Star Trek (2009) Deleted Scenes

On 29th October, the new Star Trek movie was released on DVD in Australia (though some countries, such as USA have to wait unil 17th November). To celebrate the release, I am going to write a couple of Articles about it. I'd like to begin by reviewing the deleted scenes on the disc. Be warned, this article contains spoilers for both the movie and the deleted scenes.

The deleed scenes themselves are presented in the state in which they were left. This means that on some of them, the special effects are incomplete and this clearly show. The musical score also appears to be simple copied from other parts of the soundtrack. This is understandable, though it might have been nice if they has followed the example of George Lucas, who completed the deleted scenes after the fact, for the Star Wars Episode 1 DVD.

The first scene presented was Spock's birth, as seen in the trailer. This was a nice little scene, but ultimitely didn't add much to the movie that wasn't already accomplished in other ways. Spock's relatively normal and plesent birth was in stark contrast to Kirk's birth which took place under tragic and heart-breaking circumstances.

Next we saw a scene of Kirk as a young boy, just prior to the car chase scene. This confused me a little. I had thought, from the car scene in the movie, that Kirk' mother had re-married, and the car belonged to Kirk's step-father. However, Kirk's older brother (George Jr.) referred to the man as an uncle. (This may just have been George's way of referring to a step-father that he obviously didn't like). While I can see how the filmmakers decided that the scene was not ulimately necessary, and slowed the pace, it would have been nice to have at least seen George Jn, to confirm the fact that Kirk did in fact have an older brother (as seen in the Original Series). We also saw in this scene that Kirk's new father figure was less and ideal, who treated the children with a great deal of disrspect when their mother was not around. I think his gives yet more insight into the person that Kirk became in the new timeline. Not only did he suffer from the lack of a good father figure (who inspired him to join Starfleet), but he now has to deal with the presence of a bad father figure. It is no wonder that Kirk grew up into a different person. Fortunately, the Kirk we used to know was still buried in there somewhere, and all it took were some wise and timely words from Chris Pike to bring it out.

The scenes that I had been eagerly waiting for were of course, the Klingon Rure Penthe scenes. It had always seemed like a confusing hole in the story to know that Nero had been hanging around the twenty third century for all of Kirk's life so far. What were they doing? Had they been noticed? These scenes explain some of this. Ultimately the scenes didn't contribute as much as I imaged they would, though the present of Rure Penthe (previous seen in Star Trek VI) would have been a lovely nod to canon, although the climate of Rure Penthe has obviously changed. As for the Klingons themselves, I had been eager to see what JJ Abram's version of the popular aliens would look like. Unfortunately, in every scene, the Klingons had their faces completely covered by odd metal masks. Firstly, this seemed inconcistant with the character of most Klingons who would not feel the need to hide behind a metal mask. Secondly, it meant that we really didn't see them at all. In the commentary, they kept talking about the wonderful makeup job they'd done, yet they covered up that makeup so noboy saw it. I found this very odd.

There were a few other little scenes. A moment between Spock's parents, and an extended version of the Kobiashi Maru scene, giving greater insight into how Kirk beat the test.

In sumary, I could see why they chose to remove these scenes, but it was certainly special to be able to finally see them, and gain a little extra insight into the story.

Review - STAR TREK (2009) - Spoilers

Warning - this review contains spoilers.

As anybody who reads my blog will know - I have been waiting in earnest expectation for the new Star Trek movie for over three years. That kind of wait always puts a lot of preassure on a film to deliver - so did it?

The story

I have a lot of faith in the people behind this film so I was expecting good things in the story department. I wasn't disapointed. When a movie makes you cry before the title even comes up you know you're in for a story with genuine heart. The movie started with a bang. Immediate special effects and action abounded, but the highlight of the teaser was the powerful final interactions between Kirk's parents, before George sacrificed his life.

It didn't let up from there. Director JJ Abrams is known for putting a lot of character depth into his story telling and this was evident all the way through.

Historically, we Star Trek fans have often complained about the 'reset button' storylines, where significant changes occur, but they always get re-set back to the norm by the end of the episode. Time travel tales are especially guilty of this at times. This movie present what is possibly the boldest story anyone has ever dared to tell in the Star Trek universe. Not only does the film tell of the destruction of Romulas in the 24th century, but through Nero's interfearance with history, we see an incredible change - the destruction of Vulcan and a completely altered time-line in the 23rd century. The practical upshot of this, of course, was that they could tell a prequel story without loosing the suspense because we know these characters will all survive. If Vulcan can be destroyed, and Spock's mother die, then we know that we can't take anything for granted.

This story really did have it all - a good science fiction angle, a nice tie-in to the Next Generation, an origin story for our characters, major character development, and a theme showing the horrors that can come when people hold on to revenge.

There were plenty of easter eggs in there for devoted Star Trek fans. My wife and I sat in the cinema and laughed at subtle references, when nobody else was laughing. We did the same thing in Superman Returns. It's so much fun being a nerd.

The Music

The musical score in Star Trek was beautiful. The new theme is simple yet strangely haunting. Giacchino paid tribute to the Alexander Courage theme from the original series, but what I was really hoping for was a tribute to the theme from 'Star Trek the Motion Picture'. That music - to me - IS Star Trek. It is the theme of the Enterprse, and was so, long before it became the theme of The Next Generation. Even the Star Trek fanfare seemed absent - although listening to clips of the soundtrack I realise it may have been in there somewhere. In any case, I plan to buy the CD so it obviously impacted me.

The Actors

All the actors did a fantastic job. It was wonderful to see our own Eric Bana play the villain Nero. He did so with wonderful passion. The suprise to me was Chris Pine. I had always seen Zachery Quinto as Spock, but it wasn't until I saw the movie that I realised what a good casting decision Pine was. He really did make me believe that he was James T. Kirk. In fact, in the end I found Pine's Kirk even more convincing than Quinto's Spock.

Simon Pegg's Scotty was hilarious, giving some good comedic relief in the later part of the movie. While I thoroughly enjoyed this use of the character, I am hoping that future movies might show us a more serious side of Scotty's character.

Karl Uban did a wonderful job of portraying Dr. McCoy. He made me believe. Uhura, Sulu and Checkov seemed a little different from their former counterparts, but each became an interesting character in their own right under the guidance of their new actors.

Special Effects

What can I say but....WHOA!

Canon

Here it comes, the all important Canon. Well, the alterations to the time line certainly gave the writers an excuse to mess with canon - and mess they did. Slightly more than neccessary, at some times, it seemed. Pretty much every change can be explained by the new timeline if you think hard enough so I'm not overly worried. In a future post I will delve into nitpicks, and my attempts to rationalise them. In the short term however, let me just say that the movie was so good I'm willing to just let go of those concerns and enjoy what was a very very enjoyable ride.

Summary

All in all, the movie met my every expectation. It was a fantastic ride that never lost its energy. It has given the Star Trek francise an amazing new lease of life and I, for one, absolutely can't wait for a sequel.

Thankyou Mr. Abrams.
Thankyou Mr. Lindelof.
Thankyou Mr. Orci.
Thankyou Mr. Kutrzman.

One sleep to go

The new Star Trek Movie has arrived. As Nero would say, "The wait is over." I am going to see the movie tomorrow night for my brother's birthday.

In celebration of this special event I present the following silliness:

Adam as a Vulcan

Thoughts on the Ellison Star Trek Lawsuit

Entertainment sites have been reporting the recent news that Harlan Ellison, writer of 'City on the Edge of Forever' is suing Pamaount Pictures over the use of elements from his story such as The Guardian of Forever and the character of Edith Keeler.

Harlan Ellison is clearly a very good writer of Science Fiction. 'City on the Edge of Forever' is one of my all-time favourite episodes, and Mr. Ellison was also influential in the groundbreak series 'Babylon 5'.

I do not know the legal situation, or whether Mr. Ellison has any valid claim in this case, but I would like to share my personal thoughts on how I think this should be.

I think that when you contribute writing to a franchise like Star Trek, you are, in a way, partially foreiting your ownership of the story. Mr. Ellison was playing in Gene Roddenberry's backyard. Should Ellison have had to pay Roddenberry for the use of characters such as Kirk and Spock? Once the episode aired, the Guardian of Forever and Edith Keeler became part of Star Trek canon. The story was part of something bigger than itself.

If Mr. Ellison wins this case I believe it will set a disturbing precedent that could kill off the concept of continuity in fiction. No longer will writers or producers dare to make mention of characters or events that took place in previous episodes. It would simply become too expensive.

As an ameteur writer I can understand Harlan Ellison's possessive feelings over 'his babies', but the thought that subsequent writers, be it novels or episodes, would want to reference his story is a testament to the power of his writing.

Maybe I don't fully understand the situation, but that's my thoughts.

Meet the New Kirk and Spock

American magazine EW (Entertainment Weekly) has just released the cover for their new issue featuring a full page photo of Kirk and Spock from the new Star Trek (2009) movie. This is the first time we have seen such details images of the characters in full wardrobe and makeup.

My first impression is very positive. We all knew that Zachary Quinto would look the part, given his similarity in appearance to Leonard Nimoy, but this is the first time I have really been able to see Chris Pine as Kirk. Upon initial glance I thought "Whoa, he looks like Shatner". Upon looking closer I began to see the differences, and noticed more Pine in it, but he really does give a believable impression of being a young James T. Kirk. The uniforms are very classic in appearance, yet more believably futuristic. If they can find the balance between the two so successfully with uniforms I can't wait to see how they handle it with the Enterprise sets and exterior shots.

Things are starting to heat up and we should be seeing and hearing a lot more in time to come.

See the photo at Trekmovie.com

First Cast Photos from Star Trek

Well, a new posted has been released by Paramount for the new Star Trek film, and on it we are able to see the first four cast photos from the film. Kirk, Spock, Uhura and Nero are all seen in make-up and costume. I have a few random thoughts.

Firstly, I must say that Zachery Quinto looks very much like Spock. I am very impressed and can't wait to see him acting in the role. His uniform looks extremely similar to the original uniform on the original TV series.

Honestly, I can't quite see Kirk yet in the photo of Chris Pine. He looks a little...well...evil. I still have faith in his casting and I'm sure I will be able to accept him as Kirk when I see more than one still photo. It took me some time but I have come to accept James Cawley as Kirk in the fan production Star Trek Phase II. I'm sure this will be no different.

The most interesting shot is the one of Eric Bana's Nero. The rumour has always been that Australia's current favourite export to hollywood was playing a Romulan. He we see no pointed ears (although his ear does look damaged, as if it has been chewed off). In addition to this, he has some interesting facial markings. Could it be that Nero is an alien of a race we have not yet encountered in Star Trek, or is this just an elaborate tatoo? Only time will tell.

Images of the poster can be seen at Trekmovie.com

Intersting times.

Cloverfield

Well, last night I finally watched Cloverfield. I have certainly heard a lot of good things about the film over at Trekmovie.com but wasn't sure exactly what I would be getting myself in to.

What I found was a fascinatingly unique approach to story-telling. JJ Abram's unconventional aproach of using a video camera belonging to one of the characters in the story as the means for seeing the entire film created a level of realism I have never experienced in a movie. The concept was basically, what would it be like to really live through an 'end-of-the-world' style event such as a monster attack.

The film-makers faced a difficult task. Using the camera as the sole means of following the action required finding valid and believable reasons for the characters to be filming. JJ pulled this off, and managed to create interesting characters in the process. This movie was deffinately not carried by the special effects (although they were spectacular at times).

It's hard to describe a film like Cloverfield, let's just say that I liked it - a lot. Seeing the level of realism that JJ Abrams can bring to a sci-fi movie makes me more eager than ever to see his realisation of Star Trek next year.

New Star Trek Story

I have completed writing a Star Trek Fan-Fiction Story. It is based on the concept of giving The Original Series a finale episode (just like the other shows had).

You can read it on my Writing Page.

Roberto Orci Talks Star Trek

Star Trek co-writer and executive producer Roberto Orci recently gave an interview to trekmovie.com. He spoke a lot about the new Star Trek(2008) movie, as well as his own love of Star Trek.

The more I hear from this guy, the more enthusiasm I have for the film. Orci clearly has an appreciation of all five series as well as the movies. The team are putting a lot of continuity references into the film, but their biggest aim is to tell a good story.

Personally, I can't wait to see this.

Read the interviews:

• Interview - Roberto Orci On Why He Is A Trekkie & Making Trek Big Again October 4, 2007
• Interview - Orci Talks Casting, Characters, Canon…and Kirks October 8, 2007

Star Trek Fans Divided

It seems that fans are divided over the upcoming Star Trek (2008) film. Right from the first announcement, there have been outcries and highly emotional responses regarding the various rumours. While many Star Trek fans are being quitely optimistic, there are a large number of fans who are convinced that this film will not only be bad, but the end of Star Trek as we know it. Despite constant assurances from JJ Abrams, Damon Lindelof and Leonard Nimoy that Trek canon is being respected and carefully researched, people still fear a reboot that will erase all that has come before. Others feel that William Shatner must make an appearance in the film for it to be succesful. It is ironic that the main reason the writers have had difficulty bringing Shatner into the film is that according to Canon, the older Kirk character is dead, proving that their respect for canon goes beyond mere talk.

I find all of this odd. Hasn't the philosophy of Star Trek always been an optomistic view of the future? Why then have trek fans become so cynical? Why have trek fans lost their faith?

Don't get me wrong, I care about the integrity of the Star Trek chronology as much as the next guy. I don't want to see them mess this up, and I don't know for certain that this film will live up to my expectations, but JJ Abrams & Co have demonstrated enough to earn my trust. Personally, I choose to have faith and expect the best. I choose to expect to see a great movie, with an interesting story, featuring beloved characters. Those are the things that are most important to me.

A Tale of Two Spocks

So we now have confirmation (http://trekmovie.com/2007/07/26/abrams-confirms-nimoy-and-qunito-still-wants-shatner/) that the new Star Trek movie will feature Heros actor Zachary Quinto will play the role of Spock. In addition, Leonard Nimoy will be in the film to "wear the pointed ears one last time".

It appears likely that the film will feature an old Spock, perhaps reminiscing or relling the story of his meeting with Kirk. (JJ Abrams and his people seem to love the flashback concept - just look at Lost).

I think this is a promising concept - a nice "Passing of the torch". Niymoy's inclusion will make it a lot easier for many people to accept new actor's in familiar roles.