For Want of a Guiding Voice
August 26, 2008
Dr Squishy
Posted in: Editorials
Tags: comics, delorean, expanded universe, geeks, Gene Roddenberry, george lucas, John Lennon, mighty mouse, movies, Raiden, star trek, Star Wars, star wars droids, star wars ewoks, superman, tardis, video games
[...] Original post by Squishy [...]
I actually agree with your point. If something was one person’s brainchild, that person should be the one to control it’s fate. However, Star Trek is owned by Paramount, not by Roddenberry or his estate. It’s a shame it couldn’t be.
Of course, on the other hand, his vision of Star Trek wasn’t incredibly exciting either; everything was diplomatic, ships were there to explore in, and crew members learned more about the human condition every week. Not exactly gripping television.
As wonderful as both these series are, Star Trek has a lot more failure simply because there is SO much of it out there. If Star Wars had to do a weekly serial, I promise you there would be episodes where we were cringing. Even Battlestar Galactica had episodes where it felt more like (as TardisCaptain put it) “JAG in Space”. It almost can’t be helped.
I totally agree with your thoughts on The Clone Wars. Looking at it as it’s own story instead of something that fits into a larger picture is the only way that it can really be enjoyed. The comparison to the Droids and Ewoks cartoons was very appropriate.
I also agree that a person should be able to control their creation, even if I disagree with where they take it. In some cases though, it’s best to have a person that you can bounce ideas off of that won’t just say “You are awesome. I wish that I was as brilliant as you. A gay hutt that speaks basic? Brilliant!” Sometimes a voice of dissension is the best thing that can happen to a franchise.
Star Trek always had a pretty good mix of action, and politics. Sometimes more of one than the other, but that was its thing. Most sci fi of its time was fairly shallow, and didn’t try to do much to raise the genre. If you want action sci fi there are many options out there. “Not exactly gripping television”? That’s what Star Trek is. It’s like complaining that there is to much dialouge in a Kevin Smith movie, or to much bashing of President Bush in a Michale Moore film.
How long it’s been going is one of the main things that have brought it down. Anyone who can tell me with a straight face that after 18 years The Simpsons is anything more than a shadow of its former self is kidding themselves. The same thing is/was true for MASH, E.R., Seinfeild, Friends, Married With Children, and pretty much any show that has gone beyond about three or four years. Though that’s another post, “American TV’s unwillingness to let go.”
You’re right, the “Gay Hutt” was by far the most annoying part of the movie.
I’m going to disagree with you on the Seinfeld issue. I’m currently watching season 9 and it’s absolutely brilliant. I think that they ended on top which is how it should be. Nobody wants to see Willie Mays past his prime stumbling around in the outfield. The same is true with television and movies.
For awhile,I thought i was afraid Star Trek was a passing away franchise. Then JJ Abrams came along. Nice touch. The scene with kid Kirk was a tad too quirky in the movie, though it was awesome in the movie trailer. Star Trek XI breathed new life into this favorite Roddenberry world. I’d like to see all of this Enterprise cast come back for much more outings. I spent my childhood years with the classic series. Heck, my dad got us a color Television just so we could enjoy Star Trek each and every Friday evening. At this point, I’m stuck on these new famous actors. In MHO, they have absolutely breathed life to their characters and made them their very own. I, for example, am looking forward to more.