In last night's "Irrelevant Crap" diary, I covered some of the latest news about J.J. Abrams new iteration of 'Star Trek.' One thing I didn't get into is how some of those involved with the production feel the return of 'Trek', and the values the franchise has espoused, might be indicative of a change happening.
From Entertainment Weekly:
Is the world ready again for Trek's optimistic vision of the future? Some involved with the film suspect the presidential election may have a dramatic effect on how Star Trek will be perceived. ''This is a franchise that offers hope for unity — and so does Barack Obama,'' says Quinto, who has stumped for the Democratic presidential nominee. ''When this movie comes out, and Obama is president, hopefully there will be some parallels.'' Perhaps, but the elder Spock knows that moments of unity can be fleeting. ''My only regret is that the movie can't come out sooner,'' Nimoy says. ''I think the world could use it. Don't you?''
For those that might have been living under a rock for the past 40 or so years, the collective 6 television series & now 11 movies of 'Star Trek' detail a Utopian future in which Humanity has overcome many of the evils & faults of present-day society, to lead over 150 species in Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets. Gene Roddenberry infused the franchise with a humanist philosophy that believes in the perfectibility of Man as a species. That we, as human beings, are not only the product of biological evolution, but are also capable of social evolution to be better than what we are through compassion, tolerance, logic, science, and boldly going where no one else has gone before.
According to Trek's vision of the future, by the 23rd century, racism, sexism, poverty, crime, and war no longer exist on Earth.
Troi: "Poverty was eliminated on Earth a long time ago. And a lot of other things disappeared with it: hopelessness...despair...cruelty..."
Samuel Clemens: "Young lady, I come from a time when men achieved power and wealth by standing on the backs of the poor....where prejudice and intolerance are commonplace...and power is an end unto itself...And you’re telling me...that isn’t how it is anymore?’
Troi: "That's right."
Samuel Clemens: "Hmph. Maybe it's worth giving up cigars for, after all."
According to Director J.J. Abrams, this sort of idealism is what he's hoping to achieve with the new film.
Abrams says he was also drawn to the project because he believed in — and wanted to evangelize — Trek's unabashed idealism. ''I think a movie that shows people of various races working together and surviving hundreds of years from now is not a bad message to put out right now,'' says Abrams, whose infectiously upbeat energy and disdain for cynicism are among his most marked attributes. (Not for nothing did Abrams give Randy Pausch, the now-late author of The Last Lecture and avowed Trekker, a cameo in the film.) That ethos may seem cornball to an America darkened by a decade's worth of catastrophe, but after an election season that has seen both presidential nominees run on ''hope'' and ''change,'' Star Trek just may find itself on the leading wave of a zeitgeist shift — away from bleak, brooding blockbusters and toward the light.
[...]The storytelling is newbie-friendly, but it slyly assimilates a wide range of Trek arcana, from doomed Captain Pike (Bruce Greenwood) to Sulu’s swordsmanship to classic lines like, "I have been, and always shall be, your friend." More ambitiously, the movie subversively plays with Trek lore — and those who know it. The opening sequence, for example, is an emotionally wrenching passage that culminates with a mythic climax sure to leave zealots howling "Heresy!" But revisionism anxiety is the point. "The movie," Lindelof says, "is about the act of changing what you know."
The mini-skirts & go-go boots are back. The Bridge of the Enterprise has a new sleek look. Some have remarked that it looks like it was designed by Steve Jobs & Apple. Click on the images below to "embiggen" them.....
The set you see in the photo is the bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise, and not a training room. When asked why Kirk was wearing black instead of the standard yellow captain’s shirt, Lindelof said that the black uniform is "significant" to the story surrounding this scene. Abrams was insistent that every piece of equipment on the bridge serve a legitimate purpose — that they all have "functionality." According to Lindelof, the maps we see in the background near the top of the communications desk were based on the generally accepted layout of the Star Trek universe.
Chekov, Kirk, Scotty, McCoy, Sulu, & Uhura Discuss A Problem (Source: UGO) |
At first we thought this pic was in Sick Bay, but it’s actually the bridge. The uniforms are spot on (with some additional futuristic polymers!) but the set’s clear blue aspect (Tron meets Star Trek: The Motion Picture?) takes a minute to sink in. Note in the back - Warp Factor!
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Played by Eric Bana, Nero is... well, we don't really know do we? He's the villain and he has tattoos all over his face, but beyond that, who is Nero? "I think that perhaps they look like pirates in a way that they are tattooed and don't wear uniforms but in my own brain, I look at pirates as people who kinda hang around and they rob other ships and they're more interested in booty, plunder and pillaging and those sorts of things. Especially since the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN movies, they're sort of a fun-loving drinking lot. None of those things would describe this particular group of non-Vulcans. These guys have a very specific mission. They're not interested in material wealth. They're interested in something else entirely."
Kirk On Ice (Source: IGN) |
While Lindelof declined to provide more details about the scene, he did indicate that it takes place at the heart of the story, both chronologically and conceptually. "This is right around the midpoint of the movie," he said. "One of the things that's at the heart of the Trek universe... is the idea of the away team. The idea that it's not just about people shooting around in a starship, but they also go down to these planets."