Star Trek

We went to see the Star Trek film yesterday (Spoiler alert!!!!! - don't read on if you haven't seen it and plan to)

I have been a died in the wool Trekkie from day one, and the fact that it wasn't on BBC Wales when I was in Aberystwyth was a disaster of no small proportions. It is tricky to take something which has been going since 1966 and has millions of very keen fans who probably know all the details in more depth than is actually good for them.

when the studios made Star Trek Enterprise I was unable to watch it because they created a prequel series which drove a horse and cart through the storylines which had gone through 3 different series, inventing new aliens, and generally making a nonsense of the history of the world created. It created a lot of fuss among people who objected to that.

I wondered how this film would manage because it has gone to the young Kirk and Spock and them getting together on the Enterprise, and at the beginning I did think - no they have that wrong, that isn't how it happened. But then... they have done something really clever by creating a time loop which has created an alternative history. The original Star Trek series has its plot lines going forward but the new film has its own plotlines in the alternative world which the timeloop has created, and it also means that they can go on making more films using these characters in this alternative timeline without in the least infringing on the original series. It is really clever and very well done.

The casting was good too - the actors playing Kirk and Spock (esp Spock) were excellent, and so even when you have the young Spock talking to the original Spock they are both very believable.
The other cast members work well especially Simon Pegg as Scotty.

I really enjoyed it, much more than I thought I would, but it won't mean a lot to anyone who hasn't watched the original Star Trek.