Star Trek

After 10 movies, 5 television series, and countless conventions; it is probably safe to say J.J. Abrams is not exactly boldly going where no man has gone before in directing the 11th movie installment of Star Trek. Still it had to take a lot of courage to forge ahead into the universe created by Gene Roddenberry. There are the expectations of the legions of Trekkies that must be met; just as those same expectations that have become corny opinions of the franchise must be overcome to appeal to a wider audience of movie goers. Despite the daunting task of having to win the approval of these very different audiences; Abrams has crafted a film that both honors and defies these two contradictory expectations.
A novice to the world of Star Trek could walk into a theatre and be introduced and understand the characters of James T. Kirk, Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy, Scotty and the rest of the characters without having to have had any previous knowledge of their histories. Chris Pine (Kirk) Zachary Quinto (Spock), Karl Urban (McCoy) and Simon Pegg (Scotty) bring enough of their own thought and personalities to the characters that they are able to stand apart from the heavy burden created by the past actors that initially created the characters. At the same time, the characters still exhibit the nuances and charms made famous by William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, and James Doohan. There is little of the stereotyped 60s cheese in the performances; though with each uttered catch-phrase the audience in the theatre responded with enthusiastic applause and laughter of appreciation. The only descent into any sort of contrived dialogue came with the Nimoy guest appearance. Conceived as an obvious bridge between two fan bases; the insertion served as the only negative aspect of the film.
Otherwise, the balance between the perceptions is achieved because Abrams held true to the original spirit of Star Trek while avoiding most of the negative perceptions. The issues currently presenting themselves on earth are projected into outer space for resolution just as they originally were back in the 1960s. On the movie screen they are presented with spectacular special effects and sets. If this formula had been maintained through all previous incarnations it would be hard to envision so many hokey perceptions being able to weigh down the franchise.
As it is, there is still a sense of embarrassment to admit this Star Trek is very good and enjoyable. Fortunately, a fan unaware or proud of the long history of Star Trek can walk away proud of this Abrams achievement and excited for the prospect of future films unencumbered by the past. Perhaps if this formula continues to hold, the adventures of the starship Enterprise will continue to boldly go where no Star Trek film has gone before.