On one level there is nothing unusual about Paramount's revitalization of the Star Trek franchise. During ".a young crew's maiden voyage onboard the most advanced starship ever created." a testosterone powered James T. Kirk and a logic-bound Spock ".must find a way to stop an evil being whose mission of vengeance threatens all of mankind." No surprises in the studio's pitch, at least.
However the Star Trek that is currently beaming into our cinemas is more at home in our 21st century universe than you might imagine.
Gene Roddenberry conceived the Star Trek universe in the 1960s, giving birth to the iconic Enterprise crew that has continued to inspire science fiction and comic parody the world over. Six television series and ten feature films later, the Star Trek universe is now in its 43rd year. Its sheer longevity means it acts as an interesting bell-weather what society considers both acceptable and admirable. For instance the original TV series was pitched as 'Bonanza in space', with the Klingon bad guys reflecting frontier savages like the American Indians. There have clearly been significant course corrections since then, and this eleventh feature film continues to steer away from dangerous territory.
It has been seven years since the last film, Nemesis. How could Paramount ensure it didn't look tired in the face of fresher action offerings? Step one was to recruit wunderkind director / producer JJ Abrams of Alias, Mission Impossible 3, Cloverfield and Lost fame. Step two was to pile on a significant amount of truly amazing computer generated imagery - special thanks to George Lucas' Industrial Light & Magic effects company! Most significantly, step three was to jettison any philosophy that made more sense in the 1960s than it did in the new millennium.
JJ Abrams and the other principles have been very clear that they aimed to preserve all that was best about Roddenberry's original creation. Fans will find plenty of acknowledgements and subtle inclusions worthy of endless discussions between Foxtel re-runs. However even the most casual Star Trek observer will notice that the crew of the Enterprise are New Age characters in more ways than one.
The Spock played by Leonard Nimoy was a paragon of rational thinking. In many respects he reflected the modernity of a previous generation. His most admirable quality was the ability to transcend the emotions that clouded human judgments and make the calm, correct call in the middle of a crisis. However the new, admittedly much younger Spock played by Zachary Quinto wears his heart right out there with his Starfleet insignia. He is competitive, even annoyed by the young Kirk (well, you say, we always knew he had a superiority complex). He flies into a murderous rage twice, trying to kill someone with his bear hands (but Vulcan emotions can be hard to handle). He has a girlfriend (OK, that's a new one.), and they make out in elevators (.riiiight). The script writers were so committed to the idea of an in-touch Spock that they even arranged for a Spock from the future to turn up to tell his younger self to lighten up on all the rational thinking: "Do yourself a favour. Put aside logic and do what is right."
That is this present generation's key contribution to the Star Trek universe. There has always been a balance in Roddenberry's vision of the future - Spock was matched with a speak-from-the-heart, go-with-your-gut Kirk. But the gap between what is 'rational' and what is 'right' is widening. In the new Star Trek, all emotions are to be valued, even the negative ones like rage and revenge. Vulcan wisdom is paradoxically marshaled to support this truth. As one pointy-eared sage puts it, "What is necessary is never unwise." You might know the phrase better as, "If it feels good, do it." Accordingly the best response is the passionate one, even if it flies in the face of every rational argument. And there can be no judgment for choosing your emotions over your mind. Faced with this very dilemma, Spock's mum assures him, "Whatever you choose to be, you will have a proud mother."
Another philosophy that gets a subtle tweaking is the notion of the ultimate hero. The voyages of the Enterprise have always centred on the tight-knit teamwork of its crew. However everyone knew that 'Captain James T. Kirk!' was the man's man, and the most likely solution to any insolvable problem. On JJ Abrams star ship everyone gets a chance to save the day, but more importantly a chance to save Kirk. I counted at least four occasions in which Kirk was on the verge of death, and someone stepped in to save his spandex seat. It's hard to imagine that Shatner would have allowed the count to rise to more than one - maybe. But Chris Pine's Kirk is much more on everyone else's level, which I think is a reflection of the current elevation of equality over individual brilliance. So now and in the future there's not much need for a messiah when we're all doing so well. Of course the captain has always needed his crew, but it's hard to see this new one achieving the same legendary levels of devotion inspired by paragons like the first Kirk, Captain Jean Luc Picard . or Christ.
I'm the sort of science fiction fan who hates spoilers but, just to assure the faithful there is a Vulcan death-grip, Bones is outraged by space travel and Scotty does say "I'm given' ya awll she's got!" JJ Abrams has also delivered on his primary mission, leaving the universe wide open for subsequent crews to explore. However it seems to me fairly likely that as they continue ".to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before - " Spock is likely to end up slapping someone.
