Tuesday night, most of the editorial staff of Astronomy, along with several from our art staff, attended a special showing of the new Star Trek movie, in theaters May 8, 2009. The week before, Paramount Pictures had contacted our editor, Dave Eicher, about doing some cross-promotion. They also invited the staff to the Milwaukee-area premiere. It wasn’t likely we were going to pass up that opportunity!
As people filed in, we passed out lots of Astronomy magazines and booklets. Dave welcomed the audience and gave a brief, upbeat introduction to the magazine. Then the film began.
I admit it. I’m a longtime fan of Star Trek in all its incarnations. Although I don’t consider myself a “Trekkie,” I did see the first televised episode on a Thursday night in September 1966. (I went over to a friend’s house that night because his family had a color television, and mine didn’t.)
Needless to say, I was eager to see the new film, which was a prequel to the original series. And what a ride it is! Star Trek starts out fast and never takes its foot off the pedal. The special effects and computer-generated imaging are top-notch, and the actors — all of them — seem born to play these roles.
If you’re into science fiction or fantasy, you’ll see lots of familiar faces. Most notably, Zachary Quinto, who plays Spock, is the character Seiler on NBC’s prime-time show Heroes. Simon Pegg, who plays Scotty, was the lead character in Shaun of the Dead. And what Lord of the Rings fan won’t recognize Karl Urban, who played Eomer, Prince of Rohan? In Star Trek, Urban plays Doctor McCoy.
As a Star Trek fan, I was concerned with how the writers and director would make the characters familiar to me (I’ve known Kirk and Spock now for more than 42 years) without forcing “memorable” dialog from them. Well, they did it. Every line that I’d identify as a catch-phrase occurred naturally and in the flow of the film.
So, set your phaser on stun, mute your communicator, and set your transporter for the nearest movie theater playing Star Trek. It’s a voyage to the final frontier you won’t soon forget.
Live long, and prosper.
Related:
"An outsider's opinion on the new Star Trek movie," by Karri Ferron, Copy Editor