More From Kevin Smith On Star Trek, Chris Pine and Zoe Saldana September 10, 2008
by Anthony Pascale , Filed under: ST09 Cast, Star Trek (2009 film) , trackback
A few weeks ago we first reported that Clerks director Kevin Smith gave a review of his early screening of JJ Abrams Star Trek. Now MTV got the geek insider, who seems to see everything early, to talk more about the movie as well as the new Kirk (Chris Pine) and also the new Uhura (Zoe Saldana).
Smith on seeing Star Trek:
“It’s really strong, [J.J. Abrams] was rejiggering the opening few scenes. It’s one of those things where you first heard about it and were like no they’re not going to redo ‘Star Trek’! And then you see the movie and you think, wow he did pull it off! He turned it into a viable renewed franchise.”
Smith on Chris Pine and Zoe Saldana:
Chris Pine is fantastic. It is a star-making performance. From his first scene forward, this dude is not doing an impression of Shatner. He is doing young Kirk. He doesn’t have the slow delivery mannerisms of Shatner but it’s totally James T. Kirk, the bravado, the self-assuredness. It’s such a great performance. You can’t take your eyes off the guy. Anytime he’s not on the screen you’re waiting for him to get back. And the chick [Zoe Saldana] who plays Uhura is really great. They made Uhura really interesting
[Source: MTV]
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Awesome. Only 8 more months to go!
Everyone has their impressions of Kevin Smith. But he has no real interest in this financially or anything, i tend to take this as a good sign!
Next time I see JJ Abrams, i’m going to shake a trailer out of him.
Promising…I’d like to hear about anything related to the Enterprise moreso than the characters while at this point in waiting for the movie.
I’ll take Silent Bob’s input over all others (except perhaps my own). Thanks Kevin. Now, if we can only get a guarantee of having the Hollywood premiere at the Chinese (the best theater on earth and THE place for boffo films!) BP
Glad the character of Uhura is getting some attention.
I, too, see this as a very good sign. If Smith saw it and thought it was “meh” he’d keep his mouth shut. He has nothing to gain by speaking out other than he’s an excited fan.
Personally, I find Smith’s films to be quite poor – however, he strikes me as a genuine “fan.” I’ve been to his shop in Red Bank, New Jersey and it is some hardcore nerdshit going on there. I even met him once very, very briefly and I didn’t want to bug him too much but I gave him a quick “Hey – how are ya!” and he was not at all an aloof celeb.
I’ve never seen a Kevin Smith film, so I’m not sure what to think about his opinion. But, since I have a positive attitude myself about this movie, I’ll take it as a good thing!
Does anyone else hate that “peering over the eyeglasses with a bemused expression” photo? Such a posed affectation.
That said, although as a comic fan I SHOULD like Smith, I can’t think of anything he’s ever done that I actually thought highly of.
I’m glad KS liked the movie.
But he also like Revenge of the Sith.
I hope he’s right this time.
Smith made “Dogma”…
Nothin’ like two angels from Wisconsin dukin’ it oot fur armageddon… which, by tha’ by, should be provided by those lads at CERN any second now…
Oh… this article is likely big news, eh? A wee specific on Pine’s performance… Up till now, I was thinkin’ he may come off as wooden…
Arrrrrrr…
Now that I’m going to imagine that only the original TOS series and the Movies before TNG are actually a different timeline, and that everything else is the product of ‘alternative’ timelines / ‘alternate universes’, I’m rather looking forward to this further Star Trek re-envisioning now.
Good to hear that Chris Pine is ‘not doing an impression of Shatner’ as Kevin Smith puts it, although it wouldn’t matter, as this Movie’s ‘alternative’ TOS universe is totally removed from my TOS series one, featuring an older Spock from an ‘alternative’ universe to my TOS series one too.
The Uhura that features in my still alive William Shatner Kirk original TOS universe is ‘really interesting’ too! ;)
11. Armageddon will be a few months away as that collider works itself up to light speed.
Why cant I get a private screening? Come on JJ if you read this, hook me up. You like magic… Im a magician…
The Uhura thing is necessary and expected. The glorified switchboard operator wouldn’t fly in this day and age… especially now that the average Joe understands how many different ways a network can crash and protocols between computers can slow communication… and the awesome complexity of a ‘Universal Translator.’
The only thing is, what other women will emerge as major characters? Although we know that the Transporter Chief is a woman, to date we’ve heard nary a beep on
Computer Voice
Nurse Chapel
Janice Rand
… though we know that Carol Marcus is on deck for a future film.
Great to hear about Pine.
Though, BND, a young James Kirk is probably “wooden” 3/4 of the day.
I kids ‘cuz I loves…
arrrrr…
My trust in Kevin Smith’s opinions of what a good scifi movie is died when he said that Revenge of the Sith was the perfect movie showing how Vader came to be…
6
Yeah, I’m glad that “chick” is good.
#9:”Does anyone else hate that “peering over the eyeglasses with a bemused expression” photo?”
No. Life’s too short for such petty annoyance.
It doesn’t matter who Smith is or what he’s done – he’s seen the movie and we haven’t. His impressions of it, therefore, should be of interest to anyone who wants to find out *anything* about it.
FRINGE SUCKED, I hope they don’t screw up Star Trek!
#20-We have only seen one eposode of Fringe, give it time….
‘They made Uhura really interesting.’
Oh, dear. This is a chief concern of mine…respect the hierarchy, status, and dynamic of the TOS characters.
Can’t wait, can’t wait, cant wait……… I wish i was kevin smith..
I like what he has to say about Pine. Everyone talks generals like “he’s good”, but this is the first person to say that it is not Shatner, but it’s Kirk. I can’t wait to see the movie.
I only caught early bits of Fringe as I had other commitments. It certainly has potential. Don’t judge TNG by “Farpoint.”
My only complaint was the big block letters indicating locations which stayed in the shots, occupying physical space. That will get old with lightning speed.
Good to hear that after 40 years, Uhura will be interesting! Nothing against Nichelle Nichols, it’s just that she was never really given enough material to make the character come alive for me. uhura is LONG overdue for more development.
“Rejiggering” is my new favorite word.
#26: ‘Uhura is LONG overdue for more development’
What about Sulu? What about Chekhov? That neither of these is a woman should make no difference. And the great problems of the 21st century are racial and religious, not gender equality.
Alec/22:
I think many TOS fans regretted the inability of Trek to flesh out it’s supporting characters during the show’s run.
All the characters should be interesting, and it looks as if Uhura has to have extra pizzazz here. Otherwise, it’s a bunch of guys passing gas and telling dirty jokes on the Bridge of a starship while Spock looks on in perpetual dismay.
Uhura, as Nichelle Nichols played her, was about beauty, intelligence, confidence, grace, professionalsim, and some hopeless romanticism thrown in for good measure. If JJ and Zoe can catch all that in a two-hour film, more power to them.
#26
Trek tends to be weak on female viewership. In the past they concentrated on the male leads as being romantic figures to get the the ladies to watch. It did work, but the success of films like “Sex in the City”, display that women also identify with and follow female roles. Building up the character of Uhura has potential to bring in more female viewers. Of course they were smart in keeping the male leads as suave debonair, dashing romantic heroes for the ladies, but Uhura adds lots of potential to attract more fans.
I won’t give up insisting: WHERE IS THE DAMN TRAILLER?
26:
Sorry, John Trumbull.
I think Nichelle did wonders with the screentime she did have. She was inspired, and could chew up the scenery when given the chance (Mr. Adventure, anyone?).
I think the films, years of debate and written fiction have fleshed out all these characters more than the show did in its time. Uhura and Sulu both now have first names. Sulu has a command and a family. Chekhov is ambitious as hell, and a super pilot. I always thought Uhura wanted to fall in love, but loved the job too much.
#29
“I think many TOS fans regretted the inability of Trek to flesh out it’s supporting characters during the show’s run.”
It was done at times, “The Trouble With Tribbles” was I think the best episode for this. But TOS was never really an ensemble show. The fact is in the 1960’s most shows revolved around a star (or a few stars), and the supporting cast was just that: supporting. They were there to illustrate the diversity on the ship, answer hails, say “Aye, sir” and sometimes to provide improbable connections to the guest star. This format also gave rise to the very dubious Starfleet policy of allowing the three most important people on the ship to beam down together into dangerous situations.
I agree that more ensemble type shows would have been welcome, but you can’t fault the show for being a product of its time.
Next time I see JJ Abrams, i’m going to shake a trailer out of him.
—–
Ouch.
#29
“I think many TOS fans regretted the inability of Trek to flesh out it’s supporting characters during the show’s run.”
Not me brother. Only have an 50 minutes to tell the tale, I don’t want supporting players mucking up the waters. It’s always been about Kirk, McCoy and Spock. Fans of Sulu, Uhura etc must have gained those opinions from fanzines and novels because there sure wasn’t any air time on the show to latch on to.
I’m glad Smith liked it, but I consider him to be a lot like Harry Knowles in that hyperbole seems to be the norm with him. Smith is notorious for talking EVERYTHING up (he loved all the Star Wars prequels too). I hope the movie is great, but Smith’s word means little to me.
28.
But, Uhura never got anything to do in TOS–TV or films. Sulu saw action in a lot more episodes, and at least got promoted to captain, and saw major screen time in ST: TUC. Chekov, had one or two episodes devoted to him, plus saw major screen time in TWOK. Uhura got very little time…anywhere. Oh, I forgot, she did get that god awful dance sequence in ST: The Final Frontier–the worst TREK movie of all time.
Also, since TOS was so male oriented, and there appears not to be many major acting roles on the ship for females in this film, it was absolutely necessary that Uhura–a female get major focus. This film has to bring in the female demographic as well
I think a plank of wood has more credibilty than Kevin Smith.
I really don’t care for Kevin Smith or his boring movies. I’m glad he liked what he saw but really, who cares?
Well, I don’t agree with Kevin Smith overall about the STAR WARS prequels, but I do agree that Revenge of the Sith was a good movie, not great, but solid and entertaining.
#22:”‘They made Uhura really interesting.’
Oh, dear. This is a chief concern of mine…respect the hierarchy, status, and dynamic of the TOS characters.”
Nah. It’s time for something new. One of the TOS supporting characters is actually *interesting?* That’s *way* overdue.
Did anybody find it interesting that KS made no mention of Zack Quinto’s and/or performance as Spock? Seeing that this film is centered on Spock, that maybe a concern.
#36—A fair assessment, but it is certainly not a BAD sign…
#42—I think that’s because there is very little question in his fellow Trek fans’ minds about Quinto. Fans had very little trouble with that casting. The questions are almost always about how Chris Pine is going to measure up, so I think that’s why the focus of his review is there. He seemed genuinely surprised at how well he pulled it off.
It may not be completely reassuring, but it certainly doesn’t raise any concern either.
42.
To importtant to comment on I guess.
Plus Smith’s comments will never be news to me.
42. I am sure it was an honest omission. I wouldn’t read too much into it. SO much has already been talked about with Quinto’s performance. It’s nice to hear something good about Pine, which was the actor I was more worried about being able to pull it off. “That chick” playing Uhura. Oh, Kevin we fan girls will have to forgive you for that one.
#47:
I don’t think it’s something to be concerned about. It may just be that Smith wanted to comment on something else rather than on something that has been commented on and reported on extensively.
Cool! All the characters should be “interesting” otherwise why are they there? No one should have a monopoly on that. In fact, it’s often the supporting players that are the most interesting anyways. There wouldn’t be much fuss over casting them if all they did was count down warp factors or open hailing frequencies or fire phasers.
#44—”Plus Smith’s comments will never be news to me.”
You obviously read it and felt the need to comment…lol. As I said, it may not be totally reassuring, but it doesn’t indicate anything negative—which is a good thing.
#45—” It’s nice to hear something good about Pine, which was the actor I was more worried about being able to pull it off.”
Exactly my point in #43. There is very little worry out there about Quinto as Spock. Fans warmed up to that prospect long ago.
And it is good to hear praise for Pine’s performance from someone not tied to the project, no matter who it is…
My biggest concern about this new film is the filmmakers’ respect for Star Trek. They ought to respect the nature, dynamic, and hierarchy of the TOS characters. Uhura is a Communications Officer—not Captain of the Enterprise—and should be written and portrayed as such. She should not have a larger role, just because she is a woman. That is sexist. In my opinion, too much focus has been put on Uhura as a female character. Switch on your TV, and you will see that the great problems of our age are conflict and prejudice on racial and religious grounds.
The Woman’s Movement is a product of the sixties and feels anachronistic now. Perhaps women do not yet have full equality; however, it is very near. In fact, because of positive discrimination in society, in many ways, it is advantageous to be a woman. And it is not now strange to see, in our society, a woman, e.g., as a head of a major corporation. What about a person (man or woman) from a racial and or religious minority? Perhaps, for these reasons, Chekhov and Sulu should have larger roles?
No. Uhura, Chekhov, and Sulu are part of the ‘supporting cast’. Star Trek is, essentially, about the triumvirate of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. Star Trek is also about equality, though. The answer: we should have other women and people from racial and religious minorities in the film! I.e., in the form of Instructors at the Academy, Captains, etc. Then, such people would have a right to screen-time.
Just so long as it’s not a “ninety minute long Kirk/Spock joke.” ;)
#49—-I’m sure she will not supplant McCoy as the third member of Star Trek’s “Big Three”.
Uhura has had good screen time and some memorable momentsbefore (”The Trouble With Tribbles”, “Bread And Circuses”, “Mirror, Mirror”, “Space Seed”, and TSFS, to name a few). I don’t see anything wrong with giving her significant facetime in a two-hour movie like STXI. It also isn’t necessary to paint her as being more than just one of the Enterprise’s junior officers to allow some depth to her character to surface again in STXI.
I used to get chills as a child at seeing Uhura very loyally give Khan’s henchman that defiant scowl after he demanded she do Khan’s bidding and slapped her across the face.
If Zoe can deliver something half as solid as that, or her explanation which “set the boys straight” at the end of “Bread And Circuses”, it will be fine.
Then again, she might point a phaser at you, sarcastically refer to you as, “Mr. Adventure”, and tell you to get in the closet!
Is making Uhura “interesting” really something new?
Uhura is interesting in that she changes outfits a lot during the movie.
#43
He didn’t appear to be writing from the POV of the fans with his comments concerning Pine or Zoe. His comments were his personal views of how interesting their characters were and the actors playing them were to him in the film. I’m not concerned, it just seemed strange no mention of Quinto.
WE ARE GOING TO HAVE MORE STAR TREK! Is that loud enough…..who cares about the rest….Every movie, episode, series, has it’s flaws….let’s dissect it after we see it…..I am so jealous of KS right now.
Kevin Smith has outlived his relevance. He’s an OK cat, though. Glad that dudes like him can get away with referring to chicks as “chicks”. Cuz when it comes down to it… we’re all just dudes and chicks.
Then you’ve got the Transylvanians™ but thats another thing altogether.
THE CHICKS!!
=h=
49. How about Capt. Robau of the U.S.S. Kelvin? or Tyler Perry as the guy from Starfleet Academy? Or several other smaller parts of diverse racial and gender range in the film?
Even if the film focused on Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, there’s no reason not to make the other characters interesting, to give them all moments, a function, otherwise there’s no reason for them to be there in the first place, other than to bloat the cast and movie.
Also, episodes like Lower Decks demonstrated that you can respect the hierarchy but still tell a story about characters that aren’t about the higher ups. There’s nothing to indicate that this movie will go that far in that direction, making Uhura “interesting” doesn’t preclude focus on the triumvirate, or even indicate that her awesomeness overshadows Sulu or Chekov’s.
I wish they would at least tell us WHEN to expect a trailer.
GOD! ENOUGH about a new trailer!! The movie is 8 months away! there is already one trailer.. Don’t expect another one until at least December. It’s still too early guys!
#49
It could also be viewed as sexist that very few females are among the main characters on the Enterprise in this film. I don’t think it is sexist, but I do think it is smart to bump up Uhura’s role. There does seem to be lots of women roles–outside of the Enterprise, in the film, which is great. Abrams was obviously conscience of this.
If you check the cast over at IMDb, you will see a great number of people of color. I counted 10 African-Americans/Africans; around the same for Hispanics; 5 Asians, if I remember correctly; plus, many others races present. So, there is great representation here. Not a lot of women among the main cast on the bridge of the Enterprise though.
Let’s face it, TOS dropped the ball in this area. Follow-up TREK series did a better job in this area. I can still remember a statement in “Turnabout Intruder” that women weren’t allowed to be captains in Starfleet. Not very progressive for a series that claims to be ahead of it’s time.
I’m glad Uhura will have more to do, but doubt it will be more than McCoy. I think Orci did mentioned the film would showcase the triumvirate.
While there exist a hierarchy of Kirk, Spock and McCoy, it doesn’t mean every story has to highlight or be only about those three together. Plenty of TOS stories only concerned Kirk and Spock, or, Kirk and McCoy, with one of the supporting players being highlighted with them. This in no way effected the triumvirate.
I bet we see Uhura rising up through the ranks during the movie. She probably ends up saving Kirk by transmitting some signal in the nick of time, and ends up as Kirk’s communications officer.
58… “there is already one trailer..”
No, that was a teaser. No actualy footage from the movie.
58… “Don’t expect another one until at least December. It’s still too early guys!”
I think they really need to put a trailer out earlier than December. That’s when the movie was coming out, according to the only trailer (teaser) thus far. They need a trailer available to run with James Bond or Twilight in November, with “SUMMER 2009″ or “MAY 2009″ in big bold letters.
51
I agree.
Also worthy of mention:
-her singing in Charlie X and Conscience of the King
-her mindwipe and “blu-e” in The Changeling
-her being in charge of the search party in City on the Edge of Forever
-and her working on the comm system in Who Mourns for Adonis.
Given the time that TOS was made (MLK was killed midway through the series for example), I think that the show’s makers did an excellent job of providing her with some nice acting vignettes.
And, lest we forget, this tidbit from Amok Time:
Sulu: “I’ll protect you, fair maiden”
Uhura: “Sorry, neither!”
She’s not a virgin, lol.
heres the ULTIMATE way to give zoe’s uhura a power moment…i’m hoping in the film during the academy years kirk tries to hit on uhura and uhura kicks kirk in the balls!!! xdxdxd
Uhuras probably a lesbian in this one.
#62
Hey, BK, that was “The Naked Time.” :-)
#59:
Gene wanted more women. In fact, he wanted to have a woman as second-in-command (see ‘The Cage’); but the studio thought that this was too progressive. My key points were twofold. First, I hope that the triumvirate is kept intact. Second, I see as much reason for increasing the role of Uhura as I do for increasing the roles of Sulu and Chekhov. And I basically agree with what you say.
I am amazed. Kevin Smith likes the movie. Well, I hope that is a good sign. What is amazing really is that some people STILL find a way to fire more Star Trek vs Star Wars quips. There is no debate as both needed each other when they started and both have kept the interest of sf fans. Also, if you don’t look forward to the new movie or like Kevin Smith or JJ Abrams or anything that he does DON”T READ AND POST comments, you become a troll and all you do is remind people that you don’t have anything to do but rile people up.
GO STAR TREK in 2009!
I take Kevin’s opinion very seriously as he is actually pretty damn good at what he does,and has seen more films than most people have imagined are in existence.He reminds me of Robert Rodriguez,but slapstick with a defined period instead of action in an undefined time in history.In any case,the new Trek sounds promising,it looks like they have devoted the budget and time that this film deserves,and the director has a proven track record.(MI:3 starring Tom Cruise2006) It also sounds as though the most important bases have been covered as well,A:casting and B:Production Design . If a cast is good then the director shouldn’t need to direct them too much any way,so he or she can spend more time bringing the world they are trying to make us believe in to life.
-Tristan Hann
#66
Good to know Gene was progressive in this area as well.
I have heard from many African-Americans how proud they were to see Uhura on the bridge of the Enterprise. Seeing that over 50% of America and the world are women, I think it serves the movie better to highlighted Uhura more so than Chekov or Sulu. Add to this the fact that the character was short changed in the previous movies among the other supporting characters, and she is the only major female in the cast, just makes me lean in her favor. Guess we will have to agree to disagree.
Well This sounds Great and I am realy looking forward to the movie. But Please we need to see a Clip. A preview. A Trailer. Something. Do I realy Need to get the ISS Enterprise to fire a Torpedo at J.J and his team. Long Live The Terran Empire!!!!
“Gene wanted more women. In fact, he wanted to have a woman as second-in-command (see ‘The Cage’); but the studio thought that this was too progressive. ”
No, “the studio” objected to Gene’s nepotism in hiring his then-mistress/later-wife to play the part. That whole “oh the network said nobody would believe a woman as second-in-command” thing is just Gene’s historical revisionism. Read Bob Justman and Herb Solow’s book. The matter of Majel’s role in “The Cage” is well addressed.
The character of Uhura may not have been given the development it needed because CERTAIN cast members were always stealing lines, requesting changes to make the show and the stories revolve around them[him]selves. The triumverant will still exist and should be just as fun and powerful. A more interesting Uhura will just more fun and flavor to the mix.
65
yep your right. i blame the rum…
Regarding secondary characters possibly becoming more “interesting” in the new film…
We must remember that most of us have only seen Trek regularly in its various syndicated forms, that is, with some scenes cut so local stations could add more commercials. Unfortunately, most of those scenes often involved interaction with characters like Sulu, Uhura, Chekov, Scotty, and sometimes even McCoy. Because of this, our perception of them is skewed a bit. When I saw unedited episodes of Trek for the first time, I was amazed at how much I’d never seen before, and how rich those characters actually were. They were much more fully realized that I had thought they were.
If the new movie puts some of that richness back and reminds the general public that these characters are a lot more than just “human set dressing,” then that won’t be a bad thing at all.
As for Kevin Smith and his thoughts on the film, I consider myself a fan of his work, though his films have been wildly hit-or-miss. He excels at creating memorable, well-realized characters however. If he watched a rough cut of the film and saw characterizations that worked well for him, then I’m very willing to take him at his word, especially since he has no investment in the film beyond being a fan.
“No, “the studio” objected to Gene’s nepotism in hiring his then-mistress/later-wife to play the part. That whole “oh the network said nobody would believe a woman as second-in-command” thing is just Gene’s historical revisionism. Read Bob Justman and Herb Solow’s book. The matter of Majel’s role in “The Cage” is well addressed.”
*Sigh* Actually, Justman/Solow don’t provide any more evidence to support that contention than Roddenberry did his. It wouldn’t surprise me if there wasn’t some truth to both versions of what happened to the Enterprise’s “first” First Officer. According to Stephen Whitfield the character tested poorly with audiences (including women)–it would be interesting if some intrepid soul went back and dug those records up. In any case, it doesn’t really strain credibility to suggest that network executives of the era had reservations about a woman taking what was a traditionally male role in what was already a very risky, expensive project. If their objections really were only about Roddenberry’s “nepotism” they could have just insisted on another actress for the part.
Well, Herb Solow does have the quote from Grant Tinker (something to the effect of, “For chrissakes, Herb, she’s his girlfriend!”), which actually counts as confirmation as far as I’m concerned.
As for the matter at hand…
So, Kevin liked what he saw of the movie.
Fine.
TELL US ABOUT THE SHIP, FATASS!!!
Uhura didn’t get much overall but she excelled in the scenes she did get. After Spock and Scotty, she was, without doubt, the most efficient officer on board. She was technically fourth in command on the bridge to the point where they had to introduce the assistant chief engineer DeSalle in one episode just to avoid her being in charge when everybody else was off the ship! Her big scene in Star Trek III is one of my favourites in all of Trek’s history.
Having said that, Rand was intended to be the principle female lead of the series and I actually think that it was her loss that led to the female dynamic of the show taking such a hit. That remains true in this film.
I’m very optimistic about the movie but there is absolutely no doubt that they haven’t just fumbled the ball with regard to the female dynamic, I think they left the ball at home. It isn’t just the absence of two out of the three recurring women, it looks as though they’ve failed to introduce any other women at all to take up that slack.
Zaldana received some criticism on these boards for saying she tries to avoid playing girlfriends, moms, and victims when choosing a role. Look at the women we know of in the film: two moms and a slave girl. Zaldana is making an imporetant point and I hope this is ringing alarm bells with people.
Battlestar Galactica showed that if you want to equalise the female dynamic in sci fi, you have to be more radical; flip a coin when writing a character part or something. The starfleet captain AND acadamy instructor should both have been women instead of just the lowly transporter chief. And even then, we’d still have more men in the film. They need to work a lot harder and definitely should bring in Chapel and Rand in the next film.
What’s more, Janice needs a revamp. She’s the Captain’s Yeoman. In my view she should make the coffee AND act as his personal bodyguard. It would be a neat twist on her role and is a good way to update the subservient role of Yeoman to a modern female audience. Might have to restrict high kicking in those mini skirts though!
#9: I believe that’s cropped from a publicity still for a movie he did, so yes, you’d kind of expect it to be ‘posed’.
As for Smith, I kind of see him as the US equivalent of Simon Pegg so having BOTH Smith and Pegg excited about this movie is about as high a recommendation as you can get.
#76: ‘Well, Herb Solow does have the quote from Grant Tinker (something to the effect of, “For chrissakes, Herb, she’s his girlfriend!”), which actually counts as confirmation as far as I’m concerned’.
Well, as has been said, if that were true, the objection would have been to a particular woman, Majel, not women in general. And so why did the studio not find a better, or more suitable, actress to play ‘Number 1’? Gene was very progressive: consider the characters of Spock and Uhura for a 1960’s audience. In fact, according to Gene, ‘the studio’ did not want either Spock or a female second-in-command. He managed to keep the guy with the pointed ears. Gene wanted more aliens on the bridge, as well. However, budget prevented this from happening.
‘The network told me to get rid of Number One, the woman first lieutenant, and also to get rid of ‘that Martian fellow’…meaning, of course, Spock. I knew I couldn’t keep both, so I gave the stoicism of the female officer to Spock, and married the actress who played Number One. Thank God it wasn’t the other way around. I mean Leonard’s cute, but…’
(Gene Roddenberry, quoted in William Shatner’s ‘Star Trek Memories’, p.68)
Regarding Bob Justman and Herb Solow’s book about working on Star Trek, as well as the Uhura character:
I just read the book a month ago, so it’s fresh in my mind. Definitely a MUST read for any Star Trek fan!
I recall one of them in the book saying that Nichelle Nichols tensed up on the close-up bridge shots. It would require a lot of takes to get her to say one or two words correctly.
I also think in the bloopers of one of the movie DVDs we see evidence of this.
But she was more relaxed and natural in scenes where the camera wasn’t focused just on her. So her screen time was impacted due to the skills of the actress.
They also suggested that she was a former girlfried of Gene’s, and that’s why she got the gig.
I mean no disrespect to Nichelle Nicols — I absolutely adore her!! But she was probably like me, in regards to playing an instrument in high school band. I was great and flawless when playing in the ensemble — but once I got to a solo part, I choked. Big time.
I’m just the messenger, please don’t shoot me! Again, I really like the character and the actress that plays her. One of my favorite scenes of the whole film franchise is in Star Trek III with Uhura and “Mr. Adventure.”
On a side note, it would be funny to see a scene in the new movie where young Uhura makes a comment to an older officer, indirectly rubbing it in about him being on the other side of his career. It would be quite a nice bit of irony, and it would make the joke in Star Trek III all the more amusing and layered.
Mr. Orci, if you’re reading this, if you get a chance at writing another Star Trek movie throw us fans a bone like that one!
Wow,
Did not know Smith likes Trek.
When is Clerks 3 coming out?
All I can say is…
Lucky B@$tard!
I hope they don’t make Uhura into just another political statement/social commentary and give her a real believable personality with whom women can relate and empathize. I’d hate to see them repeat mistakes.
#83 ByGeorge
I’d like to think that we are WAY beyond that as a possibility. Uhura’s the comm officer. Happens to be a woman. Happens to be naturally dark-skinned. Nothing more, nothing less. It’s what she does that’s important. Just like anyone else in this forsaken world.
#84
I think you miss my point. It isn’t simply what she DOES – it is what she is like inside – her emotions, feelings, her hopes, her “issues”, her character flaws, her experiences – all that add up to give her a personality. That’s what women want to see a little of. That is what makes shows like “Sex in the City” tick. You are right, we are beyond “tokens”, but I think we need to see some of her insides to attract female viewers. Most posts here are focussed only on elevating her function on the ship — performing more duties, having more responsibilites, showing greater competence. I think her “guts” need to be exposed a little to attract iewers.
#85: ‘Most posts here are focussed only on elevating her function on the ship — performing more duties, having more responsibilites, showing greater competence.’
Roddenberry defined Uhura as a Communications Officer. A Communications Officer should have the status, duties, and significance of a Communications Officer. According to her definition, she is a supporting cast member, who is as likely to save the day as Sulu or Chekhov. I have, of course, no real objection to the developing of her character in terms of background and personality. Though, if this is to happen, it should happen to the same extent among the supporting cast: the story aught to revolve around the triumvirate. And, as I have said repeatedly, there is no good reason why there should not be female (or persons from various racial and religious backgrounds) Captains, Officers, Academy Instructors, villains, etc.
Using “Sex and the City” as an analogy is a problem, because you have 4 years of backstory to justify everything the girls do.
If Uhura’s TOS backstory is kept intact, I expect Ms. Soldana will portray her with humor, extra spark, and sex appeal. I hope they don’t give her any fight scenes, however. That would throw me out of the film.
I won’t disagree with your post. However, I think Trek needs to tap into the female viewers (51% of the population) more. It is weak in this area, and since there is only 1 major woman’s role – they need to use her role to tap into what women are looking for in films.
The triumverant is great since ladies like these guys as romantic figures too, but they also like crap like “The Bridget Jones Diaries” which focus on a woman with whom they can relate feelings. Just looking at untapped resources.
Here is a sceen that J.J. just edited out of the “final cut” based on advice given to him by Kevin Smith:
LARRY DAVID: Let me ask you soemthing, Captain Kirk. Since we can replicate any food, any food at all, what’s with the chicken sandwhiches? I mean, why don’t we all just order lobster and prime rib and cakes shaped like genitals?
PINE: Are you a member of my crew?
LARRY DAVID: Another thing… that transporter thing… Look, we’re just using it to beam down to planets and back? Seems to me, well, if we can filter out things with it… well, why not filter out our urine and excrement? I wouldn’t be running to the bathroom all the time then. And… come on… clothing? You know what I mean. If I were the transporter guy, well, I’m pretty sure some yoewomen may accidently lose a few items. Just once or twice, you know. Hey- can that thing make additions to our bodies?
PINE: J.J.? Is this in the script?
LARRY DAVID: What’s with the yellow shirt? I mean… it’s yellow. That doesn’t say “I’m in charge. I’m the capatin.” It says more like “I like mustard” or “I vacation in France.” You look like a sissy.
PINE: Look you bald EDITED EDITED EDITED why don’t you go suck EDITED EDITED EDITED.
#87. AJ, why wouldn’t you want to see her in a fight scene? Uhura kicked her share of butt in the original series. I always liked that about her. Tough gal.
#88 I would be sooooo happy if we don’t skid off into a “chick flick versus versus guy flick” digression. And I’m not so sure you should start off an independent clause with: “. . .They also like crap like. . . ” Generalize much? :)
#87: ‘Using “Sex and the City” as an analogy is a problem.’
It certainly is.
Sorry, but I maintain that Trek needs to be updated for this century. Looking at what women of today are watching verses what was available for them to watch decades ago is quite different. Adding a small element of that which makes chic flicks work should help at the box office. I don’t think that merely giving Uhura more function on the bridge is enough to tap into the female viewers.
The more we see of Uhura the better, in my book. She’s not hard on the eyes!
#88: ‘since there is only 1 major woman’s role’
No! The woman to which you are referring has a small role. And the bridge crew is largely fixed. However, there can be (many) other women in the film. It is a simple distinction, which many are failing to grasp. If the writers wanted, they could have a female head of star fleet, ‘X’ number of captains, officers, aliens, villains, etc. Women can be more than well-represented in this film. This is, however, a very small issue. The bigger issue is the quality of the story-telling and the adherence to the essence of Star Trek.
“The bigger issue is the quality of the story-telling and the adherence to the essence of Star Trek.”
You are forgetting character development.
No I’m not. I’ve already mentioned that:
‘I have, of course, no real objection to the developing of her [Uhura’s] character in terms of background and personality. Though, if this is to happen, it should happen to the same extent among the supporting cast: the story [o]ught to revolve around the triumvirate’. (me, #86)
#71—It would be naive to believe that Majel’s role in “The Cage” wasn’t seen by network execs exactly the way GR described it.
In the mid-60’s, even most other women (at least in the US) could not accept a female in a traditionally male role, such as second-in-command of a ship with hundreds of crewmen and officers.
Justman and Solow may have written about GR’s nepotism, but that has nothing to do with the actual lay of the land in 1964-65. The real movemen in America towards the “empowerment of women” was still a decade away when Majel appeared as “Number One” in “The Cage”.
The Network had no problem with casting her as a nurse…
It’s not a matter of Gene’s word over theirs, but an understanding of the times…
#96—I think there is even a heirarchy amongst the supporting cast…
You have the primary characters—Kirk, McCoy, and Spock
You have a secondary “icon”, who falls just short of the triumvirate—Scotty
You have supporting characters with significant screentime—Sulu and Uhura
Then, you have a supporting character who is there for “comic relief”, and to appeal to a particular age group—-Chekov
Finally, you have the recurring supporting “guest” characters—Chapel, Rand, and Kyle.
Scotty, Sulu, and Uhura all had their share of wonderful moments in TOS.
I don’t see a problem with Uhura having significant screentime (not unlike what I described in #51) in STXI, and there seems to be alot of inference that she will have it..
I’d much rather that than too much Chekov!
49. Alec – September 10, 2008
“My biggest concern about this new film is the filmmakers’ respect for Star Trek. They ought to respect the nature, dynamic, and hierarchy of the TOS characters. Uhura is a Communications Officer—not Captain of the Enterprise—ETC”
When did you see the movie?
#53—”He didn’t appear to be writing from the POV of the fans with his comments concerning Pine or Zoe”
This is not a written review. It was an oral interview. And Kevin Smith IS a fan. He just happens to be a ‘fan’ who is in the business. What other point of view do you suggest he was speaking from, if not his own ‘fan’ perspective?
The closest he comes to critiquing the directing is, “Wow, he really did pull it off!”
The rest of his interview is done with a giddy fanboy’s excitement over the acting…
#97:
I agree with your comments about the hierarchy. I would add something that you implied: Uhura outranks Chekov, who is basically a boy. My point throughout this thread has just been that, in my humble opinion, I very much hope that this hierarchy is respected. It seems that most people want this, too—though, maybe, it is a bigger issue for me than it is for most others…
Closettrekker, I agree amost totally with your analysis of the crew. However, Chapel was a ‘guest star’ in season one and then a ‘character with significant screen time’ like Sulu in seasons two and three. Her character got more development in season one (3 appearances) than in the other two seasons added together!
Rand was not a supporting guest character at all though; she was the female lead. She appeared in the promo shots with Kirk and Spock, she received equal billing with Dr McCoy, and she appeared in 8 out of 12 episodes in the first half of season one. Charlie X was an episode that was actually written for her character, although about half of her other appearances were little more than cameos. Apparently, it should have been Rand, not Uhura on the planet in City on the Edge of Forever but the actress had been fired by then.
I’m so passionate about seeing Rand elevated back to the position she deserved that I was mortified when I saw that she was not even given a part in the revamp. Rand had so much potential to be a good female lead as well as comic relief. I don’t understand the obsession with emphasising the commissioned officers all the time. O’Brien was a non-com and he was a great character; so was Rand.
Bring her back in a ‘Starbuck-style’ revamp and she could become the tough talking a**-kicking blonde that Tasha Yar never was. The franchise needs something like that to correct the imbalance of the sexes. Making Rand more of a physical character is easier to swallow than Uhura who is almost as smart as Scotty and spends much of her time in a chair…
102 Paul,
In the mirror universe, the Yeoman’s a spymaster/assassin, so Rand’s character kind of adds up to the model of a Hollywood assistant.
Personally, I don’t like the idea of making the Yeoman position a security position. First, it’s cheesy. Second, given the redshirt bloodbaths of the five year mission, it means she’s a pretty crappy boss. Most importantly, the idea that Kirk would rely on a woman or any assistant to kick some alien ass is ridiculous.
Show me a leader that doesn’t have a personal assistant, or six. Kirk is a ladies’ man with a PhD in Astrophysics, so why wouldn’t his beautiful assistant be off-the-charts brilliant as well? If she’s like a Chief of Staff, that would explain how Kirk can focus on the core relationships.
…
Now what about Computer Voice and Chapel?
It’s great that the new Kirk will be portrayed by an accomplished actor.
More interest in Kirk will increase the chances for a return to this character, in a later era, by Shatner.
Lol – I think including the computer voice as a female character is a bit of a stretch, although Zen was counted as a crew member in Blakes 7, so maybe….
The problem with claiming that, “the idea that Kirk would rely on a woman or any assistant to kick some alien ass is ridiculous,” is that it displays absolutely no recognition of the fact that we are now in the 21st century, not the 1960s. The legacy of Xena, Buffy, Dark Angel, Alias & Battlestar Galactica has shown us that women can make very succesful action leads and the men really don’t have to cry in a corner about it.
In fact, I was giving a nod back to old captains’ seemingly mysoginistic roots. I’m not sure if it was Kirk or Pike who expressed surprise at having a woman for his personal Yeoman but if she was expected to double as his bodyguard, such comments would seem (slightly) more understandable. And Yeomen are not officers so I’m not suggesting she be made chief of security – just that her phaser be at the ready to do more than make coffee ;-)
People (including Dirk Benedict and myself) expressed reservations when Starbuck was recast as a woman but the character was a revelation. Star Trek has nowhere near the same edge as BSG, which is far too dark and gritty for Trek. However, it’s about time that the producers accepted that this is sci fi and if the sexes aren’t equal by the 23rd century then we might as well stop pretending that the Federation is such a bastion of equality and at least praise the Klingons for their honesty.
Eh. Not too convinced of the film’s worth based on Smith’s opinion; he’s the real-life version of The Simpsons’ “Comic-Book Guy” which does not make him the most objective review source.
Re: 105. Paul – September 12, 2008
” The problem with claiming that, “the idea that Kirk would rely on a woman or any assistant to kick some alien ass is ridiculous,” is that it displays absolutely no recognition of the fact that we are now in the 21st century, not the 1960s. The legacy of Xena, Buffy, Dark Angel, Alias & Battlestar Galactica has shown us that women can make very succesful action leads and the men really don’t have to cry in a corner about it.”
Even on the original series, Kirk left Uhura to deal with Mirror Sulu (and a bridge full of similar types) without assistance; he trusted she could get the job done (even when she originally had doubts). Additionally, in “The Apple,” Chekov’s love interest kicked butt along with the male members of the landing party, so tough females in Trek had its start during the 1960s, so there’s no reason not to see a character along the same lines in the new film.
“In fact, I was giving a nod back to old captains’ seemingly mysoginistic roots. I’m not sure if it was Kirk or Pike who expressed surprise at having a woman for his personal Yeoman”
That was Pike referring to Yeoman Colt.
I’ve been to the Comic Con San Diego and seen Kevin Smith’s panels. If you’ve ever attended his panels, you know he’s frank, doesn’t BS around and often crudely truthful. So if he gives the thumbs up on Chris Pine, you know he was really impressed with the casting in this film. Kevin Smith is also a geek, so I think purists might be surprisingly impressed.