Morning delights

[selenak]

Great things to wake up to before hopping in the train: Brokeback Babylon, in which the true love of Londo & G'Kar finally is given the cinematic treatment. (Thanks for the link, hobsonphile!)

Also, it's official (i.e. announced by the BBC): this year's Children in Need special will be a a meeting between the Fifth and the Tenth Doctor, written by Stephen "How many Hugos are that now?" Moffat. Which should make bimo happy, and yours truly, despite not being such a big Fifth Doctor fan, still is tickled to bits.

Lastly, it occured to me that despite being a Trekker of old (my first fandom!), I haven't said anything about the new Star Trek movie, which is now completely cast.

Generally speaking: no, I don't see recasting our valiant TOS crew as heretic. And while I liked the Bonnano and Vonda McIntyre novels, on screen canon doesn't actually state when and how they met, so I'm good with that, too.

(Sidenote: Chekov being listed among the cast reminds me of one of the more famous continuity gaffes which any Trekker worth their salt can fanwank without a problem, to wit, Khan recognizing Chekov in Wrath of Khan. Walter Koenig wasn't part of the cast in season 1 of TOS, which was when the original Khan episode took place. But all that means is that Chekov wasn't at the helm! He could have been stationed elsewhere on the Enterprise! We just didn't see him!)

JJ Abrams I have mostly benevolent feelings about, despite the end of the fifth season of Alias. However, I remember the cinematic outing of two of his scriptwriters who gave us many a superb Alias episode and then proceeded to give us The Island, which has two perfectly servicable acts as a decent thriller and then an abominable third act which is stupid beyond words. Perhaps unjustly, this makes me a bit wary. That aside, Abrams can direct and can get good performances out of his actors.

Speaking of the actors: I only know two of them, Zachary Quinto, who will play Spock, and Karl Urban, who will play McCoy. It says something that my first thought upon hearing the later wasn't "Eomer", despite loving the LotR movies, but "Caesar and Cupid", which were the roles Urban played in Xena: Warrior Princess. You don't live till you've been gored by Xena, to quote from the musical episode of that show. No, seriously, I'm fine with Urban. Caesar (Xena version), Cupid and Eomer were all three very different roles; he should be able to play Bones.

As for Zachary Quinto: what I dread about his casting is the fanfic. Because I just know this will lead to crossover slash with Heroes, specifically, Sylar/Kirk and Spock/Mohinder. Ah, well. More summaries to traumatize andrastewhite and monanotlisa with. He should do a good job as young Spock, anyway; whether or not he'll deliver something as iconic as Leonard Nimoy is another question.

Lastly: but if they ever recast the crew of the Enterprise-D or of Terok Nor I'm starting a protest!

Comments

[leyenn.livejournal.com]

If they ever recast the crew of the D, I'm starting a war. ;)

Damn it, I need more Trek iconage.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

The D is untouchable! Forevermore!

[leyenn.livejournal.com]

I feel a TNG kick coming on...

[honorh.livejournal.com]

THERE WILL BE NO REPLACING OF THE PATRICK STEWART!

[kattahj.livejournal.com]

Am very happy about those Doctor Who news, and I can't wait to talk to roseveare about it (she's a major Fifth fangirl). :-)

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Five is growing on me. Anyway, I so love Old and New Who uniting.

[bimo.livejournal.com]

What fabulous news! Not only about the 'Children in Need' special but also about you warming up to Fivey :-)

Even if it will only be for a couple of minutes, I'm so looking forward to see Moffat's take on the character. Script-wise, Five is a Doctor who has always worked very well with the surreal and/or melancholic (not to mention irony and mildly twisted humour), so in my opinion the BBC couldn't have picked a more suitable writer if they had tried.


Also, will this special finally provide me with the last proof that I needed for my long-nursed theory that Ten is essentially the anti-Five?

Wheeeee!

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I watched "The Five Doctors" while in the US, and he was really quite endearing in that one.

What I want to know is how they'll circumvent the problem of the Time War, though the fact it's only a scene should help. (I.e. Ten can't tell Five what's to come, but if they stay too long in each other's proximity, telepathy would happen...) I think they'll solve the problem with the physical age factor by using a random McGuffin (i.e. something ages up Five and he'll be deaged again once the scene is over, to continue in his timeline as seen before.

My current guess re: Ten and Five: it will be a bit like John Crichton meeting his younger self in Kansas...

(Whereas if Ten met Nine or Six it would be bickering a la Three meets Two....)

[bimo.livejournal.com]

I watched "The Five Doctors" while in the US, and he was really quite endearing in that one.

A true top graduate from the 'Advanced School of TV Fainting'. I also love how visibly embarrassed he seems when presented with the particular quirks of his earlier incarnations, especially those of One... *g*


Ten and Five: it will be a bit like John Crichton meeting his younger self in Kansas...

A confrontation with former innocence, or for that matter, future determination and fierceness would surely get interesting. I've always felt that the famous line from School Reunion about mercy was a bit like a quiet nod into the direction of Five and perhaps also Eight.

Also a possible theme for a Five & Ten meeting, albeit one more suitable for fanfic: Grief and the unexpected departure of well-loved companions.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I've always felt that the famous line from School Reunion about mercy was a bit like a quiet nod into the direction of Five and perhaps also Eight.

Me too. BTW, I found it very interesting that One, the very first of them, worked out what Rassilon was up to and let it happen.

I also love how visibly embarrassed he seems when presented with the particular quirks of his earlier incarnations,

Well, you know, all of that was topped by the truly weird moment between him and Susan. Were the actors messing with us or did fandom corrupt me hopelessly?

Also a possible theme for a Five & Ten meeting, albeit one more suitable for fanfic: Grief and the unexpected departure of well-loved companions.

I don't think that can be handled in a single scene, but yes, great fanfic material. What's more, Five's bit of history with the Master is also angsty as hell, considering the whole letting him burn thing, isn't it?

[ruuger]

Personally I would be a lot more excited about the new Trek movie if they found a way to add Patrick Stewart to the cast... C'mon, JJ, humour me here! It's not like Trek hasn't done timetravel before!

;)

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Oh, it would be ever so easy. *sends hypnotizing waves over the Atlantic*

[monanotlisa.livejournal.com]

More summaries to traumatize [info]andrastewhite and [info]monanotlisa with.

& :-OOO

[selenak.livejournal.com]

"Kirk ends up in the 20th century again, looking for more whales. On the road, he meets a man in a tank top who is also on a quest! Will the truth come out OMG?!? Plz write and review!!!!"

"Teleport accident! Mohinder ends up on the Enterprise just when Spock is about to go in Pon Farr! And agrees to sacrifice himself for science! In the arms of a man WHO FIRST STRIKES TERROR IN HIS HEART but then proves he's really really good! Don't flame!"

[monanotlisa.livejournal.com]

Don't flame!"

HOW CAN ONE *NOT?*

I'd rather write cockroach/anyone.

[leviathanmuse.livejournal.com]

My brain is broken again.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Thus was my noble purpose.

[leviathanmuse.livejournal.com]

The horror is that it could happen and most likely will happen.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I, for one, would never bet against it happening. I know fandom. It will.

[wee-warrior.livejournal.com]

Because I just know this will lead to crossover slash with Heroes, specifically, Sylar/Kirk and Spock/Mohinder. Ah, well. More summaries to traumatize andrastewhite and monanotlisa with.

Not just them... I hadn't even thought about this yet. Aiiiee.

Although I have to admit that Karl Urban as McCoy is very odd to me, since in my mind he almost exclusively is Eomer.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

*rubs hands*

A new victim to traumatize! Because you know it will happen. Fandom being what it is. It's inevitable.

It helps that I've seen Urban in two roles pre-Eomer (looking very different, I might add), hence no oddness.

[elyssadc.livejournal.com]

Generally speaking: no, I don't see recasting our valiant TOS crew as heretic.

I am SO torn about the whole thing, really. I was at the Vegas con this year and both Nimoy and Shatner spent a ton of time talking about the new movie. Shatner was mostly pissed that JJ hadn't asked him to be in it (and his outrage was as hilarious as you'd imagine) but they both made a great point about bringing TOS to a whole new generation of fans. Seeing the kids there wearing TOS uniforms and being so excited about it definitely gave me more hope for the movie. As long as it doesn't suck outright, I think it will probably be a good thing for the fandom overall. But still...I have my reservations. BIG, BIG reservations.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Let me put it this way: Star Trek: The Motion Picture was the very first ST movie, with all our original actors, and let's be frank, it wasn't very good. Then there's ST V, aka Kirk Versus God. (Come to think of it, that one featured a certain Sylar...) And still, the franchise survived. So, even if the film isn't good, it won't break or destroy anything. If, on the other hand, it IS good, well, all the better!

[elyssadc.livejournal.com]

Let me put it this way: Star Trek: The Motion Picture was the very first ST movie, with all our original actors, and let's be frank, it wasn't very good.

That movie never happened. NEVER. You can't convince me otherwise. ;-)

Then there's ST V, aka Kirk Versus God. (Come to think of it, that one featured a certain Sylar...) And still, the franchise survived.

I think ST V was vastly underrated. It had a lot of cheesy moments, but also some truly great shit. It was certainly no IV or VI, but still. Quite good.

So, even if the film isn't good, it won't break or destroy anything.

Nothing other than my HEART! But seriouly, I know you're right. It's just that after Voyager and Enterprise and the last TNG movie, I'm tired of being disappointed. I want Trek to come back to being awesome, like in the days of TNG and DS9. I want it to succeed SO badly. I guess I am keeping my expectations low because I would rather be suprisingly thrilled than bitterly let down. Sad but true.

[honorh.livejournal.com]

What do you want to bet David Tennant totally spazzed upon learning he'd be doing a scene with Peter Davison? Oh, the geeky glee!

The Island wasn't my favorite movie to begin with, but then I watched Logan's Run and realized the whole freakin' movie had been ripped off. That pretty much sealed the deal, even beyond my general antipathy for Scarlett Johansson.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I had watched Logan's Run first, so that wasn't a suprise, but still, the first two acts are watchable. Then it really hid the doldrums.

No opinion on Scarlett Johannsen one way or the other: in two out of three movies I've seen her in, she was good, but then the two other movies were great films by themselves - Lost in Translation and The Prestige, respectively. By herself, she's certainly no incentive for me to see a film.

DT: probably still is in geek heaven!

[kangeiko]

(I'm technically not here, but studying like a mad thing.)

I guess my issue with it is the on-screen awkwardness we have of Spock & Kirk during the first few episodes. yeah, it was because they were settling in, but -

1) Kirk didn't know that Spock's mother was human. If they'd attended academy together that seems odd.
2) Kirk knows nothing about mindmelds. Again, weird.
3) McCoy and his lack of knowledge of Spock physiology until they settle in - wouldn't he be more aware of his crewmate's health?
4) Did they or did they not serve together before "Where No Man..."? Presumably not, if Spock was with Pike. But him being Kirk's class or thereabouts, and then McCoy as well, and also Chekov... there is a *big* age difference between McCoy and Chekov, which is odd for an academy with only 3/4 years before sending them into space.

On the other hand, Simon Pegg is Scotty, so I am happy.

Also, I have not seen Sylar on heroes (didn't get that far), so I remain blissfully unaware of what he's going to be like. I am joyous that we see Leanord Nimoy as Spock again, though. I wonder who's going to play Kirk? Hmmm.

And Karl Urban is always going to be Cupid in my head. You know, the evil, leather-wearing one from the alternative universe when Ares was the god of love.

*sniff* Ah, Kevin Smith. I miss him lots.

I had other points, but I have to go back to my timed mock now. I seem to be spending said time online instead of answering questions. Oh, well.

P.S. Visit soon? *bats lashes*

Also, you should totally write Spock/Mohinder.

OK, study now.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Kirk gets played by someone named Chris Pine, whom I've never heard of.

I agree that points 1-4 make it unlikely they knew each other from the academy, but not impossible. It really depends on whether the script can pull it off, and well, if the story is good enough, fans are going to bywave a lot. (Again, see: Chekov and Khan. Wrath of Khan was such a great film that I don't think anyone cared. BTW, did you ever hear Walter Koenig at a convention tell the story of how Chekov and Khan met the first time? He does a great job of it; it was at one of the unseen restrooms on the Enterprise which Chekov kept occupied for ages, and when he finally got out, Khan, superhuman bladder or not, was red in the face, threw him against the wall and hissed "I'll never forget your face!")

Ah, Kevin Smith indeed. He was so great as Ares (both variations).

In order to write Spock/Mohinder, I'd have to be more invested in Mohinder than I am. Also, he's the aseptic kind of pretty to me.

Visit? More than one trip to England a year is not in the budget since I also went to the states for my conference in September! Plus I have to save money for the great extravaganza to Stratford next year when I get to watch the blessed Patrick Stewart and David Tennant together in Hamlet.

[cadesama.livejournal.com]

You know, it's not that I find recasting TOS heretical that makes me somewhat uninterested in the new Trek movie. It's that it feels like a waste of the universe and the other established characters. Enterprise crews aren't the be all and end all of Trek! Where's my flying car DS9 movie?! Where are my Section 31 and my Mirrorverse plots?

It's just a very shallow way of looking at Trek. Trek=Kirk & Spock and the communist utopia of the Federation. They were just starting to get into the interesting bits about how the paradise could actually exist and what price there might be, and of course now they're pulling back from that.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Well, in my ideal world we'd have gotten a DS9 movie ages ago, but I never expected one. Because DS9 thrives on long term continuity and long term plots and complications. I think the reasoning among the Paramount exects went thusly: "Everyone knows Kirk, Spock and the rest of the gang and loves them. Even people who never watched a single of the spin-offs. I doubt anyone but the hardcore fans remembers what's his name on that ugly space station, and didn't he end up as some kind of god anyway? And let's face it, hardcore fans aren't going to make us the kind of cash that makes financing another movie lucrative. So, bring on the Enterprise gang!"

[cadesama.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah. I realize that. I think I'm also biased because I read about the JMS proposal for an TOS reboot that would have integrated a Section 31-esque motivation into their original five year mission. Everything else sort of falls short in comparison to that idea.