Many years ago, an up-and-coming filmmaker named J.J. Abrams said in an interview that he thought the original Star Trek television series was "too talky". I resented the remark and Abrams back then. But he did a fabulous job with the Star Trek reboot films, and I love Star Trek Into Darkness, a remake of sorts derived from the Star Trek TV episode "Space Seed", which introduced the genetically-engineered Khan Noonien Singh, and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
J.J. Abrams is a rare breed of directors who, like John Carpenter, also compose music. (He wrote the theme, for example, for his TV show Alias, starring Jennifer Garner.) Abrams has become one of my top favorite filmmakers, along with George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Christopher Nolan, Tony Scott, and Kathryn Bigelow, to name a few.
People often associate action with sci-fi, but hardcore science fiction doesn't necessarily go hand in hand with action. Consider 2001: A Space Odyssey.
It may be one of the least popular movies in the franchise, but Star Trek: The Motion Picture is still one of my favorite films. If you've watched the original series, the pacing is about the same, and it, too, may be considered "too talky". But Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a very underappreciated science fiction movie, and it brilliantly brought back the original cast ten years after the show was cancelled, including lesser-known regular characters Christine Chapel and Janice Rand.
Paramount Pictures recently released Star Trek: The Motion Picture - The Director's Edition with restored, deleted, and even new scenes. I have the "Special Longer Version" of the movie on LaserDisc, and I was delighted to see The Director's Edition was even more different with new visual effects scenes.
Even in these divisive times, an imaginary future where people of many races and cultures working together can still garner mass appeal, and being Black and a woman, Nichelle Nichols personified that aura. This was especially significant during the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s. To say Nichols was a trailblazer would be an understatement. She was a trailblazer².
Star Trek is so beloved and has become a global cultural phenomenon. I predict it will have such an everlasting legacy and will continue to inspire and give hope to people till we actually explore strange new worlds with gigantic starships and beyond.
Sadly, we've lost some folks from the original Star Trek. Gene Roddenberry, the show's creator, passed away in 1991. And there's DeForest Kelly (Dr. McCoy), James Doohan (Scotty), Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock), and now Nichelle Nichols, who played Communications Officer Nyota Uhura aboard the USS Enterprise.
May you all rest in peace. You have lived long and prospered, and the world is better because of you and Star Trek. 🖖
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