# 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:** 7
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/121 "2009-05-09T21:17:15Z")
I saw it today and enjoyed the hell out of it. It put the fun back in Star Trek that had been missing since ST IV. Awesome pacing, great SFX, decent acting, good dialogue. I eagerly await the sequel. ---
**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 9, 2009, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/122 "2009-05-09T21:50:27Z")
> [@DeptfordX](#): > > Do they explain where on earth (so to speak) the rest of the Starfleet navy is? Wasn’t there some, and my memory is hazy on this point, mention of another crisis somewhere which is why they had to rush all the cadets onto the ships available around Earth. > > Which now i think of it is also a bit odd. There’s half a dozen uncrewed starships just sitting there in orbit? :dubious: I don’t think so, because it’s dedicated to the back story of Nero and Spock’s plan with a lot of STNG cameos. I just paged through it; it was pretty dry. ---
**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 9, 2009, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/123 "2009-05-09T21:59:42Z")
> [@Kal](#): > > Enjoyable film, but I thought Kirk was a wanker. That’s a sig, man. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/124 "2009-05-09T22:02:34Z")
Just got back from seeing it. I loved it. A brilliant re-boot of the franchise. As a follower of Star Trek from the day the TV show premiered, I look forward to new adventures involving Kirk, Spock, et al that can disregard the whole previous TOS canon. (Yes, yes, I know the science made no sense, the plot depended on suspension of disbelief, etc. But TOS was always like that!) BTW, just where is the Iowa canyon located? 😃 ---
**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 9, 2009, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/125 "2009-05-09T22:06:09Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > That’s a sig, man. 🙂 Missed the edit. ---
**Author:** ![Furious\_Marmot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@Furious\_Marmot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Furious_Marmot)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/126 "2009-05-09T22:13:56Z")
I’m probably a 3 on the fan intensity scale, having seen most of TNG in it’s 1st run, but ihaving never warmed to the subsequent series, I skipped them and the books. Aside from the first six movies and occasional late-night reruns, everything I know about the TOS comes from things fans say and Futurama’s Zap Branigan. That said, I liked it much more than any of the earlier movies, except possibly Wrath of Khan. It looked great, the dialogue was no worse than the previous movies. Maybe a bit too much silly humour, but that’s better than an excess of taking itself seriously. It certainly would have benefitted from a more logical plot. If only the writers had had the nerve to drop the time travel tie-in and just reimagine it from the ground up. A few things bugged me: Scottie’s assistant alien would have been better portrayed as another sentient being (albeit an apparently mute one), rather than the sort of clever monkey they went with. Who are the googly-eyed species? There are at least 2-the doctor with Mrs. Kirk and one on the Enterprise. There’s no Romulan OSHA, right? Because the Super Mario Brothers platforms inside the ship make no sense otherwise. Really the whole ship makes no sense except as an excercise in scary-looking space ship design. Nero’s motivation is a little confusing. The Romulan empire is in decline and it’s Federation’s fault. OK, so he’s pissed off, but not enough to go marauding in his badass ship or join the Navy or something. Then a natural disaster threatens Romulus and the whole galaxy (what?). The Federation makes a pretty desperate attempt to save the day. They could have just waited until the Romulans were wiped out and then save the galaxy, but instead they try to be nice about it. So Nero should be at least a little less pissed off, right? Here are your mortal enemies going out of their way to help you. But it’s too late, or Spock’s aim sucks, or something and Romulus bites it. Within a few minutes of that both ships get sucked into the past while chasing/fleeing from each other. So, why was the Bald Bad Guy chasing Spock when the time travel happened? Shouldn’t he have been off doing his job somewhere far away instead of chasing the only guy that had any chance of saving his homeland? Did he just happen to be in the area and after the plan failed, he thought “I’m screwed now, may as well kill Spock”. Maybe I missed something. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/127 "2009-05-09T23:15:03Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > BTW, just where is the Iowa canyon located? 😃 Barre, Vermont. See [here](http://www.timesargus.com/article/20090505/NEWS01/905050325). ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/128 "2009-05-10T00:39:09Z")
> [@SaintCad](#): > > OK my 2 cents: > It was a reboot and it’s _Star Trek_ physics so I can handle a lot of the big things, but the little things bothered me. > > 1. Spock already commander with the muppet babies still in the academy That makes sense to me. I always thought Spock was supposed to be older than most of the crew, save Bones, who pretty clearly is joining Starfleet only because he has nowehere else to go. I mean, I could pick the movie apart too - I agree it makes no sense that the Romulan ship faced no resistance above either Earth of Vulcan, or at least it was not very well explained - but in general it was a pretty good movie. I agree with the widespread consensus that it was better than any other Star Trek movies except Wrath of Khan. They’re both far, far above any of the other Star Trek movies, which IMHO all range from mediocre to awful. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/129 "2009-05-10T00:49:26Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > BTW, just where is the Iowa canyon located? 😃 I think that was supposed to be a quarry of some kind, but on a much bigger scale than any I’ve ever driven a car into. ---
**Author:** ![Rufus\_Xavier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@Rufus\_Xavier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rufus_Xavier)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/130 "2009-05-10T01:06:43Z")
I saw it today and think that it was fun and watchable, and that it was also a stupid story told clumsily. I might have to watch it again to sort out my feelings, but I went through the movie liking a few scenes and then not liking the next few scenes, and going back and forth like that. I thought there were several great shots, but my favorite shot was when Enterprise rose from the methane clouds of Titan with Saturn as a backdrop. Overall, I felt there were more pluses than minuses, and I saw it in a great theater, so I feel I got my money’s worth. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/131 "2009-05-10T01:10:16Z")
> [@Furious\_Marmot](#): > > Nero’s motivation is a little confusing. The Romulan empire is in decline and it’s Federation’s fault. OK, so he’s pissed off, but not enough to go marauding in his badass ship or join the Navy or something. Then a natural disaster threatens Romulus and the whole galaxy (what?). The Federation makes a pretty desperate attempt to save the day. They could have just waited until the Romulans were wiped out and then save the galaxy, but instead they try to be nice about it. So Nero should be at least a little less pissed off, right? Here are your mortal enemies going out of their way to help you. But it’s too late, or Spock’s aim sucks, or something and Romulus bites it. Within a few minutes of that both ships get sucked into the past while chasing/fleeing from each other. So, why was the Bald Bad Guy chasing Spock when the time travel happened? Shouldn’t he have been off doing his job somewhere far away instead of chasing the only guy that had any chance of saving his homeland? Did he just happen to be in the area and after the plan failed, he thought “I’m screwed now, may as well kill Spock”. Maybe I missed something. This (and some of **Smitty’s** questions - Spock was piloting because it looked like it was going to be a Heroic Sacrifice situation) are answered in the tie-in prequel comic. It shows the entire incident that led to Spock and Nero going back in time. This, of course, does not excuse the movie’s failure to make things clearer for those who couldn’t or didn’t want to read the comic. Just saying it’s there. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/132 "2009-05-10T01:45:41Z")
My wife and I were watching _Lost_ a couple of weeks ago and, towards the beginning of the episode, they showed the ST trailer featuring the scene with Kirk on the ice planet. My wife had walked in during the middle of the sequence, expecting to see _Lost_. She was confused for a second, then squealed (and she’s very precious when she does this)… “Awesome! It’s Hurley’s rewrite!” She probably wasn’t the only person in the country who thought that… ---
**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 10, 2009, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/133 "2009-05-10T02:05:02Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I always thought Spock was supposed to be older than most of the crew, save Bones, who pretty clearly is joining Starfleet only because he has nowehere else to go. I’m not complaining, 🙂 but from [Star Trek dot Com:](http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/series/TOS/characters/index.html) Kirk, James T. Date of birth: March 22, 2233 Place of birth: Riverside, Iowa, Earth Education: Starfleet Academy, 2250-2254 Spock Year of birth: 2230 Place of birth: Shi’Kahr, Vulcan Education: Starfleet Academy, 2249-53 Leonard H. McCoy, M.D. Year of birth: 2227 Education: University of Mississippi, 2245-49; medical school, 2249-53 Scott, Montgomery “Scotty” Year of birth: 2222 Education: Starfleet Academy, 2240-44 Chekov, Pavel Andreievich Year of birth: 2245 Education: Starfleet Academy, 2263-67 Uhura Date of birth: 2239 Place of birth: United States of Africa, Earth Parents: Mother, M’Umbha Education: Starfleet Academy, 2257-61 Sulu, Hikaru Date of birth: 2237 Place of birth: San Francisco, Earth Education: Starfleet Academy, 2255-59 ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/134 "2009-05-10T02:15:36Z")
Didn’t Like: [ul] [li]Captaincy - The first captain of the Enterprise was Robert April, then Christopher Pike, then Kirk. [/li][li]Spock’s service - He indeed turn down the Vulcan Science Academy and joined Starfleet. However, he served with Pike 17 years before Kirk became captain.[/li][li]Junior officers - The relative ages of the crew are glaringly wrong. McCoy and Scott were about 10 years older than Kirk, Sulu about 7 younger, and Chekov about 12 younger.[/li][li]Spock and Uhura - :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:[/li][li]Kirk’s service - He served aboard other vessels, notably the USS Farragut[/li][li]Ship’s design - Nothing like the TOS original. Engineering looked more like the Titanic’s engine room.[/li][li]Romulans (again) - Reminded me of “Nemesis”. Also, they weren’t known to be Vulcan relatives until “Balance of Terror”. And their ship? A confusing mish-mash, like “V’ger”.[/li][li]Time Travel - Great when well-used, unlike here. At least have the decency to travel again and set things “right”.[/li][li]Kirk’s Brother - In TOS, his name was George, obviously a “junior”. But no mention of him back on Earth.[/li][/ul] Frankly, I should’ve spent my $10 on “X-Men: Wolverine”. ☹ Did Like: [ul] [li]McCoy and Scott - the actors played those characters very well, getting the little nuances that took TOS three years to develop[/li][li]“Admiral Archer’s Beagle” - probably not Porthos, but one of his descendant. Nice touch.[/li][li]Return of the Miniskirt Uniform - 'nuff said.[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![LorieSmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a587f6/32.png) [@LorieSmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LorieSmurf)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/135 "2009-05-10T02:16:02Z")
I’m an 8 on the aforementioned Trek fan scale and I loved the movie. I was pleasantly surprised by the Spock/Uhura romance. The Mccoy characterization was spot on. I wanted to ruffle Chekov’s hair and pinch his cheeks 'cause he was so damn cute. Chris Pine did a great job as Kirk, especially at the ending bridge scene where he was channeling Shatner a bit. All in all, a great reboot. ---
**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 10, 2009, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/136 "2009-05-10T02:32:53Z")
> [@Rufus\_Xavier](#): > > I thought there were several great shots, but my favorite shot was when Enterprise rose from the methane clouds of Titan with Saturn as a backdrop. I want that as a poster. ---
**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 10, 2009, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/137 "2009-05-10T02:35:06Z")
> [@AWB](#): > > McCoy and Scott - the actors played those characters very well, getting the little nuances that took TOS three years to develop They stand, Sir, on the heads of giants. 🙂 > [@AWB](#): > > “Admiral Archer’s Beagle” - probably not Porthos, but one of his descendant. Nice touch. I didn’t notice that; thanks. Maybe from Vega III Beagle Rescue. > [@AWB](#): > > Return of the Miniskirt Uniform - 'nuff said. Oh yeah. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/138 "2009-05-10T02:59:56Z")
I’ve never watched Star Trek on TV. In fact, most of my knowledge comes from that old SNL sketch with Belushi playing Kirk. (“Yes, but… for how long, Mr. Spock? For. How. Long?”) Oh, and I also saw Wrath of Khan somewhere along the line and liked it well enough. That said, I had a blast at this movie tonight. The most fun I’ve had at the movies since The Dark Knight. I think this movie will play better for those who couldn’t care less about Trek ‘canon.’ I also think this movie will make a mint; there was applause following the screening I attended. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/139 "2009-05-10T04:31:06Z")
Since most of what I was going to say or discuss has been said or discussed I’ll just add: Tyler Perry? WTF?!?! Well, at least he wasn’t playign M’dea and at least it wasn’t Tyler Perry’s STAR TREK. And poor Pike can’t even escape the wheelchair in an alternate timeline. He really offended the spacegods. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640/140 "2009-05-10T04:46:12Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#): > > Granted, the story isn’t the strongest, and the plot has a few problems, but holy shit this was a breathtaking thrill ride! Maybe you had to see it in IMAX. This movie was hella fun, super exciting, and visually astonishing, from the action to the effects to the sets to the aliens. All the other stuff was either good, or not bad enough to distract from the excellent aspects. The only part that I didn’t feel was done well was the Orion slutty roomate - she just didn’t look quite right to me. > > Can’t wait to see it again! One should _NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES_ criticize any plot device that shows Christopher Pine in his underwear. (Damn… I’d drink his bathwater.) (Though I’ll admit the “Jame Tiberius Dean” “Rebel Without a Causality” aspect of his youth was irritating.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-i-saw-it-thread-spoilers/495640.md?page=8)