Post #455071 by Son-of-Kelbo on Wed, May 20, 2009 3:29 AM

Okay, I saw the new ST -- and it's good. Very good. I do have a couple of notes...

But first, let me forthrightly admit that I am a Trekkie.

No, I don't have any costumes, or props (except for my Hor'ghan, mentioned elsewhere around here, which to me is as Tiki as Tiki gets, interplanetarily speaking), nor do I attend conventions or seek autographs or speak Klingon. Oh, alright I know a couple of Klingon words (and they come in handy from time to time). I don't belong to any fan clubs, or have a yellowing paperback collection going back to the days of Harlan Ellison and David Gerrold... But I am a Trekkie. And I'm proud to be a Trekkie.

I know the characters, their history, their passions, their relationships, their desires, their triumphs and tragedies. I know the Enterprise, from the bow of her Primary Hull, to the parting of her Secondary Hull's clamshell Shuttlecraft Hangar Bay Doors, and on up to her twin Warp Nacelles. I love knowing that ship, and have ever since I first laid eyes on her. She took me to places few people I knew (or have known) can understand, and as a direct result of the influence of her the nautical heritage, I would later come to know of the discoveries of Captain Cook, learn about the mutiny on the Bounty, and delve into other tales of the South Pacific.

I have a little speculative theory that Gene Roddenberry, in his early days, saw two movies that became the synthesis for Star Trek: "Forbidden Planet", and "Captain Hornblower". I can easily imagine him as a young aspiring producer, watching Gregory Peck intimately point out the stars to Virginia Mayo aboard the Indefatigable, and later, witnessing the space-cruiser C-57D's landing on Altair IV..., and synthesizing these prime ingredients into the series he would launch in the early '60's. Knock Roddenberry all you like. For me the guy was a hero. "Science Fiction" was "Lost In Space" as far as the network execs were concerned, and Roddenberry fought like hell to smarten the genre up (in the tradition of Serling and DeStefano). Oh sure, he had help; some of the best: Justman, Coon, Fontana, Ellision and Gerrold, and, for my money, Jerry Sohl, who single-handedly sharpened (if not coined) the ship's ensemble with his flat-out-brilliant script for "The Corbomite Maneuver" (which I am sure was the first in-production episode after the two pilots, if not the first show aired).

Did I mention I was a Trekkie? Hasn't done me any harm at all. In later years it would help get me into the Writer's Guild (ST:TNG), not to mention making part of the down on my house (ST: The Experience, in LV). Thanks, Gene.

Now, I can see that some among The Ohana here have a dislike for Trekkies. Some especially like to show their disdain for those who put on funny vintage apparel (and may not have the best physiques), and passionately collect weird artifacts, and gather in cliqueish groups to boast of their arcane knowledge and acquisitions. But who's to say who's a whack-job and who's not? It's a big Universe, and one thing that Star Trek taught me, which I embraced early on, was a fascination with diversity, and tolerance toward others. Even the whack-jobs. One of my favorite episodes as a kid was the one with Michael Dunn, that elegant dwarf, who, when offered the power to mentally trounce the psychic bullies who had made his life miserable, opted to simply leave them behind, and let the Enterprise take him away. My family life -- well, let's just say that I often longed to book passage aboard that starship. And ultimately, through a lot of dreams mixed with a lot of hard work, in a way, I did.

So if there are any "closet-Trekkies" lurking about, and I don't expect anyone to admit it, in light of some of the prior ribbing in this thread, but if there are, or if there are some who may be considering becoming Trekkies (since the new Trek movie is, really, so boss), I hope you won't be judged too mercilessly if you simply must put on a funny outfit and go hang out with the other weirdos for a while. I certainly hope your picture doesn't end up on TC (or if it does, that your wardrobe fits better that most), where you may risk encountering some few hostile and/or primitive lifeforms. Whatever, remember the Prime Directive says you have to put up with that crap.

For those Trekkies with more literary inclinations (and who may be more inclined to spend their $$ on Alohas instead of Starfleet uniforms), allow me to highly recommend Stephen Whitfield's "The Making Of Star Trek" for anyone who's interested in getting a ripping-fun insider's view of what Star Trek's early days of production and pre-production were like. Published while ST:TOS was still on-air, it's a highly entertaining time-warp right back to the show's inception, and a must read for anyone who may be curious about the passions, squabbles, pranks, and problem-solving that went into getting what was then a cutting-edge show produced. It's also, even now, a valuable insight into the process of writing and producing for episodic television. (As bountiful a read to Star Trek enthusiasts as Jerome Agel's "The Making of 2001" is to that film's admirers.)

Now, my Trekkie-related notes about ST 11 are pretty slim: I was a tad disappointed in Michael Giacchino score, which, while I thought it very adequately served the film, oddly lacked any compositional reference to Star Trek's long, pedigreed musical heritage (Fred Steiner, Jerry Goldsmith, James Horner), until the end credits, where Alexander Courage's signature theme felt rather tacked-on. Use it or don't, this is a "new interpretation", I get it; but this just seemed markedly uneven (and I am a Giacchino fan, particularly of "The Incredibles" score, so I'm not looking to bust his baton for the heck of it.) I'm also a bit trepidatious about the changing-the-future-storyline-thing, but mostly because I've got a mothballed ST-related pitch I'd like to shop to Paramount, and I'm wondering if the premise it's built on is still viable... And while I thought the script was short on good story, I felt it did well serve its primary purpose of bringing a new ensemble cast together, and successfully setting the tone for Star Trek's welcome return in a fresh and exciting way. By all means I recommend it, whether you're a fan of the franchise or not -- it's two hours of some of the best kick-ass cinematic fun since Iron Man, and I think most Trekkies will dig the love, if not all of the lore, that's gone into it.

For those who are definitely NOT Trekkies, but have seen the new Trek movie and like it, well... "Resistance Is Futile." (And look out -- Timo takes pics of everybody... :) )

So... "Is Star Trek 'Tiki'?" If Tiki means to you (as it does to me) exotic ports of call, relentless adventure, alluring wahini' (or kane') of whatever color, storied weaponry, alien gods, and eccentric booze (also of whatever color, but look out for Scotty's green private stock), then hellya, I say it is.

Live Long and Fabloha,
SOK

"Don't let it be forgot,
That once there was a Spot,
Where Blowfish all wore sunglasses,
and Tiki-times were hot..."
SOK

(Edited for brevity :D )

[ Edited by: Son-of-Kelbo 2009-05-20 03:51 ]