Trek thoughts

[serenissima]

Last night we went out to see the new Star Trek movie with a couple of friends. I was entertained and enjoyed the movie, but I didn't think it was a great movie. I liked Generations better. I think that was the last Star Trek movie I watched. To be fair, I've hardly seen any of the original series or the movies with the original cast. I've seen some The Next Generation episodes and a few of Deep Space Nine, and that's all.

One complaint I have is that I don't like the Bettie Page-style bangs on Spock... but checking Google Image Search, I guess he's always had that kind of hair cut. I also thought that Kirk was, on the whole, a rather unsympathetic character. Sulu was cool, though.

Spoilerish complaints, in the order in which I think of them:

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If "old" Spock was marooned on the frozen planet for 25 years and knew about the Fleet science outpost within hiking distance, why did he never go over and say hello until Kirk showed up?

I don't know what "red matter" was supposed to be, but if it was so dense that an explosive charge can turn it into a black hole, it seems unlikely that a person could take a drop of it into a syringe.

Why did Chekov have to get up from his seat and run to another room to program beaming people on board? Shouldn't he be able to control that from any computer on the ship?

What was the point of showing little boy Kirk driving the Corvette? I didn't think there was enough tying the childhood scenes to the rest of the movie. The transition from Kirk deciding to attend the academy to "Three Years Later" was too abrupt for my taste, too.

I just think Kirk got away with far too much. He didn't even apologize to Spock for picking a fight with him or offer any explanation. And then he was made captain of his own ship right out of school, while the issue of cheating was never resolved on screen.

Why did they hang around and attack the damaged Romulan ship when they knew that enough "red matter" to spawn thousands of black holes was about to be ignited? They should have run away at top speed as soon as the enemy declined their offer of rescue.

People dropping from orbit onto a planet with an atmosphere, even miles above the surface, would burn up in the atmosphere without the thermal protection of a space capsule or similar.

Comments

[sternbunny.livejournal.com]

The first point is that the 25 years didn't exist for Old Spock. Those 25 years passed while we was passing through the black hole time thingie. Nero had to wait that long but it was only seconds to Old Spock. OSpock got dropped a little before Vulcan got attacked.

Beth

[jcfiala.livejournal.com]

I think the Red Matter was like a mass explosion - when 'set off' it caused a singularity, but while it was in that suspension it was inert. The syringe both looks cool and helps make sure that you get the proper amount without breaking the suspension, I think.

Chekov probably had to do that because the transporter controls were physical - they had the three switches - and the ship doesn't have virtual controls for the different locations - they didn't have that until ST:TNG

Of course Kirk gets away with far too much. he's Kirk - he tries for the brass ring and usually gets it. :)