Coastal View News
I’m more of a TNG
(Star Trek: The Next Generation) guy. I would rather sit down for a cup of tea with
the calm, wise Jean-Luc Picard at the helm than hurtle through space with the
impassioned, impetuous James T. Kirk. Spock is cool, but I’ll take Data. I don’t
really like Doctor “Bones” McCoy. I definitely prefer Beverly Crusher.
So if I am a little less than enthusiastic about “Star
Trek Beyond” it may be because it’s just not my thing—I am loyal to another
camp. Devotees of the original series seem to like this latest installment (I
know, I went with a couple of them). And I see why. It has plenty of
explosions, destruction, fighting (both with and without phasers), and macho
charm—all the hallmarks of a classic action movie.
The movie does not start that way, though. At first, Kirk
(Chris Pine) is bored. Or, more accurately, he is aimless. He doesn’t feel a
sense of purpose. He doesn’t know what he is doing out there running around
like a deep-space cowboy. In fact, he is starting to think about doing
something else. It’s kind of like a mid-life crisis. (At, what, 28?)
But, ugh, he has to go on one last mission before he hangs
it up (I wonder if it will be a walk in the park … hmmm). His task is to help
locate a missing ship in a dense nebula.
But before they have a chance to look around, they get
attacked. A massive swarm of bee-like ships throw themselves at the Enterprise.
Kirk and his crew try to repel them, but there are too many of those pesky
things bombarding their vessel.
Kirk and company were set up—ambushed. And now their
beloved Enterprise is being blown to bits before their very eyes. The ship collapses
onto a nearby planet as its crew are strewn about like maple leaves in
November. Luckily, they end up in little teams. Kirk meets up with Scotty
(Simon Pegg), who also found a local lady—both lovely and fierce, as you might
expect—to join causes with. Bones (Karl Urban) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) get
paired up, and mostly just try to stay alive. And Uhura (Zoe Saldana) and Sulu
(John Cho), among others, are taken captive.
The baddies are led by Krall (Idris Elba). What a name! Is
Krall mean and ruthless? Yes. Is he looking for a special weapon to be
especially mean and ruthless with? Why yes, yes he is. Does he care who he has
to crush to get it? No, of course not. Is defeating him impossible? Even for
the crew of the Starship Enterprise? Yes! … Well, O.K., no. Yes and no.
Excuse my sarcasm. And, again, sorry if I don’t come off
as overly enthusiastic about “Star Trek Beyond”. It’s not like this movie is
poorly acted, or poorly written, or boring, or anything like that. It is a fine
movie. It is solid.
But it’s just that, in this day and age, with all these
very solid sci-fi (or similar) action movies, I don’t know, it’s hard for me to
get too excited about “Star Trek Beyond”. It’s pretty, and fun, and funny, and
action packed, and everything else you might want and expect out of this
franchise. But I think I’ve seen it before. I must have. It’s just too
familiar.
Early on in the movie, when Kirk is down in the dumps
about his life, he complains, in a very charmingly Star-Trek-self-aware sort of
way, that his adventures have started to feel “episodic”. Hats off for being
self-aware, Kirk. The problem is, you mention it, but don’t do anything about it—the whole movie only confirms
the stereotype. And I guess I just don’t care all that much about episode after
episode of the same crashing, shooting, punching, and bracing for impact.
Maybe that is why I am more of a TNG guy. Yes, I know, that series is equally episodic. But at least
it introduces new puzzles and thought experiments for us to think about or
marvel over—scenarios that shed light on our condition.
So there, my cards are on the table. If you’re an
original series person, you will probably love “Star Trek Beyond”. If, like me,
you are more of a TNG person, well
then … just don’t expect to sit down for tea with Jean-Luc Picard.
