What a difference a new creative team can make. Star Trek is the first franchise this moviegoing season to get a makeover, and what a makeover it is. A short scene establishing the ground rules of the reboot occurs during a discussion of the consequences of time travel. It's not a complete reboot, but it comes pretty close.
J.J. Abrams and his crew have taken inspiration from the innovations of recent science fiction storytelling. The first thing you notice is that this is a lived-in future. You especially see that in the shuttles -- of which there are plenty of -- where riders actually have to buckle up, and the shuttles show wear and tear. While the Enterprise has a nice and shiny bridge, engineering looks like an industrial plant. With obvious exceptions, the movie is mostly faithful to physics. But the storytelling basicsare inspired by that other 800 pound gorilla franchise in the room: Star Wars. The Campbellian Hero's Journey informs the new Star Trek.
This is not to say that Abrams has chucked the whole Star Trek mythos and its more than 40 years of history into the dumpster. Abram's claims that he knew very little about Star Trek is clearly bunk. Long-time fans will recognize all the winks-winks, nudges-nudges embedded in the film. But Abrams and the writers have clearly bracketted out much to liberate the film from the barnacles that had accumulated on the hull of the franchise.
This is an origins story and it's central characters are Kirk and Spock. Kirk turns out to be quite a hell-raiser as a farmboy who is initially more trouble than he's worth. Spock (played by Zachary Quinto) is a troubled child of two worlds. It's both bracing and refreshing to have the chauvanism of Vulcan society exposed and contrasted to its dedication to logic and reason.
In the end, this is one of the most refreshing Star Trek movies in years. It opens up the franchise to new possiblities and loosens the grip of the ghost of Gene Roddenberry. May this new Trek live long and prosper.
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