STAR TREK BEYOND Trailer 2 thoughts...

WARNING: Hardcore Trek nerd fan ire to follow. I apologize in advance. But I know people will want my reaction, so here it is.



(Link courtesy of bigfanboy.com)

I know its not popular to voice a pre-opinion before seeing the finished product. Usually I am against this. But this is a property, which many know, is dear to my heart. How could I not give an initial reaction. So that said, This new trailer did not really change my intital reaction to the first trailer at all. Let me get TREK NERD FAN PICKY here:

1-I HATE the new uniforms. Even the away team jackets.
2-Why is it when we get an awesome black actor on Trek we gotta put a bunch of prosthetics on him? Idris Elba can act circles around anyone in this cast.
3-This looks like JJ TREK mixed with HELLBOY 2.
4-(and this is REALLY fanboy picky) that if that is a Captain Archer era ENTERPRISE, the timeline was not effected in his era, so therefore the NX series would look like the NX series we saw on ENTERPRISE. So if it is a ship of that era, it looks completely different. I doubt it is, cause why go to that well if the casual audience that probably this is pitched to doesn’t even know of ENTERPRISE or the NX series. So I am betting this is another ship, confusingly designed like the NX series. Which will drive us nitpicky design Trek nerds crazy!

The only thing I feel that can save this movie is that in the end, they get a new Enterprise and its retro-looking… like the 60’s show but updated a bit. And the uniforms change. I think that would be good fan service, especially considering that its the 50th Anniversary.

But this looks like more ACTION/STYLE over substance. Granted I haven’t seen the flick, but honestly, unless the reviews come back saying its really good, I am gonna skip seeing it. I can’t believe I’m saying that because I’ve seen EVERY Star Trek flick since SEARCH FOR SPOCK on opening day. Its a record I have. But this one looks like shit. Worse than Insurrection. More of the same shit I didn’t want.

But I say all this knowing that my tastes are just stuck in classic sci fi. I love George Pal’s THE TIME MACHINE (RIP Alan Young BTW), and classic TREK. TREK has always been “classical” music. Not “rock and roll” (Or the BEASTIE BOYS). Its fine, but its not for me. I’m sure modern audiences will love this movie. But its not for me. I’m a product of a bygone era of sci fi viewing. At least I have plenty of episodes and movies of Trek I can re-watch, of an era that I liked. And books. And comics. And fan films. (thank god they dropped the lawsuit!) TREK is now for us, the fans who grew with it and love what it was. So Hollywood can keep making these rock em sock em blowup bike ridin’, hunky guys, hottie bra and panty shot girl blow em up flicks. I’ll be home watching the REAL Kirk and Spock and what Trek was all about. Gene Roddenbery has to be rolling over in his grave. Wasn’t he buried with his mistresses too?

I really liked the first JJ Trek. Although I had complaints about certain design elements of it, I still could see past it and really enjoy the flick. It made me excited for the future of TREK. Then INTO DARKNESS felt like an extreme step back, with inconsistencies in Trek lore and history as well as just bland action and no substance. But I could see why modern audiences would like it. But to me, it tried to take too much from a previous Trek movie that was way better and only reminded me why it was better.

We live in a time where everything I grew up with is being remade. And I don't really see it being improved like the remakes of my era. Maybe that is nerdy old man B.S.  But you know what? That unpopular opinion of old man B.S.....that is valid too. We come to a piece of art (film, music, etc) based on our experience and what we want to take from it. And I prefer my sci fi a certain way. Especially when it comes to a beloved franchise that I grew up loving. We build these things in our head and we like them a certain way because they are at the core of who we are. We don't have to change with the times if we don't want to. It doesn't make it worse or better at all. Like what you like. At least I have hours and hours of the stuff I like to still relive over again until I croak.

Unfortunately, count me still out. But I will be waiting for trusted reviews to decide. But I’m betting I don’t need to bring out my magic 8 ball for what they will say.