The Star Trek Marathon
I’m currently in the middle of a Star Trek Marathon! That means all the movies and all the series (except for the animated series… it freaks me out and isn’t strictly canon!) which I had originally intended to have completed in time for the new movie coming out on DVD. For some strange unknown reason, I’ve managed to go my whole life without ever having watched ANY Star Trek. I knew I’d like it if I sat down and watched it, but I just never really managed it. Now in a world of downloads and online episode guides, it’s a much easier task than it used to be! It’s been going on for a good couple of months now and I’m almost half way to nearly finished the Next Generation.
I’ve been having quite an unusual ride! I’ve been living in what I would describe as a rather geek-orientated world and I hadn’t really considered being Trek free to be a disadvantage. All of a sudden however, I get all the jokes, I understand all the references and I can hold a fairly technical conversation about the inner workings of a FTL drive! It also means I’ve had a lot of friends accidentally telling me spoilers, which is less fun.
The Original series passed without much event. This was where a lot of the references I never understood came from! So much of the culture of the geek and so many sci-fi story lines are indebted to these three series that it’s impossible not to feel an instant familiarity, even when watching them for the first time. It’s fun sometimes to watch a show made when certain…. cinematic techniques, hadn’t yet become cheesey, like the dramatic zoom in on the actor’s face (made all the funnier when it’s accompanied with dramatic music!). The dodgey sets, crappy props and downright strange special effects (the ‘alien’ in the The Enemy Within being a personal favourite!) just make it all the more endearing.
I was ridiculously excited about watching the movies, and when the glorious day actually came I locked myself in my bedroom and sat in a Trek induced delirium for the following 4 hours. I remember the first comment I made after ‘The Motion Picture’ was, “Dr McCoy didn’t do a damn thing in that film!” and I think that sums it up well enough! ‘Wrath of Khan’ on the other hand was awesome… I cried like an idiot. A lot. The time travel annoyed me slightly, but it would take a hell of a time travel movie not to!It’s kinda funny how, no matter how hard they try not to be sexist, there’s always that little bit of misogyny! One of the first times they show a woman in command of the Enterprise she gets everyone killed! Even if it is only a simulation… it’s a miracle she didn’t cry!
One line movie reviews are kinda my thing, so here goes!
The Motion Picture: Act your age and wear some trousers. Good if you don’t know how much better they become!
The Wrath of Khan: Made me cry! Where did the glasses come from in the first place!?
Search For Spock: I wasn’t allowed to watch this one, but I probably will anyway in the not too distant future!
The Voyage Home: Did Kirk just swear!? Freakin hilarious! Stupid ending.
The Final Frontier: Not as bad as everyone told me it’d be! In fact…. kinda good character-wise!
The Undiscovered Country: They reeeeeally like trials in Star Trek. Odd/Even number rule applies. “Other’s will continue…”
Like I said, I’m getting near the end of The Next Generation now, and I really can’t wait to get to the next batch of movies!
Blog Posts | Vicki | 
12/11/2009 11:30 pm
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