CAPTAIN JAMES T. KIRK IS DEAD. LONG LIVE CAPTAIN JAMES T. KIRK!
Captain's Personal Log, Supplemental.
Today, Ali and Ava and I visited with our good friend Kenny and his lovely wife, Kristi. While watching NASCAR with them, my ever-alert Trek-sensitive ears locked sensors onto the Alexander Courage fanfare from the original Star Trek series as reinterpreted by composer Jerry Goldsmith for the first time in "Star Trek: The Motion Picture."
Kenny, whose technical prowess would make him one hell of an engineer on a starship, rewound what turned out to be a Direct TV commercial featuring the legendary William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk. Ken said he'd seen the commercial before, and that it was set on the bridge of the Enterprise.
I immediately recognized the footage as being from early in "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country," the final adventure of the original Star Trek cast. What blew me away was new footage of The Shat as Captain Kirk. I was thrilled to see it, of course, and commented that it looked as if they'd filmed some new scenes with Shatner on a partial set and that he still looked good in the Starfleet uniform. My bride commented that it was just clever digital trickery (my words, not hers. She's not the nerd I am) and nothing more.
Thanks to the wonders of YouTube.com, I was able to rewatch the commercial numerous times, and I can say conclusively that Shatner definitely put on a uniform for new footage. The strap that keeps the flap of the movie-era Starfleet uniforms appears too big to be accurate in the close-up of Kirk, and the rank and Starfleet chevron pins are also inaccurately sized and colored.
What does all this mean, other than I have a razor-keen proclivity to recognize minute details? It means that the naysayers, the Hatas, if you will, are wrong.
BILL SHATNER CAN STILL PLAY CAPTAIN JAMES TIBERIUS KIRK.
In 1991, Paramount decided the original cast had to go. They wanted to make room for the Next Generation cast to take to the big screen. I liked TNG enough growing up, sure. But it was never, and never will be, the original Star Trek. It's not as mythic, not as legendary, not nearly as iconic and lasting.
A year after "The Undiscovered Country," The Powers That Be killed off James Kirk in a manner unbefitting his stature as an icon of twentieth-century fiction.
Fans have constantly debated whether or not Shatner could reprise the role of Kirk if he were to somehow return from the dead in true Trek fashion. The naysayers harp on his weight and age.
Star Trek was always about pushing past stereotypes, judgments, hatred, and antiquated expectations. TNG's Captain Picard was twenty years older than Kirk was when he took command of the original Enterprise. Older people were shown as vital and important in TNG and the other spin-offs, age be damned.
So someone tell me why the hell Captain Kirk, the greatest of all the Star Trek captains, one of the few true science fiction heroic archetypes, cannot live again.
There's no good reason, just stupid studio monkeys who are too wrapped up in the whimsy of the current entertainment industry to recognize the importance of all ages of the human experience.
The Direct TV add demonstrates the fun that Kirk's character had, and that Shatner brought to the role. In my humble opinion, there's not enough fun and enthusiasm in our heroes today. There's not enough fun and enthusiasm and passion for adventure and exploring life in our culture in general.
We need Captain Kirk. Granted, the ad used some CGI work to get rid of some wrinkles and pounds. But this was used to great effect in the last X-Men film for, ironically enough, Patrick "Captain Picard" Stewart.
So there's no reason James Kirk can't return. I say bring him on!
If you don't believe me, see for yourself.
Captain out.
Today, Ali and Ava and I visited with our good friend Kenny and his lovely wife, Kristi. While watching NASCAR with them, my ever-alert Trek-sensitive ears locked sensors onto the Alexander Courage fanfare from the original Star Trek series as reinterpreted by composer Jerry Goldsmith for the first time in "Star Trek: The Motion Picture."
Kenny, whose technical prowess would make him one hell of an engineer on a starship, rewound what turned out to be a Direct TV commercial featuring the legendary William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk. Ken said he'd seen the commercial before, and that it was set on the bridge of the Enterprise.
I immediately recognized the footage as being from early in "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country," the final adventure of the original Star Trek cast. What blew me away was new footage of The Shat as Captain Kirk. I was thrilled to see it, of course, and commented that it looked as if they'd filmed some new scenes with Shatner on a partial set and that he still looked good in the Starfleet uniform. My bride commented that it was just clever digital trickery (my words, not hers. She's not the nerd I am) and nothing more.
Thanks to the wonders of YouTube.com, I was able to rewatch the commercial numerous times, and I can say conclusively that Shatner definitely put on a uniform for new footage. The strap that keeps the flap of the movie-era Starfleet uniforms appears too big to be accurate in the close-up of Kirk, and the rank and Starfleet chevron pins are also inaccurately sized and colored.
What does all this mean, other than I have a razor-keen proclivity to recognize minute details? It means that the naysayers, the Hatas, if you will, are wrong.
BILL SHATNER CAN STILL PLAY CAPTAIN JAMES TIBERIUS KIRK.
In 1991, Paramount decided the original cast had to go. They wanted to make room for the Next Generation cast to take to the big screen. I liked TNG enough growing up, sure. But it was never, and never will be, the original Star Trek. It's not as mythic, not as legendary, not nearly as iconic and lasting.
A year after "The Undiscovered Country," The Powers That Be killed off James Kirk in a manner unbefitting his stature as an icon of twentieth-century fiction.
Fans have constantly debated whether or not Shatner could reprise the role of Kirk if he were to somehow return from the dead in true Trek fashion. The naysayers harp on his weight and age.
Star Trek was always about pushing past stereotypes, judgments, hatred, and antiquated expectations. TNG's Captain Picard was twenty years older than Kirk was when he took command of the original Enterprise. Older people were shown as vital and important in TNG and the other spin-offs, age be damned.
So someone tell me why the hell Captain Kirk, the greatest of all the Star Trek captains, one of the few true science fiction heroic archetypes, cannot live again.
There's no good reason, just stupid studio monkeys who are too wrapped up in the whimsy of the current entertainment industry to recognize the importance of all ages of the human experience.
The Direct TV add demonstrates the fun that Kirk's character had, and that Shatner brought to the role. In my humble opinion, there's not enough fun and enthusiasm in our heroes today. There's not enough fun and enthusiasm and passion for adventure and exploring life in our culture in general.
We need Captain Kirk. Granted, the ad used some CGI work to get rid of some wrinkles and pounds. But this was used to great effect in the last X-Men film for, ironically enough, Patrick "Captain Picard" Stewart.
So there's no reason James Kirk can't return. I say bring him on!
If you don't believe me, see for yourself.
Captain out.
posted by Christopher at 6:34 PM
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