Scott Atwell Star Trek Discussion thread (Series and Films) (5 Viewers)

[FanCollector]

I fail to understand why each one of my trivia answers is being questioned! Ironically, he laughs in The Deadly Years. Please don't tell me I already named that one...

 

[Nelson Au]

So I'm a little confused! Who wouldn't be. The Deadly Years is one of the subtle ones I forgot about too!I'm surprised, I didn't think this question would go on this long with so many more answers!

 

[FanCollector]

Possibly, Nelson, because my thinking processes are not as efficient as before.How about the end of Friday's Child?

 

[Nelson Au]

I'll have to watch Friday's Child this evening when I get home. But my memory of that scene was mostly that Kirk and McCoy are smiling, but not actually laughing. There are still two definite shots where Kirk laughs that I can recall.

 

[FanCollector]

Does he laugh in that scene in Anan 7's chambers in A Taste of Armageddon?

 

[Nelson Au]

Lee, sorry for the delayed reply. Had to work flat out and then went to see Star Trek Into Darkness.I just checked, Kirk does not laugh in Armageddon. He smiles.I'm really curious what you guys think of Into Darkness. Of course there is a discussion thread for it. But given that it's likely the more long term fans might be frequenting this thread, perhaps there will be discussion here too from the fan perspective. I won't say what I thought till you guys jump in. I'll probably type a few words in the discussion thread.

 

[Ockeghem]

Nelson and Lee,Sorry I haven't been participating too much in the trivia. I've been quite busy, and today I will be attending a jiu-jitsu seminar with my wife and three of my girls. The three-day seminar is for women / girls only, and is being taught by World Champion and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt, Emily Kwok. Although I practice jiu-jitsu, I will only be a spectator today, watching my girls practicing something they love. It will be fun watching rather than grappling for a change.www.lalalandcreative.com/emilykwok/

Nelson,
As for Star Trek Into Darkness, I was eagerly awaiting your review. Thanks for your thoughts on it in the other thread. I am going to wait for it to come out on DVD. This will be the first time I will not have gone to see a Trek film at the theater.

 

[FanCollector]

Scott, it must be extra rewarding to see your girls doing something that they love and that is also a shared interest. Enjoy!Nelson, we are probably going to go see the movie today, so I am waiting until after that to read your comments (much as I want to go look right now). Still thinking about The Laughing Captain.

 

[Nelson Au]

Hey guys, Scott, I hope your day is an enjoyable family outing! Lee, I look forward to your thoughts, I just read two reviews, the Trekmovie one by Mark Altman and the Harry Knowles review and they sort of reset my initial thinking after viewing the film. So my thoughts have changed a bit.Scott, so you spoiled yourself by reading the discussion thread? If you find yourself with a free evening, maybe you and your family might want to see the movie. It's worth look I think. There's parts I'd like to see again because of the speed of the film, dialogue I missed. I went in with an open mind and low expectations, and saw some interesting ideas that the reviews mentioned that I didn't fully catch. Though the events of the film and the plot were very clear for me. Though it will likely wait till the 3D 2D special edition DVD/Blu Ray combo is out.

 

[Ockeghem]

Lee and Nelson,Thanks for the kind words. The seminar was amazing, and very informative and engaging for all of us. I got to participate as well, which I hadn't planned on doing. The 'women / girls' only segment was only for Friday night. The Saturday and Sunday sessions were for men and women. I couldn't pass up the chance to get my tail whipped a few times.

Nelson,I am just not very excited about the film, given the reviews and comments I've read over the past month or so. But if you say it's worth a look, then who am I to disobey a command?

 

[Nelson Au]

Scott, Reminds me of Charlie X. "Hey Sam, let me borrow you for a couple of easy throws". " That looks hard."I've never tried any of the martial arts, but I agree with Charlie!Let's see what Lee thought of Into Darkness. Maybe he won't recommend it Scott.

 

[FanCollector]

Kirk: What are the odds now of J.J. Abrams making a movie that captures the spirit of Star Trek?Spock: Less than 7000 to 1 now.Kirk: Well, getting better. Getting better.Without spoiling it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet, I will say that I liked this one better than the last one. A lot of it was still silly and the most emotional moments were all strangely undercut by the script and direction (and in the most egregious case, by a weird callback to an earlier Star Trek moment), but this movie was actually about something. There was a real theme here, and the movie allowed Kirk, as well as the audience, to consider the meaning of some things we may take for granted. Whatever flaws the movie still has, and as far as it may be from its basis in "Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry," that message brings it much closer to the spirit of its ancestor.Am I recommending it, Scott? I'll put it this way: if you enjoyed the last one at all, I recommend seeing this one. If you thought the last one was utterly valueless, then you may not feel that a somewhat improved version is worth seeing. (On a less thematic note, although I found most of the performances dull, Simon Pegg was very good as Scotty.)

 

[Ockeghem]

Lee,Well, as I did like the last film, and given what Nelson said (his order), I will probably change my mind and go see it.

Nelson,I actually thought of Kirk in Charlie X today as we were warming up (e.g., forward and backward shoulder rolls, shrimping, etc.). I was ripping it up out there.

 

[Nelson Au]

Lee, I felt if there was a message there, it went over my head! I was just trying to make sure I understood what was going on and also being visually assaulted by all the fast imagery. (By the way, the 3D effect is hit or miss for me. Problem with my eyes)

As far as I can tell, it was:

Spoiler

It was about maintaining the values of Starfleet. it's about peaceful exploration. Starfleet is not about secret agendas that go bombing another nation for revenge. It's a morally wrong thing to go and bomb the heck out of that deserted Klingon province to get Khan and Kirk realizes this and does not launch the torpedos and instead captures Khan.If the throw-back you refer to was Spock doing the Khaaaaaan! yell, I'd have to agree. That whole business of reversing the roles so that Kirk faces the Kobayashi Maru was bad.The whole business of rehashing Khan was not a good idea, it looked like it was going to be clever had he been a force for good.

About Scotty

Spoiler

I was sort of annoyed at Pegg's Scotty! But when I think back at the series, Scott wasn't so excitable. He was a solid and capable engineer and knew his stuff. It seems it wasn't till the films that his personality got more angry and excitable as they exaggerated his mannerisms that he'd display in the Third season a few times.Same with McCoy, he didn't always do the "I'm a doctor line". So they both seemed almost silly. And I know people praise both there characterizations

Oh yeah and:

Spoiler

Prime Spock's appearance was a total surprise for me. Khan was expected.

Finally

Spoiler

I wished they didn't kill Pike. But I suppose they justified it so Spock could learn more about loss.

I did like it up to a point and I am more into it after reading Knowles review.

 

[FanCollector]

Sorry I didn't reply sooner...it took me this long to figure out how to do hidden text.

I think the movie's message, which had been building throughout the story, became clear when

Spoiler

Admiral Marcus told Kirk that he was "defending our way of life." That phrase is very loaded, and the message seems to be that whenever anyone tells you they are doing something antithetical to our values to protect our way of life, then they are doing something indefensible. The parallels to 9/11 and the political response thereto seem unmistakeable to me. The ethics of targeted assassination versus arrest and trial, the definition of "acceptable" collateral damage, using a possibly unrelated terrorist event to justify a war that had been brewing already, and many of the other dilemmas we have faced as a society since the attacks were reflected in the story, and in Kirk having to make his stand. And the beauty of the message is that it stands above partisanship, as those questions have been front and center with both political parties in control.

I kind of saw

Spoiler

Pike's death as inevitable because he is a father figure for Kirk and the arc of Kirk maturing and becoming an independent leader had better be pretty close to finished here. I see why you felt disappointed, but they just can't keep having Kirk run back to Pike to hear about how to be a better captain.

On a similar note, this had really better be the last time

Spoiler

they drag poor Leonard Nimoy out for these crummy Obi-Wan Kenobi cameos. I am starting to suspect that Abrams just has someone snatch one of Nimoy's grandchildren just before shooting starts and Nimoy has no choice but to participate. It's really enough already.

My praise for Simon Pegg wasn't based on his faithfulness to the established Scotty character. They all fail according to that standard. I just thought he gave an engaging comic performance of the character in the script in his own way. I was less impressed with Urban's McCoy because it seemed more of a conglomeration of catchphrases and asides to the audience than a whole character with motivations and goals.

I only saw the NY Times review so far. Is Knowles the AIn't It Cool guy? I will check it out.

In older business, does Kirk laugh early on in The Enemy Within?

 

[FanCollector]

Dagger of the Mind!! Definitely Dagger of the Mind!

 

[Nelson Au]

Oh yeah, " I know you people feel naked without a weapon as we do without a medikit." I totally forgot that example! Yes, Knowles is the Ain't In Cool News guy! I understand what you mean about Pegg. And from that perspective, I agree with you. And I also agree with your Urban comment.On your first spoiler, got it! I just couldn't as clear verbalized it. And on the second spoiler, that makes the most sense. And I forgot Kirk's reaction after that happened.

 

[FanCollector]

So two more still? Was that an implicit "no" on The Enemy Within?

 

[Nelson Au]

Yes, two more on my list of instances that I am aware of.

I'm pretty sure there wasn't any laughter in The Enemy Within. An evil grin. Perhaps there might have been a satisfied chuckle after the evil Kirk uses the make-up to hide the scratches on his face. I'll have to re-view that.

 

[Nelson Au]

In regards to Into Darkness, seems there are a lot of members chiming in on the Into Darkness thread with positive reviews and felt it was a good movie. I will have to wait till December when the blu-ray comes out to see it again. I am sort of in the middle. I liked parts of it. Parts I felt were a mistake. Parts of had strong emotional punch. But the second half is still nagging at me.

I'm glad it's liked. I hope it does better in the Box Office so they make another and keep Star Trek going.