I have a dream that one day people will respect your Science Fiction franchise, without it having to sell its soul to the mainstreaming ambitions of up and coming directors.
I have a dream where such franchises will not make its loyal fans mourn for its golden years, by littering it with cheap gimmicks like pointless little creatures following around main characters and jokes that aren't funny.
I have a dream that the dumbing down of the political-cultural make up of the universe the said franchise will cease. To show respect to the fans who took the time to understand it and the writers who had the vision to write it.
These are the thoughts and feelings that swept over me as I watched the latest in the series of the Star Trek reboot, Star Trek: Into Darkness. On the whole, I have to say it is a film that is hard not to enjoy. However I think this is more from the standpoint of someone who hasnt experience the wonder, the magic of the Star Trek world. Yes I speak about this from the standpoint of an out of the closet trekkie. The film hits you with a sledgehammer of expensive CGI, blends a few War of Terror related issues into the plot and has plenty of gags in the script and is generally very well acted.
So what is the damn problem? The damn problem simply put is I want Star Trek and this isn't it! Too much of what I saw calls me back to the tragedy-comedy and at times car crash awfulness of the Star Wars reboot that began with the Phantom Menace. Plenty of money was spent on a story which while hinted at depth, largely avoided depth of any kind. It was basically a cinematic theme park and not much else. And that is where I see Star Trek going, and it is for the most part already there. Let me tell those not blessed by the world of Star Trek (the real one), so you know what you are missing.
Put simply Star Trek has everything. The Klingons are a warrior race who place a high value on honour. They at first act like an imperial power until suddenly disaster strikes. Their moon explodes, polluting the atmosphere of their homeworld and leaving them without their main source of energy. They are threatened with extinction, so have to start a peaceful partnership with the United Federation of Planets next door. They eventually become valuable allies, eventually fending off an empire seeking to dominate all civilisations in their quarter of the galaxy.
To avoid war with the Cardassians the federation has to withdraw its presence from the fringes of its territory, leaving many colonies to the Cardassians. Former Federation settlers refusing to abide by the terms of this treaty form a paramilitary organisation The Maquis in order to defend their homes from the Cardassians. The Ferengi are a commerce obsessed race that abides by the Rules of Acquisition like a holy book.
Data is an android who enlists in Starfleet. At first devoid of human emotions he learns to fit in with his human crewmates and adapt to human behaviour. When he gets human emotions he struggles to control them, but eventually sees their value. His Captain Jean Luc Picard passionately defends him in a trial to argue that he should be treated as a person, not a machine.
This is but the tip of the iceberg of Star Trek and its multiple series and films. Full of depth and complexity which is being crushed out of it with a big budget steam roller. I have come to the conclusion that what the overrated JJ Abrams is trying to do is adapt Star Trek for 21st century culture. And it angers me that this is being done.
21st century culture is against complexity. In this world of instant gratification where you can see a youtube clip on your phone without having to wait to see it at home on your PC, who has time for complex subplots about character development? Who has time for long running debates about technology's effects on human beings? Who has time to care about the intricacies of an alien culure someone has took the time to make up? Who has time and who cares? Not the people carrying the baton of Star Trek right now. What we have now isn't Star Trek, it is Star Trek-lite.
For those who disagree with me I leave you this thought. If you dont want complexity, compelling character development, cultural debates and genuine nerd-tastic sci-fi then stick around the JJ Abrams incarnation of Star Trek will fit your bill. But be warned, this is not Star Trek and your lives will be duller for not experiencing real Star Trek. To call it Star Trek is blasphemous and dishonours its great legacy.
And one final thought to stop you all sleeping at night; what kind of a culture are we if we reject complexity and debate for the sake of money?
No comments:
Post a Comment