Star Wars: The Force Awakens - SPOILER THREAD

PaladinTom wrote:

Why does it a) have to be someone "big" and b) have to be someone known for action?

Trek belongs on TV with thoughtful sci-fi stories - not all the shooties and splodings.

I'll agree that there was some of that classic TOS humanism missing from JJ's Star Trek, but you couldn't argue about the quality of his work (lets agree that horse responsible for the lens flares is already dead). It was an intentional reboot aimed at a younger audience that doesn't remember "Wagon train to the Stars", doesn't care about the Prime Directive, and is fully willing to accept the premise of an 'Alternate Reality' version blessed and graced by Spock himself.

While he didn't hit every button, he did the most important thing: give Star Trek back a place at the table of modern franchises. He made it cool to like Star Trek. Which means, we'll get more Star Trek.

If that's the most offensive thing he's done to the franchise, god bless him.

The only problem is that the thing that he made it cool to like isn't Star Trek. And if that's all that we get more of, that's fine for what it is, but it's not more Star Trek.

Now, in the unlikely event that the new series that CBS seems intent on killing before it's even begun manages to carry forward what I actually like about Star Trek, I'll give JJ's in-name-only movie franchise some credit for keeping the brand (if not the spirit) alive in the meantime. But, and call me cynical, I'm not holding my breath.

Trek:
Enterprise
The Final Frontier
The Animated Series

Not Trek:
Things JJ has done

There was an animated Star Trek?

Demosthenes wrote:

There was an animated Star Trek?

Yes, from the same studio that brought you Yogi Bear and the Flintstones if I remember correctly (and I rarely do)

Since we're already way off topic. I enjoyed the Star Trek reboot despite some of the obvious flaws and Abramisms (which are also present in Star Wars). I didn't really have a problem until the second film which just went completely off the rails and now the 3rd film is hard to take seriously as anything other than "Star Trek and Furious: Enterprise Drift"

At this point I'm willing to let the franchise die while it still has some dignity.

Christ, what did I do?

Tanglebones wrote:

Trek:
Enterprise
The Final Frontier
The Animated Series

Not Trek:
Things JJ has done

Also Not Trek: This thread.

(Sorry )

ClockworkHouse wrote:

Christ, what did I do?

You broke open the 2016 version of Wars vs. Trek, which is about bewailing which has it worse, instead of which is better (or who would win)

Crazed Java wrote:

I enjoyed the Star Trek reboot despite some of the obvious flaws and Abramisms (which are also present in Star Wars). I didn't really have a problem until the second film which just went completely off the rails and now the 3rd film is hard to take seriously as anything other than "Star Trek and Furious: Enterprise Drift"

At this point I'm willing to let the franchise die while it still has some dignity.

The first film did a fine job of introducing the new universe and actors and getting everybody into their old chairs. The second film showed that nobody had any idea what to do with them once they were there.

I love Star Wars. I love Star Trek.

I acknowledge both have flaws and warts. Do you want a remake of Spock's Brain? Nobody wants that. But what about The Star Wars Christmas Special?

Half of the non JJ-Star Trek movies were garbage. The Search for Spock? The Final Frontier? The Undiscovered Country? Insurrection? Nemesis? ALL worse than the Star Wars Prequels. I still own most of them.

Guess what though? I own the Star Wars prequels too.

What JJ did to Star Trek was the same thing he did for Star Wars - make people excited about it, especially Studio Execs that need a reason to forget THAT crap and keep paying for the new sequels.

There will NEVER be another movie starring Shatner, Kelly, and Nemoy again. Gods willing, there won't be any more Stewart/Frakes/Sirtis movies either. The best we can hope for is that good, fun movies featuring the universe we love and care about keep going.

I think Star Wars fans got their due with the Force Awakens. Maybe "Into Darkness" didn't quite do that for you, but it's still not like you had to watch Kirk and Uhura flirt like Anakin and Padme, either.

Alz wrote:

I love Star Wars. I love Star Trek.

I acknowledge both have flaws and warts. Do you want a remake of Spock's Brain? Nobody wants that. But what about The Star Wars Christmas Special?

Half of the non JJ-Star Trek movies were garbage. The Search for Spock? The Final Frontier? The Undiscovered Country? Insurrection? Nemesis? ALL worse than the Star Wars Prequels. I still own most of them.

Guess what though? I own the Star Wars prequels too.

What JJ did to Star Trek was the same thing he did for Star Wars - make people excited about it, especially Studio Execs that need a reason to forget THAT crap and keep paying for new direction.

There will NEVER be another movie starring Shatner, Kelly, and Nemoy again. Gods willing, there won't be any more Stewart/Frakes/Sirtis movies either. The best we can hope for is that good, fun movies featuring the universe we love and care about keep going.

I think Star Wars fans got their due with the Force Awakens. Maybe "Into Darkness" didn't quite do that for you, but it's still not like you had to watch Anakin and Padme, either.

I preferred this post in the original Klingon

Spoiler:

All sarcasm upstream aside, this is basically my stance, too (though I liked The Undiscovered Country!)

Alz wrote:

What JJ did to Star Trek was the same thing he did for Star Wars - make people excited about it

Did he though? They were bad scripts made (vaguely) palatable by good direction and great casting, the kind of disposable entertainment most people forget about the moment they walk out of the theatre. There's nothing in those movies that resonate, because the stories just aren't there.

hbi2k wrote:
Crazed Java wrote:

I enjoyed the Star Trek reboot despite some of the obvious flaws and Abramisms (which are also present in Star Wars). I didn't really have a problem until the second film which just went completely off the rails and now the 3rd film is hard to take seriously as anything other than "Star Trek and Furious: Enterprise Drift"

At this point I'm willing to let the franchise die while it still has some dignity.

The first film did a fine job of introducing the new universe and actors and getting everybody into their old hairs. The second film showed that nobody had any idea what to do with them once they were there.

Yeah, better, shorter me.

It was a long time coming between Episode III Star Wars and The Force Awakens and there was a lot about TFA that was both a love letter and apology to the fans. You can feel it and even though the common critique is that they "played it safe" I think I preferred they stuck to telling a Star Wars Story and didn't try to go too far afield on the first return to that territory.

Likewise, I will always be a Star Trek fan and if the current series implodes on the next film then hopefully they'll put it on the shelf for awhile, ruminate on what makes it good.

Although to be fair, Into Darkness did introduce me to Cumberbatch.

I thought this was the Star Wars thread, not the Lame Trek thread.

Why the hell would you put Undiscovered Country in the garbage pile?

But yes, Nemesis was worse than anything JJ has done and the Star Wars prequels. It's the only Trek film I've seen no more than once.

Dr.Ghastly wrote:

I thought this was the Star Wars thread, not the Lame Trek thread.

Get your eyes checked!

Yeah only lame wars no treking!

Quintin_Stone wrote:

Why the hell would you put Undiscovered Country in the garbage pile?

But yes, Nemesis was worse than anything JJ has done and the Star Wars prequels. It's the only Trek film I've seen no more than once.

I would watch that over The Final Frontier

Oh hey, Star Wars:
'Episode VIII' Director Rian Johnson Contributes to New 'Star Wars' Novel

Claudia Gray's previous SW novel, Lost Stars, is the best SW novel I've read, period.

Dr.Ghastly wrote:

I thought this was the Star Wars thread, not the Lame Trek thread.

Oh, I thought this was a discussion about JJ Abrams

hbi2k wrote:

The first film did a fine job of introducing the new universe and actors and getting everybody into their old hairs.

So that's what happened to Shatner's toupee!

Alz wrote:
Dr.Ghastly wrote:

I thought this was the Star Wars thread, not the Lame Trek thread.

Oh, I thought this was a discussion about JJ Abrams :D

I'm actually kind of hoping that having different directors for the other films will move them away from his influence. I obviously don't know how much to blame him for the things I'm not as enthusiastic about in Episode 7, but having someone with a different vision take on the project sound like a good idea to me.

Lucas Film Ltd. has pulled all scheduled national theatrical screenings of the films of the original Star Wars trilogy, including those slated for August 5-7 at the Carolina Theatre of Durham. As a result, those films will not be screening in theaters this summer.

]

hmm I can't seem to find the reason why they stopped this online anywhere. Any ideas?

karmajay wrote:
Lucas Film Ltd. has pulled all scheduled national theatrical screenings of the films of the original Star Wars trilogy, including those slated for August 5-7 at the Carolina Theatre of Durham. As a result, those films will not be screening in theaters this summer.

]

hmm I can't seem to find the reason why they stopped this online anywhere. Any ideas?

Are you sure it's everywhere and not just Durham?

Alz wrote:

Half of the non JJ-Star Trek movies were garbage. The Search for Spock? The Final Frontier? The Undiscovered Country? Insurrection? Nemesis? ALL worse than the Star Wars Prequels. I still own most of them.

Wow, wow, wow.
Respectfully disagree, sir.

PaladinTom wrote:
karmajay wrote:
Lucas Film Ltd. has pulled all scheduled national theatrical screenings of the films of the original Star Wars trilogy, including those slated for August 5-7 at the Carolina Theatre of Durham. As a result, those films will not be screening in theaters this summer.

]

hmm I can't seem to find the reason why they stopped this online anywhere. Any ideas?

Are you sure it's everywhere and not just Durham?

Well the release says ALL national screenings so I think it was everywhere.

karmajay wrote:
PaladinTom wrote:
karmajay wrote:
Lucas Film Ltd. has pulled all scheduled national theatrical screenings of the films of the original Star Wars trilogy, including those slated for August 5-7 at the Carolina Theatre of Durham. As a result, those films will not be screening in theaters this summer.

]

hmm I can't seem to find the reason why they stopped this online anywhere. Any ideas?

Are you sure it's everywhere and not just Durham?

Well the release says ALL national screenings so I think it was everywhere.

Other than the Durham website, I haven't seen any press releases saying that the movies have been pulled either. Odd.

Alz wrote:

The best we can hope for is that good, fun movies featuring the universe we love and care about keep going.

Respectfully, I believe that the best we can hope for is for the franchise to return to television where it belongs. Even the best Trek films have never been more than filler to keep the franchise afloat during fallow periods.

If what we got instead was good fun movies featuring the universe we love and care about, that would be great too, of course. Let me know when they start making those. What I've seen is one decent movie and one terrible movie set in a tangent universe I have no particular attachment to.

Rogue One trailer etc etc, no more Lucas hooray, Star Wars something something.

Star Wars.

STAR WARS.

STAR WARS

Thin_J wrote:

Rogue One trailer etc etc, no more Lucas hooray, Star Wars something something.

Star Wars.

STAR WARS.

STAR WARS

Thin_J wrote:

Rogue One trailer etc etc, no more Lucas hooray, Star Wars something something.

Star Wars.

STAR WARS.

STAR WARS

This.