George Takei is the Broker of Star Peace

[DesDownunder]

Okay I confess, I was a cinema projectionist who thrilled at showing Star Wars and Star Trek. You have to have been there to understand the thrill of the moment when scene after scene was met with the cheers of the thousand strong audience of adults and kids alike.

The roar of the engines going into warp/hyper drive as the trumpet themes led the orchestra into a galaxy that was not only far, far away, but also where no audience had ever been before.

So I was called out of retirement to go back to work and guess what the movie was? Yep, it was Twilight.The mainly teen girls audience of about fifty, screamed an oooh-ahh as Taylor Lautner ripped his shirt off (okay I licked my lips) in the opening scene to music that was probably left over from a zombies of our lives TV series. Then nothing for two hours except noise masquerading as the soundtrack whilst everyone pondered abortion. (I kid you not, that was the plot.)

George is right, we need Star Peace...not the werewolves mooning the vampires, or is that moaning I hear coming from the audience?

[Chris James]

I think George was being kind. Neither Bill Shatner nor Carrie Fischer could act their way out of a wet paper bag.

I remember cutting afternoon class in college to get home for Star Trek, probably because it was the most innovative show on the air. But I give credit for that to Roddenberry not Shatner. Spock was the thing, and still is. I also sat through the opening of the Star Wars film at midnight on the very first day of showing. The computer graphics outshown the acting in that film.

But I empathize, Des...no one should have to sit through repeated viewings of Twilight. That ought to qualify you for disability payments. On the other hand, glad to hear you are up and about: working. Projectionist is a highly technical job these days, but at least you probably get free popcorn. Just keep your eyes off all those cute young ushers or I will be jealous. I have to pay full price to ogle the boys with the flashlights.

[blue]

I'm a science fiction fan. Star Trek or Star Wars, it's all good. (OK, so I could quibble about which shows I didn't like and why, in either franchise, but so?) I love Farscape and Firefly and several other shows. I love science fiction books. I haven't seen or read absolutely everything out there, but hey, I have checked out a fair bit of it.

Oh, heck, let the Twilight girls and boys have their fun. -- But I wish they'd try Buffy and others.

I don't mind the vampires and werewolves and zombies and such. (I think they work as a metaphor for being different, changes in life, adolescence, the drive to procreate/recreate, for instance.)

George rocks. He's right. The fans mostly just want to have fun with their favorite shows, many shows. Sure, they may talk trash some, but that's usually all it is. The stars may bicker and talk trash some too. But at the end of the day, we all have to remember that scifi and fantasy are niche markets that still aren't very well perceived by a lot of people, critics or mainstream audiences either one. So, quit fighting, fanboys and fangirls.

George rocks for other reasons too. :)

[Cole Parker]

Just keep your eyes off all those cute young ushers or I will be jealous. I have to pay full price to ogle the boys with the flashlights.

My lord, where do you go to the movies?!!! I haven't seen an usher, cute or otherwise, in years.

And as for Des, I'm so, so sorry. I think of him sitting there, watching intently for two whole hours and nary another shirt was ripped off.

What a colossal waste of time!

C

[The Pecman]

The Twilight series has been mind-numbingly awful since day one. Terrible books, horrendously bad movies... but very profitable.

[JamesSavik]

Carrie Fisher did Star Wars and then... What?

Bon-bons?

She hasn't worked since the seventies? What are people even bothering to take her fat, bloated picture?

Shatner is an icon.

I will say no more because Twilight must be destroyed.

[DesDownunder]

Funny thing, I thought you might feel that way about Twilight, James.

[Camy]

Go George!

The thing that irks me about movies now is the term 'franchise'. Art is all but forgotten in the quest for money, and if a script doesn't have that 'something' that will convert to 'franchise' you ain't got a snowball in hells chance of getting it made. It's all Lucas's, Speilberg's and Rowling's fault, really.

Excuse the heresy (sorry George), but I quite like Twilight - though maybe the reason I like it is that it was Meyer's first novel - which gives me hope one of us might do as well.

Carrie Fisher did Star Wars and then... What?

Then she wrote 'Postcards From The Edge.' Besides, being the daughter of Debbie Reynolds she probably didn't have to work - which is nice work if you can get it. ;)

[DesDownunder]

Me too Camy, "franchise" makes me think of McDonald's Movies.

Can you imagine Beethoven or Tchaikovsky saying, "I do hope my new franchise of symphonies pays enough for a night out at the tavern"?