| Some of you long-time Trekters out there may be holding off on watching Star Trek XI: Star Trek I because you are worried that the writers will pack every Trek cliche into a 127-minute film. This is a reasonable fear, given what happened to both American versions of Red Dwarf. You may remember how they packed every single joke from the first four seasons, or approximately 900 jokes, into each of the two awful pilot episodes. If you haven't seen them, they were complete disasters, doing to Red Dwarf what the Bush presidency did to human rights. Similarly, the 1991 film The Addams Family used both jokes from the TV series, although it turned out all right.
Let me tell you right off the bat that you don't need to worry. Yeah, some cliches, catch phrases, and running jokes made it in, but as a viewer, I wasn't crushed under the stampede. Here, to make you feel better, is a checklist.
General It's green! STATUS: not included DESCRIPTION: Two characters are drinking with intent to cause long-lasting genetic damage. They run out of bathroom cleaning liquids and are about to go their separate ways when one of them finds a mysterous container of green liquid. The other asks what it is, and the first replies, "It's... it's green." They drink it. REFERENCES: "By Any Other Name" (TOS); "Relics" (TNG)
Bones Damn it, Jim, I'm a doctor, not a <CAREER> STATUS: included DESCRIPTION: Kirk asks Bones to do some trivial task, such as passing him a napkin at a restaurant, and Bones says, "Damn it, Jim, I'm a doctor, not a nuclear physicist!" REFERENCES: "The Naked Time," "The Corbomite Maneuver," "The Galileo Seven," "Arena," "The City on the Edge of Forever," "Amok Time," "Catspaw," "Metamorphosis," "Friday's Child," "A Piece of the Action," "Return to Tomorrow," "Assignment: Earth," "Spock's Brain," "For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky," "The Empath," "Whom Gods Destroy," "The Way to Eden," "Turnabout Intruder" (TOS); "Once Upon a Planet," ""The Time Trap," "The Slaver Weapon," "The Jihad," "Albatross," "How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth," "The Counter-Clock Incident" (TAS); "The Wire" (DS9); "Phage," "Investigations," "Bliss" (VOY)
<NOUN/PRONOUN>'s dead, Jim! STATUS: not included DESCRIPTION: Someone dies in a spectacular fashion, like falling off a cliff, getting sucked out of an airlock, or riddled with 50-caliber bullets, and Bones uses his medical szzzzs to dramatically say something like, "Dumbledore's dead, Jim!" REFERENCES: "Lurgi Strikes Britain," "Operation: Annihilate!," "Mirror, Mirror" (TOS)
Yo, dawg STATUS: included DESCRIPTION: Bones says to a patient recovering from surgery, "Yo, dawg, I heard you like <THING>, so I put a <THING> in your <VITAL_ORGAN> so you could <ACTION> while you <ACTION>." REFERENCES: "The City on the Edge of Forever," "The Cloud Miners" (TOS); every episode of TAS; "Encounter at Farpoint" (TNG)
Kirk Picard could kick Kirk's ass any day of the week STATUS: included, since Kirk appears in this film DESCRIPTION: Picard could kick Kirk's ass any day of the week. REFERENCES: every episode of TOS; every episode of TAS; every episode of TNG
Pattern Kirk Epsilon STATUS: included, barely DESCRIPTION: Despite being labeled a tactical genius, Kirk forgets some basic aspect of starship combat, such as raising the shields or pointing the phasers the right way, and Enterprise gets the bejeezus blown out of it. REFERENCES: "The Corbomite Maneuver," "Balance of Terror," "The Apple," "The Doomsday Machine," "The Ultimate Computer" (TOS); Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
Janice Rand Spitting and head-butting STATUS: not included DESCRIPTION: On TOS, Yeoman Rand had a nasty habit of spitting and head-butting people at just the wrong moment. REFERENCES: "The Corbomite Maneuver," "The Enemy Within," "Charlie X" (TOS); Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
You Can Buy Anything at Jusco! STATUS: not included DESCRIPTION: Whenever anyone tries to impress Rand by showing her something neat, she informs them that she can get it at Jusco and probably pay less for it. REFERENCES: "The Corbomite Maneuver," "The Man Trap," "The Naked Time," "Charlie X," "Miri," "The Conscience of the King" (TOS); "Flashback" (VOY); Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
Mr. Scott Laws of Physics STATUS: not included DESCRIPTION: Mr. Scott is asked to do something to prevent the ship from being destroyed. To make himself look better, he states "I canna' change the laws of physics" moments before he does whatever is needed to save the ship. Afterwards, he calls the bridge to ask, "Who da man? Who da man? Mr. Scott da man!" REFERENCES: "The Cage," "Where No Man Has Gone Before," "Taked Time," "The Enemy Within," "What are Little Girls Made of?," "Balance of Terror," "Tomorrow is Yesterday,", "Errand of Mercy," "Who Mourns for Adonais," "A Private Little War" (TOS); "Relics" (TNG)
Giving it All She's Got STATUS: not included DESCRIPTION: Mr. Scott is asked to do something to preven the ship from being destroyed. To buy himself a little time while he finishes playing Contra: Shattered Soldier, he conjures up a dramatic voice and says, "I'm giving her all she's got!" REFERENCES: "The Cage," "I, Mudd," "Wolf in the Fold" (TOS); "Relics" (TNG)
Nurse Chapel Totally 'Shopped STATUS: not included DESCRIPTION: At an awkward moment, Nurse Chapel will shout out "That shit's totally 'shopped!" The most famous examples come from Star Trek: The Motion Picture, where she says it three times while the crew watch Schindler's List and no less than thirty-seven times (once every five minutes or so) while they watch the pod racing scene from Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace. REFERENCES: "The Naked Time," "The Changeling," "A Private Little War," "The Paradise Syndrome" (TOS); "The Pirates of Orion" (TAS); Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Mr. Spock DFAG STATUS: included DESCRIPTION: Mr. Spock responds to a situation by shouting one or more of "Drink!" "Feck!" "Arse!" and "Girls!" REFERENCES: "The Cage," "The Menagerie, Part II," "Court Martial," "A Taste of Armageddon," "The Deadly Years" (TOS); "Yesteryear," "More Tribbles, More Troubles" (TAS); "Unification Part I" (TNG); Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
'Sup STATUS: included DESCRIPTION: Mr. Spock greets a higher-up in Star Fleet or some planetary leader by saying "'Sup?" Spock often tried to defend this practice: in "Journey to Babel," he spends a good five minutes constructing a proof that it is the most logical greeting in the universe. REFERENCES: "Mudd's Women," "Miri," "Dagger of the Mind," "Shore Leave," "Journey to Babel" (TOS); "Yesteryear" (TAS); "Face of the Enemy" (TNG); Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Uhura Thunderbirds STATUS: not included DESCRIPTION: Whenever we see Uhura while she is off duty, she is watching some episode of Thunderbirds. However, in an outtake from Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, we see her watching an episode of Gekigangar III. REFERENCES: "The Conscience of the King," "Shore Leave," "The Omega Glory" (TOS); "The Lorelei Signal" (TAS); Star Trek I: The Motion Picture; Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Mr. Sulu I'm Hikaru Sulu! STATUS: included DESCRIPTION: Whenever Sulu is introduced to someone (except Klingons - see "I'm Hikaru Sulu II!" below), he says "I'm Hikaru Sulu!" He then winks, grins, gives a finger shot with each hand, and makes a clicking noise. REFERENCES: "Space Seed," "The Devil in The Dark," "The Apple" (TOS); "Mudd's Passion" (TAS); "Flashback" (VOY); Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
I'm Hikaru Sulu II! STATUS: not included DESCRIPTION: Whenever Sulu is introduced to a Klingon, he says "I'm Hikaru Sulu. You killed my father. Prepare to die!" REFERENCES: "Errand of Mercy," "Friday's Child," "Elaan of Troyius," "Day of the Dove," "The Savage Curtain" (TOS); "More Tribbles, More Troubles," "The Time Trap" (TAS); Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Chekov I'm Hikaru Sulu III! STATUS: included DESCRIPTION: Whenever Chekov is introduced to someone, he says "I'm Hikaru Sulu!" He then winks, grins, gives the finger with each hand, and makes a clicking noise. REFERENCES: "Space Seed," "The Devil in The Dark," "The Apple" (TOS); "Mudd's Passion" (TAS); "Flashback" (VOY); Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Salute! STATUS: not included DESCRIPTION: Whenever Chekov is about to leave a scene, he holds his hand in an "okay" sign above his forehead. REFERENCES: "Who Mourns for Adonais," "I, Mudd," "The Trouble with Tribbles," "A Private Little War," "Spectre of the Gun," "The Demolished Man," "The Way to Eden" (TOS); Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
It's Actually Russian STATUS: included DESCRIPTION: Chekov often claims things that are clearly of Klingon origin, such as Romeo and Juliet and The Cherry Orchard, are, in fact, Russian. REFERENCES: "Friday's Child," "Who Mourns for Adonais," "The Apple," "The Trouble with Tribbles" (TOS); Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country |