To me, Star Trek always seemed character driven, with the relationship between Kirk, Spock and Bones taking center stage. Sci-Fi provided a platform which allowed viewers to observe this relationship as they addressed interesting social dilemmas. Despite whatever adventure they encountered, I always looked forward to seeing the three primaries interact.
The reboot did a pretty good job, in my opinion, establishing the origins of that relationship. A lot of the original serie’s humor was captured as well. I didn’t particularly care for the planet Vulcan being destroyed, and watching Kirk and Spock at odds for most of the movie wasn’t particularly enjoyable but it told a convincing story of how the three primaries met.
Ok…the groundwork has been laid. What I’d like to see now is more of the famous friendship. I suspect, though, that the very thing I like best about Star Trek may be better suited for tv. It’s probably more practical to give the ticket buyer a big budget, effects driven extravaganza.
Then again, the reboot was nowhere near as bad as I imagined in would be. It was actually pretty darned good. Maybe the follow-up will give us a serviceable adventure without totally sacrificing what made Star Trek great.