Star Trek DVD: My Pocket Full O’ Sunshine
By Lisa Fary
Every day should start out with a bag full o’ Star Trek.
My school had a field trip in Center City today. I was already feeling poopy (and ignored and unappreciated at work, but whatevs) on the subway, but there was nervousness mixed in there, too. This was the first field trip I’d sponsored, planned, and organized at this school and it had the potential to be a fiasco.
I was way early, and had decided to kill some time at Borders when I saw it. Suddenly, the day was brighter.
In my poopiness, I had forgotten that today was Star Trek DVD day.
With the 2-disc special edition in my messenger bag, even if the field trip went poorly, there was still Trek to look forward to. Sometimes, just knowing there’s a small treat like that waiting improves the whole day dramatically.
We already know all about the movie. So, let’s talk special features.
Deleted Scenes
Just about everything with Winona Ryder wound up deleted, and it’s not all that upsetting. She was flat and awkward everywhere, more like a middle school drama student saying lines than the experienced actor that she is. What was going on with you, Winona?
Another scene worth deleting was a family discord scene on the Kirk farm in Iowa. It takes place just before the car chase and involves Wee Jim’s older brother leaving and their uncle being an abusive dickweed. I felt like the child actors playing the Kirk brothers were going into after school special territory with the emotionality of the scene.
Green Girl’s involvement with the Kobayashi Maru was expanded, although she wasn’t so much a participant as she was a victim of Kirk’s sexy time scheming. That along with the follow-up on the Enterprise would have been nice additions.
Nero’s deleted scenes added a lot to him and cleared up the first of two big annoyances. After seeing the movie, I had wondered where Nero had been hiding his big, future ship for twenty-five years. He couldn’t have been sitting in the same place all that time. Why wouldn’t they just head for Romulus?
Big plot hole, right? No so much with the deleted scene. It fills in the hole and makes Nero waaaay more bad ass.
Gag Reel
The usual: silly faces, forgotten lines replaced with expletives, etc.
Featurettes
This what I’m most interested in when it comes to special features: how it was shot, selecting locations, designing aliens, casting. The DVD delivered.
One of the many things I loved about Star Trek was that the aliens looked so alien, were so well executed, and were well thought out. Naturally, my favorite featurette by far was on aliens.
“Aliens” also cleared up the second of my two big annoyances” the monster on the ice planet. That one bugged me because a creature in that environment wouldn’t evolve that way. Even at that size, predators have to be stealthy, have to blend in. Red doesn’t exactly blend in with snow and ice. The designer explained that it was an underwater creature out of it’s element and then the coloring made sense.
I normally don’t watch DVD extras because they often seem frivolous or thrown together to fill space and grab a few extra bucks. These featurettes really highlight the care and consideration that went into Star Trek, the dignity of Leonard Nimoy, and the skill of JJ Abrams. Don’t skip them.
And I’m pleased to say that my field trip went really well. I’m not saying this has anything to do with a little Star Trek in my bag.
Lisa Fary is a graduate of the creative writing program at Florida State University and holds an advanced degree in Special Education. Her earliest influences are Princess Leia, Rainbow Bright, Astronaut Barbie, and her 6th grade teacher, Ms. Palmer. She’s angry that it’s almost 2010 and she still doesn’t have a hovercraft, but will accept a jetpack as consolation. That jetpack had better be pink with a rhinestone monogram.
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I can't WAIT to have this in my house!
However, and I know that people can't necessarily be expected to read a comic to understand a movie, but the writers of Star Trek created the limited series Star Trek: Countdown (which was awesome) to explain backstory, and now there's Star Trek: Nero (which BLOWS) to explain more of Nero's backstory.
I do remember seeing those at the comic shop, but I'm lazy.
I like all the story in one place.
got mine last night on my way home from work!! can't frickin' wait to go home tonight to watch. with a glass of wine. yum.
Mmmm. Wine. I should get some.
Speaking of getting some….um….Chris Pine and/or Zachary Quinto.
That's all I really wanted to say.
Heh. I'll take some Karl Urban with my wine.
and john cho; holla! i'm also completely smitten with simon pegg. oh, and that glass turned into a bottle. hah i'm tired today.