But I know a family that used to rush home to watch Star Trek: Voyager and they’re pretty normal and clever. Mostly.
[rumor has it I might have a gold command shirt]
not on my nerdiest day…
I am giddy with joy, in the nerdiest kind of way
I went to see Star Trek for Mother’s Day. Here’s the big observation–everyone else in the theater was middle-aged, balding or graying, and paunchy-looking. Well, not all of us. I looked hot. Remember the middle age thing? Yeah, I was hot, as in hot flash.
Anyway, during the ridiculously long trailers and other advertisemnts taking up all my time, Vicky and I were noting the demographics in the theater. There were a lot of folks my age who had grown up with Star Trek, and then there were our kids, who either went as some weird bonding exprience, or were truly interested in Trek. I’m not sure which. Here’s the thing–it was a Trek movie that was true to Trek (sorry for the alliteration) but engaged the younger generation. It was spectacular. I loved it.
JJ Abrams is my new hero. We finally got some Star Trek that delivered. In a big way. LOL. The special effects were spectacular. There was actually a decent plot, although the time travel/alternate reality tends to get a bit old in sci-fi (still, Spock manages to address that in an amusing way at the end). There were liberties with the story line that were a bit out there, but I suppose it was resolved with the excuse that it was an alternate reality, but still–. I can totally see how a purist would be annoyed, and yet, as far as the story goes, I get it.
Things I could have done without–um, besides changing some history? Nothing. I liked it.
Things that were very well done for this Trekkie:
The characters were believable. Kirk behaved like Kirk. Spock behaved like Spock. Sulu was terrific. Chekov stole the show on the bridge. Scotty was fantastic. Uhura, who had been my favorite as a kid (I used to shove my brother’s crib spring in my ear and pretend to be on the bridge) came through very well, too, although Nichelle Nichols had a whole lot more sensuality. And in a final nod, the actor who played Sarek was wonderful.
I appreciate the nods to the canon. The references to the characters’ quirks in the series were awesome. Sulu fencing was particularly amusing. McCoy was brilliant.
The final scene on the bridge was reminiscent of the show, and the actors seemed to get it right. Kirk, especially, was Kirk without being campy. A feat even Shatner rarely pulled off.
Nicely done.
the crescent moon is low in the sky tonight
It’s hiding in the canopy of the pine trees and peeks out between the boughs, a bright basin with all the stars above it.
The bright lights in the sky remind me of a time when I was kid. I remember going trick or treating with a lot of face paint, and I couldn’t wear my glasses without ruining the frightening effect that I was going for. The trade off, of course, is that I couldn’t see very well. Back then, the liability pretty much meant that I couldn’t see things that were very far away. Like, say, the Goodyear Blimp. This is important later.
I went around the neighborhood with the usual crew. Yuyi, Eddy, Patricia, Richard, and probably the Rocamoras, although I’m guessing we had to go to them, because they rarely left their street. This was also the time in my life when I lived and breathed all thing sci-fi. It was some time after Star Trek was syndicated in the afternoons, but way before Star Wars and Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Maybe I was already a fan of Space:1999 because Gene Roddenberry had introduced it and Fred Freiberger was producing it (as a side note, Freiberger’s involvement may have been why I often felt that the Space:1999 shows were re-worked Star Trek sripts. Even as a kid I realized that there is nothing new under the sun). It would be many years before television sci-fi would get my attention again.
Anyway, tonight’s moon, the pine trees, and the airport holding pattern that brings so many planes across our neighborhood all came together to replicate that night so many years ago when I was absolutely certain I was witnessing a real, live, UFO.
I saw the lights through the pines on Drew Valley, swirling in all the primary colors, and flying low, dipping, gaining altitude, and then stopping. I think my heart skipped a beat and I had a moment of absolute terror like those folks listening to War of the Worlds when they were psyched out. My vision was blurred enough to see the colors, but not realize there were words. Speechless, I wildly gesticulated to my friends, hoping to save us all from the imminent abduction.
They, of course, only saw my childish fascination with the Goodyear Blimp, and laughed at me for pointing it out to them.
There was no way I was gonna confess that I thought it was a flying saucer. Nope. I just shrugged and popped some candy corn in my mouth.