I finally caught “Star Trek: Into Darkness” featuring Sylar as Spock and Sherlock Holmes as the currently worst kept secret in Hollyood.
By no means was it a perfect film, nor did it really do much to surpass its predecessor. But it was a fun popcorn romp with some nice homages to past Trek.
I enjoyed the JJ Abrams rebooted Trek Universe when it debuted in 2009. Having it take place in an alternate timeline was a smart way to honor everything that had come before, while giving Abrams and his team free reign to tinker with the familiar characters and plots.
Not everyone was happy with the decision however. A number of die-hard Trekkers expressed displeasure at the fact that this was no longer “their” Kirk, Spock and McCoy. They wanted to see the new cast’s story tucked in somewhere within the existing Trek universe — perhaps between the end of the 5-year mission and the events of ST: The Motion Picture. Others didn’t really have an answer as to where it should fit in, just as long as it was the actual Trek universe.
To me these arguments were (pardon the pun) highly illogical. For all intents and purposes we know the fates of the original crew. Watching a new set of adventures with a younger cast portraying the same Kirk and Spock as the original series would be about as exciting as watching Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (In case you’re not aware, Temple takes place a year before Raiders, which means nothing was going to happen to Indy, so why care?).
The new timeline, spun from the classic Trek universe, gave us a chance to actually fear for the safety of the Enterprise Crew once more.
Like its sequel, 2009′s Trek was not a perfect film. One of my biggest annoyances was the fact the movie could have easily ended five minutes after it started: If Nero had really thought about his situation, he could have used his knowledge of future events to go and warn the Romulan people and ended up a hero for the generations. But instead he sits around in space for 20+ years waiting for old Spock to show up so he can bitch slap him with the destruction of Vulcan.
That and lens flares.
Nevertheless, I found it highly entertaining, and was perfectly content with this new timeline…especially if it meant that in 20 some-odd years Kirk doesn’t go out like a bitch at the hands of Malcolm McDowell after chopping wood in some stupid dream-like Shangri-La universe.
I digress.
“Chill out Kirk. I’m not mad at you. I’m pissed at Robocop.”
Flash forward to 2013 and “Into Darkness”. Again, I heard the familiar complaints over the new timeline. However these were joined by grunts and grumbles over rumors circulating around Benedict Cumberbatch and the character he was playing. Was he or wasn’t he playing Khan? Did that mean the next film was going to be a new version of “Wrath of Khan”?
Soon the intrepid Hollywood scoopers and web gossipers confirmed what we all suspected: Khan was indeed back. But if this was the rebooted universe, how could this be “Wrath of Khan?”
The answer was obvious: This was “Space Seed, Version 2.0″
“Space Seed” was the episode from the original series (1967) when we first met Khan and his crew of genetically enhanced super friends. They woke from their 300-year nappy and attempted to commandeer the Enterprise. The Enterprise crew regained control and exiled Khan and his peeps on Ceti Alpha 5. Of course Khan returned famously in 1982′s “Wrath of Khan” to exact his revenge upon Kirk for leaving him marooned and never bothering to check up on him and his crew (which sucked since Ceti Alpha 6 blew up and screwed with 5′s orbit).
A friend of mine complained that the biggest problem he had with “Into Darkness” was that Khan’s anger and motivation to battle Kirk were forced. The thing that’s wrong with that summation is that again, this movie wasn’t technically “Wrath of Khan” — although there were obvious allusions to it.
Of course Khan had no real anger towards Kirk — Kirk didn’t pull Khan out of cold storage: Admiral Marcus did and tried to make Khan his warmongering puppet by blackmailing him with the lives of his people. In fact if anyone was feeling particularly ‘wrathful’ this time around, it was Kirk, who was hell-bent on getting Khan for killing Pike (Kirk’s mentor and father figure). Aside from that, Khan was exactly who he was supposed to be: a megalomaniac who sought to place himself and his übermenschen on top of the galaxy’s proverbial food chain. Once Marcus was dead, Kirk and the Enterprise were simply genetically inferior garbage in Khan’s way.
In fact, one of my biggest issues with the film was the re-appearance of Old Spock, who breaks his own promise not to meddle in this timeline’s affairs and tells new Spock that Khan is dangerous and not to be trusted. I’m sorry, but you don’t need a alternate timeline counterpart of yourself to tell you that the super-strong guy that almost single-handedly obliterated a Klingon platoon, then immediately surrendered to you AND THEN told you while he was in your brig that he would do absolutely anything to save his crew shouldn’t be trusted as far as you can throw him. (Incidentally that’s probably one of the geekiest things I’ve ever written).
Another nitpick: If Khan’s crew are all genetically enhanced like him, why didn’t McCoy have one of those guys defrosted and use their blood to save Kirk — or at least consider the possibility that their blood might work?
All that aside, the film was well worth the time and money. The acting is spot on (Dare I say Karl Urban is possessed by the ghost of DeForest Kelley?), and the nods to “Wrath of Khan” were well played (Kirk’s sacrifice instead of Spock’s a bit obvious, but the death scene was nicely done. Spock’s “KHAN” yell was admittedly a bit much). It’s a shame if some fans are harboring grudges — they’re missing some decent new adventures. Sometimes you just gotta let go of the past and embrace the future.
Of course, if anyone ever tries to reboot Doctor Who and toss out 50 years of history, they’ll have a war on their hands.
I mean, its Doctor Who for God’s sake!
What did you think of “Into Darkness” and the whole “New Trek Universe” in general? Are you a Trek purist unhappy with the reboot? Are you cool with the Abrams’ direction? Share your thoughts!
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