To Boldly Go.

They got it right. The new Star Trek movie is brilliant. I would even consider it a "must see." All the elements that made the television show so unique and which carried it to the silver screen were captured with this bold telling of the captain and crew's beginning. Most importantly they captured the ties that bind all these beloved characters in friendship.

Star Trek has always been a story about friendship. Six members of the Starship Enterprise linked together by common experience. But at the core lies the friendship between Kirk and Spock. A friendship that is both "logical" and "illogical" at the same time. Two very different people from very different places standing by one another's side through the most challenging of circumstances.

This friendship is the core of the series and this movie caught its volatile beginning. Their connection really separates this franchise from other stories in the sci-fi genre. The recent Star Wars prequels are based on the destruction and betrayal of friendship. Television's highly acclaimed retelling of the Battlestar Galactica story severed the Apollo / Starbuck friendship by changing Starbuck's gender. Star Trek though, stayed true to the roots of the Star Trek universe.

People seem to forget how important friendship between men is. In an era of television where "women's power" reigns, very few stories are being told like the one's of the Star Trek universe. James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock stand the test of time because they embody a number of the characteristics men and women find attractive.

Kirk stands alone among male leaders portrayed on TV and in film. He is decisive and strong with just a hint of arrogance and a brilliance that finds strength in crises. He is also able to unite large groups of people with varying personalities and inspire them to achieve their best. Mr. Sulu, Scott, Chekov and Uhura respect and follow him because he pushes them and trusts them to do their duty. I mentioned in a recent blog how I hope under the X-Men Origins umbrella, they rebirth Scott Summers (Cyclops) in a similar vein. He never seems to be as decisive or achieve the respect allotted to the James T. Kirk character.

Spock is the half-breed whose logic is inspiring but whose emotions make him three dimensional. All men and women can connect to his character. We all want to find a balance between these two very "human" sides of ourselves. To be able to detach ourselves from crises and problems of everyday life but to feel and find passion for one another. Spock is the epitome of these characteristics colliding. That is why generations root for him as he lives as a Vulcan but unlocks all the aspects of his inherent humanness.

Together these two men stand for the things we all find important. The civil rights of all people, peace between races, team work among different individuals, and the constant adventure and exploration of the unknown that can only be achieved together. Neither waiver in the face of bigotry or evil. Instead both stand firm for morality and justice. Then in times of confusion or fear, one is there to pick up the other, and point him in the right direction.

This new Star Trek movie captured what is good about friendship. It captured what is good about a group of people coming together to serve something greater than themselves. A wonderful movie with a wonderful vision and a wonderful story about two friends that no matter what "trajectory" they find themselves on, they always find each other.