Pegg Talks Star Trek and Breaking the Odd Numbered Curse July 28, 2008
by Charles Trotter , Filed under: ST09 Cast , trackback
Simon Pegg has been making the rounds promoting the DVD release of Spaced and naturally, the topic of the new Star Trek film has been coming up. In several new interviews, Pegg discussed how he got the role of Scotty, the accent, his fellow Trek actors, being on the set with Leonard Nimoy, odd numbered Trek movies. Oh, and boobs.
Over at the Kevin and Bean archive, Pegg again related how J.J. Abrams offered him the role of Scotty and Pegg’s subsequent contact with Chris Doohan, the son of original Scotty actor James Doohan. Pegg also explained how he and his castmates approached such iconic roles:
I think everybody had to just take it from the ground up and go back to what all the original guys did with it and look at the characters, see who they were and play them as that.
Pegg also praised his castmates’ likenesses to their respective characters:
Zach Quinto, who does Spock, is phenomenally like… I mean, he looks like Leonard Nimoy. On set, out of the corner of your eye, you’d think it was Leonard, it was really weird. And Chris [Pine], who’s Kirk, has just got that fantastic sort of swagger, you know, that Shatner had and it’s… I think it’s going to be right, I’m so excited about it.
And on Zoe Saldana, who plays Uhura:
She was amazing. She really pulled Uhura off the page into 3D beauty.
In addition, Pegg described what it was like working with Leonard Nimoy, who returned as Spock for the film:
What was weird for me about doing Star Trek was…to have [Nimoy] on set, to be near a character that I had known since I was a child. Not just the actor but the character. I rarely saw him out of his ears, you know, because he used to get into make-up first. It was phenomenal, and he was such a gentle, sort of brilliant guy.
To hear the whole interview – including some discussions on God’s Third Leg, Megan Fox, and boobies – head over to Kevin and Bean Archive and download the podcast.
Pegg (sort of) shows off his Scottish Accent
For more Peggy goodness, MTV has a video interview with Pegg and his Spaced cohorts in which he talks about doing Scotty’s accent; you can check that out here.
Pegg on breaking the odd numbered Trek movie curse
Also, Hollywood.com has listed five reasons why you should check out Spaced. Reason number five was "American fans will see a show that was a commentary on pop culture, before the creators joined the pop culture landscape themselves.
", and Pegg was quoted saying:
It is quite like the snake eating itself. I think when we started making references to Spaced in Shaun of the Dead that’s was the most crystal moment of self indulgence ever. In Spaced there is a line where Tim says something about every odd number Star Trek movie being shit which is a huge irony considering I’m starring in Star Trek 11. So it is funny how those things come back to haunt you. Obviously the rule doesn’t apply anymore [laughs].
Scotty and Spocky partying
Lastly, Jonathan Llyr of Hardcore Nerdity has sent us a pic of Pegg with the new Mr. Spock (Zachy Quinto) at the Maxim Party at ComicCon this past weekend. Check out Hardcore Nerdity on Wednesday for a few more pics from the party featuring Pegg, Zach Quinto, and J.J. Abrams.
Mr. Scott I need you to reconfigure my iPhone
VIDEO UPDATE: Pegg on Letterman – MacGregor offered role of Scotty?
Pegg was a guest on Late Night with David Letterman on Monday night and the subject of Star Trek was brought up. In talking about the film’s secrecy Pegg stated his code name on the set was ‘MacGregor.’ He then stated he thought it was cool at first being a Scottish name, but then found out it was because the role of Scotty had been first offered to Ewan MacGregor…then again he may have been joking, but check it out anyway
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Comments»
That’s odd. This post is #1 which is an odd number
Never heard of Spaced.
Does the fact that the last even numbered one was cursed itself break the odd numbered curse?
Only Tibetan numerologists of Appalachia know for sure.
Nemesis was doomed from the start. Fans refused to give it a chance.
#2
You should check it out. Very funny.
Not to mention that this is a reboot of sorts, so the numbering starts over really.
This is 0 which is nether odd or even!
“Obviously the rule doesn’t apply anymore…”
:)
Someone once told me every even number film is good, every odd number one isn’t but every 5th one absolutely stinks!
I like the Quinto and Pegg pic.
OK, who’ll be the first to photoshopp them in their star trek uniform
anyone?
This movie is .011111
Just saw Pegg on David Letterman and when asked about the new Trek film, he said the studio had a chip implanted in his head and if he said too much it would explode….
LOL!
@4 — I’m largely a fan of the original but I still went to Nemesis opening night, as I’ve done for every Trek film. I went with an open mind, wanting to like it. Unfortunately I was disappointed. I don’t think it’s presumptions to say the majority of Trek fans wanted to like it.
We can debate the merits of Nemesis as a film but to suggest that it failed because of the fans’ mindset going in doesn’t make sense.
Also, that odd-even crap is a tiresome cliche. Just one for-instance: I hadn’t watched Trek III in some time but it recently was on the Universal HD channel, and it is an awful lot of fun as the middle film in that trilogy. The gang is in great form, with Mark Lenard as Sarek, to boot. Someone on another recent thread noted how great the ILM effects are in that, too.
As for the comments he made about his castmates, it seems interesting that Karl Urban was not mentioned. In fact, I think it’s weird because, after Pine as Kirk, he’s the other role I’m most curious about.
But then again he didn’t mention Harold or the kid playing Chekov. I really at a loss because the latter is slated to play Kyle Reese in the next Terminator movies and their is no way in hell he strikes me as being anything like Michael Biehn.
“there” not “their” damn it evil scotch!
#14 Notbob — He mentions both Cho (Sulu) and Yelchin (Chekov) in the podcast, I just didn’t transcribe that part because they were passing references. He may have mentioned Karl, as well, but I can’t remember for sure. I think he did.
@4 “Nemesis was doomed from the start. Fans refused to give it a chance.”
I beg to differ. I really wanted to like it. I’ve wanted to like it all of the five times I’ve seen the film. The problem, for each time I watch it, I hate it even more. It’s a truly horrible piece in every way. Both as a Star Trek film and as just any film in general.
American friends: I cannot stress to you just how good Spaced is. It’s really amazing. It’s about us, made by us. You’ll love it, get involved.
McGregor the 1st choice for Scotty?
if that had happened wouldnt the universe explode or something? Crossing any element of Wars with Trek would be like crossing the streams in Ghostbusters..it can never happen (although i do secretly hope for a Ford cameo as April or an admiral)
I’ve always found the “odd number curse” thing peculiar because I love ST:III.
Yes, the most exciting “action” piece was backing the Enterprise out of the garage, but III was very much a character piece.
If you love these characters, then III should be loved, too.
13… STIII is one of my favorites, and following “Khan” was no easy slot to fill. But I think it holds up very well. I really got what director Nimoy was after; it’s a very operatic film. The characters are really at their best, and everyone seems so comfortable in their skin. You can sense the cast had a good time making this movie. Nimoy brought a perfect vision into the film, in spite of whatever weaknesses may exist. And I think most of those weaknesses are in the production, rather than in the story or characters. For example, imagine how much more interesting the film would have looked had the planet shots taken place on location. It’s understandable that for the $$$ they had to work with, and the need to control the weather and fires, etc., but I think it would have given the film a more epic look.
I wonder what he meant about Zoe pulling Uhura off the page into 3D beauty. She was not just a literary creation before. Nichelle was coming at ya in 3D years ago…
the whole odd = bad, even = good rule has never held any water for me as ST III is 2nd only to Khan imo….its the Empire Strikes Back of the movie series (well the of the Genesis trilogy)…great acting, chracterisation, FX (best of the film series), emotional scenes (Ent/David), Classic trek moments, stunning visuals (watching the ent go down in flames), intergalatic space travel (visting 3 planets) homages to the TOS (Ent countdown, tribbles, nasty klingons, Kirks fistfight, Sarek, Vulcan) – people say Trek V is closest in tone to TOS but i believe its III
Never understood why its considered one of the lesser films…its probably the most hard core Trek film (for fans) and when it came out reviews were good (although not up to Khans) and it was just as successful…i think that fans have just leapt on the bangwagon as the other odds werent that great…although when Nemesis came out the whole rule fell apart anyway
i just wish K Alley had been savikk again..its really disrupting when they recast roles like that..the character just loses impact…even in Dark Knight it didnt feel right (Rachel)
21 – yes location wouldve really made a difference…
then again filming on soundstages added to that bug budget TOS feel
#23
Funny, the absence of Katie Holmes and her Dawson’s Pout™ made TDK feel absolutely right to me! ;)
#4
Everyone I knew wanted to give Nemesis the benefit of the doubt when it was released, especially after Insurrection. The fact that the script was god-awful (Picard suddenly freezes at a critical moment leading to Data’s pointless death; Shinzon impaling himself quite deliberately; the Enterprise’s convenient ‘Bottomless Pit & Enemy Disposal System’) and that the production values somehow managed to be even worse than the TV show alienated just about everybody. Sure, the space effects and the ship ramming looked great, but the inside of the Reman ship looked like a long-lost Dr Who set from the 60’s (endless look-alike corridors that would bend when the actors leaned against them) and the use of a sloppy backdrop for Alaska was completely inexcusable for a modern SciFi film.
#21 – I always thing of STIII as really being STII, Part II, so the even/odd thing never works! ;-) IN my mind, TWOK through TVH is one big, sweeping movie divided into three chapters for convenience’s sake.
Pegg just gets more and more adorable, doesn’t he? And although I feel like my ovaries are growing back every time Ewan MacGregor steps onto a screen, he would have been so, so very wrong for Scotty.
Dude, what is with Pegg’s sandals in that MTV clip?!
Nemesis sucked. Period. It broke the “curse” by being the crappiest even numbered Trek which of course paved the way for the new film. I doubt very much we would be looking forward to J.J.’s Trek right now if it weren’t for the bloated crapfest Nemesis turned out to be.
Rick Berman & Brannon Braga…Kings of Crap who managed to nearly destroy one of the most beloved franchises in history. Nemesis was the last nail in the coffin…until J.J. came along with his crowbar and defibrillator.
#23 SNAKE
You mention the bandwagon effect in reference to why we as fans put down STIII. But then, in the same post, you turn right around and join up with the bandwagoning “group think” that gives Nemesis such a bad name. Now i’m just playing devil’s avocate here….i know that you very well could have hated Nemesis even without the bandwagon….but i think for many people…it’s just become “cool” and “the norm” to hate on Nemesis the same way you describe people hating on ST III TSFS.
(can you tell i like Nemesis? i’m not the only one)
Each of the original series movies has its value. The problem with TMP was its timing, not necessarily its plot, and certainly not its character stories; watching it today, I am hard-pressed to stay seated through the second-half of the movie.
TSFS is one of my favorite movies. The sense of loyalty Kirk etc. display is core to the idealogy of Star Trek, and there are many episodes of TNG, DS9, and VGR which copy this. Seeing the Enterprise escape from the spacedock, Scotty sabotage the Excelsior, Kirk react to his son’s death, and how all the characters welcome Spock upon his return. I really think TSFS is a classic film, although yes, I agree with a previous poster that Robin Curtis may not have been the best casting.
In the same vein, TFF has a lot of fun moments reminiscent of the original series. I love seeing the triumvirate sitting around a campfire singing and teasing one another. Seeing the presence of Sybok drive Kirk and Spock apart and then bring them back together is touching. The music in the movie is also very good, even if it does not compare to James Horner’s themes. The downside to TFF was its effects, production values, and as the Shatner himself has admitted, lack of directorial strength.
Generations is, well, fun in its own right. I think they succeeded in weaving the two casts together in a single film. I hate that Kirk died, but Shatner’s novels since then have made up for that (in a small way). It was good to see what the Enterprise-D would look like on the big screen; I wish they hadn’t destroyed the ship, as it did not serve the grand purpose destroying the Enterprise did in TSFS. I grew tired with Soran and the Klingons after awhile, but the movie is at least watchable, unlike our next odd-numbered film.
I saw Insurrection on TV the other day. It’s not that bad, but, it’s not that good either. The musical score was weak, the props looked more like plastic than normal, the special effects were by and large disappointing, and the villains were kind of hollow. By the time it was revealed the Son’a and the Bak’u were one and the same, I had lost interest. The notion Picard et al were fighting the Federation just didn’t do it for me.
And Nemesis… It is amongst the worst movies of all time. The day it came out, I had been moving hundreds of thousands of dollars in server and computer equipment around Downtown Fort Worth, Texas. I was exhausted, miserable, cold, hungry, and I was looking forward to seeing all those characters again. Unlike Insurrection, which I initally liked despite its flaws, Nemesis felt like a total disaster with the passing of every scene. When it ended, people walked out silently, probably not stunned so much by Data’s death (that was a poorly kept secret anyway) but by how disappointed they were.
Thar’s my two cents!
Robert
27 – yeah Trek III is the yang to ST IIs yin…in II we are told the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or one…then in III it was reversed…II, III, IV form a great trilogy much like the SW originals –
30 – I wouldn’t say I hated Nemesis but I didn’t think much of it…id put it above TFF and INS but its in the same league as those…
I don’t believe in curses, but beyond that, I disagree with the validity of the “evidence”.
TMP is an excellent film, and my second favorite in the feature film series. The Director’s Edition is wonderful.
TSFS is very decent to me. It has some fantastic moments. IMO, it is the second act in a story arc which spans TWOK-TVH.
Ok, TFF (aka The Great Trek Turd Of ‘89) is horrible…but it has nothing to do with any curse.
I never expected much of anything from the TNG-era films, and I don’t even put them in the same category. FC is the only one I was even remotely entertained by, and even that was mediocre and formulaic at best.
I think it is more accurate to say that the even-numbered films have had more crossover appeal (again, I’m speaking of the original film series).
#33
I think you’ve hit it on the head. It wasn’t so much that TMP & TSFS were bad films, just that they appealed more to the hardcore Trek audience. TWOK and TVH had crossover appeal for obvious reasons, and TUC was the swansong for TOS, so more people were interested in that than normally would have been. For me personally – especially when I was a kid – TSFS was one of my favorites.
Of course, there’s TFF – a film that manages to be so bad it will make a grown man weep.
Wow you guys are good. Guess I didn’t have to stay up late to watch Pegg on Letterman (12:35 AM start time in my market). Nice work getting all this stuff up so quickly.
An aside: Gillian Anderson was great too, but X Files 2 was disappointing to me. Felt like a 2 hour TV episode not quite worthy of a movie ticket price. Then again, I was never a hard core fan of the show (which surprises friends who know I’m a Trekkie).
And: Letterman has always been my guy. Glad Leno’s moving on.
#34—I’m still hoping that one of Spock’s time travel stopovers is to Sarek’s home on Vulcan, where he once again poses as his cousin Selek, sneaks into the childrens’ bedroom, and smothers Sybok with a pillow…oops.
Wish he’d done a little of his Scotty. Even two seconds. Also, I’m going to have to get me some Roman sandles like he’s wearing in the MTV clip.
Boy…he’s being cagey on this. He almost did the accent on the MTV thing. I haven’t felt such a tease from a person since college.
I have little doubt that STXI will be a strong film. The question to me is whether it will justify its budget at the box office. IMO, that is two very different things. Quinto made an interesting comment the other day when asked about the possibility of sequels. He noted that it hinges upon opening weekend, and that is probably very true. Paramount, having committed such enormous resources, is betting on Star Trek.
The hype machine is likely to begin in full force around Christmastime, and hopefully will be sustained through May, when the future of the franchise will be determined—not by whether the film is good, but by how many people give it a chance.
31.
rag451
Did you see the movie in downtown Ft Worth? At least that’s a nice place to see one.
I’m slowly realizing that I may be the only trek fan out there who enjoyed Nemesis. Sure, it’s a long way from perfect. The idea of a Picard-clone that doesn’t look anything like Picard strains a viewer’s indulgance, but the idea of a mad warmonger with an abnormal fixation on Picard and a seemingly unstoppable ship made a lot of sense. The way Data’s death was handled wasn’t quite right, but to that it was needless isn’t true either. He made the ultimate sacrifice for his crew members.
I could go on, but the parallels with Wrath of Khan should be more than obvious. Even if they didn’t do it successfully, the production crew deserves a little credit for trying to resurrect a successful formula, which, to at least some extent, worked. It’s not as good as FC or GEN, but it does not feel like an extended episode a la INS.
Furthermore, those viewers who offhandedly reject all four TNG movies really do betray their bias. Nothing wrong with being partial to Kirk and co., but don’t pretend it was the fault of the TNG movies. FC was better than TWOK and GEN was better than TSFS.
As I have said, I love the ships. The Enterprise, to me, is a character in each movie. Though in some, she figures more promiently.
But, I have to examine the psychology of why I like the movies were the ship is damnaged or destroyed. Is it because I feel the ship is sacrificing for the crew?
That brings me to Nemesis. I liked the segment where Picard (with Troi at the helm) uses the ship as a battering ram. It’s sad to see the ships damaged (or destroyed) but there something to be said for the ship “giving it’s all” for the crew she “loves”.
Of subject, I know but…thought I throw that in.
Steve @ 42, I agree, that was really a gripping moment of Nemesis for me, and probably a reason why I did not enjoy TVH. There was no enterprise in ST IV, just a old, beat-up bird of prey that looked like it had been atate-of-the-art in Archer’s day, and since then had been mass-produced by the 23rd century equivalent of the soviet union. This may have been totally on purpose, but the ship didn’t even figure into the plot very much at all. Perhaps that’s why it felt as if there was a crew member missing through the entire movie.
That was one of the worst possible the worst moments in Nemisis. Compleatly pointless, just done for effect. TO make it a full on action movie.
No style or substance to it. It was a really contrived action sequence. In fact the whole action sequence in that was a pile of crap. It was all on one level, fast pace star wars style. I think they diverted power to the shields about 80 times.
They had obviously run out of ideas, and though “why done we ram the ship”.
I made a post a while ago about the worst points of nemesis, and one of those points is that it had so many contrived plot points to move the script forwards.
Pile of tosh crap
#41—”FC was better than TWOK …and GEN was better than TSFS.”
Not even close on the FC/TWOK comparison, IMO. FC’s liberal use of character deviation is well-documented. The behavior of some of TNG’s regular characters is often baffling and inconsistent. Picard is certainly out of character. It is the most entertaining of the TNG-era films, but just because it stands out among its contemporary Trek film brethren, does not in any way put it in the category of TWOK, much less above it.
As for TSFS, it is certainly the weakest of the TWOK-TVH trilogic arc, but GEN? Are you serious? I might be able to buy ranking FC above TSFS (although I wouldn’t), but certainly not GEN. The only original Trek film worse than GEN and NEM is TFF (aka The Great Trek Turd OF ‘89).
“…but the parallels with Wrath of Khan should be more than obvious.”
The parallels between NEM and TWOK are exteremely superficial. TWOK’s primary theme is life/death/aging (man vs. nature), and it has a secondary theme of revenge (man vs. man).
The only thing NEM has in common with TWOK is that both films involve a villain fixated upon the Captain of the Enterprise, and comparing the quality of the two films is a dignity I would never afford NEM.
It is obvious that you resent the comments by myself and others about the quality of the TNG-era films, and I am sorry, but that is just my opinion. I would prefer 5 of the 6 original films over any of the TNG-era movies (including the overrated FC) any day of the week. Watch them all you want. I have never paid a dime to see a TNG movie, and wouldn’t pay to see a new one either. The characters, to me, are not interesting enough to really justify feature film treatment, and never were. The only reason I am even on this site and excited about a new Star Trek movie is that Trek is going back to its roots, and the characters I fell in love with.
Look, plenty of people love TNG and I’m fairly sure that many people love at least one of its films. There is certainly no reason for you to get defensive, and absolutely no reason for you to delusionally overrate those movies in the process. They are what they are. If you like them…great. Enjoy.
I’ll change the channel in my living room everytime.
#43—That is exactly what makes the last sequence in TVH so powerful…
“Perhaps that’s why it felt as if there was a crew member missing through the entire movie.”
That is an interesting way to put that. I think I have “Scotty’s” soul when I think about the Enterprise.
I do love her. And, it’s interesting as well, that I can love her in all her forms as if her “soul” can be passed from form to form.
This entire ship love (grin) needs some investigation.
#47—”I think I have “Scotty’s” soul when I think about the Enterprise.”
Does that mean you will take a swing at someone for insulting her?
Does that mean you will take a swing at someone for insulting her?
-
Aye! Especially if they call her a garbage scowl.
#4- FANS refused to give Nemesis a chance???? HAAHAA!!
That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all day!
#45 Closetrekker- FC overrated? I couldn’t agree more.
I think Pegg’s gonna be one of the highlights of ST11- and I NEVER bought that odd-number crap anyhow.
The Search for Spock is one of my favorite Star Trek movies.
There are only two things that are working against it:
1. It was hard to top The Wrath of Kahn. But no movie probably could have.
2. The last 15 minutes of the film being on Vulcan was kind of slow. Most films build to a big exciting conclusion, but this one ended on a slower, softer tone. Sure, getting Spock back was supposed to be the emotional high point of the film. But it seemed like Kirk and Spock being transported off the exploding planet was the climax of the movie. Everything else afterwards was just to get Spock’s brain back in his body.
Still, I’d put it in my top 3 or 4, for sure. I love the whole space dock sequence and stealing the Enterprise.
And my all-time favorite scene of any Star Trek movie or TV show is the Enterprise racing towards the camera, moving away from the space dock, with the Excelsior just coming into view and the earth and moon in the background. Add in James Horner’s beautiful music, and it’s probably the best 5-10 seconds of Star Trek. Period.
51 – “Kirk, you do this, and you’ll never sit in the Captain’s Chair again.”
“Warp speed.”
#52—Yes, indeed…So much for Captain J.T. “Jackass” Esteban and his hollow threats. Who did he think he was talking to?
Wait, was Esteban the Grissom’s captain or Excelsior’s? What was that guy’s name?
Styles!!! That was the jackass!
I always liked TMP and STIII, so the odd/even thing seemed kind of forced. Nemesis, while not horrible, had problems such as making Picard into an action hero, which was somewhat out of character. The dune buggies didn’t quite work.
I think it’s well established (on here) now that TWOK is one of the best films ever made, Star Trek or otherwise. However, for me personally, TUC was the best. It had a political angle that really intrigued me.
I partially agree with some posters here about the TNG films – I agree that none are as good as the TOS films, but I still enjoyed them nonetheless.
#56—”Nemesis, while not horrible, had problems such as making Picard into an action hero, which was somewhat out of character.”
I think FC had already done that, but you’re right…it was out of character.
But in fairness, I thought TSFS turned Kruge’s Klingons into Romulans in some ways (the cloaking device, BOP, etc.)…It may have not been the main character’s departure from who he was throughout the series, but the reprecussions (almost all future portrayals of Klingons) were huge. TSFS should have stuck with casting the Romulans as villains, IMO.
I only saw Nemesis once (on one of the movie channels). I remember it as being horrible.
The problem with the TNG films is bad writing. Personally, I found something to like in every one of them. Still, a Data subplot in EVERY movie? Wreck the Enterprise D? Kill Kirk? B4? Like I said, I thought they were pretty good, but could have been much better (GEN, INS, NEM).
I feel that Spiner took up too much screen time while the other castmembers had to sit around and deliver one-liners.
Just my opinion.
#57—TUC is certainly reflective of the changing political climate of the time. I like it, just not as much as TWOK, or even TMP. I definitely like it better than any of the TNG-era stuff (even if I didn’t need to see Shatner in a fistfight at that age).
#4… No, no, no. I went to see Nemesis in theaters. Despite not liking it at all, I bought the DVD just because it was the last TNG movie. But I never watch it because it’s just so awful. And as many people have posted, all the TNG era films were weak. First Contact was OK, but even Generations had more ideas in it. Insurrection was crap. Honestly, the new movie would HAVE to be better by comparison.
Two things that really stand out in my memory about The Undiscovered Country…the opening “In Memory Of” the recently deceased Gene Roddenberry and the wonderful closing credits with each of the Magnificent Seven’s signatures against the startfield. I am also one that enjoyed the political intrigue of the story.
One other point I generally agree on…although I’ve enjoyed all the Trek movies at some level or another, I agree that the TOS series of flicks were favored by me over the Next Gen series.
- The last two TREK movies were average ,because the main characters are( in very strange way ), in a total involution..for example Data is again
(without no reason) non-emotive..Worf is non-klingon..and ‘the universality feeling’ seems to be missing..but the fx and the new aliens..the costumes..the ships..were very very well done..
I remember that on my flight to London back in ‘03, there were a number of movies playing endlessly. One was Gangs of New York, one was Daredevil, and one was Nemesis. I’m a huge TNG fan, but I actually chose to watch Daredevil instead. It was absolutely, unquestionably terrible. And I knew it would be. But I still preferred that to watching some of my favorite characters in the world totally destroyed by people who didn’t understand a damn thing about them.
Alot of people will hate that I say this again….but the TNG movies were never going to be “great” because the characters never measured up to their iconic predecessors…You could have an average movie plot and the movie would still be fantastic due to the quality of characters in the original movie series/TOS, while you could apply the best script imaginable to the TNG cast of characters and still come up— “just okay”.
When you get the combination of those great characters and a gripping storyline, you get TWOK…That is the benchmark standard for a Star Trek movie. Paramount has certainly upped the ante with the STXI budget though.
“Great, now they know the Enterprise is in it!”
Re: 40.
Yes, I saw Nemesis in Downtown Fort Worth at the Palace on opening night. There are several good theaters in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, but I’m not sure which one I’ll watch the new Trek film at. Any suggestions?
The casting for the new Trek film seems too good to be true. The one I’m suspicious of is Zoe Saldana. Whereas Quinto looks like Spock/Nimoy, Saldana bears no resemblance to Uhura/Nichols. Most stories speak more about her looks than what she thinks of her character. I hope the actress and the character will have some substance on screen.
I also hope Orci/Kurtzman and the gang don’t have a lot of gimmicks like Nurse Chapel or Janice Rand popping up. I think the less fans are ‘on guard’ for little threads into the past (or, erm, future), the more they’ll enjoy the movie.
Robert
To #4
I agree. Although Nemesis has it’s moments that make you groan, it was pretty damn good flick. Like i’ve said before the thing that doomed it is the director tried to shoot it like an action film and not like a star trek film. Meaning a star trek film, yah, would have had all the action, but would have also given the wedding scene it’s due. As a trek fan I wanted more wedding scene…..
#4:
I gave it a chance. It still sucked.
#63—Surprised you’d pick “Daredevil” over a Scorcese film…unless of course, you had already seen it.
#66—”I also hope Orci/Kurtzman and the gang don’t have a lot of gimmicks like Nurse Chapel or Janice Rand popping up.”
Given the objective of making the film “accessible” to average moviegoers without a thorough background in Treklore, I don’t anticipate too much of that. We do have the casting of Paul McGillion as a “mystery character”, which leads me to believe that whomever he is portraying will be a little nuggett to the old fans. However, I don’t think he’d make a very good Chapel or Rand (LOL)—more likely, he would be a character from Kirk’s past, like Mitchell, Finnegan, or even Ben Finney (if he is Sybok, I’m walking out of the theater).
By the way, do you mean The Palace in Grapevine, or do they have another one actually in Ft. Worth? In any case, I might see it in a handful of theaters here in Houston by the end of opening weekend…although my wife will only see it once.
70 – no Sean Connery will play old sybok – following old Spock from the future and will confront him on vulcan in front of their baby selves
‘Shpock..itsh me..Itsh shybok…after all thish yearsh havent you got anyshing to shay?’
#35 – “X Files 2 was disappointing to me. Felt like a 2 hour TV episode not quite worthy of a movie ticket price.”
Oh no, thats what I loved about it. It felt like an episode of the show from the first or second season. I realize the movie completely tanked for a dozen reasons but for me the movie they made was catnip.
67
“….I’m not sure which one I’ll watch the new Trek film at. Any suggestions?…”
If you know Ft Worth you know the area as well as I do. I remember seeing quite a few movies down there. Things really got cooking when the Bass brothers fixed up the downtown area about 20 yrs ago. Pity they let Caravan of Dreams close. That’s what happens when you get greedy. No place to hear an intimate jazz concert like that anymore. Best music club I ever went to.
72. bill hiro,
I loved TXF2 a lot, though the ending did kind of fall flat. That said, I liked the way everything tied together in the end. And it was nice to see Skinner back.
#74—I almost saw it this weekend with my wife, but we settled on The Dark Knight. I can’t say I was disappointed there.
P.S. Please don’t spoil it for me.
#67
I feel the exact opposite and hope we see lots of surprise characters from the past. I hope there are lots of TOS references and tie-ins. Makes it feel more real to me.
#76—Wouldn’t bother me either… I just think it is unlikely, given the objective of making a film with an emphasis on mainstream crossover appeal. Too many “inside jokes and fan-nods” can be counterproductive to that goal.
#59
Data is my favorite character from TNG, with Picard a close second.
That said, Data always was the b-story in the film because he was a popular character and the writers know that, and Mr. Spiner, IMHO, has an ego that can’t quit. I’m sure he’s a really nice guy, but, c’mon, did you ever hear the guy talk? He practically talked down to Anthony on that video posted a month or so ago about his new CD. Mr. Sarcasm, indeed.
For all the TFF bashing in here, the one thing you can’t deny is that of all the TOS films, it was TFF that may have best exemplified the relationship between our beloved Kirk/Spock/McCoy trio. Kirk being vulnerable around their campfire, McCoy sticking with Kirk and Spock and not going with Sybok. For its weakness in effects, embarassment of continuity, and questionable storyline, if you want so show somoene just how deep the relationship between the trio runs, then show them some character scenes from TFF.
#70
Oh, I watched and loved Gangs of New York. I suppose I didn’t word myself terribly well there. I watched GONY both on the flight in and the flight out, but it’s a little heavy to watch twice on the same flight (I love Daniel Day Lewis, but I still have to draw the line). My only other options were Nemesis & Daredevil, and I needed something to kill the time (the flight back was around 10 & 1/2 hours).
Apparently Anthony doesn’t edit his writers – with the b**b word thrown about so freely by Mr. Trotter. Is this trekmovie.com or playboy.com?
#79—”…it was TFF that may have best exemplified the relationship between our beloved Kirk/Spock/McCoy trio. ”
I don’t think so. I certainly do not need “The Big Three” out rock-climbing, singing “Row Your Boat”, and “toasting a marshmelon” to signify what they mean to one another. I don’t need to see them crumble in the face of a mad hippie Vulcan and the Apple Dumpling Gang for that effect either. I could not care less about the special effects (ST was never about that anyway). The movie was just plain bad.
For an example of what their relationship is all about, I’d rather look to the first three films.
TMP—All three of them find, in the end, that where they belong is by each other’s side, rather than off seeking something else individually.
TWOK–Both McCoy and Spock convey to their friend (Kirk) the obvious flaw in his career decision to accept promotion and to give up “the chair”, and who can deny the obvious brotherhood/deep friendship between McCoy and Spock (even if neither would admit it), and certainly Spock and Kirk in the engine room of the Enterprise prior to Spock’s death.
TSFS—Spock has entrusted McCoy with everything that is left of his being, and Kirk (along with all of his former major dept. heads) is willing to sacrifice his career (and inadvertently, his ship and his son) to save Spock.
Knowing all of that, are you really willing to say that “(TFF)… may have best exemplified the relationship between our beloved Kirk/Spock/McCoy trio”?
TFF (aka The Great Trek Turd Of ‘89) deserves to be bashed, and then bashed some more. Who needs that embarrassing movie to understand the depths of that tremendous triangular relationship? The only way I would show TFF to anyone who was not already a fan, is if I wished to assure that he/she would never become one…
#80—Yes, I’ve jumped “The Pond” a few times myself. I hear you. I can’t thank the Japanese enough for personal dvd players nowadays. If you think that flight is bad, try 24 hours to Jakarta on Singapore Airlines!
“Mr. Scott I need you to reconfigure my iPhone”
Classic :)
The thing about this article that makes me want to see the movie even more is that picture and its caption.
Charles, Anthony or whoever did that… you rock!
As to Nemesis- I am still waiting for something that approaches the original first cut of the film, the film as envisioned by scriptwriter John Logan, something more along the lines of Gladiator. The first cut was rumored to be in excess of 3 hours [another source stating about 2:50], meaning a lot of relevant stuff might have been lost to the studio’s meatgrinder.
I’d still like to see that version someday since the extra footage no doubt still exists. And for the sake of completionism [is that a word???] I would buy it. Many would for that reason alone.
As to ST11 or 0 or even-odd films, it really doesn’t hold up out of the gate- ST:TMP was the 3rd highest gross of all, so not everyone thought it was junk; 3 almost pulled in as much as 2; as a matter of fact with 2 notable exceptions [5&10] all of them are pretty close in grosses, bunched at 70-90M.
Even-odd never was true in my opinion, and all but Nemesis made money for Paramount.
Intersted to hear about the long version of Nemesis.
Also for the sake of completism, I’d like to see a 3-DVD set of the Motion Picture, with the original cinema release, the TV cut and the Director’s cut.
I might even watch all three. Maybe. Eventually.
Holy Crap,,
The Enterprise will be in it!!
:o o
I am an ordained minister I can brake the curse for UK and paramount.
[...] Full article addthis_url = ‘http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sarkle.net%2Fscifi%2F2008%2F07%2F30%2Fpegg-talks-star-trek-and-breaking-the-odd-numbered-curse%2F’; addthis_title = ‘Pegg+Talks+Star+Trek+and+Breaking+the+Odd+Numbered+Curse’; addthis_pub = ”; [...]
# 59. DJ Koloth
…”Still, a Data subplot in EVERY movie? Wreck the Enterprise D? Kill Kirk? B4?”…”Spiner took up too much screen time while the other castmembers had to sit around and deliver one-liners.”
Koloth is dead-on. I enjoyed TNG films, but, but no where near as much as the TOS films. Why? Because of the Berman Wankfest-O-Meter: Nemesis was so bad that it blew the top right off of it! They had to rewrite the Overused-Trek-Cliche-In-One-Place-Scale for NEM:
* A storm that prevents transporter use
* Data/parts of Data/Androids that look like Data are used to lure the E’s and her crew into a trap.
* “We found something that looks like Data on a weird planet. Let’s put it together!”
* Data sings!
* Worf is used for comic relief and not for ass-kicking.
* Damn! The Enterprise is the only ship in range! Twice!
* Oh yeah, the positronic signature just happens to come from a planet near the Neutral Zone.
* A villain that’s as weightless as the CGI ships.
* Crap! They’re going to use the weapon against a populated planet!
OK – maybe that was harsh. I wanted all of the TNG films to be as great as the others, but IMHO they never really grew past what we already saw on TV. Still, I bought all of the DVDs. At least FC was to “Best of Both Worlds” as TWOK was to “Space Seed”.
LOL – I actually put NEM on because of this board and re-read this oldy, but goodie: http://64.225.106.216/web/Nemesis_ANNOTATED.PDF
During the film, I recall thinking to myself “if the Enterprise is run by Starfleet’s best, most experienced and brightest crews, then why do they get taken by plot devices that Riker should have learned to avoid at the academ
Here’s my take on the whole odd/even numbered thing:
Every even numbered movie is better than the film it follows.
Every odd numbered movie is worse than the film it follows.
Only possible objection (well…I guess someone will object to every possible combination it brings up) is that some people might not think 10 (Nemesis) is better than 9 (Insurrection).
Let’s hope that this new one breaks the cycle!
Maybe since the movies hit double digits, the curse will be reversed. Now since Nemesis only the even numbered movies will suck…
Seriously it really all depends upon how much effort is put into the production, story, & acting.
(raises a toast) Here’s to Trek 11.
I think another thing that hurt the TNG films in comparison to the TOS films is that there just hadn’t been enough time passed. TMP came out a decade after TOS wrapped – there was enough time for TOS to translate from small-scale to large-scale in the minds of writers, actors, producers, and everyone else who creates a work of film.
#94–That’s an interesting point.
#85
Actually, according to the-numbers.com, when you adjust for inflation, TMP was the most popular Trek film, $225.4 million in today’s dollars.
It is also #142 among all films released since 1977.
http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/records/inflation.php
Here are all the Treks in the top 598 (again, these are inflation adjusted):
TMP $225.4m
TVH $200.7m
TWOK $187.0m
TSFS $156.5m
FC $143.0m
GEN $127.4m
TUC $122.7m
INS $101.7m
Not surprisingly, TFF and NEM failed to make the list.
#95
Thank you for giving me a new inflation-adjusted source for box office receipts. I was actually going to try to do it myself since my old source [Box Office Mojo] now makes you buy a membership [nuh-uh] to get that data, among other things.
It also shows the relative popularity of TOS and TNG and the diminishing returns the Franchise has had since the 80s.
Very interesting that 8 of the 10 flicks qualify as blockbusters by today’s $100m gross standards. I think that needs to be adjusted ‘way up for inflation, up to maybe as high as $200m. to connote blockbuster status.
I wash shocked when I saw Nemesis.
I’d heard it was awful, but I found myself really enjoying it. That is, until the second half of the film. Then, it just got worse and worse and I’m still in therapy trying to recover from the ordeal of Data dying in such a pointless, meaningless way and having his memory tainted by a stupid replacement android.