"As silly as saving the whales, Mr. Peabody?"*
"Quiet, you."
Romulan-with-a-grudge Nero travels in time through a black hole to the moment of James Kirk's birth. By killing Kirk's father, Nero creates a parallel universe. Without paternal guidance, Kirk grows up as a felonious delinquent. Depending on how nerdy you are, you recognize that this is so wrong. But don't fear: everything from the previous shows and movies plus everything from this movie is canon.
Okay, that's one function of "Star Trek." The other should have been to tell a coherent story that's not reliant on humorless gimmicks and plot holes. J.J. Abrams, working with screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, has brought a lot of good into "Star Trek." The action has a looser, poetic style than in the previous films; advances in computer effects, combined with the influence of Bourne and Bond, are responsible. The young actors channel the originals with enough warranted changes, based on their slightly different origins. They're unfortunately ill-served by busy plotting wrapped up in its own mythology.
Individual moments are among the most thrilling in the series. What Kirk's pursuit on the ice planet lacks in originality, it makes up in honest terror. And the destruction of a major planet signifies Abrams' intentions to leave nothing untouchable. With a series as ancient as "Star Trek," an age worn in the lines of Leonard Nimoy's face, a film that even tries something new is worth a look.
*In "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home."
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