My Views on Star Trek in General *Spoilers of the 2009 Movie*

[SciFiFan]

This post may contain information that could be seen as a spoiler. IF you have not seen the new Star Trek movie, it is suggested that you do not continue to read. You have been warned so if you do continue on, I am not responsible.

Spoiler: May contain movie spoiler

I know there are many that are upset with the events of the new Star Trek movie. Here is a list of Star Trek episodes that involve time travel. This list is from the Time Travel Fan Collection you can get.
TOS: "Tomorrow is Yesterday"
TOS: "The City on the Edge of Forever"
TNG: "Yesterday's Enterprise"
TNG: "Cause and Effect"
TNG: "Time's Arrow"
TNG: "Time's Arrow, Part II"
TNG: "All Good Things..." (feature length)
DS9: "Little Green Men"
DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations"
VOY: "Year of Hell"
VOY: "Year of Hell, Part II"
VOY: "Endgame" (feature length)
At each of these points and also do not forget ST4 and STFC, a new reality was created. As you can see, Star Trek did not make it out of the original series in the same reality as it started. Therefor, the new movie fits right in with what Star Trek was.

Those are my thoughts and all are welcomed to chime in.

 

[Amateur]

I agree with you. Personally, I don't try and make it fit myself. I always remember that Trek is fiction (no matter how much I want it not to be) so arguing over canon is pointless.

People can say that the new film ruins TOS but the DVD's are still available to buy - it's a story not a history. And while the old stories can still be experienced then the new ones will never replace them.

 

[Majestic]

I remember a while ago we had a Convo here about ENT and the Temporal Cold War and CrazyFrog brought up some rather interesting concepts that could fit ENT into the standard timeline.

Basically the events of Star Trek First Contact and the Voyager double episode where they go back to Earth in 1996 contributed to the changed timeline in Enterprise and the cause of the Temporal Cold War. It seems very plausable to me and Star Trek 2009 to me is just a continuation of Enterprise as the Kelvin looked like it could be a future version in the same timeline where technology has progressed. The Federation was refered to (in ST 2009) as what was meantioned by Daniels in ENT, so it seems very plausable and with Nero cause trouble is what made technology progress even further and hence we get the Enterprise.

Thats if someone wants to try and merge it into the timeline of previous Treks. I rather think of it like the new BSG, a total remake from the ground up and if I had to I would only put ENT into the timeline and ignore TOS, TNG, DS9 and VOY.

 

[SciFiFan]

That is a very good opinion. I rather enjoy all of Star Trek. In fact, I am watching all the movies. I just got done with V. You could piece all of it together if you wanted. IN fact, I thought of a way where BSG can fit in with Star Trek or Terminator.

 

[Mukavich]

I myself have never been a huge fan of the whole time-travel thing as far as trek goes. In my opinion, it just seems that a lot of the time, at least with the episodes, there just isn't enough time (lol) to deal with the whole plot, and it just ends up one huge headache. This movie, i liked. Plot was simple, they didn't beat you over the head with technology (Genesis device, anyone?), and the referances were sparse, but sufficient. And there was a freaking awesome romulan ship... How can you go wrong? As for the time travel bit, it was there, but wasn't so integral that you had to think about it all the time, i.e, they weren't beating you over the head with it, or really making any effort to return to their own time. Works for me. More fun that way. I'm personally hoping for a reboot, soon.

 

[CrazyFrog1903]

It has been an interesting evolution of the Star Trek Universe. Just think of what it could look like in another 15 years... LOL

 

[EAS_Intrepid]

I plan to watch the new Trek film today and I really look forward to it. People ranging from the doc in my ambulance truck to the step-father of my girlfriend said it is a great movie... sooo...

The whole timeline and time travel thing in Trek was used a few times too many. People (also here on MSFC) said that a story based on time travel is a marker for a screenwriter or a producer who lacked ideas.

Unfortunately, for a good part of Trek, that is true. It did turn out some good stories (I really like ST4) but most of them were less entertaining.

I can definately agree with Amateur: Trek is "a story, not a history". I must remember that sentence, Amateur. The new Trek movie does not "kill" or "replace" the old Trek (which I also enjoyed, especially TOS!)
As it was pointed out, you can still watch it.
Frak, if you hate new BSG ignore it and watch the 70s stuff. If you hate the new Trek movie that much, just ignore it.

The funniest thing about the whole issue is: The really hardcore fans of a genre that meant to tell stories about how things can be done better, about how we should tolerate different approaches, other ideas (and ideologies) and other opinions are the most intolerant when it comes to that specific genre.
It is not even ironic, it is cynicism at its best.

Back to time travelling:
From a scientific point of view the whole idea and its conclusions would be so irritating and confusing to someone who is not a scientist that you could not really grasp what would happen in a TV show like Trek.
You complain about techno-babble? THIS really has the potential for a full Trek show just filled with scientific language and theories.

If you look for a really good timetravel storyline, which also deals with all the misunderstandings and the connections between history and the future you should watch:
Twelve Monkeys (with Bruce Willis and Brad Bitt). (Brad Bitt has its best role ever in this movie, believe me... maybe aside from Fight Club.)
Sorry for the short Off-Topic tip.

 

[Rodglas]

Time Travel really isn't the focus of the movie though. Its a devise used to make it clear that this movie is in a parallel trek universe.

In some sense this is a continuation from ST:Nem as munh as it is a reboot. the events of ST:Nem lead right into this movie (Peace talks with the Romulans post-ST:Nem leads the Federation to Old Spock's mission, which in turn leads to the time travel event which alters the past.

This really makes the time travel plot a conceit granted to the Fans so one can not say the events of the prime timeline (TOS-ST:Nem) didn't now happen but indeed did occur in another parallel time line.

Rod

 

[Borg_Queen]

Yes, that is what I've been trying to explain to people that thinks the prime timeline is no more; The prime timeline and the new timeline in this movie can't exist without each other, meaning if the prime timeline is erased so are the new one.

That is because the new timeline was created of the prime timeline of post-Nem, thus these two timelines exists parallel to each other and at the same time.