5 Reasons Why the Star Trek Trailer Doesn’t Live Up to the Franchise

David Halpert — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 00:05:55 +0000

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For anyone who has even a marginal interest in science fiction or movie entertainment, no doubt you’ve been closely following the latest trailers that have been cropping up on the internet for the new Star Trek film. Now this is probably one of the most anticipated films this year (next to the Watchmen of course) but I’m sure I’m not the only Trekker—or Trekkie—that cringed while watching some of these trailers. Will it be a success? Let’s just say it’ll be hard not to be when you’re working on the heels of a 40 year old franchise. But what’s also amazing is how quickly a two-minute trailer can leave you baffled. That being said, here are 5 reasons why the star trek trailer doesn’t live up to the original franchise.

5) J.J. Abrams – It’s like Lost only with a story

This is probably the most far-reaching of my reasons for why the trailer doesn’t live up to the franchise, but I’m sure there was more than a collective sigh in theatres when they saw that J.J. Abrams was set to direct this feature. Now I love Lost, and furthermore, I love Cloverfield. However, J.J. Abrams is a director that holds true to the adage ‘less is more’ when it comes to story and character development and ‘more is more’ when it comes to effects (taking into account his propensity for destruction). While the studios, writers, and producers claim the new Star Trek film will hold true to the franchise, the very sight of Abrams name evokes a wide range of feelings, from skepticism to the rage of an outright bastardization of a treasured franchise.

4) San Francisco (Circa mid-23nd century)

This was actually redirected from a post on the SFsignal.com but it still makes a valid point. In one of the trailers we are given a one-second screenshot of the San Francisco Bay Area roughly two-hundred and fifty years in the future. In it we see epic buildings taking up most of the land as well as what looks like smog covering much of the skyscape. One YouTuber (click here) noted that these buildings would never be built in a place like San Francisco citing that not only would they be a blight to the urban landscape and cause a lot of pollution, but also that activism from the environmental right would never allow these buildings to be built in the first place. A decent argument. He also goes back to historical pictures of San Francisco and argues there’s no way urbanization would occur this quickly even if it is more than two-hundred centuries in the future.

3) Why is Spock So Angry?

There’s a moment in the first trailer of a half-second snapshot where a young Spock jumps in the air, cocking his arm back ready to throw what looks like the biggest punch of his life. Added to this his face is scrunched in fuming rage as he quickly goes to assault his attacker. Now anyone who knows Vulcans knows that they are essentially emotionless and I can only think of four instances where they actually show emotions. (i) If they are too immature (young) or too senile (old) (ii) if they are being tortured (iii) if they have some type of brain defect causing them to have emotions (iv) or if they are engaging in the ponn far, a Vulcan tradition where their hormones spike off the charts every seven years in which allows them to find a mate. For anyone who’s a fan of Star Trek this one was the first image that caused many to be weary. And for good reason. I wonder how they’re going to explain this one?

2) Star Trek 90210

This is the biggest reason surrounding much of the dislike in the science fiction forums. Frankly, the cast is too young. Now I’m all for revitalizing a franchise but if you see some of the screenshots for this film with all of the cast members together on the bridge of the USS enterprise you’d think they were plucked right out of the Academy with no experience to show for it. For a second you might think you’re watching Logan’s Run, then you remember it’s a Star Trek film. Maybe I’m being contentious here but if this complaint is recirculating throughout the SF blogosphere then I can’t be the only one thinking this.

1) How does Kirk ever become captain?

In the trailer’s opening scene we see a prepubescent Kirk driving what I presume to be a stolen Corvette jutting through the desert being pursued by the robotic authorities. Just as the car is about the drive off a cliff he leaps out, narrowly escaping death. The trailer than flashes forward fifteen years to Kirk getting in a bar fight and as he’s at the hospital licking his wounds he is practically handed over the command of a starship. Now I’m no psychiatrist but I would think that the requirements for Starfleet Academy would be a little more stringent than this. Don’t they usually give the captain’s chair to someone, well, older, more experienced? Forget giving Kirk the enterprise. Hell, you put me in command of one of those ships and I’ll start a war with every race in the universe. We all know that Kirk is one badass mother fucker but how they are going to explain this one is beyond me. Frankly, I’m not buying it.

Despite this article I’m definitely going to see this film but it’s clear from the trailer that they’ve got a lot of explaining to do.

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5 Reasons Why the Star Trek Trailer Doesn’t Live Up to the Franchise