Star Trek Mania

The SS Enterprise continues its travel into space with the new Star Trek movie. Having been a prequel to the comic book Star Trek: Countdown, the new Star Trek movie is set just a few years after the events that are well narrated in the other movie sequel Star Trek – Nemesis have taken place. The movie follows the characters of Nero and Spock as they take their voyage into the 23rd century. The movie depicts the interactions that take place between Spock and Nero together with Picard and a host of other Next Generation characters. The movie shows what happens prior to Spock’s and Nero’s accidental travel that takes them to the future of the 23rd century.

Star Trek Movie

The events of this new film are set when Nero and Spock are sucked into a black hole that takes them back to over a century ago. When a supernova threatens the existence of the entire galaxy, Nero and his crew set out to obtain enough matter that will help create what is called ‘red matter’ that will contain the supernova. However, the plot unfolds as Romulus, Nero’s home world is destroyed and he blames Spock together with Vulcan for the death of his family and destruction of Romulus. Vowing vengeance, he sets out to wreck havoc on the entire galaxy. Before he can prevent Spock from releasing the red matter into the star about to go up in a supernova, he is too late and he and Spock get sucked into the black hole that has come up as a result of the explosion and they find themselves over 100 years in the past.

Familiar faces from the previous sequel have appeared, starting with Leonard Nimoy who still acts as Spock, Chris Pine as Captain James T. Kirk and Christopher Pike being played by Bruce Greenwood. Others also continue to feature in the film and make it more of a continuation of what happened the last time in Nemesis.

The movie however takes a new twist that unfolds and makes this film different from the last ones. Starting with Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home in 1986 then to Star Trek: Generations in 1994 and coming to the 1996 Star Trek: First Contact, this new Star Trek takes its characters to the past. In the other films, the time travel ability was used as a device. In the new future, there is no return to the future and instead, an alternative timeline has made the series to play out differently.

The film also does not introduce klingons in the plot. It is assumed that they have been over used in the previous sequels and introducing them again as enemies would only hurt the plot.  The plot, internal logic and its characters made the premiere to the movie a blast. Repeated viewings will likely continue to have the same impact and appeal.