For what it’s worth, I found Star Trek dreadfully boring as a child. The trailers for '09 did nothing for me either because it seemed to be all references to a show I didn’t watch. Wasn’t until everyone at school was talking about how fun it was that I finally saw it. I had a blast. It made me want to understand more about the lore. ‘I’d heard about Kirk and Spock my whole life, but who the hell is Bones?’ Etc. Baby-stepped up to Wrath of Khan. ‘Oh wait, this is a sequel to an old episode? Well I gotta see that episode.’ Watched that and found the show way more gripping at an older age, so I went back and did TOS from the beginning. Then on to TNG and so on…
It’s honestly my favourite to revisit. I’ll put on TNG episodes that I love, but TOS is the one where I can throw on any episode and have a good time in one way or another. I love the balance of retro camp paired with that era’s version of the philosophical stuff the show is known for. And the colours on the bluray pop so much more. I love the later shows (tbf I’m still only on DS9), but I do find TOS to be the most visually pleasant to look at.
Agreed. TOS has so much greatness. Episodes do such an amazing job of setting up a mystery and then exploring why [mysterious thing] is. Like the setup of Lost but with an actual payoff for watching.
I also think it has the best pacing of any of the series except maybe DS9. Episodes have more time to breathe.
This is incredibly limiting as a mindset. Movies can absolutely have strong world building, existential messages and social commentary, and also be accessible and entertaining. It’s just that, you have to be a good filmmaker to achieve that.
Movies have to be successful at the box office, and star trek movies had to be Hollywood blockbusters. Completely different production environment compared to TV. I don’t see how that can be fixed, and it has nothing to do with being a good filmmaker. How does an outsider come in, write some fancy script shoehorned into a world that they may or may not be good at? For me as a Trekkie, every single star trek movie was a disappointment.
But that they allowed the shitty Abrahams movies to fuck up the series? The very heart and soul of star trek and the federation? Unforgivable. They couldn’t leave the optimistic fantasy of utopia alone. Too philosophical. Not enough profit. Bastards.
Strong world building, faithful to the source, existential messages in line with with the original material’s philosophy, social commentary that doesn’t pander and respects the audience’s intelligence. And on top of all of that, an academy awarded financial blockbuster.
It’s just that, it takes a good film maker that actually understands and respects the source ethos.
I think we’re talking a bit past each other. Maybe there are stories that work as movies but not as TV, and some that work as TV but not as movies.
I think Star Trek has something inherently episodic with a Starship (or station) traveling the galaxy (or having the galaxy come to them) that does not translate to “lets make an epic movie story”.
The other way it can probably work better. I kinda liked the Dune: Prophecy. It doesn’t really “harm” the movie. Lots of TV shows for star wars too that do not harm the movies.
But a movie coming in an fundamentally altering the world building? For a single blockbuster? Killing Vulcan for epic scene? Great for a movie, sacrilege for the TV show.
For what it’s worth, I found Star Trek dreadfully boring as a child. The trailers for '09 did nothing for me either because it seemed to be all references to a show I didn’t watch. Wasn’t until everyone at school was talking about how fun it was that I finally saw it. I had a blast. It made me want to understand more about the lore. ‘I’d heard about Kirk and Spock my whole life, but who the hell is Bones?’ Etc. Baby-stepped up to Wrath of Khan. ‘Oh wait, this is a sequel to an old episode? Well I gotta see that episode.’ Watched that and found the show way more gripping at an older age, so I went back and did TOS from the beginning. Then on to TNG and so on…
Slop still serves a purpose.
I’m a life long trek fan and I still haven’t been able to watch more than a handful of TOS episodes
It’s honestly my favourite to revisit. I’ll put on TNG episodes that I love, but TOS is the one where I can throw on any episode and have a good time in one way or another. I love the balance of retro camp paired with that era’s version of the philosophical stuff the show is known for. And the colours on the bluray pop so much more. I love the later shows (tbf I’m still only on DS9), but I do find TOS to be the most visually pleasant to look at.
Agreed. TOS has so much greatness. Episodes do such an amazing job of setting up a mystery and then exploring why [mysterious thing] is. Like the setup of Lost but with an actual payoff for watching.
I also think it has the best pacing of any of the series except maybe DS9. Episodes have more time to breathe.
IMO the movies should be movies.
Tone down the world building, the existential messages and social commentary and make something thats more accessable to a wider audience.
Dont fuck with the show, the show is absolutely for all of that.
This is incredibly limiting as a mindset. Movies can absolutely have strong world building, existential messages and social commentary, and also be accessible and entertaining. It’s just that, you have to be a good filmmaker to achieve that.
movies are for
Movies have to be successful at the box office, and star trek movies had to be Hollywood blockbusters. Completely different production environment compared to TV. I don’t see how that can be fixed, and it has nothing to do with being a good filmmaker. How does an outsider come in, write some fancy script shoehorned into a world that they may or may not be good at? For me as a Trekkie, every single star trek movie was a disappointment.
But that they allowed the shitty Abrahams movies to fuck up the series? The very heart and soul of star trek and the federation? Unforgivable. They couldn’t leave the optimistic fantasy of utopia alone. Too philosophical. Not enough profit. Bastards.
Dune is the number one counterexample.
Strong world building, faithful to the source, existential messages in line with with the original material’s philosophy, social commentary that doesn’t pander and respects the audience’s intelligence. And on top of all of that, an academy awarded financial blockbuster.
It’s just that, it takes a good film maker that actually understands and respects the source ethos.
I think we’re talking a bit past each other. Maybe there are stories that work as movies but not as TV, and some that work as TV but not as movies.
I think Star Trek has something inherently episodic with a Starship (or station) traveling the galaxy (or having the galaxy come to them) that does not translate to “lets make an epic movie story”.
The other way it can probably work better. I kinda liked the Dune: Prophecy. It doesn’t really “harm” the movie. Lots of TV shows for star wars too that do not harm the movies.
But a movie coming in an fundamentally altering the world building? For a single blockbuster? Killing Vulcan for epic scene? Great for a movie, sacrilege for the TV show.