Star Trek

Discussion in 'SciFi & Fantasy' started by FyreStar, Dec 12, 1999.

  1. FyreStar Faithless since 1980 Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    229
    Any Star Trek fans out there?

    If so, interested in starting a discussion?

    FyreStar

    "All I ask is a tall ship, and a star to steer her by."
     
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  3. Dude Registered Senior Member

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    I guess I'm one, it's kinda interesting, I mean I don't dislike it. You know how when your a kid... it was appeling because it had spaceships and odd adventures.


    Dude
     
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  5. Oxygen One Hissy Kitty Registered Senior Member

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    Okay, I'll bite. I'm not big on the newer series and spinoffs. I just never got into them. I watched the original in reruns and have only gone to two conventions. I own a few collectibles (such as a first edition Star Fleet Technical Manual), but I'm not a Trekkie by a long shot. I can't quote scripts like some people I know...

    One of the big things I have against the newer shows is the portrayal of the military lifestyle. Don't think GI Joe when you think military. Think of the elements of the military; uniformity, discipline, and cameraderie. I think the portrayal is too clean and politically correct. there is too much sensitivity towards the individual. For a team of any sort to accomplish its goal, whether it be seeking out new life and new civilizations, or simply to keep watch over a wormhole, the individual must sacrifice to the unit, not vice versa. They need to roughen them up around the edges.

    On the other side of the coin, the special effects are hellfire better in the new shows. Remember the one (I think it was DS9) where they dubbed the modern characters into an original series episode? That was seamless! I loved it! (And apparently the writers on this particular episode were aware of the softening up of characters from old to new, as the newer characters were way more reluctant to fight.)
     
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  7. dexter ROOT Registered Senior Member

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    689
    the newer ones aredefiently different, like going back in time????? ok.
    but the old one's, were fresh, although all of the things were basically earth.. lik there was this one... were kirk had to fight a reptile king, teh think looked like a normal lizard on its hind leggs. amd there were tree's and the sky was blue, with clouds, and they were on a astroiod... ok,, weird!!!

    -dexter
     
  8. Spadge Registered Senior Member

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    That lizard one was my favourite episode of the old series.

    The great thing about Star Trek was that the characters all cared for one another.
     
  9. JebMonk Registered Member

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    I like what Oxygen had to say about the role of military collectives in Sci-Fi storytelling, such as in "Star Trek." The rank and file norms which we commonly associate with our modern military seem to be totally absent from the crew of the Starship Enterprise (aside from the mention of prime directives.) If a crew member appeared on the show, with hair touching his collar, it probably wouldn't seem out of place. I think the most realistic portrayal of a military unit in sci-fi, has to be from
    the movie "Aliens" (the 2nd one). Sometimes I have a real craving to rent that.
     
  10. Oxygen One Hissy Kitty Registered Senior Member

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    2,478
    I thought "Aliens" was the best out of that series of movies, but when it comes to military and war in SciFi, I thought Starship Troopers was pretty realistic. I saw it with my father, a WW2 veteran and confessed SciFi buff. It almost gave him flashbacks (unlike Saving Private Ryan, which DID give him flashbacks!).

    As much as Star Trek offers a glimpse of hope for humanity, I still think the stories would be a bit more exciting if a war broke out instead of simple cultural misunderstandings. Here is this organization that is run more like a corporation than a military force. What if some alien shows up, hell-bent on conquest, resources, and valuables(like the conquistadores of old), enslaving all that they don't kill. How well could a peaceful, diplomatic society stand against a horde that is being less than reasonable? Remember how well Rome stood against the Barbarians at the gate...
     
  11. frank t Registered Member

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    You asked for any Trekers. Well, I've been watching ST for over 30 yrs and I still like the old series. I find the spinoffs pretty good too. I thought that they would not be that good, but between the special effects and characters, they turned out pretty good. I hope it continues.
    Peace and Long Life
    Live Long and Prosper,
    frank t
     
  12. Oxygen One Hissy Kitty Registered Senior Member

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    2,478
    I know the Vulcans say "Live Long and Prosper". Is there any truth to the rumor that the Klingons say "Drop Dead and Fester"?

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  13. Bowser Namaste Valued Senior Member

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    8,828
    Yes, they do; but only if...

    1. You're not big on the newer series and spinoffs and you just never got into them

    2. You have only gone to two conventions

    3. You own only a few collectibles (such as a first edition Star Fleet Technical Manual

    4. You are not a Trekkie by a long shot

    5. You can't quote scripts like some people you know


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    It's all very large.
     
  14. thoughts Registered Member

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    Voyageur lost me. I was a fan of the Trek world before Voyageur came along.

    although it has become a little more interesting in the last season, I just grew tired of the last minute solutions that were so far out of whack.

    Having been the the far reaches of the galaxy myself I know from experince that they should be getting their ass kicked a little more!

    Babylon 5 is king!

    [This message has been edited by thoughts (edited January 17, 2000).]
     
  15. Bowser Namaste Valued Senior Member

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    Yeah, but Seven still holds my attention.

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    It's all very large.
     
  16. Oxygen One Hissy Kitty Registered Senior Member

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    Bowser-
    That's me all rightie! It's just a TV show. I never got into the newer series. I get my sci fi from the silver screen mostly. I wish the Klingons had never wussed out.


    [This message has been edited by Oxygen (edited January 17, 2000).]
     
  17. Bowser Namaste Valued Senior Member

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    8,828
    Oxigen,

    I'm with you on most of it, but I enjoy the new shows. They are just not the novelty that was the original.

    I never went to a convention. What are they like? <img src ="http://users.esc.net.au/~nitro/BBoard_member_gifs/bowser_anim.gif">

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    It's all very large.
     
  18. Oxygen One Hissy Kitty Registered Senior Member

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    You know, I really liked "Above and Beyond" before they got too into the personal dramas of the characters a la "Star Trek". Trek was about a voyage, a "five year mission to seek out new life and new civilizations...". A&B was about war. Sure, you can't ignore the fact that the main characters were people and had lives outside of killing "chigs", but that started to become the main focus of the show.

    Prior to that, "Battlestar Galactica" was my other sci-fi fave. I guess I could relate to the concept of trying to find a place to call home, as we were in the habit of moving a lot, and as a kid I just wanted a place that I wouldn't have to be leaving in a season or two.

    Star Trek conventions can be fun places. They usually include other sci-fi bits as well. The first one I went to had a full-scale TARDIS. Guest speakers talk about their experiences on the show and sometimes offer up funny anecdotes about their co-workers, and the costumes worn by the attendees are pretty fantastic. Some of them go really far, some to the point of looking like actual costumes from the sets. I've met comic-book artists and writers who gave me some tips on my drawing and writing, and bought a lobby card for "The Car", hailed as the predecessor to "Christine". Somewhere I've also got an original movie poster for "Damnation Alley". If you're a sci-fi buff (and you must have some interest in it to be in this forum), I recommend attending one. Kill part of a day there if one comes to your area. There's a lot more there than Star Trek.

    [This message has been edited by Oxygen (edited January 18, 2000).]
     
  19. Bowser Namaste Valued Senior Member

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    Oxygen,

    <img src = "http://users.esc.net.au/~nitro/BBoard_member_gifs/bowser_anim.gif"> I'll check it out one of these days. I'm sure my kid would get a kick out of it.

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    It's all very large.

    [This message has been edited by Bowser (edited January 19, 2000).]
     
  20. Dido Registered Senior Member

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    Has anyone read Courtney Brown's 'Cosmic Voyage'. He documents ET control over the brains behind such shows as Star Trek.

    What is everyone's view of this? I, myself am in the "neutral zone".

    Resistance is futile......certainly if 7of9 is involved!!!
     
  21. Dido Registered Senior Member

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    Oh....definitely interested in the discussion group. Great idea!!
     
  22. FyreStar Faithless since 1980 Registered Senior Member

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    229
    Greetings -
    Wow, I didn't see any response in this topic after the first week or so and promptly forgot about it.. Glad to see there are some fellow Trekkies out there

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    Has anyone in here read any of the novels? For the most part, they are excellent, and have all of the benefits of books versus TV.
    As for the series themselves, the Original Series, and Next Gen I like very much.. DS9 and Voyager took a bit longer, but after a few seasons I liked both of those as well.

    Oxygen -
    Keep in mind that Starfleet was never intended or portrayed as a entirely military organization. The point of the shows is not to depict a space-army.. they have a much broader set of goals than conquest and/or peacekeeping. When we are shown alien races that have true military organizations, we do see the lack of emphasis on the individual. (i.e. Klingons, Romulans, etc.) Either way, it seemed to me at least that Star Trek was less about the characters than it was about ideals.
    Also, there was a war during the final section of DS9 episodes. And no, I don't think theres much truth to that rumor

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    Dido -
    I haven't read the book, and I don't know about ET control, but I have to say that the writers can be extremely creative in their work. Some of the concepts they come up with are truly amazing.

    Bowser -
    Heh, I think Seven still holds most people's attention. Sometimes I just laugh at how blatant the show is in that respect.

    thoughts -

    Babylon 5? bah!

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    LL&P,
    FyreStar
     
  23. Oxygen One Hissy Kitty Registered Senior Member

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    2,478
    I had heard that Starfleet does have a more traditional military arm. I can't remember what it's called, but it's supposedly where they get the ships' security personnel from.

    My gaming circle used to play Star Fleet Battles quite a bit. We started with the original set that came in a little plastic envelope with tiny cardboard counters. By chance, I wound up in command of a dreadnought and decided that my captain came from that military arm. (I never came up with what he was doing in the exploration division. Maybe it was a paperwork error.) For the longest time, the Gorns were used in the game, so I named the captain "Smithsonianson", so that the Gorns would hyperventilate when they said his name (all that hissing, you know). When dealing with the Klingons, he would identify himself as "Captain Caracatus" (from Caracatus Potts, Dick van Dyke's role in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), knowing that the Klingons, who emphasized the "K" sound, would half choke when saying his name. He was a mean SOB. I haven't had the chance to play the character in any of the newer environments. I wonder how a character like that would fare in a Next Generation or DS9 setting? According to my fellow gamers, the way I played my captain (in both Star Fleet Battles and the Star Trek RPG), he could piss off T'Pau.
     

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