Kirk Out

JJ Abrams' Star Trek reboot hit DVD last Tuesday, and I was gladdened to see that it held up just as well on the small(er) screen as it did on the big. Now that the final box office tally has officially crowned it king of the movie Treks, talk has inevitably shifted to the sequel, and I'm sure we'll have plenty of grist between now and the planned summer '012 release of Star Trek 2 (or 12, if you want to get technical).

Still, one piece of the puzzle that's only been hinted at up 'till now in various interviews from various parties is the role Team Abrams had planned for once and former Captain Kirk William Shatner. Now the scene written for the Boston Legal Emmy winner has emerged online, and is pasted below. This takes place near the end of the film, during the scene where OG Spock (Leonard Nimoy) meets Spock 2.0 (Zachary Quinto) for the first time. Given what was actually made, I suppose the usual spoiler warnings should be considered in effect. Consider yourself duly warned:

SPOCK PRIME
Then I ask that you do yourself a
favor... put away logic, and do what
feels right. The world you've inherited
lives in the shadow of incalculable
devastation... but there's no reason you

must face it alone.

And from around his neck, he removes the PENDANT that
until now, we've only caught glimpses of. Places it on the table
beside his younger self. The feeling in his eyes is profound...

SPOCK PRIME (CONT'D)
This was a gift to me. Representing...

a dream. One we were unable to fulfill.
(softly)

The way you can now.

And moves to the door. Stops. Offers the VULCAN SALUTE:

SPOCK PRIME (CONT'D)
As my customary farewell would appear
oddly self serving, I will simply say...

good luck.

Their eyes hold. Spock turns, disappearing into the corridor.

Young Spock stares at the empty doorway a beat, his mind a

jumble of thoughts. Looks to the pendant... and realizes it's a

HOLO-EMITTER. After considering a beat, he hits an activation

button and a MOVING HOLOGRAPHIC MESSAGE materializes before him:

CAPTAIN JAMES T. KIRK. WILLIAM SHATNER. As always, brash,
wry, confident -- and SINGING:

KIRK/ SHATNER
Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you...
(stops, grins)
I know I know, it's illogical to
celebrate something you had nothing to do
with, but I haven't had the chance to
congratulate you on your appointment to
the ambassadorship so I thought I'd seize
the occasion... Bravo, Spock -- they tell
me your first mission may take you away
for awhile, so I'll be the first to wish
you luck... and to say...
(beat, emotional)
I miss you, old friend.

... and we're PUSHING IN on Young Spock, taking in the image
of Kirk's future self, the message, but above all -- the clear,

unquestionable friendship these two men had...

INT. CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS

As Spock Prime walks off down the corridor, he passes right by
a man conferring with a nurse -- the man pauses, turns... it's

SAREK. Suddenly overcome by a feeling that the stranger who's

just passed him is... oddly familiar.

KIRK/SHATNER (V.O.)
I suppose I'd always imagined us...
outgrowing Starfleet together. Watching

life swing us into our Emeritus years...

INT. STARBASE ONE - HANGAR - ETERNAL NIGHT

MUSIC BUILDING -- glass walls reveal THE ENTERPRISE at dock,

UTILITY CRAFTS floating around it, repairing. Standing at

attention in rows, THE ENTERPRISE CREW -- over four hundred
of them wearing DRESS UNIFORMS -- TRACK DOWN the faces, all proud:

KIRK/SHATNER (V.O.)
I look around at the new cadets now and
can't help thinking... has it really been
so long? Wasn't it only yesterday we
stepped onto the Enterprise as boys?
That I had to prove to the crew I

deserved command... and their respect?

And we STOP ON YOUNG KIRK. Composed, focused, proud. A
man. And to every fan's delight, finally wearing his YELLOW
SHIRT. The FEDERATION COMMANDANT stands at a podium:

COMMANDANT
This assembly calls Captain James
Tiberius Kirk...

Kirk breaks from formation, pivots, marches down the hangar
-- past UHURA... SULU... CHEKOV... SCOTTY. All Beaming.
Notably absent, is Spock. Kirk ascends the stairs, snaps to attention:

COMMANDANT (CONT'D)
Your inspirational valor and supreme
dedication to your comrades are in
keeping with the highest traditions of
service and reflect utmost credit to
yourself, your crew, and the Federation.

By Starfleet Order 28455, you are hereby

directed to report to Commanding Officer,

USS Enterprise, for duty as his relief.

Kirk turns. Walks to... PIKE. In a wheelchair now, wearing an

ADMIRAL'S UNIFORM. Overnight, his hair's turned totally grey --

but despite his trauma, his pride's overwhelming. They SALUTE

each other:

KIRK

I relieve you, Sir.

PIKE

... I am relieved.

He opens a BOX in his lap -- glorious in repose, a MEDAL:

PIKE (CONT'D)
And as Fleet Admiral, for your... unique
solution to the Kobayashi Maru, it's my
honor to award you with a commendation

for original thinking.

Pike containing a smirk, pins the medal to Kirk's chest...

PIKE (CONT'D)
(a touch choked)
Congratulations, Captain.

KIRK
Thank you, Sir.

Kirk turns to the crowd. Eyes shining. WILD APPLAUSE. OUR

MUSIC SOARS. Bones leans in to Sulu, rolling his eyes:

BONES
... Same ship, different day.

As Kirk rejoins his crew for hugs and congratulations, we go to

the BACK of the hangar... SPOCK PRIME. Watching. Moved
beyond words. He turns and leaves them to it... as he goes...

KIRK/SHATNER (V.O.)
I know what you'd say -- `It's their turn
now, Jim...' And of course you're
right... but it got me thinking:

INT. STARFLEET HOSPITAL - EARTH - DAY

Our montage comes full circle as we END on Kirk's transmission:

KIRK/SHATNER
Who's to say we can't go one more round?
By the last tally, only twenty five
percent of the galaxy's been chartered...
I'd call that negligent. Criminal even --
an invitation.

(MORE)

KIRK/SHATNER (CONT'D)
You once said being a starship captain
was my first, best destiny... if that's
true, then yours is to be by my side. If
there's any true logic to the universe...
we'll end up on that bridge again
someday.

Stops, grins. Because this is the part he needs to say most...

KIRK
Admit it, Spock. For people like us, the

journey itself... is home.

Young Spock's face. Lost in feelings that flood through him.

The dialogue was probably a draft or two from being entirely screenworthy, but it still makes for interesting reading, providing a fascinating scenario for what might have been. I'm not sure where exactly this "fits" with the extant timeline for Kirk, but nevertheless, as envisioned by scenarists Bob Orci and Alex Kurzman, Shatner's proposed drop-in could (emphasis on could), have given another coda to Trek's original incarnation, and lent the new model a further whiff of legitimacy.

I don't know if it got as far as actually presenting the pages to Shatner, but the actor did himself two great disservices which, taken together, may have conspired to make his inclusion in this Trek impractical. First, he'd allowed the franchise's former keepers to drop a bridge on the good captain fifteen years ago in Star Trek Generations, then he made sure to say as often as possible that he'd accept only a substantive role and not be relegated to a mere cameo (lending credence to old trope about there being no small parts, only small actors).

Though rumors are still swirling about Shatner's possible inclusion in the next movie go-round, I have to say that I think the moment has passed. What might have (potentially) seemed like an organic inclusion this time would seem gimmicky and, frankly, unnecessary, the next. But hey, I'm happy to be proven wrong. And if anyone has earned that right, it's these guys.

Recommended Reading

The departure a few weeks back of Team Obama's top legal eagle Greg Craig (whose name sounds like a Mad Men character, by the way), marked what was probably the highest profile parting-of-ways so far in this administration. Although much was left unsaid in the immediate aftermath of Craig's resignation, the behind-the-scenes story -- told here courtesy of Time -- gives us one of the clearer insights so far into how this president tries to tow the line between progress and pragmatism, perhaps to the detriment of both.

Moyers Moves On

Since its premiere on PBS in early '07, Bill Moyers Journal, the weekly discussion program on current affairs, has been an oasis of journalistic nuance in a desert of a opinionated demagoguery. Thus, Moyers' announcement this week that he'll be retiring the show this April comes as a real blow. From his in-depth look at the run-up to the Iraq invasion (which I first mentioned back here) to his analysis of last summer's health care town halls, Moyers' perspective was unabashedly progressive, but his ability to treat complex issues with complexity set him apart (and continues to set him apart) from his fellow journos. While I'm sure Moyers will continue to pop up from time to time with special projects either on PBS or elsewhere, there's no question that the weekly Journal's absence will leave a large void to be filled.

Rogurgitation

I want to say right off the bat that I'm extremely averse to revisiting the insanity that is the Sarah Palin Crazy Train. Not just the woman herself but the flock that idolizes her.

Still, with her memoir's release this week and the subsequent book tour drawing the moths to the flame, we're once again subjected to stories like this, with a seventeen year old Palinista (Palinaut?) called out by a reporter on the issues she's espousing, and in true maverick fashion, the teen blames the so-called liberal media for playing "gotcha." It'd be comical if it wasn't so commonplace.

Call it the Palin Effect, if you like: Be proud to be ignorant. When the facts don't line up with your ideology, chuck the facts. Here's the always-illustrative Matt Taibbi, with whom I agree entrely in this regard (apologies in advance for the blue language):

Complaining about the assholes we interact with on a daily basis is the #1 eternal pastime of the human race. We all do it, and we get to do it every day, because the world is full of assholes. Me personally, I waste an enormous amount of time seething over people who get onto crowded subway cars with big backpacks on and/or talk in the Amtrak quiet car and/or drive 57 mph in the fast lane or, my personal favorite, walking with glacial slowness in a horizontal row four overweight tourists across on a New York City sidewalk. We all get into furious arguments at work that make us want to explode in self-righteous fury (in my office dramas I always realize I was actually the asshole a day or so later) and when we get home from work, this is usually what our loved ones hear about for at least the first hour or so.

Not health care, not financial regulatory reform, not Iraq or Afghanistan, but — assholes.

Sarah Palin is on an endless crusade against assholes. It’s all she thinks about. She doesn’t really have any political ideas, in the classic sense of the word — in fact the only thing resembling real political convictions in Going Rogue revolve around the Trans-Alaska pipeline and how awesome she thinks it is.

This is why I have such a problem with labeling Palin's appeal as being aimed towards conservatives. Conservatism may be a movement with which my disagreements are legion, but there's enough policy grounding there to at least begin a serious issue-based conversation. What Palin represents is something else entirely: Mediocrity writ large. That can't be something true conservatives are thrilled to have associated with them.

Afgone

Tom Engelhardt lays out what the prez should say in regards to his still-percolating Afghanistan strategy, but because of either limitations of the establishment or of the self, probably won't.

Base.

A new survey from Public Policy Polling provides some insights into self-identified Republicans that are, if not staggering, certainly instructive in regards to the mindset that's driving the right wing base these days. Here's the breakdown, courtesy of Talking Points Memo:

The poll asked this question: "Do you think that Barack Obama legitimately won the Presidential election last year, or do you think that ACORN stole it for him?" The overall top-line is legitimately won 62%, ACORN stole it 26%.

Among Republicans, however, only 27% say Obama actually won the race, with 52% -- an outright majority -- saying that ACORN stole it, and 21% are undecided. Among McCain voters, the breakdown is 31%-49%-20%. By comparison, independents weigh in at 72%-18%-10%, and Democrats are 86%-9%-4%.

At this point, I think it's safe to say the inmates have taken over the asylum. More at the TPM link above, including the distinction between this finding, and those Dems who feel that the 2K election was stolen from Gore by W.

Hannitized

Bringing this week's Jon Stewart/Sean Hannity dance to a fitting conclusion, here's Jon's acknowledgment of Hannity's acknowledgment. About sums it up, don't you think?

Imprisoned

AMC's new take on perennial fave The Prisoner starts this Sunday, running six hours over three nights. And as mentioned here previously, it may look intriguing, but as with most such efforts (see: V), it's usually hard to top the original when it comes to, well, originality, and early reviews seem to be bearing this out. Still, to celebrate the '09 version's impending *ahem* Arrival (that's a Prisoner pun so nerdy that even I feel embarrassed), Topless Robot has compiled a list of the series' most memorable moments. Enjoy.

Owning Up

In regards to my post yesterday, with The Daily Show poking Sean Hannity with a stick for some editorial legerdemain during his coverage of last week's Republican healthscare rally, my gut told me that the Fox yakker wouldn't even acknowledge the catch and just roll right past it. Well, my gut was wrong. Last night Hannity did own up to the (according to him) "inadvertent mistake," and therefore I'm acknowledging his acknowledgment:

Going Nuclear

Every couple of years, depending on which party is holding the keys and which party is in the backseat, the "nuclear option" -- ending the ability to filibuster -- gets floated by various congressionals as a way of ending perceived obstructionism from the minority. This would eliminate the need for sixty votes to end debate and allow for a simple majority vote on most major legislation.

Just a few years back, when the Dems were using the maneuver to roadblock various Bush appointees, the Republican leadership of the time, led by Bill Frist, came pretty darn close to going nuclear and doing away with the supermajority. At the time, cooler heads prevailed, aware no doubt that the party in charge one day won't be, and that's when they'll wish they had it, and I pretty much agreed for that very reason.

However, thanks mostly to wish-washy Dems like Lincoln and Nelson, not to mention the dependably undependable Mr. Lieberman, that sixty vote threshold is sure doing a hell of a job squeezing any actual reform out of health care reform. Thanks to this and many more examples, Steven Pearlstein makes a pretty compelling argument that if there's any hope to be had of things actually getting done in Washington, now is as good a time as any to drop the bomb on the filibuster.

From THE ONION...

These Obama-as-comic-nerd Onion stories are always great.

Barack Obama Names Alan Moore Official White House Biographer

WASHINGTON—At a press conference Monday, President Obama announced that he had appointed legendary comic book writer Alan Moore as the official biographer of his time in the White House. "As evidenced by his epic run on Swamp Thing #21–64, Moore's deft hand with both sociopolitical commentary and metaphysical violence makes him an ideal choice to chronicle my time in office," Obama said of the author of Watchmen and From Hell, whom he reportedly chose over others on a short list of potential biographers that included Warren Ellis, Grant Morrison, and Bob Woodward. "I look forward to seeing the kinds of subplots he will surely weave throughout the main narrative of my presidency, and how he'll tie them all back together at the end in a way that just elevates the thing to a whole other level. God, that guy is the master." Although Obama has not yet settled on a publisher for his White House biography, he is reportedly leaning toward DC's Vertigo imprint for its creator-friendly ethos, high production values, and willingness to publish content for mature readers.

Watching the Watchers

Jon Stewart catches Hannity with his finger on the "edit" button. We already know that the op-ed portion of Fox News programming has, shall we say, an elastic relationship with the truth, but geez, it's like they're not even trying anymore.

Recommended Reading

Frank Rich post-games last Tuesday's election, with some advice for the teabaggers as well as for Team Obama.

Jaytalking

Jay Leno is someone who I've always admired even when I've been cool to his TV work. While the nightly monologue and various comedy bits play a little too often to the cheap seats, Leno is, by all accounts, an incredibly gracious and humble guy, and his nose-to-the-grindstone work ethic is an example anyone can learn from. His current situation provides ample evidence of both.

Even with a decade-plus reign as late night TV's undisputed ratings king hosting The Tonight Show, he seems to have been set up to fail by NBC with the current Jay Leno Show, airing weeknights during the 10 o'clock hour. The thinking behind the strip appears to have been motivated less by any artistic calling then by simple economics, not to mention keeping Leno from bolting to another network a la David Letterman fifteen years ago.

The resultant show is a weird hybrid of Leno's strongest Tonight bits (monologue, Headlines, etc.) and some new stuff that frankly needs to be either tweaked or tossed (I'm looking at you, Green Car Challenge). Still, even with his current show only firing at about 60-75% efficiency, I'm genuinely rooting for the guy to make it work and somehow pull it off against the admittedly high odds. This interview is one of the reasons why.

Recommended Reading

There's an election coming up this Tuesday to decide congressional representation of a sliver of New York commonly known as its 23rd district. Any other time this election would merit exactly the amount of thought you've given it up 'till now: none. But these are hardly normal times, and the battle for New York's 23rd has accidentally ended up as the fulcrum in the GOP's continuing struggle for its own identity, and as Frank Rich explains, it could well determine what shape that tattered brand assumes come next fall's midterms.

Verily.

ABC has been kind enough to release around ten minutes from the pilot of its revived V series. While not unimpressive, there is a bit of "been there, done that" going on that's probably unavoidable given how much the original's iconography has been appropriated in the intervening quarter-century (I like the line about Independence Day that the writers threw in -- deliberately, no doubt). While there's been a swell of bad buzz ominously brewing around this offering, I'm still hoping they do something unique with what remains a truly great premise even after all these years.

TEAM Time

This pic has been making its way around the web since late last week, but I wanted to make sure I acknowledged it before too much time passed. Witness the new incarnation of schlock-TV fave The A-Team, from the big screen adaptation hitting theaters next summer.

An A-Team feature is one of those things that's been promised/threatened for at least a decade now, and in principle it's actually not a bad prospect for a big screen redo. Let's face it, the 1980s series, a product of Stephen J. Cannell's TV assembly line, wasn't exactly Hemingway, but for four-and-a-half years it did provide a reliably entertaining hour of television chock-a-block full of guns, explosions and TV-safe violence, not to mention a regular forum for Mr. T to dispense his wisdom ("I pity the fool," and the like).

This one stars, from left to right, the suddenly-hot Bradley Cooper as Templeton "Faceman" Peck, UFC star "Rampage" Jackson as Bosco "B.A." Baracus, District 9 star Sharlto Copley as "Howling Mad" Murdock, and Liam Neeson doing a pretty convincing George Peppard as team leader John "Hannibal" Smith. Flick is being directed by Joe Carnahan, who did the terrific Narc a few years back, and his presence promises just enough grit to hopefully raise this above the usual summer blockbuster. Then again, it's the freakin' A-Team, so what the hell do I know.

On the Mark

Here's noted comic book and television writer Mark Evanier with his reflection on the partisan situation in Washington that's been so crippling to the health care fight as well as other Obama action items.

One of the many things that makes me optimistic about Obama succeeding with his agenda is that so much of the opposition is controlled either by looneys or by sane Republicans who are terrified of pissing off the looneys. Lately, there's been the perverse amusement of watching the teabagger crowd turn on Lindsey Graham, the senior senator from South Carolina. Graham toes the Conservative line about 96% of the time but since that 4% involves partnering with John Kerry to do something about Climate Change, Graham is a traitor, a quisling, a RINO, a sell-out, a socialist, a fascist, an enemy of the people, etc. At a recent rally, he mentioned something about negotiating on some piece of legislation (health care, I think) and a woman jumped up and yelled, "God does not negotiate!"

Well no, He doesn't. That's because He's God and there's no one to negotiate with. He's also not a member of a minority party that doesn't have the votes to advance its own agenda very far. He can get His way without having to drum up swing votes.

Fruit bats like that lady do not typify the Republican party...but she may typify the kind of voter the G.O.P. doesn't dare alienate. I don't think there's much chance that Republicans will nominate Sarah Palin in 2012...but they're probably going to have to genuflect to her (or someone else who emerges to fill the same role) in much the same way that Democrats once had to kiss the feet of Jesse Jackson. No one wanted Jesse on the ticket but no one wanted to alienate his supporters.

My friends who voted for Obama are driven up the wall by the teabagger crowd that thinks Medicare is not a government program and by the birther crowd that thinks Obama is still being born in Kenya...and I'll admit those mobs are exasperating in their way. But think how annoying it would be to have Obama attacked by people with genuine issues. Or to have the Republican leadership not genuflecting to the nutcase right. There's a very sane, non-nutcase Conservative movement out there and if it ever got control of the Republican party, it might get something done.

Which doesn't mean the Democrats should get cocky. Right now, they're like the Yankees: Winning the occasional game because of the opposition's errors.

I've posted his entry in its entirety, but don't let that stop you from jumping over to Mark's blog and taking a look around.

Web Deficient

Last night's Daily Show looked at the ongoing attempts by the Republicans to vest themselves of their current image as the party of the rich, the old, and the white. Clearly this is an uphill battle, and not helping one bit is RNC chair Michael Steele, who at this point has become so comically hapless that I feel like he needs his own funny theme music to play whenever he shows up on those talking head shows. To wit, the ballyhooed debut of the spankin' new GOP website this week, which probably could have gone better.

Unsporstmanlike

There was something instructive about the ripple of joy that passed through Right Wing World last Friday, as news broke that my hometown of Chicago had lost out on its bid to host the '16 Olympic games.

Now, I would expect the natural level of investment most Americans had in hosting the Olympics was either general excitement or (more likely) general apathy. Heck, I'm a native Chicagoan myself, and my own feelings were probably somewhere in the middle. But the outright elation by those on the right was something else again.

From El Rushbo calling it "the worst day" of the Obama presidency to Glenn Beck saying it was "so, so sweet," all illusions of civility and common interest were tossed aside, and the petty nature of what passes for modern conservatism was suddenly stripped bare for all to see.

Suddenly, the "Loyal Opposition" had been reduced to the level of my two-year old, who snatches any toy from the hands of my eight-month old and throws it across the room rather than let him play with it. So invested was the anti-Obama crowd in its fervor that they applauded (literally!) any perceived failure, even one that would have benefited our country.

The sad part is that this underlying irrationality streches far beyond the Olympics, having already extended its tendrils into the interminable health care debate and beyond, and it has Paul Krugman asking:

How did one of our great political parties become so ruthless, so willing to embrace scorched-earth tactics even if so doing undermines the ability of any future administration to govern?

It's a good question, and Krugman posits his own theory at the link above.

Funny Because It's True?

SNL wacks the prez over the size of his "to do" list.

Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen

MASH star Alan Alda fondly reminisces about his friendship with the man who put the words in Hawkeye Pierce's mouth, the recently departed Larry Gelbart.

Also, check out this Vanity Fair presenting Gelbart's final interview, including (but hardly limited to) reflections on his part in shaping the classic series.

Recommended Reading

The Obama speech on Wednesday helped staunch the bleeding, and put Republican belligerence on display for all to see. Sure would have been nice if the prez hadn't taken his sweet time to get there, though. Frank Rich agrees.

Larry Gelbart, RIP

On Thursday night I was having a conversation with friends on how amazing it is that TV's MASH remains as witty and intelligent today as it did when it first premiered in 1972. This morning I learned that Larry Gelbart, the man largely responsible for imbuing MASH with its comedic soul had passed away after a battle with cancer.

Of course, Gelbart's filmography goes wider and deeper than chronicling the TV misadventures of "Hawkeye" Pierce and "Trapper" John, including the Oh, God films and cross-dressing comedy Tootsie. Still, those first four years that Gelbart served as MASH's exec producer and head writer were so key in laying down the razor thin balance between comedy and pathos that it kept the show plugging along for seven more years after he himself had moved on.

In his latter years Gelbart, always the unabashed liberal, had taken to posting his insightful commentaries on the Huffington Post, which I was always glad to see and which I'm saddened to know are no longer forthcoming. The world has truly lost one of its great and wise wordsmiths with his passing.

Health in a Handcart

Between Republican ignorance and Democratic indolence, the health care debacle over the course of the past summer has really been excruciating to watch. President Obama is all set to deliver a big "muster the troops" speech in front of congress tomorrow, ostensibly to get the reform train back on the rails and into the station, but all signs seem to be point towards the same moneyed/corporate interests that have gummed up the works in the past working their mojo to ensure -- once more -- that nothing substantive gets done. How utterly expected. But hell, don't take my word for it. Click over and read Matt Taibbi's exhaustive analysis of the situation...and prepare to be depressed.