Trailers From Hell - STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (1979)

Comedian and massive Trek fan Dana Gould does the honors of giving a bit of background on the first feature film. 

The Bloody Pit #212 - Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973-74)

I may have bitten off more than I can chew!

I am joined by a pair of Marks – Mark Maddox and Mark Clark – to discuss STAR TREK: THE ANIMATED SERIES. Since episodes with either of them alone can stretch to more than two hours, putting them together with a subject this big was clearly tempting fate. We survive the show but this is easily the longest episode of The Bloody Pit ever! It might be best to listen to it in chunks.

We dig into the Star Trek Animated Series and talk a bit about all twenty-two episodes. After some confusion we use the original broadcast order and give our thoughts on each one. This takes time and I complicated things by rereading the Alan Dean Foster Log Books for several of the stories. This means I can’t stop myself from dropping in details that were used to flesh out the 22-minute shows until both Marks request that I stop. Rude! But then I bring up Spock Must Die by James Blish and Maddox gets reeled into the book-talk like the sucker he is! Before things are over we have chosen our favorite and least favorites from the series and pulled a couple of episodes apart looking for the tasty bits. If you listen carefully you will hear the moment we realize that this show will be far too long. You can also hear the individual moments when each of us gets our second wind and press on through the second season. You might also hear weeping. You have been warned.

If you have any comments or sympathy for me thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. The plan is to get another episode out in a few weeks so keep your fingers crossed. And thank you for listening!

Animated Star Trek Title Cards

I've been revisiting the Trek animated show from the early 1970's for a future podcast. It has been fun but a few of the episodes are as bad as I remember. Luckily, the good ones are very good.  

 

The Bloody Pit #210 - STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY (1991)

At long last Mark Maddox returns as we wrap up our look at the first six Star Trek feature films with STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY. Since this is the last movie to showcase the entire original cast, we take the opportunity to mention how happy we are that VI was the film they went out on and that everyone gets chances to shine. I’m just thrilled we finally get Captain Sulu!

We discuss the production push to get this into theaters to coincide with the 25^th anniversary of the premiere of the TV show. We praise the return of Nicholas Meyer to the director’s chair and point out the many touches that seem to stem from his involvement. This includes the joy of having the Wold Newton family tree brought into onscreen Star Trek, which is probably peak geekiness. The intricate nature of the film’s plot comes under scrutiny with us listing the various elements that are woven together perfectly to move the story forward. We discuss the dialog with a few clips to give a taste of the intelligence of the script. Our admiration for the performances gets plenty of time and we single out Christopher Plummer’s fantastic turn as Klingon General Chang. Just how much Shakespeare can be wedged into a Trek film, anyway? And is Chang the series’ best villain? Others may disagree with us but we make our case.

If you have anything to add to the show thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to write. We love hearing from you and if you want to work ahead it looks like we will be talking about the Star Trek animated series in the future. Thank you for listening and we’ll be back soon. 

Poster Art for STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY (1991)

 

The Bloody Pit #195 - STAR TREK V: THE FINAL FRONTIER (1989)

Mark Maddox and I continue our journey through the first six Star Trek movies and now reach THE FINAL FRONTIER (1989). We have been both dreading and looking forward to revisiting this film. Thirty-five years later is it still as bad as we remember? Are there hidden moments of quality buried in this bad idea given cinematic form? Join us as we pull this thing apart and inspect it’s sad remains.

We use Shatner’s own story of the production from his Movie Memories book to supplement the usual sources. It adds a lot to know the genesis of the film’s basic story and emphasizes just how easily a poor central concept can cripple a project. Also, aspiring writers can take note of this film as a solid example of bad scriptwriting on nearly every level. Neither of us find much to admire in STAR TREK V but there are a few good moments. Sadly, those few quality elements have to rest side by side with insults to nearly every regular character and simply awful dialog. The film’s humor mostly revolves around laughing ‘at’ the characters and never ‘with’ them. It undermines so many years of goodwill built up by the franchise for the sake of bad jokes, dumb ideas and idiotic coincidences that we can only be grateful it wasn’t the last film to feature the original cast. Row, row, row your boat indeed.

Comments about this film, the podcast or Star Trek in general can be sent to thebloodypit@gmail.com and we’ll be happy to hear from you. Thank you for listening and we’ll be back soon.

Star Trek V Teaser Poster

New episode of the podcast on the way. You have been warned!

 

The Bloody Pit #191 - STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME (1986)

Mark Maddox returns to the show as we continue our journey through the first six Star Trek films. STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME (1986) is one of the most popular of the series and stood for decades as the most profitable entry. The humor and clever plotting of the story still works nearly forty years later with the original cast shining with few exceptions. Of course, we pick at the minor complaints I have with the movie while Mark tells me I’m a killjoy who can only be happy with darkness and violence. That might be (slightly) true but I will leave that mirror reflection as something for others to examine alongside me as I make fun of Mark for sillier things. Much sillier things!

 

We discuss the film’s production including our thoughts on the Eddie Murphy connection and how it would have changed all future Trek films. I lament the deletion of the pregnancy detail and the possible stories that could have come from it. I question the odd visual choice for depicting the time travel sequence while Mark’s respect for me falls even further into a hole. Those hoping for the two us to argue will have a few moments of fun. The strangest of these comes from our discussion of cringy 80’s humor with Mark somehow unable to remember one of the most common derogatory terms of the period. That man’s mind is going!

 

If you have thoughts on Star Trek IV or the series in general thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. We’ll be back soon to tackle V – oh, my! Thanks for listening. 

STAR TREK IV Poster Art Gallery

Podcast on the way!

 

Vintage Star Trek Toys

Times have changed.

The Bloody Pit #181 - STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK (1984)

 

Mark Maddox returns for a discussion of the third Star Trek film – THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK! The odd numbered films are generally derided but both of us feel the positives outweigh the negatives in this one. Of course, we pick at every nit we can spot but we do also praise the film for the elements that stand tall and resurrect the dead!

 

We dig into the genesis (he he) of the story with Leonard Nimoy’s desire to step into the director’s chair leading to several interesting choices. We discuss what it means to be the middle chapter of a trilogy with Mark claiming that The Undiscovered Country is part of the story as well. I bring in details and story additions from the excellent novelization of the film by Vonda McIntire that enhance the story and the secondary characters. The casting of the Klingons is a point of contention with Doc Brown as an alien bad guy becoming an amusing cinema crossover I had not considered before. We lament the stage bound nature of the Genesis planet segments and agree that some location filming would have improved things overall. The special effects get some attention with the destruction of the Enterprise being singled out for praise and we also express our pleasure at having another performance from Mark Leonard as Sarek. This is turning into a fun revisit to this series of movies!

 

If you have any comments about Star Trek or anything else we’ve covered on the show thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. We’d be thrilled to hear from you. Thank you for listening and we’ll be back soon. 

Music - STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK (1984) Score

Here is the full James Horner score for The Search for Spock. I've been listening to it recently as prep for our next podcast and it is much more impressive than I remembered it being.

 

The Bloody Pit #177 - STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN (1982)

Mark Maddox and I return to the Star Trek feature films! This time we tackle the big one – the one that kept the franchise alive – STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN (1982). It’s an important film for Trek fans and also an important part of the astonishing list of genre releases from that year. We briefly discuss the other films from 1982 to demonstrate the pivotal nature of the cinema of that time and its long-term effect on the genre. For this episode we assume you have some knowledge of the film and spoilers are in every corner of every deck. You have been warned.

 

We each relate our personal history with the film starting with theatrical viewings and then we dig into the details that make this one a classic. The selection of Nicholas Meyer as director is pointed to as the choice that probably guaranteed the project’s success with his melding of the various script ideas into a cohesive whole. The cast is discussed with Shatner, Nimoy, Kelley and Montalban singled out for praise for their excellent performances. Mark recounts his discouraging encounter with an odd form of homophobia when seeing the film for the first time and we compare the first film’s special effects to the smaller budgeted sequel. The story’s commentary on aging comes under scrutiny as both of us think about the changes in ourselves since this film came out. We ain’t getting any younger, that’s for sure!

 

If you have any comments about Star Trek thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. We’ll be back in a few weeks to continue this journey with Kirk and the gang and we hope you’ll join us. 

STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (1979) Poster Art

There wasn't a lot of variation in the design used.

The Bloody Pit #170 - STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (1979)

Mark Maddox joins me to discuss one of his favorite films of all time - STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (1979). Does Mark need medication or is he able to back up his opinion of this film that has served as an easy punchline for decades? And what do I think of the film? Will there be an argument? You might already know the answer. Thank goodness for Mark Clark’s fine Start Trek FAQ books that serve to keep us on track. Mostly. 

We discuss the years long genesis of the film touching on the planned ‘Phase II’ concept that was supposed to bring Star Trek back to television. Mark talks about seeing the film theatrically in 1979 and his reaction to the big screen sight of the Enterprise. He then relates his love of the wormhole sequence and we examine its function within the story. Jerry Goldsmith’s magnificent score is heaped with praise by both of us while Mark laments the use of the theme for The Next Generation television show. The production problems the film encountered get some attention with the foolish choice to lock in a premiere date before the film was even started coming under scrutiny. And the decision to begin shooting without a finished script can’t go unremarked either! It’s a miracle a coherent movie came out of this process in the end. Or course, it took a couple of decades for the thing to be really completed by the director but now we can see the film in the best light, flaws and all. 

If you have any thoughts on the first Trek movie thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. We hope to cover more the series in the near future so thoughts on those are welcome as well. Thank you for listening! 

 

Star Trek Artwork

Video - Star Trek Warp Jumps Through the Years (1979-2021)

Although I'm more facinated by the changes over time to the transporter effect this look at the way the Warp Jump has altered over the decades is pretty interesting. 

Super Team Family Covers

If only these existed I would read and re-read the crap out of them!
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