Leonard Nimoy to Play Spock in Next Star Trek Movie 289
mcgrew writes "The AP is reporting that Leonard Nimoy will 'don his famous pointy ears again' in the next Star Trek movie, due out Christmas of next year. From the article: 'He greeted the crowd with a Vulcan salute. Nimoy was joined by the newly named young Spock, "Heroes" star Zachary Quinto [Sylar], who bears an uncanny resemblance to Nimoy. Both Spocks were introduced by the film's director and co-producer, J.J. Abrams.'"
Illogical (Score:5, Funny)
Spock, have you tried using Google News to find a link to the story that doesn't require registration?
Doh! The message is coming on the viewscreen [guardian.co.uk] now Captain.
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Spock, have you tried using Google News to find a link to the story that doesn't require registration?
You are obviously projecting your primitive human emotions onto Spock. Vulcans do not experience "annoyance".
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His one scene. (Score:5, Funny)
He'll be sitting in a rocking chair on his porch, playing his Vulcan lyre and stopping only to yell at kids for walking on his lawn.
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Better picture here: http://trekmovie.com/2007/07/18/quinto-relishing-t he-spock-rumors/ [trekmovie.com]
I presume it's a photoshop, but it gives you a good idea)
The need for money outweighs the need for dignity (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:The need for money outweighs the need for digni (Score:5, Funny)
It's gonna be animal house meet's star trek and it's gonna end with an interglactic kegger.
Basically lots of green bare breasts, Spock will discover his date is really only 14, and Kirk will be screaming for a road trip while they talk scotty into letting them use his brothers shuttlecraft.
It will all come together at the end when the group crashes the awards ceremony in the "death shuttle" with Kirk dressed as a pirate, sulu in buttless chaps hitting on all the men, and the ceremony ending in disaster.
Sulu, right (Score:5, Funny)
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I'm a old school trekkie (I watched TOS when it came out, sure I was 7, but still), but if they are going to even ATTEMPT to find someone to play Kirk, it had better be as a farce or parody.
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Re:The need for money outweighs the need for digni (Score:5, Informative)
Highly illogical. Star Trek has been headed by Rick Berman since the latter years of Star Trek: The Next Generation. In that time, Berman did everything possible to destroy the show. Logic dictates that a producer will actual talent could not perform worse than Berman.
Of further note, well-known scifi producer J. Michael Straczynski pitched a similar "reboot [typepad.com]" of the Star Trek mythos, suggesting that a good portion of talented scifi producers are of the same line of thought: Berman has done irreparable damage to the franchise already.
Bones: "I don't see any pointy ears on your head boy, but you sound like a Vulcan!"
Re:The need for money outweighs the need for digni (Score:5, Informative)
I still think it's too soon after the Enterprise debacle to be doing anything. I think a good decade ought to pass before anyone lights the fires again. Let some new talent in the door. But this idea in particular is just stupid. I know the underlying notion is to try to get old and new audiences to show up because it will have Kirk and Spock, but have it in their younger years, so as to be hip to the whole new scene, man...
Re:The need for money outweighs the need for digni (Score:5, Insightful)
The problem became evident when it was clear that he had nothing beyond what he had done for ST:NG, so just kept going down the same road, endlessly repeating the plot lines with ever-decreasing effectiveness. It was tolerable during the ST:DS9, mainly because the writing was reasonably good and the characters sufficiently interesting to hold our attention.
Both the late-TNG and DS9 have heavy influence from Ronald D. Moore (who now does Battlestar Galactica). Berman and Moore had a falling out during the first season of Voyager. The fact that Star Trek went steeply downhill just then can't be a coincidence.
Personally, I think Moore's gritty style makes for good stories, but ones that aren't necessarily appropriate for the utopian vision of Star Trek. This is particularly evident in DS9's Dominion War arc, with episodes like The Siege of AR-558. OTOH, the same style works really well for BSG.
Re:The need for money outweighs the need for digni (Score:5, Interesting)
Still, that might very well have been something that a new batch of writers could have worked with. The sketchy idea of Riker commanding a starship that has mutined against Star Fleet as the Federation plunges into some sort of vague, self-serving dictatorship or even civil war might have been very interesting. You could have kept the Roddenberry-esque ideals alive, kept a good chunk of the longest-running and arguably most popular Star Trek cast (I'm a huge TOS fan, but still, the fact is that more people probably identify with the NG cast now), had plenty of opportunities for battles, espionage, idealism and even exploration. I know we would have had to do without Spiner's Data, but I really do think the character had totally run out of steam anyways.
Hell, barring that, I think there was a damn good argument for going with a movie with Captain Sulu. His all-too-brief glimpses in the Undiscovered Country make me think that at least a good action movie could have been found in there.
So many missed opportunities while Berman was permitted to rotate tired time travel and Borg storylines until even many diehard fans just said "fuck it" and turned to more interest fare. The movies became repetitive and dull (just look at the last couple of movies to see how even the actors had clearly lost any enthusiasm, it was clearly "we're doing it for the money" situation). I think everyone knew the franchise was going down the tubes, and wanted to milk it for whatever was left.
I dunno, maybe the movie will be really great, and won't be some sort of Animal House in Space like so many of us think it's going to be. It's difficult to judge something that isn't even in any kind of meaningful production yet. Still, there's many reasons to figure it will be a disaster, and damn few reasons to think it will revitalize what was once the most successful franchise out there.
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The writers still gave some support to the Federation Utopia in Enterprise, with Cogenitor [wikipedia.org]. They meet an alien species, and instead of charging weapons, they become friends and work together in exploring a nearby star. The episode would have worked without any conflict at all.
Unfortunately, Trip had to do something stupid (why is the dumbest man on the ship also the chief engineer?) and cause a bunch of problems. Throw those bits out and you'll have a wonderful episode that brings back a sense of wonder t
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It probably would have worked, too, if they hadn't started sprinkling crap like the Borg, time travel and dumb-looking-like-last-week's-alien aliens into the mix.
Re:The need for money outweighs the need for digni (Score:5, Interesting)
I know Roddenberry really hated the direction that Star Trek took once he had lost all meaningful control, but if you look at what he did have involvement in; ST:TOS in particular, you see that he had no problem displaying wars and violence, he simply made the Klingons, Romulans and other baddies the proxies, and always showed the Federation as *reacting* to them, or at least pre-emptively trying to get in their way.
Roddenberry's ideas were noble, but hardly realistic. I think any government with a technologically advanced and well equipped military will always take part in adventurism. They were sending out diplomats on the Five Year Mission, they were sending out a heavily-armed interstellar vessel crewed and commanded by the military. This seems more like the "peaceful" exploration of guys like Admiral Perry.
Re:The need for money outweighs the need for digni (Score:4, Interesting)
I really liked DS9 because it was frankly so different from STNG. There are so many ways that they could have gone with new Star Trek shows that would have been interesting. What was it like to be a normal person at that time? What was happening on Earth? What would it be like to be a settler on a distant planet? Frankly in the original Star Trek Earth was portrayed as almost a Marxist eden where everybody could just sit around being fat dumb and happy while a few brave souls went out and explored the universe. I loved it as a kid but frankly as an adult I see how it could be very boring to live in a world like that.
Oh well I think it is time for a new Space show. Why not one based on the works of Larry Niven?
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Re:The need for money outweighs the need for digni (Score:5, Insightful)
All in all, it was probably a good thing that the Borg assault was delayed. While "Best of Both Worlds" caused a few minor continuity problems with "The Neutral Zone" season 1 finale, it greatly benefited from Michael Piller's temporary departure at the end of Season 3. Knowing that BoBW would be the last episode he would ever pen, Piller created an impossible situation for other writers to get out of. It was partially brought about by his frustration with Star Trek production at the time, but the effect was pronounced. BoBW is still remembered as one of the best cliffhangers of all time.
Of course, the story doesn't end there. During the summer months, Roddenberry managed to patch things up with Piller and brought him back on board. As a result, Piller was forced to find a solution to his own impossible plot! Whoops.
Another thing to keep in mind was that The Next Generation was originally launched on a tight schedule, reusing a lot of the work that had gone into the previous Star Trek: Phase II plans. (Phase II was the unproduced Star Trek show that became the Motion Picture.) As a result, all the characters had personalities that were not their own. Troi sat in for Illia, Riker sat in for Decker, Data sat in for Xon (they killed him in the first few minutes of the movie due to Nimoy signing back on), Crusher sat in for Doctor Chapel and McCoy, and Picard was Captain Pike revived. Worf was thrown in to show the resolution of the Klingon issues, Tasha Yar was a strong female character (originally auditioned for by Sirtis while Crosby auditioned for Troi!), and Wesley was intended to be a reflection of Gene as a child.
It took a bit of time and effort for all the characters to finally fall into place. But such is the way of things when productions are pushed into being on a tight schedule. Gene departed this world during the fifth season of TNG. Which explains why TNG started to run out of momentum in Season 6.
Re:wondering (Score:5, Insightful)
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Which is probably why the later seasons had a lot of Data episodes.
Re:wondering (Score:5, Funny)
It probably had more to do with having a lazy-writer-saving super-smart super-strong character laying around.
WRITER #1: Fuck, I am officially out of ideas.
WRITER #2: Easy. Shit happens, Data figures a way out with his super-brain.
WRITER #1: Naw, we did that last week, remember?
WRITER #2: Ok then. Shit happens, and Data saves the day because he's super-strong.
WRITER #1: Excellent! Let's go get some hookers and blow!
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Re:The need for money outweighs the need for digni (Score:5, Funny)
Re:The need for money outweighs the need for digni (Score:5, Funny)
Not quite.
The
There you go. It's not true Shatner unless it's overacted.
Re:The need for money outweighs the need for digni (Score:5, Funny)
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Re:The need for money outweighs the need for digni (Score:2)
I know they're hoping this can resurrect the franchise, but it was a moronic idea when it was first floated in the early 90s, and it's still a moronic idea.
Re:The need for money outweighs the need for digni (Score:2)
Using a super advanced statistical technique I like to call "mod 2", I'm afraid it's a statistical certainty that Star Trek XI is going to suck. Sorry, try again with XII.
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Sure, "odd-numbered-Star-Treks-suck" is a good rule of thumb, but that doesn't mean they uniformly suck. For example, The Search for Spock (3), in my opinion the best of the odd-numbered films, was better than Nemesis (10) even though Nemesis was even-numbered.
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The rule still stands, despite the on oddity.
Re:The need for money outweighs the need for digni (Score:2)
It certainly won't have any "teeth" to it. Of course it will suck. Or eat shoup.
Re:The need for money outweighs the need for digni (Score:2)
Whither Insurrection? (Score:2)
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Re:The need for money outweighs the need for digni (Score:2)
Personally, I'm lo
Dude (Score:2)
Bringing out my inner nerd... (Score:5, Interesting)
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Re:Bringing out my inner nerd... (Score:5, Insightful)
I wish it wasn't cool to be a curmudgeon.
Re:Bringing out my inner nerd... (Score:4, Funny)
Oh yeah? Well I wish it *weren't* cool to misuse the subjunctive mood.
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What??? Maybe most statements about art are matters of opinion, but Lost is mathematically provable
Well, if you're trying to keep your "nerdness"... (Score:2)
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Mission Impossible 3? (Score:2)
Quinto was 2nd choice (Score:5, Funny)
"Wha'chu livin' long and prospern' about, kirk?"
Re:Quinto was 2nd choice (Score:4, Funny)
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Come on guys... it's a joke [wikipedia.org]!
That said, I can see Quinto doing a great job with the character. He's fantastic on Heroes (as is most of the cast, come to think of it...).
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What about Scotty? (Score:4, Funny)
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Nimoy had better watch out (Score:5, Funny)
<homer> Mmm, brains... </homer>
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So, What's It Gonna Be? (Score:5, Insightful)
AND, we all know which is more likely...
Re:So, What's It Gonna Be? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:So, What's It Gonna Be? (Score:4, Funny)
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Wait...Kirk and Spock were interplanetary Mormon missionaries?!?
Please, no more movie spoilers!
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Prequels suck (Score:2)
But, the fact that this ST is going to be prequel is bad.
Other than 'The Godfather', I can't think of one prequel that was good. I hope this doesn't turn out to be a movie version of Animal House set in the future.
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Even JMS fell into this trap with In the Beginning. He needed Sheridan to destroy the Black Star, but he didn't need him to meet Delen. He especially didn't need him to go on a mission with Dr Franklin, because when they met later on
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Hence the stupidity of C3PO, R2D2 and Chewbacca in the Star Wars prequels.
C3PO I totally agree with. In Star Wars, he was just another droid, with no real connection to the resistance other than being owned by one of its members. By the end of Return of the Jedi, he was a full-fledged active participant, and friend of the other major characters. It takes something away from the character to make him go through the same transition in the past and then wipe his memory.
Chewbacca is similar. There was nothing in the original to indicate he was ex-military, and he showed no men
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I know there are some explanations, but in reality the characters played such insignificant parts in the prequels that they didn't really have to be there at all. Lucas has a real problem with pointless and outright annoying and pointless characters. The droids played an important part in Episodes IV to VI, but it was overstrung cameos for the prequels.
Of course, these thre
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Ehh? Chewbacca never heard the name 'Yoda' in the OT.
This can only mean (Score:2)
Or spock is telling the story from the academy days.
Quinto looks like Nimoy? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Quinto looks like Nimoy? (Score:5, Insightful)
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.
Re:Quinto looks like Nimoy? (Score:5, Insightful)
Even if the director isn't up to snuff, a good actor can still get inside your head and switch off the disbelief circuits.
Ewan McGregor [wikipedia.org] didn't a think like a young Alec Guinness [wikipedia.org], but the young Scotsman did a rather remarkable job of vocally channeling his ghost. Not exactly an impression mind you, but somehow you could hear in his performance an echo of Sir Alec saying things like "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy."
We've reached a point of diminishing returns in CGI when it comes to adding credibility. It's up to direction and performances now to put a movie over the top. My favorite of the Harry Potter movies is Cuaron's Azkhaban. The big "magic" effect at the end was just a bright light. There was literally nothing they could have put up on the screen that by itself would convince you that Harry was doing awesome magic. But by treating magic with restraint through the movie, the director sold the finale.
If this Quinto guy plays Spock in a way that is recognizably Spock, he'll be Spock.
I wonder though.
At the risk of sounding a bit of a lunatic, something about Nimoy's portrayal of Spock seems Jewish to me. The reticent Vulcan savant trying, not so much to fit in but coexist with the human majority reminded me of the Jewish scholar or physician in gentile society. So I looked up the other actor who played an Vulcan in an utterly credible Spock mold. Mark Lenard was also the son of immigrant Russian Jews. I can even convince myself, if I try, that there is a microscopic echo of Yiddish in Nimoy and Lenard's "Vulcan" accent.
I'm not saying of course a gentile actor can't do it. Kirstie Alley was a credible Vulcan. I thought Tim Rus' Tuvok was one of the best parts of the spotty Voyager series. But it is a curious coincidence that the two actors identified with the most famous Vulcan characters are children of Russian Jews.
Where *is* Spock these days? (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Where *is* Spock these days? (Score:5, Funny)
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Yes! (Score:2)
Further proof! (Score:2)
JJ Abrams plotlines... (Score:3, Insightful)
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There's a high probability that the movie will start somewhere in the middle, like most of the episodes of ALIAS
I think you can generalize that and be a bit more likely to be correct: Abrams likes to play with continuity, and tells stories out of order. Given that we already know of one character that's show at two very different ages, we can assume that he will be telling this one significantly out of order.
I would not expect this sort of thing:
EXTERIOR: Enterprise. We SEE the ship leaving a space station. We HEAR the VOICE OVER:
Kirk: Captain's Log. Stardate...
There is a tremendous EXPLOSION. The ship is blown apart. TEXT appears at the bottom of the screen as we FADE TO BLACK:
"Six months earlier..."
Instead, I would expect slightly subtler re-ordering of events, possibly narrated by older Spock to different people or something of the sort.
That's a shame (Score:5, Funny)
Prequel Book: Kobayashi Maru (Score:5, Interesting)
In fact, one of my favorite Star Trek books growing up was one entitled Kobayashi Maru, where each of the senior staff takes turns recalling their experiences in Star Fleet academy. It primarily focuses on each of their experiences with the Kobayashi Maru simulation at the academy, but also delves into some personal stories about these folks as young officers about to become Starfleet officers. Sulu's story was extremely moving (at least from my teenage recollections) and well-written. Scotty's was hilarious, and Chekov's was quite good too.
Anyway, if you're looking for a blast-from-the
http://www.amazon.com/Kobayashi-Maru-Star-Trek-Bo
Then again, I also remember Wesley's time at the academy. Ug, those were horrible TNG episodes! Yes, I know, I have the never-ending human capacity for self-delusion. What is it they say about second marriages? The triumph of hope over experience?
Time travel... Berman... d'oh! (Score:3, Interesting)
If Berman is involved, I'm sure his next brilliant move will be having that old Asian guy from Heros show up.
On another note... Nimoy is 76? Wow, the heros of the old days get old quick. Of course, this pretty much sets up the movie as "Old guys sitting around the old captains home, thinking about the old days... queue movie-length flashback
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it's a prequel to a well know franchise, whether or not he dies is a given. Remember.
Now there's a movie I'd pay to see...
Re:Hooray? (Score:5, Funny)
Start? They've already stopped!
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Firefly with Whedon is the closest thing to a spiritual heir to TOS that I've seen.
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I agree, although I do think that ST:NG, after the first really awful season, did put out some interesting episodes. The big story arc in DS9 was also pretty good, though it brought Star Trek awfully close to being a soap opera. Of course, once they got into Voyager and Enterprise, it was a soap opera.
The movies are an extremely mixed bag. The Motion Picture actually is pre
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The original trek was a cheese-fest just above the level of Dr. Who (though given the time is was produced, some of that was inherent in the format. I did watch the show.) I liked ST:NG fairly well, about in proportion to how well they kept that annoying kid out of the episodes; can't remember his name anymore, must have blocked it for the pain... Crusher's son, anyway. Enterprise, as far as I am concerned, was by far the best of the bunch. That doesn't seem to be the consensus here, but still, that's my t
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[50+ year-old synapses fire belatedly] Wesley Crusher, that was his name. Man, was that child ever annoying. Just another example of the awful things that can happen when people forget their birth control.
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Re:Let it Die Already (Score:4, Interesting)
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There, fixed that for you. It is Shatner, after all.
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Not as we know it,
Not as we know it,
It's life, Jim, but not as we know
Not as we know it....
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