Star Trekking: Part 3 of 3
Writing prequels can’t be easy. You have to fit into established canon where people know the outcome(s), yet introduce something new, and keep the storytelling compelling. One of my favourite prequels is Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, which takes place right before the events of Spartacus: Blood and Sand (aka season 1). In Blood and Sand, lanistas’ Batiatus (John Hannah) and Solonius (Craig Walsh-Wrightson) are mortal enemies. In Gods of the Arena, the opening scene is of Batiatus and Solonius together as close friends at gladiatorial games. What? Immediately, we have questions. How did these two fall out? Even if we’re not aware of the existing canon, we meet two…
Star Trekking: Part 2 of 3
While promoting Star Trek into Darkness during a 2013 interview with Stewart joked that Abrams’s lost him following his initial admission (he didn’t like Star Trek). Abrams responded: ‘You … and your kind … were much smarter than I was. I couldn’t get it. So we tried to make it work for people like me … and people like you. The goal [with Star Trek into Darkness] was to make a movie for moviegoers, not just for Star Trek fans. So if you’ve never seen Star Trek before, you can still see it.’ Some of this response I will return to later, but for now I want to focus on…