I finally saw it. I will not save the rating until last. Here it is — Out of five stars for a non Star Trek fan it gets a 4 star rating. For a Star Trek fan like me, it gets a 3. Huh? What do I mean by that?

This was probably one of the best Star Trek movies. Period. I would only put Wrath of Khan up against it. The characters were good but of course it was Zachary Quinto (Spock) and Chris Pine (Kirk) that stole the show. But didn’t Spock and Kirk steal it most of the time?

This was a great Star Trek movie. This movie even non trekkers would love. I love Trek, but not a freak. I went to a Trek fan club in Grants Pass, OR. They asked what my race was. So-and-so was half Klingon and Human. He even had that on his membership card. Of course I just nodded and said I would think on it. Then they laughed because another member knew what I was thinking. She was Betazoid. I laughed too, but not because it was funny. Needless to say I never went back.

So is this a great movie Dave? Well, I say it is good. Darn good. Pine is Kirk. No doubt about it. This kid knows the character and I look forward to seeing him as Kirk in the future. Spock was great. The other characters were good too. Not a bad story for having to create another bad guy and then the crew save the universe. Good effects, but that is a given now days. It MADE the story to have Leonard Nimoy be a major character. Did he get old or what? Makes me look in the mirror and say so have I!!! A bow to Leonard is in order — bow now.

Now from a Trekker fan — It was good. I liked it. Good story. I say GOOD. I grew up on Star Trek reruns, NG was even better to me. I was all over DS9, Voyager, Enterprise and read so many Star Trek books it could classify my as a geek. I dispute this, but my daughter would (and does) passionately say I am be a geek. Of course she is 16 and has much to learn.

Abrams uses a time differential to make this actually a parallel star trek beginning. To me, things are not right. Checkov arrives later in the series. This Chekov has such a strong accent that it is too much. He had 4 years in Starfleet Academy and is an earthling and cannot speak clear English? Uhura kisses a white guy? Maybe a big deal in the ‘60’s but really not an issue in the 2000’s.

Maybe that is why Star Trek movies don’t cut it compared to the series or books. The series is a great vehicle to deal with present day issues. The movie has to be 2 hours of action to keep us involved. The original series touched upon war, civil rights, sexuality, and mankind’s lust for knowledge that a science fiction movie may not be able to do. Do you remember the 2 guys fighting because one had a black/white face and the other had a white/black face? Oh I do. It was not about a space fight, it was about stupidity. I could list episode after episode, but all it would say is that Star Trek was not about the future as much as it was about mankind present.

As a Trek lover, this was nice. But not the real Star Trek universe that Roddenberry created. A parallel Abrams universe that will be worth it to see and we can enjoy, but won’t tug on the heartstrings like the Roddenberry universe that some of us grew up with and adore. I think I am going to read my new Trek book, the one where Kirk is going after the Orion woman and McCoy and Spock are arguing and making me laugh…..

Live Long and Prosper! (My daughter — “DAD! Stop!!! OMG You are a geek!”)

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