Nerds That Geek Movie Review: 'Star Trek'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

'Now, your father was captain of a star ship for twelve minutes. He saved 800 lives, including your mother's and yours. I dare you to do better.' 
- Captain Christopher Pike

Destiny is a word we throw around a lot. It gives us comfort, it gives us license to dream. It gives us structure. We believe that there is a purpose for all of us out there, that there is a reason for our being on this planet and we wait for the moment when destiny comes calling.  

Yet there is doubt in destiny. We cannot prove that it exists, we cannot control it at times and that brings us down. Circumstance seems to give way to one of our greatest beliefs and we wonder sometimes if what we believe in is not the path we must walk. It is this concept that drives the 2009 reboot of Gene Roddenberry's vision with J.J. Abrams' Star Trek.  

In the 23rd Century, there is a man without purpose living in a world where there is no hunger, no war, and everyone is given a fair shot. This man is James Tiberius Kirk and since the death of his father he is without direction. But an opportunity to enlist in Starfleet changes all of that for Kirk, for when an enemy from the future has come calling, Jim will get the opportunity to find out what he and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise are made of.  

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Let's start with the fact that I was beyond excited when this film came out because at the time, there was a serious lack of Star Trek in media as a whole; and my long wait for something new from this universe was rewarded with a fantastic film that brings back the magic of the original crew all while giving us so much of the Star Trek we know and love. Everything that made this franchise great is on display here. But more importantly, the depth and meaning that we expect is here as well. Kirk's journey is the perfect example of that. In the timeline we know he had his father George at his side, raising the man we would see save the Federation and humanity time and time again. So, it is quite stunning to see George Kirk die in the first minutes of the film and even more surprising to see James T. Kirk as a lost soul and a drunk.  It is a great twist but one that pays off.  

Kirk's journey from town drunk to captain of the Enterprise is nothing short of amazing. Especially due to the fact that it plays into the destiny theme so well and for that matter, the founding principles of the Federation. It's wonderful to see a universe where such an action can take place and where anyone can be something more, it's a hopeful message we need right now and one that we need to believe in and the film allows us to do just that.  

But it also shows that maybe we are really meant for something better in this life. That each of us have a special niche that only we fill but that it isn't about circumstance or doubt. It could be the fact that we simply need a push in the right direction, or the right person to guide us when we need it most to become someone incredible.  That's why this film was so successful. It lifts us up, and it challenges us the same way Pike challenged Kirk, it dares us to do better.  

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