No Faith in Hollywood Anymore

Oh boy. Star Trek "into darkness". Let me say this first: I watched Lost. JJ and Damon L did alright on that. I watched all of that show and I enjoyed it. NOW, Lost is in no way in any list of my favorite shows. Lost was on around the same time as Battlestar Galactica and the latter remains probably my number one or two favorite TV show all time. Coincidentally Ronald D. Moore who was one of the main forces behind BSG will  factor into my opinions of the JJ Abrams "take" on Star Trek.

I wasn't always into Star Trek. I want to get that out now. It wasn't until I was a sophomore at NIU around the time of the shooting in February 2008 that I began watching Trek. I started with the original series that year. What I found with Star Trek was that the episodes were written well which was contrary to my belief that the show was just nerdy. I realized many of the episodes have less to do with weird Sci-Fi story lines and more with human relationships. Some of my favorite episodes have the crew of the Enterprise going through personal dilemmas that I could identify with. In many ways the show is very dated, but what do you expect from a show that's 47 years old? It was the following year of 2009 in which I watched Star Trek the Next Generation, Deep Space 9, and Voyager. I was in love with all these shows. 

You grow to love the assorted crews of each ship or station and they become part of a pseudo family of yours if you will. One of the biggest things I realized when I finished these four shows was how there was something big missing from my life. What I realized was that I had grown accustomed to the ever present hum of the assorted ships engines that is ever present in each episode of Trek. Luckily for me I still had Star Trek Enterprise to watch. 

I inadvertently became a big Star Trek fan. I wouldn't call myself a Trekkie, not by a long shot. I respect everything that Star Trek strode towards. At it's core it called for equality, tolerance, and hope. Star Trek the original series stood for many things like that, even Next Generation had episodes dealing with newer issues like "what constitutes life?" and others like when to help people and what war does to one's psyche. This is where I get really bothered by what the Hollywood studios and JJ Abrams call their brain dead flashy Star Trek movie. 

JJ Abrams is great at making a science fiction movie with lasers and flashing lights and great special effects. That's about it. The franchise right now is being raped for its name only. Hollywood knows people will think: "Hey! Star Trek! I'm ironic and have never watched the show but clearly this is better!". I see a lot of that. I see so many people that tell me "Oh man you are really going to love this new into darkness movie huh?" When I say no people are flabbergasted. Star Trek isn't my life, when I finished all five major series and the six "good" movies I moved onto HBO shows like Six Feet Under, Oz, and The Wire. The main point about Trek is I simply grew to love the Star Trek shows. It's something I enjoy incredibly and I hate seeing the franchise that gave a lot to me get dumbed down so much. But people don't care. When Battlestar Galactica finished and Ronald D. Moore produced a prequel show about the origins of the 12 colonies and of Cylons nobody watched it. Not only that but people REFUSED to watch it. I have friends that refuse to watch it to this day, I just don't understand it! Caprica is a great show and and a great prequel to BSG. But then I started realizing something from all that, more in a minute. 

Ronald D. Moore was a writer and producer for Star Trek the Next Generation and for Deep Space 9. Arguably the best episodes of the franchise. He also went onto Battlestar Galactica then Caprica before it got cancelled. Ron Moore presented episodes so well written I had never experienced anything like it since. 

People like simple things. A quick high. They like big explosions and stories that take less than five seconds to understand. BSG is smarter than the Star Trek crap presented by JJ Abrams but what these have in common is explosions and sex and the like. The Star Trek shows and Caprica are both more about conflicts of relationships, political problems, and social inequalities. That's where people draw the line. If something isn't flashy but makes you think then it is lame. JJ Abrams' Star Trek is the opposite. Ron Moore was part of something that was so well written in Trek and BSG that any two part episode of either of the series he was involved with is better than any Abrams crap strewed onto the silver screen. I like to think and enjoy a story when I watch a movie or TV show.

Think of movies like Blade Runner. That movie is amazing, but why? Special effects are part of it but the story is what made Blade Runner such a good movie. There was a balance of good story and special effects. Now don't tell me that this new into darknes
s movie is going to be great or well written film. First off, there are definitely going to be many elements of Star Trek 2: Wrath of Khan in it, which makes it not original. Carol Marcus is one of the characters in the movie who was a main character  in Khan who was in charge of the Genesis Project. Spock is probably going to die in this movie then be brought back to life. Wait. That happened before! But what is different? By the time Wrath of Khan came out  there had been years of the Kirk-Spock relationship growing in front of the audience. When Spock died it was emotional. I will guarantee you that if and when Spock dies in into darkness there will be no emotion. We just met these characters and as of the last 5 minutes of the first movie Kirk and Spock were still fist-fighting each other. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.

I'm one of the very few who care about this. No, I will not be seeing into darkness. I'm not going to waste my time with that Hollywood garbage. What doesn't help in my opinion of JJ Abrams is how he is going to now also direct the new Star Wars movies. If you really want me mad just tell me how JJ is going to make good on the Star Wars franchise. Man oh man I'm fuming right now thinking of that garbage. Young Han Solo most likely played by the guy who plays Kirk? You have got to be insane. But that's for another blog. Hollywood and people in general really don't care what gets thrown up at the movies anymore. It's all for money and that's it. People don't read, people don't think, I don't know what else to say. I'll take solace in one fact however: In my mind these shows and movies that I grew up watching will always be the same no matter how much garbage that gets brought in tries to ruin those shows and movies for me.

 

Trying to be a Writer

When I first went to Second City in Chicago we were told to start thinking of ourselves as writers. I did and it was the first step for a journey towards a dream I have about being a writer. I have mostly been doing comedy writing for the last 2-3 years. I enjoy it and it gets me out of the house to see my friends and get things going in my head. I was once part of a duo which created a season of a web series called Conflict Mallet and when that fell through I wasn't sure if any of this writing stuff was really meant for me in the first place. But when I hit Second City I was again steered in that web series type direction again. There is something in my future that will somehow be connected to that, there has to be something. It's almost as though something or someone is guiding me down a certain path.

I wasn't always sure of what I wanted to write. The origins of my desire to write come first and foremost from two of my favorite authors; Stephen King and Philip K. Dick. From reading many of their books I developed a sense that I wanted to be like either of them. I did finally hit the point where I wanted to see different stories published and I spent hours on the internet looking for books that would meet my expectations. I realized that what I really needed to do to was to write those ideas, thoughts, and desires myself.

I have worlds and universes in my head and it's time for me to seriously work on my hopes and dreams in those places. Some authors have such an expansive universe that I'm left in awe in what one person can imagine and write down. I need to get my ideas out like that. I'm not saying that I am going to rival a work from somebody like George RR Martin or Anne Rice but I have to get going on everything that has inspired me for so long and make my contributions to the world.

Now the Second City stuff, the comedy, that comes easily to me. I work well with the people that I have been writing with and I enjoy it a lot. At first I thought if ever there was an opportunity to do anything with them it would have to be something funny. Well funny would work but one of the most influential people to me within the past year or so has been Rod Serling. Rod Serling was the creator of the Twilight Zone and narrator and writer of many episodes. I realized that if I were to ever work on a project that was funny or not, all I would have to do is write to the best of my ability as Rod Serling did for every episode of the Twilight Zone he wrote. Rod Serling wrote what he wanted and he stood by it. He pushed for what he wanted and that's what got the Twilight Zone going. He listened to his heart and never gave up and he influenced thousands and quite possibly millions with his stories. Writing for TV or the big screen is so much more than flashing lights or nudity or anything else that sells tickets; you have a chance to better humanity. If ever the people I work with now do anything I believe we have the ability to do just that.

This time in my life is so vastly different than any other time. I have the ability to set my future now for failure or success. The only problem I have is not being able to concentrate on one thing right now. I keep doing different things. I get inspired reading a book to begin a novel and I get inspired to strive towards TV or movies anytime I see an episode of the Twilight Zone or any other great show. I think that's where I'll make my stand. Have one foot in my own projects being centralized around novels and the other foot working on comedy writing that is not only funny but the potential for a deeper meaning.

The most important thing for me in this period has to be to get all my thoughts written down. That is really the only thing I can worry about. If I do ever get a book published or get to work with my friends on a show or something that can just be the icing on the cake. I'll hope for the best and write whatever my heart tells me to. Maybe one day I can say that I left a positive impact on humanity by either enticing people with serious stories or by making people laugh, only time will tell.

-If you are looking for a great episode of the Twilight Zone check out episode 102: The Changing of the Guard. Quite possibly one of the best episodes of a TV show I've ever seen.