A few thoughts that are being overlooked...

Rating: 9/10 (11 May 2009)

I have to say this right up front: I liked the movie. I did. Really, I did. But as the film is being hailed by innumerable online voices as the finest version of Star Trek ever created at anytime, anywhere, by anyone, please allow me to toss in a few grousing points.
J.J.Abrams version of Starfleet is the most unprofessional exploration and peacekeeping force in the cinematic galaxy. Totally unprofessional. It's being run by kids. Not just any kids, but kids fresh out of the academy. In J.J.'s Starfleet, you can go from being an academically suspended Starfleet cadet, without rank or actual space-faring experience, and within a single action-packed week be promoted to the rank of Captain (one rank step below an Admiral, mind you) and given command of a starship. And not just any starship....THE FLAG SHIP OF THE FLEET. The ship that professional career officers work their entire careers to get assigned to. If I'd been such an officer on the Enterprise and found out my new captain was a kid just out of the Academy who cheated on his exams and got his job by being brash, cocky, good looking and the son of another career officer who died on the job, I'd resign my commission. Clearly, Starfleet has a different set of priorities than when I signed up.
Another sign of the unprofessionalism: two of the bridge officers, the top people aboard the ship, officers so good that their daily assignment is to the decision making "brain" of the ship, are openly seen making out on the transporter pad prior to an away mission. Professional people do not do things like that. Professional people get fired for doing things like that. Not so in J.J.'s Starfleet, because J.J.'s Starfleet is run by kids. It has kid priorities. Kid rules. Kid thinking behind it's decision making.
I realize the whole point of the movie was to bring Star Trek to a new generation of kids, to create new Star Trek fans where there were few before. But I just wish we didn't have to change things to the point of pandering in order to create those new fans. I wish we hadn't gone quite so far to reach an audience that sees high achievement as a turn off...."See slackers, you can be a Starfleet officer too! No maturity or experience necessary".
But, after all, it's just a movie. And I did like the movie. When it comes out on DVD, I'll buy it. When they make sequels, I'll see them too. Maybe the writers will have tightened things up around the ship by that time. I hope so. Kids need to see professionalism, too.