
Star Trek (2009)
Let me start out this review by saying truthfully that I have been an unrepentant Star Trek fan since 1986. I watched the original series in syndication as I entered my teens. I really enjoyed ‘Wrath of Khan’ and ‘Voyage Home’, but I really can’t say I was anything more than a casual fan. Then, the new series “Star Trek: The Next Generation” was announced in 1986, the first commercial aired with (then) cutting-edge computer graphics borrowed from Star Trek movies, notably II and IV, and I was hooked. I always made time to watch ‘Next Generation’, then ‘DS9’ (as we true fans call it) to a slightly lesser extent. Then ‘Voyager’ came out and I was disappointed.
Four semi-successful series’ and six movies which ride the spectrum from ‘quite good’, to ‘meh’ later, it was largely believed that Star Trek was dead, or at least relegated to novels and other non-canon related materials, which for the most part I couldn’t be bothered with. After 28 seasons of entertaining television and ten movies perhaps there are no more quality stories to tell.
But, as of this date I’m proud and a little annoyed to report that it’s suddenly popular to be a Star Trek fan. The new movie did exactly what it promised. It re-booted and revived the Star Trek franchise.
This movie did for me what Watchmen failed to provide: an emotional connection to the characters. I grew up watching Kirk, Spock, and (and the sometimes overlooked) McCoy. Yes, I was quite high on Watchmen, but then it is the most celebrated graphic novel of all time, but this is Star Trek.
This movie is awesome. It has equal doses of action, humor, nostalgia, and a clear amount of love for the product. This movie came out of a conversation when J.J. Abrams was asked how he would bring Star Trek back by Paramount, he brought in Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman who have a strong working relationship with Abrams and are both self-professed Trekkies. After seeing how the script was working out, Abrams felt he had to direct this piece, after having seen the movie I can understand why.
Everyone here brought their A game. Chris Pine shows us a young and cocky Kirk whos disarms us along with apparently most of the ladies with his charm. Zachary Quinto shows us an emotionally torn Spock that was only hinted at in the original series. Karl Urban brings us a McCoy who is a little less cantankerous, but maybe a little more argumentative, yet likable. Zoe Saldana shows us an Uhura who not only earns her way onto the Bridge of the Enterprise possibly moreso than anyone else, and is able to reach the depths of the Vulcan soul. John Cho shows us finally what a bad-ass Sulu is with a sword. Simon Pegg gives us a large dose of the comedy with his Scotty and reminded me why he was personally my favorite character for years. Anton Yelchin reminds us how young Chekov really was and how bad the accent still is.
The original series had a habit of showing us bad Starfleet Captains in order to show how awesome Captain Kirk was, that’s gone. Captain Robau (played by Faran Tahir) of the USS Kelvin is almost Picard-like. George Kirk (Chris Hemsworth) manages to save the crew of the Kelvin despite the odds being firmly against him and evokes Captain Kirk while doing it. Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood) is a firm role-model for Kirk in the place of his father.
Star Trek has everything. Anyone who doesn’t like it or still swears that Star Wars is better is going to miss everything awesome and die alone in a ditch covered in petrol on fire.
See it!










