‘Star Trek’ film prompts desire for new TV series

There needs to be a new Star Trek TV series.

Star Trek Into Darkness is a thoroughly enjoyable adventure movie in the classic sense of the word. Featuring good acting, excellent action and a plot with some truly thrilling twists and turns, it’s sure to appeal to longtime fans and newcomers alike, proving the venerable franchise is as alive and well as ever.

The film begins not long after the events of the 2009 Star Trek reboot.

Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) has recently become captain of the starship Enterprise.  His disregard for and flaunting of the rules, however, results in him getting demoted to first officer.

But, when a terrorist attack from rogue Starfleet operative John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) devastates Starfleet, Kirk is reinstated and is soon faced with tough choices that will take both him and the crew of the Enterprise to the brink.

Let’s get this out of the way: Star Trek Into Darkness is a whole lot of fun.

One of the reasons for this is, as in the 2009 Star Trek reboot, the cast just nails it.

Whenever any actor has to play an iconic role, there’s a degree of scrutiny and expectation involved, and few roles will attract as much attention as playing a crewmember on the U.S.S. Enterprise.

Fortunately, the main cast more than adequately fills the big shoes they’ve stepped into, simultaneously paying homage to the actors who made their roles famous, while making the parts their own and never devolving into imitation.

By far the most successful example of this here is Simon Pegg as the Enterprise Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott. Pegg’s Scotty is once again fun and dynamic, and he seems to be having the time of his life in the role. Other notables include Zachary Quinto as Spock and Zoe Saldana as Lt. Uhura, who continues to leave her mark on the character.

Cumberbatch, meanwhile, is brilliantly menacing as Harrison, and his simple presence is able to take over scenes.

As for the story, it is pure, old-school adventure.

Star Trek Into Darkness is twists upon turns upon dilemmas. For the most part these are well done, and the result is an exciting and lively film.

I would have liked for there to have been more down time in between plot developments, in order for the movie’s themes and stakes to sink in, but this missed opportunity to add some weight doesn’t really impact the fun factor.

That being said, had the filmmakers taken a bit more time with the concepts Into Darkness touches on, this might have been a great film, as opposed to just a good one.

The action sequences, on the other hand, are pretty fantastic.

From space battles to fire fights, the pacing and arrangement of the action are very strong and some of the best things this movie has going for it.

I didn’t see this film in 3D, but I’ve heard praise for how well the action translates into the format, and I’ll definitely be paying the extra dollars if I see it again.

Overall, Star Trek Into Darkness is a solid movie. While not quite as good as 2009’s Star Trek, it’s a very enjoyable film that shows the franchise is still full of potential and vitality.

With that in mind, I think it’s high time that we got another Star Trek television series.

True, there was a bit of an over-saturation in the ’90s, but there hasn’t been a Star Trek show on the air now for over eight years, and it’s time it was brought back.

Set the show in the old continuity, set it in the new one, just make it and make it good.

If the new movie shows us anything, it’s there’s still plenty to explore in this material and people like watching Star Trek, and it would be amazing to see what a new generation of TV writers would do with the property.

I know that most of our readers aren’t Hollywood producers, but if you want to see Star Trek back on the small screen again, there’s something you can do, no matter who you are: See Star Trek Into Darkness.

You’ll have a good time doing so, and every dime that movie makes will make a new series look more and more viable (at least in theory). As a great character would say: Make it so.

Posted by Bera B. Dunau on May 23, 2013. Filed under Arts and Entertainment,Columns,Movie Reviews,Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry