There came a point a few weeks ago when Alex and I decided that we were wasting our lives away on the Internet. I think it came about on a Saturday night, after realizing we'd spent the latter half of the day on Reddit/YouTube/Tumblr/etc., without even stepping foot outside. Normally I'm ok with nights like that after a long work day, but it's inexcusable on a perfectly beautiful San Francisco weekend. At that point we vowed to not use our computers for anything other than work, and in an amazing display of self-restraint, we managed to stay away from mindless web-surfing for a week (don't laugh; for us it's a long time). It actually felt like being on vacation/staycation, because without the Internet, my mind was suddenly opened up to doing things like exploring the neighborhood, making (slightly more) elaborate meals, and decorating the apartment. You know, real-life things.
Of course, we made no rules about Netflix-watching and video game-playing. So that meant that Star Trek marathons were most definitely on.
And marathon we did.
That week, whenever we were not exploring and dinner-making and decorating, we watched all 6 Original Series movies, and it was marvelous. It's probably a good thing I wasn't tweeting/blogging after every movie (you'd hate me, I'm sure). Instead I frantically jotted notes in my paper journal, which I will now present to you complete with YouTube supplementals:
[SPOILER-FREE]
Star Trek I: The Motion Picture
- "How much time can we use up with really drawn-out shots of the Enterprise?" Answer: at least 20 minutes.
- Bones' first appearance in the film was probably my favorite part. Crazy cool medallion!
- The Big Reveal at the end was also pretty sweet. I'm a bigger fan of science than I thought.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
- Maybe, just mayyybe, my favorite parts of this movie were the ones where everyone seems like normal people, e.g. when Kirk puts on his glasses or when Spock gives Kirk a book for his birthday.
- Khan's manboobs are impressive.
- The Khan yell was largely disappointing. I think Into Darkness gave me unrealistic expectations.
- I'll go ahead and say it: I cried at the end. The last 20 minutes are basically an emotional rollercoaster.
- Seriously though, Kirk's glasses are my new favorite thing. I'm glad someone on YouTube thinks the same.
Star Trek III: The Search for Sass Spock
- In which the crew of the Enterprise goes rogue (and Sulu finally gets to kick some ass!)
- Who knew that Christopher Lloyd was a Klingon lord???
- Favorite Scotty quote (of all time?): "Up your shaft!"
- What happened to Kirk's glasses? :(
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home a.k.a. The Best Movie Ever Filmed In SF??
- Spock's mom is the bomb.com.
- I could tell you the main plot of this movie, but you probably wouldn't believe me. Luckily, it's all explained in less than one minute here.
- Everything about this scene is gold, but the music is really the icing on the cake.
- The only one with a blooper reel. Leonard Nimoy is just the best.
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
- Directed by William Shatner, enough said.
- A compilation of the best/worst parts.
- NO ONE looks good in those sweater-uniforms!!
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
- First Kirstie Alley, then Kim Cattrall? Who else got their start playing a Vulcan?
- Not a fan of whenever there's two Kirks. It makes me so uncomfortable.
- How does everyone have such beautiful signatures?? (I'm looking at you, DeForest Kelley)
- I'm so sad it's over. :(
And just like that, we're now onto The Next Generation! We're three episodes in and I'm loving the new crew (I can't wait to meet Data's cat!!). But something tells me that I'm always going to have a soft spot for Kirk and the gang...and the original theme song...and the original Enterprise.
I can't believe how (much more) nerdy I've gotten since starting to watch Star Trek. And the great thing is, the fandom is pretty much endless. I could go on but I'll leave it at this, because it's 12:21AM on Christmas morning and I should be getting to bed.
Nikki out.