I made the mistake of watching not just the first episode of Starfleet Academy, but the first TWO episodes in hopes that the show might not continue to be a dreadful insult to the legacy of Star Trek. Well, it is. Good heavens, its terrible.
The show's writers ignorance or indifference to how any military organization works highlights one reason the original series is still the best version of that universe. I do realize that Star Fleet is not purely military and should not be purely military--they do exploration, diplomancy, science, etc as well. But they are structued as a military organization, with ranks, traditions and all that goes with that. And they pack phasers and photon torpedoes--if we go to war with the Klingons, Star Fleet will be on the front lines.
Take a look at any scene set on the bridge of the Enterprise in the Original Series. The bridge always had the right ambiance to it--it gave the impression of being the busy nerve center of a large vessel. The bridge crew (including the extras at the sub-stations) looked busy. There were always people moving about as if they were accomplishing things. Kirk was always signing off on orders, requests or reports. It looked right.
Many of the writers of the original series were military vets, including Roddenberry. They were able to show us how a large military vessel operates. It's only one small detail among all the other things that made it great. There were also intelligent scripts, great characters (with the Kirk/Spock/McCoy dynamic being key) and a respect for excellence. The bridge crew were there because they were the best there is.
Sorry for taking up a Thursday post to rant about this. But I made the mistake of watching Starfleet Academy and needed to wash the bad taste out of my mouth. Always remember, the original works that made a beloved francise beloved are still there. Later iterations, whether good or bad, don't affect them. Adjust your Head Canon accordingly and don't worry about the terrible stuff.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment