Keeping their story straight dept.

[cmdr_zoom]

If the changes seen in this spring's Star Trek movie were all the result of a temporal incursion, then the Kelvin - which is present at and first victim of that incursion - should have looked exactly like Pike's Enterprise from "The Cage", beige uniforms and all. It probably would not be a Constitution class starship, but it should look very similar (c.f. the Hermes class) in design, exterior markings, etc.

Even with time travel, effect cannot precede cause. If Nero's arrival and actions in the "past" are what changes the "Prime" timeline to the new one, then it should be identical in all respects up to that moment. The alternative, of course, is that it's a transparent excuse that fails to follow its own rules.

Comments

[seawasp]

The alternative, of course, is that the branch point is considerably earlier, and this is just one event that crosses between other branches, linking them at that point but not fusing their pasts.

The idea was a complete reboot with none of the prior series NECESSARILY true, so that they could use the basic characters and setup WITHOUT a bunch of life-deprived geeks whining "... but in Stardate 2120.5 in episode 27, it was clearly shown that..."

[cmdr-zoom.livejournal.com]

And as one of those geeks (see mood icon), also known as "loyal fans", I'm a bit cranky about being pushed to the curb. :/

[seawasp]

Well, from MY point of view I am a loyal fan who could geek like that with the best of them... and I was *TREMENDOUSLY* pleased that they did, in fact, do a complete reboot, because it was the only way I could think for them to fix the mess the whole franchise had devolved into.

As a loyal fan, in other words, they did what I felt they had to do.

Note that there's other clear indications it's a reboot BEFORE the timechange; in that universe, the Federation KNOWS WHAT THE ROMULANS LOOK LIKE. In the original timeline, it was only in "Balance of Terror" that we learn they look like Vulcans."

[cmdr-zoom.livejournal.com]

I figured it was Nero's appearance on Kelvin's viewscreen that dropped that bomb/imparted that bit of information, which survived in the log buoy; the bridge crew had more pressing concerns than to announce their surprise at one more revelation.

[seawasp]

No, they recognized they were dealing with the Romulans right away -- which, given that there's no way they recognized the SHIP he was flying...

[z-gryphon.livejournal.com]

Oh, don't be such an old lady. Take the cannoli.

[pjack.livejournal.com]

And Captain Kirk should have looked just like a young William Shatner! ;)

Think of it as "re-casting" the Kelvin. They got a younger, flashier, and more attractive ship to step in and play the part.

[cmdr-zoom.livejournal.com]

The thing is, when it comes to building sets or CGI models, it's no harder to make them look one way than another. So why not go with what's established?

mutter, grumble.

[seawasp]

Because some of the older stuff looked downright stupid. They did amazing work to tweak the old original Trek uniforms into something almost workable.

You want to gripe? How about griping that the Enterprise doesn't look like the original?

But at least with the reboot I can hope that Voyager will never happen, and that whatever follows the Kirk era won't be some watered-down milquetoast future even less consistent than the original.

[cmdr-zoom.livejournal.com]

How about griping that the Enterprise doesn't look like the original?
Have, thanks. See previous entries.

[zonereyrie.livejournal.com]

Ding! Because the original designs look pretty LAME today given what we've seen in the intervening time. In other words - the ship always looked this way, the SFX of the past just couldn't properly represent it.

The original designs were a lot simpler, a lot less 'real' looking. And using them verbatim would've looked pretty cheesy in a modern film.

[cmdr-zoom.livejournal.com]

IMO, the E was made to look pretty nice in DS9's Tribbleations, the ENT mirror episodes, and CBS's remastered eps without changing its design - merely enhancing detail that would have been impossible to place or film on the original model. I bet they could have gotten even better results with a feature film budget.

I'm not asking for real Christmas lights in the nacelles. But a battleship grey hull and hull markings in the USAF/Amarillo typeface would have gone a long way.

(changing tracks a little) Heck, since the new E is modeled so clearly on the first movie(s), I'd even accept a version of THAT set design (which, IMO, the shiny iBridge is not, even before JJ starts shining a flashlight in my eyes).

[mephron]

Relax. Have some beans and ponder the words of Joel.

[the2belo.livejournal.com]

I just tend to think this is just a set-up for a better sequel. Pay this one no mind.

[brianrogers.livejournal.com]

Please remember that pointing out the glaring problems in the film as storytelling (like, say, the cliche-o-meter breaking in the opening 10 minuts when the main villain not only produces the heroes origin story by killing his father, but does so at the VERY MOMENT OF HIS BIRTH! It was very hard to stop laughing after this over-cooked chestnut) or gaping plot holes (if the lightning storm effect the Kelvin saw came from the creation of the black hole, then why did it appear on Vulcan prior to the creation of the black hole and in so doing warn Kirk what was coming? Or are you telling me that the 25th centry Romulan ship is contantly surrounded by a lighting storm but went unnoticed for 20 years?), or logic (Spock ejects Kirk from the ship in an escape pod? What, there are no Brigs in the 23rd century?) will merely get you poo-pooed as someone who doesn't understand the burning need to reboot the francise - only this time with lens flashes.

[cmdr-zoom.livejournal.com]

Now, see - cliche storytelling, plot holes, etc? That is classic Trek. ;)