Star Trek

I am having trouble with my thoughts coalescing into one cohesive opinion.

Worth seeing? Absolutely.
Will I go to again? Maybe.
Will it take watching it again to wrap my head around it? Probably.
Did I love it? Emphatically yes! I think so?

O.K. Remember that with the exception of TOS, I watched Star Trek first hand, first run. And my youth wasn't so far removed from TOS really. I was in Jr. High for The Motion Picture and high school for The New Generation. I've seen canon first hand. Canon is important to me.

This movie is so far removed from canon that you can't even describe it. Further more, certain story line choices with Vulcan and Amanda bother me to no end. I do not like those decisions. Emphatically. Strongly.

Additionally, the concept that the universe is so changed due to Nero's i. . (wait, if you haven't watched the movie, stop reading. Right now. Seriously.) . . . due to Nero's interaction is predicated on his entry (re-entry?) into the time line at a certain point. However, visual effects would indicate that technology, etc. was vastly changed before (? ~ oh time discussions can be so difficult) Nero's reentry.

Changes in the Vulcan time line, hence Spock's time line, should not have been so drastic, either, as they were outside the established (canon) course of events. But anyway -

the movie could not have existed without Spock. Original Spock. And truly, the Kirk character esconsed in our minds with Shatner would not have been appropriate. Besides, Kirk's arch nemesis being the foil gets old plus Kirk died in that wretched power ribbon movie. Ugh.

Anyway. Nimoy did a fabulous job with Original Spock and made it all possible. And for that reason, it works.

The writing is excellent and the action scenes great. But I am still having trouble wrapping my mind around continuity questions.

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I think maybe I wish that instead of reimagining the universe of TOS, that they had taken the script and modified it to be an addition on the existing universe, i.e., a ship and crew after TNG, Voyager, DSN, etc. Pop it forward another 50 years and somehow write characters with the same depth and breadth, and give them a fresh start. With the new look of the technology and the excellent writers, it would not have been hard to do.

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You know, Battlestar Galactica reimagined themselves, but they were in a totally different situation. There had been no "real" or canon continuity since the original show. So you could and you should reimagine it and get it going. But Star Trek's not like that ~ fans have had an entire universe to build on since the early 80's, or at least since '87 when TNG came out.

I applaud the ability to capture a new audience. And genuinely I love the new movie. It just deviates so far from canon. Vulcan and Amanda just break my heart! I probably could have gotten over everything else but Vulcan and Amanda.

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Love, love, love Ben Cross. Always have. Since he reprised Barnabas so many years ago. He did a wonderful job as Sarek.

Love, love, love Wynona Rider as Amanda. I'm not sure her make up covered up her youth, hard as they tried. But still, I loved her. I dislike their choices with her. But that's that.

Uh, anyone who loves the new Kirk should take a good look at Nero. Total burly hottie.

And oh, way to downplay Karl Urban's total hottiness. Completely forgot that I want him as a possession.

And what the'ell did they say Uhura's first name is?