STLV: Pegg: Scotty Not A ‘Clown’ – Talks Accent & Star Trek 2016 + Weller: Marcus Not ‘Villain’ + more

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Simon Pegg was the headliner for Saturday and appeared before a packed and enthusiastic Star Trek Las Vegas Con crowd. The new Scotty offered a few details on the production of the new Star Trek movie and also opined quite a bit about what he would like to see for the future of Star Trek on film and TV, along with talking a lot about his character.  Another new universe star at the con on Saturday was Peter Weller, who spent much of his time talking about ancient Rome and Robocop and speaking French, but he got around to talking some Trek too. Get all the details and photos below

 

Simon Pegg talks about next Star Trek and hopes to see more serious & challenged Scotty

Simon Pegg didn’t have a lot of details on the next Star Trek movie (expected in 2016), but the things he said are consistent with other recent reports. Here is a summary of sequel production related comments…

  • Pegg hasn’t read the script but "will do soon"
  • Says cast "love getting to hang out together" and they "can’t wait to make Star Trek 3 next year."
  • Says "hopefully the release should coincide with the 50th anniversary, which would be very cool."
  • When talking about Roberto Orci, Pegg said (mater of factly) "Bob is going to direct the new film"
  • On couple of lighter notes he suggested his friend Nick Frost would be great for to play Harry Mudd, and was very open to fan suggestion of Scotty wearing a kilt at some point

 

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While Pegg didn’t have any specifics on the plot of the next movie, he did have an opinion on where he would like to see Scotty go…

I would like to see Scotty challenged more. He is always complaining so if you ask him he is always challenged. I would like to see him in more situations of adversity. It is fun playing Scotty seriously too. I think he has a very serious heart. He is somebody who takes his job incredibly seriously. He is somebody who is fiercely loyal. He has a lot of attributes that are deadly serious. He just goes through life with an attitude that is fairly light and ironic.

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Pegg opines about potential Star Trek TV series

At one point when Pegg was talking about good new TV shows like Sherlock (which he said he would love to do), he interjected "it was time" for a new Star Trek TV series. He also showed his Trek nerd cred when he gave detailed answers about what he would do with such a series.

When asked where he would "take the crew" if he could write an episode of Star Trek Pegg said…

I think deep space. And I have a suspicion that the next film will see us out there on the mission. That is what the last part of [Into Darkness] established – that we would be out there as in the series in the midst of nowhere. I would like to go to some of those crazy places like the series did. The series was such an interesting proposition. It was about something fantastic but didn’t have the budget to be that visually fantastic. Sometimes it would get teased because it was studio-based. It didn’t have the lavish effects that you have today on film  and on television. So they would boil down the stories to something very real and human and personal and they became these fantastic little plays which I really loved as a kid. They always had a moral and social messages which you had to unpick. That kind of stuff is what Star Trek is fundamentally about. It is a metaphor. I would love to see some of that stuff again.

Pegg on if a potential new Star Trek series set in the new universe should stick to the TOS era or move into the future…

It’s a tough one. With the new iteration of Star Trek things changed a little bit. We are still in that realm. We are still pre-Next Generation and we are still in that time-frame and we should exist in that time-frame. We shouldn’t really discover anything that Picard discovered later. But then you can still come up with new stuff. Star Trek is still about breaking new ground. We should boldly go. I would happy to see some old friends and see some new ones. Kind of like what Doctor Who has done. It is great when you see the Daleks and the Cybermen. I grew up on those guys. So it would be cool to see characters that we have seen before and there are so many. It is an interesting thing. I hope it would just be engaging and fun and certainly have the spirit of the original.

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Pegg on the accent & trying to get Scottishisms in ‘Into Darkness + says ‘Scotty is not a clown’

Pegg also talked extensively about developing his character, including giving himself a back-story.

All of us in the cast didn’t want to go into Star Trek doing impressions of our forebears because we wanted to play the characters. We had deep respect for those people and didn’t want to go play them playing them if you know what I mean. I thought I would start doing what Jimmy [Doohan] did. So he is an engineer and basically he works in space and he is from Scotland. I know Scotty’s origins are kind of Linlithgow in the upper east [of Scotland]. Because my family are from Glasgow I wrote myself a little history of Scotty that made him go to university in Glasgow so he picked up a little bit of the west coast.

He also talked about how he worked to fine tune the accent for Into Darkness….

When I watch [Star Trek (2009)] I was kind of "oh no," because I hear it. But for [Into Darkness] I feel it was better. My father in law after the first one was like "that was shyte." So I really had to buck up and go into it with a new "all right, I’m going to do this properly." He asked me to put words in like "Cludgie" which is Scottish for toilet. So I would do these things, like I would say "JJ, I am going to put this in because I think he would say that." And JJ would say "Simon, we need the audience to understand what you are saying." So a lot of the Scottish-isms I try to wheedle in get wheedled out.

The actor also noted that some people misunderstand Scotty as being a comedy character…

I like to mug [my face]. I don’t know if you noticed this watching Star Trek, but by god I make some stupid faces. I’m like "JJ, please tell me when it’s not right to do that." Because I don’t want Scotty as a clown. People refer to Scotty as a comedy character, but he is not a comedy character. He never has been. There is something comic about his reaction to things. He is very kind of cynical. He is older than everyone else. In terms of that character it is always about playing it real. Playing how he would be. He is kind of like an ordinary guy in an extraordinary situation.

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Pegg on how he brought Keenser back for more

Pegg told the story of how he expanded the role of Keenser for the first Trek, leading to him being in the second…

When Scotty [beams out of Delta Vega] Deep Roy did this little aww thing. And JJ and I were like "we can’t just leave him on that little snowball, we have got to see him at the end." So we called [costume designer] Michael Kaplan and said "can you make a little Starfleet uniform for Deep Roy?" and he said "yep" and so that little scene at the end was entirely an improvisation. So by the time we get to Into Darkness this partnership we wanted it to continue. He is one of Scotty’s guys. Just because he is this small alien doesn’t mean he isn’t this capable guy.

More tidbits from Simon

  • "really liked" moment in Into Darkness when Scotty "really sticks up for his own principles and he doesn’t back down" [leading to Kirk kicking him off ship]
  • View of his Scotty is that he secretly believes he is captain [said in Scotty voice] "Oh, I’m really the one in charge here. It’s not the wee guy with spiky hair. It’s me!"
  • Pranked Karl Urban and John Cho into record PSA warning people to use "neutron cream" when visiting the National Ignition Facility. He thinks they might be on new "Compendium" Blu-ray release
  • Favorite classic Scotty scene is playing bagpipes in Star Trek II
  • Gave Chris Doohan a shoutout for his work playing Scotty in Star Trek Continues fan series

Pegged wrapped up his comments by thanking the audience and saying…

This is my first ever Star Trek convention and it’s been an absolute delight.

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All’s Well that Ends Weller
summary by Jared Whitley

With the fervor of a revivalist minister, sci-fi icon Dr. Peter Weller lectured an assembled group of Trek fans on art, European and Middle-eastern history, philosophy, and more about Venice than anyone ever, really, needs to know. Yes you read that sentence right: Dr. Peter Weller, who recently completed a PhD in Italian history. And he didn’t let you forget it, including correcting one fan who addressed him as “Mister Weller.”

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The doctor title that comes with the PhD is the only one that can’t be taken away from you, unlike a juris or medical doctor.  “Ten years from now, I could be a drug addict in a gutter and you’d still have to call me ‘Dr.’ Drug Addict in a Gutter,” he said to widespread laughter.

The surprisingly erudite Weller even switched into French when he noticed an accent on one fan, ending his conversation with her with a gentlemanly “enchante.”

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French fan speaks with Dr. Weller

Of course he spent plenty of time talking about RoboCop, Buckaroo Bonzai, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Enterprise. eller is also an accomplished director and only agreed to do his role in Enterprise if he got to also direct some – which (because the show ended immediately thereafter) he never got to. “Manny Coto! Where is that bastard?” he joked to much laughter. He noted that if Enterprise had continued, he would have brought his character back.

Moving forward 100 years, he discussed his role in Star Trek Into Darkness, where he played antagonist Admiral Marcus – note the word “antagonist” and not “villain.” “Everything Marcus says is true. Everything he says about war with the Klingons is true,” Weller said. “He is a patriot. So why is he the bad guy? Because the collateral damage of his plan is the Enterprise. So it’s got to go.”

When fans showed him that there was a new Hallmark toy of his ship, the Vengeance, he hadn’t seen before. “You guys have all seen it? I want one!” he said.

Weller and fans spent a good amount of time discussing RoboCop – and said he wanted nothing to do with the project to get Detroit a RoboCop statue. He rejected the idea and insisted Detroit should instead have statues to MoTown greats like Marvin Gaye and The Supremes to improve the city’s civic pride.

A true gentleman, Weller refused to turn any fan away, and answered questions from everyone who came to stand at the mic.

 

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More from Saturday (and Sunday) to come

TrekMovie is still working on our final wrap-up of Saturday’s activities including the big Voyager and Enterprise actors panels and more. Once Sunday wraps up we will have coverage of William Shatner plus more profanity from Harlan Ellison and more guest stars. We will also be covering cosplay, the Star Trek Wedding and more stuff from around the con.

So stay tuned.

STLV Coverage so far:

Karl Urban panel

TNG Cast Panels + More from Thursday

Roddenberry announces "Fan Census" + reveals Gene’s grandson

TNG in HD Panel Reveals Season 7 Details + DS9 In HD possibility + more

DS9 Cast Panels + More from Friday

Brannon Braga Talks TNG, VOY, ENT and potential Trek future

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Great that Simon is enjoying the films. We’re enjoying him in them… Cludgie-mouth or no.

It’s a little retcon, me thinks.

Whatever Simon may think, they are definitely playing Scotty for laughs. And Weller was most assuredly the Villain. He was never going to spare the Enterprise? That’s villain territory for sure.

But Simon’s remark that they can’t discover anything Picard did is silly. They already have technology ahead of even TNG, so Pegg’s deluding himself about BR Trek’s place in the universe … I seriously doubt any of the production team will exercise such restraint, having already gone on record about Q and the Borg being good ideas for future movies …

The real Scotty (James Doohan) had a sense of humor, could be a bit sarcastic, and was often blunt, but honest. He was NOT a clown. When it came to running the ship he was all business.

In ’09 JJTrek, Pegg’s Scotty IS a clown. One of the many reasons I hated it.

2. Curious Cadet – August 3, 2014

I’m afraid you’re right about all of that.

The one and only thing that I’ve found heartening with regard to BR Trek coming out of this convention is the talk of it ending—hopefully after the third movie—and a new Trek TV series starting up.

I will be excited and optimistic at the prospect of pretty much anyone not affiliated with BR Trek producing a new Trek series, so long as they have a resume or can demonstrate in some other way that they understand the value of pre-BR Trek at its best and how to get back to that.

I find it a tad awkward that Pegg is pining for what Trek used to be pre-BR. Obviously he has to choose his words carefully when speaking in public like this, though of course I fully agree with him and am heartened to see him not just toeing the BR line:

So they would boil down the stories to something very real and human and personal and they became these fantastic little plays which I really loved as a kid. They always had a moral and social messages which you had to unpick. That kind of stuff is what Star Trek is fundamentally about. It is a metaphor. I would love to see some of that stuff again.

We would all love to see some of that stuff again, Simon.

I also feel the character of Scotty was used as a clown in STID; James Doohan’s character, when he took The Chair, when he went into the Jeffrey’s Tube, or when he otherwise saved the day– was a very human hero – as were all the TOS characters (except Spock who was–well, we know the story). He was never the clown.

I could BELIEVE that Doohan’s Scotty was a physics genius, eccentric, bluntly honest, and with a great sense of humor.

What happened to Pegg’s Scotty is not Pegg’s fault – we can say that about all the actors. They followed the script and the direction.

If Marcus was not a villain, then the whole “message” of STID (however briefly reviewed at the close) is invalidated. The message referred to Marcus, not Khan. Khan was not “we” in Kirk’s 2 second speech at the end.

But Marcus was “we” (Star Fleet/military/people in power), who allow themselves to become as bad as our enemies, who permitted themselves to use the same violent, wrong tactics, and so forth.

Well don’t you love to radically alter what people have said into something you’d rather hear.

Is there a record of anyone, anywhere saying ST3 will be the last one?

I LOVE Simon Pegg’s early stuff, but after Sean of the Dead, he got Americanized into shyte… =(

…and as written in nu-trek, unfortunately, Scotty IS a clown =(

Nick Frost would have to be Scotty’s subordinate in engineering (redshirt), not Mudd

Scotty in a kilt? YES! =D

No… Scotty is definitely being used as comic relief for these abominations. Mr. Scott was a mature, generally serious man totally dedicated to his work, captain, and most importantly, his beloved ship. Pegg’s portrayal is done for the lolz.

As much as I love his work, I simply can’t stand this characterization.

I’ll go on record: ST3 WILL BE THE LAST ONE.

…in fact: RE-BOOT NOW!! Axanar on Netlix! Make it so! =D

Nick Frost should replace Keenser!!! =D PLEASE Make it so! =D

I don’t see Scotty as a clown. I see him as someone who makes a funny remark to break the tension. In a tense atmosphere it’s great to have someone like that who restores people to their sense of humanity and unity. He’s dead serious when it comes to his engines and he’d be every bit as serious if he has the conn.

Almost everyone who’s commented so far has an axe to grind with NuTrek. Okay, we get it, you hate it and everything about it and everyone who was in it.

Pegg’s Scotty was warm and human and I liked his characterization. I’d love to work for either Scotty, Doohan Scotty or Pegg Scotty. He’d be a great boss.

Re: Peter Weller

He plays a great role on “Longmire,” if anyone’s ever seen that show. Occasionally he drops in to play Sheriff Longmire’s predecessor, who’s not quite as by-the-book as Longmire. That Weller drawl — nothing like it :-)

I mean, DOCTOR Peter Weller.

Oh, for an edit function

7. Dennis Martinez – August 3, 2014

Is there a record of anyone, anywhere saying ST3 will be the last one?

Not that I know of, but the actors’ contracts were for 3 movies, so it’s a natural ending point. Though, of course it’s possible that they could renegotiate all of the contracts and do more BR Trek after the third movie.

Welcome back, Anthony. You did not miss that much except Hollywood has had it with some of the fans and made boborci our director. I think he will give you more tidbits than JJ did. We will find out.

@10-11. Really, man, again?

Wow, great write up. You guys are really doing great things on this site lately, thanks!

I thought both Pegg and Weller were fantastic in Into Darkness. Liking that we keep hearing comments about the new movie being out in space during the five year mission. Hopefully we get more official news soon.

You saw glimpses on TOS that Scotty was not a man to be messed with, but unfortunately, it seems like the writers did lean on him for comic relief. Prone to insubordination when he had the hots for a willing female, and apparently a borderline alcoholic, Hollywood would stereotype the Scottish white guy as often as they could when they needed a light moment, or a drunken brawl. I don’t blame Mr. Pegg one bit for wanting to keep Scott on a more serious note.

I am fine with Pegg’s Scotty. Just because his Scotty was “comedic”, that didn’t mean he was incompetent. I just took this Scotty as having been changed by the events set by the original Narada incursion, which is why he ended up on Delta Vega.

As Mr. Pegg elaborates, Scotty is the guy who appears to be providing the doofus bits but in fact is very serious. It’s just who he is. He makes exaggerated facial expressions and has an innocent heart that has a knack for over reacting. TOS Scotty did have some of these traits(if we could of seen more of him in action, he may well have been more alike his AOS counterpart… we shall never know). Being like himself, Scotty plays an integral part in the story which conveys the down to earth feeling of the characters as well as their professionalism in a very straightforward way. In other words, I heart Scotty.

Yeah. I could see Nick Frost showing up for Star Trek: Boldly Gone. Just him, lazing around with an ice cream cone in his hand, “Hey, you know why Klingons wear helmets? Because they’re F***ugly.”
Whether played for laughs or being serious, I want to see this new Scotty cement himself as a miracle worker. They still have yet to demonstrate that of his character. They could have done that in the last movie, having Scotty be the one to save “his” ship.
I would rather they not rehash old episodes, personally. If this is going to be a new series, stop with the hand-holding and do something NEW. How about not have a one-shot villain this time? Have them deal with a threat, yes. Just not a villain. Although, I’ll admit, I would like to see the Enterprise blow something up. Sorry, I just like seeing the ship in action. Just so long as it isn’t blowing something up just for the sake of blowing something up. More importantly, I want to see more of what the ship is capable of. I want to see some things from that ship that will take me by surprise. I’d like to see more of the interior of the ship, as well. Really open her up. Let’s see what she’s got.

Pegg gave the worse performance of the crew in STID he really annoyed me. I hope he has minimal screentime in ST3.

The con was amazing and so much fun.

It’s disheartening to see so many childish people leaving hateful and nonsensical comments here just because they try to find any excuse to vituperate against the reboot.

As Pegg said, Scotty is in no way a clown. The 2009 movie is more lighthearted and has more funny moments, but in STID Scotty has so many dramatic scenes. Look at the way he defends his beliefs until he is kicked off the ship, and you’d have to be a hypocrite to call him a clown. Or even just look at his devastated face when Kirk and him assume Spock killed Khan’s crew, or at his tears when Kirk dies to save the ship. Or his determination to go into the warp core with Kirk, which makes Kirk knock him out.
So what, he also has scenes that lighten the mood so it’s not constantly dark? He’s not the only one to have some of these. It’s a natural part of the storytelling.

The haters continue to act like the bullies they are, and spread their hate all around in hopes it will convince others, but in the end the new movies remain vastly successful and beloved of the public. So maybe those of you actively hoping for the destruction of the Trek franchise by trying to shoot down anything new just because it’s not exactly the way you wanted it, should accept the fact that you are the same as the people campaigned to try and get TNG cancelled because it was different from TOS.

Every new Trek is different, but it’s still Trek and lovable. So to the haters I say, get on with the times and stop trying to destroy the Star Trek franchise –which is the only thing your hate-mongering ever tries to achieve.

#12 Marja

Simon Pegg says, “I would like to see Scotty challenged more. He is always complaining so if you ask him he is always challenged. I would like to see him in more situations of adversity…” and so forth.

Isn’t he too saying that he wants Scotty to be less clownish?

Does one say, “Oh, Don’t change the STID characterizations and approach one iota, it is just GREAT as it is!”

OR does one say, “Look, nuTrek could be better. Here is an example.” And, yes, we have given many examples but STID had many needs of improvement.

(Yes, I know you have expressed some criticisms of STID too but you are one of the few semi-objective people, most STID people feel it is all just GREAT and that is ok–but I (and others) have a right to our opinion, too).

There is no doubt but that LOVE OF STAR TREK is at the core of all our motivations. No one is a “hater” as #24 Mina accuses.

Yes, some of us are “nicer” than others (on both ‘sides) and sometimes usually-nice people are both sides get angry and frustrated.

Marja, you seem to feel it is The Negatives or The Positives. In truth, it is everyone who loves Trek and – yes – wants it their way, BUT we do have a template, a paradigm–and that is TOS and to a less extent, the original crew films.

STID’s Scotty was used more for laughs than TOS’ Scotty. Maybe this is because TOS had 79 episodes and sometimes Scotty was funny or even poignant (wanting a nice woman, always choosing someone inaccessible to him), but so many other times, he was great when in command, he saved the day by jury-rigging the barrins, or he staunchly followed orders, showing real devotion to the captain – and so forth.

TOS (sometimes) subtly allowed us to see Scotty’s depth of character and his humorous aspects but there is no SUBTLE in STID (yes, a popcorn movie), and so, a clown he is, all too often.

NuTrek could be a mass appeal film and allow its characters to be a bit more subtle, thus allowing actors to act so as to fill out the characters.

Anyway, I am saying in my many criticisms of STID, “Please make the next one better. Do not use the same formula of unrelenting action and shallow characterization: The gee-whiz rebel kid, the nerd who gets the girl, the funny guy,” and so forth. Stereotypes when these characters are/were ORIGINALS.

This does not make us NEGATIVES, it makes us POSITIVES in what we fervently hope for Star Trek.

Perhaps it is Robert Kennedy’s thing of “Some say why, I ask why not?”
Why can’t we have Scotty as complete and deep a character as he already is? Courtesy of TOS, the world already knows Scotty. His paradigm (a general one) already exists. Why dumb it down or clown him up??

#24 Mina
I do wish people would realize that those with other opinions are NOT bad hate mongering people. This is an issue which has annoyed me and many others with another commenter whom you remind me of.

Please realize that you should not hurl insults at people with different opinions than yours. Many of our opinions on STID (the so-called negative ones) are quite well thought out and are expressed out of love for Star Trek. Really read Cygnus X1, Curious Cadet, Disinvited, and others (even me), we are not “hate mongers.”

#24 Mina

You have taken Keachick lessons?

Phil: yep, still here… =P (try commenting on something besides me?)

thanks, at least, for not BLATANTLY attempting to throw me under the bus…

(this time) =(

12. Marja – August 3, 2014

same.
I can’t say I agree with Simon either.
Scotty is not a clown but he’s funny and comic relief which I don’t see it as a ‘flaw’ or something bad overall. Perhaps, the character is a bit influenced by Simon’s own natural inclination to be funny.. I honestly can’t see him being the serious guy and playing a dramatic character.

and Weller definitely was the villain for me. More than Khan, actually.

Yeah, there’s a difference in being a clown and having bouts of serving as comic relief. The impression I get is that Scotty is a person that others find humorous, but it’s really not that he’s a total clown.

He’s one of those people who are cantankerous, opinionated, and very proud of what they do. He’s got a lot of fight in him, like his TOS equivalent. He’s a bit bitter because his genius and abilities in this timeline were discarded temporarily on Delta Vega, and he’s very protective of his ship and his responsibility to the ship. So how does that not sound like TOS Scotty, had he been dropped on Delta Vega early in his career? He’s less smooth and steady as TOS Scotty was, with good reason. He can develop into a steadier commanding officer. Maybe Jimbo’s sacrifice in STID taught him a bit more about his responsibilities to the people serving under him and the people on the ship rather than to keep salt water out of his engines.

Him being used occasionally as comic relief is not a big deal for me, considering that Pegg is a great comedic actor. I think I would only have a problem with it if they did something COMPLETELY off character, like had him bumble through a bridge sequence where he had command. But then again, that wouldn’t be far off, seeing as he probably hasn’t had as much command experience as TOS Scotty….Sulu did pretty good though….

Scotty can be serious or comic. He was that way originally and he is in the new movies.
And Nick would make a great Mudd, but I think the guys carry too much baggage together, unfortunately. Good baggage, for sure, but i’d be expecting to see Scotty and Mudd to go out for a Cornetto!

@29. I’ve had a chance now to watch STID a few times on cable, and a lot of my general ire toward it is misplaced. Yeah, the lifting of dialogue is still inexcusable, and the entire last segment still just screams ‘we had some money to spend on special effects, so here they are’. However, there is plenty in the movie that does speak to these character building moments that Pegg is referring to. Enough so that unless the producers really jump the rails on the third installment, it’s not hard to see this Trek as being as ‘real’ as the TOS was…just a bit different, that’s all.

And agreed with Sulu. Not hard to see him as captain material in this universe, too.

#31. Phil – August 4, 2014

We welcome you to the dark side..

And I agree, definitely, definitely flawed but just makes it.

The concept of retroactively tarring the good of the now with the bad of the future is new to me but you probably return the favor and turn me to that dark side if it indeed comes to pass.

#25. IDIC

When have I ever hurled insults at you or others here? Don’t be so quick to accuse me of something I have not done.
The problem of a small group of haters going around spamming so many of the Trek websites is a reality, so I complain about it. I didn’t say you’re necessarily one of them, however the problem is still real. Seeing some of the people here always being negative reminds me of it and I find it depressing.
The same people who are constantly negative turn around and claim they are innocent angels the moment someone calls them out on it too, so it hardly means anything.

And the fact that some of the commenters here only see the negative in things and are so quick to hope for the reboot to fail (which is so ironic considering it’s more successful than any other Star Trek incarnation previously) is exactly as I said.

You may have worded it more nicely in your comment #25, but others don’t always word it or even see it like that, and a number of them simply want it to fail and go down in flames.

Over time I have seen people threatening death towards JJ (on multiple occasions, at one point even on the comments to the Star Trek facebook post for his birthday, it was ‘so classy’…), people saying they would rather see Star Trek as a whole destroyed rather than see a movie they disagree with, etc. etc. Opinions that are so extreme and so far from how the vast majority of people feel about the movies, that some of the haters resort to bullying to try and shove such opinions down others’ throats.
…No amount of prettier sentence spin to make some things seem like a positive criticism can erase the reality that there are also irrational haters out there. So when I come back from the con all happy, see an article about the con, and then see in the comments that immediately there’s people putting things down and being negative, I find it depressing. They may not all be haters but some are, and others are a reminder of the issue anyway. If you deny that there’s people like that here too (just look at the comments on various articles), you must be blinding yourself.

Not all haters are as bad as the ones spamming various sites or threatening murder (even if their threats are likely empty, any murder threat is still a horrible behavior), but it still remains that none of the people acting heavily negatively about the reboot understands the core value of Trek that is to accept different things, rather than shun them, or much less try to destroy them. And it’s disheartening to see that constant litany against the reboot, especially with how unfounded it is.

If you’re not a hater, good for you, but some are and claiming that my complaining about haters is “hurling insults” is hardly fair. Unless I single you out and actually hurl insults at you, you’re the one slandering me by claiming I did when it was not so.

#26 What? Your second comment doesn’t make any sense.

For the record, I am NOT Mina McPherson. The moderators/administration would be able to confirm this.

Welcome, Mina McPherson. I do not recall seeing your name before. I apologize for IDIC’s sarcasm directed against you. Be brave!

Anyone can wish to be more challenged without seeing themselves as being clownish. (Pegg’s) Scotty may appear easy going with a good sense of humour and a penchant for the genuine Scots whiskey.

However he is also shown to be very serious as well, in the things that matter to him, like the direction that Starfleet seems to be taking – ie isn’t the mission about exploration and the fact that there is too much secrecy – all of a sudden.
He is also concerned about any deleterious effects being in a (salt) water environment might have on the Enterprise, however Kirk brings him back on track – “Scotty! Where is Spock?” Scotty’s whole demeanour and expression changes, signifying that at the moment, there are more important issues than the possible of state of ship’s systems…

The acting was nuanced and a pleasure to watch. Great stuff, Simon Pegg.

I wonder – will some of the other nuTrek cast be appearing at this convention along with Dr Peter Weller and Simon Pegg? I hope so…

I thought Simon Pegg nailed Scotty in “Star Trek Into Darkness”. I think he really balanced the humor with dramatic seriousness. He was a bit more quirky in the first movie, but that was probably to do with the fact that the crew were just getting to know each other.

But Scotty was never a clown. Not during TOS, not during the original 6 movies (maybe except for STV) and not during the new movies.

Scotty has always had a sense of humor, poked a little fun at himself, but was always deadly serious about his job.

#36. Keachick

It’s over! But Karl Urban was there :), and then he went to the Fandom Fest in Louisville, Kentucky.

Nick Frost + Harry Mudd = MIND BLOWN!

I’d rather not see any more old Trek characters resurrected, but if Harcourt Fenton Mudd is going to make an appearance, Frost would be a good choice.

Jimmy Doohan’s “Scotty” was always a likable sort who was quick with a quip, but could be counted on to take the reins of the ship and take care of business. I get the exact vibe from Pegg and the way they have written Scotty in the new movies.

@40 Phil,

I’m in agreement with no more old characters. We’ve seen what they can do with that for two movies now. Let’s see if they can come up with something fresh and compelling in 3-4 years like TOS did every week.

But I disagree about Frost. He may well be able to play Mudd, but he must do it in a restrained way I’ve not seen him perform. Mudd is NOT a comedic character. There’s nothing particularly funny about Mudd in Mudd’s Women. It was “I Mudd” that turned him into the comic relief we think of him as today. Mudd is an intergalactic smuggler, and deals with some pretty frightening customers. He’s got to be more Han Solo than Cyrano Jones in demeanor to be believable. In fact, given his Cardassian daughter in the comics, I’d say Mudd needs to be significantly darker in this universe, which I hope Orci is alluding to and not vice-versa. If Frost can pull that off, then more power to him.

@42. Frost seems to play off of situations surrounding him very well, and has a dry sense of humor. I’m not sure that Trek needs it’s own Han Solo, while I could see a con man being right at home in the Federation, a swashbuckler, not so much.

But I do have to fess up, I’m partial to a dry sense of humor. Frost plays off of Pegg very well in that aspect. My bias, I freely admit, and I’d be open to other choices…..

But to reinforce my original point, no more recycling of old characters!!

40, 43. Phil

Well….I hate to say it, but that’s kind of an irresistible quality about this sort of storytelling. In an Alternate Universe, one of the main goals is to show how events and people are similar/different than the Prime Universe. It’s that way, no matter if you’re doing Alternate Histories like Harry Turtledove, or Mirror Universes, like Trek.

But I do get your point, it gets to be repetitive and pointless. So I’ll nuance your point a bit. I don’t want to see the same plots approached from different angles. I’m fine with doing an alternate take of Space Seed for STID, but not so fine with doing the same thing for ST3, because we just saw that. New characters, new plot, new movie for 3. Any old characters and references should be very inobtrusive, and if they’re prominent, it should only be for the first few minutes of the movie, like the Nibiru sequence.

But honestly, since it’s the 50th Anniversary, we’ll probably see a lot of homages. *shrugs* Although that’s not what I want right now, I’m not going to throw a fit if it happens. I just want it to be good primarily, no matter what it is.

No Mudd. Never was a fan of the character.

And why are people suggesting Nick Frost? Simply because he’s starred with Simon Pegg in several movies?

They might both be fun to watch in “Hot Fuzz” or “Paul”, but that chemistry wouldn’t neccessarily transition over to the next Trek movie.

#45. RDR

ppl are suggesting Nick Frost because Simon Pegg was suggesting Nick Frost at stlv.

btw I agree with that, if by chance this is happening in Trek 3.

Thanks for all your great coverage of the con!

Is it just me or doesn’t Keenser’s uniform give off more of a TNG feel in that photo in its style? Maybe Keenser’s a fashion designer ahead of his time?

@45. We recognize that sometimes actors like working with each other. John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara come to mind. Pegg likes working with JJ, would not be a bit surprised to see him somewhere in Episode 7. Yes, Frost is being mentioned because Pegg tossed out the suggest – that doesn’t make it a bad one.

And just a reminder, this is largely an academic conversation. I don’t want to see any old characters in the next movie, and don’t need to see any of the old surviving original actors in cameo’s, either.

25 Lives, There is no doubt but that LOVE OF STAR TREK is at the core of all our motivations. No one is a “hater” as #24 Mina accuses.

May I remind you of “I Am Not Herbert” … and Oscar … et. al.

If “no one is a hater” that should apply to the people who like NuTrek as well as the ClassicTrek lovers.

And may I say the word “accuses” is strong and indicates that you feel personally insulted … why should you? Why do you? There are haters. It doesn’t mean that she’s personally accusing you, any more than I was personally accusing you of internet hatred for Zoe Saldana’s “Uhura.”

Marja, you seem to feel it is The Negatives or The Positives. In truth, it is everyone who loves Trek and – yes – wants it their way, BUT we do have a template, a paradigm–and that is TOS and to a less extent, the original crew films.

So, you are in effect saying that because I like NuTrek [and can separate it from TOS in my like for it], I do not love Trek. Yes, I have a paradigm, but it does not equate to keeping the characters exactly as they are in TOS. Amazing! I can have a paradigm that differs from yours. Because these are all our OPINIONS, not objective fact.

Now Cygnus, DM Duncan and others have made valid criticisms about the writing in the movies, and the characterizations sketched by the writers to enable them to move the plots forward. I agree — at times the writing is sloppy, and clockwork-like in “hitting the popular scriptwriting beats.” But I do think, for what was on the page, the actors brought depth and a certain sense of reality to these new characterizations of the Big Seven. If they [and the writers] were given 79 episodes over which to expand the characters, I think they would do admirably.

TOS, by the way, does deal in stereotypes. Much as I love it, I can see them; can you? The heroic captain who disagrees with bureaucracy and chucks it at every opportunity. The doctor from the South who feels comfortable lobbing xenophobic remarks at the Outsider of another race, who is brainier than the rest. The Scottish engineer who would rather be with his engineering journals or bairns, or drinking, than on shore leave. The beautiful comms officer who is horrified at the prospect of losing her beauty.

Ah! you will say, “but Star Trek was a product of its time.” Indeed it was, and times have changed some.

…and your commet at #26 was uncalled for and quite OT. Personally I’m tired of the “IDICLives! v. Keachick, Jemini, et. al.,” battles [must we now include Mina as well?]. They get so needlessly personal and remind me of MJ’s trolling at its “best”.

“Attacks” are supposedly waged and “apologies” are demanded. It’s either a bore or a vicarious, nasty thrill, for the observers. To me, #26 is pretty close to trolling.

IMHO.