Phasers Set To Stun: Star Trek (2009)

0:01 Space the final Frontier. Join us for a bold conversation our prime directive to recap our favorite Star Trek shows, both new and old, to engage in debate about all things Trek. Prepare to energize with Phasers Set to Stunt. Hello everyone, and welcome back to Phasers Set to Stun.

0:43 In this ongoing series from a film by podcast, we continue to show our love for every quadrant of the expanding Star Trek universe by covering television, animation, movies, directors, and much more. Plotting the course, as always is your core Trek crew. I'm Scott Hoffman. I'm David Burns, and I'm Wayne Whiten. And in this episode, we're exploring a new frontier in the cinematic universe with a two thousand and nine almost to reboot entry into the franchise. JJ Abrams Star Trek released on May eight, two thousand and nine, rated PG thirteen for language, violence and I Guess One Sexual Situation written by Alex Kurtman and Robert Orsi, directed by JJ Abrams.

1:28 Although this movie has been out for a while, there's still maybe some who haven't given it a try, So red Alert we're venturing into spoiler territory. So if you haven't seen this film, please go watch and come back to join us. All right, crew, let's put on our sunglasses. It's time for lens players on captain's chairs. I'm so glad we're getting into this movie because I've personally seen this countless times since it's been out. It seems almost fitting that we're talking about a movie that infused some fresh blood and vision into the Trek universe, especially since we're all excited to see the latest fresh vision come by as we get ready for the latest season of Strange New Worlds. All right, Wayne, let's break it down. Why don't you give us a summary of what this movie is all about.

2:09 In the year twenty two thirty three, the USS Kelvin is investigating a mysterious lightning storm when the Romulin ship Nearrata appears and destroys them. The Narata's captain, the Romulin name Nero, has traveled from a future where his home planet, a Romulus, has been destroyed by a supernova and is bent on revenge against the Federation who refused them the help they needed. Twenty two years later, Nero reappears, but this time Starfleet is prepared and has sent their newest ship, the USS Enterprise, to intercept it, Commanded by Captain Christopher Pike and ran by a fresh from the Academy crew including Cadets Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. They are all that stands in Nero's way of total destruction of Vulcan Earth and the entire United Federation of Planets.

2:56 And he yells a lot, and yells a lot. He likes to yell a lot of time. Thanks, Wayne. We've spent a lot of time between modern Trek and Classic Trek, and this obviously falls somewhere in between. So, Dave, I'm curious, what were your first thoughts on this movie. So here's an interesting thing. So we know that Star Trek was pretty much dead before this movie came out, right, there wasn't much going on in the nothing Yeah, you know, so Paramount needed something new and fresh, you know, basically they need to start over that would revitalize and generate a new audience yet still bring back, you know, those who love Star Trek like us, you know, and they they did it. They and JJ Abrams did that very thing with this film.

3:39 I remember going to see this on opening weekend with some coworkers who were not Star Trek fans at all, and they walked out of that theater blown away on how much they love this film, you know, and not only this, but we got we gotta consider something here too. We get two more films after this. Granneth was not really that, but we'll get there eventually. But you know, this brings back to television theory for us. We wouldn't have Discovery, Strange, New World, Lower Decks, even Picard for crying out loud if we didn't have the success of this very film. So I'm glad it was very successful. But I loved this movie. I really did. Wayne, what about you, Well, just like David, I saw it on opening night. I actually went with my mother and saw it. I was kind of torn because it was a good film. It was a good film, I have to admit that, and I enjoyed it, but it didn't feel like Star Trek to me at the time.

4:38 But I also understood that this is the film that we need at the time because Star Trek was dead and there had to be some way of bringing it back, and this was exactly it. So it's and to this day, I still a little conflicted about this first one. It's a damn good film and I really do enjoy it, but it at times doesn't feel like Star Trek to me. The specs that didn't quite feel like Trek. The action, Okay, yeah, I think that was That was it. It was it was too good. That's the best way to say it was. It was too It was too well directed and there was there was a lot of action and it was all well done. It didn't feel like Star Trek because of that. Now, you know, that's not like me putting down the rest of the Star Trek.

5:24 It's not. This is them going on a bold new direction for the franchise, which was really really needed. It needed new blood into it, It needed, you know, new ideas so that people would come and watch Star Trek again because it had faded to nothing back what was the two thousand and five was the last time we saw anything Star Trek. So, I mean I understood everything that was being done, and I think it was a complete success and a great film. But it conflicts me in my head whether I like it or not, I don't know the answer to it. You hit the nail on the head there, because that was the conversation the producers were having about this film when they were first creating it. You know, they actually cut down a lot a lot of the technical babble all that kind of stuff, put more action into the film, and narrowed it down just calling it Star Trek because they didn't.

6:19 Want people who don't really know everything. That comes before this to get confused by it, that think they had to see all of that to see this movie. So I see what you're saying. There's two sides of the sword here. It did have a lot of action that felt kind of out of place, but to me, I felt Star Trek was missing some of that in the past, but they added in this one again the lins, flares and stuff I could have done without. For crying out loud. But beyond that, you're right, it was incredibly well directed by J. J. Abrams. It really is. The casting was perfect in my opinion. I know we're going to get to that in a little bit, so I don't want to, you know, talk about all of that, but this is what they needed for Star Trek, for a new audience to make it successful, and it worked.

7:04 Yeah, I think a lot of the conflict with me at the time, this is just at the time was the recasting, you know, I guess I felt a little bit the way Star Trek fans felt back in nineteen eighty seven when the next generation appeared. You know, who are these guys on screen? And why are they playing my favorite characters? You know? Was I ready to accept them? Now? Today I do, I totally accept them. But this was the first time that we've had any major recasts like this, and I'm going to go on record right now and say that I think the cast did a phenomenal job of recreating all the parts of all of them. They were, They were great. It was hard at the time, but I look back now and I think they did a great job. I'm specifically looking at you, Carl Urban could holy shit.

7:50 Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean I'm I'm more in camp Dave, I think because there is no conflict, like I've watched this movie so many times. I know that I saw it early in the theater. I don't know if it was quite opening day, but I know it was very early, and as soon as I had seen it in the theater, I knew I wanted to own it. And I've watched it on repeat. It is just so well done. There are times when I have to look away from the camera or the screen because of the ballins players, which I think are interesting, but a little that they can do see at times. But the writing, the acting, the action where this kind of falls into like how it falls into the universe was all very very well done, very clever. I thought. The camera holds up really really well. Yeah, it does.

8:42 It holds up extremely well, even the camera movements of throughout this film, especially when the movie opens. I mean, for one thing, this is probably the best opening of any Star Trek film in my opinion. It really is, And I know that's saying a lot, but it really is because it pulls you in so fast and it does not give you a moment to breathe until you know, you see the escase pose, it goes to the music and you get the Star Trek title coming up. But that that opening shot where you hear that that whatever that sound is the original Star Trek sound of that? What would you call that when when the camera opens up on the ship and the camera's just twisting around and you just hear that that Dean oh like, yeah, yeah, that'd be the beacon sound, because that was just it was just so good and just pulls you in so quick, and just that camera on how just twists and turns, and he did that several times throughout this film that were greatly used well.

9:37 And it's amazing proof of concept too, right to say, it is a time when we need some new viewers. It is a time when we need some new perspective so we can prove that big Hollywood cast, big Hollywood director can can really kind of bring something new to the franchise and open up the door to say there's different ways to see Trek. And I think it's absolutely something that opens the door for discovery, Picard and strange new worlds and lower decks to say, it doesn't have to operate within a specific kind of formula. I think it's something that's very accessible to new people with just a couple of sentences versus something like Undiscovered Country that we were just talking about recently, would take a bit more versus this is we're in our universe, this is Earth's future. The main characters you need to know about are Kirk Spock, McCoy, o'hura, Scottie Bones, going down kind of a short list and their individual roles and then just let somebody watch it and discover it and they'll get it without a lot of explanation, which I think is really important. I do want to talk about. This is a much younger cast than we're used to seeing, and I thought it was really refreshing. Would you just say this is a good intro to the franchise if you're going to kind of start somebody on Star Trek.

11:05 For a modern audience, Yes, yeah. It's at least a sampling right to see if they if they like it or if there doesn't. Isn't necessarily a lot of investment that has to go into it for the in order for them to enjoy it. Heading up this younger cast, we've got Chris Pine as Jim Kirk. I think he fit really really well into this with just the right amount of attitude and cocky. I'd love to seeing him kind of develop in this in this role, it's pretty. Fair, Yeah, I would. I think he had the best character arc of the whole film in my opinion.

11:46 Yeah. Well, and going all the way back to the day he was born, I think his dad, so to speak, Chris Hemsworth in his debut role right, yeah, before he was thor or anything, else as George Kirk and his mom would Know a Kirk played by Jennifer Morrison. H That initial sequence blew me away. Oh absolutely did I love that opening? Yeah, as a dad. It hits the right emotional chords at the right times and gives him kind of an interesting arc or kind of an interesting reputation to live up to. And I think that helps Tom, you know, give people more of a gateweit understanding him. We've also got running out the rest of the cast. I'll mention Simon Pegg next, because he's one of my favorite parts of Yes. Yes, he apparently didn't even audition for the role.

12:50 He just got an email from j. J Abrams asking if you'd like to do it, and he said apparently he would have done it for free or even paid JJ to do it if he had not been off. He he dives in and does such an amazing job at this. Would absolutely I love Simon Pegg. I mean, he's he's one of the few people who have done the in my opinion, the trio of great sci fi series, you know, Star Wars, Star Trek, and Doctor Who. He's done all four three of them. I love his work. Yeah, and spaced I still have to watch Space. That's good.

13:32 What are some other standouts of the cast for you to. Oh, come on, I mean, we got to talk about Carl urban I mentioned him earlier. I'm telling you he really took on the role of Bones, and I swear to god, Deforce Kelly was inside him when he was performing that scene when he gets onto the shuttle and meets Kirk for the first time. His mannerisms, his facial expressions, his dialogue, everything was absolutely dead on to Forest Kelly, like even his his his voice, Like I swore it was Deforce Kelly. He was doing such an incredible drop. It felt like he watched everything Toforce Kelly did over the years and just duplicated that in his performance but still made it his own and it was just so damn good.

14:23 He is the one that blew me away. I mean, the whole cast is phenomenal, do not get me wrong, But Carl Urban Man, did he just blow me out of the water with his performance. Well, here's another one of those examples of how they reset the template for all these characters, what while staying true to them, like we've seen in the Strange New Worlds, We've seen Scottie. We've seen Kirk. We have yet to see Bones, but I'm pretty sure they're gonna take some cues from Carl Urban in this with wherever it goes? Wayne, what about you who stands out? Oh well, I agree with Carl Urban. Let me but let me bring up Zach Frequent because he had a lot to you know, stand go up against Leonard Nimoy was such an incredible performance. I mean, he was Spock and he's also in the film as well, and that's a lot to live up to and a lot of expectation from the fans. I think he did an incredible job, you know, as Spock. Him and Carl Urban, I can see them, you know, it's a recast, but I can see them as Spock in Bones, you know, more than any of the other cast. And I think all of them were fantastic, but those two they, like you said, it's like they had the spirit of the actors from before in they knew exactly what the job was and they were perfect at it. I agree.

15:47 Well, specifically for Spock, the writing and the performance have done so much more to give that character more emotional range and depth. I think there's a lot of what we see in strange new worlds, not to take from what we're seeing with the new interpretations, but knowing that they can get into that a little bit more of the emotional conflict within Spock. Taking on a role so iconic that is Spock. People who are not even into start right now, who freaking Spock is? Okay, they do. And for Zachary Quinto. To take on a role that Lynn Nimoy has done for many, many years and has perfected it over those years, really had to make him feel like, holy crap, I need to do a phenomenal job on screen because of who I am portraying here. If I don't, I'm going to get crucified. Yeah he would have too, Yeah, and he would have You're right, But he did a phenomenal job.

16:42 He knocked it out of the damn park as Spock. He did. Yeah, And I mean, considering he has Leonard Nimoy is Spock prime, I guess right there with him in such a supporting role. I love the fact that they incorporated that into the story to make sure that there was a little bit of that continuity. Somebody kind of passed the torch onto him, and I think it was handled really really well. I'm glad they did that too, because it would have been really hard for US Star Trek fans, our long time Star Trek fans, to accept this film if it was rewriting everything that happened before, if they were if Java Abrams had decided, you know, I'm going to undo everything and let's say the next generation Space nine Voyager and all of it never took place, that would have that would have taken the fandom. He probably would have been massacred. But by including that little bit there, and by including the fact that this is more of an alternate universe, an alternate take that was that was exactly what was needed to make everybody happy. It made me happy.

17:48 I'm so glad that you know, you can watch this, you can watch these three films and accept it alongside the what they call now the prime universe. Well, I think it was a great idea to give it kind of a back to the future type of alternate reality as well, that it wasn't just a parallel universe, but it was a branch that still has roots in the standard canon. I think that was absolutely essential and a really really smart move. So Spot comes from what a few years after Nemesis. Is that correct? Somewhere after that is when he comes back into this time. Yeah, I'm not sure exactly what the year is, but it's definitely long after Unification. Actually, I take that back. I do know what year it was, twenty years before about twenty you have twenty years after Nemesis.

18:37 I think. Okay, yeah, that makes sense. Yeah, there was a I think it's in canon, the tian Coge Star Trek Countdown. Yeah, establish a bunch of things in the timeline. Apparently it's years after Nemesis. I'm not sure how long long after Nemesis. I can't remember how long after Nemesis was struture card was that twenty years? Maybe it's been a while I've seen it him. I think it's twenty years, which sounds about right. Yeah, so this would be probably not twenty years that excuse me, not twenty years afternomists, probably about five years after theymsist. Then, Okay, that sounds more appropriate. Yeah. So now I'm trying to Now I'm trying to kind of connect the dots and think about when Marty goes back to the Twin Pines Mall, so to speak, in Picard, was Robulus destroyed.

19:27 Yes, the events of this film were mentioned and went right alongside Star Trek the card. Interesting, the events of Romulus destroyed, not the events of the Kirk Spockoy staff, right. Right, right, right, Well, I had read about the so in Star Trek Countdown we learned that Jordan of the Forge helped design the Jellyfish, the ship that Spuck is. Oh that's right, yeah in the comic, Yes, yeah, that's right. Yeah. And apparently the Narrata ship is using stolen board technology, which is how I was able to have the ability to regenerate as it acquires damage or whatever it is.

20:07 So it's just interesting they kind of have that parallel but that fits neatly into the main timeline, so that we know it does. Yeah, because I'm going to my film facts thing real quick to mention one that's yeah. Nero's statement that the Federation had done nothing for Romulus when it was destroyed by the Superno nova that was expanded in the first episode of Startup a Card, the episode of Remembrance, where Picard it mentions of the Federation had initially agreed to mount a large scale evacuation to help with the Romulans being threatened by the Supernova, but the Federation deliberately chose to abandon it because of the uprising on Mars with the Androids.

20:50 Interesting, Okay, wait to start talking about the card. But we'll get there. Eventually, we'll get there. We'll get you know. It's it's great that this is all being wrapped in. Even though it's an ultra universe, it does connect to everything. I mean, we even have mentions to it. And they named it in Star Trek Discovery. Yeah, that's true. A few other more than noteworthy cast members here. We were recently talking about hero with women women in emotion, and Zoe's Aldana does an outstanding job as an and she has such a pivotal role in this and I'm very, very glad that they wrote it in that way. Oh yeah, obviously it opens the door for strange new worlds. But the way that her communications role, the way that her translations are so pivotal to this, and we see that expand a lot more in the rest of the Kelvin movies. Of course, we have to mention John Chow as Sulu. Obviously, we have Anton Yelkin Rest in Peace as Chekhov. They both did a great job.

21:58 It's a great entry into those characters. And we've got a lot of other big names in here. Not to mention Onoda Writer as Nana Grayson, very very smart casting. There, small role, but very powerful one. Along with the big names, we've got Eric Bana as Nero with all his yelling glory. Doesn't even look like him, does not even look like him. I enjoy his anger in this one a lot more than Hulk obviously, Yeah, but I think he had an outstanding performance. The one standout role for me in this is Bruce Greenwood as This is one of the pieces of this movie that makes it such a great movie in my opinion, his his performance gives so much more to Pike. I think it opens up obviously the newest character iteration, but it does so much more for this character that originally in the in the Og series didn't have that much of a spotlight, and they made him so much we did, and I love it.

23:09 On One of the best lines in this film came from him when he was in the bar with Kirk after they had the fight, and he says, your father was a captain of the ship for twelve minutes. He saved many people, including your mother and yours I dare you to do better with a phenomenal line and just hit home. It really did it. Ghostbumps man goosebumps. Every single time me I think about that line. It is so well done. Yeah, oh god, and it gets him moving. I just I love it. So thank you Bruce Breenwood for forgiving his pipe. That's right, all right, let's take a little bit of a break. When we come back, we'll get into some behind the scenes stuff. And we're back. We're talking about the two thousand and nine JJ Abrams Star Trek guys. Let's talk about some behind the scenes tidbits. Just to start us off, I'll talk about the numbers. Their budget was around one hundred and fifty million, which is more than ten times the budget of the entire original series in nineteen sixty six.

24:15 It certainly made it back. The gross in the US and Canada was more than two hundred and fifty seven million, made more than seventy five million in the opening weekend, and the overall worldwide gross is three hundred and eighty five million. So the first Star Trek film, Yeah. It did what it was supposed to do. Yeah, Like I said, Paramount got a grand slam out of this one, and this is what gave birth back to Star Trek. Yes, yep. It also got the Academy Award for the first time, brought the Oscar into the House of Star Trek for a Best Achievement, and makeup several other nominations, which made it the most for the series, tied with A Voyage Home.

24:55 I was surprised to see that it was the first in the series nominated for Best Visual Effects. I don't know how you can't have that with Star Trek. But that is surprising. But the visual effects in this film were just enomen. It holds up. Yeah, I think this was this not the first time in Deferal Light Magic everything was digital. It is, yeah, yeah, so, and they did a phenomenal job with that, because I mean, don't get me wrong, I love models, do not get me wrong, But in this one, man, it just man, they. Just did such an incredible job. Granted, technology had gotten to the point that you could do a much better job, but just some of the things they did in this film, just again, I'm gonna use the phrase mind blowing because it was.

25:38 Its Yeah yeah, and it stands the test of time. Like I've I've watched this countless numbers of times, and I don't know of any place where there's anything that seems dated or old fashioned. I love it. I think in terms of acting, there's a lot to be said for how much they kind of how much reverence they had for Star Trek as much as they were making it something new. There's a lot of respect for the past. Yes, particularly with moy coming back. Mm hmm. Right. I'd read that Robert Orsey and Kurtsman and Abrams went to his house to ask him to come back on board, and they basically said, we can't make this film without you, and we won't make this film without you, and the case they had presented to him overwhelmed him and brought him back when he thought he would never come back before. Is that right?

26:37 Yes? Correct? And it's it's perfect, it is. I mean, it's really is a love letter to Spock here, Yeah, in giving him all the credit that's due, and I love it in some of his lines that he has throughout this film of giving nods back to his Kirk was just so well done. I'm very respective of you know, spocks relationship with Kirk, which helps the Kirk in this realize what he needs to do, and it helps him grow up a little bit and forces him to become that captain that he becomes. Yeah, so without that, none of this would have worked without Lennar Nimoy. So thankfully they went and talked him into doing and he decided to do it. Yeah. One of my favorite things that I learned about this was the the last line that Nimoy says, Thruster's on full was improvised. It's a it's a great segue right back to the bridge when we see them move on, kind of you know, zooming into the future. But knowing that he had said that with the intention of kind of saying like you've got this, Yeah, like we're in good hands, please move it forward. That you don't. You don't get a better endorsement than that.

27:48 H Yeah, I know, I know. They were talking about bringing Michelle to I think she was going to play with her grandmother in a scene. As much as I would have loved to have seen her in this, I think that would have crammed it too much. Yeah. I feel like Lennard Nimoy was all we needed for the film, and it is and that's why it works so well. Do you not get wrong. I would love to see Michelle again as a horror or not as a horror, but you know, in a Star Trek as horrors grandmother. But I'm kind of glad they didn't go that route, to be honest with. You, that was actually they had planned and they were going to do that. The only reason they didn't do that is because of the two thousand and seven seven writers strike. They wanted to write it, but they couldn't, so they ended up having to drop that. Shatner was also going. They wanted Shatner back too. You know, they had plans for him to have a to be shown, like as a recorded message that Spock would have showed the younger Spock. But of course, you know Shatner, he wasn't keen on the idea of just like a cameo appearance.

28:51 He wanted more of a substantial war like Leonard Nimoy, so they dropped that that idea too. I kind of feel like if we had Michelle back, it may have been confusing to some viewers because they would have expected that that's their Ahura and that this is somehow the granddaughter of the Ohura prime or whatever. So I'm glad they didn't do that, but I was glad to hear that Michelle and Zoe had worked together so closely on that role. And again it seems like an endorsement of somebody kind of passing the torch to that next generation. Simon Pegg, true to form, wanted to make sure he was doing it right. I had also heard that he worked with his wife on his Marene peg on his accent, and he had gotten so specific.

29:47 So his wife is from Glasgow and he knew that Scotty was from a different part of Scotland and wanted to bring more of the appropriate kind of sound to his accent. So it's kind of a mix of both accents that he brought into it, which I wouldn't know the difference myself, but that he knew the investment that was needed to bring this full circle. I love hearing those kind of. One thing I want to bring up too well. I want to bring up the fact that we got to remember that this was the last Star Trek appearance of Major Barrett. Oh yeah, you know. Yeah. I mean that we have to mention that she was the voice of the Enterprise computer as she had been for many many decades on it, and She completed her work just two weeks before she passed away, so she never actually got to see the finished film. But I'm so glad that she was able to put her own stamp on this film.

30:44 I also this was I found this rather fascinating that Jj Abrams he wasn't really sure if he wanted to direct this film. He kept going back and forth whether he wanted to do it, didn't want to do it, He wanted to see the script. But he was convinced to actually do the by his wife Katie McGrath and Steven Spielberg, who had read the script and said he was very impressed with it and said he should take this. Well, thankfully he did. Yeah, I'm glad he did too. Yeah. So Wielward was on the set too. He actually was on the set for a few days during when they were filming on the Enterprise set, and he actually helped Abrams with some of the actions in a few of the Saints. Let's let's not forget about the cameo by Tyler Perry.

31:31 Oh yeah, yeah, that was a surprise, but it was a yeah. I thought I found it amusing. I heard that when he was giving one of his lines he kind of messed it up and staid cut. And he realized, oh wait a minute, I'm not the director. That's fantastic. Yeah, and there's also a connection between beers and engineers in the one, Yeah there is, right. Yeah, parts of it were owned in a Budweiser factory. It's hard not to see that now running through engineering and it's kind of like, were they just like just get a tap and right? Well why not?

32:11 I mean that would have been It's a perfect setting, so why not use it your advantage as well? Yeah? Yeah. Any other behind the scenes facts. Our good old friend Ben Bert, who has done a ton of Star Wars stuff, as we know for the sound effects, was the sound effect technician for this film. Another amusing thing. I don't know if you guys knew this or not, but did you know the motorcycle sound that Kirk has is the Jetson's car. Oh oh yeah, it's so cool that they used that. This is a nice ride. It is very nice, right, And he gives it away too here. That's true. That's true. When anything else.

32:53 Other than the fact that you know, the riders used a lot of it's to not only just past episodes of Star Trek. But they also used a lot of information from some of the novels, which for years, you know, Gene Roddenberry never consuded considered any of the novel's continuity. But the two writers here decided to bring in some of the elements from especially from this fantastic book that I remember reading as a kid called Spock's World. Great book. If you can find a copy of that, get it up. That tells a lot about Spocks passed in history, and it matches a lot that you see in this film. And I'm glad that they brought some of those elements in because some of them are fantastic.

33:35 That's good. I'm always glad when they're able to tie that together. They I think there's going to be a lot of those that were going to be talking about in the future. M h sits down, all right, Well, I think that covers it from behind the scenes. Let's talk about favorite moments. I'm sure there are many. There's too How am I supposed to pick one? There's so many? Clearly, the one I talked about Pike's line is like among my favorite of this of this whole thing. Lennard Emoy in the cave with Kirk when you get his introduction to each other, when he's getting I am and always shall be your friend, he uses that line uh to Kirk there obviously that Kirk doesn't understand what he's saying, but to us as Treky's as star Trek fans put a smile on your face because you know where that was coming from, and it's very much appreciated when they do that. But the other thing that I absolutely loved, loved, loved, loved, loved about this film is, first off, the score for Michael Oh yeah, phenomenal score, and I'm sure we'll dig into that a little bit. But the other one is the action packed sequence that we get at the end the big fight when the Enterprise gets off, gets hidden somewhere you don't you know by by I think it was Saturn, one of the moons, and when it comes up out of the uh you know that dust or whatever.

34:56 It is. Phenomenal shot. But all of this is going on, You're getting the torpedoes being launched after Spock has stolen the ship, and you know, Nero fires everything at him, and then out of nowhere the Enterprise comes in and just opens up firing and knocks out all the torpedoes. You have all this action going on, the music is hitting right when it needs to hit, that whole sequence with phenomenal man, and I just love that and every time I see that, I'm on the damage in my seat every time. Well, especially as you mentioned, like they have this volley of phaser blasts that are supposed to take out these anybitdy torpedoes aimed at this little ship and it hits everyone with precision. But I always, I always kind of hold my breath a little bit, like one sneaks through right, like sneak through, but they get it down. They probably have doctor Crusher on weapons those Wayne. What about you, what's one that stands out for you? Oh?

35:57 You're right. There are so much in this film to like. I think the highlights are definitely the opening and everything with the us is Kelvin. That's always been one of my favors because you're right, it is one of the best openings Star Trek series. But I also I really like the pacing and the action of on the platform, the space platform and the Vulcan scene. I always thought that was a really impressive middle scene, you know, action scene for the film. But just see the interactions between the characters, especially the whole Kirk, Spock and McCoy and the scene with old Spock and Kirk. I and of course, like you.

36:37 Just mentioned, to the music, I think the music is not I like the Davier mentioning the the kind of meeting between Spock, Prime and Kirk. It's interesting how the mind meld gets a little bit more in depth in this as well, because when they end it there's kind of that that backlash on Kirk that he talked about emotional transference as part of it. We talked about that in an uncomfortable way in a discovered country. We've talked about it in many different times. I think it's interesting how it adds that depth that it really is a sharing. It's not necessarily just reading somebody's mind or telepathy. It's really adjoining of them, which which gives that a lot more more depth.

37:18 I went to Scott before you figures early want to give an honorable mention that first off, there's a lot of comedy in this, but it didn't override the action and the drama that was going on. But one of the things that I freaking laugh every damn time it happens is McCoy when he keeps giving them a kirk of shot. Quit it, and he did. He keeps doing it. It is so hysterical and I laugh every damn time. I'll see it and raise you honorable mention for just one line. Are you out of your fulcon mind? Like how he puts a little bit of f on Vulcan. Yeah, it's it's pitch perfect. Yeah. And I love that sequence and the fact that he is able to understand him when he's got a numb tongue and she's able to understand what he's trying to say, I Daring to do better gives me goose bumps. The opening on the Kelvin gives me goose bumps. It makes me emotional, I'll just admit it. The one that I love to see it brings a new smile to my face every single time, is the the intro of Scottie that he is just on this desolate rock because he beamed he tried to prove his theory of transwort beaming on Admiral Archer's prize Beagle, which I'm sure we'll talk about later. That was. But the fact that once he finds out there from the future, he says, oh, well, that's fantastic. So they still have sandwiches there, I'm still hungry. Like the comedic timing and

38:50 the delivery of that kind of stuff. It's it's just fantastic. Yep. There's there's one more that I just mentioned, and again it's a small one. But when soon who leaves the parking break on? You know, Okay, I'm glad you brought that up because I had a note about that. It's because of his mistake they live. Yes, yes, so that's. Huge, subtle but smart it is. Yes, thank you for bringing that up, because I was gonna mention that earlier and I completely forgot, but good, good job bringing that up. When I saw that again the other night, I'm like, holy crap, it's because of him they live because they fall behind the rest of the fleet. Yeah, there's another little subtlety there, and I don't know if it's an intentional joke or a knowledgeable joke from Pike where he says is the parking break on? I don't know if he's meaning to say the external inertial dampers are still on, which is what Spock says that He's like, yeah, that's it. Sorry, let's go, let's go, and the controls for this, it's it's a lot more tactile that I'm used to seeing, like the you know what.

40:00 He kind of moves that lever forward to get them, you know, on their way. It's reminiscent of the millennium millennium Falcons hyperdrive that they engaged to go to a late speed, making all those kind of little tactile additions to this. I think there's a lot more of a modern spin. All right, well, let's take another quick break when we come back, Let's talk about Michael Giacchino and the score. All right, we're back. We got to talk about one of the most important aspects of this. Wayne and Day. I know you're going to run with it, so I'm just going to say a quick note. We've got Michael Giacchino on the score. He won an Oscar that year for up. I know him for the Incredibles Mission Impossible, Ghost Protocol, the Spider and Tom Holland franchise, Rogue One of all things, I'll just give honorable mention to the Disney's gargoyles the Saint Genesis video game. Apparently he was involved with that. This guy is in so many places in some of my favorite things. But what are your thoughts on that? On the score, Dave, Well.

41:20 Before we talk about that, the one thing that really helps him too is he'd already been working with Abrams before this, because he did Lost Alias Fringe. He did a bunch of television with aj Abrams that he produced. So when you have somebody that's this freaking talented, you're going to bring him with you no matter what you do, and thankfully he did, because holy crap, this score. Is phenomenal in this film. I mean that piece. First off, when the film opens up, you already know you're in for a treat for the score, because when it's rolling, you're good, oh my god, here we go. We're going to get into something heavy. And then the whole you get all that action that happens there at the beginning, and then when that's all finished, the the pods are escaping and the music is starting to swell and swell and swell, and then you get the starfleet symbol you know, coming around and it becomes star Trek. That just I mean chills when that music hits, yeah, because it is so freaking well done, and throughout the entire film. Whenever you needed music that would just one to make you feel emotion or anything, he nails it and it doesn't go overboard. It's perfectly fitting for everything that happens in the film. I love that we get the original Star Trek music at the end with the credits rolling. I think that was phenomenally well done. You know, it's good for us truck. He's to get that kind of love at the end. But there's another piece that I absolutely love, and that is when the enterprise fires at Nero ship and destroys it and you get that

42:51 chorus going. And I've said many times on a podcast and how much I love when a chorus is used and used properly. He used it so well here when that happens. And there's so many other parts of this film where the music just stands out. I'm sure Wayne's going to hit on those that I'm overlooking right now, but it's just phenomenally well done. You know. I know, Wayne, you're a big Jerry Goldsmith fan, and he has done a phenomenal job over the year. James Horner has done a phenomenal job over the years. And we've talked about our love of the scores for all the Star Trek films. But when Paramount went to JJ Abrams and them and says, hey, we needed we need a really good Star Trek film. You know, this is what we need to bring back an audience. J J.

43:31 Rimms knew he needed to bring the music too, not just the story. He needed somebody who's gonna be able to handle this music and do it well, that's going to blow your audience away. And that's exactly what Michael did. Yeah, I agree with you. I mean, I love Jerry Goldsmith's music, but this is new Star Trek. This is completely new. This is a whole different look, different reboot, and they needed a different sound. And of course, you know, bringing Michael was perfect. It's such a powerful score from beginning to end, you know, from the action sequences to the the quiet, somber pieces that he's written. It's it definitely has I believe the largest orchestra that they ever used on a Star Trek come there was one hundred and seven pieces with a forty person choir. I love the choir too, very very unique, but very like like his music. And he you know, he didn't forget what came before, you know, we got Alexander Courage's theme at the end, but we also get very subtle homages to both the Jerry Goldsmith and James Horn if you listened there there, which he was fans of both of them, it's not surprising that he would want to, you know, sneak a few of them, a few of their sounds, their their signature themes into the It's just it's just the perfect soundtrack for this film and for Star Trek. And I'm glad that he did this.

44:55 I'm glad that he went on to do the other two films. And you know, of course he hasn't been Bully forgot. You know, he did also came back to do Star Trek Prodigy, so he's still very much into the the Star Trek universe. You know this this score has been released a few times on CD. You know, it's it's great. It was released back when the film first came out by Very Sarah Band, and then they released a year later in the deluxe edition for their CD Club but which can contain the complete score. It was very interesting set to if you can find a copy of it, it was a it looked like a book. It was a twenty h page book that had the two CDs inside of it and then inside cover and it was larger it about the size of it like a Blu ray. But they made a big mistake and that they forgot to overlay the choir on the pieces.

45:47 So I don't know. Yeah, so if you do have a copy of the book form of the deluxe edition, yeah, you're missing some of the music. You're missing a lot of the choir. But they did. I think it was a few years ago the released it again just as a standard as a download only, and it is the correct version. So if you get the download, you can get that. But if you can find a copy of that, it's interesting to listen to it about the choir. If you can find a copy of that booklets form that came out in twenty ten, get a hold of it. But you're gonna pay a pretty price because that sold out within days. I was very, very lucky to get ahold of a copy of It's a great score. If you love soundtracks, you love Star Trek, if you love his music, which I mean Rogue one is fantastic, go out and buy this. You know, it is a very great it's a great listen. I listened to it every now and then, you know, because it's just a powerful score.

46:38 Yeah, very approachable again, like I think that's the one that can appeal to a broader audience. Yeah, I think it's interesting how he uses silence throughout in very interesting ways. Now I'm kind of curious to hear that soundtrack without the chorus because there's an intentional silence, right, I wonder how that would play. But you know, it reminds me as we're talking about the score. You know, we've had a few movies where you get that shuttle that's arriving to the enterprise and you're getting that music where you see the enterprise for the first time. So this has it's been done two or three times, probably more than that that I'm forgetting about. But they do it again here in this movie with you know, this crew that we're getting to know, and Michael's score here is just beautiful. You know, when Phones is telling Kirk to look out the window, look out the window, and as they're approaching the enterprise and that music again is just swelling here.

47:33 Man, it's just it's just epic. Well, I think there's another part that's a little bit I guess kind of somewhat out of character for a Star Trek movie. I would say works really well and still holds up. Is the bar scene. Yeah, Yeah, It's got a great flow to it, and I love the fact that there's a it's a subtlety, but when her is walking into the bar, were following her and there's a moment where she kind of sidesteps the table and kind of swoops to the side, and the music just follows her flow through the club effortlessly. I love that part of it.

48:16 Yeah, I want to go back to one thing that Wayne had mentioned earlier. He said that Michael was inspired. You know, he listened to James Horner, he listened to Jerry Goldsmith. I found a quote from Michael who said, I think my writing has an old fashioned feel to it. For whatever reason, I'm just so influenced by the music that I listened to growing up. A lot of it out of the sixties, so it has a natural tendency to feel like it's from another era. So, you know, he does he studies music, and you know, he grew up with those you know, famous composers, Wayne that we love to listen to, so he clearly takes that into consideration when he's composing music, and it really comes off on screen when he does that. Yeah, because you know, a lot of composers forget that. You know, the music is a very important part of the film, and a lot of time when they write scores, they forget that and it kind of fades into the background.

49:04 There's no themes, there's nothing that the audience is going to remember, not this Not in this case, it's got a very powerful, very memorable theme that when you walk out of the theater you remember it. Yeah, Dave, I love what you do. Uh. Brought up because it's another aspect of legacy that carries through this right reverence for where they've been, but seeing the potential to where they could go uh in the future. So I'm glad that folds into every piece, including the score. All Right, Well it's time for Easter Eggs. Wayne's favorite party means favorite parts. Yep. You would think that with a whole reboot that there wouldn't be very many Easter eggs, but believing there are quite a few of them.

49:47 Yeah, some of the ones that stood out to me. Using the Kelvin as assault shaker, it's kind of a subtle Easter egg after that speech. It's a nice little punctuation. He's kind of you know, reminders of this are all over Kirk's world, and he takes a broken ship and you know, pours it out. I was surprised to hear that. We get Will Wheaton, who played Wesley Crusher, adding some dialogue for the Roblins on Nero's ship. Yep, yep, that is a great little added bonus there, Wayne. What else did you get? Well, there's there. Like I said, there's quite a few of them. To start off, there's a triple in this film, of course, Star Trek. There's got to be a triple somewhere.

50:34 It is sitting in a little cage on Scotty's desk and at the Delta Vega outpost. Everything was redesigned for this film. But one thing I want to point out is the new design for the communicators Propsmaster Russell Bobbitt. He worked with the engineers at Nokia and to create a prototype which costs the film fifty dollars. Oh boy, wow. When it can said. When the cadets are assigned to their various ships just prior to the destruction of Bulkan, one of the cadets Feugueman. He he is assigned to Regular one, which we are very familiar with what that station is. If you SAWID Star Trek two on Delta Vega, Scotty mentions that he had. We brought that up, didn't we.

51:22 We talked about. Jonathan go ahead, talking about yes, we. Love Yes, Okay, Yes, Scotty mentioned that he had used Admiral Archer's prized Beagle to test his long distance transporter theories. This was confirmed by the writers that they are talking about Jonathan Archer. That would mean that Archer is still alive at the time of this movie, which would make him about one hundred and forty five years old. Young. Now it's young. That isn't impossible because if you guys remember and encounter at farpoint, doctor McCoy appears in there and he's one hundred and thirty seven years old. So it's currently established that that human a little bit a lot longer than they do. Now, talking of that, about that bar scene, you Hera orders two Cardassian sunrises, and this makes it the first reference to the Cardassians in a Star Trek production that was set in the twenty third century. In classic Budweiser, that's.

52:17 True hil like placement. Yeah, another little thing that it's definitely a blanket. You miss it. When Kirk climbs out of the shuttle on Delta Vega, if you look at his backpack, it reads NCC one seven zero one B. Interesting. This was the first Star Trek film to be released in Imax, although it wasn't filmed for it, and of course, as you said, it was also the first film in the franchise to win an oscar. Finally, yah, finally. Now let me close this with what I usually talk about. There was a huge push by Paramount to market this new Star Trek film. They really wanted people to know that Star Trek was back and it was different. So there was a heck of a lot of tie in merchandise for this film, so much that I'll never be able to mention it at all, But let me bring up some of the highlights of this film. Of course, there was the usual novelization, this time written by Alan Dean Foster, which were actually rather surprising. He had written a lot of the novelizations for the animated series as well as being one of the writers for Star Trek Motion Picture. IDW Comics produced a prequel comic that you mentioned called Star Trek Countdown that led up to the release of the film, and then afterwards a six issue comic adaption of the film. The toy license was again awarded to Playmate Toys, which produced action figures for the film of all the main characters along with Old Spock and Nero, as well as prop toys, playsets, and ship

53:48 models just like their nineties line. It was a fantastic series that they did, and they also even did twelve inch figures to go along with it. A few of the other properties that was released, A Writtenhouse Archives produced a collectible cards. T shirts were made by a company called Junk Food. Video game which was called Star Trek DAC was released by Naked Sky Entertainment. Burger King got into the game too, promoted a Kid's Meal tie in for the film, making it the first time that Burger King had anything to do with Star Trek, and it was the first time that the fast food chains had marketed Star Trek since McDonald's did their Happy Meal for Star Trek the Motion Picture back in nineteen seventy nine.

54:32 The commercials that Burger King did were filmed on the Enterprise set and were directed by Dan Meidel, who was a cinematographer for this film. There were a number of Kellogg's products that offered Star Trek merchandise and memorabilia, either by mail or were included right in the package. Yeah, way in terms of merchandise, and what are the pieces that I really loved that they put together. When the DVD Blu ray set came out, they had a various pieces of the enterprise itself that you could assemble into a display piece, and the saucer section is actually where it holds the DVD Blu ray set. So I thought that was kind of a clever way to do that.

55:12 That is that's cool. There's there's one thing that I want to mention. We had some unfortunate news recently. We had lost author Peter David, who has done quite a bit for the Star Trek world. So we want to dedicate this episode to the memory of Peter David. Peter, thank you, thank you for all that you've done for for Star Trek, but many other franchises. Not to mention, The Hulk Young Justice one of my favorite animated treatments. Wayne. There are several things that you've reade from from Peter David, over the years.

55:54 Right, Oh yeah, I mean he was a very well known name in Star Trek circle, especially for his novels. He wrote the novels in zodi Q and law Q Squared. All of those I read back when they were first released, as well as he created and wrote the Star Trek New Frontier series for pocket Books, which was extremely popular back in the nineties. I remember his run on the DC Star Trek comic back in the eighties and the nineties. It was phenomenal. That was one of the best Star Trek series that I've ever read. You know, it's sad that he passed away. I never got a chance to meet him. I always wanted to. He wrote so much in comics, you know, as you mentioned incredible Halk. He also wrote Aquaman, Spider Man, Captain Marvel for Marvel Comics, very well received runs on those comics. He worked on TV series He wrote for Ben ten Young, Justice, Space Cases, and Babylon Five and It's an Off Crusade. He was a major and a regular guest in many sci fi conventions and comic conventions around the country. Will be sorely missed by everyone.

57:06 It was just a wonderful talent and I'm just really sad to hear of his death. Great talent, Rest in peace, Peter David. Yeah, you know, as we're talking about this Star Trek two thousand and nine movie being so accessible and kind of approachable and possibly having a broader appeal, I think that'd be true of his novels, especially Q in Law and some of that incorporate a little bit more of that humor. So maybe we'll have a chance to talk about that in the future. I can remember when The Next Generation, you know, was airing and I was wanting to fill in voids and gaps, and his novels were phenomenal for that, you know. I mean they were written so well, like you were watching an episode. I mean they were written that good. So yeah, it's quite a loss to a lot of industries and to us here at Star Trek and Phaser Set.

57:55 This done. The rest in peace, Peter. David, And if you have the chance, you know, to go check out one of his works, whether it's on television, in comics, or in a book. And as always, we want to thank you our listeners for joining us for another of these voyages we're going to be This is the first, but not the last time we're going to be talking about the Kelvin timeline. Dave and Wayne always thank you gentlemen, love to chat with you, Love. To be part of this bridge, love it. It's a lot of fun. And just remember our haaling frequencies are always open for you to share your thoughts and questions on Facebook, Instagram and those favorite social channels. You can find us online at a Film by a Podcast for articles and episodes the stream for free, email us at a Film by a Podcast at gmail dot com. And if you're looking for more exclusive content and swag, send latinum our away through Patreon. See you next time for another episode of Phasers set to stem. All right, we'll dive right in its usualah blah blah Wayne, Is there are there any details that you cover in your synopsis, like released on rated whatever? Oh no?

59:09 Written by his synopsis is gonna be space the final front two. So there's this guy and he flies a ship as other people they. Shoot, they shoot things, you know, going to Adventure Stars and there's a war going on. They go on a trek or something something like that.