Abrams Makes Star Trek Cool Again

It has been eight years since the crew of the Starship Enterprise graced the silver screen in a Star Trek film. Star Trek Nemesis was released in 2002 and featured the crew of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Met with bad reviews and scoffs from the fans, the film's dark, sinister tone did not play well to fans.

Ever since producer Rick Berman and the writers of the film Star Trek Generations killed off the legendary Captain Kirk (William Shatner), there have been rumors of a resurrection of sorts for the original characters. Finally, director J.J. Abrams (LOST, Alias, Cloverfield) announced in 2006 that the U.S.S. Enterprise would fly once more with Kirk, Spock, McCoy and the rest of the original crew.

Titled simply, Star Trek, the eleventh film in the franchise introduces audiences to a young, rebellious James Tiberius Kirk and, the ship that will eventually become his obsession, the Enterprise. Ironically, both are still under construction, in a manner of speaking.

The new film was written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, and produced by Damon Lindelof and Bryan Burk. Based on the original television series which debuted in September of 1966, the question of whether fans will share this particular vision of the classic space opera is still an unknown. The focus of this film is to attract a new audience to a beloved universe that has become part of the American pop culture while bringing it into a contemporary age without tarnishing its image.

In Abrams' Star Trek universe, Kirk, played by Chris Pine, is a troubled young man trying to find his calling in life, a marked difference from the Captain Hornblower characterization of William Shatner's Kirk. Uncertain about his future, Kirk meets Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood), a starship officer who challenges the young man to channel his energies by enlisting in Starfleet.

On the other side of the galaxy, a young Spock, played by Heroes' Zachary Quinto, grows up dealing with his dual-heritage and struggling to make his own logical way in the shadow of his disapproving father. Half human and half Vulcan, but at home in neither world, Spock takes an immediate dislike to Kirk and exhibits an emotional side never before seen in the character. Of course, later it is apparent that Kirk and Spock complement each other as each man struggles with similar personal demons.

Kirk also meets Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Karl Urban). The doctor is passionate, cynical, and dramatic. DeForest Kelley's McCoy was the Jiminy Cricket of the trio, acting as the story's conscience, and Kirk's as well. Urban plays honorably to Kelley's version, and the bond between Bones and Kirk is quickly established.

The other original characters are on board including Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Scotty (Simon Pegg), Sulu (John Cho), and Chekov (Anton Yelchin) who, oddly, looks nothing like the original character. Fans will be relieved, however, that the movie is not devoid of familiar faces. Leonard Nimoy makes an appearance as an elder Spock.

The movie varies the history of the Enterprise and her heroic crew, as a mad Romulan called Nero, played by Eric Bana, seeks revenge on Spock. The writers get around any alterations in the canon of the series with an age old science fiction standby known as time travel. From visual effects to the film's score, this is a new Star Trek set for another generation facing troubled times, just as when the show first hit the airways.

Those expecting a total rework, however, like Ron Moore's version of the TV series Battlestar Galactica, may be disappointed. After 43 years of fictitious history, things can only be changed so much without starting a revolution of middle-aged geeks living in their parents' basements. The technology has been updated, the cast is younger and the Enterprise has been redesigned slightly, but the movie still falls in line with Gene Roddenberry's original vision.

Star Trek opens on Friday, May 8 at theaters around the country to great anticipation. Filled with nostalgia (right down to the costumes) and bursting with cutting-edge special effects, ship and crew have never looked better - although the bridge might as well have an Apple logo on the captain's chair.

Trekker, Trekkie, or neither, theater goers will be thrilled with this action-packed romp through the stars regardless of their knowledge or previous interest in the genre. This is a brilliant addition to the Trek phenomenon that will make fans proud (this fan is).Check local listings for show times. Oh, and, live long and prosper.