Star Trek General Discussion

[Copper Bezel]

At least you know a line form Star Trek V.

And it isn't "My god, it's full of stars."

Okay, the pedant in me insists on saying that you probably do know a line from TMP, "What we got back, didn't live long. Fortunately." More to the point, you probably also have "V'Ger is that which seeks the Creator," which is the exact counterpart to "What does God need with a starship?": not only is it the premise of the movie in a sentence, it also encapsulates the tone, being deliberately obtuse and delivered in robot-speak voice. The Final Frontier line is similarly the premise of that movie, but it's also that time that Shatner saved the universe by beating God with a witty comeback, delivered with an intonation only Shatner could have devised. Same-same.

Anyway, it's been a long time since I've actually watched any of the TOS movies, but they're an eclectic batch of movies with very different styles and ideas, and TMP is not the one that stands out for me. I think The Wrath of Khan and The Undiscovered Country are the ones everyone agrees are very important and on point, and The Voyage Home was the time Trek decided to make a family comedy about the whales instead of doing their space show thing and anyone who doesn't love it at least lets them have it. Honestly, Search for Spock is the memory hole for me - Doc Brown in blackface and the destruction of the Enterprise itself can't make anything stick for me of the nothing plot that just wraps up some loose ends from TWOK in time for TVH.

 

[The Predaking]

Anyway, it's been a long time since I've actually watched any of the TOS movies, but they're an eclectic batch of movies with very different styles and ideas, and TMP is not the one that stands out for me. I think The Wrath of Khan and The Undiscovered Country are the ones everyone agrees are very important and on point, and The Voyage Home was the time Trek decided to make a family comedy about the whales instead of doing their space show thing and anyone who doesn't love it at least lets them have it. Honestly, Search for Spock is the memory hole for me - Doc Brown in blackface and the destruction of the Enterprise itself can't make anything stick for me of the nothing plot that just wraps up some loose ends from TWOK in time for TVH.

Star Trek 3 is a great film. It establishes the Klingon language, as an actual language, and Christopher Llyod does an amazing job of setting up what a Klingon will be for the next 20 years.

David's death was just an unforgettable moment in cinema, and it hurt Kirk as much as Spock's death.

Plus, Star Trek 3 has these two lines that just capture what Star Trek was about:

"My god bones what have I done? "

"What you had to do, what you always do. Turn death into a fighting chance to live. "

I mean the film isn't as good as any of the even ones, but that is a high bar to clear. When talking about the even odd rule, it is the best of the odd films.

Okay, the pedant in me insists on saying that you probably do know a line from TMP, "What we got back, didn't live long. Fortunately." More to the point, you probably also have "V'Ger is that which seeks the Creator," which is the exact counterpart to "What does God need with a starship?": not only is it the premise of the movie in a sentence, it also encapsulates the tone, being deliberately obtuse and delivered in robot-speak voice. The Final Frontier line is similarly the premise of that movie, but it's also that time that Shatner saved the universe by beating God with a witty comeback, delivered with an intonation only Shatner could have devised. Same-same.

I don't think that the Vger line is as well known as what does God need with a Starship. While I do see that they are similar in that they tell of the resolution of the film, it is not as iconic of a line. Now if you ask a Scifi fan who vger was, I am sure that they would know that answer though.

 

[Copper Bezel]

Yeah, and the the Star Trek V line is a cultural icon independent of the film, like Shadewing said, so it's possibly become more iconic than the movie is. Like I said, I was being a pedant about the V'ger line, it's just definitely a line Trek fans know. I consider it less memorable than the transporter accident line, after all.

David's death was just an unforgettable moment in cinema

I am being completely straight with you when I say that I couldn't have remembered his first name at gunpoint. Again, a lot of years since I've actually watched any of them, but this is quite literally a moment in cinema that I have, myself, forgotten. I remember Kirk's son existed because of SNW and TUC, notably occurring when he was a fetus and a corpse respectively.

I think a lot of my memory bias here comes from which movies I wanted to watch again as a kid, which was mostly the funny one with the whales and, very very oddly, TMP. Must have been really into those ship dolly shots.

Edit: And stating the obvious, Spock's death is itself another freestanding meme that's more remembered than any of these movies are. Which like, The Search for Spock itself contributes to by replaying it at the start in a little box. So circling around, I realize I could have quoted a line from Star Trek III....

 

[The Predaking]

We had the films recorded on from the Broadcast versions growing up as well with a lot of Season 1 of TNG. We watched 1-3 a lot. The first movie I ever remember going to as a kid was Star Trek 4, and I am sure that we got that eventually too.

David's death was notable for a couple reasons.


They recorded the scene and the director loved the first take, however Llyod was upset as he flubbed the line. The original Klingon line he had had more words in it to say to kill one of the hostages at random. He just said kill one of the hostages. However, the guy that wrote the language was on set and convinced him that what he said was still good as it implied that he didn't care which one.

David's death was one of sacrifice. He went down fighting a Klingon to save one of his friends, as that is how Kirks die, saving other people.

Seriously, go back and watch that one scene, you will see Shatner acting at his finest showing his grief.

 

[Fero McPigletron]

What is this? It's official? I was raising an eyebrow but, urgh, laughed at the end.

 

[Copper Bezel]

Oh my god, I saw that video in my recs and assumed it was a fan thing, and I watched it assuming it was a fan thing, and then, I mean, holy jive, what the hug, I'm dead, I don't know how to feel about anything

 

[wonko the sane?]

I'm ludicrously happy that trek as content and trek as a brand is strong enough to throw out stuff like this that so wantonly makes fun of the core concept. Keep the satire coming paramount!

 

[Copper Bezel]

If it wasn't a painfully drawn out joke about how everybody's so easily offended these days, I'd agree with you. The ending almost saves it from Minion meme land.

 

[Fullstrength Motleypuss]

Jokes like that really have no place in Star Trek. I definitely won't be wasting my time on this one.

 

[Donocropolis]

If it wasn't a painfully drawn out joke about how everybody's so easily offended these days, I'd agree with you. The ending almost saves it from Minion meme land.

Jokes like that really have no place in Star Trek. I definitely won't be wasting my time on this one.

I didn't really see that as being the joke, though. It seemed to be more making fun of the captain for using idioms without thinking about how they would sound to someone from a different culture, especially if it DID seem to be offensive. Like, I don't think we were supposed to think M'Ress was out of line not being fond of the "more than one way to skin a cat" comment. The humor came more from the captain trying to dig himself out of a hole, yet continuing to accidentally keep digging it deeper in increasingly unexpected ways.

 

[Copper Bezel]

The universe is actively concern trolling him though, people are being summoned into existence to have been offended at whatever he said. Someone really is making up new minorities to be offended, like comedians think happens. This skit feels like the product of someone being told not to call staff meetings a "pow-wow" anymore and having a light bulb moment.

And ... why would a Caitian think of herself as a "cat'? We know they're cat people, but they're not an entire species of furries or something. If the captain said the line but tried to backpedal, and M'Ress realized he thought she'd be offended, and she wasn't before but is now, well now we're doing a completely different, much smarter joke from Lower Decks.

 

[Shadewing]

The universe is actively concern trolling him though, people are being summoned into existence to have been offended at whatever he said. Someone really is making up new minorities to be offended, like comedians think happens. This skit feels like the product of someone being told not to call staff meetings a "pow-wow" anymore and having a light bulb moment.

And ... why would a Caitian think of herself as a "cat'? We know they're cat people, but they're not an entire species of furries or something. If the captain said the line but tried to backpedal, and M'Ress realized he thought she'd be offended, and she wasn't before but is now, well now we're doing a completely different, much smarter joke from Lower Decks.

tbf... if any Captain deserves to be trolled... its Kirk.

 

[Copper Bezel]

I don't think that's actually Kirk. Definitely not Pike either, or Paul Wesley Kirk. TAS Kirk had darker hair in a similar cut to either Shatner or Paul Wesley.

This guy's hair is longer, blonder, and flips the other way.

 

[Thefakelink]

It’s Pete Holmes. He does the voice and the captain is drawn to look like him.

 

[G.B.Blackrock]

Yeah, they bent over backwards to make this captain "not Kirk or Pike." Also, it's very definitely not in any continuity we've seen before.

 

[tec]

This makes the second ST autograph I own the first is a James Dohan

 

[Destron D-69]

congrats buddy. that's awesome.

 

[MrBlud]

Jesus Christ “Worst Contact” was HORRIBLE.

Just the absolute laziest joke STRETCHED to three minutes coupled with only the most juvenile gross out humor.

 

[Fero McPigletron]

It was extremely dumb, yeah.

The Very Short Trek is bouncing around series tho. TOS, Strange New Worlds and now Next Gen. I hope if they do a Lower Decks Short Trek that Mariner rips the writers a new one.

 

[Donocropolis]

Jesus Christ “Worst Contact” was HORRIBLE.

Just the absolute laziest joke STRETCHED to three minutes coupled with only the most juvenile gross out humor.

Definitely over the top. Like, if they had stopped the booger jokes after the initial nose-picking / handshake (leave it totally unremarked on, just have Riker come up with some reason to refuse to shake hands), then keep going with the idea that the alien culture is composed entirely of the most annoying habits, it would have been a lot better.