Archives For Star Trek

Trekking through Alternate Universes

Chris —  May 10, 2009

Seeing J.J. Abram’s Star Trek felt like being in an alternate universe.  I stopped at a party on my way to the theatre, where I heard a a gorgeous redheaded soriety type talk about how much she loves how excited she was to see the film.  Something has changed in this universe.

The new Trekis not a prequel, so much as an excuse to reboot the franchise.  The events of the first few minutes of the movie serve to create an alternate universe, allowing Abrams to tell whatever story he wants, without messing up the timeline.  Which is good from a marketing standpoint.  Abrams, admittedly more of a Star Wars guy, has taken the 60s sci-fi to the level of full blown space opera.  He’s traded cheezy monsters and heady social commentary for CGI alien officers and an Enterprise that feels like the Apple store. 

 The purist in me is disappointed.  Instead of learning the backstory of our favorite characters, we’re seeing different stories of similar characters.  But looking around the theater, I saw college guys taking pretty girls to see Star Trek.  It made me wish I had dusted off the old Ferengi costume from my Deep Space Nine phase.  It makes me a little jealous of Kirk, Spock and Bones getting to start over.  I try to live a life without regrets, but who wouldn’t want to reboot their franchise from time to time?

Live Long and Prosper.

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Making Optimism Cool Again

Chris —  April 18, 2009

It’s almost embarassing how deeply I was affected by Star Trek growing up. I’ve always dreamed of having audacity like James Kirk, and considered Jean-Luc Picard a father figure.

In an interview right after word came out that the LOST creator J.J. Abrams would the helm of Star Trek, he said “it’s my job to make optimism cool again.”  Optimism was the key trait of the Roddenberry’s universe. Humans of all races and aliens worked together in a great Federation, exploring the universe.  Instead of galaxy-spanning violence of space opera, he cast a vision of hope for the end of cold war (Federation vs. Klingons) and racism (that one episode with half black/half white alien.)

Even within the Star Trek universe, such optimism could not last.  Roddenberry’s successors, like Ronald Moore (at home in the darker Battlestar Gallactica), turned to stories of terrorism and war. 

Optimism is harder write than destruction and war.  It reflects our own state, where many seem to give up on the hope for a better future, choosing to fight tooth and nail for whatever literal or philosophical ground they can hold.

I’m holding out for Abrams, because right now, I could use some optimism.

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