A couple of guys with a lot of time and a seeming inexhaustible supply of Star Trek: The Next Generation footage have put together some highly entertaining mash-ups. They’re all pretty good, but this one is the best:
Awesome. Via BWE.
Still under the weather, folks. But I try. Lord, how I try.
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Sorry about the lack o’ blogging, folks. I have ye olde norovirus, and it’s making it hard to type. But, here’s a (shorter) linker. Because I love you that much.
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One of the more ubiquitous artifacts of the Internet age is Fanboy Rage. We’ve all seen it. Packs of half-crazed Star Wars or Star Trek or [insert beloved SF franchise, fantasy series, or gadget brand here] fans swarming over forums and blogs to register their boundless outrage over the defilement of whatever it is they love so dearly.
It happened with the Star Wars prequels, spawning a global George Lucas backlash. I experienced it personally when Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull turned out to be a steaming pile of elephant dung. I bear the mental scars to this day.
Turns out, there is actually a psychological basis for these pop culture mass freak-outs. According to an excellent article on Very Evolved, it has to do with how we create, process and update memories:
Our brain isn’t the hard drive of a computer, and our memories aren’t hard coded and unchangeable. Every time you recall a memory it may become subtly altered and associated with what ever it was that triggered that old memory. If this trigger happens repeatedly, then you’re adding new layer of interpretation that will be recalled automatically with the old memory next time it’s called up.
A great example of this in action that also demonstrates fluid nostalgia, is the backlash against George Lucas. A large portion of 70’s and 80’s children had grown up owning Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader figures and playing in the backyard pretending sticks were light sabers. Fond childhood memories.
When the first abysmal Star Wars Prequel was released the strong feelings against the film weren’t just those of disappointment at a bad movie. If it were that simple, we should also feel the same way about Police Academy 7.
The reaction can be partly explained by the sense of attack on our previously fond feelings. Watching the new movie automatically calls up memories from the previous series and all the pleasant childhood playtime memories associated with it. But recalling these fond memories in the context of a negative experience begins the process of re-coding, or modifying our old memories. This is an undesirable outcome for nostalgia as it is usually such a pleasant feeling. Naturally there is some resistance and cognitive dissonance when this happens and the brain will try to avoid it like any other unpleasant experience.
To wit: when George Lucas makes a bad Star Wars or Indiana Jones movie, it’s like he’s forcibly re-wiring our brains and stealing our happy childhood memories. And that’s what creates the angry.
All of this is a cautionary tale for aspiring filmmakers. If you’re going to revisit a popular franchise, be damn careful you don’t screw it up. The brains of rabid fanboys everywhere will rise up is revolt against this forced re-programming, and the combined force of this enraged gray matter will destroy you. I’m looking at you, JJ Abrams.
Via io9.
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Hollywood is out of ideas. It’s been said so much over the past decade, it’s almost axiomatic. But you know the creativity bank is really low when people start talking about taking an idea that has already been re-booted and devolving it to its earlier, lamer form.
I like the new Battlestar Galactica TV series. A lot. It’s one of those rare shows that combines compelling human stories with a willingness to go after big ideas. The show is well-acted, well-written, and the production design is excellent. Basically, it has everything that the original BSG lacked. The 1979/1980 versions, and the bastardized movies they produced, were about men wearing capes, inexplicable robot dogs, and endlessly recycled footage. Just compare old Starbuck vs. new Starbuck, and you’ll get a sense of what I’m talking about:
I know which one I prefer.
So imagine my surprise when the news broke last week that Universal Pictures may be planning a BSG film. Everyone behind the new series has repeatedly said there will be no film version of the current show. Any new film would therefore have to be a second reboot of the original. Which makes no sense whatsoever.
The writers and producers of a BSG film would have two choices: try to make it cool and modern without copying the new series, or just parody the campiness of the original. The first option is at best derivative, and at worst a complete waste of time. The original was rebooted, it was really good, and there is no need at all for a second attempt.
The second option is also undesirable, because it sort of sullies the BSG brand. It went from cheesy to massively relevant in the space of a year. To go the other direction now seems like more of a cash-grab than an attempt to make a decent film. Sure, everyone likes making fun of the 1970s. But not if it destroys a bankable sci-fi franchise in the process.
We can only hope the rumors are just Internet hype. If they’re not, I pray an enraged Ron D. Moore takes matters into his own hands. And Hollywood, if you’re really hard-up for ideas, give me a call. I have tonnes of ideas for kickass sci-fi films. All of them starring me. And maybe Natalie Portman. But not a single robot dog.
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