Star Trek movie rewatch! Star Trek (2009) gives us a whole new Kirk and Spock, a new timeline – new everything, really.

Here’s what happens: A gigantic Romulan ship travels back in time, resulting in a whole new universe in which the lives of Kirk, Spock, and the rest play out similarly yet differently. Our heroes meet at Starfleet Academy and then quickly climb the ranks on the Enterprise, all while that Romulan ship is still out there…

The young captain: Kirk’s arc in this movie is pretty straightforward. He starts out brash and arrogant, and always ready for a fight. But then his conflict with Spock knocks him down a few pegs, so he can emerge as a true leader, and friend to Spock. The part I find interesting is how Captain Pike of the Enterprise sees all this prodigy-like potential in Kirk, almost to the point where Kirk is some sort of “chosen one” or “destined” to be a captain himself.

Lil’ pointy ears: The first six movies were all about Spock learning to accept his human half, and where that took him next. This movie finds him back at the start of that journey. He fights with Kirk over the logical thing to do, yet he also endangers the Enterprise in an attempt to save his mother – an emotional thing to do. Kirk further gets to him by playing on his emotions, but the two of them end the movie with a growing respect for one another.

Ol’ pointy ears: The original Spock from the original timeline is here as well, to tie things back to continuity. He provides a voice of wisdom when Kirk needs it the most. What’s more interesting is our ties back to Romulan/Vulcan reunification efforts where we last saw Spock on TNG. Turns out Romulus was destroyed by a supernova. You’d think that would be bad, but the follow-up tie-in fiction revealed this led to the Romulan Free State.  

Welcome aboard: Chris Hemsworth is so good in his one minute of screentime that it basically launched his whole career. I also like Bruce Greenwood as Captain Pike, who does the confident captain swagger that we want from this franchise.

Continuity café: How does this compare to the original Trek timeline? Classic Trek had multiple references to the characters’ many misadventures at Starfleet Academy, but we the audience never saw the academy until TNG. Many fans assume that Kirk and Spock first met at the academy, but the Star Trek Wiki alleges they didn’t meet until much later, when Kirk was first officer on a ship called the Farragut.  

What you leave behind: This is a fun, fast-paced adventure romp. I don’t know if it continues the “human adventure” themes of the previous films, but it’s hugely entertaining so why not? And the lens flares aren’t as distracting as everyone says.

Next: Hello darkness my old friend.

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