In an exclusive interviw with the Sci-Fi Wire, Leonard Nimoy explains why he decided to come back to the Star Trek Universe after so many years to once again don the pointy ears of everyone's favorite Vulcan . . . . . Mr. Spock.
"I don't think I ever said that I was done with Star Trek," Nimoy said in an exclusive interview a few weeks ago. "I think that Star Trek was kind of done with me for a while. I acted in the first six films. I directed two of them. I wrote story for two of them. I produced one of them. I was very, very active in the first six films. When the next film came [Star Trek: Generations] along, there was no role for Spock. And they killed Kirk. So one would have to ask the makers of those films, and the next few, why I was not involved. I was never offered anything that was like a Spock role. I was asked to direct the seventh film. I didn't think much of the script, and I passed."
But Abrams came to Nimoy with more than a cameo role, and it was enough to entice Nimoy out of semi-retirement. "In this particular case, they came to me with an idea that really valued the Spock character, valued my presence, gave me a role to play that I felt was worth coming back for, and I came back," he said. "So I don't think I ever turned my back on Star Trek. I think I was just allowed to drift away."
Ok, now this may bother a number of my fellow Trek fans, but I have to say that I for one am kind of glad that Leonard Nimoy didn't direct Star Trek: Generations. I don't mean that to disparage the role Mr. Nimoy has played in history of Star Trek. Far from it. Nor do I doubt his excellent directing ability, I just don't think that he should have had a part in the Next Generation films because to do so would have taken away from what should have been the focus of those films . . . . namely the Next Generation crew. Generations was their coming out film. It was the passing of the torch film from the original crew to the next crew of the Starship Enterprise. Having Kirk and Picard work together in that film was all that was needed to pass that torch. Having Spock show up, or having Nimoy direct the film would have distracted from that.
I guess what's really been bugging me lately is the fact that we'll never again get to see a Next Generation film. As much as I love the original series (and I really do), I have to say that I love the Next Generation more as a whole. The crew as a whole are all around better characters, and the interactions between the characters are more nuanced and entertaining to me. The original series is all about Kirk and Spock and sometimes McCoy. Everyone else is just sort of background or filler. I hate to say that, but it's true. Do you really think we'll ever see a Star Trek film where Pavel Chekov is the main star? Or Sulu? Or Uhura? No, you won't. They're supporting characters.
Meanwhile, the Next Generation Trek films, while being admittedly heavily about Picard and Data, had a lot more going on with the other characters too. The rest of the crew were given their own story arcs and had fuller, more likeable characters because if it in my opinion. As happy as I am to see the new Trek film next week, I am also saddened at the same time at the realization that we'll never get to see another big screen adventure starring Picard, Riker, Troi, Data, Worf, Geordi, Dr. Crusher and of course Wesley Crusher too.
Wil Wheaton deserves a major Trek film role damn it, and I'm sad we'll never get to see it because people only demand to see Kirk and Spock again and again and again. There should have been more Next generation films. They got ended too soon, and I'm really sad because of this.
No comments:
Post a Comment