To boldly go ... (Star Trek)

[relm1]

I bought the blu-ray ten movie collection of the Star Trek movies and will watch them all.  I will be interested in my response, since as a Star Trek fan, if they will "hold up" or if I will be similarly underwhelmed. 

My wife refuses to watch The Wrath of Khan - finding Ricardo Montelban, as Khan, and the eel implants not what she wishes to see again. 

I guess I will be solo for that one.

Did you get the recent remastering of TMP from 2022? 

I am going to say something controversial here.  I LOVE TMP.  I don't feel it is far from the flavor of the original series but embodies some of its qualities.  There is really nothing in Star Trek with so much a sense of the unknown as this which is 90% of the story.  It also has qualities of some TOS episodes I adore like the space ameba episode which is basically an entire hour about an energy creature they don't understand until Spock makes a self sacrifice so the crew can understand.  There are many episodes with this DNA and TMP is taking that to the infinity.  It's also a fantastic score, again Star Trek at its most mysterious rather than actiony.  There are few films I've ever seen that explored that sense of the unknown universe more than this film.  Yes, that's not for everyone since others want more action and plot structure but for me, I felt a full and rich story in this film.  For instance, it follows the hero's journey.

First, the Enterprise crew receives a distress call from the starbase as V'ger is approach Earth.

Captain Kirk initially refuses to take on the mission to intercept V'ger because he feels like he's not ready to assume command again. However, he eventually accepts the mission, and this marks the beginning of his journey since no one is more capable even though his newly built ship and crew aren't ready.

Spock and Bones again serve as Kirk's mentor throughout the movie, helping him to understand the true nature of V'ger and guiding him along his journey while also questioning his readiness.

When the Enterprise enters the V'ger cloud, the crew crosses the threshold into the unknown, leaving their familiar world behind.  No one has made it this far in the cloud before.  Even the formidable Klingons were eliminated immediately by this unknown powerful threat.

Throughout the journey, Kirk and the crew face many challenges, including dealing with the malfunctioning ship, asteroid in the warp, battling V'ger's defenses, and confronting the alien entity itself.

The crew and ship are captured in a completely powerful yet fully unknown entity, they are fully outmatched in a way they've never been before.

Then Kirk and Spock enter V'ger's core and discover that it's actually a long-lost NASA probe that has merged with an alien intelligence and somehow, through its exploration of the unknown encountered beings far beyond anything we've ever imagined...becoming self-aware in the process.

Kirk and Spock face a final test when they realize that they need to teach V'ger about the concept of creation, flawed humanity, and emotion in order to save Earth from destruction as it identifies humans as an invading infestation of the earth.

After successfully completing their mission, the crew of the Enterprise are hailed as heroes, and Kirk and Spock have gained a deeper understanding of themselves and each other, a sense of birth and rebirth.

This is a great story, though perhaps lacking in action and relying too much on the sense of awe, it is still star trek in its purest form.

[Karl Henning]

I am going to say something controversial here.  I LOVE TMP.  I don't feel it is far from the flavor of the original series but embodies some of its qualities.  There is really nothing in Star Trek with so much a sense of the unknown as this which is 90% of the story.

@LKB plus seeing the director's cut in the cinema really sold me on it.

[San Antone]

I watched The Wrath of Khan tonight and really enjoyed it.  More action, more story, more relationships - IOW everything a good movie ought to deliver. 

Can't wait to move on to the next one.

Did you get the recent remastering of TMP from 2022?

I don't think so. This ten movie set came out in 2020.

[Karl Henning]

In particular, the next gen movies are truly dreadful.

I pretty much enjoy First Contact, but it may just remain the only Next Gen feature I watch ...

[relm1]

I watched The Wrath of Khan tonight and really enjoyed it.  More action, more story, more relationships - IOW everything a good movie ought to deliver. 

Can't wait to move on to the next one.

I don't think so. This ten movie set came out in 2020.

I also really like the tv show that it takes the plot from, "Space Seed".  A great villain and wonderful retelling of Moby Dick.  Also a fantastic score by I think 29 year old James Horner.  I've been watching Picard S3 and loving the tips of the hat to the scores of The Motion Picture and Wrath of Khan. 

[DavidW]

@LKB plus seeing the director's cut in the cinema really sold me on it.

That was a real treat seeing it in the cinema, I think that was the way the movie was always intended to be watched.  I grew up watching it on a 17 inch tube tv.  With that lack of visual impact, you're just left with aging actors looking stunned at plastic models.

[relm1]

I'm pretty sure the blaster beam used in The Motion Picture and perhaps most features after is also prominently used in Picard S3.  I love it's reappearance.  It feels so Trek.

Is what makes the ST formula so special how it is a community of misfits?  So as long as ST does that, it feels ST?  Isn't that sort of like Harry Potter? 

[Karl Henning]

Is what makes the ST formula so special how it is a community of misfits?

Either I misunderstand you or misfits isn't the right word.

[relm1]

Either I misunderstand you or misfits isn't the right word.

I don't remember why I choose that word.  Maybe how spock was half human/vulcan so not quite a fit in either society.  Bones an old country doctor in space, a russian during the cold war, etc.  In contrast, not so interesting if they were all from the same society like Forbidden Planet.  I don't know what I was trying to say.

[Karl Henning]

I don't remember why I choose that word.  Maybe how spock was half human/vulcan so not quite a fit in either society.  Bones an old country doctor in space, a russian during the cold war, etc.  In contrast, not so interesting if they were all from the same society like Forbidden Planet.  I don't know what I was trying to say.

No worries! Better would be, as it was one of Gene Roddenberry's points: diversity in the crew.

[Karl Henning]

Tangentially, John de Lancie plays a very different role in Terry Gilliam's The Fisher King, a movie which everyone should see at least once

[LKB]

Tangentially, John de Lancie plays a very different role in Terry Gilliam's The Fisher King, a movie which everyone should see at least once

So you're saying, we should queue up for the film? 

[relm1]

Tangentially, John de Lancie plays a very different role in Terry Gilliam's The Fisher King, a movie which everyone should see at least once

And 1993's Fearless.  He plays a shallow businessman on a doomed flight.  Great movie by the way.  Very powerful and moving ending about a plane crash survivor who develops a god complex.

[Szykneij]

[Karl Henning]

Seeing that @Old San Antone enjoyed Star Trek: Generations made me realize that there is no need to let the scruples of this or that critic prevent me from enjoying the movie, myself. I couldn't help feeling a slight pang upon learning that there would be no Spock, Bones or Uhura, but in the first place, the story was strong, and in the second, to some degree Scotty and Chekov seemed squeezed in (glad as I was to see 'em.) I entirely enjoyed Shatner (he was quite well-behaved.) I'm even less sure how I feel about "emo Data" than I was about "emo Data" in First Contact. Good use of Guinan, I thought. Great use of Geordi's visor. Enjoyed the movie entirely. Probably the only time I've seen Malcolm MacDowell outside of A Clockwork Orange.

[VonStupp]

Probably the only time I've seen Malcolm MacDowell outside of A Clockwork Orange.

If your library has it, it might worth seeing Time After Time. MacDowell plays HG Wells and Star Trek regular David Warner plays Jack the Ripper.

VS

[Karl Henning]

If your library has it, it might worth seeing Time After Time. MacDowell plays HG Wells and Star Trek regular David Warner plays Jack the Ripper.

VS

To the Library catalogue I go!

[San Antone]

Seeing that @Old San Antone enjoyed Star Trek: Generations made me realize that there is no need to let the scruples of this or that critic prevent me from enjoying the movie, myself. I couldn't help feeling a slight pang upon learning that there would be no Spock, Bones or Uhura, but in the first place, the story was strong, and in the second, to some degree Scotty and Chekov seemed squeezed in (glad as I was to see 'em.) I entirely enjoyed Shatner (he was quite well-behaved.) I'm even less sure how I feel about "emo Data" than I was about "emo Data" in First Contact. Good use of Guinan, I thought. Great use of Geordi's visor. Enjoyed the movie entirely. Probably the only time I've seen Malcolm MacDowell outside of A Clockwork Orange.

I thought Nemesis (the last ST film) was even better even though it was the Next Generation cast, no original members.

[Karl Henning]

I thought Nemesis (the last ST film) was even better even though it was the Next Generation cast, no original members.

Found that in the Library catalogue, too!

[relm1]

Seeing that @Old San Antone enjoyed Star Trek: Generations made me realize that there is no need to let the scruples of this or that critic prevent me from enjoying the movie, myself. I couldn't help feeling a slight pang upon learning that there would be no Spock, Bones or Uhura, but in the first place, the story was strong, and in the second, to some degree Scotty and Chekov seemed squeezed in (glad as I was to see 'em.) I entirely enjoyed Shatner (he was quite well-behaved.) I'm even less sure how I feel about "emo Data" than I was about "emo Data" in First Contact. Good use of Guinan, I thought. Great use of Geordi's visor. Enjoyed the movie entirely. Probably the only time I've seen Malcolm MacDowell outside of A Clockwork Orange.

Agreed, it's a good film.  Great performances, wonderful score and special effects.  I think any hate is towards the underwhelming death of kirk but there is no real death of Kirk that won't earn ire.. Star Trek II's Spock death was fantastic but no other death could match that gravitas.