STAR TREK by JJ Abrams - new photos

[EricNoah]

I don't mind a reboot, new cast, etc. I do fear that maybe they aren't changing enough (maybe just in terms of visual style, but we'll have to wait and see what the performances are like as well). I don't think I will be satisfied with something that looks like a parody or just an immitation -- I should get a good, deep taste of each character's core idea and how they interract. And I think science fiction should go forward from what we know now, not what was known in the 60's.

 

[TwinBahamut]

I don't mind a reboot, new cast, etc. I do fear that maybe they aren't changing enough (maybe just in terms of visual style, but we'll have to wait and see what the performances are like as well). I don't think I will be satisfied with something that looks like a parody or just an immitation -- I should get a good, deep taste of each character's core idea and how they interract. And I think science fiction should go forward from what we know now, not what was known in the 60's.

I'll agree with this.

Among other things, I think it is something of a mistake that they are just recasting all of the old characters and leaving things mostly the same. It would probably be more interesting if they changed the cast around at least a bit, possibly adding some more aliens or mixing it up so they didn't get stuck trying to emulate the character dynamics of a well-known series with different actors. There are just so many different ways that can go wrong...

 

[Silver Moon]

Arnold Schwarzenegger played Hercules.

Kevin Sorbo played Hercules.

A lot of people have played Hercules.

Personally, I liked the Lou Ferrigno version of Hercules.


Looking forward to the Trek film, and I'm a huge Star Trek fan.

 

[EricNoah]

I'll agree with this.

Among other things, I think it is something of a mistake that they are just recasting all of the old characters and leaving things mostly the same. It would probably be more interesting if they changed the cast around at least a bit, possibly adding some more aliens or mixing it up so they didn't get stuck trying to emulate the character dynamics of a well-known series with different actors. There are just so many different ways that can go wrong...

The other thing that occurs to me is that they end up with the "Smallville Problem" if they are too bound to the existing continuity. They will be locked in a segment of history that has a known outcome and that could be a straitjacket to the development of this "new franchise". Let's say this movie is successful -- how far can they go with the next films before they start treading into ToS territory?

 

[Silver Moon]

Let's say this movie is successful -- how far can they go with the next films before they start treading into ToS territory?

Shouldn't really be a problem, they could always just skip ahead and use this cast for Years 4 and 5 of the original five year mission.

 

[Ranger REG]

Star Trek, as a franchise is dead. Dead, dead, dead.

The owners of that franchise have two choices: shelve it forever, or reboot it. Given the decades of effort and invenstment in that franchise, trying to get some value out of it is hardly a bad thing.

This is the best thing they can do, in my opinion. A reboot, going back to the Kirk era. That single thing has the best chance of keeping Star Trek alive.

I'd have voted reboot, or rather reform of franchise management.

The only thing that was hurting the franchise was the Un-Dynamic Duo of Rick Berman and Brannon Braga. The last two TV series were pathetic. Add to that the last two prior Trek films.

I wonder that with the rebooting of Star Trek there may come a time when we may have to reboot Star Wars as well.

 

[DonTadow]

The guy playing Kirk is 28, Kirk was 30 when he became Captain of the Enterprise.

Fans of Star Trek and Star Wars can be some of the worst, it is a small group that seem to live and crap all things related to them. It is these people that seem to think they own the franchies and everything must pass through them, they pick and worry things apart.

This killed Star Trek, because the producers wanted to make their fan base happy. The problem, what they saw as the fan base was the fanatic base. Most fans want a good movie! The producers want a movie that makes money. The meeting ground is a re-boot or leaving it alone!

Actually, its been teh opposite. What is hurting star trek is the producers trying to reinvent it every fuew years. This attempt will fail like the others. Let's send them to a different part in space. LEt's rewriter the history before the original series. Lets just screw the whole universe.

The worst thing you can do if you're bringing a franchise to the big screen is to screw the fanbase because that's going to be your word of mouth. YOu have neve heard of any movie... not one.. where it went completely against canon and was still successful.

How can you trust the material of am movie from a guy who doesn't even like the franchise.

Perhaps Morus is right, they should have let it live on in other forms of media

 

[Morrus]

Actually, its been teh opposite. What is hurting star trek is the producers trying to reinvent it every fuew years. This attempt will fail like the others. Let's send them to a different part in space. LEt's rewriter the history before the original series. Lets just screw the whole universe.

The worst thing you can do if you're bringing a franchise to the big screen is to screw the fanbase because that's going to be your word of mouth. YOu have neve heard of any movie... not one.. where it went completely against canon and was still successful.

How can you trust the material of am movie from a guy who doesn't even like the franchise.

What would you suggest they do? The old format: nobody's interested. At least, not in numbers that will pay for the show/movie. They have this franchise: they could let it die and avoid offending intranet fanbois. But that's a waste: why not give it a try and try to make it mainstream again?

At this point, they have nothing to lose. Worst case: the experiment fails, and we're back to the "only thre epeople on the planet care any more about Star Trek". OK, that's clearly an exaggeration (I have to head that off at the pass before fanboi stats are quoted at me), but the fanbase isn't there to support movies in the current format at a budget required to do the series any justice.

Perhaps Morus is right, they should have let it live on in other forms of media

I did not advocate that. I believe that, given the situation the franchine was in, they've made the best decision they could have. It is a gamble, but I think that this approach gives them the best odds they're likely to get.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

How can you trust the material of am movie from a guy who doesn't even like the franchise.

I'd trust that more than I would someone holding onto it as sacred. It allows for the person to come in unbiased and see what needs changing and what definitely has to stay the same in a way that someone in love with it already won't see. The whole point is to breathe new life into Star Trek, and this is how you do it.

And besides, Abrams not liking the franchise is an exaggeration. What he's said is he was always more of a Star Wars fan, but after really watching the shows(which, I believe, he watched all of the series before diving into this movie) he's turned around and really loves it.

Honestly, if anything is the problem, its the attitude that this movie is already damned right now. We have a few production stills and nothing else. We know nothing at all about this. If you don't like what you're seeing right now, that's one thing and that's fine, but you can't judge the movie on what we have right now.

 

[Morrus]

I'd trust that more than I would someone holding onto it as sacred. It allows for the person to come in unbiased and see what needs changing and what definitely has to stay the same in a way that someone in love with it already won't see. The whole point is to breathe new life into Star Trek, and this is how you do it.

Agreed. Witness BSG. Whether any particular individal loves or hates it, it cannot be denied that the reboot was a good and successful decision.