So here are my reactions to last night's introduction to Trek:
William Shatner doesn't look like William Shatner.
5 Year mission? This is sounding like Gilligan's Island. Also, that's negativity for you -- assuming your show's only going to last 5 years. Of course, it only ended up lasting three. (And, like, a million movies, to be fair.)
Am fascinated to learn that the first Redshirt was actually wearing blue.
The sexism in TNG is subtle. The sexism in TOS is ...not subtle. (Although snaps for effort.)
Uhura's a cutie! I think I'd only ever seen the actress when she was older. She's very, very young here.
So, I got on IMDB to double check the title of this episode and noticed there's a Season One: episode zero ("The Cage"). I paused and read up on it a bit, and it puts together a lot of random scraps of information I knew -- the Captain Pike background story, the fact that Roddenberry originally wanted Majel Barrett to play the first officer and was told it was too controversial, ...this, etc. I love behind the scenes info.
Kirk's an ass.
It is SO WEIRD to see William Shatner acting serious. I'm way too used to Boston Legal Shatner.
I've seen major elements of this plot in at least four TNG episodes so far that I can think of.
The sound effects are A. May. Zing.
There's some remarkably cutting edge camera work in this, and a surprisingly engaging plot.
BLAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Sulu. (I swear all I'll ever think when I see him is the Scrubs episode where Carla and Turk get married.)
Uhura's supposed to be Swahili?
The phasers. Ohhh, the phasers. So cute!!! There's like a half second pause before people react.
Aww, I heart McCoy.
I love how truth serum is a staple in any/every sci fi or fantasy story.
Woah, Kirk just had a Picard moment! He got all introspective and philosophical for about a second and a half. I gather this won't be a trend.
The background stills during the credits are all from episode zero, not from the episode I just watched. I love it. Giggle, snort.
That just about wraps it up. I've actually been up to some non-trek-related activities lately, but stuff like this is so irresistibly bloggable. Not, like, birth of Christ bloggable, but fun nonetheless.
If you make it up to The Menagerie 1 and 2, that's mostly The Cage, repackaged to make it work with the new show. Oh, how I loved Majel as Number One, you have no idea. I loooooooooved her. It was so disappointing, that I might have had a whole show with Majel as Number One, but no, stupid CBS is stupid. It's the motherfucking FUTURE, you numbskulls.
ReplyDeleteI actually genuinely, non-ironically like TOS quite a bit of the time. It's obviously a product of its time with the sexism and so on (Roddenbery was much better at envisioning a future where all the races got along and not so much with a future where women weren't just secretaries), but it's a really engaging show with a fantastic cast and some pretty sweet cinematography.
I genuinely, non-ironically enjoyed it, too, although I like TNG more. (I watched I Dream of Jeannie and The Munsters and stuff like that all the time when I was a kid, so the dated aspects don't bother me too much.) I read that The Cage is in the special features on Season 3, so I might have to check it out in its original form sometime.
ReplyDeleteI totally grew up with Nick at Nite. Addams Family, Munsters, Dick van Dyke, Bewitched, Get Smart - I didn't watch current programming other than cartoons until I was in middle school, hee.
ReplyDeleteMe too! Tons and tons of bugs bunny, and Nick at Nite. I really miss bugs bunny.
ReplyDelete