Having said all of that I was disappointed with the new Star Trek movie, which I attended on opening day. I loved the new movie up until Spock’s mother died and Vulcan was destroyed. I felt like J.J. Abrams was re-writing Trek and all of the original and Next Generation shows and movies were no more because Trek history was destroyed by a rogue time traveling Romulan.

For Christmas I received a DVD of the new Star Trek movie. I watched it. And it rocks. I still have issues with the death of Spock’s mother and the destruction of Vulcan. But considering all the possible scenarios that could have played out in the new movie, there was no way to please all of the Trekkers. I believe Trek has become too much worshiped by some of us Trekkers.

I admit that the pacing and special effects are the best of any Star Trek to date. And the casting was excellent. Chris Pine is great as Kirk. Zachary Quinto shines as Spock. I look forward to more adventures with these crew. I can only accept the new Star Trek as a continuing adventure of the original and Next Generation Star Trek. With Leonard Nimoy portraying the elder Spock I accept this as an adventure where Spock has gone back in time to assist the young crew of the Enterprise.

Basically, the new Trek is for the young and Paramount was wise to make the movie as they did in order for this franchise to thrive again.

Those of us who grew up with the original Star Trek and the generation who followed behind us who grew up with the Next Generation are older. Sad but true. It is those people between the ages of seventeen to twenty-five year that bring the big bucks to the cinema. So I have made peace with the new Star Trek. It is fresh and new. It rocks.

And finally Star Trek is getting the big budget and guidance needed to make some damn good movies. Perhaps if Paramount had tried this years ago some of the Trek movies from the past would not have been so freaking bad.

Dr. Rothenstein: Yes, I did Billy.

Mr. MacMahoth: What did you think?

Dr. Rothenstein: Well. Billy. The opening sequence was great. The new actors were great. The special effects were awesome. The new Enterprise was dazzling. The story sucked.

Mr. MacMahoth: OMG. Why would you say that?

Dr. Rothenstein: It was not a Star Trek origins story like it claims to be in the trailers. “The Future Begins” my ass. The future just freaking ended.

Mr. MacMahoth: But the movie does tell the about the childhood of Kirk and Spock and how they got to be officers aboard the Enterprise.

Dr. Rothenstein: No it doesn’t. It tells a story of an alternate Kirk and Spock. It wipes clean the forty-year history of Star Trek. Everything I knew about Trek is gone. Reset by a time warp incident before Kirk is even born.

Mr. MacMahoth: Well, that is stupid. Why would that do that? Sounds like they spent $140 million to make a Star Trek origins story that really is not a Star Trek origins story.

Dr. Rothenstein: That is exactly what they did. And they don’t care.

Mr. MacMahoth: Why would they not care?

Dr. Rothenstein: Becuase this movie was not made for Star Trek fans. It was made to excite non-fans.

Mr. MacMahoth: That sounds stupid. Why would they do that? Why alienate Star Trek fans.

Dr. Rothenstein: I guess because the fans were upset by the other dumb Star Trek movies and the Star Trek franchise is tired hearing their fans complain. So they decided hey forget the fans, we will make a movie that is for non-fans.

Mr. MacMahoth: Isn’t that sort of like designing a baseball game that is of no interest to baseball fans?

Dr. Rothenstein: Indeed it is. Also, J.J. Abrams did not want his creativity to be restrained by having to write stories around the original Star Trek story line.

Mr. MacMahoth: (Laughs). Sounds like he has no creativity in the first place if he can’t spin a story that honors the original Star Trek story line.

Dr. Rothenstein: That is what I was thinking.

Mr. MacMahoth: So if J.J. Abrams did a documentary about the American Revolution…

Dr. Rothenstein: He would have a villain go through a time warp in the first few seconds of the documentary and reset the time line so he his creativity would not be restrained by the historical facts of the American Revolution.

Mr. MacMahoth: Didn’t Star Trek II become the most beloved Star Trek movie becuase it kept the purity of the original Star Trek story line?

Dr. Rothenstein: That is true.

Mr. MacMahoth:  So if it appears logical to stay true to the original Trek to excite fans and non-fans alike; why change?

Dr. Rothenstein:  The original fans are all over the age of forty. I guess the Trek franchise consider them all too old to worry about.

Mr. MacMahoth:  I’m only thirty and I saw and loved the original Trek shows. The old shows still play on Classic TV cable channels.

Dr. Rothenstein: Well, hell, you may be too old also.

Mr. MacMahoth: I think I am understanding. The Star Trek franchise is making Star Trek movies that ignore Star Trek sacred text to attract the non-fans. Sort of like making Chick-Flicks for guys. Football games for non-sports enthusiasts. Wrestling for people who hate violence. Cooking steak for vegetarians. Giving cats to dog lovers or giving dogs to cat lovers.

Dr. Rothenstein: You got it.

Mr. MacMahoth: So what are going to do?

Dr. Rothenstein: I am going to keep watching the original Star Trek shows, and Next Generation shows on DVD. Forget the new Trek the way it has forgotten the old Trek.

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.