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Today Marks The 50th Anniversary of 'Star Trek' (ew.com)
Dave Knott writes: Today marks the 50th anniversary of the first television broadcast of Star Trek. The first episode of the science fiction series was aired on September 8, 1966. From its humble beginnings, Star Trek has gone on to become one of the best-loved and most successful television concepts of all time, an enduring pop culture touchstone that changed science fiction forever and spawned multiple series and movies that continue to this day. What does Star Trek mean to you? Are you a trekkie/trekker? What are your best memories of the series, and how has it affected your life?
Before the reboot it was awesome.
I even have books that most trekkers don't know about like "Spock Must Die".
After the reboot, having kirk and spock looking longingly at each other and Uhura emerging as a the true power in the ship just makes me hope that trek passes away.
_ _ _ Go for the eyes Boo! GO FOR THE EYES!
TOS set the technology up with some really good plot hooks. Things like:
You can't beam someone onboard while the shields are up.
You can go to distant planets, but it still takes considerable time.
The transporters are sensitive, finicky things that tend to break.
All of these make great places to hang plot from, such as:
So item #1 makes for a tense situation when you're in a shuttlecraft (or on the planet) while the ship is facing off an enemy.
Item #2 means you might not get there in time (KIRK: Make a challenge. Warn that ship off. UHURA: Trying to, sir. They don't acknowledge.)
Item #3 means you might get stranded on the ship after you've set it to blow up.
Compare with the modern reboot movies, where you can beam from Earth to another planet using a transporter the size of a duffel bag, starships that can hide underwater, and magic serum from Khan's blood that will bring someone back from the dead.
The modern reboot movies think sacrificing the technology makes for good plot, but it's just the opposite: Good plot will be based on the limitations of the technology.
Consider: How can anyone get emotionally involved in someone's death, knowing that they can be brought back to life now using Khan's blood?
(Let's not mention a red liquid that can turn a planet into a black hole, delivered by hand using a big syringe. Or a cold fusion bomb that can't be remote armed, has to be assembled and armed by hand while standing at the place of detonation. Or a bomb the size of a class ring that can take out a building. Or beaming from a planet onto a ship that's been at warp for a couple of hours using a formula that considers the ship and the planet stationary while the space between them moves.)