STAR TREK RESEARCH

INTRODUCTION TO TV SERIES

• Star Trek is a TV show created in 1966 by Gene Roddenberry. It showed the journeys of a group of space explorers on the star ship Enterprise and on alien planets. The show explored philosophical ideals and paralleled There were 5 TV series in total.

• The Original Series

• The Next Generation

• Deep Space Nine

• Voyager

• Enterprise

WHY DO PEOPLE LIKE STAR TREK?

• Social/Political Commentary

• Groundbreaking (first interracial kiss on US television, ethnically varied cast)

• Inspiration for technologies (tablets, flip phones, desktops)

INTRODUCTION TO FILM SERIES

• Alongside the TV series, there were feature films that were released. There were 6 that were based on the original series, 4 that were based upon The Next Generation and 2 films that rebooted the series. Number Title Release date Director Cast

1 Star Trek: The Motion Picture

December 7, 1979

Robert Wise

The Original Series

2 Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

June 4, 1982 Nicholas Meyer

3 Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

June 1, 1984Leonard Nimoy

4 Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

November 26, 1986

5 Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

June 9, 1989 William Shatner

6 Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

December 6, 1991

Nicholas Meyer

7 Star Trek Generations

November 18, 1994

David Carson

The Next Generation

8 Star Trek: First Contact

November 22, 1996

Jonathan Frakes9 Star Trek: Insurr

ection

December 11, 1998

10 Star Trek: Nemesis

December 13, 2002

Stuart Baird

11 Star Trek May 8, 2009J. J. Abrams Reboot films

12 Star Trek Into Darkness

May 16, 2013

FAN RECEPTION TO REBOOT FILMS

• Fan reactions to the 1st reboot film were pretty positive with fans and critics praising the relationships between the characters, action, CGI, makeup that’s faithful to the original show and so on.

• Fan reactions in particular to the 2nd reboot film, Star Trek Into Darkness were overwhelmingly negative. At a Las-Vegas convention, it was voted the worst out of all 12 Star Trek films and Galaxy Quest, a film that satirized the TV show. The film was booed at mention of it and one fan got on the stage, took the microphone and said that the reboot films shouldn’t even be considered on this list. I simply couldn’t list everything that’s wrong with this.

Rank Film1 II: The Wrath of

Khan

2 First Contact

3 VI: The Undiscovered Country

4 IV: The Voyage Home

5 The Search For Spock

6 Star Trek (2009)

7 Galaxy Quest

8 Generations

9 The Motion Picture

10 Nemesis

11 Insurrection

12 V: The Final Frontier

13 Into Darkness

MARKETING THE REBOOTS

• The challenge with creating a new Star Trek movie would be making it appealing to the masses, yet still retaining everything that made it appealing to Trek fans in the first place.

• Fan service in the form of memorable quotes, locations, character(s/istics) etc would be suitable to retain the interest of old fans.

• Promotional material served to strip away the sci-fi elements while focusing on the new, younger cast and action to attract a new audience.

Star Trek 2009 trailer analysis

This is a shot of Kirk in a bar fight. It may be appealing to fans of the TV show, as Kirk is partially known for getting into fistfights often with his enemies.

This informs the viewer that this will go into Kirk’s origin, as a

student at Starfleet academy. It could be pleasing to fans, as they

may’ve wanted to know what Starfleet was for Kirk.

This is a shot of three characters being sent down to the surface of a

planet. This indicates a focus on intense setpieces.

This is a shot of the Enterprise being attacked by a ship. This will appeal to those that enjoyed the spacecraft battles of the TV series.

This is a shot of a structure in low orbit, firing a laser down onto a planet. This makes it seem like the threat is great which makes it appealing to general audiences.

This is a shot of a massive arctic plain. It highlights the effort that’s going into the CGI, as this scene was filmed in California.

This is a shot of a spaceship coming out of a black hole, right in front of

a sun. This, coupled with the orchestral score, emphasises the scale of the threat and makes it

seem more epic, and thus draws in the audience.

This is a shot of a planet being devoured by a black hole at the

centre. It makes the danger look like it’s on a grand scale.

This is a shot of Spock embracing Uhura. Because Spock is half-Vulcan, a race which doesn’t feel emotion, this retconning may displease fans of the TV show.

This is a shot of Sulu fighting a Klingon. This highlights the focus on action, presenting one-on-one fights instead of ship-to-ship battles.

This is a shot of the Enterprise approaching Nero’s ship. Nero’s

ship seems to be much more intimidating than the Enterprise, which may make the odds seem

hopeless for the protagonists.

This is a shot of Spock’s mother observing a laser piercing the clouds. Despite the trailer not making it clear that is Spock’s

mother, it still works because it makes it seem like Nero will hurt

the innocent.

This is a shot of the Enterprise coming out of light speed into a debris field from the view of the bridge. This can please fans because it looks quite faithful to the bridge for The Original Series.

This is a shot of George Kirk being thrust forward on the Enterprise bridge. This presents an alternate version of James Kirk’s father which could please fans of the TV show.

This shot of Simon Pegg as Montgomery Scott indicates that

the film may not just have a focus on grandiose action, that it could

also have some comic relief.

This is a shot of Kirk being chased by a creature in the snow. This can appeal to the general audience, as

it provides a sense of excitement and danger.

FANDOM

• There are two terms that are used to describe the fan base of Star Trek, Trekkie, the original word created by Gene Roddenberry, and Trekker, the term that the fans created for themselves because at the time, “Trekkie” was typically used as an insult.

• Trekkies are stereotyped as overweight, socially awkward people who become ecstatic over any reference to Star Trek. This has a negative effect on those who may consider beginning to watch the show as it may put them off it.