Finally got around to seeing this today; my youngest and I went to the matinee.  It was good….but…..

….this is where I alert you to all of the spoilers I’m about to write about. Not burying them under a cut; just warning you now.

Spoilers, spoilers, lots of spoilers for Into Darkness. Read no further if you don’t want ‘em. Also, TL;DR will apply to this post. Fair warning.

(As background, I have been, and always will be, a fan of the original series, and the first six Trek movies. I know far too much about the show, have always enjoyed it, the characters, the stories, the vision of the future Rodenberry conceived and developed. I’ve always thought of it as really good writing and story-telling. My youngest, meanwhile, could not be converted. Star Trek meant nothing to him….until the 2009 reboot, which he loved. I mention that because, as a young, non-Trek fan, we can share our differing opinions of the film, and I can enjoy a slightly different perspective.)

Now, in no particular order, these are the issues that immediately popped into my head after (and during) the movie:

No disrespect to Cumberbatch, but his casting as Kahn was, in a word, ridiculous to me. Not because he’s not a good actor, but because - if you’re trying to stay true to “canon” - Kahn was not British, English, or even caucasian. The back story of Kahn from the original series is well-developed: he’s a genetically engineered human from the Asian continent. He was played by Ricardo Montalban in the original series, and ST2, and, even though Montalban was not Asian, it was clear that Kahn’s ethnic origins were non-white, and were a big part of his biography - and, presumably, his motivations for world domination (and what a story arc that could have made in a two-hour movie!) What bothers me about Cumberbatch’s casting - aside from the total disregard of Kahn’s actual back-story (which is important if you’re trying to stay true to canon) - is that JJ Abrams took great pains to cast people in all of the other roles who closely approximated the characters from the original series. Why not Kahn? (I mean, even down to Captain Pike - there is a clear resemblance between Jeffrey Hunter, from the original series, and Bruce Greenwood in the reboot.)

No matter who played Kahn, we don’t really care about him in this movie, do we? I mean, bad guy on killing spree for no compelling reason other than revenge. The original Kahn had designs on once again ruling the galaxy (he had ruled a quarter of the world during the Eugenics war). This new Kahn? He wants to kill Admiral Marcus, and, perhaps, save his crew. *Yawn*.

I said this after the first movie, and I’m repeating it here: the Enterprise can’t land, much less hide in the ocean. It was (supposed to be) built in space, and isn’t supposed to fare well in the atmosphere. JJ Abrams doesn’t appear to see it that way. And, by the way, if you’re trying to hide a spaceship from people who just invented the wheel, why wouldn’t you hide it - oh, I don’t know - in space?

I like all of the “fan service” references: Carol Marcus, Nurse Chapel, red shirts, tribbles. But a “phone call” to the original Spock for some background? Don’t get me wrong: I love Leonard Nimoy. But this is how you want to use him? (As an aside, I’m sure he would have been surprised to find a British Kahn.)

Another death scene? And reversing the Kirk/Spock roles? It felt awfully forced to me. There’s better ways to do something like that than simply “borrow” it from ST2. And, if you’re going to kill someone, shouldn’t they be dead for a little longer than 3 minutes of screen time? Kind of lessens the impact, doesn’t it? (And, by the way, has Bones found the cure for death? Guess there’s nothing to worry about anymore, is there?) Kinda cheap, if you ask me.

And Spock bellowing “Kahn?” Really? I thought Shatner had the trademark on that reaction.

Also, Sulu had so much to do in 2009. Now, he gets to sit in the Captain’s chair for about 2 minutes, and that’s it. And, aside from speaking a little Klingon, where’s Uhura? And Bones is actually more than a wise-cracking second banana - or should be.

Oh, and the USS Vengeance - a ship three times the size of the enterprise, yet designed to fly with a crew of one, if necessary? Too convenient.

Now, for my youngest, none of these issues were a problem, although I did have to re-explain Kahn’s backstory, quickly and quietly, because it wasn’t made clear enough for him to pick up on, and he wasn’t really clear on his motivations either. He really liked it, really liked Kirk, and really liked the movie. But he doesn’t have the baggage of more than 40 years of Trekiness in him that I do.

All that being said, I didn’t hate the movie, but I didn’t love it either. There’s some good scenes, some great action, and some of the character relations are developing nicely - but others are just stagnating.

I really, really, really wanted to like the movie a lot, but this one - more than the reboot - felt forced, with too many things, borrowed, stolen, or otherwise crow-barred into the story to make it a Trek movie, rather than taking the Trek world, and creating a fresh story.

Instead of hinting at an impending war with the Klingons, why not do the origin story of that war? Or re-introduce Romulans? Or develop the story of New Vulcan, which is only briefly referenced in the movie? There’s a whole galaxy out there - mine that for some stories.

Sadly, I could keep on writing, but I’ve revealed enough of my inner geek for one day.

saberomega:

drunken-bakeneko:

saberomega:

tymethiefslongerthoughts:

Pennsylvania Pre-School Bans “Super Hero Play”

by Geek Girl Diva on May 22, 2013

I’m pretty sure that this is due to a fear of litigation, but a Pennsylvania pre-school has banned “Super Hero play”, along with wrestling and Monster play, because it can result in injury.

When I was a kid, we jumped Big Wheels without any protection and played with lawn darts. We had games and toys that could have killed us, but most of us came out unscathed.

Now this school says you can’t play Superman?

That’s just…sad.

Oh, and can we please discuss that this school don’t seem to be able to spellcheck a document? That’s promising.

if my kid cant cosplay deadpool at preschool, this isnt my america. 

i wasn’t going to reblog this until i saw “the imaginations of our preschool children are becoming dangerously overactive”. fucking christ. i understand not letting kids wear masks and making sure kids arent playing rough enough to harm eachother, but oh my god.

yes! ‘dangerously overactive’. fuck that.

“I don’t think I want to know a six-year-old who isn’t a dreamer, or a sillyheart. And I sure don’t want to know one who takes their student career seriously. I don’t have a college degree. I don’t even have a job. But I know a good kid when I see one. Because they’re ALL good kids, until dried-out, brain-dead skags like you drag them down and convince them they’re no good. You so much as scowl at my niece, or any other kid in this school, and I hear about it, and I’m coming looking for you”

— Uncle Buck

reb-ellious:

Finally, two of my favorite flavors together!  ”Hey, you got your pancake in my peanut butter!”

It’s like having heaven in your mouth! Well, except without St. Peter, cuz that would be weird.

They have a couple different combinations of this amazing stuff (which you can see here); I especially like the cinnamon raisin swirl; the downside for me is it’s so pricey. It’s something like $5 a jar for a little jar in my local store, and that’s such an extravagance for peanut butter. I’ll splurge once every 6 months or so; that’s about all I can justify…..

….but it IS sooooo good.

rujinav:

Mossy Inlet, Islandia

(via triplevision)

witstream:

ccindecision:

It’s official: the Weiner puns are coming.

Anthony Weiner announced he’s running for mayor of New York City in a campaign video that explained why the repentant crotch-tweeter had so much trouble with 21st century technology:

A middle-class kid in Brooklyn. I thought we had it all. Playing stickball late into the night. And if we were lucky, a Mets game on the weekends.

If YOU grew up in 1930s Brooklyn, you’d be confused about how Twitter works too.

Photo by Douglas Graham/CQ-Roll Call Group/Getty Images

BREAKING: Man Named Weiner Who’s Noted For Sexting Talks About “Playing Stickball Late Into The Night” Because Why Not Pile It On Thick

I can’t figure out if this guy is delusional, arrogant, or just stupid……but then, I look at that idiot, Mark Sanford, in South Carolina, and realize that maybe the electorate can be fooled again.

woodendreams:

(by Elenilou)