The New Star Trek Movie

I'm looking forward to eventually seeing the new Star Trek movie, which apparently seeks to go back in time to the old TV series' "generation" and examine its characters in their youth. Naturally, with the original cast either deceased or aging, different, younger actors play the old roles. From the previews, they seem to fit them well. But the special effects seem so well done that they are bound to belittle the original series that inspired the movie.

The original Star Trek television series aired from 1966 to 1968. The set designs, props, and special effects today look very primitive. But back then, they were "cutting edge", at least for television. When Star Trek: The Motion Picture came out in 1979, it finally renewed the Enterprise's "quest" after an eleven year hiatus. During this time, space movies underwent a dramatic change in their appearance, starting with 1967's 2001: A Space Odyssey and continuing with 1977's Star Wars. Those responsible for the 1979 Star Trek movie were apparently very self-conscious about this gap between the old series and the current special effects technology. For they went to excess, trying to dazzle the movie audience with their new (for 1979) special effects. Even the Enterprise crew, during the movie, were portrayed for long periods standing there in astonishment, mouths agape and eyes bulging, at the impressive sights that the special effects department had produced. This hurt the flow of the story, and many (myself included) consider this movie to have been the worst of all the Star Trek movies.

I'm hoping that those responsible for the new "retro" Star Trek movie didn't get carried away with their own self-consciousness and instead concentrated on producing a good, memorable story with characters that resonated reasonably with the old sixties series. Without getting carried away with "perfection". The original TV series certainly didn't.

One problem with making "retro" movies (like Star Wars): you already know pretty much how they're going to end. If Captain Kirk is hanging on a cliff thousands of feet in the air, then ho-hum, the only mystery will be how he gets out of the predicament. This makes it more like a MacGyver episode than a singular movie. The only characters whose lives may be in peril are the "guest" characters who don't appear in "later" movies or episodes. Of course, the same can be said for other movie series as well (such as the James Bond series).

I usually don't go to see a new movie at the theatre on its first run, instead waiting for it to come out on DVD or on a television movie channel. But I would like to shell out a few bucks and go out to see Star Trek.