Lower Decks

Star Trek (2009) was the perfect summer blockbuster. If you don’t like summer blockbusters perhaps this isn’t the movie for you. If you don’t like to mix your summer blockbusters with your Star Trek, well, I’ll address that later. The mix of action and humor in the movie was nearly flawless, the acting excellent and the plot, while not perfect, fit the bill. Plus, Karl Urban did a splendid job as Dr. McCoy, so there’s that.

There were some plot holes and I have some complaints but I was pleasantly surprised by the movie and I enjoyed every minute of it. And I don’t think it ruins or negates or impacts at all any of the other movies or television shows. It just adds to the franchise in its own way.

I did a masterful job keeping myself spoiler free during the long run up to the release of Star Trek (2009). I watched the trailers and looked at the promotional photographs but that was it. I didn’t even read the official summary of the movie or any interviews with the cast and crew. Although I knew there was going to be some sort of time travel involved I had no idea how it would work; at least, not until a few days before it was released when I read an article in TIME magazine that mentioned a black hole.

Still, for all intents and purposes I knew nothing about how the story would unfold. I also tried very hard to keep my expectations tempered. Not low, per se, but more neutral. By not following news of the movie closely or reading the prequel comic book miniseries or anything like that I was hoping to be able to walk into the theater with as open a mind as possible. And I’d like to think I did. I was excited, yes, but no more than for any other movie.

Probably the first reaction I had upon the conclusion of the movie was that it was really funny. There were some genuinely laugh out loud moments and one-liners. Karl Urban’s McCoy’s dry wit and Simon Pegg’s Scotty were the standouts, but Chris Pine’s Kirk and Anton Yelchin’s Chekov also added their own laughs. Humor has always been a part of the Star Trek franchise, particularly in Star Trek and a few of the movies featuring that show’s cast. But Star Trek (2009) took things to a whole new level. And you know what? I think I’m okay with that.

The special effects were, as expected, amazing. The battle scenes were exhilarating, the destruction of Vulcan disturbing, and the many star- and spaceships very nice to look out. I do maintain that the U.S.S. Kelvin, with its single nacelle, looked really dorky. Spock Prime’s little ship was unique; I don’t recall any other Vulcan ships looking like it. And Nero’s ship? Wow. For a mining vessel it was huge. And powerful. I assume Nero made some modifications but when it first emerged from the black hole it he presumably hadn’t had the opportunity to do so.

As I mentioned earlier, Karl Urban’s Dr. McCoy was one of the best parts of the movie. There was no reason to expect or want this new cast to simply mimic the iconic actors and actresses who created these iconic roles. But similarities were inevitable. Spock’s raised eyebrow, Chekov’s accent, Kirk’s bravado and McCoy’s abrasive personality. That personality was emulated wonderfully by Urban. From the moment we first saw him on the shuttle with Kirk he was McCoy. More than anyone else in the movie, Urban made the role his own.

Really, the only member of the cast I felt wasn’t up to the job was Zoe Saldana. However, I’m pretty sure much of the blame for her performance rests with the role of her character in the film. She really doesn’t add anything to the story aside from flirting with Kirk and having a relationship with Spock. That’s about it. In a sense, given the role Uhura played in Star Trek, it’s actually fitting that she doesn’t have much to do in Star Trek (2009).

And that brings us to the plot. The short version: in the present/future a star goes supernova, threatening to destroy Romulus, Spock Prime comes up with a plan to create a black hole in the middle of the start to consume it but before he can Romulus is destroyed. Nero becomes enraged at the destruction of his home world and dedicates his life to revenge.

Both Nero and Spock Prime are sent back in time through the black hole, creating an alternate time line where Kirk’s father is killed and, later, Vulcan destroyed. It is very clearly stated that the events in the movie take place in an alternate time line. This was no doubt intended to satisfy longtime fans of the franchise who would balk at a complete reboot. The movie opens with Nero’s attack on the U.S.S. Kelvin and thus everything that follows has been changed.

How exactly the destruction of the Kelvin changes so much is never explained. Obviously, the death of his father changes Kirk’s life. He doesn’t have a father figure to push him towards Starfleet. So he rebels. But all of the characters coming together as cadets and junior officers rather than meeting aboard the Enterprise (as seen in Star Trek) doesn’t follow quite as clearly. In Star Trek, Spock served with Pike on the Enterprise and, years later when Kick took over as captain, the two met. Not in this movie.

To be honest I wasn’t really bothered by any of this. I can accept the alternate time line explanation easily enough. What I don’t like is the fact that Spock Prime — our Spock, the Spock we’ve all grown up with — is now trapped in an alternate past. That’s depressing. After all that time and effort he put into unifying Vulcan and Romulus he winds up in an alternate universe where Vulcan has been destroyed. That’s depressing. And he blames himself for the destruction of Romulus in his time line. That’s depressing.

There were also some hefty holes in the storyline. This “red matter” that Spock Prime and Nero use to create black holes is incredibly powerful and totally unidentified. It’s just red matter. It creates black holes. That’s what it does and it does it well. It’s also a MacGuffin, thrown into the plot to make it work without any rhyme or reason. That bugged me. Where did it come from? Who discovered it? Why does Spock Prime have such a huge ball of it when only a tiny, tiny bit is needed? Why is it red?

There’s also the issue of how Spock Prime managed to be in just the right place at just the right time to save Kirk on that icy planet whose name I can’t remember. He had been marooned there by Nero so he could watch the destruction of Vulcan. He’s aware of the existence of Starfleet outpost but doesn’t go there, instead staying in a cave, the very same cave that Kirk runs into to escape the giant killer icy monster. Spock Prime waves fire at the monster and saves Kirk.

And how about the romance between Spock and Uhura. What’s that about? It felt totally out of place in the movie and one hundred percent unnecessary. Was it included simply to allow for the scene on the transporter pad where Kirk watches Spock and Uhura kiss after flirting with her on and off during the past three years? Or was their relationship included because the movie needed a romance? Either way, it didn’t work. At all.

As I mentioned at the start of this review, Star Trek (2009) is a perfect summer blockbuster. It’s funny, it’s fun, it’s everything a summer blockbuster needs to be enjoyable. The question for avid fans of Star Trek is whether the franchise fits the summer blockbuster mold. That’s not a question I can answer. After watching the trailers I was worried that the movie would be too much of an action-packed summer blockbuster. And it was. But I no longer think that’s a bad thing.

Movies are supposed to be fun. Star Trek (2009) is a fun movie. To those fans of Star Trek who don’t like the idea of new actors playing Kirk and Spock and McCoy I suppose the best thing to do is stay away from this movie. If you don’t like summer blockbusters you probably shouldn’t see it or any high-profile movie released during the next four months. But if you want to watch a fun movie, see Star Trek (2009). The fact that it exists doesn’t mean you have to consider it “canon” or worry about how it fits into the continuity of the franchise.

All of the television episodes and the other movies will still exist if you watch Star Trek (2009). And maybe, just maybe, you’ll wind up enjoying it.