A franchise is reborn, at warp speed.

n Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry’s inspired universe, the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise set out to “boldly go where no one has gone before.” If only the same could be said of director J.J. Abrams and writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman.

Considering the franchise began on TV in 1966, spawned the first theatrical release in 1979 and nearly expired with the last edition, Star Trek: Nemesis, a worldwide flop in 2002, the creative team behind the 11th movie faced two major challenges.
In sum, Star Trek is a big, loud, fast-paced, spectacular and intermittently exciting sci-fi adventure. What it isn’t, in my view, is emotionally involving. Early US buzz indicates some Trek fans are hailing the latest incarnation for packing more thrills, energy and humour than anything the franchise has yielded since the 1980s. Paramount has already commissioned a follow-up.