Star Trek -- The Next Series Has Begun...

Rating: 10/10 (13 May 2009)

Okay. How do you re-imagine STAR TREK, one of the largest sci-fi franchises in the world, and do it without alienating the "trekkies" and, at the same time, not lose an audience of new watchers who may not be that familiar with it? The first thing you do is hire J.J. Abrams, the genius behind the LOST series on TV. Abrams is making a serious name for himself in Hollywood, and it took some serious c@hones to take on a project that could literally blow up in his face. Re-imagining Star Trek with an all-new cast and a new storyline was seriously risky ...but the risk has paid off big time.
The thing Abrams seems to be aware of is that entertainment (be they TV or big screen) is ALL ABOUT THE CHARACTERS. Let me say that again in case you missed it: entertainment is ALL ABOUT THE CHARACTERS. You can have action, adventure, cool CGI, but it's how the characters respond to such things that pull the audience in, and Abrams has done that with extreme care here.
Undoubtedly, however, some trekkies are gonna be seriously pi$$ed about this. Much has been altered (by way of time travel ...but that's the only semi-spoiler I'll give) and the new Kirk (Chris Pine, SMOKIN' ACES), Spock (Zachary Quinto, 24), Bones (Karl Urban, LORD OF THE RINGS) and the rest are only shadows of what they once were on TV. Even so, there are plenty of inside jokes for trekkies to enjoy ("I'm a doctor not a physicist!"), including finding out if Kirk always does get "the green chick," Chekov's (Anton Yelchin) battle with his accent and the computer recognizing him, and Sulu's (John Cho) fighting abilities. The other thing that'll rankle true trekkies is Spock's emotional state. But let's remember that Spock is half-human, and always battled with his emotions, from the beginning of the series and even on in to The Next Generation where another Vulcan (Sarek) gives over his weakening emotional thoughts to Captain Picard so that he can finish negotiations.
The great thing about this newest version is that it relaunches Star Trek when it was headed downhill. The Next Generation is dead. ENTERPRISE is ...not good. DEEP SPACE 9 has been ousted for some time. And no new films with older cast members were in the works. So, although trekkies might "hate" what's been done to their beloved series, they won't bemoan the possibility that this newest version will bring in fresh blood to their ranks. But is that enough? No.
What Abrams and the rest did was incorporate just enough of what made the classic Star Trek part of our culture (honestly, who doesn't know where the term, "Live long and prosper" came from) while giving us an action-packed, summer popcorn movie that'll please just about anyone. And I say this with all sincerity. When I went to the theater, there were teenagers and octogenarians in the audience. In fact, a buddy I went with brought his mother and grandmother, and they both loved it! Quite an accomplishment.
This one's a sure winner. And I noticed that another film is in the works for 2011. Let's hope this new series truly does live long and prosper.