Star Trek

I freely admit to it - I am a ‘trekker’ and proud of it. I have been since the first time Captain James Tiberius Kirk invited me to “boldly go where no man has gone before”. I was there for “The Enemy Within” and I was there for “The Trouble with Tribbles”. I watched religiously through Jean Luke’s captaincy and then the stern neo-modernism of Kathryn Janeway as she nursed her crew back home on Voyager, and even laboured through Captain Archer’s ‘Enterprise’. I saw all movies – I am a ‘trekker’ with street ‘cred’.

I have been looking forward to this next exciting instalment of what can only be described as the best franchise since the bible. Was I disappointed? Not for one minute. This is the Kirk for the next generation; he’s sexy, sassy and seriously good looking.

Star Trek, version 09, is directed by J.J. Abrams and stars Chris Pine as James T Kirk with Zachary Quinto as Spock, the head villain is Australia’s own Romulan, Eric Bana and of course a guest appearance by Ambassador Spock, Leonard Nimoy.

Here’s the set up - James T is a hell-raising, thrill seeking Iowan farm boy. Kirk is taken under the wing of Capt. Pike a friend of Kirk’s deceased father. Pike recognises the conflicts in the boy and challenges him to join Starfleet and be one tenth the man his father was.

Our favourite pointy eared Vulcan, Spock, is another misfit on another planet who has little too much human in him for the Vulcans and little too much Vulcan for the humans. So it’s off to Starfleet with him as well.

Lurking out there in an altered timeline is the villain, the beast, of the movie Australia’s newest favourite son, Eric Bana who wants revenge for the destruction of his home world, Romulous.

Let’s not worry too much about plot; there are all the usual bells and whistles, black holes, space/time continuums, singularities and enough photon torpedos to save a planet. Let’s just kick back and go for the ride with Uhura, Bones, Scotty, Mr. Sulu and an incredibly cute Chekov.

And what a ride it is. If you have no memory of the previous incarnations it doesn’t matter this version takes you in and gives you everything you need to know. Sure some of the effects are a little stretched and some of the dialogue is a bit hokey, but this is a boy’s own adventure story with more than enough eye candy and CGI to keep everyone happy.

I freely admit that at places there were tears in my eyes as the characters I grew up with met for the first time and their friendships were forged. How sad is that?

Star Trek is alive and well and this new crew will be around to live long and prosper for a few years yet.

Star Trek is happening at a cinema near you. Peace, out.