The Trouble with Tribbles…

The trouble with die-hard Star Trek fans is that they are blinded by their own prejuidices. 

(That’s certainly a bold way to open a post, isn’t it?) In speaking with several of my friends and acquaintances who are Trek rabid, one thing has become abundantly clear–no one can agree whether or not J.J. Abrams is raping an effigy of William Shatner or if he’s the long-awaited Trek Messiah.

Let’s be candid about Star Trek for a moment. The last feature length film was mediocre. The one before that had a script barely worth of an episode on television. You have to go all the way back to Star Trek: First Contact to get a story worth of the Trek franchise. The last series, Enterprise, didn’t have the chemistry that previous shows had. Only two people that I know of took Star Trek: Voyager seriously. As far as the mainstream is concerned, that leaves the intellectual property of Star Trek broken and bleeding on the floor.

Enter J.J. Abrams.

Abrams is the director of choice to reach people like me. I watched the old show in syndicated re-runs growing up at every opportunity, buying Kirk’s cheesy lines hook, line, and sinker. When Star Trek: TNG came out, I watched it religiously. I overlooked the annoyances perpetuated by Brent Spiner (Data) and lived for the storylines that involved Picard. (As a teenager, I had a debate with my friend about who I’d rather sleep with: Dr. Crusher or DeAnna Troi? There’s really only one right answer here.)

When Deep Space Nine came out, I stumbled through the first season until they got rolling in the Dominion War, and eagerly awaited the resolution. I didn’t even mind when they jumped the shark and brought Worf onto the show. Then I moved on to Bablyon 5, Firefly, and most recently, Battlestar Galactica. Trek died for me the day DS9 went off the air.

Most of the Star Trek faithful can’t see past the spectacle visible in the trailers. They think their beloved show has been perverted by big budget set pieces and liberties with the canon. In the trailer, Kirk, who was always somewhat of a rogue, is shown to be openly rebellious, channeling Gen X angst in high stakes fight scenes. I’ve heard the laundry list of complaints: “He’s too young.” “Kirk and Spock would never fight on the bridge.” “The Enterprise was built in space.” My answers: Maybe. Yeah, but it sure looks cool. So what?

For those of the semi-loyal fandom, Abrams is perfect because he has proven his geek cred with his television serials. He also took a risk with Cloverfield, and it paid off in spades. He has a talent for writing/shooting action scenes, which makes him somewhat of a rare breed for the Star Trek universe. Given the limited production information available online, I’m willing to do more than give him the benefit of the doubt.

Why am I willing to give Abrams the benefit of the doubt? It’s simple–look at the trailer. He’s taking the franchise places where no one has gone before. The universe seems more…human. The action is more intense, the special effects are the best that a Trek movie has ever had, and the characters are no longer archetypes built out of hope in a cold-war era world. I’m not saying I’m going to run out and learn Klingon, but you can color me excited for the late Spring release.

See for yourself: