Star Trek and a review of Inadequate 23rd century tactics

Twenty-third century warfare isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. You’d think that weapons and tactics would have progressed in 200 years. But the new Star Trek movie shows that the United Federation of Planets has a lot to learn about warfare.

A military analysis of young Cadet Kirk’s War isn’t easy. Director J.J. Abrams‘ frenetic rock ‘em, sock ‘em style can be tough to follow. But here is Star Trek’s vision of future warfare. (Warning: all sorts of spoilers ahead.)

From Wired.com. Click here to read more.

That said, Star Trek was a rocking good movie sans plot and moralistic introspection (not really a bad thing). Die hard Trekkers will dislike the giant continuity problems that will ensue as a result of MASSIVE history altering events (hint: the United Federation of Planets suffers loss of a homeworld of one of its founding members) and the non-Trekkers will find the movie a good reason to look up "continuity" Trek TOS (original series) and TNG (Next generation).

The latest incarnation of Star Trek is Star Trek:Nemesis on crack. Nemesis was action focused but as usual, attempted to slide in a cautionary tale on evolutionary biology, cloning and whether the actions of ones' clones are a reflection of the original.

This "reboot" turns Trek history on its head with the death of James T. Kirk's inspiration to join Starfleet- his father. George Kirk takes command of the USS Kelvin for 12 minutes and successfully enacts a holding action against a vastly technologically superior time-traveling Romulon Mining Ship (why a mining ship is so heavily armed is a mystery to me.. but then again, they're Romulon..), saving his wife, newborn son and 800 others. And that's where history splits, Jim never joins Starfleet till a chance meeting with Christopher Pike (first commanding officer of the constitution class Enterprise. NERD ALERT: Robert April is the first CO.. but it's a reboot..).

Commander Spock rises swiftly through the ranks and is actually given Captainhood of the Enterprise when Pike has to meet Nero face to face, Pike's last orders assign Kirk to Spock as First Officer.

The movie will continue to place die-hard "OMG continuity" Trekkers in a very uncomfortable position- the joy of watching their boyhood hero grow to fill the Captain's chair and the inevitable pain that comes from watching a founding member's homeworld go kablooey.

But nevertheless, watching my girlfriend ooh and aah at the spiffy updated constitution Enterprise bridge controls and phased laser point defense systems, I was under no doubt that this was the Trek movie that would turn previously non fans, fans.

JJ Abrams has tastefully included the bridge sound artefacts from the original series (whee.. whee.. whee..) and finally proven the purists that- THERE IS NO SOUND IN SPACE with a viscereal 10 minute combat sequence that cuts from "pew-pew-kabloom" ship exterior to ship interior at the precise moment where a bulk head explodes, flushing a crewwoman into the silence of dark space.

Overall, it's a mast watch (nautical joke). 4.5 out of 5 stars.

P.S. I might catch it again. The sound FX and soundtrack are worth every penny.