From: kanamori@Xenon.Stanford.EDU (Atsushi Kanamori)
Subject: Re: Star Trek's Classics - Top 10 List
Organization: Computer Science Department, Stanford University.
Date: Sun, 12 Apr 1992 22:07:23 GMT

In article <1992Apr12.211119.26656@acsu.buffalo.edu> v075q5fr@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Scott J Gorcey) writes:
>In article <1992Apr12.192107.5923@CSD-NewsHost.Stanford.EDU>, kanamori@Xenon.Stanford.EDU (Atsushi Kanamori) writes...
>>In article <1992Apr11.083743.15909@acsu.buffalo.edu> v075q5fr@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Scott J Gorcey) writes:
>
>>>     1. _Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan_
>>>        The classic literary themes of obsession (_Moby Dick_), maturation
>>>        and tragedy (_Great Expectations_) are weaved through allegory
>>>        seamlessly into this brilliantly moving and dramatic and 
>>>        first transforms the TOS characters, Kirk especially, into
>>>        real people - without losing their archetypal heroes and
>>>        villains signatures.  Absolutely the best.  Nothing will
>>>        top it.
>
>>While I don't think it's "untoppable", I don't anything Trek-related
>>has topped it for me yet. 
>
>     That's basically what I meant.  Unfortunately, I don't see any
>     TNG film at this point topping TWOK, and therefore, nothing
>     Trek ever topping this movie.  (Of course there are hundreds
>     of better nonTrek movies...)

I tend to agree here -- I don't know what they're planning for the TNG
movies (and I'm not sure that a TNG film is artistically even a good idea.)

But then, this isn't art, it's business.


>>>     2. "City on the Edge of Forever."
>>>        Harlan had nothing to bitch about.  The rewrites gave this
>>>        installment a surprising emotional weight and tragic 
>>>        demeanour.  Despite Shatner's horrible acting, par for the
>>>        course, his scenes with Joan Collins emote feeling and
>>>        you can't stop feeling Kirk's helplessness at the climax.
>>>        Best TOS episode ever.
>
>>I thought Shatner's acting was fine here. This episode is still one
>>of the most hard hitting Trek episodes I've seen.
>
>     Fine? God. "His head was...(inhale)...caughtinanautomatic...rice picker."
>     With the head cocking...  Please.  I would laugh but it's too bad to
>     even do that.  

That scene was supposed to be goofy -- I was laughing, which was the intended
effect. As you said, I *did* feel Kirk's emotions at the climax as well as
his feelings for Ms. Keeler -- there's no way I would have felt that if
Shatner hadn't been doing something right.



>I will say that Shatner gave the performance of his
>     career in TWOK - nicely layered, and for him, that's a compliment.
>
>>>         _Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country_
>
>>Urgh. Definitely not top 10 for me, not even top 20. Once the immediate
>>impact passed, I found it a supremely forgettable movie. The perestoika
>>allegory was a bad idea, IMO: it tried to score points with those who like
>>"Relevant" films but as far as I'm concerned, it's unimaginative
>>bandwagon jumping. Its treatment largely concerned itself with surface
>>allegory and largely missed the boat in treating the underlying themes.
>
>     I don't see it that way at all.  _Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home_
>     was a supremely forgettable movie.  _Star Trek: The Motion Picture_
>     is a supremely forgettable movie.  

Actually, ST:TMP strikes me as an UNforgettably bad movie... 


>     TUC, I think, was imaginative 

I disagree. A cold war termination allegory, Enterprise and Klingon
shoot'em-up action -- these are old and obvious. Which wouldn't matter
if they carried it off with any depth, but on the whole, it seemed to
be largely going through the motions.


>     and very intricately weaved politics,
>     classic literary epic situations and nostalgia.  
>     I thought Chang was a fantastic warrior, cut from the same mold as
>     Kirk but on different ends of the same spectrum.  Christopher
>     Plummer was just incredible in the role.  No one else could get
>     away with quoting so much Shakespeare and making it work!  

Sure, Plummer was great. I'm not disputing that.


>     I don't agree that the perestroika theme was jumping on the
>     bandwagon, because Star Trek has used the USSR-US relations as
>     a major allegory for 25 years.  

I meant "bandwagon jumping" more as "hey! here's this headline-grabbing
Relevant Issue -- let's exploit it". Again, this isn't bad
in itself but they were far too transparent about it.


>     I don't see why just because "everyone is doing it" Trek can't
>     do it as well, and better than everyone else's "thaw" movies
>     too.

They could. They didn't, IMO. The "thawing" was handled in a pat and 
simplistic manner; there was no sacrifice, no tough decisions, no effort on 
the part of our heroes. They simply rambled on about how they must face 
the future, then decided to do so (and heavens, did Kirk's speech at the 
peace meeting ring of lecturing at the audience.) 




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------------ -------------------------- --------------------------
TNG Lifelines: From "Yesterday's Enterprise" To "The First Duty" --
  "Prior to Starfleet Academy commencement ceremonies, an in-flight
   accident destroys five ships, including the one carrying Wesley
   Crusher" -- TV Guide: Mar 28. - Apr 3.


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