Star Trek: Beyond (July 22, 2016)

Exactly, I agree that the nature of "Trek" is such that TV is where it ends up working best. Most of the Trek films have always struck me as a high budget, extra-long episodes of TV. That's fine for me. The "TNG" movies were a mixed bag, but I dug the show when it was on, so having four movies (essentially around the equivalent of eight more episodes of the show) was really just about having a little more of the show than having an amazing "film" per se.

"Star Trek Beyond" is like the first "stand-alone" episode of a super high budget TV show, and I mean that in the best way possible. I'm not sure how much more epic in scope the "average" moviegoer can expect it to be. Trek is episodic; always has been.

 

As to the question of Sulu's sexuality on ST:TOS, there is "Mirror, Mirror", in which he gets slapped by Uhura for groping her (twice!). In "The Naked Time", while under the influence, he grabs Uhura and refers to her as a "fair maiden." One of the movies shows his daughter. And we have the testimony of Takei himself, who was always quick to point out that Sulu was straight.

So yes, it is a major change in the character, and this one has no in-universe explanation.

 

Beyond shows his daughter as well. It doesn't really require an explanation. It's a subtle change in a rebooted story. No big deal.

 

I hate the way they do trailers now. Does the studio feel that we have to have major spoilers in the trailer and a major plot twist as well? The art of the trailer died decades ago the idiots supervising them now shouldn't be making films at all.

 

Whether or not the actor is gay should have no relevance on the character.
Changing the sexuality of the character in hopes you might draw more people is not how you make movies.

Darryl

 

I think this was their motivation, and I think it is exactly why Takei did not like it.

 

Agree. It just would've been more creative to pick a character other than the one originally played by the gay actor...

 

The change wasn't made to draw more people. It was made to continue Trek's tradition of inclusiveness. This particular area of inclusiveness had been sorely lacking in Trek. Beyond finally put an end to that.

 

Takei didn't like it, because he felt that it betrayed Roddenberry's vision of the character, ironic considering that Roddenberry didn't like the scripts for Wrath of Khan and Undiscovered Country, both of which Takei appeared in.

 

I wouldn't say lacking. DS9 tackled the subject in the excellent 1995 episode Rejoined and in a much bolder way, culminating in this emotional scene between Dax and Lenara:

 

I love that episode, one of my favorites. You're right, they did tackle the issue, but until recently, the franchise has not featured a gay character. There are many ways to interpret that episode, but Jadzia wasn't a gay character. However, a good case can be made that when it comes to being gay or bisexual, love is love. That was the case with Rejoined. Jadzia's love for Lenara and Lenara's love for Jadzia transcended sexual boundaries.

 

Yes, that's true, but it was still a female to female kiss and to many people that would be all they see or react to.

Absolutely, that's what made the episode great, the underlying depth and nuance of the situation and the sensitive character performances of both actors. These are the types of stories that make (tv) Trek great.

Trying to think of another example...wasn't there a similarly themed episode in DS9 in the mirror universe where mirror-Kira has bisexual leanings? I can't remember the specific details ATM however...

 

Saw the movie yesterday (in 3D), enjoyed it and thought it was very good, not great or a classic, but very good. I could nit-pick a few areas but really you can do that in almost all films these days I suppose.

 

I just re-watched it due to your post. It's only the second time I've seen it. It's a beautiful episode, allegorical to situations in many parts of the world where people can be persecuted, or even executed, for loving someone of the same gender.

I vaguely remember the mirror episode in which mirror-Kira has bisexual leanings, but I don't remember much about it.

 

And Benicio could pass for middle-eastern much more easily than Cumberbatch.
They should have renamed the character John Harrison - for real - and left Khan in the cryo-tube.

 

I'm reminded of another excellent Trek episode, this time TNG's The Outcast, which also deals with gender issues, but in a different way. It's also very affecting.

 

As for 'new' Spock showing a little more emotion I can imagine that 'old' Spock probably told him at some time "Look, take it from me...you can lighten up a little! It won't hurt!"

 

The Sulu "reveal" didn't bother me in the least. What I found more ham-fisted was the cutaway to Sulu's family running for their lives during the assault on Yorktown.

John K.

 

Took the whole fam-damily to the drive-in to see 'ST: Beyond' and we all loved it. Very cool to see it amongst the stars. And I must say it is one handsome looking movie, beautifully rendered by all departments & exquisitely lit and shot.

 

Saw it today and loved it

 

Hated it. Felt like a big cartoon- don't know why they even bothered with actors.

 

And that gets us back to that the reason his family is shown in the first place earlier in the film is so that we get that shot, ham-fisted indeed, later in the film. That element was pretty lazy writing. "Oh, Sulu's family is there. *Now* there are real consequences."

 

It's at under 180 million worldwide, isn't that very poor box office for how long it's been out and for it's budget?

 

Would have been kind of tough as they've already established Chekov as a womanizer, Kirk as one, McCoy was married and got divorced (although that could have been interesting), Spock and Uhura as having a relationship although Scotty has some sort of weird relationship going on with the little alien guy...

The only one that it might have worked with was Sulu simply because we know so little about his romantic background beyond seeing Mirror Sulu having a thing for Uhura.

 

The Star Trek universe is full of walk-on ensigns that could have played the role. To me it just shows the lack of imagination in pop culture. George Takei became iconic for his "Oh, yes" and now the writers feel they have to write that into the remake because of its recognition factor. What's next? Cameos by the Kardashians?