Star Trek I remember it like it was yesterday. The first time I saw a commercial for the upcoming new series called Star Trek. I must have been around 17 or 18. At the very last second, the Starship Enterprise streaked across the television screen and I knew everything had changed. Sure, I’d been reading sci-fi for years by that time, and I was familiar with the concept of starships. But in the movies up to that time, there were only two kinds of spaceships; rockets (liquid or solid fuel) and flying saucers, which represented the alien tech (think This Island Earth, Day the World Stood Still, Forbidden Planet). But when the Enterprise came onto the screen and it wasn’t a rocket and it wasn’t a saucer, we experienced a paradigm shift—at least I did. This was a Starship. Built in space, never meant for atmospheric flight, and obviously FTL. (Faster than light.) My mom and I waited all summer for the new season to begin while dad scratched his head and wondered what all the fuss was about.
I loved Star Trek. Both of them. I was never a trekkie, never went to conventions or dressed up in those ridiculous costumes. It meant far more to me than that. Those people were posers, pretenders, stuck in shallow affectations with no real idea of what they were seeing. Not the show itself, which in retrospect was often pretty bad, but the potential, the promise, the completely positive portrayal of the human condition.
And yes, I knew it was just a TV show. Often poorly written, bad sets, bad makeup, bad acting. But infinite vision.
This new movie finally allows the series to live up to its potential. It is the ultimate back-story, the ultimate action movie. All the characters are back and intact. The casting is brilliant. The story holds together with just enough content to keep us in our seats, driven by relentless action, but is very well written nonetheless. The actors bring all the old favorites alive; Spock, Uhuru, Chekov, Sulu, McCoy and Scottie. Except they are all young, new, cadets thrown into a life and death situation. Captain Pike is the skipper of the Enterprise when the story begins. (If you are a true-believer you know who that is). And the security guys all wear red jerseys. But the kid playing Kirk steals the movie. He has a presence. The writer and director should be nominated for academy awards, but probably won’t be. I think every major theme from the original series is in this movie. The faithful will be well-fed, I guarantee. The myriad items from everyone’s past finally come to light and we discover origins. It begins with Kirk’s father, George, sacrificing his life and his ship for the good of the Federation. I was crying in the first five minutes. (but I often cry at phone commercials, so, you know . . .)
ILM did the special effects and they are hand-wringers. The critics are right; This is the movie for everyone, fan or not. If you like action and smart, funny characters with just enough pathos to make them real, this is for you. The audience applauded at the end. Leonard Nimoy is in this one, now in his 70’s. He’s awesome.
Like a few others before it, this movie is a game-changer. It met or exceeded every expectation. I plan to go back and take Nita. It is rated PG-13. No cussing, no sex. (one itty-bitty clothes-changing scene, no big deal) and lots of great big things blowing up, planets being sucked into black holes, the usual tourist stuff. And Spock has a girl friend!
Sure, there were some problems. I still hate it when vessels in space fly like planes and make cool sounds, but that’s the movies. The sets were incredible. The Enterprise gets bigger with every movie. And this is the best of the Star Trek movies.
