‘Star Trek’ Videogame to bridge gap between movies – and will be ‘canon’ – and I am not thrilled
Posted by Darrenon 06. 07. 2011in Uncategorized
[Screenwriter Roberto] Orci emphasized that the game’s plot would not be “fan fiction,” and likened its place in Star Trek universe to that of the Star Trek: Countdown comics that were released as a prequel to the 2009 movie: “not just a side effect, but a part of the universe.”
Though Orci wouldn’t give away specifics about the game’s plot, he did reveal that Kirk and Spock’s relationship would be at “that middle step” between their initial meeting in the 2009 film, and the legendary friendship that we all know is coming. The two will be teaming up to fight a villains who “might be the people who end up in the movie,” and who are “very much in canon.”
At first I thought I would be alone on the disappointment at Orci’s input regarding the game connecting to the sequel. I found out I wasn’t alone. You see, people DO remember being confused on the plot holes of the Matrix sequels and a missing Nightcrawler on the third X-Men film. As some of us know, these plotholes were adressed as ‘canon’ videogames that the studios or even the filmmakers think everyone is going to play. I don’t have a problem with games in general; I do have a problem with this format. Wouldn’t it be an equally good idea to have Kirk, Spock and the rest of the Enterprise face off against a threat in the game and, then in the film, have them face a new one without mentioning events in the game? Is that too much to ask?
Orci’s thinking is wrong – and it creates a slippery slope. But it’s not like they didn’t do this stunt before. Remember that one huge plot hole from the previous film involving Nero? Well, that gaffe was covered in the “canon” comic book ‘Nero : The Lost Years”. “Well, you are missing out! You have to read the comic to understand what happened with the villian and his crew for those twenty years downtime! And how he gets his ship back!” For die-hard fans who care, they might hunt down the comic book tie-in or videogame.
But for a filmgoing audience, it’s another ballgame. It tells me the film you plan is incomplete and you’re covering your ass by putting the information critical to the story in a videogame which not everyone on the planet will play and/or a comic book which not everyone will read. When it comes to the film, let the film be the film.
Chime in Int’l friends.
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Darren who has written 203 posts on The Movie Blog
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Most of that stuff is very loose and although everything in the comic-tie-ins could reasonably fit in with the events of Star Trek (2009)there is still some suspension of disbelief required and some shoe-horning needed to make it work completely. For example Countdown told a story that handed the torch back from Star Trek The Next Generation to Abramsverse Trek. The comic series was entertaining but had plot holes the size of planets. The general idea gelled well enough to serve as a bridge but to this day there is still a debate going on among fans as to whether or not Countdown and the Nero miniseries are considered “canon”. The video game no matter what Bob Orci says will never be “officially” considered “canon” because it is not a film.
So long as you don’t need to play the game to understand the movie, or vice versa, I don’t mind the game being considered “cannon.” I actually like a wide variety of story platforms for a franchise and think it can add a lot to things, but the different platforms should be dealing with different stories, and the stories that are related to one another (ie sequels) should stay on the same platform — so a sequel to a story first on a game would also be on a game, a sequel to a movie would be a movie. That way people who are interested in one platform, but not so much the other, won’t get confused.
I remember watching xmen 3 the last stand and thinking “where the F*ck in Nightcrawler” and I new he was in the video game tie in so I looked up the ending to the video game to see if it had shed some light and I was think well maybe he died which really sucks but all well but no what I found out is that Nightcrawler thought that being an xmen was too violent for him and he was a peaceful man. worst reason to leave ever I would have much rather they just killed him off!