This alternate-reality movie captured the vibe of the original “Star Trek” series, with an original twist.
As I’ve mentioned before, Thor and I often find the new crop of movies less than satisfying, so we have a few older movies we will occasionally rewatch, and the 2009 “Star Trek” is always fun and lively, with the bonus of sweet nostalgia for the original TV series that launched in 1966. With all new, young cast members and an alternate time-twisting time frame, it managed to be both fresh and satisfyingly resonant with the original characters.
I first stumbled upon an episode of the original TV series in 1966, when I was thirteen and clicking through our limited selection of channels back then. I paused on a scene of some people in basic uniforms having a discussion around a conference table. I was about to move on when the camera focused on a humanoid character with pointy ears. My own ears perked up, as I enjoyed reading science fiction and had written my own space-travel stories at age 7. This Mr. Spock character, with his cool logic and ironically raised eyebrow over the foibles of humans, triggered what would become a bit of a crush. From then on, I followed all the episodes and enjoyed even the somewhat schlocky planet settings and awkward alien special effects. I enjoyed the bickering between Captain Kirk and Spock, as well as Dr. McCoy’s exasperation with Spock’s green-blooded tendencies. I managed to overlook Kirk’s overly-emotional outbursts such as, “You’re…Not…Even…Human!”
Warning: Spoilers ahead!
I was dubious when the 2009 film arrived in theaters, but went to see it and was thoroughly entertained. In an inspired plot twist, the movie began with a clean slate by creating a wormhole time warp that resets the lives of the young characters after a cataclysm.
The cast, with a couple of exceptions, captures the essence of the beloved original characters. Chris Pine as Kirk is really amazing in his range from comedy to action to serious command, and when he saves earth from disaster and is finally promoted to Captain of the Enterprise, the way he saunters onto the control deck and inhabits the chair perfectly channels the way William Shatner took charge as Kirk. And in a wink to the series, he even goes to bed with a green-skinned beauty.
I was initially jolted by the choice of Zachary Quinto as Spock, as I had been creeped out by him as the evil Syler in the TV series “Heroes.” But he creates a new, younger Spock convincingly, and offers a range of mostly-suppressed emotions from supercilious to occasionally furious or vulnerable, all while contending with his dual human/Vulcan heritage.
My favorite, after Kirk, is the smaller part of Dr. McCoy, perfectly played by Karl Urban. At the start of the movie, the two are on a shuttle bound for Star Fleet Academy training, and McCoy, a bit older than the other students, describes the horrors of space diseases. He then confides that he signed up because, “My ex-wife got the whole damn planet in the divorce. All I have left are my bones.” So the nickname Bones is born.
Zoe Saldana as Uhuru, John Cho as Sulu, and Anton Yelchin as Chekov are all strong players as well. The one main character who didn’t fit as well for me was engineer Scotty, as played by Simon Pegg. He seems to try too hard to be comical, and his irritating little alien sidekick should have been left on his original planet.
Some reviewers objected to Eric Bana as Nero, the revenge-obsessed Romulan who is out to destroy the Federation, but I found him fine as an unhinged character who has brooded for decades over the destruction of his planet.
I have a few quibbles about some plot issues, such as Kirk being stranded on an ice-bound planet and conveniently finding a wood-burning fire in a cave, but let’s not be too logical.
A bonus is the killer opening sequence when Nero’s ship destroys the Federation starship in command of James Kirk’s father. George Kirk is played impressively by Chris Hemsworth before his Thor fame. Talk about starting with whopping action and a tragically touching scene!
Final big spoiler:
Leonard Nimoy appears as “Spock Prime,” the older Spock from the original time frame, who emerges decades later from the time-warping wormhole, to meet his younger self. Hurrah!
When Thor and I were teaching at Western Washington University, there was an outdoors viewing of the movie for students and staff, and we took our lawn chairs onto the grass to join in the fun. It was wonderful to hear these young people cheer when each familiar character was re-introduced by the new actors. “Kirk, yeah!” “Sulu, way to go!” and when Leonard Nimoy appeared with Zachary Quinto as the two Spocks, the crowd erupted. It did our hearts good, and still does.
*****
You will find The Rambling Writer’s blog posts here every Saturday. Sara’s Book View Cafe Greek islands novel is available in print and ebook: The Ariadne Connection. “Technology triggers a deadly new plague. Can a healer find the cure?” The novel has received the Chanticleer Global Thriller Grand Prize and the Cygnus Award for Speculative Fiction. Sara is back at work on the sequel, The Ariadne Disconnect. Sign up for her quarterly email newsletter at www.sarastamey.com
