Written by: Dan Geer

So here we are, approximately seven years since we have seen a new Star Trek movie. In 2002, Star Trek: Nemesis was released with a mediocre response from critics and fans alike (I personally thought it was decent, actually). It was considered a poor ending to the Next Generation series and was thought to have put the last nail in the coffin on the much beloved Star Trek franchise as a whole.

But then the idea came along to reboot Star Trek altogether, making a film taking place not only before The Next Generation, but before the original 1960s series as well. It would be an origins story of young Kirk and Spock, and would also include Bones, Sulu, Chekov, Uhura and show how they all came together on board the U.S.S. Enterprise starship. The idea was ambitious and risky, but also a bright one because it would allow for a fresh new take on the franchise and perhaps open a new door for non-Trekkies to boldly go where no one has gone before. Well, after a very long wait director J.J. Abrams (Mission Impossible 3, Lost), along with screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (Transformers), have officially breathed life back into Star Trek again.

The plot entails a vile Romulan named Nero (played by an unrecognizable Eric Bana) who is on a vengful mission that poses a threat to various planets, including earth. He literally has the capability to destroy planets. But this is not like the Death Star from Star Wars. His method involves time travel, black holes and “red matter.” Without going into details, let’s just say his vengence is very personal and deals with one specific character who Trekkies all know and love. So of course the U.S.S. Enterprise, commanded by a young captain Kirk, ends up having to save the day.

Chris Pine (The Princess Diaries 2), who plays young Kirk puts a whole new spin on the character. Rather than trying to pull off a William Shatner impersonation (which would’ve been a huge mistake in my opinion), he simply makes the character his own. And yet, somehow the way his character is scripted and the demeanor in which his lines are delivered capture the spirit of Captian James T. Kirk – particularly with his interaction with Spock, also played brilliantly by Zachary Quinto (Heroes). The remaining cast also does a really great job with embodying the spirit of the original characters, especially Karl Urban who plays Bones and Simon Pegg who plays Scotty.

The film repects what has come before, with everything from how the characters are portrayed to even the smallest detail of using sounds from the original series. But it does all this while creating incredible special effects action sequences like we’ve never seen before in a Trek movie, and maintaining a plot that transcends the Trekkie fanbase and floods into mainstream entertainment. This really is a fun movie for any sci-fi fan, whether one liked Star Trek before or not.

Doing an origins story was definitely the way to go. It was incredibly interesting and enlightening to see how our favorite Enterprise crew came to be and what their first mission together was like. They were very different people in their youth. Their relationships with each other haven’t yet grown into what we’ve seen in the TV series or previous films, particularly the friendship between Kirk and Spock. But it still feels like Trek even though it is vastly different than what has come before.

Is it better than the highly regarded Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan? Well, let’s just say that it is the best film we’ve gotten since then. I personally enjoyed it better, but then again I don’t consider myself a Trekkie (that, and Khan was made almost 30 years ago). One thing is for sure though, and that is that this film will be remembered as the one that redeemed the name of Star Trek. It’ll probably also be remembered as the most fun. Gene Roddenberry would be proud.

Rating: (out of four)