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The Joy of Trek
Jan. 5th, 2005 03:56 pmHappy New Year! (So it's a little late. I still have Christmas cards to send out. Hey, I just moved, so that's my excuse.)
Anyway, I got the best Christmas present, and I didn't even know I wanted it! See, I am a Star Trek junkie. The only reason I have a TV is to watch Star Trek once a week. Now I'm not a fanatic, I don't know all the episodes just by title and I don't know every date that's important, like what year the Federation was founded, but I have always loved the characters and the idea of humans being a force for good out in space in the future.
So a few years ago Sarah gave me the DVDs of The Next Generation series for seasons 1 and 2. Which was nice, and someday I do want to own all 7 years and then sit down and watch the whole thing at once. Now it was big news in the Trek world that Paramount released DVDs of the original Trek from the 60s this year. And shortly before Christmas I was in the store with Adrienne and saw them on the shelf and exclaimed over them. Well, Adrienne interpreted this to mean I wanted them. But truthfully I was just commenting on their existence. I was only in 6th grade when I discovered Kirk and Spock and McCoy in the 3rd and final year they were on TV (though I did watch the show obsessively when it was on in syndication while I was in high school.) But, although I was still a huge fan of the characters in their movies, I really didn't remember very much of the original show.
Well, my 3 girls chipped in and gave me the first year DVD as my Christmas present, and I watched the first episode on New Year's Day...and the second, third, fourth, and fifth...and totally rediscovered just how wonderful the first series really was! I anticipate I will finish watching all 29 episodes by Thursday, Friday at the very latest.
And I have been puzzling over just what makes it so captivating. The show is extremely 60s in a lot of ways (especially in womens' costumes and makeup) and the special effects, while the most advanced at the time, are soooo hokey, and yet there is something about it that transcends the flaws. Was it because I was unconsciously associating it with being younger? No, that didn't feel right. Was it because it was the first Trek? Well, there was a little truth to that in terms of the freedom the writers had to focus on character and plot and not particularly worry about the 'consistancy' of the Trek universe (which has been a definite drawback for the current series, "Enterprise." But that wasn't the whole reason for my immediate obsession to watch the DVD nonstop.
Finally I figured it out. It's the difference between live theater and a movie! In theater, the audience participates in the play by believing the actors' acceptance of props as representing more than they are. If a pitched battle is being waged but only 4 fighters are on the stage, the audience sees more than is actually there. In the "Lord of the Rings" movies (which, don't get me wrong, were great) the hordes of orcs are really visible, no imagination required. And that's the difference between the orignal Trek and the subsequent series--the special effects were there as a guide for the viewer's imagination but aren't really meant to be the focus! The interaction between the characters is what matters!
And the later series don't always remember that the technobabble and fancy spaceships aren't the point. Don't get me wrong, I still love Next Generation and Deep Space Nine for their characters, but to be perfectly honest, the last two Trek incarnations have not been as rewarding.
But anyway, the point of my post is to share my absolute and unexpected delight at rediscovering something so enjoyable! I feel renewed in my ability to cope with the drudgery of everyday life because I have something to look forward to watching...at least until I have finished this DVD set. But (subtle hint) I do have a birthday coming up in February...
Anyway, I got the best Christmas present, and I didn't even know I wanted it! See, I am a Star Trek junkie. The only reason I have a TV is to watch Star Trek once a week. Now I'm not a fanatic, I don't know all the episodes just by title and I don't know every date that's important, like what year the Federation was founded, but I have always loved the characters and the idea of humans being a force for good out in space in the future.
So a few years ago Sarah gave me the DVDs of The Next Generation series for seasons 1 and 2. Which was nice, and someday I do want to own all 7 years and then sit down and watch the whole thing at once. Now it was big news in the Trek world that Paramount released DVDs of the original Trek from the 60s this year. And shortly before Christmas I was in the store with Adrienne and saw them on the shelf and exclaimed over them. Well, Adrienne interpreted this to mean I wanted them. But truthfully I was just commenting on their existence. I was only in 6th grade when I discovered Kirk and Spock and McCoy in the 3rd and final year they were on TV (though I did watch the show obsessively when it was on in syndication while I was in high school.) But, although I was still a huge fan of the characters in their movies, I really didn't remember very much of the original show.
Well, my 3 girls chipped in and gave me the first year DVD as my Christmas present, and I watched the first episode on New Year's Day...and the second, third, fourth, and fifth...and totally rediscovered just how wonderful the first series really was! I anticipate I will finish watching all 29 episodes by Thursday, Friday at the very latest.
And I have been puzzling over just what makes it so captivating. The show is extremely 60s in a lot of ways (especially in womens' costumes and makeup) and the special effects, while the most advanced at the time, are soooo hokey, and yet there is something about it that transcends the flaws. Was it because I was unconsciously associating it with being younger? No, that didn't feel right. Was it because it was the first Trek? Well, there was a little truth to that in terms of the freedom the writers had to focus on character and plot and not particularly worry about the 'consistancy' of the Trek universe (which has been a definite drawback for the current series, "Enterprise." But that wasn't the whole reason for my immediate obsession to watch the DVD nonstop.
Finally I figured it out. It's the difference between live theater and a movie! In theater, the audience participates in the play by believing the actors' acceptance of props as representing more than they are. If a pitched battle is being waged but only 4 fighters are on the stage, the audience sees more than is actually there. In the "Lord of the Rings" movies (which, don't get me wrong, were great) the hordes of orcs are really visible, no imagination required. And that's the difference between the orignal Trek and the subsequent series--the special effects were there as a guide for the viewer's imagination but aren't really meant to be the focus! The interaction between the characters is what matters!
And the later series don't always remember that the technobabble and fancy spaceships aren't the point. Don't get me wrong, I still love Next Generation and Deep Space Nine for their characters, but to be perfectly honest, the last two Trek incarnations have not been as rewarding.
But anyway, the point of my post is to share my absolute and unexpected delight at rediscovering something so enjoyable! I feel renewed in my ability to cope with the drudgery of everyday life because I have something to look forward to watching...at least until I have finished this DVD set. But (subtle hint) I do have a birthday coming up in February...
