2009’s Star Trek’s best accomplishment is leaving us wanting more of these characters, while letting the loonier parts of the film fade from memory.  JJ Abrams delivers performances and pacing that really drive the film forward, never giving us time to completely ponder the brain assaulting script turned in by Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman. O & K, having been responsible for writing the toy-to-film kick in the balls known as Transformers lucked out this time by teaming their ‘product’ with a real Director.

Everyone is speculating about where things will go from here?  How will the characters develop, what will the plot of the next film be?  Right now the series is in the hands of a strong Director, but could do with an injection of talent on the Script – Plotting side of things.  With that in mind I’ve been thinking about some partners Abrams could team with next time around to improve things.  These  people came to mind:

JJ Abrams & George Lucas
Calm down.  I know.  Many of you still have the Bologna-when-expecting-steak taste in your mouth from the Prequels.  But just look at them from this angle, what was worse, the story or the Direction?

The IDEA of Anakin being born into a slave environment, never knowing freedom, being used by others because of his ’supernatural’ talents is not a bad one.  It’s the EXECUTION of it that falls so woefully short.  From the casting of Jake Lloyd to Lucas’ lifeless directorial style, nothing about it works.  But the IDEA is there.  A young child, afraid, but also willing to try a new life.  That’s good stuff, no matter how bad it ended up being performed.

Other ideas, the Sith knowing they can not directly attack the Republic, so they must corrupt it from the inside.  Manipulating a crisis to get one of their own elected Chancellor.  That’s good stuff.  But the Nimodians, the overwrought Gungan & Naboo symbiotic relationship, crap crap crap.  But the CONCEPT is sound.

And remember the original trilogy.  The sense of wonder, the grand ideas of the Force, the Jedi.  Of father vs son, of training and sacrifice.  GOOD IDEAS.  Look at what Kershner was able to do with a Lucas story in Episode V, the best of the series.  A good story and great direction made a truly fantastic film.  Star Wars aside, there were some documents that came out recently on the web showing the brain storming sessions that Spielberg and Lucas had while forming the first Indiana Jones film.  There is REAL give and take there, each adding to, removing from, but almost always improving the others idea about the film.

Lucas is a great idea man, someone who can shape a large canvas and let Abrams populate it with good actors giving good performances with a style that is involving and appealing.
Abrams needs a visionary like that to help deliver on the bright promise that this version of Trek showed us.

JJ Abrams & J. Michael Straczynski

Babylon 5 is a weird item in the entertainment world.  Because it was syndicated in it’s first 4 years, a lot of people have only a surface level name recognition relationship with it.  They’ve heard the name, might know it takes place in space, and that’s about it.  Others may have given it a try, either from the beginning ( best ) or jumped in sometime in the middle ( troubling ) but just not finished it.  And then there are those like me who have a deep appreciation for the tale JMS told over his five years.

I’ve re watched the series on DVD three times through now in recent years, and although you’ll be hard pressed to find a more vocal enthusiast for the show than me, it is not a perfect offering.  Put the shoestring budget aside, JMS had to work with what he had to work with.  On his writing, some of the dialog and conversations are clunkers.  They don’t flow, feel forced and or contrived.  Some of the acting is wooden, especially early as actors ‘found’ their characters, and a lot on the guest stars as well.

Okay, so what’s to like?  Well, a great deal of the dialog is breathtaking, majestic and inspirational in it’s ability to move you and connect you to the events of the show.  There is intelligence, and even better true variety in the way the characters speak.  You do not get stale, same-speak in sentence structure or style.   Also, as time quickly went by, most of the performers were able to take the deep plot and intricate dialog and really soar with it.  Delivering stunning performances as their characters moved along the intricate and meticulous plot.

And that, the plot.  JMS was the first person to suggest a serious project of an American Television series that would begin, run and end.  To be planned from the beginning, like the great American novel to introduce, complicate, rise in tension and resolve.  When re watching the show I was able to catch so many subtle textures of plot and hints of things to come I’d never noticed before.  This ability to artfully create a fully layered story with deep background, complicated and in-perfect characters wrapped in world ( universe even ) changing events that clicks on every level is something Abrams could use in his future movies.

I’m not suggesting that JJ & JMS meticulously plot out a 5 movie arc, but that to what ever degree he’s be used, JMS could help build a rich and deep plot structure over one movie, while moving pieces in an intelligent way to pay off in future stories.  He’s even a master at dealing with changes in actors.  If, for some reason Sulu was being moved into a spot that would have some major bearing in the future, and Cho decides he can’t – won’t do more Trek, JMS has experience at moving the plot – characters around to compensate.

Yes, his dialog may need an editor, and really what writer does not, especially when working on such a high stakes project.  But as a partnership, JMS’s ability to craft story and JJ’s ability to bring energy and impact to the screen would be a combination I’d LOVE to see.

So what about you?  Looking at who’s working, or who would be available, who would you like to see JJ Abrams team up with as a collaborator on the next Trek(s)?

Marc

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