Strange New World: No 'Star Trek'- Orson Scott Card rips the franchise

[EveningStar]

So they've gone and killed "Star Trek." And it's about time.

They tried it before, remember. The network flushed William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy down into the great septic tank of broadcast waste, from which no traveler…. No, wait, let's get this right: from which rotting ideas and aging actors return with depressing regularity.

More (http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-card3may03,0,6007802.story)

[UnkHiram]

I like his books, but I dont agree with him on Star Trek

[HomeschoolrsRUs]

I STRONGLY disagree with this guy, and I don't care if he was the King of Siam and produced the finest sci-fi money could buy -- his problem? He JUST DON'T GET IT.


I have come to believe in my 41 years of life that there are Trekkers and then there's everybody else. And I actually feel sorry for those that do not wish to boldly go where no one has gone before. Some of the very BEST memories of my LIFE involve Saturday evenings at 10pm, the only night of the week my Daddy let me stay up late. I can, at this very moment, smell the popcorn popped in that silver Revereware pot, just a little oil and that wonderful creamy butter drizzled on top. Mommy would get Gramma's blanket off the top shelf of the linen closet and place it neatly on the corner of the sofa. Daddy would get the big popcorn bowl out and bring it in to me where I had nestled myself under the blanket waiting for him, the popcorn and Captain Kirk.

The show would begin and Daddy and I would say the words together . . .

Space . . . the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise, it's five year mission, to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldy go where no man has gone before . . .

During the commercials we would talk about the show, and we would talk about life, how to treat other people, to respect life, to be curious about the world around us. And when the show would end for the night, my Daddy would carry me, barely keeping my eyes open to my little bed. He would kiss the top of my head and say, "Live long and prosper, sweetheart," and I would drift off to some alien planet or fly around the nebula with Mr.Spock.

I'm sorry this man doesn't understand Star Trek. There may not be a place for it in his world, but there will ALWAYS be a place for it in mine.

http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:MAF_NGpEzcIJ:www.startrek.com/imageuploads/200307/nimoy02/320x240.jpg (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.startrek.com/imageuploads/200307/nimoy02/320x240.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.startrek.com/startrek/mediaview%3Fid%3D2031134&h=240&w=320&sz=23&tbnid=MAF_NGpEzcIJ:&tbnh=84&tbnw=112&hl=en&start=1&prev=/images%3Fq%3DVulcan%2Bhand%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie% 3DUTF-8) Live long and prosper, my friends.

[EveningStar]

This guy is a jerk, an idiot

He's not, but I strongly disagree with him here.

[DoctorDoom]

ST:TOS was good escapist entertainment. The cast played well together, and it never really took itself seriously. It's cheesiness due to its paltry budget was part of its charm, rather like Doctor Who. And there was always a sense of humor, even in the "serious" episodes.

If one could ignore the gaping plot holes, the junk science and the total illogic, it was a fun show.

Re the big-budget spin-offs, I've seen maybe 20 episodes of ST:TNG and none of the rest of them, and I doubt that I've missed anything earthshaking. TNG said to me, "We have a good budget, so let's do serious science fiction." And all the fun and charm of TOS disappeared. Whether the rest of them regained some of the TOS aura, I have no idea. TNG tuned me off to Star Trek.

[HomeschoolrsRUs]

He's not, but I strongly disagree with him here.

Okay, ES, I apologize. I had a knee-jerk reaction. Not all shows are for everybody, case in point I can't STAND Jim Carrey or Ben Stiller movies.

In any case, I will support your last statement. I STRONGLY disagree with him regarding Star Trek.

[UnkHiram]

Treading on dangerous ground, insulting Star Trek around Homes. She gonna sick the Bubba's on yall.

[HomeschoolrsRUs]

ST:TOS was good escapist entertainment. The cast played well together, and it never really took itself seriously. It's cheesiness due to its paltry budget was part of its charm, rather like Doctor Who. And there was always a sense of humor, even in the "serious" episodes.

If one could ignore the gaping plot holes, the junk science and the total illogic, it was a fun show.

Re the big-budget spin-offs, I've seen maybe 20 episodes of ST:TNG and none of the rest of them, and I doubt that I've missed anything earthshaking. TNG said to me, "We have a good budget, so let's do serious science fiction." And all the fun and charm of TOS disappeared. Whether the rest of them regained some of the TOS aura, I have no idea. TNG tuned me off to Star Trek.

Doc,
I have absolutely the utmost respect for you in all areas. You see things I don't see, and are able to articulate things I cannot get from my mind to my mouth. On this one tiny area, please forgive me for disagreeing, in the sense that I guess it is a matter of it being in the eye of the beholder.

Perhaps I view the whole franchise through rose-colored glasses. Just the mere mention of anything Star Trek related, and my mind conjures these wonderful visions of my Father and the feeling I would always get when watching the show(s).

I liked each and every franchise. Of course, NONE will every compare to the original, because that was the beginning. You always remember your first love, I guess :smirky: . I have watched every episode of TOS, ST:TNG, and Voyager. I have missed episodes (several, in fact) of DS9 and Enterprise, due to the fact that my local cable provider (which REALLY is my local cable provider -- I don't get BrightStar, CoxCable, or anything like that, my little city has their own cable department), doesn't carry the station(s) that show DS9 and Enterprise.

I am waiting (oh so not very patiently) for them to come out on DVD. My library doesn't carry them either, drat it all!

[HomeschoolrsRUs]

Treading on dangerous ground, insulting Star Trek around Homes. She gonna sick the Bubba's on yall.

Yeah, Unk . . . they didn't realize there's Klingon blood on Bubba's side of the family, LOL! Gone hafta get li'l Bubba's batleth sharpened, :smirky: They keep messin' wid me, gonna recharge the phasers and set 'em higher than "stun"! :grin:

[UnkHiram]

DOC

IF you would like to sample some of the others I could send you coies of them on DVD. I am in the process of putting them all on disc. :laugh:

[DoctorDoom]

Possibly I didn't give TNG long enough to work out the bugs, but that useless bimbo Tasha Yar and the insufferable Q tainted my view.

I'm a zealot for good SF, and the crap that Unholywood and TV churn out under that designation is often appalling. OTOH, it's a hoot to watch sci-fi (as opposed to SF) and pick apart the egregiously bad "science" from screenwriters who wouldn't know a quark from a quart.

[UnkHiram]

Doc

I love Star trek, but it aint SF. Never was, it is Space Opera just like Buck Rogers.

[HomeschoolrsRUs]

Possibly I didn't give TNG long enough to work out the bugs, but that useless bimbo Tasha Yar and the insufferable Q tainted my view.

I couldn't stand Tasha Yar, but I absolutely ADORED "Q" (John DeLancie)! He was the perfect mix of dashing bad guy, mischievious good guy, and a whole lot of fun rolled into one. One of the best characters to come out of the franchise, in my opinion . . . also liked Data, Jadzia Dax, Neelix, Quark, Worf, and Lwaxanna Troi (who, of course, was played by the late Gene Roddenberry's wife).

[Apollo5600]

Didn't Tasha get killed by a blob thing?

[HomeschoolrsRUs]

Didn't Tasha get killed by a blob thing?

Yes, her death was supposed to have been "in vain," at the hands of pure evil. Later, she returned as a clone, and helped another starship get back to it's own time continuum by staying aboard to help as it past through a temporal time vortex.

She was definitely NOT one of my favorite characters from the series. The only interesting aspect, to me, was her relationship with Data.