Yippeee !!! Star Trek 11 !! Woohoo !!

Fine. Fine. Call me a geek. Call me a nutjob. Call me ancient. Call me... a trekkie.

I don't care.

I've always been a Star Trek fan, both of the original series and later The New Generation and so after watching the whole franchise die over the years, I'm literally jumping ( ok, limping ) with joy as the first reviews of the new movie are out and they are A-W-E-SOMMME, calling it perhaps 'the best prequel of all time' !!!

Indeed,  like Batman, Star Wars, Superman and James Bond, these guys too were risking it all on a gamble - with a prequel going back to the origins of characters we geek/nerd/trekkies have been following for decades now. And unlike the other prequels, here an all-new cast of unknown kids were chosen. The ship's design, features and abilities were limited because it was the beginning.  It really should have all gone wrong... and yet, I admit to having always had high hopes for this movie in a season of sci-fi heaven ( Terminator Salvation, Wolverine : Origins, Transformers 2 ), especially after seeing the teaser trailor. 

Why is it such a big pop culture thing for me ? Think about it. This was a show created in 1966, before man had stepped on the moon, which talked about time travel. In an era of apartheid, cold war, hatred and prominent sexism, you dared to have a Russian, a Japanese and a black woman as prominent crew members on a show. Stories were always about encountering new races and yet managed to discuss relevant themes like dictatorship, religion, feminism, culture and human rights. Original sci-fi concepts were created ( warp speed, teleportation ) which even today endure and bring a smile. In creating this fantasy world, the creator Gene Roddenberry, didn't create characters. He created a whole new world. All the original characters became legends literally, with a gazillion catch phrases and spoofs about them existing even today. Star Trek comics, conventions,  cartoons, movies, new Tv serials ( The Next Generation - arguably the best of the lot, Voyager, Deep Space 9, Enterprise )...you had it all over 4 decades.

In short, I guess Gene did more than strive for originality, he did more than fight people's perceptions... he achieved what his characters set out to do all those years back : - 

To boldly go where no man has gone before.

Below is the trailor of the movie.. I've seen it half  a dozen times... and I still get goosebumps as the music reaches a high and they take their positions for the first time. I guess that's a sure sign that I'm a TREKKIE, huh ? Hehe... have no doubts, I'm proud of it !!!

LIVE LONG AND PROSPEROUS !

P.S. I also must share this anecdote that seems so awesome.. the people who got to view this movie in advancee ahead of it's release date actually went into the theatre under the false permise that they were being shown the 20 year old Star Trek movie : The Wrath of Khan with some additional footage. As you can imagine, there was still a huge turn out of fans even though they all probably had the DVDs and knew the lines byheart. 10 minutes into the 'screening of the old movie', the movie starts to dissolve in the theatre.. the lights come on and standing in front of the paid public is Leonard Nimoy aka Spock, one of the most iconic characters of the original series. After all the hysteria died down a good 5 minutes later , Spock very calmly asks the crowd one simple question - "Would you like to watch the additional 10 minutes of the old film... or would you like to be the first people on Earth to watch the new movie ?"

And history was made...