Mixing Trek and murders and work

Finished the all the novelizations of Trek movies I happen to own, which would be 1-6. J. M. Dillard wrote 5 (Star Trek: The Final Frontier) & 6 (Star Trek VI The Undiscovered Country (Star Trek)), not a very enviable job, I imagine. Five was the horrible directorial outing by Bill "Anything Leonard Can Do, I Could Do Better" Shatner, and ooof, does it stink up the place. There's nothing much to save either the book or the movie, and I suppose I keep it for continuity purposes only. The story is full of pratfalls, some quite literal, and a pile of pseudo-mythic and pseudo-psychological claptrap which made Spock's Brain look clever.

OK, not that bad. But pretty bad.

I mean, really. OK, I'll but Spock had an older brother no one ever spoke about, sure. And OK, I'm along for the ride to believe he's some weird-ass mystic who can use Vulcan mind meddling techniques to help someone come to terms with past mistakes. Whatever. But somehow, reaching a catharsis is basis enough for loyalty til death?? If that was so, thousands of therapists and SM tops should be showered in grateful worship right now.

Oh, and the whole search for god thing is just silly. One of the reasons I liked Star Trek is because they were normally above the whole "let's find a magical being in charge of everything" storyline. Come on, folks, this was the crew that took down Apollo. The only thing worth watching in the movie is David Warner, who I adore, and one line, which thankfully is also in the novel. "Why does god need a spaceship?" Good question, James "I need my pain!" Kirk. Now kick your boo-hooing friends in the ass and get them to remember this is Trek, not Wars. Fire some damn torpedoes or something.

And please, please. No more singing.

The Undiscovered Country is superior mostly because the previous outing stands so tall in its suckitude. In favor? Klingon villains! Hell, in the movie, they got Captain von Trapp himself, wildly misquoting Shakespeare while zooming around in a cloaked Bird of Prey. (Everyone who saw the sing-along-Sound of Music, together now...rrrRRRRR!) Captain Sulu and his teacup! Conspiracies! Worf's grand-daddy! Kirk kissing...himself! To its detriment? A new Saavik sort of character who we never got to know. Some comedic gags and plot elements that didn't quite work because they couldn't explain things in the final cut of the movie. Too much drama added for the sake of punching up long periods of people wondering what everyone else is doing. Oh, and Kirk kissing himself, I'm into slash as much as anyone else, but the twin thing never works for me.

In between Trekking, I've been reading Twisted: A Novel, by Jonathan Kellerman. I never got it before because I wasn't that much into the lead character, Detective Petra Connor. Part of me is annoyed that she gets her own books while Milo, the gay best friend, gets to walk in and raid the fridge. But this was one of the books I got via paperbackswap, and I figured it can't be that bad. And it isn't that bad. It's easily as good as any of the Alex Delaware novels, except for that nagging feeling that it's just not fair this chick gets her own mysteries. I'll keep it.

And in between, I have added a little more to the book I am writing. Not much, but a little more.