rewind on Star Trek

Rating: 6/10 (29 May 2013)

As everybody is bracing for the second series of the new Star Trek series, I realized this is the right moment to see the first episode which somehow I missed a few years ago. I am a fan of the Star Trek TV series and movies, so there were little chances for me not to like this film. The passing of the torch from Gene Roddenberry who created the original series to J.J. Abrams makes a lot of sense to me, as I see in Abrams the successor of Roddenberry in creating science-fiction which keeps the right balance between science and fiction while adding human and in the best moments philosophical meanings to the action on screen, with an universal message that while the Universe may be infinite and the borders of knowledge just expect to be pushed further and further, the basic values that govern this Universe are the same, whatever form they wear.
The story in this first series of Star Trek is a prequel to where the original series started in the 60s. Same as George Lucas did with Star Wars, we are being brought to an earlier phase of the conflict between the Federation and the Romulans, and we get to know all the familiar characters of the original series at an earlier age. Rigorous science was never the strong point of Star Trek, one accepts the conventions in order to enjoy the show, so the space travel as well as hint of alternate universes Abrams likes is used here as well, and it's not necessary to analyze it too closely to find some flaws. What counts is however the way the young actors build their characters and how they drive them towards becoming what we know that they will be in the series that began back in the 60s. The effects around are pretty standard for the space wars kind of movies, and the old tricks like the 'transporter' have kind of a 'retro' look. Here lies actually part of the charm of this film, and this balances to some extent the 'teens on space ships' moments, or even the 'intergalactic sex' scene (yes, there is one, not too explicit, do not worry).
The presence of Leonard Nimoy as old Mr. Spock living thanks to some time travel tricks to meet his young self played by Zachary Quinto ensures continuity and connects well with the older TV series. Young captain Kirk is played by Chris Pine and I probably need to wait for the next series to see how he evolves into the character of Kirk as I remember him. A few good actors I know from TV series (Karl Urban, John Cho) add good supporting acting to the cast. Reasonable action combines well with nostalgia, but this combustible is already burnt out completely in the first episode. I hope that the coming series will find something new and interesting that speaks not only to the captive audiences like myself but also to the broader ones who were less exposed to large doses of the older Star Trek series and movies.