In Defense of Into Darkness

Written by:  John Edward Betancourt 

Star Trek was one of the first science fiction franchises I was introduced to as a child and of all of them it has stayed with me the longest.  In fact I cannot remember the last time I missed the opportunity to watch the adventures of the U.S.S. Enterprise on the big screen and this year was no exception with the release of Star Trek Into Darkness and well, I loved it.  The Blu-ray will soon be mine but I was stunned to learn the other day that I am clearly in the minority on this one.  I just read many an article on how fans voted this one the worst Star Trek film of them all and quite frankly I'm stunned.  By no means is Into Darkness a perfect Trek but I don't think it's the worst. 

Now I can understand the ire of fans when it comes to the fact that this movie is in essence a remake of The Wrath of Khan, but I don't think that is the only issue at hand when it comes to this film because that is what it is.  We can't change that fact and I find it interesting no one seems to throw up their arms in disgust that Star Trek 2009 is in and of itself a remake of the whole damn franchise.  

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But I digress.  I don't think the core issue is Khan.  I think that this goes deeper.  In fact I think that the real issue at hand here is that Into Darkness in many ways abandons the Roddenberry Edict of the entire series that the 23rd Century must be full of harmony and peace and the Federation and Starfleet can do no wrong.  

I'm glad the film decided to go against that grain.  Yes Star Trek as a show shows us an incredible future free of the worst parts of humanity and yes the best episodes speak to the times but the utopia vision does not fit the times and it has not for many years.  We have seen our society evolve in ways we never expected through technology and in ideology.  We cling to what we believe in now more than I have ever seen before.  We hold those ideals so close to the chest that it leads to conflict that is almost mind boggling and the film picks up on that.  Admiral Marcus is the embodiment of that as is Starfleet's decision to make use of Khan, along with the role of Section 31, Starfleet's version of the C.I.A., and to build the U.S.S. Vengeance are moves so out of line with what we have come to expect from Star Trek that I think it caught every single fan off guard to see the vaunted United Federation of Planets allowing this kind of behavior.   

This is not the vision of the future we were introduced to so many years ago.  No, instead this is a future that reflects who we are today.  

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As much as I want to see a world just like The Original Series portrays it won't ever quite be like that in two centuries.  I'm sure there will be progress and I'm sure the world will indeed be a better place and I hope we are among the stars.  But it won't be perfect, it will take many more years after that to remove the hate and foolishness from mankind.   But we can certainly head toward it and as I mentioned in my original review of the movie, that's what makes the film work.  The fact that Kirk and Company stand up to Admiral Marcus' twisted vision of abandoning exploration for war and the trials they have to go through to get it all in the name of a better tomorrow.   

I understand we want the utopia.  I understand we want these movies to feel like they did growing up.  But they don't and they won't and that's a good thing.  They have grown with us and with the world around us and that's what Star Trek was always about, the struggle to hold on to the greatest parts of our humanity and the sacrifices we must make to keep them.  Star Trek Into Darkness is a dreary film in many ways and at the same time it speaks to a world that we will someday enjoy, but most importantly it speaks volumes about the human adventure and speaks to the fact that we are still afraid of tomorrow, of what's out there and of the unknown.  But that we are also afraid of seeing all that we have worked for disappear into the night and that there are so many of us out there willing to fight to the end to make sure that never happens.   

That is as noble a vision as any for our future and it holds true to the ideals of the franchise.  Time will be the final test for Star Trek Into Darkness and I can only hope that eventually the ire toward the film dies down and it can be viewed objectively and appreciated for doing what Star Trek does best...challenging us. 

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