Mrs. Bernse and I had a bit of a Trek weekend. We watched STIII and First Contact. I noticed that my FC VHS was getting a little worn out (tracking, hi-fi sound cutting out) so I mentioned to her that I’m going to have to buy the series on DVD as I get around to it.
Well, I went to pick up Nemisis at the store the other day and I noticed that ALL the Star Trek DVD movies were on sale at something like 40% off! So, What the hell I figured and bought them all in one shot.
EXCEPT:
Star Trek - The Motion Picture
and
Star Trek 5.
Why not Star Trek 1? Well, I remember it being quite boring with about 45 minutes of it (or so) just “special effects.” The new directors cut version boasted “Several Hours” of new “footage”, which I am assuming is mostly circa 1978 “Special Effects”. I don’t think I could handle sitting through that.
Why not Star Trek 5? Well, lets just say I have better things to spend $19 on than that drek.
I am giving away my VHS copies to my dad so I will no longer own them all. Should I be ashamed of myself? Is Gene Roddenberry going to haunt me?
I think the director’s cut of ST-TMP would be of a certain “historical” interest to Trek fans. I believe the DVD contains loads of commentary and background detail on how the first Star Trek movie came to be. I’ve also heard that, beyond the additional “Enterprise Porn”, there are additional scenes that really fill in details of the plot and character motivation.
Note that I haven’t actually seen it. Someone who has should confirm or correct my assertions, but I think you might be a bit hasty to write it off casually. Star Trek 5 is another matter. There are rumors of a “good” version of that as well, but I’m not sure any redeeming scenes have made it into a DVD, and certainly the film is of less significance to the Star Trek ouvre than ST-TMP, except perhaps as the film wherein the franchise “jumped the shark”.
Keep in mind that a true fan of any science fiction franchis must be incredibly bitter about how “thier” show was ruined by the very people who created it in the first place. For example, I, as a true Star Wars fan, have a borderline homicidal hatred for George Lucas because the prequels didn’t measure up to the originals. The fact that the originals I love so dearly would never have exsisted without George Lucas is immaterial to my entirely melodramatic loathing.
In other words, so long as you practice sneering, “Why would GOD need a SPACESHIP?” everyday, no true Trekkie will blame you for not owning Star Trek V.
OK I bought the DVD for 1. It is a bit better and the new effects were pretty decent in that they matched th old effects and didn’t have that glaring “THIS IS NEW” look to them unlike other franchises I won’t mention. There is one cool suplement on the aborted Star Trek Phase II series and some costume tests and a few scren tests for Spocks replacement, Xon. That actor you find out was later relegated to becoming the ill fated Epsillon 9 commander.
I have it because it fits in the collection. I even bought Star Trek IV though I loathe that movie just less than ST V.
STV wasn’t all that bad… it had a few moments…I like hearing McCoy tell Kirk that the Captain pisses him off. And I think The McCoy and his father thing actually worked. And What would God need with a Star Ship?
I will buy the special edition for V just for Shatners commentary and whatever extras come with it. By the way Shatner was not allowed to “fix” the film in any way.
This. Scene. Is where Spock. Used. The. Gravity Boots. This. Was. My. Favorite. Scene. Right. After. Row. Row. Row. Your. Boat.
I think I’ll pass on that experience!
BTW Does anyone know if they making “directors cuts” of all of the Trek films or just the 80s ones?
I had all the movies on DVD from their original release. Then I bought One’s special edition and gave away the first copy. Then I bought Two’s special edition and gave away the first copy. Three’s special edition has been taunting me from the store for quite sometime now but I’ve resisted thanks to a weak bank account.
I’ve heard they’re going to do them all. Although the more recent ones we wont have to wait for. Some of the original releases are so basic you don’t even get subtitles.
I’ll say. They covered the exact same territory as GalaxyQuest a good, what eight years earlier? I like Wrath of Khan and First Contact better, but Voyage Home is a solid third place in the pantheon of Trek films.
No I kid not. the whole lets go back and save the humpbacks thing left me cold. I do like light episodes but this movie never did it for me. The “let’s make fun of the primatives” (who were really supposed to be us) thing got stale for me rather quickly. The Hospital chase was not that funny, for me either.
I did like the no yes bit when Kirk was asked if he liked Italian.
This is all my opinion any way so there you go.’
Oh and before anyone tries to bring this up… No, Scotty banging his head was not funny it was embarrasing.
My favorite is still Wrath of Khan. The best of the film Franchise. It had the right blend of Action, tension, deepercharacters, interesting themes (Age, revenge and Loyalty) and stands up alone without the need to be Trek as a good film.
Star Trek V is near the bottom of my list with Insurection, Generations and Voyage home.
Years before ST IV came out, I was sitting in a Creative Writing class, and the professor told us about one of the kinds of stories he gets that he hates – one of the ones he loathed the most was the story where the hero sides with the whales or dolphins against the evil whalers. He thought it too easy and self-indulgent and he got WAYYYY too many of them, especially from Kids from California.
I couldn’t help but think of this so many years later when I saw Star Trek IV. One of those kids must’ve grown up and found a sympathetic film-maker. Or else Nicholas Meyer and the other Trekistas cynically tapped into a mother lode of audience empathy.
That sid, I loved ST IV, despite the fisky plot. It was one of the few times that the other crew members got a chance to shine on their own. An ensemble piece, rather than one organized around the Captain and Spock.
Yep, sorry that was my point. I was defending bits of Star Trek V and bashed the humour of Star Trek IV but had to add the side note that No a lot of the humour in ST:V Blew too before someone called me up on it.
You can blame Nimoy for the environmentalism themes of The Voyage Home, CalMeacham. He’d just finished reading some book and had wanted to incorporate some of it into the movie.
