We admit it…our imagination was piqued by the official trailer, now visible at the Apple website. The terrestrial scenes and youthful bonhomie are fresh territory for the venerable franchise, and Zack Quinto makes a convincing young Vulcan.
Cinematical weighs in with 10 things you should know about Star Trek, but our phasers went to stun at the very first item:
Fact #1: Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry modeled the show on Gulliver’s Travels, wanting each episode to be both an exciting adventure and a social parable. The show tackled all kinds of 60s social issues — feminism, racism, ecology, religion, the Cold War, and Vietnam. Perhaps the biggest hurdle facing Abrams’ film is whether or not it can attain that same level of social awareness. Will the new Trek film make a commentary on anything, or will it be nothing but empty action in the name of rebooting?
Huh, wasn’t it supposed to be based on WAGON TRAIN? Anyhoo, fact #8 was a bit more debatable:
Fact #8: At first glance, the trailer seems to suggest that the recast Enterprise crew are a bunch of rebellious and wacky characters who will be forced to come together — an image at odds with their peaceful and orderly 60s versions. But really, the Enterprise crew was always willing to go against authority, particularly in the later movies where they stole the Enterprise and broke all kinds of Starfleet rules.
Let’s face it, the Enterprise crew is a bunch of certifiable badasses! They are special people for whom rules — or even directives — are so much wet cardboard. Break on through to the other side, and do it at warp speed!
Yeah, I gotta see that.
I don’t think the original Star Trek was based on Wagon Train so much as that show was used as a way to explain the concept to the network execs in terms of a genre they understood. Even some critics at the time treated Star Trek as a ripoff of Lost In Space. ‘Cause, y’know, they both have space ships.
Having read JMS’ commentary on trying to pitch Babylon 5 two decades later, it’s clear that when it comes to science fiction, most network execs Just Don’t Get It(TM).
Actually, Star Trek: Voyager was a rip-off of Battlestar Galactica which was a rip-off of Lost In Space.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was a blatant rip-off of Babylon 5. (I believe an executive took the idea with him to Paramount.)
I believe the high concepts were wagon train to the stars and Horatio Hornblower in space.
“Actually, Star Trek: Voyager was a rip-off of Battlestar Galactica which was a rip-off of Lost In Space.”
And the TV show LOST IN SPACE probably derived from the Gold Key comic book of the same name!
And you thought we have influence NOW–!!
Actually Gene – the Gold Key comic book was called the Space Family Robinson.
~
Coat
Heidi as an old Trekker/Trekkie I too remember countless interviews with Roddenberry wherein he described his original pitch for Star Trek as “Wagon Train in Space” encountering new adventures as they trekked across the galaxies.
My fave is still TOS. I love the fact that here was Kirk and the gang, several hundred years into the future, and while technology may have advanced, people were still people governed by their emotions.
I hope the new film is more than just action and effects. It was always about the storyline…I hope it still is.
I’m sure some hardcore fans are already furious about continuity getting mucked around with. But I get the feeling that this is a relaunch/reboot like Batman Begins rather than fitting into the strict confines of 40 plus years of continuity.
The energy from this trailer is a positive and I have to admit to a certain nerdy giddiness seeing the Enterprise approach head-on and then jump to warp. This is probably the most money they’ve ever spent on a Star Trek movie and it certainly shows. Hopefully there’s some brains to match the special effects brawn to prevent it from being a forgettable action-fest as some movies have turned out to be.
Also, I’m guessing there’s an explanation as to why Spock is fighting Kirk and visibly angry. If that classic 60’s fight theme music is attached (you know the one), I’m sold.
And why are all the posts italicized after the first?
It’s because nobody turned off the italics.
Kirk vs. Spock in a fight with Spock showing his base human side.
Genius! The genesis of their friendship.
And here I thought that Battlestar Galactica was Wagon Train In Space.
Actually, Roddenberry & Robert Justman did consider changing the name to Gulliver’s travels & the captains name to Gulliver….For about 24 hours. Presumably they sobered up. The Wagon Train bit was more to sell the show to studio execs,as I believe it was a popular show at the time. That and other entertaining factoids like how Nichelle Nichols really got her part are recounted in Justman & Herb Solow’s book inside Star Trek. As for the trailer, looks like fun.
Not liking the obvious “Annie Skywalker”ing of young Kirk in this reboot…
ed Says:
11/19/08 at 4:51 am
Not liking the obvious “Annie Skywalker”ing of young Kirk in this reboot…
You mean the same Jim kirk who rigged the kobiashi maru so that he could win, constantly disobeyed Star Fleet orders, including stealing the Enterprise to retriev spocks body from a world deemed off limts?
My wife pointed out to me that the opening of the trailer is very Mission Impossible. I still really want to see it. I keep watching this and the new Harry Potter one. Both are movies that got bumped to a later date. Why are they doing this to me?
I’m sure some Charlie’s Angels, Honeymooners, Brady Bunch or Airwolf fans get all tight in the rectal region when their faves are lampooned on the big screen, but Star Trek stands alone as a complete entity.
It began on TV, had a successful movie run, hundreds of books and comic book adaptations, The Star Trek Experience in Vegas, Saturday morning cartoons, TV series post TOS and lunchboxes.
Why disrespect that run by trashing it and the fans?
Well, I hear that even the Cedric the Entertainer version of “The Honeymooners” made money. Maybe that’s why.
I will always be a fan of Star Trek, but the fact that a fan of Star Wars who readily admits that he didn’t like Star Trek is beating dents into my childhood memories is nauseating. Go see the damned thing a dozen times if it loosens your bowels, but this fan from year one isn’t even going to a theater until the stench of rehash is steam cleaned out of the drapes.
Why couldn’t he just go make Cloverfield 2: Electric Boogaloo? Or make a fricking original movie? Since Jar Jar Abrams is supposed to be God these days, does he need to delete what has been created in order to become the default “Great Bird of the Galaxy”?
Bad Reboot!
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