The beginning of the sci-fi classic
Star Trek is a cultural icon. The television series, which featured the adventures of the crew of the Starship Enterprise as they bravely explored 'where no man has gone before', entertained millions and became the most successful sci-fi series ever.
Now the 11th Star Trek feature film, simply titled Star Trek, is due to open in Hong Kong on June 4. Fans have given it a big thumbs up and it has become the second biggest grossing film of the year in the US, bumping Wolverine into third place and closing fast on Monsters vs Aliens.
If you've never seen Star Trek before, this is a good place to start because it's a prequel to all that followed. Purists might be a little disappointed - there are no new worlds to explore and no weird life forms to be defeated. But it wasn't made for the purists, or the hardened fans. It was made to find new fans and re-ignite the Star Trek empire. The film is directed by J.J. Abrams, known for his work on Lost and Alias. We follow the story of space cadets at the Star Fleet Academy - the tear-away James Kirk (Chris Pine) who believes he can qualify faster than anyone else and the conflicted Spock (Zachary Quinto) as the half-human Vulcan.
The stage is set for friction when Spock implies Kirk has cheated on one of his exams. But never mind about all that. Romulans are attacking and only the Enterprise can save the day. Great special effects, great music and great action - what more can anyone ask?
The original Star Trek franchise fell into dishonour when it was exposed as being cheesy and uncool by spoofs like Galaxy Quest. Trekkies had to hang their heads in shame. In the original series, everyone knew who was going to die - anyone but the core crew members - and the weapons and monsters were limited by lack of budget and special effects. But Star Trek symbolised the optimism of America just coming out of the cold war, a positive, never-say-die attitude. It showed people of all nations working together, representing the planet in our quest to explore space. For a long time, optimism was uncool, but now that US President Barack Obama has swept to victory in the US, optimism is back in vogue. So don't worry, you can embrace your inner nerd, and keep your reputation intact.
