Star Trek is undoubtedly one of the most popular series, both in television and in movies. It has spanned 40-odd years, with six TV series and ten movies already made. And that amount of longevity obviously wasn't for nothing; fans of the whole mythology are not simply fans, but practically obsessed with the whole thing. So logic would lead to another incarnation, this time making full use of the money and effects available to bring some of the features of the Star Trek universe (no pun intended) to full spectacle.
And that's exactly what J.J. Abrams has done. He's successfully gauged the balance between honoring the original, with nods here, there, and everywhere, while at the same time making it over for a new age and a new audience. As a non-Star Trek fan (in fact, to be quite honest, I've never really watched any of it before) I didn't have the nostalgic feel for seeing the characters brought to life in new forms and such. But what I did feel was the beginning of a new series, with subsequent installments clearly in mind.
This newest, rebooted incarnation of Star Trek follows a young James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), who enlists in the Starfleet Academy after being convinced by the then captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Three years later, Kirk, along with the newly introduced Spock (Zachary Quinto), Uhura (Zoe Seldana), Dr Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Karl Urban), Sulu (John Cho), Chekov (Anton Yelchin), and Scotty (Simon Pegg) face the attacking Romulans, headed by Nero (Eric Bana), who are seeking vengeance for the destruction of their home planet.
If you aren't at all familiar with the whole Star Trek world, then logic would lead you to think that this movie is going to be a hard sell. And I think it is, in principle. But Abrams has done a great job of making this an introduction to a new Star Trek, one which sets up the characters just about perfectly, and gives us, more importantly, a damn entertaining movie.
When it comes to rebooting franchises like this, which had to be done if the series is to have a future (another straight sequel would've been a laughable idea), you can't just have the original fans in mind. Yes, you throw in some nods to things they're fanatical about - a mannerism, a name check, a plot point - but for the most part you have to make it for a new audience who may not be familiar with and perhaps even doesn't care about what has come before. And it's great to see that Abrams, as well as screenwriters Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman, understands this concept. They've made a Star Trek film for non-Star Trek fans, and they may just spawn new fans with their take on it.
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