Last night they played the first four Trek films on Space. I must have seen Star Trek IV twenty times but here are a few new observations:
At the beginning of the movie, the Klingon ambassador is in the council chambers, exasperated by the Federation’s lack of diligence in dealing with Kirk’s “rogue” ways. The ambassador leaves in a huff, declaring that “there can be no peace while Kirk lives” and there is a brouhaha from the crowd. I never noticed it until last night, but it sounds like somebody in the background yells out “YOU POMPOUS ASS!” I thought it was just one of those things that you can’t really tell what it is so you just associate it with some random phrase, but it turns out I’m not the only one. From that point on in the film every chance we got we’d yell out “you pompous ass!” Thanks for the reference on that, Stewie.
They should have made a spinoff sitcom about the people at PlexiCorp. “Not now, Madeline!” is my favourite line from the film. We could see all the office hijinx that Dr Nichols and his employees get up to while designing and manufacturing transparent aluminum. Furthermore, Stewie pointed out that that would be an amazingly subtle Trek geekery to make a PlexiCorp t-shirt and go to Star Trek cons wearing that and an “I quit smoking” button. I think I smell my Hallowe’en costume.
The punk on the bus who gets some hot Vulcan nerve pinchery is played by Kirk Thatcher. Not only was he an actor in the film, but he composed and performed the “I Hate You” song that he was listening to on the bus. If you look at his imdb page you’ll see he’s a bit of an 80’s renaissance man. He was a creature technician on Return of the Jedi, has screenplay credit on Muppet Treasure Island, and other stuff. Here’s an interview with him at IGN where he takes credit for the “hello, computer” joke, and writing and speaking all the questions the Vulcan computer asks Spock at the beginning of the film.
NOW THAT’S INTERESTING!
I’m down here at the SF museum and HoF in Seattle this weekend and I don’t think I saw a subtle t-shirt at all. There are some pretty cool events here for the 40th anniversary. Saw George Takei speak and Riker and Troi had a funny riff on the stage.