From Newsgroup: alt.tv.star-trek.tos   
   From Address: rikp@aol.com   
   Subject: Re: The Case For Star Trek Winning Best Picture (was Re: Star Trek   
   Makes 2009 National Board of Review Top 10 Films List)   
      
   > > Consider that Star Trek is on a par with Star Wars, an   
   > > iconic American property that even older Academy voters   
   > > can appreciate. a   
   >   
   > Which isn't the same as saying Star Trek 2009 is on par with Star Wars   
   > 1977. Not even close. Not the same solar system.   
   And even just from a technical standpoint, Star Wars stood alone in   
   1977 simply by the fact that the means to produce it had to be drawn   
   up from scratch.  The talent and production pipelines to make such a   
   film today are all over Hollywood (and the world, i.e. Weta in NZ) and   
   we see the results on a weekly basis, but back then the studios had   
   disbanded their effects units, farming out what little effects they   
   needed to the few model or optical houses in existence.  The   
   requirements of Star Wars required the creation of Industrial Light   
   and Magic, or it never would have been possible.  CE3K was another   
   notable effects movie from 1977 (yet less over-the-top), but that's   
   about it.  Star Wars being unique and unusual (and a great time to   
   boot) got it Oscar's attention.   
   (The only studio that seemed to still have the capability to do an   
   entire effects-laden production in-house was Disney with "The Black   
   Hole."  Perhaps their animated films required an active technical   
   department so they never shut it down.)   
   Rik   
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