The Star Trek Movie…With a Blimp
Miss Mae
May 17, 2009
This year for my Mother´s Day gift, my daughter treated me to a movie. We watched the new Star Trek.
As a teen, I grew up with the original show. My older brother was a science-fiction addict. One of his favorite authors was Robert Heinlein. Since I loved to read, I picked up these books and was introduced to the science-fiction world. So when Star Trek hit the air waves, my brother was hooked and I watched along with him.
Dad, however, would almost always turn the channel. This meant I didn´t watch every show, but I saw enough to know the characters and to develop a keen interest.
Years later when the series entered syndication, I was able to watch all I wanted. When the first movies came out with the original stars of William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, I saw those too.
When this 2009 "remake" was announced—and especially with the advanced special effects—I was eager to see what the writers would come up with.
I don´t call myself an expert regarding the storylines of Star Trek. But I´ve learned what I like and what I don´t like.
I do like the actor who played Spock. Zachary Quinto captured the character well, acing the Vulcan´s mannerisms, and sounding almost exactly like Nimoy.
Karl Urban as ´Bones´ is perfect. He looked as I´d expected a younger Leonard McCoy to be. I loved getting to know how he and James Kirk first met.
In the old series, I never realized Kirk was so full of himself. In this new movie, it´s quite a revelation to see how Chris Pine plays a womanizing, ultra self-confident James T. Kirk.
Simon Pegg as Scotty and John Cho as Sulu are both great picks.
Actress Zoe Saldana plays Lt. Uhura. She´s certainly attractive enough to showcase the leading female role.
But it´s her characterization of the communications officer that I frown and go, "hmm."
And here is where, to me, the movie does a major "hiccup."
I´d like to ask the writers, "Why did you change Uhura´s personality?"
The television series' Uhura understood that the U.S.S. Enterprise was a military ship and she was an officer respectful to rank. Today´s Star Trek writes Uhura as smart-mouthed, carrying a ´chip-on-my-shoulder´ attitude.
That is so not realistic, nor in keeping with the original version.
Another disloyalty is that Uhura attempts a romantic relationship with Spock. Yes, he´s half-human, so his emotions are stronger than a pure Vulcan. However, he strove to always restrain that ´handicapped´ side. To show him and Uhura in caressing embraces is, in my opinion, an insult to Gene Roddenberry.
Still, the movie is action-packed and full of adventure. I laughed out loud during the comedic scenes. And the special effects were thrilling. If I were a reviewer, I´d give a four-and-a-half star out of five rating.
I hope in any forthcoming sequels Uhura´s character will be critiqued and appropriately ´ship-shaped´.
Copyright 2009 by Lula M. Thomas
As a teen, I grew up with the original show. My older brother was a science-fiction addict. One of his favorite authors was Robert Heinlein. Since I loved to read, I picked up these books and was introduced to the science-fiction world. So when Star Trek hit the air waves, my brother was hooked and I watched along with him.
Dad, however, would almost always turn the channel. This meant I didn´t watch every show, but I saw enough to know the characters and to develop a keen interest.
Years later when the series entered syndication, I was able to watch all I wanted. When the first movies came out with the original stars of William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, I saw those too.
When this 2009 "remake" was announced—and especially with the advanced special effects—I was eager to see what the writers would come up with.
I don´t call myself an expert regarding the storylines of Star Trek. But I´ve learned what I like and what I don´t like.
I do like the actor who played Spock. Zachary Quinto captured the character well, acing the Vulcan´s mannerisms, and sounding almost exactly like Nimoy.
Karl Urban as ´Bones´ is perfect. He looked as I´d expected a younger Leonard McCoy to be. I loved getting to know how he and James Kirk first met.
In the old series, I never realized Kirk was so full of himself. In this new movie, it´s quite a revelation to see how Chris Pine plays a womanizing, ultra self-confident James T. Kirk.
Simon Pegg as Scotty and John Cho as Sulu are both great picks.
Actress Zoe Saldana plays Lt. Uhura. She´s certainly attractive enough to showcase the leading female role.
But it´s her characterization of the communications officer that I frown and go, "hmm."
And here is where, to me, the movie does a major "hiccup."
I´d like to ask the writers, "Why did you change Uhura´s personality?"
The television series' Uhura understood that the U.S.S. Enterprise was a military ship and she was an officer respectful to rank. Today´s Star Trek writes Uhura as smart-mouthed, carrying a ´chip-on-my-shoulder´ attitude.
That is so not realistic, nor in keeping with the original version.
Another disloyalty is that Uhura attempts a romantic relationship with Spock. Yes, he´s half-human, so his emotions are stronger than a pure Vulcan. However, he strove to always restrain that ´handicapped´ side. To show him and Uhura in caressing embraces is, in my opinion, an insult to Gene Roddenberry.
Still, the movie is action-packed and full of adventure. I laughed out loud during the comedic scenes. And the special effects were thrilling. If I were a reviewer, I´d give a four-and-a-half star out of five rating.
I hope in any forthcoming sequels Uhura´s character will be critiqued and appropriately ´ship-shaped´.
Copyright 2009 by Lula M. Thomas