Star Trek

[Buster's Uncle]

It was already in place by then, I think.

Where was the first mention of the PD, ST scholars?

[Lorizael]

I think I know where you're going with this, but I'd like to hear your version.  Give.

...

The TNG episode where the little girl on a dying planet contacted Data WAS moral cowardice.  Picard decided WRONG.  The Prime Directive is for the protection of primitive less technologically sophisticated peoples, and when THEY. ARE. ALL. GOING. TO. DIE., simply doesn't apply.  Kirk would have saved them, not least because he had better writers.

Pen Pals, iirc.

But my theory covers even that episode.

Later on in Trek, they introduce the Temporal Prime Directive. We know from various episodes that talk about the future that it's basically a pretty awesome time for the Federation and everyone in it. We also know via Star Trek: Enterprise that a temporal cold war existed over the fate of the future. Given that we hear nothing of the temporal cold war after Enterprise, we can conclude that the Federation essentially "won" the cold war and that they now control the future.

Thus, it is easy to imagine that the future Federation invented the Prime Directive as an extension of the Temporal Prime Directive. Being from the future, they know precisely what actions from the past are required to create the utopian future they live in, and they must also know what can never happen. The Prime Directive does not exist to protect any individual species; it exists to ensure that the utopian future of the Federation comes to be, ensuring the livelihood of possibly trillions of entities. This moral calculus will always outweigh the supposed moral cowardice of the Prime Directive, because if it didn't, the future Federation would have created a different Prime Directive.

[Buster's Uncle]

That's not what I expected at all, and isn't invoking a grandfather paradox complicating things needlessly?

(I agree w/ your observations, even though the Temporal Cold War was lame.)

I mean, the Future Feds have a life-or-death interest in the status quo that leads to them existing - does it make it more interesting to bring in a chicken or egg time travel story?  Or was the Prime Directive the straight-forward 'let's not whiskey and smallpox blankets innocent beings to death anymore, and no jetpacks til they're ready, either' thing it so obviously seemed to be?

My way doesn't let Picard off the hook, but gosh, it really makes more sense if you're not bent on writing the time travel story.

Incidentally, have you noticed that we have a fanfic folder?

[Lorizael]

I hadn't noticed, no.

And yes, the temporal cold war was lame, but I do love me some time travel stories.

[Buster's Uncle]

I know a place that would luvvv to host a write-up...


...And BTW, I have most of the fiction I've ever written in there, and not a thing of it I'm ashamed of.  I think Prophet, Interupted, the last thing in the oldest thread, is genuinely good...

[Buster's Uncle]

From Twitter:

Timothy O'Neil  @timoneil5000 

You can't tell me there isn't enough ST: TNG nostalgia after all this time for one more project.


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Agreed.  I would at least be eager to see it when I could for free.  I sorta miss those guys, and since '09 came out felt sorry for the fans.  It's like fake Star Trek was never there these days, and even Enterprise was better than deserving that.

-I do hope Fake Fans now understand how I've felt since 1986...

(I think they oughta do a cartoon w/ Riker and Troi on the Titan, BTW - Mylochka's idea.  Wil Wheaton is available for that...)

[Lorizael]

If you see interviews with Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis, it turns out the two of them are funny and pleasant and have a lot of chemistry. Shame that never came across in the show.

[Buster's Uncle]

She was playing too far away from her own personality/comfort zone w/ a poorly-written/considered character.  I would write the older Troi as turning into her mother, which is Marina to a t.

He, on the other hand, says himself that he's the second-best actor in his own home.  He says that because he's more terrible than Genie Francis.  He's a charming man, and a charismatic public speaker, but didn't know what Riker should be doing while Picard talked, and apparently the directors never told him to stop w/ the worshipful smirk.  Even William Shatner has mocked him to his face for that.


I am an actor, and one of the marks of a good one most people don't know to look for is what business they come up with for their character while someone else is the focus.  He really was also a victim of terrible directing.  And writing (Stewart was phoning it in, but troopers like him and Spiner were dependable about decent delivery and got all the best writing - also Dorn; dunno why Burton got left out).  It was a pretty show, but dumb, dumber than people mostly notice.

[Green1]

Just like you feel with old Trek, a lot of us do not like this reboot.

Unlike TNG or even, dare we say ENT or VOY, there is no philosophy. Star Trek was more about what we SHOULD BE and an exploration of the issues and growing pains towards that.

Yes, action is awesome. But it should not ALL be action.

JJ Abrahms will do a great job with Star Wars 7, I think that is up his alley. But the ST we loved is dead except for fanfics. At least many of the fanfics or high budget and professional.

[Buster's Uncle]

Oh, I think Bad Robot might go away before it's too late now that JarJar has gotten what he really wanted - I piece of the SW merchandising, I betcha.

Just like you feel with old Trek, a lot of us do not like this reboot.

Unlike TNG or even, dare we say ENT or VOY, there is no philosophy. Star Trek was more about what we SHOULD BE and an exploration of the issues and growing pains towards that.

  Yeah; they really did try to do that with even the worst of Fake ST.  And good on them for trying.



I would totally watch the Star Trek: Titan cartoon if it was any good at all, BTW.  Enthusiastically. 

We need to stir up some fan buzz talking the idea up around the net - it could be done relatively cheaply, gets around that the stars are getting old, and there's bucks to be made - there are elements at CBS that don't like/undermine/kick against the Abrams control of the franchise, and would jump all over it.

[Rusty Edge]

"I am an actor, and one of the marks of a good one most people don't know to look for is what business they come up with for their character while someone else is the focus.  " - Buncle

I knew about that, but my sister was a professional theater stage manager and director.

I always liked the way James Garner did it.

[Buster's Uncle]

Garner was a what I call a charisma actor -John Wayne was an archetype if you found John Wayne charming- he wasn't so much with playing different people different ways, but comfortable and natural in the character he played in most everything he did.  Quite a few stars past and present fall into the category.  If people liked the character they always played, they had good careers.  Garner played the Garner character even better than Tom Selleck did/does.

Versatility is good, but not the whole of acting.  ACTING! acting is overrated.

[Green1]

From what I read of control of Star Trek, it is as convoluted as Alpha Centauri. Some folks control some aspects of it, others control others.

I do not think Abrahms is going to control ST much more. The mouse has him now. So all of us may be in limbo except fanfics.

[Buster's Uncle]

When he's gone, others will want to move in and cash in, and we could get lucky - and Jarjar demonstrated that the original has power and pulls in the 100 millions here in the future, and broken out of the TNG mold that long (mistakenly in the eyes of suits who didn't understand) overshadowed the archetypical appeal of teh Spock that had never gone anywhere.

I don't want people going back to the well of trying to animate De Kelley and Jimmy Doohan's corpses, actually - but maybe the next people to take over will find a fourth way more satisfying to (the real) fans of old and new, if not the DumbTrek.

What I REALLY want to see?  The idea for Enterprise done right.  Captain Robert April on the first voyage of the real Enterprise.  Go all retro Forbidden Planet on that mother.

[Buster's Uncle]

http://variety.com/2014/film/news/roberto-orci-to-direct-star-trek-3-1201180140/

Roberto Orci to Direct ‘Star Trek 3′ (EXCLUSIVE)
Variety
Justin Kroll Film Reporter  @krolljvar  May 13, 2014 | 06:06PM PT



Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic



After weeks of rumblings that Roberto Orci was the frontrunner, sources have told Variety that Skydance and Paramount have indeed tapped Orci to direct Paramount and Skydance’s “Star Trek 3.”

Orci is currently writing the story with J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay and had been campaigning to replace J.J. Abrams as director for some time. Abrams is busy with directing the next installment of the “Star Wars” franchise and will only be producing this pic.

Par, Skydance and his reps had no comment.

Plot details are unknown, but cast members including Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto are expected to return. Abrams will produce along with his producing partner Bryan Burke and Skydance’s David Ellison.

The news comes after Orci and longtime writing partner Alex Kurtzman decided to go their separate ways on future filmmaking endeavors (although their TV production company is staying intact). Sources had told Variety that both were looking to direct more pics and that going solo would be in the best interest of both parties.

Orci is repped by CAA.

Comes as no surprise, though.