterprise looked like a frisbee attatched to three toilet paper rolls with a satellite dish on front of one.

Don't give MacGuiver the idea.

[Leila Kalomi 0]

Don't give MacGuiver the idea.

 

LOL, MacGyver making a spaceship.

[Sorehl 0]

They tried making a more story driven movie once. It was called The Motion Picture, and it failed. They hit paydirt thought when they came out with Wrath of Khan.

Wait, you thought ST:TMP had a plot and Wrath of Khan didn't?

 

The problem with TMP wasn't that it had a plot and no action. The problem was it had a simplistic plot that they dragged out for two hours: Earth is attacked by a now-living machine they built in the 20th Century and is looking for its Creator. Now pad it out by spending the first hour assembling the crew, ten minutes admiring the ship, and an interminable descent into that incredible special effect known as a CLOUD and you've got a recipe for dullness. [i fast forward through the cloud thing and it STILL takes forever.]

 

They didn't just jettison the plot and go full bore with the action in Wrath of Khan. They did it all: strong plot with people doing one smart thing after another, action like we'd never seen in Star Trek, with writing and characterization so good that it still remains the most quotable movie for fans and non-fans alike.

 

This film did at least two of those aspects well: action and characterization. The plot was weak and existed to re-set the franchise, disconnect from canon believably, and string together some great scenes. But the combination of the first two elements carried the entertainment value. I was willing to suspend my (often weighty) disbelief throughout.

 

Now that we've seen the new crew, I agree with the sentiment that they'll need to ramp up the story next time or they risk a real fall off. If you consciously try to go all action, you get a Star Wars prequels or worse yet, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.

[Jorahl 0]

LOL, MacGyver making a spaceship.

 

MacGyver doesn't need a spaceship...he's got Stargates!

 

 

As for the movie, it was there to entertain and I was entertained.

 

I was also VERY pleased with EVERYTHING Romulan. THANK YOU for taking those stupid forehead ridges off the Romulans and showing them without bowl cuts, especially women.

 

 

I liked how the XO spoke for Nero at the start just like on The Enterprise Incident. That is also a very old custom which we can see in eastern cultures and even in the Roman Empire. Example, for Bible students out there this is why when Paul was preaching in Lystra that they thought Barnabas was Zeus even though Paul was doing the talking....the leader doesn't lower himself to talk to common people but sends his messengers. Anyway, a nice touch I noticed and appreciated.

 

I also loved the mention of 3 Romulan dialects which reinforces my idea that the Romulan people have as deep and varied cultural background as anyone else. The tattoos also added to this, as a mark of class distinction and pride. Nero said himself he had chosen a life of honest labor and I don't see the tattoos as a mark of being a lower class but as pride in their occupation and the part they did for the Empire. This helped break the "scheming" stereotype stuck on Romulans for so long and returned the "creatures of duty" shown in TOS.

 

And yes, I am okay with the destruction of Romulus. Why? Because of all the great plot potential. The Romulans have an empire so it's not like losing this one world is the end of them. I take it the Romulans had more time to evacuate than the Vulcans and while not everyone got off the planet I'm sure the Senate did, most all mobile fleet assets, and a fair number of citizens. There are plenty of established planets to relocate to within the Empire so they are not suddenly galactic vagabonds. Something akin to what we saw starting in The Undiscovered Country could happen now between the Romulans and Federation. And it's not like it's the first time they've relocated homeworlds.

 

Historical note: the Roman Empire lasted for hundreds of years longer than Rome itself did. It's city streets were goat pastures while the glory of the Empire continued in the new capital of Constantinople.

 

Likewise I see the Romulans continuing onward. Many may call for war with the Federation for the failure of Spock but they also might see he risked (and as far as they know lost) his life trying and in saving the rest of the Empire.

 

In the years of nothing to base events in our sims on that were supported by canon we (in this timeline) are given a grand nugget to build from. Also the fact that we will probably never see major expansion of the "PrimeLine" timeline, in favor of the "NewLine" timeline gives us freedom to do as we wish without backing ourselves into a corner. We want to have the Gorn join the Federation, fine. We want to start a Tholian War, fine.

 

Perhaps that might be taking too much liberty but I get the feeling that Trek as we knew it has written it's last chapter. Well, not it's LAST chapter. Taking a scene from The Lord Of The Rings, the book has been given to us to write the last chapters. It is now our story to tell.

[STSF Precip 0]

I liked it, I really did. Sure it has problems, but it was a heavily Trek-flavored action movie. It would have been a nice homage to the old Trek if the Kelvin bridge looked JUST like TOS Enterprise, that would have made it fit into the "we're about to have an alternate timeline" argument. And it would have been cool/fun.

 

I wholeheartedly agree with the notion the Kelvin's bridge could of looked like the old TOS Enterprise. Why not? Heck it was a doomed ship..and we were not going to see much of her. But it sure would of paid off in showing just how things had changed for starships, i.e. that white bridge..as an alternate timeline had been created.

 

-Precip

[V'Roy 0]

OK, let's consider what DOESN'T change with the new timeline:

 

Gary 7 was still sent to 1960s Earth to stop a nuclear warhead from exploding. Some version of the Enterprise still needs to hook up with 7 somehow to detonate the warhead at exactly 102 miles above the surface.

 

V'Ger is still out there somewhere headed for Earth.

 

The SS Botany Bay, with Kahn and his minions, is still out there waiting to be discovered.

 

The alien probe from The Voyage Home is still out there wondering what happened to the humpback whales.

 

Praxis will most likely still be destroyed because of heavy mining. The Federation is not as big a threat without Vulcan but that means the Romulans are an even bigger threat to the Klingons (especially now that the Klingon armada has been reduced) so they will still need dilithium for their defenses.

 

The Caretaker will still try to bring ships from the Alpha / Beta quadrants. (It might end up being different ships however.)

 

The Borg cube that the Enterprise-E encountered still received the signal from the Borg that Archer's crew destroyed and are still on their way.

 

These things are not erased just because we have a new timeline from the Kelvin's destruction on. They are still going to happen. As of yet the only person who knows any of this is Ambassador Spock.

Edited May 19, 2009 by V'Roy

[Jorahl 0]

OK, let's consider what DOESN'T change with the new timeline:

 

Gary 7 was still sent to 1960s Earth to stop a nuclear warhead from exploding. Some versuon of the Enterprise still needs to hook up with 7 somehow to detonate the warhead at exactly 102 miles above the surface.

 

Gary 7 was from the 60's and the Enterprise actually got in his way for the most part. Their actions were mostly to correct the interference their presence caused.

 

 

 

The Borg cube that the Enterprise-E encountered still received the signal from the Borg that Archer's crew destroyed and are still on their way.

 

There's no proof the signal from Archer's time ever made it to the Borg and even if they did they won't arrive till TNG time since that's what happens in the PrimeLine.

 

 

But otherwise all those events are still out there and a whole lot more. But it's impossible to know what little things might have changed. A different starship might find Khan and friends. A different ship might find the Nomad probe and without a name it confuses for it's creator(Kirk/Roykirk) destroys the ship and moves on towards Earth and the events of ST:The Motion Picture play out then with Nomad instead of years later with V'Ger.

 

And while not realistic to say, all these events might still be changed because of the new timeline. We saw the Enterprise-D surviving into the future in the last episode of TNG yet the movies killed it off rather quickly. And what of Picard timejumping with the help of Q caused that type of change?

 

Possibly best not anything to over dwell on but still interesting to ponder about.

[will_marx 0]

Possibly best not anything to over dwell on but still interesting to ponder about.

 

I've not seen the movie yet, but all these theoretical discussions regarding the timeline are making my brain hurt. ::puts a handkerchief on his head::

[V'Roy 0]

Wow...Was it Ironic the Music "Sabatoge" from the Beastie Boys...was playing to see Odd structures in a normally flat Iowa..and a huge Frakkin Excavated canyon Kirk drove the car into. Woah...Things look weird. Nice Car. BTW

 

They should have played "Intergalactic" instead and had Kirk crash the car right before the line about Mister Spock.

[T'aral 0]

Personally I was more visualizing 'Red Bachetta' by Rush.

 

However, 'Intergalactic' would work well, expecially since two lines before the fateful ST reference the lyrics go ...

 

"... Beastie Boys - don't you let the beat ... ... ... drop!"

 

 

If the car went over the cliff at right that moment, it would've been perfect.

Edited May 21, 2009 by T'aral

[Aliana Lucindak 0]

I don't know, the Beastie Boys seems to fit it well... I mean if you are like me and your brain can connect similarities to anything from anything...

[V'Roy 0]

They did pick the right song for that scene. However, since we now know this version of Kirk is a Beastie Boys fan, the next movie should be about sending the Enterprise back in time to rewrite the lyrics to Intergalactic to remvoe the temporal paradox.