Star Trek III: The Search For Spock -- Hyundai Genesis
The word? The word is no. I am therefore going anyway.
Thus begins the best sequence in Star Trek III: The Search For Spock, and one of the greatest scenes in all of Trekdom--the scene in which Admiral Kirk and his officers steal the USS Enterprise from space dock to rescue their ambiguously deceased shipmate and friend Spock. I'm not totally clear what they were rescuing him from--evidently some sort of ill-defined post-mortem Vulcan mental trauma--but that doesn't change the fact that it's a tremendous sequence in an outrageously underrated film (a film underrated even by Car Lust sister blog Armchair Commentary).
Now for the whiplash segue and the forced comparison between car and movie that is becoming de rigueur in this series. I would argue that the Hyundai Genesis is the automotive world's version of that scene--a tremendous car from an outrageously underrated car manufacturer. That's convenient, since the Genesis name links the car to the tremendously powerful terraforming device central to the plots of Star Treks II and III (as well as, it must be said, the Phil Collins-led musical group, the Sega gaming system, and of course the first book of the Bible).
It might help my analysis if I knew what Genesis is, beyond the biblical reference.
The Genesis Coupe represents Hyundai's coming-out party--a top-flight performance coupe from a company known for its small front-wheel-drive economy cars and that has steadily grown from past ignominy into unspectacular but extremely competent respectability.
The Genesis Coupe is a rear-wheel-drive sports coupe with 306 horsepower V-6 (or a tuner-friendly turbo four) that runs off the 0-60 sprint in 5.7 seconds and tops out at more than 160 mph.
Let that sink in for a moment. It wasn't long ago that this kind of performance was restricted to Corvettes, Porsches, and exotic Italian cars. Now a sub-$30,000 coupe from Hyundai can do the same thing. That's pretty remarkable given Hyundai's, well, checkered history.
How many have paid the price for your impatience? How many have died? How much damage have you done, and what is yet to come?
Lt. Saavik laid this withering line on Dr. David Marcus in STIII after learning that he had taken an unethical shortcut in the development of the Genesis device. Marcus used the mysterious proto-matter in the device--a cheat that helped bring initial successes but completely undermined the project's long-term success. So too did Hyundai's initial success in the American market set the stage for subsequent near-disaster. (For those of you keeping track at home, that's the second jarringly abrupt segue so far).
Hyundai's introduction to the American market in 1986 paralleled Yugo's. The Hyundai Excel and Yugo GV subcompacts made headlines in that model year both for their unexpected countries of origin and their amazing, rock-bottom pricing. The Yugo was mostly notable as the cheapest (note that I did not use the more polite "least expensive" descriptor) new car available in America at $3,995. At $4,995, the Hyundai was significantly more expensive than its Eastern European counterpart, but compared to the Spartan Yugo the Excel seemed like a sophisticated, luxurious little ride.
The Yugo's incredibly low price lured thrifty car-buyers into the market, but once bargain shoppers had a chance to compare the imported oddities many opted for the Hyundai's relative sophistication. The Excel was an immediate sales smash, with more than 160,000 cars sold--which, according to Wikipedia, was a new sales record for a first-year import. But, as with the Genesis device, the means of the initial success worked to its long-term detriment.
The Excel proved to be refined only compared to the agricultural Yugo; compared to contemporary small cars from Honda, Toyota, Nissan, and the domestic manufacturers, it was cobby and rough. Thanks to the Excel's initial popularity, Hyundai's major quality issues quickly became only slightly less well-known and ridiculed than Yugo's. Kia's subsequent star-crossed arrival in the U.S. market did nothing to take South Korean cars out of the crosshairs of the late-night comics.
After that first burst of success in the United States in the mid-to-late 1980s, Hyundai spent a full decade following the Yugo path--building a cripplingly poor reputation and sliding down into the yawning void of irrelevance.
If I hadn't tried, the cost would have been my soul.
With its Chevrolet Citation/X-car debacle, General Motors established that selling huge volumes of bad cars isn't a good way to build a reputation or a customer base. Hyundai endured the same pain but responded in a way that, in retrospect, is pretty inspiring. Hyundai reorganized in 1998 with the goal of doubling down on its quality; it began steadily improving its lineup and made the point very publicly with a brand-wide 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty.
I don't remember taking much note at the time--as with most enthusiasts, Hyundai was at the very edge of my radar screen--but over the subsequent decade, the impact of Hyundai's efforts has been dramatic.
Genesis is, simply put, life from lifelesness.
I remember seeing the first few glimmers of life from Hyundai back in 2003 or so--a friend bought a Sonata, and I was surprised by how competent it was. The following year, Hyundai took second in J.D. Power's initial quality survey. In 2005, I recommended the Hyundai Santa Fe mini-SUV to a family member who has absolutely loved it. In terms of satisfaction, quality, and reliability, Hyundai had arrived.
Hyundai's first real attention to performance began around then too. The Tiburon wasn't a particularly impressive performer, but as a stylish, attractive low-slung sporty coupe, it was a worthy successor to the Toyota Celicas and Mazda MX-6s of the 1990s. The fourth-generation Hyundai Sonata was the car that really signaled Hyundai's maturing performance capabilities; its 235-horsepower made it a sneaky-fast sleeper with as much horsepower as a mid-1980s Corvette. In future years when I recall the horsepower explosion of this decade, the hot-rod Sonata will be the car right at the top of my mind. A Hyundai family sedan with 235 horsepower? What?!?!
Can I cook, or can't I?
Now, of course, we have the Genesis Coupe--and considering that Hyundai is new to the top levels of the hyper-competitive sports-luxury game, it is astonishingly good. It runs with the excellent new six-cylinder Chevrolet Camaro, for one thing. It accelerates, handles, and rides like a world-class performance coupe, and even more impressively it feels like a premium piece. It isn't a gorgeous car, but it is suitably aggressive and fresh without a reliance on retro design cues.
If the Infiniti G-series provides most of the goodness of the BMW 3-series at a discount rate, the Hyundai Genesis Coupe plays the same game with the Infiniti. Compared with the Infiniti, it's 95% of the goodness for 85% of the money; it obviously has an even larger value gap over the BMW. If this sounds like I'm damning the Genesis with faint praise, I'm not--the Genesis is, right out of the gate, a strong competitor for some of the finest cars in the world, and at a competitive, accessible price, with a reliability reputation to rival Toyota's, and with a fantastic warranty to boot.
Considering the state of Hyundai a decade ago, that's incredible--much more surprising, for example, than Spock's resurrection at the end of STIII. The Genesis effect rejuvenated Spock; but in Hyundai's case, a rejuvenated company resulted in an excellent Genesis.
Hold on, I just blew my own mind.
Giiive meee Gennnesis!
Genesis allowed is not! Is planet forbidden!
I couldn't really find any use for these quotes, but they were just too good to exclude.
For your viewing pleasure, I have included a Hyundai Genesis commercial, Dr. Carol Marcus' description of Project Genesis, and the aforementioned best scene in Star Trek history--the part where Kirk and his officers steal the enterprise.
The silver Genesis pictures above are press shots from the manufacturer; the screenshots from the movie are all over the web; and the old Excel ad came from thehyway.com.
--Chris H.
David Colborne on July 24, 2009 at 04:33 PM
Genesis is sports coupe forbidden!
Hyundai did what it always did - turn death into a fighting chance for life.
Brian DR1665 on July 25, 2009 at 07:29 AM
Hyundai has certainly turned things around. I've heard they recently overtook Chrysler and Nissan in terms of sales in the United States. They're offering some seriously nice cars for people unimpressed with the expensive German tourers.
(And this series has been funny and mind-blowing at the same time. I don't know where you come up with these segues!)
JJD241 on July 25, 2009 at 07:32 AM
What...no Phil Collins/Genesis video?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W35wtfcByIY
Anthony Cagle on July 25, 2009 at 06:50 PM
Paint 'em yellow and maybe these would make good. . . .ABACabs?
*ba dum dum*
ANYwaaaaaay. . . .I'm good on the third Trek movie. Heck, I even liked the 5th one, which makes me one of approximately 12 people who do. Heck, anything's better than Star "Save the Whales" Trek IV.
I should probably buy a coupe since I have a lot of Genesis records and also have a pair of Genesis speakers.
Chuck on July 25, 2009 at 08:34 PM
Does anybody remember that the last living Klingon in this movie was played by John Larroquette?
Tommy's Dad on July 25, 2009 at 10:06 PM
I remember that! John Larroquette and Christopher Lloyd as the most improbable Klingons in the universe, and yet they both made it work, Lloyd especially. I always liked Star Trek III right up there with II, mostly for the entire Stealing the Enterprise sequence and then for having the guts to actually blow up the Enterprise herself when all was lost. I think Trek has ever done anything as emotionally impacting as what they did in those two movies, between killing Spock, the Enterprise, and then bringing Spock back (unless they do in the new movie, which I still haven't seen).
Hyundai...they really have come a long way from the old "junky cheap import" days, haven't they? I remember a few years back when I was selling appliances at Best Buy (ugh) and we started seeing a lot of LG and Samsung electronics showing up on our shelves- appliances, home theater stuff, dvd/cd-rom drives, etc. And at the time, I started thinking to myself that Korea was really becoming the new Japan when it came to cheap but very good electronic toys and gadgets and such. Seems they're doing the same thing with the car business too.
Anthony Cagle on July 26, 2009 at 10:55 AM
OMG I didn't ever recognize Larroquette!
And sex bomb Kim Cattrall was a Vulcan in ST 6. That was weird.
Which has nothing to do with cars, but whatever.
Dave on July 26, 2009 at 02:09 PM
"Can I cook, or can't I?"
That's Star Trek II, buddy. Let's watch those inaccuracies or there will be a platoon of scifi nerds here to muck everything up with their nitpicking.
VicStone on July 26, 2009 at 02:52 PM
I bought a loaded 2004 Hyundai Sonata for a very good price after the JD Powers report came out. It never gave me a single problem. Earlier this year I gave the Hyundai to my son with 40,000 miles on it and bought a Camry. It's a good car but I really prefer the Hyundai from value and performance standpoint. Also the Hyundai dealer really followed up to make sure I was happy. I haven't heard a peep from Toyota.
Sci-Fi Nerd on July 26, 2009 at 03:06 PM
To Dave: In the words of "2001, A Space Odyssey"'s HAL, "I'm sorry, Dave."
DensityDuck on July 26, 2009 at 03:55 PM
I always thought that Star Trek III was the real end of the "TOS Trek" story. The movies after that were, basically, Star Trek fanfic.
Open Road Rambler on July 26, 2009 at 04:07 PM
I owned a 2004 Sonata and was very impressed with it. Hyundai is so underrated--they're the DeForest Kelly of the car world...
And to quote Scotty: "If my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a wagon."
Chris Hafner on July 26, 2009 at 08:13 PM
Chuck: "Does anybody remember that the last living Klingon in this movie was played by John Larroquette?"
The "I do not deserve to live" guy? I never understood that line. Why doesn't he think he deserves to live? What atrocity does he think he's committed? He's a Klingon, after all.
Anthony Cagle: "And sex bomb Kim Cattrall was a Vulcan in ST 6. That was weird."
Ungrounded Internet Rumor alert - I heard that she had some racy pictures taken of her in Vulcan ears on the Enterprise bridge, and that Leonard Nimoy found out, was extremely stern, and destroyed the photos. I don't know if it's true, but I want to believe it's true.
Dave: "That's Star Trek II, buddy."
Yeah, that quote is from STII, as is the Spock quote asking for a description of the Genesis project, the video of Dr. Carol Marcus' description of Genesis, and the photo of the Genesis device itself. Because so much of the exposition on Genesis took place in STII, I used applicable quotes from both movies. I figured nobody would care, but I didn't bet on Trek fanatics - I probably would have called it out too.
Open Road Rambler: "And to quote Scotty: "If my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a wagon."
Another great one.
Chuck on July 26, 2009 at 08:40 PM
Chris: I believe John L.'s Klingon name was Maltz. I guess the fact that he was defeated in battle was 'dishonorable', and death would be more proud than living as a loser. How many times have we heard Worf say, "Today is a good day to die."
Casey on July 26, 2009 at 09:20 PM
Sorry to bust up the geek-fest (which I normally would dive right into {g}), but I hate Hyundais. Bought a three-year-old '91 with about 45k miles on it, and dropped nearly a grand into repairs the first eight months. As soon as spring came, I traded that sucker in for an '87 Civic Si (not a CRX) hatchback with 65k miles. The only thing I ever had to replace/repair was a new ignition switch. Sold it to buy an Integra, and sometimes I still miss that l'il hatchback.
I know, I know, the Hyundais have gotten better, but you still couldn't pay me to buy one.
I suppose the next thing we'll see is a nifty, high-tech EV from Yugo that runs on water, solar panels, and a back-up hamster wheel... {grumble}
:)
Grantman on July 27, 2009 at 04:17 AM
We bought an '07 Azera and love it. Forget history...it's what they're doing now that matters.
Steaming Pile on July 27, 2009 at 06:49 AM
I always remembered Worf saying, "Today is a good day to die," as he was plotting how to take the enemy down with him.
Chris Hafner on July 27, 2009 at 09:01 AM
Exactly, SP. I thought the "good day to die" bit symoblized the Klingon willingness to die in pitched battle, the Klingon trait for bloodlust to overcome common sense. It's all about glory and honor.
On the other hand, the "I do not deserve to live" guy is just obsessed with being killed as a prisoner. He's even miffed when Kirk refuses to kill him. I just don't get that. Worf would agree that this guy doesn't deserve to live, because he's not living up to the Klingon willingness to battle to the death.
Why doesn't he think he deserves to live? Because he has committed atrocities? The Federation would likely agree, but I find it difficult to believe that a Klingon would.
carforall.net on July 28, 2009 at 02:08 PM
Thanks for posting about this, I would love to read more about this topic.
http://www.carforall.net
stanczyk on August 29, 2009 at 04:15 PM
Hyjijundajiiii is trying..but it's still ugly ..:) - if they'll improve it has a chance (look at KIA Soul - yeah..it's possible!)
I would take cheaper Miata or old Mustang abov better performer Huioujiudajjjiiii...
.....and Helllo ..there is a v6 Camaro on the market!