Archive for February, 2009

That other Star Treck movie

Monday, February 2nd, 2009

The misspelling  is intentional.

As concerns continue to mount that the new Star Trek movie produced by J. J. Abrams will not be true enough to the original television series, a movement has begun to call the film the “Treck” movie until such time as it proves itself worthy of being called “Star Trek.” I call on all Trek fans to join the cause.

The origins of “Treck” can be boiled down to a typo made by Jakob in the Simply Syndicated message boards, where he accidentally added the “c” when referencing the new film. Prior to this act of subconscoius genious, there had been much discussion about the movie trailer shown during the Super Bowl and how the new film’s Kirk seemed to be acting in a manner the original Kirk never would.

A reader pointed out that Matthew Broderick’s Godzilla film earned the nickname “GINO” (Godzilla In Name Only) among the fans of the original monster films. The use of “Treck” to describe Abrams’ film is a a nod to that movement and an expression of the concern that the new film will be  STINO [Star Trek In Name Only].

Yes, yes, I know the film’s action takes place [SPOILER – highlight to read] in an alternate universe, but that is a plot device which can be overused to the point of losing its meaning. Just because the characters have the same names, does that mean they are the same characters? There are two famous American actors by the name of Harrison Ford, both obviously share the same name and profession, and both were born in the midwestern United States. They are  not [SPOILER – highlight to read] alternate universe versions of each other, so why do those same parallels make it true of the original and new James Kirks?

Now, it is important to state, the “c” can be removed. If the film holds true to the canon established by its predecessors, or at least be reasonable in the areas where it deviates, we will happily call it a “Trek” movie. Our insertion of the “c” is not an indication of disatisfaction with the story as a piece of science fiction. We may all love the Treck movie, possibly more than many Trek films. However, the “c” stays unless the new film captures the spirit of the original series.

I hope it’s good – I really do.  And to be honest I don’t really care if it ends up being a Treck movie instead of a Trek film.  I enjoyed GINO, but to me GINO is not Godzilla, and the jury is still out on whether Abrams’ movie will be Treck or Trek.

Contributed by: Scott Copperman (Guest Author)