by Chuck Hoodak

Created on: June 13, 2010

As the Federation starship U.S.S. Kelvin comes under attack from a massive Romulan spaceship, Lt. George Kirk, placed in charge as acting Captain, sacrifices himself so that the surviving crew may escape. Among the survivors is George’s wife and newborn son, James. This event creates a new timeline or alternate universe in which producer / director J.J. Abrams’ new vision of Star Trek takes place.

Abrams’ Star Trek tells a new story of how the famous crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise came to be, plus with a few twists along the way. The Romulan, Nero (played by Eric Bana), is determined to exact revenge upon the Federation for allowing a cataclysmic event to take place. Like a bull in a china shop, his ship and its advanced weaponry will take more brains than brawn to stop.

The most affected by the change in history is James T. Kirk (played by Chris Pine) who has grown up without the benefit of the solid father figure. A rebellious, undisciplined and brazen young man with no goals in life, it takes a chance encounter with Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood) to install a sense of pride in him.

The Spock (played by Zachary Quinto) in this timeline is shown to not be disassociated from his human side. In fact, it is his realization of the prejudice that his own race holds against his human “weakness” that helps Spock decide to spurn his appointment to the Vulcan Science Academy and join Starfleet Academy .

Instead of having their relationship evolve naturally to the ironclad friendship that it should be, Kirk and Spock clash as they struggle to understand themselves as well as the situation that is being thrust upon them. They must put aside differences in order to deal with Nero before it is too late for the Federation.

Playing the other crew members are, Checkov (Anton Yeltsin), Sulu (John Cho), Mr. Scott (Simon Pegg) and Dr. McCoy (Karl Urban). Uhura (Zoe Saldana) has a more expanded role in the cast. She is a stronger female presence on the ship and the confidant of one of the main characters.

The casting is very good as the essence of Star Trek has been pretty well captured in their performances. Pine’s Kirk reflects the brashness of a natural born leader. Zachary Quinto was spot on as a fan favorite casting choice to play Spock, and he does not disappoint. The always funny Simon Pegg helps create some of the lighter moments in the film. Probably one of the most surprising choices was Karl Urban as Dr. McCoy. Urban, who has mostly been an action star in films, does a great job tackling the feisty and dramatic Enterprise physician.

It’s nice to see that the music helps the film and Michael Giacchino’s score works to capture the drama and action of the movie. The new Star Trek theme is sweeping and epic, while Nero’s theme captures the ominous presence of the Romulans.

It is a hard task to remake a subject with a solid history and fan base. Using the altered timeline Abrams can feel free to explore the characters in a new way without the constraints of the canon that they are tied to. The foundation is pretty solid for the crew of the Enterprise to boldly go on their journeys, taking new fans as well as the old ones along with them on.

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