Category: STAR TREK-Related

STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION – INTELLIGENCE GATHERING # 4 (2008 IDW Publishing)

Post author By oddmoonmediareviews
Post date November 8, 2020

Written by Scott Tipton & David Tipton

Art by David Messina; Gianluigi Gregorini; Ilaria Traversi; & Neil Uyetake

Cover Art ‘A’ by David Messina

SUMMARY:

Published for April 2008 by IDW, the fourth issue of this five-part mini-series is entitled “Matters of the Mind.” In the U.S.S. Enterprise-D’s stellar cartography room, Data and Captain Picard ponder their suspicions re: the sabotage inflicted upon the Enterprise and U.S.S. Jackson. For whatever reason, the Enterprise is being diverted to a specific space sector. Inexplicably, three outmatched Pakled ships commence a suicide attack crashing into the Enterprise’s shields. Backtracking to the Pakleds’ last known location, the Enterprise investigates the Baruogon system’s sixth planet. Counselor Troi’s away team suffers a disastrous ambush, leading to shipboard repercussions.

Note: The back inside cover reveals all three covers, with both ‘Cover B’ and its ‘Virgin RI’ variant by Joe Corroney.

REVIEW:

The artwork is sometimes rudimentary, but it’s still sufficient for a solid Star Trek adventure. To the art team’s credit, the cast likenesses are close enough. An extra visual asset is the glossy cover image. As for the ongoing mystery plotted by Scott & David Tipton, their concept is worthy of the TV series. Amusingly, one of its tried-and-true elements is wryly acknowledged in one scene by Riker as being a Next Generation cliché. Even if this comic doesn’t necessary impress hardcore fans enough to purchase the complete storyline, Intelligence Gathering # 4 is a pretty good read by itself.

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

There’s a full-page cover reveal for the concluding issue. An interview with writer-artist John Byrne promotes his first Star Trek mini-series, which is an Assignment Earth spin-off. Other ads include some full-page cover reveals, such as Star Trek: The Enterprise Experiment.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7½ Stars

DVD Movies & Television (Videos) STAR TREK-Related TV Episodes & Movies

BEST OF STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES, VOLUME 2

Post author By oddmoonmediareviews
Post date November 3, 2020

SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 201 Min.

In 2009, CBS/Paramount released a pair of single-disc “Best of Star Trek: The Original Series” DVD’s. These four 1966-68 episodes are drawn from Star Trek’s first two seasons. Volume 2 consists of:

“Where No Man Has Gone Before:” In the official pilot episode, Captain Kirk must defend the damaged U.S.S. Enterprise from a shipmate (and close personal friend), now mentally unhinged by cosmic-level ESP.

“Space Seed:” Ricardo Montalban’s genetically-enhanced Khan unleashes his initial wrath. Captain Kirk & Spock must defend the Enterprise from mutiny once Khan and his seventy-plus followers are released from a mysterious cryogenic nap dating back to the late 1990’s.

“Journey to Babel:” Spock’s ailing father, a belligerent diplomat’s homicide, and Kirk’s own near-assassination rock the U.S.S. Enterprise’s voyage escorting a quarreling group of diplomats to an intergalactic peace conference.

“A Piece of the Action:” Kirk, Spock, and Dr. McCoy stumble upon an alien world that has recast itself in the dubious image of feuding Prohibition-era Chicago mob factions. Guest starring Vic Tayback (of “Alice” fame), think of it as a sci-fi parody of “The Untouchables.”

REVIEW:

The first three episodes are stellar, but “A Piece of the Action” could have been substituted out for a dozen or more other choices. “Piece” was likely included as comic relief. Even so, the whimsical “Shore Leave” might have made a better fit. Without any special features, this bare-bones Volume 2 is still a terrific sampling for potential new fans to seeking out the original Kirk & Spock’s exploits.

BONUS FEATURES:

The sole extras preview the remastered Blu-ray editions of The Original Series and the subsequent feature film collection.

QUALITY CONTROL:

With an aspect ratio of 4:3, the picture quality appears excellent. It appears that the recently-enhanced visual effects were included for these episodes. The remote control access is so basic that there isn’t even a scene selection.

PACKAGING:

The glossy gold packaging suitably protects the DVD. Curiously, the episode summary for “Where No Man Has Gone Before” is wrong.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7½ Stars

DVD Movies & Television (Videos) STAR TREK-Related TV Episodes & Movies

BEST OF STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES, VOLUME 1

Post author By oddmoonmediareviews
Post date November 3, 2020

SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 201 Min.

In 2009, CBS/Paramount released a pair of single-disc “Best of Star Trek: The Original Series” DVD’s. For Volume 1, these four 1966-67 episodes are drawn from Star Trek’s first two seasons.

“Balance of Terror:” Introducing the Romulans, the U.S.S. Enterprise tangles with a mysteriously-cloaked warship in deep space. Tensions grow worse, as the Enterprise’s bridge crew is stunned by Spock’s uncanny physical resemblance to their ruthless adversaries.

“The City on the Edge of Forever:” A time-traveling Captain Kirk and Spock must prevent a temporarily-deranged Dr. McCoy from inadvertently altering world history. Standing in their way is a beautiful pre-World War II peace activist portrayed by guest star Joan Collins.

“Amok Time:” An ailing Spock returns home to Vulcan to complete a mating ritual. Its traditions lead to life-and-death combat against his devious would-be mate’s chosen representative: Captain Kirk!

“The Trouble With Tribbles:” At a remote space station, the U.S.S. Enterprise is ordered to guard an intergalactic shipment of grain destined for a planet equally coveted by the Klingons. An exasperated Kirk has his hands full fending off a snooty administrator threatening to get him court-martialed; the belligerent Klingons; and a menagerie of hungry alien fur-balls that seemingly multiple at will.

REVIEW:

Though all worthy of inclusion, the downside is that these same episodes have appeared on numerous Star Trek DVD collections, so there isn’t anything new. Without any special features, this bare-bones Volume 1 is still a nice sampling to entice new fans seeking out the original Kirk & Spock’s exploits.

BONUS FEATURES:

The sole extras are: obligatory previews for the remastered Blu-ray editions of The Original Series and the subsequent feature film collection. A preview for the final season of “Charmed” is thrown in for good measure.

QUALITY CONTROL:

PACKAGING:

Consisting of one disc, the glossy silver packaging suitably protects the DVD. Its advertising is spot on.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 8 Stars

CD's Music & Radio Shows Soundtracks (CD's) STAR TREK-Related STAR WARS-Related

SCIENCE FICTION MOVIE THEMES (by GSO) {Cover Album}

Post author By oddmoonmediareviews
Post date October 28, 2020

SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 49 Min.

Released in 1992, this Laserlight Digital album consist of instrumental fifteen covers of mostly familiar sci-fi movie and television themes. The ‘synthesizer realizations’ are attributed to “G.S.O.” Its tracks, run times, and original composer(s) are the following:

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark 2:32 John Williams

2. Blade Runner 3:19 Vangelis

3. Alien 2:36 Jerry Goldsmith

4. Return of the Jedi (aka Luke & Leia) 3:48 John Williams

5. Star Wars 2:35 John Williams

6. E.T. (The Extra-Terrestrial) 3:59 John Williams

7. Silent Moon 4:47 ‘Wagener’ & ‘Löhmer’

8. Battlestar Galactica 3:52 Stu Phillips & Glen Larson

9. The Unending Story (aka The Never-Ending Story) 2:29 ‘K. Doldinger’

10. Noah’s Ark 3:19 Not Credited

11. Raumpatrouille Orion 4:46 P. Thomas

12. Cosmic Wind 2:56 ‘P.Thomas/Wagener/Engelhardt/Löhmer’

13. Star Trek: The Motion Picture 2:58 Jerry Goldsmith & Alexander Courage

14. Close Encounters of the Third Kind 2:17 John Williams

15. War of the Worlds 3:00 Leith Stevens

Notes: The flashy cover art montage is credited to “A. Backhausen” and “Köln.” Track 3 mistakenly refers to Jerry Goldsmith as ‘John Goldsmith.’

REVIEW:

For an upbeat movie/TV tunes album, its bag of tricks has some surprises. Tracks 1-3 are traditionally performed, sounding precisely as one might expect. Tracks 4-6, however, mimic Meco’s disco adaptations more than John Williams. Still, Track 4’s energetic take on Return of the Jedi (Luke & Leia) is more engaging than Williams’ yawn-inducing original. Despite its pleasant sound, the unremarkable Track 7 (as well as Tracks 11-12) evidently spawned from an obscure German TV series, Space Patrol Orion, which debuted in late 1966 (coinciding with the original Star Trek series).

Track 8, too, mimics a Meco-style cover of Battlestar Galactica. It’s pretty good, at least as compared to Track 13’s Star Trek, which is bubblier than champagne (again, think Meco). At the risk of a migraine headache, beware of the grating Track 14, which includes what oddly sounds like high-pitch bird-trilling. Hence, it’s one Close Encounter too many.

Like the first few tracks, Track 9’s The Unending Story impressively recreates the original version. Track 10 evidently originates from the mid-80’s German film, The Noah’s Ark Principle. While it delivers the album’s most unique theme, its sound is still reminiscent of background music one might overhear at an 80’s-era video arcade.

Rather dubiously, the only vocals (who is actually singing remains a mystery) are heard in Track 15. After a dramatic intro, War of the Worlds then kicks over to insipid disco vocals about invading “men from mars.” One can imagine Bill Murray’s Nick the Lounge Singer from a 70’s Saturday Night Live crooning this tune in a cheap bar somewhere. If anything, this tongue-in-cheek track belongs to those sci-fi aficionados who believe the moon really is made of cheese.

For its overall consumer value (at least, up through Track 12), Science Fiction Movie Themes allows listeners to experience some instrumental standards in a funky European disco-style.

PACKAGING:

The tracks and running times are listed on the back cover. The tracks are also listed on the disc itself. Though the cover artwork montage is stellar, its inclusion of a Poltergeist (1982) image is deceptive, as the film’s theme isn’t included. Despite its billing, 2001 – A Space Odyssey (1968) isn’t show up on this album. either. The album insert is a Laserlight catalog.

Note: The album’s advertised claim of a fifty-nine-minute running time is off by ten minutes.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 3 Stars

Books & Novels Children's Books Fantasy, Horror, & Science Fiction Movies & Television (Books) STAR TREK-Related

STAR TREK II BIOGRAPHIES

Post author By oddmoonmediareviews
Post date October 22, 2020

Written by William Rotsler

SUMMARY:

Published in 1982 through Simon & Schuster’s Wanderer Books, this 159-page movie tie-in paperback was part of three-pack gift set (please see Notes below). Star Trek II Biographies features Starfleet backstories (in alphabetical order) for: Lt. Commander Pavel Chekov; Admiral James T. Kirk; Commander/Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy; Commander Montgomery Scott; Captain Spock (posthumously); Lt. Commander Hikaru Sulu; and Lt. Commander Nyota Uhura.

As indicated in the chapters for Chekov and Spock, this book is set immediately after the events of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. In addition to revealing each character’s Starfleet records (including their academy history), the seven Enterprise crew members are profiled through snippets of correspondence and interviews, as well as excerpts from supposed 23^rd Century books.

Note: Chekov’s ‘debriefing’ grimly contradicts the fate of the U.S.S. Reliant’s crew implied in the film. It’s possible that Rotsler was working off an earlier draft of the script.

REVIEW:

It’s not exactly what the title implies. Instead of easy-to-digest, straight-forward biographical summaries, each segment delves into a character’s backstory through an insightful combination of various supposed resources, including private correspondence. Hence, its bogus bibliography is fun to peruse. Of the seven profiles, at the expense of Sulu and Uhura’s short profiles, readers get far more expansive looks at Kirk and Spock. A Kirk highlight is a poignant private letter from David Marcus sent to his mother about the recent revelation re: whom his famous father is.

Posthumous recollections by Spock’s Starfleet Academy classmates is also worth checking out. The same applies to some rare depth re: Uhura, Sulu, Scotty, and McCoy, as their personal lives were usually ignored by the TV series and the movies. As for Chekov, the Original Series TV episode, “The Way to Eden,” is helpful viewing re: his past love life. Also, his section has the most intriguing angle, as it’s a combination debriefing/deposition by Starfleet intelligence.

To author William Rotsler’s credit, he makes these narratives an interesting reference guide. Clearly, Star Trek II Biographies isn’t flat-out kiddie entertainment, nor was it meant to be. This obscure book does make a good read for long-time fans (possibly, in this instance, adults more so than the intended pre-teen/teen audience) who won’t care how dated Rotsler’s material seems.

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

There is a ten-page ‘bibliography,’ which includes books supposedly written by the characters themselves. Each section has a single black-and-white full-page close-up of the character — these stills appear in color on the book’s cover.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7 Stars

Notes: Rotsler further wrote Star Trek II: Distress Call (a choose-your-own-adventure-type book) and Star Trek II: Short Stories, making Biographies part of a kid’s three-pack. In 1984, he also released in tandem Star Trek III: Short Stories and The Vulcan Treasure (another choose-your-own-adventure).

Books & Novels Fantasy, Horror, & Science Fiction Movies & Television (Books) STAR TREK-Related

STAR TREK: FEDERATION

Post author By oddmoonmediareviews
Post date October 22, 2020

Written by Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens / Cover Illustration by Keith Birdsong

SUMMARY:

Published in 1994 to celebrate the big-screen release of Star Trek: Generations, this 467-page hardcover stars Captains Kirk and Picard in the prime of their own respective eras. While one narrative stream explores Zefram Cochrane’s backstory prior to his disappearance in 2117, Federation is a sequel to two Star Trek: The Original Series episodes: “Metamorphosis,” and, to a much lesser degree, “The City on the Edge of Forever.”

Brief supplemental sequences depict Kirk’s post-Original Series life in both 2270 and 2293 (just days prior to Generations). Allotted approximately the same amount of ‘screen time,’ Jean-Luc Picard’s Enterprise crew appears in 2366, and, briefly, in a post-Generations 2371 epilogue.

In 2267 (a few days after the events of “Journey to Babel”), Captain James T. Kirk’s U.S.S. Enterprise finds out from an weakening Companion that Zefram Cochrane has been forcibly abducted. Cochrane’s past is revealed, as a perpetual enemy is willing to hide for centuries to finally inflict vengeance. While Kirk, Spock, and Dr. McCoy risk their careers to save Cochrane, related events bedevil an unsuspecting Picard’s hijacked Enterprise a century later. Facing a cosmic death trap, two Enterprises must ultimately risk everything to escape.

Note: This title is also available in paperback.

REVIEW:

As ultra-convoluted as Federation becomes, the co-authors do excellent work conveying a Kirk-Picard team-up that could only exist in full-blown literary form. More specifically, the novel recaptures the distinctive dramatic flavors of The Original Series and The Next Generation without short-changing either of them.

With actor Glenn Corbett’s Zefram Cochrane as its focal point, Federation is often a real treat for long-time Trekkers. It’s easy to visualize the actors from The Original Series and The Next Generation tag-teaming this epic storyline, as the co-authors are able to accurately depict the novel’s extensive cast.

Their best scenes include, for instance, a late night sick-bay poker game between McCoy’s less-than-cooperative patients: Kirk, Spock, and Sarek, which is a hoot. Further, the crises later imperiling both crews are duly compelling. Near the end is a throwaway gem re: a private message, which far exceeds Generations’ uninspired screenwriting. The same applies to Kirk’s unexpected return to The Guardian of Forever decades after their prior encounter.

Note: Why Generations didn’t/couldn’t utilize the already-established Guardian of Forever to unite Kirk & Picard on-screen vs. creating its own insipid, one-time-only ‘Nexus’ is evidently an unsolved mystery.

The main detriment here, however, is that casual readers (especially young fans) are likely to be overwhelmed by three parallel narratives that jump around time at intervals. Considering this complex plot is so heavily steeped in Trek continuity, familiarity with both the Original Series and Next Generation is a must. While this ambitious novel isn’t flawless (it’s unnecessarily stilted at various junctures), Federation still delivers an intriguing ‘what-if’ crossover worthy of fan appreciation. Suffice to say, the co-authors conjure up a satisfying epic bridging Star Trek’s two primary eras vs. what the contrived Generations ultimately amounts to.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

The book leads off with a ‘Historian’s Timeline’ between Cochrane’s 2061 space flight to Picard’s Generations adventure in 2371. The co-authors provide an acknowledgements page.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 8 Stars

Note: There’s another excellent Star Trek novel re: The Guardian of Forever. Author Peter David’s first ST: The Next Generation – Imzadi novel — occurring in the past, the present, and a possible far future, its exploration of Will Riker & Deanna Troi’s romance is well-played.

Digital Movies & TV Movies & Television (Videos) STAR TREK-Related

STAR TREK V: THE FINAL FRONTIER

Post author By oddmoonmediareviews
Post date October 1, 2020

SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: Approx. 105 Min.

This 1989 sequel is directed (and co-written) by William Shatner. Set shortly after Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, the new U.S.S. Enterprise-A’s shakedown cruise has been a dismal failure. Forced to cope with the ship’s various malfunctions (including a disabled transporter), Captain Kirk’s short-handed crew is sent on a covert deep space mission to the remote planet, Nimbus III, to rescue three abducted diplomats, including one Klingon and one Romulan.

An enigmatic Vulcan renegade named Sybok and his brainwashed cult hijack the Enterprise for a vision quest to the center of the universe seeking out ‘God,’ or whom he calls ‘Sha Kaa Ree.’ Meanwhile, a Klingon warship is in hot pursuit, as its commander seeks high-profile glory taking down the despised Kirk.

Captain James T. Kirk: William Shatner

Captain Spock: Leonard Nimoy

Dr. Leonard ‘Bones’ McCoy: DeForest Kelley

Sybok: Laurence Luckinbill

Commander Hikaru Sulu: George Takei

Sarek (voice cameo): Mark Lenard

Commander Nyota Uhura: Nichelle Nichols

Commander Pavel Chekov: Walter Koenig

Captain Montgomery ‘Scotty’ Scott: James Doohan

St. John Talbot: David Warner

General Korrd: Charles Cooper

Captain Klaa: Todd Bryant

Vixis: Spice Williams-Crosby

Caitlin Dar: Cynthia Gouw

‘God’ (voice): George Murdoch

David McCoy: Bill Quinn

Starfleet Admiral: Harve Bennett

REVIEW:

The underwhelming Enterprise-A is an ironically apt metaphor for this cinematic misfire, as nothing quite works right. Foregoing Industrial Light & Magic’s expertise, the film’s much-maligned special effects will impress no one. Despite its sizable budget, Final Frontier is easily the cheapest-looking Trek film ever made.

Still, William Shatner deserves some credit for energizing his big-screen directorial debut with action-adventure, old-school Trek banter, and fresh outdoor locales – not to mention, Hiroshima’s briefly-heard jazz fusion gem entitled “The Moon’s a Window to Heaven.” Such assets keep in mind that Shatner and Treks II-V producer Harve Bennett had more than three years and at least a $25-33 million budgetary playpen to conjure up something good after The Voyage Home.

Structured more like an Original Series TV episode, the sole pivotal moments stem from painful glimpses into Spock and McCoy’s private lives. DeForest Kelley, in the film’s best scene, pulls off McCoy’s heartbreaking secret with class. As for Leonard Nimoy, it’s disappointing (yet hardly surprising) that he merely phones it in – bringing to mind Harrison Ford’s apathetic take on Han Solo in Return of the Jedi. Clearly, Nimoy’s quality control efforts in directing/producing Treks III, IV, and VI is an element that Final Frontier sorely lacks. The same applies to the absence of classy director-screenwriter Nicholas Meyer.

That’s where Final Frontier’s biggest gaffe falls upon Shatner for peddling such a misguided storyline. Desperately trying to streamline Shatner’s visionary ambitions, the dubious compromises Bennett and Paramount made with Shatner result in a horribly clunky script (i.e. awkward bits of comic relief and plenty of bad science – i.e. ‘The Great Barrier’ ). Hence, the storyline’s composite of thematic retreads constitutes a fatal dose of unnecessary déjà vu.

Note: Case in point: all first six Trek films insist upon showing the Enterprise departing Earth at some point – couldn’t Shatner & Bennett have bothered to change things up and actually move the crew’s shore leave to another planet? It wouldn’t have been hard for Paramount’s special effects team to digitally alter Yosemite National Park’s sky to some other color, throw in some weird-looking fake plants, and call it a different world. Just a thought …

Nearly everything is weakly recycled – i.e. composer Jerry Goldsmith lifts his own work from 1979’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Star Trek: The Next Generation to makeshift Final Frontier’s main theme. Trekkers will have seen most other gimmicks of Final Frontier before, too: a broken-down Enterprise; Kirk’s ship hijacked for the umpteenth time; Kirk, Spock, and McCoy setting aside personal squabbles to save the day; and, from any worn-out dramatic playbook, even the long-lost brother cliché.

Imagine this: the lackluster Final Frontier is a watered-down compromise from what Shatner first sought, according to his memoir, Star Trek: Movie Memories. His initial aim was supposedly mocking corrupted televangelism, which somehow meant incorporating a Kirk-escapes-Hell-like climax after the Enterprise crew searches for God. Unsurprisingly, Paramount Pictures nixed Shatner’s most bizarre twists for Final Frontier from being filmed.

Shatner’s memoir also alludes to Gene Roddenberry’s controversial (and unproduced) Trek script, The God Thing, that Paramount had earlier vetoed in the mid-seventies. Shatner’s far tamer Final Frontier tries treading similar religious turf, but the generally negative reaction from fans and critics speaks for itself. Despite some warm sentiments, the movie’s biggest cop-out (re: God’s true location) only reiterates Final Frontier’s cliché-fest.

If the film’s reluctant Federation/Klingon/Romulan alliance had been cleverly re-configured, Final Frontier might have been an ideal prelude to 1991’s far darker Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Instead, its faulty basic premise: Captain Kirk confronts ‘God’ with the question: “What does ‘God’ need with a starship?” starts fizzling out right after the main credits.

Final Frontier isn’t an unrepentant cure for insomnia like The Motion Picture, but, given what little this movie offers viewers, it’s no loss that Paramount won’t pursue a possible ‘Director’s Cut.’

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 3½ Stars

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Digital Movies & TV Movies & Television (Videos) STAR TREK-Related

STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE

Post author By oddmoonmediareviews
Post date October 1, 2020

SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: Approx. 132 Min.

Directed by Robert Wise, this $40-million 1979 production essentially launched the concept of rebooting old TV shows as big-budget films.

Set approximately three years after the Original Series ended, a newly-refitted U.S.S. Enterprise is the Federation’s only hope of intercepting an ominous cosmic cloud headed towards Earth. Supported by his familiar bridge crew, Admiral James T. Kirk resumes command to lead them in a fateful encounter with the machine-like entity dubbing itself as ‘V’Ger.’

Admiral James T. Kirk: William Shatner

Spock: Leonard Nimoy

Dr. Leonard ‘Bones’ McCoy: DeForest Kelley

Lt. Ilia: Persis Khambatta

Lt. Commander Hikaru Sulu: George Takei

Klingon Commander: Mark Lenard

Lt. Commander Nyota Uhura: Nichelle Nichols

Lt. Pavel Chekov: Walter Koenig

Commander Montgomery ‘Scotty’ Scott: James Doohan

Dr. Christine Chapel: Majel Barrett

Captain Willard Decker: Stephen Collins

Lt. Janice Rand: Grace Lee Whitney

REVIEW:

Forty-plus years doesn’t generate fresh nostalgia for Star Trek’s first movie. Still, one should keep this much in mind: Motion Picture (TMP) endured a convoluted history. First, it was meant as a low-budget, big-screen revival; then, its aborted Phase II incarnation was supposed to launch a high-profile sequel TV series (minus Nimoy and possibly Shatner’s eventual dismissal); and, finally, a let’s-break-the-bank mega-movie to cash in on Star Wars-mania. Ultimately, hapless viewers are left with what amounts to ‘Star Trek: The Slow-Motion Picture.’

While big-league special effects vastly upgraded the Enterprise, the misguided filmmakers (franchise creator Gene Roddenberry, chief among them) couldn’t/wouldn’t grasp that their monotonous epic isn’t Trek-style entertainment. Offering grandiose platitudes, like “the human adventure is just beginning,” don’t cut it as a creative substitute for making this movie any more watchable or any less motionless.

Setting Robert Wise’s classiness aside, his dramatic sensibilities totally mismatch with Trek. Contributing factors further include the total absence of action-adventure; the film’s ultra-sterilized look (i.e. the drab gray pajama-like Starfleet uniforms); and, undeniably, the cast’s taking themselves-far-too-seriously performances. Case in point: clearly looking a decade older, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy come off as dead-serious; their endearing TV charisma is nowhere in sight.

While Roddenberry doesn’t rip off the pulpy glamor of Star Wars, what still doesn’t make sense is why he utterly disregarded the appeal of The Original Series as is. Still, the biggest self-inflicted mistake is Roddenberry’s stubborn insistence that the film’s recycled script forcibly mind-meld the premise of a forgettable Original Series episode, “The Changeling,” with 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Hence, the ultra-pretentious TMP saps all the colorful energy powering The Original Series. As this space opera drags on (with Kirk and Co.’s vague observations of V’Ger spelled out ad nauseam), hope fades that Shatner & Nimoy might still salvage this tone-deaf disaster.

If given the choice, watching 1984’s gloriously stupid The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai would be preferable. Banzai is clearly sci-fi pulp farce, but, at least, that quirky cult favorite doesn’t strive to bore its viewers. TMP’s elitist storytelling, by comparison, blurs into a cinematic sleeping pill — it’s just not nearly as fast-acting as Spock’s Vulcan nerve pinch.

P.S. Here’s this reviewer’s quick take re: which inept Trek movie is a better viewing bet – Star Trek V: The Final Frontier or TMP? The edge goes to Final Frontier – William Shatner’s 1989 directorial misfire at least tries to recapture the adventurous spirit of The Original Series.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 3 Stars

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