All things Trek

Frank wrote:Unlike many Trek fans, I adore The Motion Picture. It has a truly epic feel to it, courtesy of Mr. Wise, and visually it's lavish. Yes, I know the story's not much cop but that film still has something magical about it despite it being rather pompous. And the Jerry Goldsmith score is to die for!

Agreed, it did have a truly epic feel to it - and Goldsmith's score was, is, and always will remain a thing of beauty. But I admit to bias on that point - Jerry Goldsmith is in my top five of film score composers.

Patrick wrote:Keep watching, Sheringham. Species 8472 pops up several times between season 4 and season 6. And, yes, in at least one of them, there's a weird looking alien crawling outside the hull of Voyager. In those early stories where the Borg were fighting 8472, the creatures from 'fluidic space' only seemed to travel in ships.

Wasn't the episode with the creature crawling arounf the hull basically Voyager's "Alien" episode - which also found Janeway doing her best "Ripley" impression?

Sid Seadevil wrote:

Patrick wrote:Keep watching, Sheringham. Species 8472 pops up several times between season 4 and season 6. And, yes, in at least one of them, there's a weird looking alien crawling outside the hull of Voyager. In those early stories where the Borg were fighting 8472, the creatures from 'fluidic space' only seemed to travel in ships.

Wasn't the episode with the creature crawling arounf the hull basically Voyager's "Alien" episode - which also found Janeway doing her best "Ripley" impression?

Is that the year of hell? I'm getting them all mixed up now.

When I was trying to explain the significance of 7 to Beanie, she asked - very presciently - if 7 is so important to the queen why did she get sent over to Voyager. I was forced to conclude they were making it up as they went along.

sheringham wrote:Is that the year of hell? I'm getting them all mixed up now.

When I was trying to explain the significance of 7 to Beanie, she asked - very presciently - if 7 is so important to the queen why did she get sent over to Voyager. I was forced to conclude they were making it up as they went along.

Same here. All the post TOS Trek's and DS9 are beginning to merge into one big gloopy homogeneous mass in my mind as the years pass.

Oh, and they were definitely making it up as they went along. Especially given the fact that they'd write the first parts of their season cliffhanger episodes with zero idea of how they were going to resolve them.

Sid Seadevil wrote:

sheringham wrote:Is that the year of hell? I'm getting them all mixed up now.

When I was trying to explain the significance of 7 to Beanie, she asked - very presciently - if 7 is so important to the queen why did she get sent over to Voyager. I was forced to conclude they were making it up as they went along.

Same here. All the post TOS Trek's and DS9 are beginning to merge into one big gloopy homogeneous mass in my mind as the years pass.

Oh, and they were definitely making it up as they went along. Especially given the fact that they'd write the first parts of their season cliffhanger episodes with zero idea of how they were going to resolve them.

DS9 is a perfectly constructed internal logical piece of wonderfulness from beginning to end.

Amusing that the hubby still quite likes Voy (I mean, I don't HATE but he likes it way better than I do) yet walked mid series 3 of Losty claiming 'they're making it up' (which is clearly not true. Except, you know, in the sense that all fiction is, well, fiction).

Sheringham wrote:Wasn't the episode with the creature crawling arounf the hull basically Voyager's "Alien" episode - which also found Janeway doing her best "Ripley" impression?

Wow, you are merging a few episodes together.

The episode with Janeway going "Ripley" involved a Macro-virus she and Neelix encountered which had taken over the crew.

The episode with Species 8472 crawling outside the hull involved Voyager rescuing the lone survivor of a hunter species that was tracking 8472, and Seven defied Janeway's wishes and allowed it to escape.

Sheringham wrote:Is that the year of hell? I'm getting them all mixed up now.

The Year of Hell involved a ship shielded from time, and employing a weapon which could effectively 'undo' history. Janeway ended up ramming Voyager into the Time Ship, which reset everything.

Sheringham wrote:When I was trying to explain the significance of 7 to Beanie, she asked - very presciently - if 7 is so important to the queen why did she get sent over to Voyager. I was forced to conclude they were making it up as they went along.

She wasn't sent over, she was ordered to work with Voyager's crew to develop a virus which would defeat species 8472, and liberated from the collective by Janeway (over the objections of Chakotay.)

I'm a fan of the original first season (1966-67), some of season 2, and about a couple from season 3 when the show suddenly became an unfunny version of TV's Batman in space.

The 1979 motion picture has grown on me since release, especially once extra scenes were added that allowed some, y'know, characterisation - a bit of the witty banter we're used to. Otherwise it was like a lowbrow Kubrick-style 2001 journey (except not as brain-curdling or hypnotic) that boringly went where no man could be bothered to go before, stretching the original season 2 "The Changeling" episode to ridiculous extremes.

"Star Trek II" (1982) also nicked (okay okay, a sequel to) a season 1 episode "Space Seed" in order to allow Ricardo Khan to chew the sets and cast like a rabid Mexican poodle (complete with 80s mullet). In fact all the movies are fun, even the Picard next-gen ones that make a fairly pedestrian "Next Generation" TV show feel vital and vaguely interesting again. Once the TV show had Data popping the "Captain - what is 'Love?" question, my patience and stomach snapped. It had become "Dynasty" with intergalactic shoulder-pads.

"Enterprise" with Scott Pukupolova started off okay despite a Russell Watson theme song that should have been cast into space with James Doohan's remains. Then it just died a slow death until JJ ABrams made a stand...

Now, I think JJ Abrams is a remarkable director (based on his directorial debut on "Mission Impossible III" movie alone - a vastly underrated masterpiece that laughs in the face of De Palma and Woo's first two disappointing attempts in the franchise). This new movie should blow our socks and ears off.

Frank wrote:

Sid Seadevil wrote:

Zoltar wrote:It helped Babylon 5 was its own entity and not trying to find its own voice within a "franchise".

I'd rate my favorite series as TOS and DS9. I did enjoy TNG a lot when it first aired but less so now.

I find TNG close to unwatchable now. Slow, ponderous, full of a dire sense of its own self importance - It's almost become the series equivalent of ST:TMP.

Except ST:TMP had Robert Wise.

Unlike many Trek fans, I adore The Motion Picture. It has a truly epic feel to it, courtesy of Mr. Wise, and visually it's lavish. Yes, I know the story's not much cop but that film still has something magical about it despite it being rather pompous. And the Jerry Goldsmith score is to die for!

I think TMP is epic and lavish, but it's also slow and ponderous. It needed a bit more life, a bit more of the charm that TOS had. I don't dislike it, I just wish it would've taken itself a bit less seriously.

Sid Seadevil wrote:Agreed, it did have a truly epic feel to it - and Goldsmith's score was, is, and always will remain a thing of beauty. But I admit to bias on that point - Jerry Goldsmith is in my top five of film score composers.

Mine as well. It's impossible for me to imagine Star Trek without his music.

Sid Seadevil wrote:

Zoltar wrote:
I'd rate my favorite series as TOS and DS9. I did enjoy TNG a lot when it first aired but less so now.

I find TNG close to unwatchable now. Slow, ponderous, full of a dire sense of its own self importance - It's almost become the series equivalent of ST:TMP.

Except ST:TNG had Robert Wise.

Season 3 of TNG is terrific, I think. Some really strong stories, amongst the best of all Trek. Yesterdays Enterprise, Best of Both Worlds Pt 1, The Defector, Sarek..there's quite a few others. Season 4's not too shabby either. I still watch stories from that period from time to time.

Everything else from TNG I'd agree with you about. The last three seasons were just awful (although All Good Things..., the series finale wasn't too bad). Soft-focus mushiness, most of it.

Finally got to see a real preview for the new Trek movie with Quantum of Solace the other night.

Not quite sure what I think of it. It's definitely got some things going for it in the FX department, but it didn't have terribly...well, Star Trek feel to it. On the other hand, it wasn't much of a preview. Something longer may be needed for me to get a better feel of what it's about.

I do think Zach Quinto looks very Spock-like.

I still remember complaining to my father that I wouldn't enjoy that dreadful new series 'Star Trek' that was taking over the Saturday 'Who' slot...

In the end, Trek became compulsive viewing for me. I did enjoy a lot of the 'Next Generation', a lot of 'Voyager' and most of 'DS9'. ('DS9' is my husband's favourite. Mum enjoyed 'Next Gen': she fancied Picard.)

I've only seen a few episodes of 'Enterprise'; still not sure what I make of it.

I spotted the latest leaked trailer for Star Trek on YouTube. Colour me unimpressed.

Very sad to hear of Majel Barrett Roddenberry's passing on Thursday. A lovely woman whom I was very fortunate to meet and chat with on at least two occasions. God bless her.

Times Obit

Frank wrote:Very sad to hear of Majel Barrett Roddenberry's passing on Thursday. A lovely woman whom I was very fortunate to meet and chat with on at least two occasions. God bless her.

Times Obit

Indeed. Read about this yesterday.

She will be missed.

Frank wrote:Very sad to hear of Majel Barrett Roddenberry's passing on Thursday. A lovely woman whom I was very fortunate to meet and chat with on at least two occasions. God bless her.

Times Obit

I missed this news, somehow.



Yes, I'm sad to hear that she's gone.

RIP, Ricardo Montalban.

Zoltar wrote:RIP, Ricardo Montalban.

Seconded. Always a classy edition to any project he was attached to. And criminally underrated for much of his long career.

I thought he died ages ago! RIP again!

Buried alive....buried alive....buried alive

Goodbye Khan. RIP Ricardo. Obit on my blog.

Frank wrote:Buried alive....buried alive....buried alive

Goodbye Khan. RIP Ricardo. Obit on my blog.

Nice, Frank. As was your one on McGoohan.

I am a proudly a Trekkie.. it with Twiight Zone and Outer Limits the original B and W got me into Scifi shows as a child....

TOS will always be my first love.. I saw it as a child with my dad from day one.. and Spock will always be my hero.. the Enterprise NCC 1701 no bloody A, B, C or D sits on top of my TV the TARDIS is on the other side.. To me, warning heresy alert, but Star Trek and Dr. Who are equal loves..

I like all of the Next Generation except that first season.. when it first came on i didnt watch as I was so angry there was no Vulcan on the bridge but gave it another chance and Data and Worf and Picard drew me in...

I loved DS9 and I find most Dr Who fans do.. which makes sense as it was created specifically to pull in scifi fandom and have the franchise modernized and not so squeaky clean.... for me it just worked and the characters were like in Dr Who so good they drew you in..and kept you wanting to see what happened to them next..
Voyager on the other hand later was a reboot attempt to get Non Trek fans and I maintain that's why most scifi fans have it as their least fav o f the trek shows.. I do love the holo Dr and Neelix and Belana..

I like all the movies TOS and Next gen.. yup I even liked but cry at the end of Nemesis as Im a Dataphile.. Wrath of Khan is my favorite though.. and the new movie.. for me was absolutely wonderful!

Frank wrote:
Unlike many Trek fans, I adore The Motion Picture. It has a truly epic feel to it, courtesy of Mr. Wise, and visually it's lavish. Yes, I know the story's not much cop but that film still has something magical about it despite it being rather pompous. And the Jerry Goldsmith score is to die for!

I am with you and when you see the Enterprise for the first time back.... yup it is magic.. I really think age makes a difference in liking this one a lot... I don't know where you fall but i think those of us that grew up watching TOS love this one much more than those that didnt.. and if you never experienced that long break before we got our first movie.... its just not the same..
That's why really once we got the Enterprise there.. and had the crew did it really matter that much what they did?

Just got my hands on the remastered first season TOS episodes. All pristine and shiny, - with beautifully sensitive to the original new effects. It's reminded me why I've always loved TOS above all other incarnations.

Sid Seadevil wrote:Just got my hands on the remastered first season TOS episodes. All pristine and shiny, - with beautifully sensitive to the original new effects. It's reminded me why I've always loved TOS above all other incarnations.

The new effects for the Remastered set were excellent. Updated but entirely true to the spirit and style of the originals. It really does breathe new life into a classic.

Ginger Ninja has recently got heavily into TNG & Voyager, courtesy of Virgin1.