Star Trek movies then and now

I am as much a Trekkie as I am a Star Wars Fan. I grew up on them both. My mom loved Star Trek and still does. I remember watching my mom cry like a baby when Spock died in The Wrath of Khan, and yes I am old enough to have watched them in original release in the theatre. I saw A New Hope around 10 times in 1977 in the theatre. I was 4.

I absolutely LOVE the original cast movies. I don’t care, even the “bad” ones are gold to me. As you may know they are all coming in proper 4K September 6th. I have them ALL pre-ordered. Ya, it wasn’t cheap, but I don’t care. Star Trek I: The Motion Picture – The Director’s Edition in 4K is actually a dream of mine for many years. I waited and waited for it in 4K, I hung on to my DVD copy hoping they would finally do it and put it in 4K. They have now. I absolutely LOVE that movie, but The Director’s Edition is the best version of the movie imo. I could talk all day about how great that movie is to me. But, then again, so are all the other original cast movies. And I’ll get all those with extras and Directors cuts too in 4K on Sept 6th.

To me the original cast Trek is where it is at. The companionship and stories are just great. I love the quiet moments between characters in the 6 movies. The scene where Kirk is having his birthday and Mc Coy has a nice “wake the hell up” moment with him. The scene where Spock explains to his bother, after the vision, that he has come to grips with his birth and father. The campfire scenes with Spock, Kirk, and Mc Coy. The bridge sequence with Kahn on the viewer and them scrambling for time. Kirk finding out about his son. Kirk dealing with the death of his newly found son. Spock getting his memory back. Spock trying to understand “colorful metaphors” and Spock saying “One Damn minute” line still makes me laugh. You don’t find any of this stuff in new Trek because the people making it don’t understand stuff like this. “modern” storytelling is empty.

So here we go.

For the TV shows. I like Original, TNG, Voyager, Enterprise. I frankly love Enterprise, and well, I have a crush to this day on T’pol. I am not the biggest fan of DS9. I just couldn’t stomach the bajoran’s. I found them wimpy. Sure, I liked Odo and Quark. But, I really liked it when Worf and the Cardassians were more prevalent in the show. It was better than imo. All the actors playing the Cardassian’s did a great job.

I really frankly am not the biggest fan of the TNG movies. I never watch them, and if I do, it is only Generations. I don’t even own them on Blu. I still have them on DVD. So, I haven’t even bothered to upgrade in all this time because I just never watch them.

The redo Star Trek. Well, I like the first movie, and the third one Beyond, enough to have bought them in 4K. But, Into Darkness is an utter train wreck. Horrible movie. But, at the end of the day I am not a big fan of the JJ verse. I don’t like his “modern” style. They don’t have those wonderful quiet character moments like the original movies did. The bond is not there with them.

The new stuff is mostly trash. I only watched Ep 1 of Lower Decks and couldn’t take it. Discovery is an absolute abomination. I have watched it all and had some utterly cringe moments. It is not Star Trek. I have never seen people cry so much in a sci-fi show. The main protagonist Michael is an absolute trash character. She get’s away with everything, and no matter how bad she screws up, she still get’s rewarded because she is THE BEST!!! And don’t get me started on the two “inclusive” characters, Adira and Grey Tal, that are just nauseatingly bad. The actor/actress whatever you want to call it that plays Grey Tal is so utterly cringe it has me looking away sometimes. It’s just BAD. The only shining light on that show is Commander Saru.

Now, Prodigy is actually a decent show. Sure, it was slanted for kids, but it doesn’t go cringe actually. I enjoyed it so far. I am also very surprised I say this, but I enjoyed Strange New Worlds. Even the episode with the “inclusive” character wasn’t bad. I mean, supposedly the pilot Erica is gay, but you would never know it. They don’t shove it in your face on this show like that have in Discovery.

This brings us to Picard. WOW what a bad show. The first season was bad, the flowers in space bullcrap, but season two is out of this world horrible. It is unreal how bad it is. The episode where it went all woke feminist, I actually shut it off and had to come back another day. It was just sooo bad. I have never shut a show like that off before, so that is saying something.

The problem with Trek now is partly because of Alex Kurtzman. The guy is an idiot imo. Roddenberry is rolling in his grave. Kurtzman and his lackies care more about pushing a singular leftists agenda than making a great escapism sci-fi show for all. Yes, Star Trek has always been “progressive”, but it never relied on pushing that narrative in it’s story. It still stood without it. It is an “argument” people continually have about newer Trek. “It was always progressive, you are just a biggot”. Blah blah. Yes, it was always progressive and inclusive, but not the way it is done now. Episodes that had any progressiveness were made in a way to make you think, not promote one side or the other. (much in the way Orville has done, and why it is such a great show) This is not how Trek is done now. It scolds you and shoves it in your face. Discovery being the main one doing this the worst.

The people making new Trek are blinded by ideology. Utterly absorbed fully in it like the bog of eternal stench, because they stink of agenda. They can’t do what most good writers and creators do: step outside your own personal belief’s and make a good story. Leave your ideology at the door. Recently Shatner spoke up about how bad new Trek is, and I agree with him.

In closing. The Orville is the real new Star Trek. I absolutely loved it. Fantastic show. Had me giddy and teary eyed sometimes. The writing and characters could not have been done any better. It is sad it is done. I find it quite funny that a show that started out as a parody of Star Trek, ended up being 10 times better than Star Trek is now.

Live Long and Prosper.

It was long winded I know, not that anything I say online matters anyway. But, Star Trek deserves some elaboration. Star Trek has a special place for me, and why it upsets me what has happened to it. But, this has pretty much happened to everything I once enjoyed. It’s sad what has happened to our entertainment.

I also realize I spelled Khan wrong the entire thing. I should be sent into the sun with no shields for that one.