7 Things About “Star Trek: Into Darkness” (Short Review)

Star Trek Into Darkness Here are seven spoiler-free things about Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013).

1. You already know whether or not you will enjoy Star Trek: Into Darkness. If you are a Star Trek fan or like action movies in space, you will see the movie no matter what I say. And you probably will not be disappointed. For a Star Trek fan like me, it is a very entertaining movie and the most fun I have had at the cinema in awhile.

2. Director J.J. Abrams continues with our heroes in an alternate time-line from the 1960s series and the William Shatner movies. In this first sequel to J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek (2009) reboot, where time does not need to be wasted on the set-up, we are starting to see the brilliance of having the freedom to change the events of the “past” while also connecting to the stories we know.

3. While the first film took me awhile to adapt to the new actors in the classic roles, by now the actors fit well into their roles. Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, John Cho and others have become the characters we know. Benedict Cumberbatch does a good job as the bad guy too.

4. There are several references to the old TV and movie series. I will leave it to you to decide whether the movie overdoes it. On one hand, one might conclude there was a little too much old and not enough new — while also wondering if this alternate universe storyline really makes much sense for the characters. But on the other hand, the connections did make for an entertaining and clever movie.

5. As Slate has noted, the new film has a little something to say about the U.S. war on terrorism, making the movie relevant in the way the old series was. The Atlantic, however, finds the message is not so ambiguous. There is a lot to discuss on this point, which makes the movie even more memorable.

6. While many speculated about the identity of the villain prior to the film’s release (and which I will not spoil here), I was pleasantly surprised by the appearance of one of these (warning: clicking on the link will give you a minor spoiler).

7. Conclusion? If you liked past Star Trek films, you should see Star Trek: Into Darkness. But I probably did not need to tell you that.



What did you think of Star Trek: Into Darkness? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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  • “First” Interracial Kiss on TV
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    “First” Interracial Kiss on TV

    Interracial Kiss

    The first interracial kiss on broadcast television is often cited as having occurred in a Star Trek episode “Plato’s Stepchildren.” The episode featured a kiss between Nichelle Nichols as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura and William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk.

    Maybe they were able to break this new ground because the alien Platonians used their telekinetic powers to force the two to kiss. This scene aired on television on November 22, 1968.

    In this video, Nichols explains how the kiss caused some controversy on set and how Shatner becomes a hero of the story. While making the episode, NBC forced the actors to do the scene again without the kiss so they would have options in what they used. Shatner, however, ensured the kiss would be used by intentionally screwing up other takes without the kiss.

    Was it really the first interracial kiss on television? Other sources cite an interracial kiss on a British television show in 1964 between the characters Dr. Mahler (Joan Hooley) and Dr Farmer (John White) on the show Emergency Ward 10. Some also note that Our Gang segments had played on TV where the character Buckwheat, played by Billie Thomas, had kissed white girls.

    But even if Star Trek was not the first in the world, it was groundbreaking at the time, as was the role of Lt. Uhura. Even Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at one point told Nichols that she played an important role as an officer where her race and gender were not an issue.

    What is your favorite rule-breaking scene from Star Trek? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • The Strange Coincidence With the Ending of “Wrath of Khan”
  • 7 Things About “Star Trek: Into Darkness” (Short Review)
  • “This man’s dead, Captain”
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    Two Spocks and an Audi

    Spock Nimoy Commercial

    This funny new Audi commercial features the new Star Trek Spock Zachary Quinto and the original Spock Leonard Nimoy as the two challenge each other in a race to the golf course. The ad, featuring the the Audi S7, includes several Star Trek references, of course. But there’s also a Hobbit reference as Nimoy belts out part of his classic recording, “The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins.” Check it out.



    What is your favorite part of the Spock versus Spock commercial? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • “Star Trek Beyond” Tribute to Leonard Nimoy
  • The Strange Coincidence With the Ending of “Wrath of Khan”
  • 7 Things About “Star Trek: Into Darkness” (Short Review)
  • What Tarantino’s “Star Trek” Might Look Like
  • “Star Trek Beyond” Gets Back to Basics
  • “This man’s dead, Captain”
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    Pop Culture Roundup for December 2012

    Travolta Newton-John Christmas Amazon In case you were too busy getting ready for the holidays or trying to avoid a fiscal cliff the last few weeks, here are some of the pop culture stories you might have missed.

    — Movies —

    The Atlantic featured production storyboards from 15 beloved films.

    What if there were an animated series called “Clockwork Orange Babies“? Here’s what the promo posters would look like.

    The “Honest Trailer” for The Dark Knight Rises was released. Even though I liked the movie, the “Honest Trailer” is funny and captures a number of plot issues. (Thanks @PopcornJunkies.)

    Dan Aykroyd on Ghostbusters 3 in Esquire. (Thanks @ravenval.)

    Clerks III will be Kevin Smith’s last movie.

    — Music —

    The 2013 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees are Albert King, Donna Summer, Heart, Public Enemy, Randy Newman, and Rush.

    E Online wrote about the 5 Biggest Snubs and Surprises of the 2013 Grammy Nominations.

    Eddie Van Halen remembered how he came to work on Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It.’

    Q&A: Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham Revealed Lingering Tensions in Fleetwood Mac.

    Radiohead’s Thom Yorke will release his new album February 25.

    A new book tells the story of the band the Smiths.

    Popdose chose its Best Pop And Rock Albums of 2012

    Read about the Monkee Magic of Micky Dolenz at Popdose.

    Actor James Franco has released a music video.

    Watch a video of Moses vs. Santa, Featuring Snoop Dogg.

    A couple broke up and then decided to sing about it.

    Kinky Friedman on Folk Music, Politics, Mass Murder, and His Bipolar Tour. (from No Depression)

    Beck is trying to revive the days of singing ‘round the piano.

    The A.V. Club wrote about how Townes Van Zandt’s song “Lungs” veers from platonic epistemology to magical realism. I can’t explain what that means. You’ll have to read the article.

    And then there is the strange new John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John holiday song video.

    Here is a list of the best (and best-worst) of new Christmas music.

    Batmobile Amazon — Television —

    Check out an interview with Martin Short about his upcoming return to Saturday Night Live as host.

    The original 1966 Batmobile is going up for auction.

    The Walking Dead took top honors at the Spike VGAs.

    David Chase talked about The Sopranos and that maddening finale.

    By chance, Newt Gingrich happened into a guest appearance on Parks and Recreation.

    Vanity Fair features an oral history of the awesome one-season series Freaks & Geeks.

    — Other Pop Culture News —

    Stephen Colbert is not going to be appointed to the Senate. But actress Ashley Judd may run for the U.S. Senate.

    Star Trek‘s George Takei is coming to Riverdale in Archie Comics’ Kevin Keller books.

    The Pope (@pontifex) is joining Twitter.

    Finally, the “IKEA Monkey” — a little monkey in a coat found outside an IKEA — became in Internet sensation and started a meme.

    What is your favorite recent pop culture story? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    “This man’s dead, Captain”

    Leonard Bones McCoy, DeForest Kelley Probably the person most famous for announcing deaths is DeForest Kelley, i.e., Doctor Leonard “Bones” McCoy on the original Star Trek (1966-1969) series. This post considers when Kelley first said the notorious phrase and why he did not utter the declaration during the most memorable Star Trek death scene of all time.

    A few weeks ago, I watched The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956), starring Gregory Peck. While watching the movie, I noticed Kelley appearing in a small role and saying the line that would be immortalized on Star Trek in different variations: “This man’s dead, Captain.” The commentary on The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit DVD pointed out that DeForest Kelley appears in the movie in an uncredited role in just the one scene. Kelley plays the doctor approached by Gregory Peck’s character, who is carrying his injured friend. When Gregory Peck asks the doctor for help, Kelley utters the memorable line (at around the 18-second mark) that he would repeat many times throughout his career. Did this scene launch his career?

    Of course, others have pointed out the connection in the past. But it was surprising to actually see it come out of nowhere while watching The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit.

    Who would have guessed while watching the movie that Kelley would build a career around proclaiming someone dead? See the video below for a montage of some of Dr. McCoy’s greatest hits.

    In a key scene of what is probably the best Star Trek movie, Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, McCoy’s famous line was given to another character. According to Wikipedia — which cites Terry Lee Rioux’s biography of DeForest Kelley, From Sawdust to Stardust, Kelley recognized that his death announcements had turned into punch lines. So, he thought that if he said his famous “he’s dead” line about Mr. Spock, it would ruin the seriousness of the death scene. Therefore, in the movie, James Doohan’s Scotty tells William Shatner’s Kirk the news about his friend: “He’s dead already.”

    DeForest Kelley passed away on June 11, 1999.

  • The Strange Coincidence With the Ending of “Wrath of Khan”
  • 7 Things About “Star Trek: Into Darkness” (Short Review)
  • “First” Interracial Kiss on TV
  • Two Spocks and an Audi
  • All This Science I Don’t Understand: William Shatner
  • One Degree of Separation Between Bob Dylan & Twilight Zone: Bonnie Beecher & “Come Wander With Me”
  • (Some Related Chimesfreedom Posts)