I just saw 'Star Trek Into Darkness' yesterday.  It was pretty good except when I almost fell asleep during the scenes where there were a lot of explosions.  One guy I know told me he did fall asleep during the movie, and then he woke up, and the movie was better by that time.
     There is so much going on in the film that one becomes over-stimulated, and then numb to what is going on.
     The movie opens with Kirk and Spock on a 'Class M' planet, with lots of aliens running around, all dressed in brand new yellow cloth.  Who knows how the aliens kept their yellow clothes so shiny and new especially when they hadn't invented the wheel yet, much less a washing machine.
     Spock ends up in a scene where he could have been on either Mustafar, or on Mordor.  I almost expected an eagle to swoop down and carry him away.  I almost expected Kirk to say, "Spock...you...are...breaking...my heart!"
     Then there is some stuff where Kirk is demoted, then reinstated as Captain.
     Scotty quits, goes to a bar, and comes back after a day.
     Uhura kisses Spock.
     There are Klingons wearing armor, but only one removes the helmet so that they didn't have to do make-up on too many people.  It was much easier to dress them up as medieval looking stormtroopers.
     There were a lot of explosions where it was amazing that anybody survived them.  Maybe Kirk had superskin.
     The guy who plays Spock is great, but I wanted at least one time in the movie where Kirk says something more 'Shatneresque'.
     It was hard to get into the movie when believability was so easily tossed out of the window.

     I have a brother who really didn't like this film.  He didn't like the story.  I understand that point of view after seeing this movie.

     Well, I did end up liking the movie, and I would be willing to see it again.  There was a lot of cool visual content to look at.  A lot of it was stunning, and well-done.

     How so many people survived during so much turmoil is beyond me, though.  Starfleet must require everyone to be a super athelete in addition to being super smart.  Historically with humans, that is almost impossible.

     The Alternate Universe timeline doesn't bother me in the least.  That is acceptable within the realms of science fiction.
     Ultimately, this film is a fantasy.  Things that happen in this movie defy the laws of physics.

     There was a blonde in bra and panties in one scene, so that was good.  As a viewer, I could have used more of that.

     The movie has things in it to satisfy all generations of Star Trek fans.  There is something for everybody, so be happy with that, and don't complain.
 
     This movie will be good for people's home theaters.

     I think with another viewing that the story will make more sense to people.

     No one can deny the amount of work that went into this film.

     I was just happy to see a half-way decent Star Trek film.

     I went in really skeptical, but I will give this movie a 'thumbs up' and worth seeing at least once.  It's Star Trek, c'mon.

     I think this movie will hold up over time.

     I enjoyed the ending credit sequence as a nice touch.

     'Star Trek Into Darkness' did combine features from other Star Trek films, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, and Babylon 5.  It could have used just more basic drama from the original series, though...maybe....with....some....incidental...music.

     Here's the video of this text:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8jSfZt2OpM

     Here is the first picture I've ever posted on this blog.  Maybe it will steer me logically in the correct direction...

     Here is 'The Enterprise'.

     Without it, you don't have much of a show.

     When 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture' came out in 1980, grown men were crying in the audience.  They hadn't seen new footage of their beloved ship in ten years, not counting the animated series.

     Fictional or not, it is one of the most beautiful vessels ever created.  It was designed by people who knew what they were doing.

     Never intended to land on a planet, that is one of its drawbacks, though.

     Anyway, 'The Enterprise' is one of the main characters of Star Trek.  She has a personality, and a constant presence.

     Most people don't know that the voice of the computer was voiced by Majel Barrett, who played Nurse Chapel in the original series. 
     Most people don't know that she was the original #1 in the pilot, even wearing pants.  People don't recognize her because she was a brunette as #1, then she dyed her hair so she could still be in the show. 
     It's a long story, and maybe I'll talk about it later.  Maybe not.

     I think someday that this ship will actually be built, if the human race does not destroy itself before then.  There are enough people in the hundreds of years to come who will want to make this ship a reality.
     A doable project would be to build it on the ground as a museum.  It could be done.

Where No Blogger Has Gone Before

     I don't read other people's blogs.
     I have tried.

     For all the blogs that I looked at, maybe after looking at nineteen of them, there is a good one.

     For the most part, the writing is atrocious, or they just post pictures with some uncorrelated text that I find a little bit 'too cute'.

     For all I know, there could be some amazing Star Trek blogs out there, but I am way too lazy to look them up.

     Besides, this is my journey, and people can come along for the ride or not.

     My job is to write and post pictures, so I will do that to the best of my ability, and see what happens.

     I haven't seen the new Star Trek movie 'Into Darkness' yet.  I am willing to give it a try.  I am definitely interested in seeing it when I have time.

     Anyway, just so you know, I am impressed with the remastering of the original series with updated special effects.  It looks great.
     Even as a kid, the effects were a little outdated.  A lot of mistakes were made, which of course, is part of the charm.
     But I am glad they did that.  It breathes new life into a pretty good show.

     Of course, Star Trek is pretty funny when you watch it now, especially when things get so serious.
     The more serious it gets, the more funny it is.

     I am happy that original Star Trek is still watchable.  It might even be more enjoyable to watch as an adult, since I know a little bit more of what is going on.

     So, this blog, in a way, has the purpose of helping me explain Star Trek to myself, and to resolve certain issues about it.

     I did like the JJ Abrams reboot of the series.  Along with a lot of people, I thought it was fantastic.  The only glitch that really bothered me was the young Kirk hanging off the edge of a cliff scene with his bare hands and not falling.  They do that in every movie.
     Go ahead, find a ledge made of cement or dirt and try to hang on for more than a minute.  It is possible to hang for quite some time from an exercise bar, but that is because you can really grip it.
     Hanging onto cement really hurts with bare hands after a while, yet you see people in movies while they are hanging, they help pull up somebody else, and then pull themselves up.
     Just so you know, Frodo never was hanging off of a cliff in Mt. Doom in the book with Sam helping him back up.
     I just wish people in Hollywood would stop with the hanging off of a cliff thing.

     Anyway, back to Star Trek...if you want a really good Star Trek book to read, try William Shatner's 'Star Trek Memories'.  It is fantastic, well-written, and enjoyable.  You can probably find it on Amazon.

    Thanks for reading, and bearing with me.  It will take a while for me to figure out what to do with this blog, and where to go with it.
     Eventually I will address 'all things Star Trek'.

     It is like a sculptor looking at a gigantic piece of marble, and studying it for a long time before he makes the first chip with a chisel and hammer.

     One problem I have with Star Trek now, is I don't think it is far enough into the future.

      I highly doubt that space ships that we build will be able to achieve ten times the speed of light in three hundred years.

      The Laws of Physics simply don't allow anything to travel faster than light.

       Plus, there is the problem of the five year mission.  Once you travel away from Earth at Warp Factor 1, and then return to Earth...well, a thousand years could pass by on Earth, and there wouldn't be anyone alive who would remember that you went on a five year mission.

       So Star Trek is a fantasy.  It could never happen, unless there was a better way to travel the known Universe.

       It actually would be cool if Star Trek could actually happen.  But I don't think it will.  Not in a thousand years will the human race travel to other solar systems with Class M planets.

       I just don't think it will happen.

       It is a nice idea, but....nah...it will never happen.

       So, the whole idea of Star Trek is ridiculous.  A military cruising vessel in space?  Yeah, right.

       As a kid, Star Trek seemed completely plausible.
       As an adult, after studying astronomy in college, well, Star Trek seemed to be like an adventure story in a Men's Magazine.

       That being said, I do love Star Trek.  I love all the ideas behind it, and the hope for humanity that it holds.

        'Star Trek: The Next Generation' still leaves a bad taste in my mouth, somehow, though.

        Anyway, I will attempt the massive task of talking about Star Trek on this blog.

        With a fifty year history of the show, it is overwhelming.