Matt’s Week in Dork! (7/27/14-8/2/14)

    Vacation weeks are always awesome.  I got some serious movie watching in, for the first time in a while.  And I had some adventures.  So, good times.

Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.:  With Mechagodzilla nearly repaired, the Twins show up and demand that he not be used, that the Godzilla bones inside him be returned to the sea.  Crazy talk.  But it’s OK.  ‘Cause they say Mothra will step in and do any kaiju crushing that need be done.  Of course, trouble is brewing, and plans go awry.

Godzilla: Final Wars:  Danged aliens.  This movie is probably the second craziest, after Invasion of Astro-Monster.  It’s kitchen sink filmmaking at its best.  Tons of monsters, aliens, super-powered mutants, a kid and his hillbilly grandfather driving around in a truck with baby-Godzilla, super-tech vehicles, and the end of the world.  It’s nuts.  Salted nuts.  And it’s a wonderful, silly send-off for the franchise as it went into retirement again.

Ossessione:  An Italian take on a classic Noir tale.  It’s pretty good, but lacks a certain panache.  Like the leads in Double Indemnity, the leads in this film are unappealing.  However, where that worked in the former, it works less in this.  The Italian setting is probably the best part, lending a familiar story some exotic elements.

The Raid 2:  So, so danged violent.  This movie is intensely brutal, in your face, gut punchingly violent.  My second viewing may not have had the visceral impact it had when I saw it in the theater, but it’s still darned nasty.  Darned nasty.

Streets of Fire:  One of the most wonderfully 80s movies out there.  It’s a half 50s/half 80s fantasy cityscape of Rock & Roll and neon.  Greasers, bikers, ex-soldiers, a rocker-girl, and a dozen other cliché characters come together on the streets to set the night on fire.  Over the top 80s music.  Crazy fashion.  And so much cheesy dialog.  It’s no surprise that this is one of my all time favorite films.

    On Tuesday, my lady and I headed to DC, where we checked out the Spy Museum, which was pretty cool.  There are a lot of interesting displays, and the James Bond exhibit is quite nice.  From there, we headed over to District of Pi for some tasty pizza.  Then we grabbed a bus instead of a metro, so we could see the city as we headed for Silver Spring.  Once there, we checked out Piratz Tavern, where I drank me a big ol’ mug of grog.  It was pretty good.  Then we hit up Quarry House Tavern where the tater tots were excellent.  And then, after all that, thanks to my lady and her awesome connections, we went over to the Regal theater to see an advanced screening of Guardians of the Galaxy (take that, Brad!).

Guardians of the Galaxy:  The latest entry in the expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe is fun and exciting, tapping into the wild imagination of old-timey science fiction, while developing various elements of the setting.  The writing is cute and clever, while keeping the adventure thrilling.  The main villain for the film, Ronan The Accuser, like most of the villains Marvel has thrown at its heroes so far, is somewhat lackluster.  The Red Skull is probably the only solid villain so far, and it doesn’t look like he’s coming back (though he totally could and should).  I know they’re building up Thanos.  Hopefully that works out.  Fans of the previous Marvel films should find plenty to enjoy, but the film can easily stand alone.  I can’t wait to see the further adventures of the Guardians and how they’ll work into the stories of other Marvel heroes and villains.

Finding Vivian Maier:  The fascinating and sometimes dark life of a secretive woman is revealed after her death.  When a man discovers a huge pile of photo negatives, he begins a quest to find out about the woman who took them.  Vivian Maier emerges as a wonderful character, deeply flawed, but richly talented, who created the life she wanted for herself, even if it might not have been the best life she could have had.  The documentary doesn’t shy away from some of her darker ways, including what seems to be a descent into some kind of mental illness.  But it also celebrates her way of seeing the world, and her spirit of quiet self determination.  Like some of the most interesting self-made people, Maier’s early life has a romantic, thrilling nature, with world travel and mystery.  This film is a good glimpse at an artist doing art for herself, not for anyone else.  I respect and am somewhat awed by that.

Cuban Fury:  A cute story about a former salsa dancing champion who threw it all away after being bullied.  Now, as schlubby adult, he’s prompted to take up the shoes of fire again when he meets a woman he thinks is out of his league.  It’s pretty light and goofy, but it’s funny and charming.  If you’re in the mood for a pleasant romantic comedy, this one is pretty good.  And some of the performances are quite good.

Psychomania:  The child of a woman who has sold herself to Satan, now heads a biker gang.  Of course, like any good biker gang, they all want to burn the world down, and what better way but to kill themselves and come back as immortal hellions.  Yup.  Overall, the movie was OK, in that very 70s, British horror movie way.  But it’s not quite as sleazy as it should have been, and not as weird.  I like the feel, but it seems a bit too safe.

The Bible: In the Beginning…:  Nothing puts the madness and villainy of the Bible in focus quite so much as seeing it presented in images.  I found this to be true when looking at The Brick Bible (Bible stories done in Lego), and I find it in some of these Biblical epics.  This film takes on several of the bigger stories from the Old Testament.  And they’re awful.  The God of the Old Testament is a monster; tormenting, cruel, fickle, and beastly by any measure.  In the Old Testament, God seems to be like a schoolyard bully who grabs a victim by the hand, slaps the victim across the face with it, and yells “why are you hitting yourself?!” over and over.  And the morality of his people is suspect, at best.  The Tower of Babel, Noah’s Ark, the two angels and Lot, Abraham, etc.  Each story is peppered with cruelty, evil, and human misery, as, in the best tradition of Bronze Age mythology (the gods of the Greeks are as tormenting and petty, to be sure), the divine represents the whims and horrors of nature, and things outside of the control or ken of Mankind.  The production looks good, and the cast is the usual mix of quality you got in these big budget, ‘cast of thousands’ type films.  And everyone is Bible-acting, which is much like Shakespeare, but with less passion.  George C. Scott is, perhaps, going a bit overboard as Abraham.  It would probably make a good companion with The Ten Commandments, though I’ll not be doing that double header (because The Ten Commandments is super, super dull…sorry, but it is).

Space 1999 Season 1:  The first season of this show is quite good, with a solid, classic science fiction heart and a nice leaning toward the creepy and weird.  The cast is good, most of the episodes are good, and the effects and production design are generally pretty good, too.  There are elements of Golden Age science fiction, like the stories you’d hear on radio shows like Dimension X.  And there’s some of that very British New-Age stuff of its time.  Like The Starlost, some of the better original series Trek episodes, etc., it taps in to the types of sci-fi I love the most.

    Friday morning, I finished the first volume of The First Kingdom, which was really cool.  I don’t think I’ll be delving in to the second volume right away, as it’s kind of dense for a comic.  But I liked it, and I look forward to seeing what else happens to the various characters.

Battlestar Galactica Blood & Chrome:  I’m mostly cold on prequels.  Not that they can’t be done well, but they typically aren’t.  Case in point; Caprica, the previous Battlestar prequel series.  However, this one manages to get it right, with just enough revealed to make it worth the time, while still having some mystery.  Yes, we know William Adama makes it out.  But the rest of it?  Anyone’s game.  My hope for Battlestar in the future (if there is any future for it) is not another prequel, but something that takes the setting well into its future, exploring entirely new concepts and characters.  I doubt it’ll happen, but that’s my hope.  In the meantime, this is a fine taste for those missing the show.

Cyclone:  A dumb, low rent movie about an advanced motorcycle and some tools who want to steal it.  This is the kind of thing that drive-ins and straight to video were made for.  Probably best to watch with friends, so you can give it the MST3K treatment.

Alienator:  This one has a smidge of low budget charm, but that’s about it.  Dumb characters and a dumb Terminator rip-off script don’t do the job.  If you’re looking for another movie to riff on with your friends, give this one a go.  Otherwise, move along.  Fred Olen Ray strikes again.

    Friday night, I finally got Ben to come over again, and we sat down to what I think is one of the crazier Godzilla movies, but which he thought wasn’t nearly as weird as Godzilla Vs. Mothra.  I guess he still hasn’t gotten over the discomfort caused by the Infant Island Fairies.

Invasion of the Astro-Monster:  The series goes full on Sci-fi with this rocket ship adventure film.  After two buddies travel to Planet X and discover some aliens hiding from King Ghidorah, they strike a bargain to lend Godzilla and Rodan to their defense.  You know, that old story.  I love the 60s rocket ship story, along with the always fun Ghidorah.  Plus, the story is just nuts.  And Fuji and Glenn are solid leads.  I’d have liked to see their continuing adventures.

    On Saturday, my lady and I traveled to DC once more, where we had brunch (that’s a thing I do now) at District Commons, which was pretty cool.  There was even some kind of sporting thing on the TV that I totally didn’t get.  But muscled people were running around and hanging on rings and such.  Then we walked to Georgetown, which I find to be a very pleasant place, even if the main drag is overcrowded with people who walk as slow as humanly possible.  And there we hit up the AMC theater to watch Lucy.  A lovely day.

Lucy:  This movie is pretty darned dumb, but it’s also kind of fun.  The very premise is laughable, and they never manage to sell it, as Morgan Freeman does his best to throw some 1950s movie science at you through awkward exposition.  But I’ve always enjoyed these ascendance stories.  I think it’s the Nietzschean in me.  Luc Besson is like Sam Raimi.  He hasn’t grown or evolved as a film maker in twenty years.  So the movie feels like a hodgepodge of his earlier work, mixed with elements of the cheesy action movies he’s produced over the years (Transporter, District B13, Kiss of the Dragon, etc.), even featuring the almost signature crappy techno music playing over the car chases.

The Flying Serpent:  Thank goodness this movie was less than an hour long.  This is the kind of thing that made Mystery Science Theater 3000 so good, but is kind of tough to watch on its own.  A bunch of bad actors do the various things it takes to move along a dumb plot.  The puppetry and flying footage of the titular serpent is surprisingly good considering the quality of the rest of the movie, but not so good as to be worth taking the time to see the film.

    The ending of vacations is always a bit sad.  But this was a good one, and I’m glad of it.  Up next, I definitely have to read Beasts of Burden, our next book club selection.  Maybe this week.  And I think I’ll be going to see Guardians of the Galaxy again.  Time will tell.

-Matthew J. Constantine

A Fistful of Fictional Presidents! (Matt’s Picks)

    With ultra-dull White House Down in theaters this weekend, we’re looking at some of our favorite fictional presidents.  Sadly, Jamie Foxx’s uncomfortable collection of ethnic stereotypes, President “DJ Jazzy” Sawyer will not be making the cut.

5.  President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho may not be the sharpest bulb in the sea, but he knows what the people like, and he knows how to give it to ‘em.  He is the worst case scenario and he rules the Idiocracy.

4.  Gaius Baltar is the most interesting and conflicted character on Battlestar Galactica, so it’s no shock his rise to power is rather strange and magical.  When he becomes president, it almost feels like destiny.  A really awful, horrible destiny.

3.  The President, as played by Henry Fonda in Fail Safe makes some of the hardest choices a man might be called upon to make.  But if the fate of the world were in his hand, I would feel…well, not safe, but in good hands.

2.  Donald Pleasence is the President in Escape from New York, and he’s having a bad day.  He goes from awkward and abused to total Rambo nuts and back again at the flip of a switch, and even the Duke of New York, who may indeed be A number 1, is no match.

1.  David Palmer may be about the most hardcore president I’ve ever seen.  He makes the tough calls, does the right things, and puts foes in their place.  He may be married to a demon, but even she can’t hold him back.  At a time when I was feeling particularly low about American politics, the first two seasons of 24 re-kindled a bit of the presidential awe I had as a young lad.

-Matt

An Open Letter to the makers of the New Star Wars Films

To the Powers That Be at Disney,

    No, no, no.  Relax.  This is not another snotty, Comic Book Guy post, complaining that C3P0 is going to want to be a real boy, or that Buzz Lightyear will be the main character of the next movie, or that Leia is not a Disney Princess.  Unlike many people on the internet, I do know that a studio famous for certain things is capable of doing other things.  Plus, the Star Wars films were danged kids’ movies (or family-friendly, anyway) in the first place.  So, what’s the problem really, super-fans?  This letter consists of a few suggestions from one lone voice of nerdiness, one Dork who has spent a lifetime with the universe of Star Wars as part of his mythological pantheon.  I’m not one of those guys who tries to live by the Force.  I don’t have a Slave Leia poster on my wall.  And while I don’t care for the Prequel Trilogy or the CG manipulated versions of the original films, I did actually like a lot about The Phantom Menace (It’s a gorgeous movie, people.  Look at it!).  I’ve never subscribed to the idea that one must like either Star Wars or Star Trek.  I like ’em both, and Babylon 5, Farscape, Battlestar Galactica, and Firefly to boot.  I have plenty of space in my nerd heart for all (I even like Middle Earth, even though I’m not much for wizards and dragons).  But I feel I need to stand up on my tiny little soapbox have my say.

    In my previous letter to the creative team behind the rumored Star Trek TV series, I suggested that step one in the process should always be to look at the property and assess what it is really about.  What is that thing that makes it stand out, that gives it its essential identity.  With Star Trek, I contend that it is hope for the future of humanity (and life in general), wonder at the vastness and cosmic beauty of space, and a cautious optimism about technology and science, and that all this ‘let’s make it darker, let’s show lots of war, etc.’ stuff is muddying the waters and diluting the essential nature of Trek.  But what is Star Wars?  Is it about Jedi Knights battling to restore balance to the universe?  Is it about fathers and sons, family destinies, etc.?  Is it about people living on the fringes, fighting against insurmountable odds?  I’ll tell you what it meant to me.  It was a glimpse into realms of the imagination.  I was transported to exotic locations, saw strange creatures and stranger people.  Interesting characters like wise Old Ben, sleazy Han Solo, smooth Lando, driven Leia became role models of a kind.  Leia was one (thankfully, of many) female characters in movies of my youth that defied gender roles and showed that a woman didn’t have to be constantly rescued by a man, but could do plenty on her own.  Han showed me that one might have a rough exterior, so long as one remained true to one’s self and did the right thing when the chips were down.  And even though I don’t like a lot about Return of the Jedi, or for that matter, the whole story of Darth Vader being Luke’s father (I much prefer him just being a villain with no ties to the protagonist beyond opposing ideologies), I do love the redemptive arc; the idea that as bad as he was and as awful as the things he did were, a man could find some little slice of redemption.  But what it all came down to was stickin’ it to the Man.  No, my ship’s hallways aren’t gonna be clean.  No, my hero isn’t going to get the girl.  Yeah, Han shot that dude.  In cold blood.  ‘Cause it was the right thing to do in that circumstance.  And yeah, he is a little too short to be a Storm Trooper.  Take that, suits.  Star Wars don’t take no guff.

    Star Wars had its roots firmly planted in the storytelling of a different time.  It harkened back to Edgar Rice Burroughs’ A Princess of  Mars and its sequels, to Buster Crabbe’s Flash Gordon serials, and to the pulp science fiction of C.L. Moore’s Northwest Smith stories and the like, and the Golden Age science fiction of Asimov’s Foundation books.  These were books marked by bold visions, wild and untamed imagination, grand imagery, and daring adventure.  Rogues and visionaries, self-made heroes.  Sweeping stories, packed with action and melodramatic relationships.  Swashbuckling and ray-guns.  Rocket ships and robots.  Strange vistas and exotic women.  And obviously, when you look at the Empire (not to mention a lot of the technology), a level of World War II seeped into much of the series, with its crushing jackboots, resistance fighters, and average people caught up in the waves of history.  It helped to break the image of the science fiction as being soulless, pristine hallways, and Spartan, monochromatic rooms.  It visualized what had been in the literature for a long time, that when humans go into space, they will bring all their habits with them, not always sweeping the floor, cleaning off the table, repainting that part of the wall by the door, leaving the dirty laundry laying around, etc.  It’s a world that looks like it’s being lived in, not one long day at the office.

    So, what do I want to see in new Star Wars films?  Well, I don’t really need to see Luke, Leia, Vader, or any of them again.  Their story is done.  It’s over.  We’ve seen  it.  It’s been told.  I’m not saying ignore them; clearly they should have had a profound effect on the galaxy.  But just as I wouldn’t want every movie about the 60s to be about Bob Dylan, and I wouldn’t want every movie about cops to be about Eliot Ness, and I wouldn’t want every movie set in the Star Trek universe to be about Worf, I don’t want or need every Star Wars film to be about the Skywalker clan.  It’s a big universe, filled with infinite potential.  New characters and new locations, and new stories, that’s what I want.  And don’t ever, ever, ever go back to Tatooine.  It was supposed to be the back-end of nowhere, a place so outside of the flow of the galaxy that a powerful Force adept could hide out without worry, the son of a Republic hero could live a quiet life, and there was little to no chance of ever being stumbled across.  Yet, five out of the six films visit that backwater nowhere (is it simply coincidence that the film generally considered to be the best in the series is the one movie that doesn’t take time out to visit Tatooine?).  And everything that has ever happened in the history of the galaxy seems to have involved that one desert world at least once.  What gives?  And avoid the traps of Avatar and Episodes II and III.  Don’t spend tons of money, time, and effort on recreating environments you could just fly to.  A desert?  A jungle?  We have those here on Earth.  Let’s see things we don’t have.  Not even saying don’t go to jungles or deserts, but make them exotic, make them unique.  Change the color of the sky, the ground, the plants.  Give them distinct features we won’t recognize as North Africa, Australia, or Brazil.  Avatar cost what, 300 million?  600 million?  An episode of the last season of Farscape cost what turned out to be a prohibitively expensive 1 million, and in an hour of that show I felt like I had visited an alien world with strange creatures and people I’d never experienced, not taken a trip to Costa Rica or Brazil with the cast of Terminator 2.  Imagination is the key, and maybe that really does require younger voices, younger directors and script-writers.  Often, older filmmakers play it too safe, rely too much on experience.  And if there is ever need of an illustration of necessity being the mother of invention, look at hard at Avatar, a movie where money was not an issue, where the best and brightest had everything they could ever want to put together a movie, and what did we get?  A long, un-engaging retelling of Fern Gully with environments, people, creatures, and technology we’d all seen before in other films, video games, etc.  Not an inventive or surprising element in the whole danged thing.  A lower budget isn’t a bad thing.  It forces creativity and invention.  Not only that, but when the financial stakes are lower, the freedom to take chances is higher.  And taking chances is how classics are made.  It’s how Star Wars was made.

    Let’s see a return to the action packed, visually striking, idea packed fun of Star Wars (before it was A New Hope) and the serious, high-stakes storytelling of The Empire Strikes Back.  Interesting characters with surprising motivations.  Strange worlds and unique locations.  Creative and alien peoples.  Look to the Clone Wars animated series, which has more interesting ideas packed into an average episode than the entirety of Episodes II or III.  Look to other science fiction shows, like Farscape, which managed to capture that magic of the first Star Wars film week after week for four seasons.  Or the operatic storytelling of Babylon 5, which could rise above primitive CGI and wildly uneven acting to be one of the best emotion packed science fiction epics out there.  Star Trek and Star Wars helped to reshape science fiction.  And after the success of Star Wars, countless films hit theaters, shows hit the small screen, and books hit the shelves.  Some of them took inspiration from Star Wars and went further, became more, became something better.  Don’t be afraid to look to these sources, look at what they did, and try to raise the bar again.  And hey, while I’m talking about things I want to see, let me just throw out a few things I really, really don’t want to see.  I don’t want to see vaguely racist stereotype aliens, like those pseudo-Asian Trade Federation guys (I kept expecting one to say ‘Me so solly’), or the Manton Moorland style antics of Jar-Jar Binks (I know he’s a popular target of ridicule, but there’s a reason for that, he seems like he stepped right out of a 1930s comedy where people might show up in blackface), and maybe a new trilogy shouldn’t feature only one prominent role for a black man…who is also pretty much the only non-Caucasian person (Lando in the originals, Windu in the prequels) with any significant screen time.  And lastly, stay away from kid characters.  Unless there’s a very good reason.  Nobody likes kid characters.  Nobody has ever liked kid characters.  The kid is the least popular and most reviled character in pretty much every science fiction series out there that features one.  Kids don’t like ‘em (Who was my favorite character in the original Star Wars movies?  Han Solo.  Who was my favorite character on Next Gen?  Worf or maybe Picard.  Who was my favorite character in the prequel trilogy?  Obi-Wan.  Who were my least favorites?  Respectively Luke, Wesley, and Anakin.).  Adults hate ‘em.  They’re almost never written well (“Are you an angel?”).  They’re usually the center of the most insufferable moments.  So don’t do it.  Just scrap that part of the story.  Everyone will be happier.

    So far, I think the most interesting time created for the Star Wars universe is still that of Imperial rule.  What the Dark Horse comics term as The Rise of the Empire and the Rebellion Era.  But that doesn’t mean filmmakers should stick with that.  Maybe there will be other, more interesting times.  Maybe a really good story set in the Nights of the Old Republic would work.  Or, and I doubt this, something set in the so called New Republic time.  Who can say.  But if the movies are used to explore the time of the Rebellion in greater depth and scope, I don’t think I’ll be disappointed.

    So what is Star Wars?  Like so many works of art, it varies from viewer to viewer.  But I think it’s about fun, wild, exuberant action, exciting and exotic locations, and relatable but not necessarily nice characters.  It’s about standing up for what’s right against the weight of a galaxy spanning evil.  It’s about the power of the little guy to fight the system.  It’s about all the shades of grey that exist between good and evil.  Please, do what J.J. Abrams did for Star Trek.  Make it fun to be a fan of Star Wars again.  Make me look forward to the next film with unabashed anticipation, not wary trepidation (actually, that’s how I’m looking forward to the new Trek film, so maybe don’t follow Abrams’ example).  Look back to what made Star Wars a cultural phenomena.  It wasn’t little kids, hammy acting (well, there was plenty of hammy acting), or CGI.  It was fun and new and grand and exciting.  And it was full of hinted at ideas and larger things beyond what the camera showed.  It captured and inspired the imagination.  Let’s see some of that again, OK?  I know you can do it, Disney.  You have Pixar, which has created some of the best family-friendly movies of the last two decades.  You have done what nobody believed possible and made a series of comic book movies that feel like the comic books they’re based on.  You’ve got money, power, and talented people.  And now you’ve got one of the most coveted, beloved franchises of all time.  But like Star Trek before it, the fans have been put through the ringer and they’re kind of hurt and sad.  Help us out, and don’t screw this up.

Thank you for your time.
-Matthew J. Constantine, Star Wars fan since the late 70s.

An Open Letter to CBS, Paramount, et al.

To the Powers That Be behind a possible future Star Trek TV series,

    What is Star Trek?  That’s a question that has a lot of answers, depending on who you ask.  When thinking about a new show, it’s a question that must take center stage.  Is Star Trek just another science fiction show?  Is it something unique?  What have its core values been, and what is its place in our cultural tapestry?  All this and more needs to be asked, thought about, and decided upon before serious steps are taken on any new show.  Obviously, questions of demographic and ratings are there, too.  But doing a good show first should be the rule.  We've seen many times over recent years that a good show, that breaks all the assumed conventions of television, can also grab viewers' attention and become successful (Breaking Bad, Lost, Arrested Development, etc.).

    First, know that times have changed.  The era of episodic television, where everything is wrapped up neatly in 50 minutes, is over.  Shows like Babylon 5, Lost, Battlestar Galactica, Farscape and others show that the viewing audience, especially for science fiction, is more than ready for more complicated characters, evolving plots, long term storytelling, and novelistic approaches to writing.  Take your time, do it right, think it through.  The audience wants to be challenged, wants to question, wants something to discuss at work the next day.  We don't want a show where each plot point can be called to the minute, where the episode always ends on a laugh (T.J. Hooker, Magnum P.I., The A-Team, and with few exceptions, the original Star Trek).

    Second, don’t underestimate your audience.  Science fiction fans are smart, they’re driven, they’re loyal, and they talk.  Discussion boards come alive as viewers pore over the details of each new episode.  Do not discount this.  Do not ignore it.  Don’t let it determine everything you do, but make sure you never forget.  That way, you’ll be more likely to keep things smart, to keep challenging yourselves, and to double check what you do.  Also, don’t skew young (the often rumored Starfleet Academy idea, for example).  Nobody wants to see that.  Producers seem to have this idea stuck in their head that young people like to watch young people.  I don’t know where that comes from, because nobody likes that.  Ask yourselves, who is the most hated character in every science fiction series or movie?  Answer: the kid.  Next Gen - Wesley.  Battlestar - Boxie.  Seaquest - Lucas.  Any character played by Will Smith's kid.  Nobody likes those characters.  Nobody.  So, don’t put ‘em in in the first place.

    Third, don’t forget human nature, even if you’re not writing about humans.  What drives us?  Knowledge, fear, love, hate, sex, etc.  Do not ignore elements of human life.  Characters have sex, they have fun, they have interests outside of work, they have motivations for what they do.  Characters on a show should be as complex as any in a book, with all the background and personality one expects.  That includes not only the protagonists, but the antagonists as well.  Think of the best villains.  Do you love them because they're evil?  Generally, no.  Cobra Commander was evil, but he's hardly one of the best villains.  You love the villains you kind of secretly like, the ones you understand, the ones you can almost imagine yourself becoming.  With motivations and backgrounds that make even the most heinous monsters at least a touch sympathetic, you create far more drama and tension than simply throwing wild eyed, mustache twirling thugs at our hapless heroes.  It's the same with heroes.  You don't want a goodie-goodie, who doesn't have any flaws and always gets it right.  The best heroes are at least a little bit broken.

    Fourth, know your science.  You read it all the time.  This astronaut, or that physicist was inspired as a child by watching Star Trek.  You have a large fanbase in various technical and scientific halls.  So, have the decency to respect them, as you inspire the next generation.  Get scientific advisers and make use of their expertise.  Got an episode about a new lifeform living on the surface of an asteroid?  Talk to a biologist and an astrophysicist, or whoever else you might need to in order to get it right.  And, look to the works of scientists for inspiration.  Stop.  And I do mean stop, with the technobabble.  Say it right, or don't say it at all.  Take a good, long look at where the future may be taking us as a species.  Not only will we be different culturally, and technologically, but might we be different physically, genetically, etc.  And what will that mean?

    The above issues should be considered.  In addition, there are certain setting considerations.  Making the show more complex will allow for expanded storytelling.  There is no need to limit the story to a single crew on a single ship, visiting a planet of the week, facing a monster of the week.  Simultaneous threads could take place on Earth, on a space station, on an exploration vessel reaching new territories, and on a war ship engaged in open conflict.  The galaxy is large, and sweeping stories should be happening, growing and exploring the setting in more than one direction at a time.

    When Star Trek: The Next Generation came out, it was a rather dramatic shift not only in time, but in style.  I would suggest that this be no less so.  In fact, I would suggest it be a much, much more profound shift.  Don’t make the mistake of Voyager, by setting it in a totally unrelated part of space that did nothing to grow the Star Trek universe in any meaningful way.  But don’t make the mistake of both DS9 and Voyage by staying too close to the Next Gen timeline.

    My specific suggestion is to move the timeline forward a significant amount; no less than 100 years; perhaps as much as 1000.  Alter the universe.  Trek is an optimistic setting (or should be), so I would suggest avoiding the tendency to ‘go dark’ that seems so popular.  This doesn’t mean retain some kind of naïve Pollyanna vibe, but don’t try to make this the new Battlestar.  Peace between the Romulans and Federation seems likely, as well as a reconnection with Vulcans.  Klingons would probably become allies once more, perhaps stronger than ever.  Some other groups would probably rise in prominence, becoming more active members of the Federation, which should remain intact, if somewhat altered.  Rebuild the Borg into something menacing and scary, the way they were in their first couple appearances and in First Contact, but most assuredly were not in post-Hugh Next Gen or Voyager.  A cold war type relationship between the two would be likely, with the Borg always trying to break the stalemate.  Advance the technology, too.  Use up to the minute scientific theories to design new ideas and new realms of possibility.  Transhumans, artificial intelligence, Dyson spheres, wormhole transit, massive scale terraforming and world engineering.  All those amazing discoveries the crews of the various Enterprises made (floating cities, sentient robots, ancient technologies, etc.) should actually make a difference, and change the way the Federation does stuff.  And, if it's a Federation of Planets, there should really be a lot more alien representation.  Perhaps more alien design of ships, weirder technology, and generally, more alien presence on ship crews.  While I think a new show should look the the future, I'd also like to see it build a past.  Tell stories that have roots going back into the pre-space histories of Humans, Tholians, Vulcans, whatever. 

    And learn from newer, bolder shows, like Rome, The Shield, or Game of Thrones.  Sometimes less is more.  10 or 12 episodes, carefully crafted and well executed, without needless filler, will be far more effective than 20 to 26 episodes mired with filler and retreads.  And have a plan (with room for alterations, obviously), for 4 to 8 seasons.

    Make Star Trek mean something again.  Take it back to the stars, to the spirit of human advancement in space and culture.  Create the grand dream that will inspire new generations of children to grow up and be astronauts, scientists, philosophers, and artists.  Help us rediscover our love of the unknown.  Help make space seem fun and exciting again.  2009's Star Trek helped bring back the excitement.  Now, help bring back the awe.

            Thank you for your time.
            -Matthew J. Constantine, Star Trek fan since @1979