551rcg@hound.UUCP (R.GANNS) (06/23/84)
Am I wrong, or is one of the central themes of STIII yet the "value"
of military victory (i.e., where Kirk kicks the Klingon into the lava pit).
( the Klingons being, unmistakably, our alter-egos...)......
The Star Trek series always appealed to me because it seemed to emphasize
reason, compassion, and sensibility over violence and brutality. Perhaps
I'm getting overly sensitive in my old age, but this last flick left a
bad taste in my mouth.
Rich Ganns hound!551rcgrichl@daemon.UUCP (Rick Lindsley) (06/24/84)
Regarding Kirk kicking the Klingon off the cliff:
Kirk tried to first give him a hand up. I heard him say, "give me your hand".
The Klingon responded by grabbing Kirk's *foot* and trying to pull him down
with him. I think Kirk's response might be expected...
Rick Lindsley
richl@tektronix
...{allegra,ihnp4,decvax}!tektronix!richlconsult@uwmacc.UUCP (06/27/84)
Regarding the violence: yes, it was a glorification of
violence, but not the military. That fight scene in STIII
was very important for me. For 20 years now, even though he
is part of a paramilitary organization, Kirk has been this
moral fellow trying to uphold what he thinks is right in a
unjust universe. He kept this character all the way 'till
the end where he offers the Klingon his hand. When the Kiligon
grabbed his boot and tried to pull him over, Kirk's 20 years
of morality finally came to the breaking point, and he kicked
the Klingon over the cliff. It was very human, and very
real. And, although I detest violence, it was a wonderful story
point...
...which brings me to...
I'm glad
I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but I'm glad they destroyed
the Enterprise. It was a kick-in-the-teeth way of reminding us that
Star Trek is about people, not machines. When Star Trek one was released,
and interview with Bob Wise quoted him as saying, when asked about
the long Enterprise scene, "...we have to remember here that
the star of the show is the Enterprise." That makes me upset, because
the star of the show - to me at any rate - has been the
"human being" composed of Kirk-McCoy-Spock. Now that the Enterprise
is gone, the format of Star Trek is changed, but the Kirk-McCoy-Spock
entity endures. That's very important, and it keeps the spirit of
the show alive. (Besides, if you like spaceships, there's still
Star Wars...)
Rob DeMillo, MACC Madison, WI