As development ramps up on the untitled sequel to the 2009 Star Trek reboot film, plot and casting rumors are as inevitable as Vulcan ponn farr. J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and Damon Lindelof are still working on the script, but people are already conjecturing about the possible storylines and characters we’ll see as early as June 2012.
The latest revelations, according to Trekmovie.com and Badass News, dangle the possibility of a classic Trek antagonist challenging the crew of the Enterprise. It seems many fans would happily go where we’ve gone before with a modern take on “Space Seed” and the return of a pre-wrathful Khan Noonien Singh. I think that would be a mistake given the iconic nature of Ricardo Montalban’s performance and the fact that the original Star Trek II has pretty big boots to fill. Come to think of it, “Space Seed” itself is a tough act to follow.
The producers and writers may agree, because Khan is apparently off the table for now. The names currently bandied about include Harcourt Fenton Mudd, Trelane, Gary Mitchell, the Talosians, and the Horta. Just think those over for a moment. Harry Mudd? What’s he going to do, sell them defective sunglasses to cut down on the glare on the bridge?
In my opinion, the only two real contenders from that list are the Talosians and Trelane. Most of these scenarios just wouldn’t play out all that differently in the new timestream, even if Enterprise encounters them sooner. I don’t even think a story with Trelane or his race would offer much wiggle room. My quatloos are on the Talosians, which are just as powerful as Trelane and much more interesting.
In an interview I can’t find at the moment, I believe Abrams commented on the fact that now that the characters have been introduced, they’d like to do a deeper, more thoughtful story than the action-packed, universe-hopping, time travel puzzle we got in the first film. The Talosians offer a lot of what Star Trek is about: first contact with a powerful race of space douches, questions of reality, conflicts between desire and responsibility, and humanity proving its quality in the face of impossible odds. I think the timing should work out roughly as well, considering Christopher Pike was in command of Enterprise when they first visited Talos IV and Kirk took the captain’s chair a bit early in the new continuity. Pike could still be involved (and I hope he is), but it’s also going to be important for the new movie to have enough changes from the original episode to leave some question about what will happen next in the minds of those who have already seen it countless times. So how would Kirk have handled the Talosians under the same conditions? Will they have any hope of success without Number One? (Oh, it would be amazing if she turned up, wouldn’t it?) If they want to bring the Klingons in on the action too, have them show up on Talos IV at the same time and blend in a little of the plot from “Errand of Mercy” with Talosians subbing for Organians, why don’t they?
It’s also entirely possible that all of these names are red herrings, or the reliable source is actually wrong, or that more than one of these characters will appear in some capacity. io9.com and The New York Times offered another tantalizing tidbit: it seems Roberto Orci showed off an iPad with an actress’s photo on which he had painted a pointed ear. He could just doodle on pictures for fun, but it could also imply that a significant female Vulcan might make an appearance as well. If it is Spock’s childhood betrothed, T’Pring, as many hope, this could present an interesting quandary for the science officer’s relationship with Uhura and an opportunity for some restrained Vulcan angst. They do have some serious reproducing to get to, after all. So yeah, at least that sounds about right.
Another interview suggests the sequel will be darker than the first (the Talosians could easily take it there) and that Scotty would play a bigger role; if that’s still the case, he could probably be put to use for forty minutes trying to phaser a hole into the Talosians’ rocky fortress, or commanding the ship while Kirk demonstrates sex for his alien captors and Spock deals with a love triangle. There, I wrote the film outline for them. This is easy!
Would you like to see any of the villains mentioned above in the new movie? Or do you think we’re overlooking someone or something important from the classic canon, like the Salt Monster or the Old Ones? We probably will never get the Guardian of Forever, alas, but something along the lines of the Doomsday Machine could be exciting–like Star Trek IV if they had tried to destroy the Probe instead of pacify it.
It was always my contention that the winning formula for a Star Trek film franchise was simply to remake the best of the old (and only) series episodes, hiring excellent writers and extending them into the 90-minute-to-2-hour format. I was always afraid, however, that they would get lobotomised and turned into the usual Hollywood drivel (see the Will Smith version I Am Legend as a prime example — something that fell desperately short of what it could have been.
It would have been very cool, for example, to see Harlan Ellison’s original treatment of The City on the Edge of Forever on the big screen, done right.
So I hesitate to get too excited at the idea of Abrams and his gang touching any of the old stories or characters. I wasn’t all that impressed with their efforts in the first film, but, then, Star Trek: The Motion Picture sucked rocks, and certainly The Empire Strikes Back is hands-down superior to the original Star Wars, so maybe second time lucky will be the case here as well.
We can hope.
I am doubtful that remaking old episodes into films is the right approach. This formula didn’t work very well for Twilight Zone, after all. The best of the old series wouldn’t gain much by an extra 30-60 minutes of drama, and it could actually ruin the pacing. (For instance, adapting “The Changeling” into The Motion Picture.) Taking characters and elements from an episode, such as Khan, and exploring it in a new story definitely worked for Star Trek II the First; I think the reboot, for all its flaws, presents an opportunity to blend the old and new, relieved of the increasingly crushing weight of continuity.
It’s no secret that I heartily enjoyed Abram’s take on Trek, but I think it was also hampered (or helped) by Paramount’s desperate need for a blockbuster success to rejuvenate the ailing franchise (thus the emphasis on action over plot) and keep the fans happy (Leonard Nimoy!) and engage devoted SF nerds (time travel and parallel universes) while moving things along in a new direction with familiar, but different versions of the characters we know and love. A tall order, but overall a successful one. I hope that the sequel will return even more to the show’s roots with thoughtful issues and deeper characterization/conflict.
Also, I hope it isn’t in 3D.
Of course, turning The Changeling into a bloated fiasco like The Motion Picture is exactly the kind of thing I’m afraid would happen.
Though you’re probably right, I still think that in sufficiently masterful hands, the extra time could be used to flesh out the old plots and characters a bit more. But such hands are generally lacking, so your — and Abram’s — approach may well be best. His first film wasn’t awful, so things may well improve.
Also, I hope it isn’t in 3D.
I’ll drink to that.
I’m not sure I want to see new Trek do old Trek.
The one scene of “in continuity” in new Trek was Kirk’s performance in the Kobayashi “No Win” scenario. They totally butchered the iconic Kirk moment by underplaying it/playing it for laughs.
Would Starfleet Academy really let Kirk take it more than once? Why? What purpose would it serve to take a character test more than once? And by implication he’d already blown it (twice?) before… so much for the legend that he was the only person to defeat it. If he really blew it (twice?) previously, then cheated on the third attempt, would he really get a commendation for original thinking?
I think this scene was always better played in our minds, where we might imagine Kirk learned of it and defeated it on the first go, thus demonstrating that he really was a gifted and forward thinking strategist… someone driven to excel… not just a carefree clown chomping an apple while going where many, including himself, had gone before.
@4 Isn’t it in the original continuity that he took the test three times? I don’t think Abrams & co. invented that bit for their movie.
I do not want them to go with “classic” uber-villains. Fighting Klingons in general is one thing, but if Star Trek is going to evolve into something for new audiences, the new film needs to try and walk ground not already walked (and probably better) by the previous show(s)/books.
They already shoe-horned in the Borg, and that was more than enough.
@5 Notmaker
I’d sooner they go with something original too, even involving established, preferably under-utilized villains, but that doesn’t seem to be the direction they’re moving in. I would love to see the Tholians or the Andorians, if Enterprise hasn’t already ruined them. Not a remake of “The Tholian Web,” mind, though I imagine they would use the weapon if they came up against the Federation in the new film.
I suppose they’re planning to do a lot of these, so there’s plenty of material to go around.
The Tholians starred in just about the only good part of Enterprise, so I wouldn’t count them out on that basis just yet.
Re-imagined Gorns would also be maximum neato.
As has been mentioned, there’s plenty of room for plots that don’t involve re-hashing the original series. That doesn’t mean that new stories can’t have a lot of the old familiar furnishings.
Oh gods, no.
They’ve got Alt-Spock now. The opening sequence of ST:XII should show them detonating a Doomsday Machine, intercepting the Botany Bay, beaming John Gill into a holding cell, etc., etc.
Then get on to new stuff.
@8 ChurchHatesTucker
Actually, that would be really cool. Kind of like the end credits to the anime film Steamboy, where you just have these evocative images that imply all sorts of adventures–some of which seemed more exciting than the actual movie.
@ 1 NomadUK
I am all for that format… if we were talking about anything other than the current state of the franchise. I don’t want J.J. Abrams touching ANYTHING worthwhile from classic Trek. He can have, oh, the Omegans or something. But keep your damn hands off my Talosians.
Re: I Am Legend, I absolutely loved the first 90 minutes of that movie. I was riveted. Maybe it’s because I’m a New Yorker, but the scenes of empty, deserted NYC were chilling. And I thought Will Smith made a very compelling protagonist, even if the flashbacks of his family seemed weird and out of place. But oh my god the last half hour was awful.
@ 2 Eugene
Every time you talk about the new movie you persuade me that it was the right choice… and then I step away and remember how much I hated it. :)
@ 4 Lemnoc
Notmaker is right–in STII Spock explicitly mentions that Kirk took the test three times. His commendation wasn’t for strategy, though, it was for original thinking. What bothered me about the “reinterpreted” scene (other than Kirk just generally being a d-bag the whole time) is that Kirk treats it flippantly. It’s clear that RealKirk, when faced with defeat, would not accept that scenario. He simply had to find another way. It wasn’t entirely a boastful look-at-my-huge-(fill in the blank), though I can imagine that element there. And he still came away with the right lesson–he tells Saavik something about how learning to face death is just as important as anything you would face in life. They took the gravity out of it, took away the meaningful lesson.
@ 5 Notmaker
They shoe-horned in the Borg? In the new movie? Did I miss this?
@ 7 S. Hutson Blount
The real advantage to using a race like the Gorns for a new movie is that special effects have come a long way. But the prospect of NewKirk man-wrestling a lens flare monster is kind of seizure-inducing just to think about.
@ 8 ChurchHatesTucker
Ha! If only. Too bad they’re too creatively bankrupt to come up with their own villains and stories.
@10 Torie
They took the gravity out of it, took away the meaningful lesson.
Yes, but remember, this is a different Kirk and it’s going to take him a little longer to learn that lesson. Maybe it’ll happen in the next movie!
@10 Torie, Yes, Kirk in TOS comes off as rather serious, even bookish, in his early years. There’s some banter from Gary Mitchell in WNMHGB about Lt. Kirk carting books around everywhere. A nice bit of depth for the swaggering, brawling, ladies man of later years.
I liked the remake (despite plot holes you could drive a truck through and technobabble non sequiturs that might make your head spin). I’m not sure what I found more irritating, though, Kirk’s flippancy or Spock as a tooth grinding, mood swinging lothario.
@ 11 Eugene
That Kirk isn’t going to learn anything from anyone. Ever.
@ 12 Lemnoc
You’re right–I think he calls him “a stack of books with legs.” But that was the version of Kirk without daddy issues.
Agreed. If they rebooted Khan it might not be the worst thing… maybe they could kill off NewSpock for real this time!
To dream the dream…
@7 S Hutson Blount
For some reason I thought they ran into the Gorn in Enterprise, but maybe not. I know that in the remastered HD version of “The Arena” they were pretty proud of the fact that now the Gorn actually blinks! Of course, that vastly improves the quality of the episode.
I got the reboot for Christmas and I still haven’t watched it. Somehow, I’m having a really hard time bringing myself to do it. And frankly, the more I hear the harder it gets to watch. Part of the problem is also that I’ll have to watch it alone, since my daughters are now out of the house and my wife just doesn’t like that sort of movie. So there always seems to be something else to do instead.
If you must mine the original series episodes for ideas — something I would advise against — then the producers/writers would be best served with a rule I think should exist for any sort of re-make.
Do NOT remake good movies. (In this case episodes.) Going against a classic loved episode you can only come off as weak and lesser. Just rose-goggles about the past will make that a tough match up. If they did it right the first time, pass on doing it again.
That said – you can remake bad films (and episode). Look for episodes where there was potiental that was missed. Ideas that could have been exploered but tossed aside or ignored. That’s where the gold is in the orginal episodes for re-booting.
@ 15 DemetriosX
Oh you should watch it. Eugene liked it! I am generally far grumpier and more critical than he is (and probably most people are), so don’t let me stop you.
If you need inspiration, try the lens flare drinking game.
@ 16 bobsandiego
That’s a good point. What do you think would be a good candidate? I like the teasers from some of the mystery-oriented episodes that totally fall apart, like “The Omega Glory” and the upcoming “And the Children Shall Lead,” where everyone’s dead, the ship’s in danger, and they have to find out why. But the new series is much more interested in blowing shit up so I don’t know that any of these old episodes would lend themselves to that very well.
If you got to redo one, and you got to do the explody bits, follow this advice:
http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/popcrush/105699193.html
@ 17 Torie
Operation: Annihilate! Is a mediocre episode that could be really good. On the plus side the re-boot did introduce Kirk’s brother — but it ended up mostly on the cutting room floor. Downside, to do the story well you’d end up stepping on Heinlien’s toes and The Puppet Masters.
The Alternative Factor really stinks, but it would take a better brain than mine to turn it into gold.
A Private Little War could be interesting. Lots of action potential and lots of allegory to invasion and warfare that could be applicable.
@ 18 ChurchHatesTucker
Good advice. I still can’t imagine it’s “Amok Time”–I mean most of the Vulcans are now dead. I don’t think that works without a strong cultural element to tie the whole thing together.
@ 19 bobsandiego
“Operation: Annihilate!” might be a good choice. Both “The Alternative Factor” and “A Private Little War’ were just TOO bad, completely irredeemable for movie purposes. You really have to find a mediocre episode…
Do they have to select from only the original series episodes? Why not look at some of the races and plots in the Enterprise series? Scotty did establish Archer’s existence in the new movie’s universe. Why not build on that?
What if the alien race from Enterprise’s western episode finally gets around to sending a relief crew to that planet and discover what has happened? What about seeing some more fallout from the problem that Klingons in Worf’s time don’t like to talk about?
And for farther down the line. How about an early encounter with the Cardassians?
I’m sure they could find ways to link elements from the later series with elements taken from the original series. Not just retellings but remixes – like they did with BSG. For example. The VIP transport run to Babel leads to an encounter with the angry relief crew mentioned above. Spoiled Brat Kirk has to butt heads with the ambassadors who each have their own suggestions on how to handle the situation. There are so many possibilities.
@21 Ludon
It could be really interesting to feature another alien species from a later series, as long as it isn’t the Ferengi. I’d like to see the Breen, which we never learn all that much about. Come to think of it, they could do a lot more with the Gorn and other underdeveloped races from the original series; I have a soft spot for the Tholians, ironically enough.
Bring on the Gorn to open the movie
@23 E
I wasn’t impressed with the CGI Gorn they did on Enterprise. I’d like to see them do a Caitian, though.
@17 Torie
“If you need inspiration, try the lens flare drinking game.”
I infer from DemetriosX’s lack of death by alcohol poisoning that this didn’t happen.