To coincide with the release of Star Trek Into Darkness on Blu-ray, CBS and Paramount have teamed up to offer a new “best of” TOS Blu-ray disc release available the same day as the Blu-ray release of Star Trek Into Darkness, September 10. This includes various “prime universe” episodes that are related to the characters or themes of Into Darkness in some way. It naturally includes “Space Seed” for the introduction of Khan and “The Cage” for a look at Pike as captain, and more. There is a little bit of new content on this disc, there are new video introductions recorded by Rod Roddenberry. Plus an announcement of new TOS DVD packaging.
CBS and Paramount have worked up a new “best of” set, for those who don’t have the seasons sets of Star Trek: The Original Series on Blu-ray.
Kirk. Spock. Pike. Khan. Klingons. Tribbles. See where it all started with Star Trek: The Original Series – Origins Blu-ray. This collection showcases the origins episodes of the most significant characters from Star Trek: The Original Series. Introduced by Rod Roddenberry, son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, and starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, Walter Koenig and Ricardo Montalban, this value-priced release is an ideal collection for both brand new and lifelong fans of the timeless series.
The Cage – This original pilot episode of the epic series introduces fans to the iconic characters Captain Pike and Spock.
Where No Man Has Gone Before – The second pilot episode in which Captain James T. Kirk is first seen at the helm of the Enterprise.
Space Seed – Witness the debut of the unforgettable super villain, Khan.
Errand of Mercy – This thrilling episode introduces the legendary alien race, the Klingons.
The Trouble with Tribbles – This fan-favorite episode includes the arrival of the cute, but catastrophic, creatures.
Includes English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. English Original Mono, French Mono, German Mono and Japanese Mono. English SDH, French, German and Japanese Subtitles.
In a related announcement the TOS Remastered DVD sets are getting some pretty cool looking new packaging exclusive to Best Buy. Details are below:
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
Following the success of Star Trek: The Next Generation DVD repackages from earlier this year, Star Trek: The Original Series Remastered Seasons 1-3 DVDs will also receive a new look, and will be available exclusively at Best Buy in the US and Canada, beginning on August 13th.
A must-own for both brand new and lifelong Star Trek fans, each season features all-new packing, including a multi-disc amaray within the slipcase, and are housed in an O-sleeve with a textured finish. Every season showcases a Starfleet division uniform with its respective color scheme, as well as one gadget from Star Trek: The Original Series.
- Season One, represented by the shimmering gold color, represents the command division and communicator gadget.
- Season Two, repackaged in a bright blue shade, symbolizes the sciences division and tricorder tool.
- Season Three returns refurbished in a vibrant red hew representing the operations and phaser device.
The older packaging will still be available at other retailers, but only for a limited time.
Can anyone say: “cash grab”
I CAN’T WAIT TO SPEND HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS ON JUNK I ALREADY OWN YET AGAIN OMG THIS IS A DISASTER
It’s not a bad idea for a set, but why do the tribble one? Why not go with the Romulan introduction?
Seems like it would have been a better idea =)
I’ll have to think about whether or not to indulge. I already have TOS on both VHS (just for nostalgia puroses now) and DVD, so I’m not sure I see the point for myself of getting the ‘Origins’ Blu-ray.
However, this would probably be a good introduction for fans who didn’t come in at the TOS level in the first place.
@3 That’s easy to explain: There were no Romulans in STID, but McCoy’s Tribble featured pretty prominently. And of course “The Trouble with Tribbles” is an easy sell for a casual fan, since it’s a lot of fun and is always well liked by Trek fans.
@4 – Yep this is for casual fans and/or people dipping their toes into the prime universe after seeing STID.
New Fans are discovering the series all the time. Whats the harm in re-releasing it, keeping it in print?
plus that packaging does look pretty cool
Great job!
I just got a new Blu-Ray and LCD. Off to BB!
Thanks, TrekMovie!
No one is forceing you to buy MJ, and believe it or not, there are many new fans that have been introduced to Trek since the the last release.
@9. I hear you.
3. summoner2100
“It’s not a bad idea for a set, but why do the tribble one? Why not go with the Romulan introduction?”
Because no Romulans were harmed in the making of ‘Star Trek Into Darkness.’
Tribbles and Klingons, on the other hand… ;)
I was waiting for these types of discs, actually, and hoping they made them! really! Because I didn’t buy all of the Trek series on DVD but damn skippy I bought the “Borg” DVD set they put out. I like how they realize there’s a market for people who really want a sampler of the “classic” episodes but aren’t gonna pony up for an entire box set.
I lilke the new products that CBS and Paramount have issued. However, part of me is saddened to know that Trek is not under the consolidated control of a single individual who can move the franchise forward. Apparently, two corporations are currently in charge of Star Trek and thus it is a matter of corporate undertaking for any such project, except for the motion pictures, to see the light of day.
I wonder if this is to be the continued fate of the franchise. CBS’s entertainment division does not seem to have much of an impetus toward making a new TV series, and there is no real movement that I see toward that effect.
Recent reports say that Paramount may consider STID a modest success, and not a major one, and we still do not have official word of the next sequel.
All this, it seems to me, invites the firm hand of someone who is capable of moving the franchise forward on all levels. Not even Abrams seems to have that power.
Zachary Quinto’s recent comments, positive as they may be, do not constitute official word concerning the next movie sequel, although I remain highly optimistic regarding same.
Why is there no longer talk about a new Trek TV series?
It may be that America no longer has the spirit of real adventure that allowed TOS and TNG to take to the airwaves with such promise. I hesitate to reach that conclusion; I hope it is not the right one.
#12. Hat Rick – July 20, 2013
According to this reporting:
https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/26/movies/26itzk.html?_r=3&pagewanted=all
“That year, the corporate behemoth Viacom, which owned STAR TREK, was splitting itself in two, divorcing its CBS studio (which made the TREK shows) from its Paramount studio (which made the films). TREK was likely to go to CBS, where another television show might eventually be developed. Gail Berman, then the president of Paramount, convinced Leslie Moonves, the chief executive of CBS, to allow her one more chance at a TREK film; he gave her 18 months to get the cameras rolling or lose the property. (Under the arrangement CBS retained the STAR TREK merchandising rights.)”
Les Moonves sure sounds like he’s calling all the shots for making new TREK – film, TV or otherwise.
nuParamount seems to retain all the rights to the old library of TREK films which means they probably could refilm any of those old scripts without consulting anyone but that and the right to publish releases of their old TREK films, seems to be the extent of their rights free and clear of nuCBS and it appears no one currently involved in Trek filmmaking is interested in that.
Blaming nuCBS totally for nuParamount’s acrimonious negotiating “skills” which were well documented by Marvel plays merely as nuParamount scapegoating. Grey and Moonves may hate each other as each wants to reunite their halves and be the one true heir to a Paramount Empire, but in Hollywood, business is business.
#12. Hat Rick – July 20, 201
To further illustrate, from the screenwriter, Troy Kennedy Martin, from one of my favorite WWII caper movies’ KELLY’S HEROES, about a bunch of fed up and misfit American GIs who decided to rob a bank behind enemy lines:
Crapgame: How are things going with the bank?
Big Joe: [A distant explosion is heard as the Tiger fires] Nothin’. The Sherman’s broken down and nobody’s gonna get that Tiger out of the square.
Crapgame: Make a deal with ‘im.
Big Joe: What kind of a deal?
Crapgame: A deal deal! Maybe the guy’s a Republican! Business is business, right?
I wonder if for “The Cage”, we’ll finally get the full b/w Roddenberry print audio, with Malachi Throne’s original voice as The Keeper, and thus the original, non-Menagerie cues, pauses and those two deleted lines of dialogue? One can hope…
#12
Hat Rick “It may be that America no longer has the spirit of real adventure that allowed TOS and TNG to take to the airwaves with such promise. I hesitate to reach that conclusion; I hope it is not the right one.”
An interesting comment, which brings to mind something I have been considering for a while now. I really anticipated STID. I have been a TOS fan since I was a wee tyke, and despite its flaws, also enjoyed the reboot. However, STID did not leave me feeling “energized” but rather, depressed. I find I do not watch many current TV shows or movies anymore – I end up spending time with older series. In analyzing the “why” of this, I have decided it is because I miss the optimism and hope elicited in older shows. Bad things happened, but you were always left with the feeling that better times were ahead, and that good would eventually triumph over evil.
Now, that may be a naive way of looking at things, but follow any news feed or new broadcast these days and you know the world can be a horribly dark place. The news reports on killings, wars, environmental disasters, abuse, incivility…we are awash in it daily. I do not need my chosen form of “entertainment” to reflect that darkness. I want something uplifting, something that gives me hope for the future. Yet, current entertainment media all seems about reflecting the worst of humanity. There are no happy endings. Characters may manage to triumph this week, usually at great cost in lives and morals, but next week, it starts all over again with more darkness. It wears me down, and I find myself tuning out after a few too many episodes of heartache after disaster after loss. A constant flood of crisis followed immediately by crisis, with little humor or inspiring sense of hope becomes emotionally numbing and dismal. If I come to care about characters, they have a good chance of being “killed off” for the shock value. (I know true loss; again, I don’t need that in my “entertainment”) .I don’t mind my heroes having flaws; it is what makes them human, but too often, modern heroes are not just flawed, but turn out to be “evil in disguise” – again, for shock value.
I recall when this started, and TV producers and writers were all patting themselves on the back for “shaking things up!” I do not think they really understand fandom at all. Casual viewers may not mind if you kill off characters, or have them suddenly act completely out of character to surprise viewers… but fans do mind. Fans are invested and when those sorts of things happen, fans will turn away.
I fear that this intense focus on “darkness” in our entertainment is helping feed a cycle of hopelessness and apathy. People no longer look to the stars and dream of “boldly going” because they figure there is no point. People seem to have accepted that we are not destined for the starts, but destined for extinction. There is no reason so bother trying to fix anything, because we are doomed anyway, and the effort would be pointless. If war doesn’t get us, then a pandemic will. If sickness doesn’t get us, the zombies will. If the walking dead don’t get us, starvation will. If we don’t die of hunger, we will all dies of lack of water. We seem to be caught in a cycle of despair where the entertainment media reflects our own sense of hopelessness, which in turn feed that sense of hopelessness. But is the tail chasing the dog here? I worry that this mindset is having a very real detrimental effect on humanity’s desire to seek and work towards improvements in their own lives and on a global scale. It is becoming almost a self fulfilling prophesy. I don’t think I am the only one feeling this way. I look to the popularity of movies based on comic book heroes… this would suggest that the public really is hungry for some good old fashioned “good guys” and happy endings. I don’t mind the occasional Dark Knights and apocalyptic tales, but there needs to be some balance! And Star Trek has always been about hope, and about reaching for the stars, and about striving to be better. Sadly, I found that missing from STID. I hope it shines forth from any future Trek.
@Article author Matt Wright
You mixed up the descriptions for the item that comes with Season 1 and 2 DVD sets. Command Gold Season 1 receives the communicator device, and Sciences Blue Season 2 gets the tricorder tool.
Here’s a Season 3 Blu ray/Next Gen review in case anyone is still on the fence of purchasing it..
http://pgsrealmoviereviews.blogspot.com/2013/07/star-trek-next-generation-season-3-on.html
@15. Jon Witchell,
“I wonder if for “The Cage”, we’ll finally get the full b/w Roddenberry print audio, with Malachi Throne’s original voice as The Keeper”
Ahhhh hahahahahahahahah ….
This is a straight up re-release, double-dip primer for nufans who want to stick their toes into the larger Star Trek universe. I doubt we will ever see that original material until CBS releases the 4K editions, if ever. Unless CBS is planning a 50th Anniversary of “The Cage” next year — but I doubt it. Possibly for the 50th anniversary? Surely CBS wouldn’t miss an opportunity to do the minimal effort to milk yet more money out of the fans for the same crap they’ve already bought half a dozen times over? “The 50th Anniversary edition of “The Cage”: the completely restored, restored edition, fully restored.”
Frankly the Cage seems an odd choice, considering how deathly cerebral it will seem compared to STID. WNMHGB is an excellent choice, as is Errand of Mercy. Space Seed is a no brainer. And Tribbles shows Trek has a great sense of humor. But Jeffery Hunter is no Bruce Greenwood (although I find myself noticing Hunter makes a convincing-looking younger Greenwood).
If those were the actual covers and not slip-covers for the cases, perhaps they’d be cool. As they are, I’ll stick with the original covers, thanks. I prefer my Blu-ray covers myself.
They might well have included “Menagerie”, which uses “The Cage” for the trial but has that framing device which was very interesting as well – Spock hijacking the Enterprise and all.
I’m surprised that TOS-R is being re-released on DVD and not BD. Were these ever released on BD? Or is that happening for the 50th anniversary?
@23 — TOS-R was released on Blu-ray back in 2009. This is re-release of the DVD sets with new covers. But I’m surprised they haven’t done a similar revamp of the Blu-ray versions.
@ 18 — FYI: I didn’t mix up anything, the PR company did. That’s a copy and paste from their press release. But I have fixed their goof.
As far as extras, why aren’t there more commentary or interviews with the cast and crew that were actually involved with those episodes? As nice as it is to see this kind of repackaging with a few new bits, at least get the people involved with the show to say something while they are still alive.
Rod Roddenberry wasn’t even born when TOS aired. Other than his name, what on earth does he have to contribute in any perspective to something he personally had nothing to do with? All he will do is echo what other people have said, including his parents.
These are interesting, mostly good choices for a little primer to Star Trek origins.
However, The Cage is something of an odd choice, since it’s the failed pilot. Better to go with the two-parter which salvaged the footage but used it in the context of the actual series.
And, given how much trouble that one angry Romulan caused with his intervention in the timeline, destroying Vulcan and all, I’d really like to have seen the great episode Balance of Terror in the package.
It’s a clever mystery, since it’s the first time our intrepid crew see what a Romulan looks like — and isn’t that a great moment of inter-racial harmony when some see how like Spock they look? — and, even more so, it’s a great showcase for what a brilliant captain Kirk turns out to be.
#17 – Trek Lady – Thank you for saying so well what I have been trying to say for so long.
The LAST thing Star Trek and its audiences need is any kind of Klingon/Romulan/Gorn/Borg/whosiwhatsit war. Movies (and real life) are awash with brutality and war, or rumours and fear of such.
Nature *it*self can deliver some real whammies – think tsunami/Fukishima…
Let a fairly benign anomaly prevent the Enterprise from getting caught up in the petty warmongering of various groups. It does not have to be the “only ship in the quadrant” when it comes to being part of a battle between the whosiwhatsits and Starfleet, just the only ship in the galactic quadrant of anomalies.
I would have thought that travel beyond this earth could be aspirational and positively transformative, but all we see these days are miserable, cantankerous, weapons loving *commanders and aliens who are no better. Why bother even going into space or exploring anything because, with these kinds of attitudes, we would only despoil anything we found anyway?
Perhaps this may be one of the reasons that human beings remain earthbound.
Do people really buy stuff they already own just cos it’s in a new package? I guess the suits at CBS/Paramount think so…
Trek Lady – #17 good points.
Keachick – #28 good questions.
A couple of notes, if I may — I seem to recall there was a morning tv show called “Good News,” or something like that, which gave you just that — good news and no bad news. (It had nothing to do with “Biblical Good News.”)
Anyway, the show didn’t last very long because it had deplorable ratings. Have we really become addicted to wanting to see only bad news (which is, apparently, what gets the ratings)?
I found this on the TV Tropes website:
“A common belief among TV executives is that everyone who watches TV has the intellect of Beavis and Butt-Head.”
I don’t know precisely how true this is, but when we look at a good bunch of tv shows/movies out there we might suspect there is, at least, some truth to it. Why don’t we have very much (if any) cerebral, intellectual, thought-provoking entertainment? Because somebody doesn’t think there’s an audience for it; thus they can’t make any $$ from it.
Some of the “same old, same old” might get by because of some kind of hook or whatever, but for the most part we get “same old” shoved down our throats because somebody thinks that’s what we want, that’s what we can handle, that’s what we understand. And, yeh, they also say “You’re free to not watch it.” But then you’d just change the channel to watch what someone else is handing you.
Let’s say it’s like shopping for cereal. You’re free to buy any cereal you want. But if there’s only 6 kinds on the shelf…
I think its in our nature to be transfixed on bad news and terrible events, unfortunately. Most people watch the big stories about catastrophic events that kill tens of thousands and displace millions more and take away from it all a smug “gee, you know, my tough day at work punching numbers onto a computer is not so bad” sense of superiority and blissful ignorance which obviously disconnects people from each other, and reality.
Today’s media is deliberately feeding into that, by providing glib coverage of mass casuality events, where premature calculations of the deaths of innocents, either in man-made events, or natural disasters, are made at a whim by stooges working for corporate megalomanics who are after higher ratings and profits.
Judging by the coverage of the George Zimmerman trial, I would bet good money that networks like CNN and MSNBC are hoping for rioting in the streets, and quite possibly doing their best to ensure that happens.
As Elliot Carver from the James Bond flick “Tomorrow Never Dies” said:
“There’s no news like bad news.”
Jeeezzz…
Yeah, man….double grab…tribble grab… won’t you just get over it?
It’s nothing but an interesting edition for those you DON’T own TOS on BD already… a straight introduction to Pike, Kirk, the Enterprise, the Tribbles, the Klingons and Khan… for those who fell in love with Trek due to STID and don’t want to subscribe to the entire series just yet… There’s nothing wrong about it… If you want to add this to your collection, it’s your own choice. Completists be welcome! For the rest… it’s just a nice companion for the newbies… if you feel bad about this…really?
Disinvited, thank you for your comments. I’m not blaming any corporation in particular, but voicing an opinion as to the divided state of Trek in general.
Trek Lady, I value your comments and agree with them to a larger degree than I perhaps would like to admit. Granted that today I am a bit down on things, and that my outlook is not as optimistic as it could be; and yet, that said, there is so much that is not quite right with the way Trek has developed. And I say this because I say Terry Farrell (“Jadzia Dax”) and Robert Downey, Jr., in a movie airing on television as I write; they were both very young. And I was reminded of the paths not taken.
Terry Farrell left DS9, leaving a character void that I don’t think was ever adequately filled. I am a fan of DS9, a very big fan. I love its spatiopolitical intrigue, its sophistication, its story arcs. And yet DS9 can be a bittersweet memory, because it marked the beginning of the end for televised Trek.
Why do I say this? Wasn’t Voyager to prosper beyond DS9? And what about Star Trek: Enterprise? Surely we cannot forget these latter two?
And the answer, I think, is that, in my view, the end of DS9 marked the high-water mark for the popularity of television Trek. Voyager’s writing was sometimes uneven, though — we must remember — at times just as brilliant as the best of the other Trek series. When Voyager ended, the feeling was that the 24th Century was already over-familiar. Which is why we went backward in time to a nearer future.
Of all the Trek series, TNG was the last to bear the direct imprimatur of Gene Roddenberry, the creator, and DS9 bore his influence once removed. Voyager grew distant both in theme and mood (as exemplified by the organ harvester aliens and the increasingly desperate plight of the crew (e.g., “Year of Hell”), and by the time of Star Trek: Enterprise, Roddenberry’s optimistic vision had turned into something of an intergalactic romp through war and destruction.
What was it that could have been?
Robert Downey, Jr., is now a cinematic star of the first rank, with his fantastically profitable Iron Man movies.
Terry Farrell is still best known to many for her roles in DS9 and from her role in the sitcom, “Becker,” starring Ted Danson. In the latter, she was also replaced by another actress.
Fate is an implacable, unpredictable thing.
Wherefore art thou, Trek?
^^
“Voyager grew distant both in theme and mood (as exemplified by the organ harvester aliens and the increasingly desperate plight of the crew (e.g., ‘Year of Hell’)), and by the time of Star Trek: Enterprise, Roddenberry’s optimistic vision had turned into something of an intergalactic romp through war and destruction.”
“Terry Farrell is still best known to many for her roles in DS9 and in the sitcom, ‘Becker,’ starring Ted Danson.”
As corrected.
You know what drives me nuts? “NuTrek”
Look, prove you went to school and didn’t drop out in grade school. It’s one more letter ok? NewTrek. I even left the space out to save you a little bit of time for the extra letter.
This is a cool set to get people who saw STID into the original series. I think the Pilot Cage is a better idea instead of The Menagerie because:
1. It is the first pilot and only true hardcore fans really know this one and had to buy the Third Season to get it. Now you can buy it without spending $80-$100.
2. It delves deeper into the psyche of Captain Pike than the two parter.
3. It shows Pike as the true leader of a crew of explorers as well as a few off the cuff things you don’t see in the two parter.
4. It’s just cooler. It is.
Sure they’ll go with the remastered version with no change in the sped up Keeper’s voice. Why not? For the uninitiated, the changing of Keeper voices would totally confuse and detract from the story. As a fan, I find it jarring, although I have a great appreciation for the curio that it is. Not every fan cares about stuff like that.
I wish it had more extras. That will probably be the deal breaker for me, as it had been for similar DVD compilation sets they’ve put out in the past.
I think this is a very shrewd business decision.
It allows fans to buy episodes they like instead of forking over $80-$100 for a complete season.
It allows people who aren’t hardcore enough to buy a whole season or multiple seasons to enjoy the show on DVD.
It’s a cool little socking stuffer for the kids.
I wish they had done more, but I am hardly upset or surprised that this is coming out. That’s what you’re supposed to do if you want to continue back catalogue sales. They do this everytime a film comes out. They all do. Look at Star Wars. You don’t think the whole series of films will get issued again before the JJAbrams sequel drops?
How many of us went back and watched Space Seed and TWOK after this film came out? This totally makes sense on all counts. Stop being so damned cynical. Star Trek isn’t a charity.
#34. Navy – July 21, 2013
But then you sacrifice the split reverse sideways pun built on “uNTrek” as well as introduce the increased likelihood of a typo on a mobile device.
Khan and his fellow Augments won’t be re-awakened in nuTrek for a very long time
i brought the blu-ray boxset of the original(in-fact that was one of the reason i went hd) i want buy the set again however no reason not to keep alive and updated,plus if it sells they may think about making a new TV program hopefully set in the prime timeline after spock disappeared
17. Trek Lady –
Very nice post Trek Lady. Insightful and spot on. You’ve spoken for a great many of us.
Trek Lady, very well written, and I have nothing but respect for your opinion, but as a long time Trek fan (and someone left crushed by the ending of “Man of Steel” for the path those writers chose) I did not see anything in “Into Darkness” that has not been done in Star Trek before, and I did not see a depressing film. Now, had the movie ended five minutes earlier, I would agree with you entirely. In total though we get a Trek film using a futuristic setting to discuss problems in our society. It’s a society-in Trek and now-that lost its way in the aftermath of a violent attack, that has reacted out of fear and subjected its moral foundation to subjectivity and “ends justify the means” thinking. Yes, that is depressing (here AND there), but it is not the entire movie. In the end, Starfleet, Earth, and Kirk all see the inherent folly of this thinking. In the end, a Kirk matured by his experience, a Kirk who has learned there must be a better way, gives an impassioned speech to honor those lost, and rededicate Starfleet to what it SHOULD stand for. This is symbolized in the Enterprise’s mission, not one of military patrol, or guarding against the Klingons, but a five year mission of exploration. This movie demonstrates a catharsis for Starfleet, Earth, and our heroes and leaves us with hope that things in the Roddenberry future are where they should be.
Keep in mind though, TOS never shied away from human bad guys misusing their authority. Captain Tracey, Captain Merik, Tristan Adams, John Gill, Janice Lester: all humans, all villains, all subverting Federation values for whatever reason.
STID is certainly not perfect by any stretch, and could have with some relatively minor changes assuaged a few more complaints of the long time fans. I do not think it was as counter to Trek as many say though, and in the end uses an action movie motif to sneak in an important message to an audience (one much larger than just we Trekkies) who really needed to hear it. Just as sneaky as TOS was with those half colored aliens or planetary tribesman who need weapons talking about proxy war. I think JJ and crew deserve credit for that.
Now, in regard to this BluRay release, I have been reticent to REPURCHASE Treks in Blu, since I own them all on DVD. This gives me a few of my favorites in the HD format without me having to re-re-reinvest in another full collection. Huzzah.
I thought that the ending of “Man of Steel” was very well done for what it was. I thought the actor did an extremely good job in that scene, which I thought was truly heart-rending. I won’t give it away, but to those who haven’t seen the movie yet, it’s something that we’ve never seen Superman do, and really quite a departure for the franchise.
@41, I would probably have been good with that moment if not for the 30 minutes leading up to it. For me, and this is just my opinion obviously, the brilliant first two acts of the film make promises of beacon of “Hope” and “Salvation” Clark will be, while never delivering on that. There’s nothing I can point to as a problem with the story on its own; everything makes sense, but the third act takes it for me away from being a “Superman” story and is instead just a man who is super. Just not what I wanted from the film. If I wanted to commiserate with the hero, I would watch Captain America or a Marvel movie; I watch and read DC in order to aspire to greatness. “Man of Steel” promised me hope and gave me a cavalcade of joyless destruction for the last 30 minutes. I’m with Mark Waid; when Jenny says “he saved us,” I can only think, “whom? Whom did he save?”
Again, just my personal opinion. It was a good superhero movie, but lacking as a Superman movie. Of course, it made mad bank, so I am obviously in the minority. I know this is how many of the Trek fans who didn’t like “Into Darkness” felt as well, but I just didn’t see the negativity brought to what should be a hopeful character set in STID that I saw in MoS.
Hi Weerd1,
I liked “Man of Steel,” but I, too, am a bit unhappy about the moral ambiguity introducted in the movie. In the interests of not spoiling the movie, I won’t discuss it any further, but you make some interesting points.
As for STID, I continue to believe that it is one of the best science fiction movies ever made and a credit to Hollywood. I’m very happy about the movie. I’m not down on it for the accusations of moral ambiguity at all, because I really don’t see it as such. I’m just a bit saddened, as time goes on, that I don’t see the mega-blockbuster numbers that, say, “Iron Man” has garnered. But, really, you can’t have it all. Money isn’t everything, and in fact, in some ways, it isn’t anything. After all, it’s not as if I will receive any part of that money.
As a fan, if I like something I see in a movie theater, and it’s Trek, well, that’s plenty good enough for me.
This year, my three favorite bits of entertainment, Star Trek, Superman, and GI Joe, all showed up in cinema format. I went in with certain expectations for each of them-if that’s the name you put on the product I think it’s fair to have expectations in certain ways-and in the end was highly entertained for two and 2/3s of them. (I won’t tell you GI Joe was a great movie, but for crying out loud, it’s GI Joe-manage your expectations!) That’s better than I have gotten out of a lot of years.
STID? I loved it like cake. Would love to see Paramount and CBS work out a way for Trek to get back on the small screen though. Best of both worlds: split the difference and give John Cho the Sulu role in a Prime Universe Excelsior series!
John Reinhold would look good as Captain John Blackjack Harriman of the border patrol ship USS Sea of Tranquility in nuTrek. Who would play Morgan Bateson in nuTrek?
Zach Snyder has just announced that Batman will be in the next “Man Of Steel”. No word on who will play the Caped Crusader.
I want a STAR TREK tv series that picks up a few days,weeks,months or years after Cochrans first warp test in the phoenix and carries on from there and tells the complete history of mankinds rebuilding after WW3 and the drastic changes and accomplishments that take place due to the accomplishing of FTL capability and the realisation that alien life exists.
“STAR TREK BEGINS”
John Cho led Sulu “Excelsior” TV series would be awesome (they even hinted at his ability to be captain in Into Darkness). This does, however, boil down to Paramount and CBS playing nice when it comes to Trek, which they really didn’t before and one of the reasons Abrams bounced to Star Wars. However, maybe, a miracle could occur.
Is anyone starting to be worried that there is still no talk of another Star Trek movie sequel? At about the equivalent time in ST(2009)’s run (a few months after its initial release), wasn’t there practically confirmation that there would be a second movie in a few years after that (i.e., the current movie)?
@48 – I can dig a Star Trek series about Sulu and the Excelsior crew. Paramount should have gone that direction in the first place, instead of useless crap like DS9, Voyaher, and Enterprise. Blame that on Rick Berman. I can understand why Malcolm McDowell has colorfully voiced his dislike of the man, Frankly, I concur with Malcolm’s opinion one hundred percent.
All that aside, I already have the original series on DVD(not the remastered and re-digitalized ones), so conservatively and practically speaking, I see no need in purchasing this new set.
Honestly, It’s just another useless marketing ploy on CBS/Paramount’s part, just to boost profit.
As Spock once said in The Trouble With Tribbles, “I see no practical use for it.”