Why Do I Like Star Trek?
May 9th, 2009 . by Tim Babb (TANcast's #1 Host/Editor Fan)
Well, I’ve recently returned from JJ Abram’s new Star Trek flick and I enjoyed the movie. I want to say that first. It was fun and a good flick.
However, when I walked out of the movie with my wife, I didn’t have the same feeling I had walking out of First Contact with another lady many years ago…the feeling of “See?! THAT’S Why I love Star Trek!”
This movie was enjoyable and had lots of great Trek moments, but it didn’t feel like the Star Trek I loved. And I don’t mean that in a bad way like “They ruined it!” Not at all. It was just…different. If felt like a band I didn’t know doing a cover of one of my favorite songs…I recognized the tune, but it doesn’t have the same impact as the original.
As I feel myself geeking out and getting overly defensive of a film/tv franchise that really has nothing to do with me – I find myself asking, “Why do I like Star Trek so much?”
I’m not one of these people who is all gung ho about the “vision of the future where humanity has evolved beyond greed and hunger.” I mean that’s nice and all, but that’s not really what keeps me coming back for series after series and movie after movie. Obviously the outer space element appeals to the little kid in me, but there are tons of space related movies and television that I couldn’t give a crap about (I have yet to watch a single episode of Battlestar Galactica…old school or the new ones…deal with it, nerds!)
The characters are always great. I think they might just have been lucky to come up with the Kirk/Spock/McCoy dynamic and then again with Picard/Data/Worf.
But there is some x factor about trek That even has me watching Voyager and Enterprise. I even purchased “Star Trek: Nemesis” (Which I watch far more often than a sane man should)
There is a reason I spent 10 solid hours at Star Trek the Experience or plopped down $40 to see Star Trek: The Tour. These stories have a magic to them…a charm that transcends rockets and robots and is just engaging. This movie,, while technically good at every turn…somehow lost that x factor.
I guess because since everyone was determined t “do their own thing” with the characters…I felt like I wasn’t watching MY Jim Kirk…I was watching A Jim Kirk…so I wasn’t as attached to him.
But all in all, I can’t REALLY complain. I had a good time at the theater, several stations are running Star Trek: TNG to hop on board the hype machine. Trek is back in a big way…and so for that I am thankful.
(But would it have killed them to use the Alexander Courage music a little more? …ok..I’m done geek griping…for now)
May 9th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
It rocked so hard and it was cast so well!! Given, i’m sure that I’m not as big of a Star Trek fan as you are… But I thought that was one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time. Really well done. Plus, they opened it up for more of these, and I hope they make a bunch.
May 9th, 2009 at 10:44 pm
I also watched the movie and was really happy with it. I found the classic lines were great , and didn’t distract from the face paced story or seem out of place. I loved the way the characters were portrayed by the new actors, bones especially. I loved how industrial the ship looked, I watched an interview with Simon Pegg talking about filming in this factory as the backdrop for the engine room and it just seemed to make sense. In TNG the engine room was just two stories and quite cramped, in the classic series all you ever saw was Scotty at the main control board and the hint of the massive warp core that it took to power a ship, and literally warp space time. All in all i loved the movie, I will buy it on DVD/BluRay whatever and watch it countless times waiting for the next J.J. Abrams directed or whatever Star Trek installment. Bravo to all those who made such a great film.
Now I can only hope that Mc G did as good a job with Terminator Salvation.
May 9th, 2009 at 11:28 pm
Chris Pine in Smokin’ Aces was incredible.
May 10th, 2009 at 9:40 am
Haven’t seen the new movie yet, but am planning on it very soon (hey I don’t have a job, I’m sure I can find the time)
But as a fellow Trek nerd, I have to encourage Tim to watch Battlestar Galactica. You will love it, for reals.
May 11th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
Haven’t seen the movie, and realistically, probably won’t until it’s on SyFy or something (I like Star Trek, but not enought to make an effort, you know), but I was in Catalina this weekend and they were having a showing/talk with EUgene Roddenberry, and that seemed like it would have been cool. Couldn’t go, though – my kid wouldn’t have sat through it, and hubby was gigging, and would have been jealous.
May 14th, 2009 at 9:23 pm
I haven’t seen it, but it’s already done something for me. It made me somewhat interested in seeing the first ten movies. That’s right, I’ve never seen a Star Trek movie. I don’t know, I never got that into Star Trek. The original was awesome, and yet…. the only one I could ever get into was TNG. Regardless, I have all ten in the queue for Blockbuster.com đŸ™‚