Star Trek - Space: The Final Frontier

[White Devil]

Over time, I have come to love all the TOS movies except TMP. Still just a slog to sit through.

 

[Sexual Chocolate]

I think you need to stop listening to that faggot George Takai. Nobody was watching Trek to see that Nip. They were watching to see Kirk smash pussy, deliver his patented two handed interlocking punch and pal around with his two buds.

For a guy whose contribution to Star Track was 90% saying "aye, sir" while pretending to operate a prop console and 10% that time he took his shirt off and ran around stabbing people like a mentalist, George Takei sure does take himself seriously.

Still, at least he didn't have to play Harry Kim.

 

[Fluoxetine Man]

I may have Bender steal me a season of it.

Kiwi Farms does not endorse the cool crime of internet piracy.

 

[Kerr Avon]

The only real problem with TMP is Stephen Collins being a nonce.

 

[Captain Syrup]

Still, at least he didn't have to play Harry Kim.

 

[SteelPlatedHeart]

I want a series about Q fucking with The Doctor on the promise that he’ll make him flesh and blood if he passes Q’s tests or something, not written by any NeTrek writers though. Give it parallels to when Q hung around with Data that one episode. It can be a bit more comedic while still feeling like Star Trek.

I know it would either never happen or be done horribly if it was made, but I want to dream.

 

[Kerr Avon]

I want a series about Q fucking with The Doctor on the promise that he’ll make him flesh and blood if he passes Q’s tests or something, not written by any NeTrek writers though. Give it parallels to when Q hung around with Data that one episode. It can be a bit more comedic while still feeling like Star Trek.

I know it would either never happen or be done horribly if it was made, but I want to dream.

Something like the Spock vs Q audios would probably be best bet

 

[ditto]

Has there ever been another sci-fi series that has had an active political candidate as a character? Let alone a "President of Earth" character?

Smells of shitty Wag the Dog psyop to try and meme Abrahms into the presidency.

I want a series about Q fucking with The Doctor on the promise that he’ll make him flesh and blood if he passes Q’s tests

I want a slice-of-life dramedy set in that dilithium mine staffed entirely with Mark I Doctors. Imagine the hijinx!

 

[SteelPlatedHeart]

Smells of shitty Wag the Dog psyop to try and meme Abrahms into the presidency.

I want a slice-of-life dramedy set in that dilithium mine staffed entirely with Mark I Doctors. Imagine the hijinx!

I did like the end of that episode where The Doctor’s novel started having popularity there.

 

[Kerr Avon]

I think the best part of Final Frontier is that it didn't burn David Warner out on the franchise. He came back for the next movie, and then strung up Picard.

 

[Captain Syrup]

Final Frontier was "bad sitcom" funny.

David Warner came back and then strung up Picard.

Fun fact: He is reading from cue cards. They simply get on with it, as though Warner and Stewart rehearsed it all along.

"I took over on three days' notice. It was another makeup job... There was too much technobabble and dialogue that doesn't come naturally to me. So they wrote everything up for me. I don't mind people knowing this. Every line I said, I actually was reading it over Patrick's shoulder or they put it down there for me to do it."

Warner is one of those actors I would call indispensable. The way I figure it, if you cast David Warner, you are half-way there to a great story.

 

[Radical Cadre]

How do we feel about HD re-releases of shows? I am torn.

On the one hand, TNG looks pretty good. And I hear they're doing a release of TOS. But I dunno. I kinda like the original aspect ratio and everything. When I watch the upscaled or HD versions of older shows they don't quite look right. Is there such a thing as too much definition?

 

[Flexo]

Fun fact: He is reading from cue cards. They simply get on with it, as though Warner and Stewart rehearsed it all along.

Warner is one of those actors I would call indispensible. The way I figure it, if you cast him, you are half-way there to a great story.

Reading cue cards because THAT'S how last minute his casting was. Dude literally had no time to memorize.

 

[FAQnews Correspondent]

How do we feel about HD re-releases of shows? I am torn.

On the one hand, TNG looks pretty good. And I hear they're doing a release of TOS. But I dunno. I kinda like the original aspect ratio and everything. When I watch the upscaled or HD versions of older shows they don't quite look right. Is there such a thing as too much definition?

TOS was recorded on film like TNG, so the Blu-Rays show the original quality, or perhaps a bit less than it. I really enjoy the HD versions.

 

[Travoltron]

How do we feel about HD re-releases of shows? I am torn.

On the one hand, TNG looks pretty good. And I hear they're doing a release of TOS. But I dunno. I kinda like the original aspect ratio and everything. When I watch the upscaled or HD versions of older shows they don't quite look right. Is there such a thing as too much definition?

The version of TOS airing on most stations is the HD version. It's mostly pretty good. But occasionally, flaws are revealed.
My mom was watching an HD episode and said, "The Enterprise doesn't look as good as I remember." You can kind of tell all the sets and props are made of wood.

The technology for upscaling just isn't there yet. But I suppose it's going to be necessary for all those old 70s and 80s sitcoms that shot on video tape. Most of those look like absolute garbage now in SD.

 

[Standardized Profile]

How do we feel about HD re-releases of shows? I am torn.

On the one hand, TNG looks pretty good. And I hear they're doing a release of TOS. But I dunno. I kinda like the original aspect ratio and everything. When I watch the upscaled or HD versions of older shows they don't quite look right. Is there such a thing as too much definition?

Real fans watch NTSC versions on period-correct tube TVs.

I remember when the first major remaster of TOS was done and the Sci-Fi Channel aired it, twice, with different hosts for each run. (I think Shatner and Nimoy?) They pointed out the coffee stains on Kirk's uniform were visible for the first time. We thought that was pretty cool. Then there was the HD remaster with CGI visual effects. I've only caught a few episodes of that. I found the CGI jarring. Gorn blinks now?!? I guess they can feed the film back into the scanner and rerender the CGI for 4K, but I wish they'd give DS9 the Blu-Ray treatment first. I know the economic arguments against that, its just a wish.

 

[Great President of McHell]

but I wish they'd give DS9 the Blu-Ray treatment first. I know the economic arguments against that, its just a wish.

I'd certainly prefer a remasterted version of DS9 over them churning out 10 new garbage trek shows that no one is going to watch.

 

[ditto]

Fun fact: He is reading from cue cards. They simply get on with it, as though Warner and Stewart rehearsed it all along.

Warner is one of those actors I would call indispensible. The way I figure it, if you cast him, you are half-way there to a great story.

He is also great on Babylon 5 and does a memory performance of a pretty lame character.

 

[Tasty Tatty]

They only fixing they should do to old shows is lighting and color. Even the goofs are part of the charm of old media. We're smart enough to know that fx in the 60s will never be like current year fx.

Still, at least he didn't have to play Harry Kim.

With all his flaws, Harry was a much grounded character than Sulu, at least in the show.

 

[L50LasPak]

I remember reading an interview with one of the staff writers (maybe it was Moore?) where he said he wrote it like that because he thought it was out of character for Wesley to want to join Starfleet. And I'm like, "N*gga, what?" Wanting to be in Starfleet was Wesley Crusher's entire raison d'être as created by Gene himself.

There seemed to be an underlying seething hatred of Starfleet and the Federation by some writers, especially the DS9 ones. They did this again by having Jake Sisko pass on Starfleet, although admittedly that was handled better and more believable. And the writers were, for some reason, proud that Bajor rebuffed Federation and never joined.

Personally, I do agree it was out of character for Wesley to join Starfleet. He's written as a boy genius, and completely insufferable at that. Intelligent, full of themselves, highly egotistical people generally have a hatred or at least strong resentment for authority. Or at least they used to, its kind of disturbing how that seems to have been suddenly reversed in recent decades.

Bajor not joining the Federation I was also happy with. Not every damn planet needs to join the Federation, and it makes sense from a political perspective for Bajor to stay independent because their strategic position means they can enjoy all of the benefits of being a federation protectorate/ally without having to actually submit to any Federation oversight. Bajor being snooty about this is also (unintentionally) fully in character. I can think of many IRL neutral countries that enjoy the protection of a much larger power/entity who have the worst fucking attitude about themselves.

I've only watched the first episode, but it was so utterly awful, (even in ways that bad first episodes of Trek shows have never been before NuTrek) that I decided I didn't need to see anymore.

But in fairness to Chuck, it seems like he hated the first episode of Lower Decks too.

I know a conservative Catholic who's a fan of Trek and even he's told me the only new thing he can stand is lower decks.

I may have Bender steal me a season of it.

I keep trying to explain this to people, but Lower Decks, while I think is definitely the least horrible of NuTrek, is still objectively terrible. 90% of it is forgettable even if its not horrendously annoying and miserable to watch.

The one thing Lower Decks does have over the others is once in awhile it manages a good joke or decent idea that isn't just a reference. The kind of thing that wouldn't happen by chance. Someone I know suggested that perhaps there is one lone actual Star Trek fan on staff who gets to write a line in here or there once in awhile.

One good idea here and there does not save a show though, as I often have to remind people when they see me defending this show. If 90% of something is shit, you still fail, even if you make a genuine connection occasionally. Lower Decks understands Star Trek the most of the three and its still a glossy surface-level pastiche of it. I wouldn't even consider STD and PIC to be pastiches, honestly.