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Where is the Random Thread of Randomness stuff that doesn't belong in other threads thread?

It's too bad they had to cut so many corners on "Star Trek VI". From the annoying little production things like getting the uniforms wrong to having Lt Valeris instead of Lt Saavik. I'm on the fence with whether it is a valuable addition to 2, 3, and 4. 2, 3, and 4 stand on their own, but 6 ostensibly gives us Kirk letting go of his hate for Klingons after the death of his son. And dang, the cast is getting old by that point. In 2 McCoy looks almost the age he was in the series (well not really, but closer). By 4 they're definitely showing their years. And by the time we get to 6 they're definitely ready for retirement.

[EDIT: It would be neat to see earlier versions of all the scripts. Between the Neutral Zone and the cloaked bird of prey scout ship, it's pretty apparent that the villains should've been Romulans but Klingons are better known. Plus, they already had the cool new costumes for them. Then there's the TNG story with Spock. That kind of hinted like Kirk would die in 6, which would've given it some weight, but having the original cast all sail off into the sunset together was pretty nice. ]
 


Fight Reaction GIF
 
Star Trek VI would've been at least twice as good if they'd got LT Valeris' costume right. Kim Catrall was great. But every time she's onscreen it's like:
1) Why is she wearing a trainee turtleneck?
2) Why is a LT wearing CDR rank insignia?
3) What's the deal with her shaved-off sideburns?

I mean, fuck, Christian Slater has a tiny TINY cameo but they somehow figured out how to get LT rank insignia for him. Couldn't they have found some for a MAJOR CHARACTER IN THE MOVIE?!

And it would've been infinitely better if Valeris was Saavik. Watched it just now, with the perspective that she's actually Saavik and it makes her lines and motivation so much more powerful than if she's just some random Vulcan that Spock picked out after Saavik...I dunno, got kicked out of StarFleet for having an Only Fans site? Seriously. The scene at the beginning with Spock and Valeris? Weak. If it was between Spock and Saavik? So much more powerful. Even if Kirstie Alley wouldn't come back and they decided that Robin Curtis lacked the chops, Cattrall, playing Saavik would've been so much better.
 
It's interesting because I feel the same way--to the point where, watching it, I found myself going "Oh! This actually isn't so bad." (I remember it being so painful that rewatching it, I actually enjoyed it.)

But yeah, there's some pained comedy (the speaking Klingon to fool the listening post, etc) and some spots where you can feel the strained budget and corners cut, and there's a lot of farting around and contrivances, but if you just shut off things like the Magic Velcro Patch Of Tracking and enjoy it, it's a decent ending for the original cast.
 
Yeah, it is a good sendoff for the original crew. The soundtrack is pretty great. Kinda loved the Excelsior stuff with Sulu and Rand. The Klingon stuff/acting was pretty interesting and decidedly different from what TNG was doing at the time, more of a return to TOS form rather than the barking animals that came later on. I don't dislike it at all, maybe it's just that I figured out the whole conspiracy angle pretty early on in even my first view at a theater.
 
The whole "A lie?" thing that goes through the movie loses 99% of its power because it isn't based on the scene from TWoK, where Saavik is amazed to see a Vulcan lie.
 
It's interesting, too, reading between the lines, and how they find ways to sideline Takei. Yes, he gets command of a starship in this one, but that's just a handy way to have him not in a lot of the scenes. Or in VI, where we see almost nothing of him getting the helicopter. Putting aside his spat with Shat, the fact that Nimoy pretty regularly came up with scripts where he could keep Takei out of the way is an interesting observation on his abilities as either an actor or a person who plays well with others.
 
Vanilla extract is powerful stuff. I ran out of bitters and rather than just skip it in my Manhattan I tried swapping in vanilla. It overpowered the whole drink. I should've dipped my pinkie in it and then dipped my pinkie in the drink. Or just did without.
 
Ironically, I thought VI was probably Takei's best outing in his entire run with the show. Granted, he is sidelined as you say but a few lines like his scene with Christian Slater (you have hearing problems, mister?) and the whole "Fly her apart then" are pretty golden. No idea really what was going on behind the scenes there and the whole Shat Spat is probably just an attention grab, but I enjoyed him in this one.
 
Yep. That's Nimoy's strength as a director/producer--he figures out how to use his cast to their best. I suspect (just a gut impulse--no proof) that there are problems with Takei as an actor. But Nimoy figures out how to use him so he shines and adds to the story.
 
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