Sci-Fi On A 32″ TV Screen
This weekend, I bought a new 32″ LCD flat-screen television set from Office Depot. I also bought the Hot Shots double-feature DVD from Target, along with The Godfather Part II.
The television had been on my wish list for a while, as my current television was bought in spring 2003 as a bargain-buy. I had been waiting for prices to come down and for the time to be right. This weekend, it happened. This LCD TV was under $400, is much larger and more energy efficient than my current set, and had a lot of funny features (like freeze-frame and changing from wide-screen to normal-screen on cable channels). I was quite pleased with it.
Before I went to bed that first night, I popped into the DVD player my copy of “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith”, just so I could get a glimpse of that opening space battle on the bigger screen. Now that was an amazing sight. Seeing that scene again reminded me of why Star Trek had been on the decline and Star Wars has stayed pretty resilient. Aside from Star Trek’s hundreds of hours of television using the same basic formula (same starship and crew run into trouble with aliens week after week), Star Trek has always tried to be more about plot and less about aesthetics or even believability (too much technobabble, and by necessity budget-conscious). Whereas, because most of his universe was in movies, George Lucas could spend time not just getting the script right, but also the special effects.
The upcoming Star Trek film looks to be an exciting adventure, and a firm departure from the last few movies (lame one-off villains, the feel of watching just a long episode instead of a plot of cinematic scope, etc.). Of course, it will break some rules of cannon, in part due to some apparent time travelling, but it might be that the new movie will redeem the series a little.
In any case, I look forward to watching it in theaters and now on my big screen TV!
I finally decided to write a comment on your blog. I just wanted to say good job. I really enjoy reading your posts.
Thanks. I just peeked over at your site, and enjoyed the Potter-Skywalker comparison. I think you’re right that Potter has the potential of creating a vast world of post-Rowling novels and such, if handled well.
Ken, my wife and I got a new 40″ LCD last month, and we can’t believe how much better everything looks. I’m with you when it comes to Star Trek vs. Star Wars; I like both franchises, but Star Trek definitely needs to do more in the action department if it wants to keep up. The new movie seems to be a step in the right direction though.
I would have bought the 40″ but it was a little pricier, and my living room is more long than wide, so a t.v. that is too big could be just as bad as sitting up too close to the set. Unless of course I rearranged the furniture to put the tv further away. But I didn’t think about that. 🙂
The other problem for Star Trek aside from action is formula. There is a target-rich environment for Star Trek to explore aside from the basic exploration bit. I think Yoshida once suggested a Section 31-styled show, and I thought a CSI-type Trek would be interesting. Action is a good substitute in terms of the movie franchise, but if Trek ever wants to get back on TV, I think it should rethink its obsession with the starship-explores-galaxy theme.
I wouldn’t mind seeing Star Trek: Starfleet Academy on TV.