Hello Friends,
I’m not a Trekkie. I say this with pride. I will never know the proper way to play Fizzbin, nor have I ever tried to “Vulcan neck-pinch” anyone. Yet I am okay with not knowing these things. Even better, knowledge of these things isn’t required for viewing the new Star Trek movie, Into Darkness. After seeing the first JJ Abrams reboot in 2009 (and loving it), the prospect of seeing what was done with a sequel had me counting down the days until Star Trek Into Darkness arrived. That being said, I still exited the movie feeling slightly…let down.
It wasn’t that the actors or the effects were lacking, quite the contrary: they were fantastic. When the reboot was first being advertised, the person that immediately caught my eye was Zachary Quinto, already a favorite of mine because of Heroes. I left that movie in love with all the characters, as well as the actors who played them. Star Trek Into Darkness did not disappoint in that regard; not only was there the requisite Jim/Spock/Bones interaction, but much like the 2009 reboot, everyone got a chance to shine. Scotty (Simon Pegg) especially. Any scene with Scotty from this movie? Pure GOLD. Not to give anything away, but there’s a reason we don’t see him on the Enterprise during the previews…and he ends up being an integral plot point because of it. I didn’t have any issues with the effects either, everything had that grandiose flavor that tends to seep into this type of movie, and it certainly didn’t suffer for it.
So what was my problem? Well, I have a confession to make: I know I said that I’m not a Trekkie. That’s a half-truth. I may not be a Trekkie, but many of my close friends are. This gives me the advantage of having knowledge of the Trek universe, but only enough to not make me angry. What do I mean by this? I know, on a general level, the plot of the second Star Trek movie, The Wrath of Khan. I even know that the character of Khan was actually introduced during the series, in an episode called Space Seed. Therefore, the fact that several plot points of Star Trek Into Darkness struck a chord of recognition with me means I can only imagine what the Trekkies are feeling. The thing is, is that I can empathize with that. With the structure of 2009 reboot, the options of where to go plot-wise were wide open. The reboot proved that it could still remain true to the franchise while exploring new avenues (much like the Enterprise explored space). But instead of taking advantage of that, Star Trek Into Darkness chose to stick with the ‘safe’ option, something that had already been done. It wasn’t a bad plan. It certainly wasn’t a terrible movie either. But as someone who loves a good story, why would you want to hear the same story with a few changes? Where’s the surprise in that?
I will probably see Star Trek Into Darkness again. I still have a Trekkie friend that hasn’t seen it, and I want to hear his opinion. As a stand-alone, it’s definitely an enjoyable few hours to spend on the Enterprise. Plus, there’s always the hope that the next story this universe has to tell us will be something…amazing.
Live, Love, Learn,
Beth & The Write Teacher(s)