the final frontier again

the new Uhura was a lot hotter than the above pic suggests

I want one thing clear from the beginning. I am not a Trekkie (that could change). A causal fan was about as far as I ever went. I do remember watching a lot of TNG episodes while growing up, but I've never dressed up as a Romulan for fun on the weekend or ever learned any Klingon. Admiration at a distance (and sometimes bemusement) was the extent of my fanboy love for the subject.

Yesterday I watched Star Trek and I was about ready to get a bowl cut and pointy ear extensions by the time it finished. Today I went to the library, borrowed some of the episodes from the original series and got out book one of Vulcan's Soul. I can't believe this is happening to me. 

J.J. Abrams reboot of this ailing franchise is in a word: Awesome! It's a movie that's fun to watch the whole way through. I didn't think they made those anymore. There's action, humour, weird head pieces and mini-skirts. What more can you ask for?

This is the story of how the captain that William Shatner made famous and his merry men and women came to be the crew of the starship Enterprise. It's the same characters only their on an alternative time-line from the original cast (thus freeing up the writer's from the weight of 40 plus years of continuity baggage) thanks in no small part to Eric Bana. You gotta watch those Australians.

The movie focuses mainly on the new Capt. Kirk and the new Spock. Interestingly both come across as arrogant pricks, but where as Chris Pine (Kirk) is surprisingly still likable in this role Zach Quinto (Spock) is not. The latter looks like he's on the verge of going postal in almost every scene. Yet by the end of the movie I ended up liking him anyway, but not as much as I loved the appearance of Leonard Nimo. For reasons that I cannot articulate nostalgia overcame me as this old actor's distinctive baritone delivered an exposition dump somewhere around the middle of proceedings. I never was really passionate about the whole Star Trek thing, as I said, but listening to Nimo talk is like tapping into a deep untouched canal of ancient zen wisdom, no matter what he's saying. 

Star Trek was a blast. It's the same, but different to what's come before and I found that incredibly comforting. Yes, I'm going to say it. May this movie franchise live long and prosper.