For those not wishing to know the plot - read no further, those who don't care and want to read my ramblings then go for it. You may well be amused - partially.
Upon first discovering that there was a new Star Trek film on the horizon, after dealing with the usual - "oh my god, it'll be an odd numbered Star Trek movie, and it'll be shite" - musings. I wondered what form the film might take, Next Gen? DS9? Or god forbid Voyager (i'm not even going to mention Enterprise - no way I can hear a movie version of that fucking theme song!). I was floored to discover, it would be the original crew albeit an origin movie, ergo the perfect excuse for new blood and re-envisioning of Gene Roddenberry's Original Star Trek series from the sixties. .
Well it would've been easy to say 12 months ago that sci-fi was in desperate need of some major overhauling - Battlestar was nearly over, Star Wars was about to return -for what some might say was an unnecessary Animated Feature, definitely ill-advised nonetheless - However the prospect of a new Star Trek feature unfortunately became buried under the mire of The Dark Knight and Heath Ledger's incredible penultimate onscreen performance as the Joker. Robert Downey Jnr's reclamation of his movie career as Tony Stark in Favreau's Iron Man, were just two of last year's culprits for the light being drawn away from the development of this re-imagining of, what some have described as a modern classic. Good thing too, too much attention may have had a detrimental effect on the final result.
So,
Was it worth the wait? in a word, Yes! A huge triumph in the same context that Battlestar Galactica's re-imagining was also a huge breath of fresh air for science fiction as a genre. Star Trek was well and truly kicked into the 21st Century, and about bloody time too.
Obviously the "Trekkies" will be in uproar over the destruction of Vulcan, the potentially awful portrayal of the Romulans (kind of like trampy, tattooed Vulcans with stubble) and the complete disregard for the original timeline - but they'd best make sure they WATCH the film, as to spend the duration in a rage would be to miss the point of the movie. Underneath all these elements sits an incredible sci-fi adventure, that well and truly validates it's own existence in the Star Trek cannon, far more so than the abortion that was Enterprise – even though there is a nod to it in this movie, a funny moment involving Scotty, I'll say no more.
JJ Abrams, the scumbag that was behind the notion of the world's stupidest and most irritating televisiual example of reckless ignorance towards narrative, ie "Lost" and the equally as mind numbingly atrocious Cloverfield movie, has given his existence validation. It's okay people, he deserves to be alive, he made a good Star Trek film. Maybe Hollywood and the TV studio execs are in actual fact, to blame for his prior crimes against sci-fi viewing humanity. Let's face it, those fabled "WMD's" that Bush and Blair were looking for in Iraq couldn't have done as much damage as LOST did to the world.
No, credit where credit's due and in all fairness Abrams has done an incredible job with Star Trek (2009) an astonishing feat for a man who said he'd not been that bothered about it prior to taking on the challenge of remaking it. As Ronald Moore did with Battlestar Galactica back in 2003, Abrams has performed a masterstroke, he's invigorated new life into an old and nearly written off franchise. More importantly, he made an awesome Star Trek film, no-one can take that away - and no Oscar or Bafta award can match the truly magnificent act of making a good, odd numbered Star Trek Movie - a previously inconceivable notion.
JJ Abrams, as a former and now reinstated Star Trek fan, I thank you. Mr Lucas, your days of ruining Sci-fi are numbered!
