Twelve Reasons I Love Star Trek Into Darkness

[BillJ]

Twelve Reasons I Love Star Trek Into Darkness:

1 - Niburu - This is what hooked little BillyJ on Star Trek in the first place. Big, brash adventure on the Final Frontier.

2 - Enterprise in the ocean - Coolest special effect I've ever seen in a major motion picture.

3 - Sacrifice - What would you sacrifice to save someone you love? Being married and a father of three, it is a question that I don't know the answer to.

4 - Khan - Cumberbatch was born to play the role. Cunning when the situation calls for it, brutal when the situation calls for it. I think his performance was very much in line with Montalban's "Space Seed" portrayal of the character. "Khan Noonien Singh is the most dangerous adversary the Enterprise ever faced. He is brilliant, ruthless and he will not hesitate to kill every single one of you."

5 - The Rundown - There is just an incredible feel in the theater when the Vengeance runs down the Enterprise while at warp.

6 - Pike's death - Incredibly well done scene that isn't dependent on dialogue to get the point across.

7 - Losing the Enterprise - "You don't respect the chair". This was an expected fallout from the "Cadet to Captain" scenario of the first film. I wish they could've delved into the situation a bit more but understand why they didn't.

8 - Klingons! - The most menacing they've been since Michael Ansara played Kang in 1968's "The Day of the Dove".

9 - The Argument - I think the Spock/Uhura argument on the way to Kronos is probably one of the most realistic "relationship" moments I've seen in the history of the franchise. Being married for twenty-plus years, I know that issues between couples can bubble to the surface at the most inopportune times.

10 - Khan!!! - Loved it! I loved that they reversed the scene. I loved that Spock began to figure out why him and Kirk worked well together. I love that he wanted to beat the shit out of Khan for killing his friend.

11 - The Speech - I don't care about Orci's feelings about 9/11 but the speech Kirk gives should hit home for every American.

12 - Uhura - I loved that she wanted to be the one to speak to the Klingons. No, "Captain, I'm frightened", even though she clearly was uneasy with the situation.

I found Star Trek Into Darkness fun in a way that Star Trek simply hadn't been in a very long time. Are there things I might have done differently? Yes. Am I sure that those things would've made it a better movie? No.

When I watch the Abramsverse films, it is almost like I've been transported back in time to a point when Star Trek didn't take itself so seriously.

 

[Franklin]

When I watch the Abramsverse films, it is almost like I've been transported back in time to a point when Star Trek didn't take itself so seriously.

Yep.

 

[Kemaiku]

A nice list, agree on all of those points. The 2009 movie was never going to be perfect, it had too much to do with a new team of people making it, it was always going to be rough.

STID could just hit the ground running and tell whatever story it needed to. And I think they made a great effort, a really enjoyable film, and I love it.

I haven't enjoyed Trek anywhere near as much in years, that alone was worth it for me.

 

[Robert D. Robot]

I agree with all your points, BillJ, although I confess that I still have a bit of a problem with Uhura giving Spock the business in front of her Captain in the middle of that mission. But I do see your point!

I also did not initially accept the Enterprise maneuvering under water & in a Class M Planet's lower atmosphere, but I am willing to accept a different level of capabilities for the ship, compared to the assumptions that I had previously made about her Prime Universe 'sister' from TOS & movies.

 

[Kruezerman]

It's Star Trek again.

 

[Jedi_Master]

*Makes popcorn waiting for BigJake to wander by*

Nice list. I would add one.

13) It looked amazing on the big screen.

 

[shapeshifter]

YES!

 

[Crazy Eddie]

When I watch the Abramsverse films, it is almost like I've been transported back in time to a point when Star Trek didn't take itself so seriously.

Yep.

Sums it up nicely, doesn't it?

 

[BillJ]

I also did not initially accept the Enterprise maneuvering under water & in a Class M Planet's lower atmosphere, but I am willing to accept a different level of capabilities for the ship, compared to the assumptions that I had previously made about her Prime Universe 'sister' from TOS & movies.

When I first heard about it, my inner Trekkie was in a rage. When I saw it, my inner kid beat up my inner Trekkie and made him go sit in the corner.

Nice list. I would add one.

13) It looked amazing on the big screen.

I started with five, then went to eight, to ten, then eleven and finally settling on twelve. I could have probably reeled off twenty easy but wanted a post that didn't waste people's time.

 

[Franklin]

I started with five, then went to eight, to ten, then eleven and finally settling on twelve. I could have probably reeled off twenty easy but wanted a post that didn't waste people's time.

Hey, that's what we're hear for.

I always liked it when Trek used humor in certain moments to keep a scene from becoming too serious or tense. This movie did that well. Among them:
-- The look on Khan's face when Kirk tries to explain to him that he's already "jumped off a moving car, off a bridge, into your shot glass" along with Kirk's realization that he probably should've kept his mouth shut is a nice moment. Showed Kirk's nervous energy, too.
-- McCoy telling Kirk that he and Uhura had something to do with it, too, when Kirk says Spock saved his life is a classic McCoy quip and keeps the scene from becoming sentimental or "bromantic."

 

[Pasi Nurminen]

It's funny because those are all the exact things I hate about it. Particularly "the argument." Nothing says classic Star Trek like interrupting a life-and-death mission to bitch at your boyfriend about where your relationship is going.

 

[BillJ]

It's funny because those are all the exact things I hate about it. Particularly "the argument." Nothing says classic Star Trek like interrupting a life-and-death mission to bitch at your boyfriend about where your relationship is going.

A life or death mission where absolutely zero was happening at that point.

Different strokes for different folks.

 

[Franklin]

It's funny because those are all the exact things I hate about it. Particularly "the argument." Nothing says classic Star Trek like interrupting a life-and-death mission to bitch at your boyfriend about where your relationship is going.

Frankly, with respect, if you hated all twelve of BillJ's points, then did you ever even like TOS?

Besides, they weren't in any real danger, yet when Uhura confronted Spock. Didn't you ever wonder what in the world these people talked about in route to these missions? The weather? Or, are they just tense and silent the entire time? Kirk was uncomfortable with it, too, after all, which lends the scene some credibility to whether or not it was the appropriate time or place for the discussion. Sometimes emotions spill out at odd times, and the air has to be cleared.

Despite the humor involved and the admittedly ridiculous timing of the spat within the story (not ridiculous as a choice of the writers, but as a choice of the characters in that situation), it's also a critical scene for revealing what makes Spock tick. He chooses not to feel. The pain of losing Vulcan and his mother is too great to bear, so he suppresses it through strict self control. Self control that finally snaps when Kirk dies.

 

[BillJ]

Frankly, with respect, if you hated all twelve of BillJ's points, then did you ever even like TOS?

I always thought that even those people who didn't like the movie overall, like the Niburu scenes. Learn something new everyday.

 

[Pasi Nurminen]

I'm still dumbfounded that anyone can claim with a straight face that JJ Abrams captures the essence of TOS. TOS was never a big, loud, brainless action series revolving around explosions and flashing lights and loud noises. Saying JJ captures the essence of TOS is like saying Stephenie Meyer's Twilight captured the essence of Jane Austen's Persuasion. It's just absurd on its face.

 

[BillJ]

I'm still dumbfounded that anyone can claim with a straight face that JJ Abrams captures the essence of TOS. TOS was never a big, loud, brainless action series revolving around explosions and flashing lights and loud noises. Saying JJ captures the essence of TOS is like saying Stephenie Meyer's Twilight captured the essence of Jane Austen's Persuasion. It's just absurd on its face.

No one forced you to come into this thread. For me, I love the films and what they bring to the table.

 

[BigJake]

*Makes popcorn waiting for BigJake to wander by*

Cardinal Biggles, fetch... the comfy chair!!!

Actually I don't mind a lot of BillJ's list:

Spoiler: Our chief weapon is surprise

1 - Nibiru

Reminded me more of Indiana Jones than TOS (except it made less sense than a typical action sequence in either) but it was pretty fun.

2 - Enterprise in the ocean

Dumb as hell, as Scotty takes time to tell us they're aware, but visually neat.

4 - Khan - Cumberbatch was born to play the role.

Dug him in Cool Badass Mode, mostly laughed when the script called for him to snarl and mug and Be Eeeeevil, but he did at least get to deliver a fair hunk of Cool Badass.

8 - Klingons

Dug the new design enough that I was kind of underwhelmed at how little they got to do.

10 - Khan!!!

I could see it coming as the parallel scene built, and I laughed heartily at that moment.

12 - Uhura

Zoe Saldana is always awesome and I dig her work as Uhura. I'm with Pasi in not caring for the argument -- undercuts not only her character, but also Kirk's -- and it was a bit of a letdown that her "let me speak Klingon" moment didn't actually produce anything useful. But Saldana is still fun to watch.

And to add my own entry:

13 - The Kirk-Marcus confrontation ("Well, that's why you're here, isn't it? To assist with our repairs?") was a cool moment, gave us a chance to see Weller do his sweet thing.

I'm still dumbfounded that anyone can claim with a straight face that JJ Abrams captures the essence of TOS. TOS was never a big, loud, brainless action series revolving around explosions and flashing lights and loud noises. Saying JJ captures the essence of TOS is like saying Stephenie Meyer's Twilight captured the essence of Jane Austen's Persuasion. It's just absurd on its face.

Well, yeah. In fact Abrams was specifically not trying to capture the essence of TOS, which he couldn't "find a way into." But there seem to be a lot of very virulent feelings toward TNG-era Trek bound up with claims about NuTrek having made it "Star Trek again," it often seems to be about more than what's in the movies*.

(EDIT: * Although not for BillJ, as he tells it.)

 

[Franklin]

I'm still dumbfounded that anyone can claim with a straight face that JJ Abrams captures the essence of TOS. TOS was never a big, loud, brainless action series revolving around explosions and flashing lights and loud noises. Saying JJ captures the essence of TOS is like saying Stephenie Meyer's Twilight captured the essence of Jane Austen's Persuasion. It's just absurd on its face.

TOS featured all the explosions, flashing lights, and loud noises it could afford. If Roddenberry's budget had allowed it, there would've been even more.

As far as the action being brainless goes, . ST09 and STID were as deep in characterization and issues and plot as any good TOS episode was. TOS was not high drama, after all. It wasn't cerebral, either.

Capturing the essence of TOS to me means capturing the essence of the characters, whatever situations they're in. For the one thousandth time, in my opinion, I believe Abrams and his cohorts got them down perfectly.

 

[BigJake]

As far as the action being brainless goes, . ST09 and STID were as deep in characterization and issues and plot as any good TOS episode was.

No.

 

[Franklin]

Well, yeah. In fact Abrams was specifically not trying to capture the essence of TOS, which he couldn't "find a way into." But there seem to be a lot of very virulent feelings toward TNG-era Trek bound up with claims about NuTrek having made it "Star Trek again."

Pardon the double post (unless someone has snuck in between mine), but there's a story Shelby Foote used to tell about George Custer during the Civil War. Custer's general was riding with his officers ahead of his troops when they came up upon the Chickahominy River. The troops stopped while the general and his other officers contemplated the depth of water and whether or not the troops could cross. They couldn't decide whether the water was too deep or not. Distressed by the length of the discussion, Custer broke away on his horse, splashed into the river, rode the horse out to the middle, and with the horse standing there, yelled back, "It's this deep, General!"

The General was Picard. Custer was Kirk. That about sums it up.