I was born two years after the original Star Trek show hit the air waves. So I grew up with the original Star Trek series. I do not speak Klingon and I have never dressed up as one either. I did dress up once as a Star Fleet Cadet for a Halloween party once. I was in high school when the Next Generation hit the airwaves and was pleased with the Star Trek revival even though it did not have the original crew. And I am not a virgin. But I am a proud die hard Trekkie.
Star Trek as a franchise has had its pains. Cheesy special effects, bad movies, and character back stories as well as story plots that contradict older story plots. That is just to name a few of the flaws in the Star Trek franchise. I was hopeful that this reboot would restore dignity to a franchise that has suffered over the years from various producers at the helm. I was hopeful that this origin story would explain, what many Trekkies, already know about the origins of the Kirk and Spocks first mission aboard the Enterprise.
The advertisements for this movie explains it all. “Forget What You Know.” My generation (the fortysomethings) know too much Trek. The twentysomethings will probably enjoy this rollercoaster ride of a Trek film. I did not. This movie uses a time warp strategy to wipe the slate clean. They essentially create an alternate Trek Universe by reseting the Star Trek timeline in a time warp accident by the movie villain Nero. The new timeline is reset as James T. Kirk himself is being born.
Even with all the dazzle, the great special effect, an excellent cast, great action and adventure, I cannot accept this film. My Star Trek of forty years is dead. And I thought destroying the Enterprise in Star Trek III was bad. I also thought that killing off Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek: Generations was stupid.
Star Trek Eleven does something far worse. It kills off the Star Trek Universe that I have known and loved (despite its flaws) for over forty years. This is unacceptable. I compliment Gene Roddenberry’s vision of always looking forward to the future. Despite the dispproval of fans in the 1980s Roddenberry did not rehash the original series but created a new crew in a future setting. This worked well by not containmenating the timeline of the original series. Deep Space Nine took place in a time line after the Next Generation. Then Voyager occured after Deep Space Nine. Granted Roddenberry was not longer in conrol of Star Trek after the Next Generation and passed away but he was always looking forward.
Star Trek: Enterprise was a disappointment because that show was looking backwards. It tried to tell stories of space adventures that occured before Kirk and Spock were born. Bad idea. Fans were not impressed. Star Trek Eleven tries a plot ploy that is even worse. It says lets forget about all those forty three years of Star Trek and lets just start over from an alternate timeline.
After the screw up of Star Trek Five: The Final Frontier I wondered if the Star Trek franchise could make a bigger screw up. I figured producers had learned from the long and boring Star Trek: The Motion Picture to avoid bad story lines. But I was wrong. Star Trek: Nemesis which really was not a bad film at all but was released at a time when the fans were just worn out from Trek overload was by far a better film than Star Trek Eleven.
As a matter of fact; all of the Star Trek, good and bad, before this Star Trek Eleven was okay in comparison to Eleven. I think I have finally given up on producers being able to make a good Star Trek film. A number Twelve would have to fix the damage that Eleven has done by correcting the stupid idea of an alternate Trek Universe. High budget special effects does not make this good film. The fast paced story does not make this a good film.
Had this movie been a science-fiction film that was not a part of Star Trek it would have been a good film. Please for the love of Gene Roddenberry do not screw up Star Trek anymore. Burn this film, cut your losses, and release the original Star Trek show on DVDs at half-price.
Lawrence Roth is Web Developer who owns and maintains 
