Star Trek 2009: Playing the reboot game...
May. 8th, 2009 11:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
butterflyKeeping in mind that this is based off of one viewing (though I'm seeing it again tomorrow), I have some thoughts on how the alternate timeline shakes out.
A) In our original universe, everything happens just as it should. Until 129 years (citation: Spock, in the ice cave) after Kirk graduates from the academy. At that time, the star Romulus circles goes supernova and while Spock goes to help, he's too late. He tries a desperate measure that both fails and sends himself and Nero's ship into a past alternate universe.
B) Nero seeks revenge on Spock but is too early. Out of spite, he destroys the USS Kelvin, killing Kirk's father. Instead of growing up the nerdy golden boy of Star Fleet, Kirk grows up self-destructive, always clinging to the edge of the cliff and spitting danger in the face.
C) Spock and the rest of the future Enterprise crew are going about their merry way, exactly as they had in the original universe.
D) Kirk meets Uhura (too early) and gets involved with Star Fleet, meets Bones (possibly later than normal, since his friendship seemed of long duration in the original series). He's a destructive and volatile force, but he's got all the brilliance, determination, and sheer leadership skills that Kirk is meant to have (those are innate). He's probably a lot more disrespectful in this version of beating the Maru than he was originally, thus earning Spock's frustration instead of his respect.
E) Spock comes out of the wormhole and gets captured by Nero, who plants him on a planet near Vulcan so that he can watch it be destroyed. Vulcan is placed under attack and Star Fleet finds out and mobilizes.
F) Uhura pulls skills rank on Spock in the crisis, possibly landing on the Enterprise earlier than normal. Kirk has to fight his way toward command, because he's not supposed to be there yet (he's not a captain yet) -- Captain Pike is assembling his crew that does not yet contain Scotty.
G) Vulcan is destroyed (along with several ships). Amanda dies. T'Pring probably also dies. Uhura makes a move on Spock. Pike goes over to Nero's vessel. Spock drops off Kirk on the ice planet on his way to meet with the crew.
H) Spock (Prime) saves Kirk, mindmelds with him, and tells him that the only way to solve the crisis is through Kirk's leadership. The love is palpable. There are probably other ways to try to save Earth, but Spock (Prime) trusts Kirk's guidance and is clearly not going to let Kirk's current (antagonistic) relationship with Spock stand. He also tells Kirk not to tell Spock and that if he gets Spock to emotionally compromise himself, then Kirk can take charge of the ship. Additionally, he shows no desire to go back to his own universe... and why would he? There's a Kirk alive in this one, whereas in his own, Kirk has been dead for years.
I) Kirk (along with Scotty, whom Spock helpfully hands the formula that he probably discovered in a couple of years, thus taking him to the Enterprise) goes back to the ship and takes command.
J) Spock and Kirk beam over to defeat Nero and do so, in an awesome way.
K) Because of how unbelievably awesome Kirk was during the whole crisis, he gets the Enterprise early and he almost certainly locks in this particular crew because of how totally awesome they were -- he can see that they're the best and he's not letting them go.
L) However, Spock feels that maybe he should go off with his (much less populous) people, so Spock (Prime) goes to him specifically to tell him that he needs to be with Kirk, because clearly Spock (Prime) is not willing to live in a universe where Kirk and Spock aren't the bestest, closest, most-in-love friends ever.
The End (and possibly Spock and Uhura get together and have scary smart three-quarters human, one-quarter-Vulcan babies).
A) In our original universe, everything happens just as it should. Until 129 years (citation: Spock, in the ice cave) after Kirk graduates from the academy. At that time, the star Romulus circles goes supernova and while Spock goes to help, he's too late. He tries a desperate measure that both fails and sends himself and Nero's ship into a past alternate universe.
B) Nero seeks revenge on Spock but is too early. Out of spite, he destroys the USS Kelvin, killing Kirk's father. Instead of growing up the nerdy golden boy of Star Fleet, Kirk grows up self-destructive, always clinging to the edge of the cliff and spitting danger in the face.
C) Spock and the rest of the future Enterprise crew are going about their merry way, exactly as they had in the original universe.
D) Kirk meets Uhura (too early) and gets involved with Star Fleet, meets Bones (possibly later than normal, since his friendship seemed of long duration in the original series). He's a destructive and volatile force, but he's got all the brilliance, determination, and sheer leadership skills that Kirk is meant to have (those are innate). He's probably a lot more disrespectful in this version of beating the Maru than he was originally, thus earning Spock's frustration instead of his respect.
E) Spock comes out of the wormhole and gets captured by Nero, who plants him on a planet near Vulcan so that he can watch it be destroyed. Vulcan is placed under attack and Star Fleet finds out and mobilizes.
F) Uhura pulls skills rank on Spock in the crisis, possibly landing on the Enterprise earlier than normal. Kirk has to fight his way toward command, because he's not supposed to be there yet (he's not a captain yet) -- Captain Pike is assembling his crew that does not yet contain Scotty.
G) Vulcan is destroyed (along with several ships). Amanda dies. T'Pring probably also dies. Uhura makes a move on Spock. Pike goes over to Nero's vessel. Spock drops off Kirk on the ice planet on his way to meet with the crew.
H) Spock (Prime) saves Kirk, mindmelds with him, and tells him that the only way to solve the crisis is through Kirk's leadership. The love is palpable. There are probably other ways to try to save Earth, but Spock (Prime) trusts Kirk's guidance and is clearly not going to let Kirk's current (antagonistic) relationship with Spock stand. He also tells Kirk not to tell Spock and that if he gets Spock to emotionally compromise himself, then Kirk can take charge of the ship. Additionally, he shows no desire to go back to his own universe... and why would he? There's a Kirk alive in this one, whereas in his own, Kirk has been dead for years.
I) Kirk (along with Scotty, whom Spock helpfully hands the formula that he probably discovered in a couple of years, thus taking him to the Enterprise) goes back to the ship and takes command.
J) Spock and Kirk beam over to defeat Nero and do so, in an awesome way.
K) Because of how unbelievably awesome Kirk was during the whole crisis, he gets the Enterprise early and he almost certainly locks in this particular crew because of how totally awesome they were -- he can see that they're the best and he's not letting them go.
L) However, Spock feels that maybe he should go off with his (much less populous) people, so Spock (Prime) goes to him specifically to tell him that he needs to be with Kirk, because clearly Spock (Prime) is not willing to live in a universe where Kirk and Spock aren't the bestest, closest, most-in-love friends ever.
The End (and possibly Spock and Uhura get together and have scary smart three-quarters human, one-quarter-Vulcan babies).
(no subject)
Date: 2009-05-09 02:23 pm (UTC)See -- I took what happened in these two instances to mean that she was *already involved* with Spock. His answer to why she was assigned to the Farragut was that he wanted to avoid the appearance of favoritism, and when she hugged and kissed him in the turbolift, he relaxed into it, and kissed her back. Even with what had just happened, I don't think he would have allowed that if it hadn't already been ongoing....
(no subject)
Date: 2009-05-12 05:06 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-05-12 05:21 am (UTC)But -- if you subscribe to the theory that the turbolift was the first time they kiss, that means Uhura is taking advantage of someone when they're weak, and that's just...kind of icky, you know? More icky than teacher/student between two consenting adults....
(no subject)
Date: 2009-05-12 05:26 am (UTC)I mean, I think that there were probably vibes between them before, but I really can't buy them having a previous relationship based both on that scene itself (because of how delicate and earnest Uhura was and how unresponsive Spock was during the first of the kisses) and also based on the other option feeling deeply out of character to me. I had no clue that it could be interpreted as an established relationship while I was watching the movie, because it completely came across as a first time to me.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-05-12 05:28 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-05-12 05:31 am (UTC)Personally, that scene really works as a first-time for me and their relationship in the movie makes more sense if it is a first time (because of other external factors, such as T'Pring). But you certainly don't need to agree with me! Up until the kiss, it's all subtext.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-05-12 05:43 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-05-09 03:32 pm (UTC)Thus either getting rid of the Amok Time episode in Original Timeline or else resetting it so that it happens aboard ship with Uhura and Kirk there, instead of on Vulcan. Depending on how they play this in future movies, it could be very interesting.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-05-12 05:07 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-05-09 06:10 pm (UTC)So, yeah, Uhura went from having a job analagous to a very 'low class, low skills job' to a highly skilled scholar who is critical.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-05-12 05:08 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-05-16 03:25 am (UTC)GAWD
I want to see it again
::bangs head::
.