Star Trek Beyond, Review: Nebulous Enterprise

On TV, Star Trek was conceived in 1966, as a weekly NBC series, running for three seasons. Graduation to the big screen was logical. Since 1979, we have had a dozen treks so far, and here comes the 13^th Enterprise, marking the golden jubilee year, and spelling the end of star-billed Starship Enterprise, its literal destruction. The film is disruptive in plot, personal in dramatisation and modest in special effects.

Three years after its five-year voyage began, the USS Enterprise arrives at Starbase Yorktown (which I heard as Your Town every time), to replenish dwindling supplies while the crew takes shore leave. Finding his duties as Captain growing monotonous, James Kirk (Chris Pine) applies for a promotion to Vice Admiral. Meanwhile, Commander Spock (Zachary Quinto), the Vulcan, and Nyota Uhura (Zoe Saldana), the couple in love, deal with the end of their relationship; Hikaru Sulu (John Cho), then pilot,  reunites with his husband (Sulu is gay) and their young daughter; and Montgomery Scott (Simon Pegg) struggles to keep the ship operational.

When an escape pod drifts out of a nearby nebula and its sole occupant, Kalara, claims her ship is stranded on another planet, the Enterprise is despatched, only to be attacked by a swarm of drone ships. The swarm's commander, an alien warlord known as Krall, boards Enterprise, in order to retrieve an alien artefact, stored on board. However, Kirk gets to the artefact first and gets it hidden, before ordering that the crew to evacuate. As the crew evacuates, most of their escape pods are captured by the drone ships.

Uhura separates the Enterprise's saucer section, enabling it to crash-land on the planet below, but she is captured by Krall, and brought to his home base on the planet's surface, along with Sulu, and the rest of the captive crew. Along with the drone forces, Krall has alien technology that he uses to rejuvenate his body, by draining the life from his captives, and has been planning for centuries, to strike at the Federation. The alien artefact is the final component of a four-part bio-weapon he intends to unleash aboard Yorktown.

Simon Pegg and Doug Jung look at Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry’s vision, and question it . Says Pegg, “You know, the whole notion of the Federation and whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing, or how productive is inclusivity. What is the true cost of expansion, that kind of stuff. So we went in with some big, philosophical questions to ask.” Not a bad ploy. Except that the timing is suspect, what with the heroics of the Marvel heroes being questioned by the American government, just a few months ago, in a superhero movie.

Back in 2013, Roberto Orci had begun writing the script, with Patrick McKay and John D. Payne, and was also to direct. Then, Orci dropped out of the project. His script, too, was shelved. Pegg and Jung, who had never worked together, had to deliver a shooting draft in a mere five months, so that the film could be released on July 22, as scheduled, just a few weeks prior to September's 50th anniversary of Star Trek. Pegg was asked to make the story more inclusive. In the original timeline, Sulu wasn't shown in any relationships, but in the film Star Trek Generations, it was revealed that he had a daughter. Now, he has a husband and a daughter. George Takei, who played Sulu in the original series, is himself gay.

Into Darkness, the last outing, was ranked very low on the Trek chart, and probably that is why J.J. Abrams, who had helmed it, decided to stick to co-producing it. (Actor Leonard Nimoy, who directed two Star Trek films, and was synonymous with the franchise, as the Vulcan, Spock, is no more). Wielding the megaphone this time around is Justin Lin. Taiwan-born, America-educated, Lin will turn 45 this October.

Known for Fast and Furious x 4, Highlander, Annapolis, he would watch episodes of Star Trek with his dad, a Taiwanese immigrant, who worked long hours at his Californian restaurant. He could not play too much with the dramatis personae, so he has subverted the plot instead. His love for the series is palpable, though. A clear human dimension is given to every character, and the razzle-dazzle, ant-colony like drone ships and rattle-tattle of ammo do not interrupt the narrative too often. Whenever they, however, it is a generous doses. Said Lin, “I feel like it’s important to maybe try to deconstruct why Federation, Starfleet, and why Star Trek is special. And, hopefully, at the end of it we reaffirm why it’s been around that long. And hopefully we can help keep it going.”

Chris Pine (The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, Just My Luck, Smoking Aces) has a presence that is more gentlemanly than authoritative. Zachary Quinto (6’ 4”; What’s Your Number, Margin Call, Girls Walks Into a Bar) as Commander Spock, first officer and science officer, steps in to fill the original Spock’s ears...er...shoes, rebranding the late, lamented Vulcan as Spock Prime. The two enjoy good rapport. Zoe Saldana (Avatar, Death at a Funeral, The Losers and Takers, Colombiana, The Words, Guardians of the Galaxy) as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, the communications officer, keeps her affection for Spock just that much sublime and platonic. Karl Urban (Dredd, Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Riddick) as Leonard McCoy, MD, chief medical officer, brings along a much-needed funny track in the scenes with the purely logical and quaintly quirky Spock.

Anton Yelchin (Terminator Salvation, Charlie Bartlett, Like Crazy Then) plays Ensign Pavel Chekov, ship's main navigator, with a classic surname and a scrambled Russian accent, though he is never short of the requisite skills. (You might have read that on June 19, 2016, Yelchin was killed in a car accident in California. He was only 27. The film was dedicated to his memory). Idris Elba (Thor, Avengers, Mandela) is the alien villain, Krall, part human, part reptile, determined to bring down the Federation. Though his motivation, equation with his alien followers and transformation into human form are not satisfactorily explained, he is too good an actor to let this come in his way. With a mask throughout the film, which comes off only in the climax, Elba manages to hold fort.

Simon Pegg as Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott, second officer and chief engineer, runs around breathlessly, trying to beat the clock, but seems to be pining for comic moments.

Sofia Boutella (the villain/vamp in Kingsman: The Secret Service) as Jaylah, the alien guardian of USS Franklin, has a meaty role, as ill-defined as that of Krall. She, too, makes the most of what is on offer. Good old Leonard Nimoy, whose voice has now been stilled forever, gazes at us from a photo still, evoking memories of years/decades gone by.

Joe Taslim as Manas, Deep Roy as the miniature man Keenser and Harpreet Sandhu have Indian/South Asian sounding names. Unfortunately, there is little else to write home about them.

Star Trek Beyond does indeed move ahead from the familiar universe. How one wishes they had been more Enterprising than nebulous.

Rating: ***

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzD8H6o1awQ

Gene Rodenberry (excerpted from the official website)

As creator and producer of the original Star Trek television series, he launched a phenomenon without precedent in show business and attained a celebrity status unique among his peers. He spoke on the subject at NASA meetings, the Smithsonian Institution, Library of Congress gatherings, and top universities. As creator of the beloved Starship Enterprise and its crew, which included the heroic Captain Kirk and the logical Vulcan, Mr. Spock, Roddenberry unwittingly unleashed a phenomenon in which Star Trek enthusiasts became a veritable cult, numbering physicists, aerospace engineers, housewives, senators, children, teachers and intellectuals among its devotees (affectionately known as "Trekkies," and later, "Trekkers").

The show went outside television to win science fiction's coveted Hugo Award, and then spawned an animated spin-off, as well as a series of feature films. He was born in El Paso, Texas, on August 19, 1921, spent his boyhood in Los Angeles, studied three years of policemanship and then transferred his academic interest to aeronautical engineering and qualified for a pilot's license. He volunteered for the U.S. Army Air Corps in the fall of 1941 and was ordered into training as a flying cadet when the United States entered World War II. Emerging from Kelly Field, Texas, as a Second Lieutenant, Roddenberry was sent to the South Pacific, flying B-17 bombers out of the newly-captured Japanese airstrip, which became Henderson Field. In all, he took part in approximately 89 missions and sorties. He was decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal.

While in the South Pacific, he also began to write. He sold stories to flying magazines, and later poetry to publications, including The New York Times. At war's end, he joined Pan American World Airways. During this time, he also studied literature at Columbia University.

It was on a flight from Calcutta that his plane lost two engines and caught fire in mid-air, crashing at night in the Syrian desert. As the senior surviving officer, Roddenberry sent two Englishmen swimming across the Euphrates River, in quest of the source of a light he had observed just prior to the crash.

The Englishmen reached a Syrian military outpost, which sent a small plane to investigate. Roddenberry returned with the small plane to the outpost, where he broadcast a message that was relayed to Pan Am, which sent a stretcher plane to the rescue. Roddenberry later received a Civil Aeronautics commendation for his efforts during and after the crash.* (See below).

Back in the States, Roddenberry continued flying until he saw television for the first time. At a friend's suggestion, he joined the Los Angeles Police Department, following in his father's footsteps and gaining experiences which would be valuable to a writer. By the time he had become a sergeant, Roddenberry was selling scripts to such shows as Goodyear Theatre, The Kaiser Aluminum Hour, Four Star Theater, Dragnet, The Jane Wyman Theatre and Naked City.

Established as a writer, he turned in his badge and became a freelancer. Later, he served as head writer for the highly popular series Have Gun, Will Travel. His episode "Helen of Abiginian" won the Writers Guild Award and was distributed to other writers as a model script for the series. Next, he created and produced The Lieutenant series, starring Gary Lockwood and Robert Vaughn; it told the story of a young man learning the lessons of life while in the United States Marine Corps. Star Trek followed (1966-1969).

Star Trek developed a loyal following and has since become the first television series to have an episode preserved in the Smithsonian, where an 11-foot model of the U.S.S. Enterprise is also exhibited on the same floor as the Wright brothers' original airplane and Lindbergh's "Spirit of St. Louis." In addition to the Smithsonian honours, NASA's first space shuttle was named Enterprise, in response to hundreds of thousands of letters from fans demanding that the shuttle be named after the beloved starship. After the Star Trek series ended, Roddenberry produced the motion picture "Pretty Maids All in a Row," starring Rock Hudson, Angie Dickinson and Telly Savalas, and also made a number of pilots for TV.

On October 24, 1991, Gene Roddenberry passed away and a world not so far away mourned the loss of one of television's foremost pioneers.

*From plane crashinfo.com

June 19, 1947

Time:    23:40

Location:          Al Mayadin, Syria

Operator:         Pan American World Airways

Flight #:            121

Route:  Karachi – Istanbul (The previous halt might have been in Calcutta. Karachi lies between Calcutta and Istanbul)

AC Type:         Lockheed 049-46-21 Constellation

Registration:      NC88845

cn / ln:  2045

Aboard:            36   (passengers: 27, crew: 9)

Fatalities:          14   (passengers: 7, crew: 7)

Ground:            0

Summary: While on a flight originating in New York and making its inaugural west-bound flight of round-the-world service, the aircraft's No. 1 engine failed half-way on a leg from Karachi to Istanbul. Due to closed airports and inadequate repair facilities, the pilot chose to continue to its destination. Several hours later, the remaining engines overheated and the No.2 engine caught fire, causing the plane to crash. Gene Roddenberry (creator of Star Trek) was a dead-heading Pan Am pilot aboard, who helped rescue many of the passengers. The crash was blamed on Pan Am's failure to replace the No. 2 engine, which had experienced several problems earlier. A fire which resulted from an attempt to feather the No. 2 propeller after the failure of the No. 2 engine thrust bearing. The aircraft was named Clipper Eclipse.