# Star Trek -- the "I saw it" thread \*\*SPOILERS\*\* **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 7, 2009, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640 "2009-05-07T08:13:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2009, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/241 "2009-05-12T11:00:24Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Every cloud… > > Rikwriter: Is one of the authors your cousin or something? 🙂 Yeah, that must be it…it can’t be that most people really like the movie, including both the critics and the moviegoers. I must have some weird connection to it… ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2009, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/242 "2009-05-12T13:08:13Z")
It’s probably your peculiar defensiveness that he’s picking up on. Like you said, most of us like the movie, and I’ve probably got three dozen posts defending plot elements of the movie scattered in the half dozen threads on it, but you’re coming off a bit emotionally compromised and petulant in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2009, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/243 "2009-05-12T13:12:41Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > It’s probably your peculiar defensiveness that he’s picking up on. Like you said, most of us like the movie, and I’ve probably got three dozen posts defending plot elements of the movie scattered in the half dozen threads on it, but you’re coming off a bit emotionally compromised and petulant in this thread. He’s obviously unfit to [captain](http://www.otherlandtoys.co.uk/380x350_2bc956c8.jpg)this thread. His emotions have made him unfit for that particular duty. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2009, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/244 "2009-05-12T13:12:45Z")
> [@RikWriter](#): > > Yeah, that must be it… I apologize that my attempt at humor comes off flat. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2009, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/245 "2009-05-12T13:14:23Z")
> [@Surbey](#): > > As soon as they suited up and said his name was Olson, all of my friends turned toward each other and laughed “RED SHIRT!” It was great watching him die, made me very happy. What’s the significance of the name Olson? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2009, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/246 "2009-05-12T14:26:28Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > What’s the significance of the name Olson? It’s the fact that the name WASN’T Scott. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2009, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/247 "2009-05-12T14:34:50Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > It’s probably your peculiar defensiveness that he’s picking up on. Like you said, most of us like the movie, and I’ve probably got three dozen posts defending plot elements of the movie scattered in the half dozen threads on it, but you’re coming off a bit emotionally compromised and petulant in this thread. If you say so. I am impressed with your ability to read someone’s emotional mood from a few words on a message board. But by all means, let’s make this about me rather than the topic. ---
**Author:** ![kasuo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8c91f0/32.png) [@kasuo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kasuo)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2009, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/248 "2009-05-12T15:13:21Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > It’s the fact that the name WASN’T Scott. The funniest example of this was in Galaxy Quest when Sam Rockwell’s character freaked out and ranted about how he was doomed to die since his character in the old TV series wasn’t important enough to have a last name. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2009, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/249 "2009-05-12T15:15:25Z")
> [@RikWriter](#): > > If you say so. I am impressed with your ability to read someone’s emotional mood from a few words on a message board. But by all means, let’s make this about me rather than the topic. Thanks. It is rather impressive, isn’t it? > [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I apologize that my attempt at humor comes off flat. You say some variant of that a lot. Humor really is a difficult concept for you, isn’t it? 😛 ..I forgot how fun it was to needle you. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2009, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/250 "2009-05-12T15:54:58Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > You say some variant of that a lot. Humor really is a difficult concept for you, isn’t it? 😛 Indeed. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![want2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@want2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2know)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2009, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/251 "2009-05-12T17:00:56Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > Yeah, the hair and her pink lips clashed with the green. She looked like a Christmas Elf or something. And that’s a _bad_ thing? 😛 My fan credits: Love TOS, love TNG more, DS9 is good but not great, couldn’t get into Voyager or Enterprise. Movie-wise, Wrath of Khan is my favorite, followed by Generations, First Contact and Voyage Home. That said, I absolutely _loved_ it! Y’know, I never truly understood the phrase “We had to destroy it in order to save it” until I saw this movie. The reboot of the story was absolutely necessary to take the franchise to the next level, and Abrams totally _nailed_ it! The interaction between the characters was as good as it’s ever been, and that was always my favorite aspect of _Trek_. The only character I didn’t absolutely love was Chekov, who was a bit too much of a caricature compared to the others. My favorite? Karl Urban as McCoy. I swear, I could hear DeForest Kelley’s voice every time he spoke. And McCoy’s backstory (the divorce) was wonderful. In fact, all the main characters’ backstories were great, and provided a much-needed explanation into their personalities. OK, maybe Kirk moved up through the ranks a bit too fast–like TOS wasn’t chock full of improbabilities? It’s a movie and it’s fun–no more need be said. I will be seeing this again this week–and more than likely next week as well. You wanna know why? Because, as much as I’ve liked most of the other _Trek_ films, this was the first time…let me repeat that, _first time_… since TWOK that I actually had _fun_ watching a _Trek_ film! ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2009, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/252 "2009-05-12T18:04:05Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > First, I believe Kirk’s brother Sam is older. Since he does not apparently exist in this timeline, and the point of divergence is the nearly simultaneous death of Kirk Senior and birth of the Jim we see on screen, that has to be explained. Why? Is his existence actually denied in the movie? (The character was meant to be in the film at one time, according to [online sources](http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Spencer_Daniels).) > [@](#): > > Maybe George and Jim from the original reality looked very much unlike. [Nope](http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/File:GeorgeSamuelKirk.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2009, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/253 "2009-05-12T18:07:15Z")
> [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > So far, I seem to be the only person in the world who didn’t like it, and I’m genuinely bewildered at the acclaim it’s getting. I don’t know, maybe it’s just a case of contrarianism on my part, but I just don’t see what’s supposed to be so good about it, and instead I see quite a bit of bad > …snip… No, you’re not the only one. This movie sucked. It violated canon bigtime. Violated, hell - it raped canon with a sandpaper rubber. You feel that vibration under your feet? That’s old Gene rotating in his grave. And he’s up to about 200 rpm by now. I’m surprised that genuine Trekkers are charging the director’s house with torches and pitchforks. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2009, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/254 "2009-05-12T18:08:13Z")
Can you give examples of canon raping? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2009, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/255 "2009-05-12T18:12:23Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > Why? Mostly orneryness. > [@](#): > > Is his existence actually denied in the movie? (The character was meant to be in the film at one time, according to [online sources](http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Spencer_Daniels).) [Nope](http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/File:GeorgeSamuelKirk.jpg). Though I’m not a continuity purist–like I said upthread, I’d have been fine with them not even paying lip service to the six tv series and ten previous movies–I am of the opinion that if it’s not shownon screen, it doesn’t count. Besides, I was obliged to see the movie a second time (I’d promised my nephew I would take him weeks ago), so I had to do something to keep from gouging out my own eyes, and there were just so many cleavage shots of Zoe Saldana to look forward to. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2009, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/256 "2009-05-12T18:17:15Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > You feel that vibration under your feet? That’s old Gene rotating in his grave. And he’s up to about 200 rpm by now. I’m surprised that genuine Trekkers are charging the director’s house with torches and pitchforks. Roddenberry made some good TV episodes but his movies were absolute shit. I know everyone disagrees with me but of the first ten movies I thought one was good and nine were bad, with some being just a little bad (First Contact) and some really, really bad, including, by the way, the usually well regarded Undiscovered Country, which I thought was a pile of dung. The one movie Roddenberry was deliberately pushed out of making creative decisions for - The Wrath of Khan - was the one really good movie made up to this point. Gene Roddenberry is to be credited for coming up with a great idea but he’s not a bloody saint, and “canon” means squat. I’m looking forward to seeing where this series goes, even if this movie had some problems with the script. One of the reasons this Star Trek movie will likely be the most commercially successful of the lot is that it’s fresh and exciting and doesn’t feel like something Gene Roddenberry did or that was put together by nad-slapping Trekkies more interested in “canon” than fun. It wasn’t perfect, but it had a lot of things going for it. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2009, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/257 "2009-05-12T19:54:54Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Roddenberry made some good TV episodes but his movies were absolute shit. I know everyone disagrees with me but of the first ten movies I thought one was good and nine were bad, with some being just a little bad (First Contact) and some really, really bad, including, by the way, the usually well regarded Undiscovered Country, which I thought was a pile of dung. The one movie Roddenberry was deliberately pushed out of making creative decisions for - The Wrath of Khan - was the one really good movie made up to this point. > > Gene Roddenberry is to be credited for coming up with a great idea but he’s not a bloody saint, and “canon” means squat. I’m looking forward to seeing where this series goes, even if this movie had some problems with the script. > > One of the reasons this Star Trek movie will likely be the most commercially successful of the lot is that it’s fresh and exciting and doesn’t feel like something Gene Roddenberry did or that was put together by nad-slapping Trekkies more interested in “canon” than fun. It wasn’t perfect, but it had a lot of things going for it. Amen and hear, hear on all points. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2009, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/258 "2009-05-12T20:54:05Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > You feel that vibration under your feet? That’s old Gene rotating in his grave. Good. By the end, Roddenberry was a charicature of himself. Anything that would have pleased him would have sucked. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2009, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/259 "2009-05-12T20:55:36Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > Can you give examples of canon raping? Canon raping sounds like something a Nikon would do. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2009, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/260 "2009-05-12T21:05:42Z")
> [@RikWriter](#): > > Good. By the end, Roddenberry was a charicature of himself. Anything that would have pleased him would have sucked. No, he was a sick old man who created Star Trek. Please, that’s too insulting to a great talent. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640.md?page=14)