Merrick Says Goodbye, And Hello, To STAR TREK...

Merrick here...
AICN's featured many reviews of J.J. Abrams' STAR TREK over the last few weeks - so many, so quickly that my adding yet another perspective seemed extremely unnecessary at best. None the less, I've had many folks asking what I thought about this film...wondering how it sat with me, and why. Instead of actually reviewing the film, I thought approaching its release from a different vantage point might, conceivably...hopefully...provide some food for thought. TREK holds a different meaning for me than it does for many people. I've multiple personal connections to the franchise - people who worked on various TREK books, television series, and films. I hold some precious childhood memories as well, which I'll share with you below. To get a better sense of my broader TREK philosophy, check out THIS SCRIPT REVIEW of an unproduced STAR TREK feature called "The Academy Years", THIS ASSESSMENT of Erik Jendresen's screenplay for an unmade film called STAR TREK: THE BEGINNING, or THIS remembrance of STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN's opening day. So, as indicated above, what follows isn't really a review of J.J.'s TREK - it's more amalgam of the ideas reverberating through my head on the morning of the new film's arrival. Do I love the new film? I more than love it. Is it perfect? Not by a long shot - but it doesn't have it be. Such realizations carry a lot of baggage for someone like me, and simply saying "I like this movie" involves transcending many protective tendencies. Like many people reading this, I was the kid who got beat up on the playground for liking a show bullies ignorantly identified as "STAR TRACK". I didn't know how to play football, and knew squat about soldier games or "take the fort". But if you showed me a stick on the ground that looked like a phaser? I could decimate vast hordes of invading Mugato and still have time to run to the bathroom before the tardy bell rang. As in many cases, STAR TREK was the glue that led to the establishment of long held friendships - it even acted as an attractor of sorts. Even though we didn't know each other, us TREK fans somehow found their way to one another & we took the rest from there. Alas, increased numbers didn't make our interaction with the rest of the world any easier. Back in the day, picking off a herd of pre-pubescent Trekkers was tantamount to shotgunning wounded animals in a cage. But what these jackasses failed to comprehend is that this flood of intolerance was only galvanizing our love of TREK. In a real sense, we were living The Original Series' ideals - Infinite Diversity, Infinite Combinations. But when someone tries to oppress such notions? Sometimes you have to hit back - and hit back hard. And so it was that at least once a week I'd go home with tears on my eyes, bloody elbows from being pushed down, ripped clothes, in-school detention slips, or missing something of value that had been stolen by Spock bashing marauders. But Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and the gang were always waiting for me...Monday through Friday at 4pm on Channel 24 in Austin...to show me the way towards something better. To show me that worlds can be changed, despite the demons taunting human nature. It was during this time that I met two men who transformed my life indelibly. My dad was a Science Fiction author. Back when I was a kid, he was asked to introduce Gene Roddenberry - who was speaking at the local University (where my father was a professor). After Gene's presentation, amidst a swarm of backstage chaos, I got to sit down and talk with The Great Bird himself. One on one, just me and him. I can still remember the sense of peace he conveyed that night, and his unforgettable, grandfatherly voice. We probably didn't chat for very long, but in those few precious moments I was completely in his world, and he was the sole focus of mine. We talked about many things, and TREK. This was before STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE went into production; the proposed STAR TREK PHASE II series that morphed into a feature film, had not completely taken shape. Gene didn't know what form TREK would eventually assume, but he felt certain it would return. He shared with me, candidly, what he wanted to happen, and what he thought would happen. He invited me to come to the set and watch them film...whatever they'd be filming. This never came to be. My father, I think, was too proud to follow-up on such an invite. Still, it was a breathtaking opportunity to conjure. A few years later, I had the mind-bending privilege of visiting with Leonard Nimoy in his dressing room. It was after a stage performance of EQUUS, or maybe it was VINCENT. I honestly don't recall, because...at the time...I simply didn't care. By that point he may've already proclaimed he was "not Spock" (I'm hazy on the timing of that proclamation). But to me, he was - and forever shall be, the First Office of the Starship Enterprise. The Son of Sarek. It was in a darkened dressing room after a lengthy on-stage performance that an the exhausted-but-gracious Mr. Nimoy spent time with a starry eyed punk he probably doesn't even remember anymore. He signed the Starfleet "Enterprise Flight Deck Certification" Gene had thought to mail to me after meeting him. Leonard never shook my hand. Instead, he smiled warmly and genuinely, conveying volumes of sentiment though serene eyes. He parted his fingers to form the unmistakable Vulcan salute - inspired by the blessings of Hebrew priests. And in his soft, gravely voice, intoned, simply "Live long and prosper." Over the years, I was touched by many such moments. Instances that indelibly defined STAR TREK as a critical element in my life experience. The many powerful and creative personalities I encountered...men and women who shepherded TREK across the decades...were instrumental in my becoming who I am. Naturally, this made me defensive about, and even protective of TREK. Because it was mine...even though it wasn't mine. While I was beyond delighted to see the franchise escape the reign of Rick Berman and Brannon Braga, I wasn't sure about this Abrams cat. I knew of his creativity and accomplishments, and was well aware of his teams' pedigree - but everything about the early days of the new film's production felt smug...coy. It was impossible, it seemed, that The Powers behind this damn movie actually had a product worthy of such exhaustive conspiracy. To my admittedly paranoid mind, their steadfast determination to reveal so little early on meant they either had one helluva film, or no confidence whatsoever. Given Hollywood's law of averages, it was easy...and natural...to assume the later. So it was with no small amount of apprehension that I approached Abrams' STAR TREK a few weeks back - my claws sharpened, my paternal protectiveness stoked to full flame. And, frankly, all of Abrams & Company's coyness ("it's not your father's STAR TREK"?) made me hope...just a little...that their product wouldn't deliver, and would result in franchise flattening pratfall of gargantuan proportions. All of my fears are now muted. Not only were my misgivings silenced, they were bundled up in a neat little package that was then forcefully inserted into my out door with an explosive device attached. The new movie is the real thing, pure and simple. Abrams, Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof, Bryan Burk, Jeffrey Chernov, and their posse have, first and foremost, created a cinematic experience. In some regards, J.J.'s TREK works on the same level as the original release of STAR WARS or BLADE RUNNER. There's a visual density here, an esthetic business, a distinctive vision unlike any TREK you've seen before (and unlike most other movies, for that matter). This is a sweeping symphony of light, sound, and sensory input - sometimes elegant, often kinetic, frequently beautiful, and consistently intriguing - populated by believable people behaving in accessible ways. As STAR TREK it is distinctively familiar, but also very much reshaped...reborn. It's like returning to visit a house you used to live in many years ago - the shape is the same and the basic layout feels familiar, but the fixtures are updated, the paint has been touched up, and you dig the new TV set mounted on that wall. Part of you might miss the place in which you used to live, but you may envy how the new tenants have spruced it up. A long time ago, AICN alum Glen Oliver decimated STAR TREK NEMESIS in a review posted over at IGN (HERE). In the conclusion of his write-up, Glen accurately assessed the negative impact that film would have on the franchise, and passionately called for change. Here's a snippet of his manifesto:

Star Trek is not dead, but the ability of its shepherds to properly protect the flock may be irreparably compromised. Whether or not there are more Star Trek stories to tell is not an issue – such potential is as vast as the universe itself. Whether or not the people in charge can tell such stores IS a concern. This attrition has been happening for a long time, but only now is the full extent of Paramount's remiss complacency becoming evident. Give Star Trek its balls back. Take chances. Think out of the box. Put some color into the shows – good God, who wants to look at murky gray tones every week? Add visual dynamic and kinetics. Pump-up the sound. Above all, let the characters be human, and unpredictable. Let them make mistakes, and compromise their ideals – because Trek is about humans, and humans can be inconsistent. Let our characters not always do the right thing, and let us not always agree with them. Make it...well...real. Let Star Trek be a youthful child, filled with energy, quirkiness, driven by a sense of experimentation, exploration, and wonder. Something needs to be done here – bravely, and with extreme prejudice.

This is very much what the new film has done. More significantly to my reality, however, is they have brought TREK...and me...full circle. Merrick's 15 Year Old Son brought 4 guests to Monday night's screening of the film (the second time he and I had seen it - the first for our four guests). Among our companions were three teenagers who couldn't care less about STAR TREK, and an adult who was a well-versed fan. By the time the film's prologue had finished & its title boomed triumphantly across the screen, the three dispassionate teens were sitting (literally) slack jawed in awe and wonderment. During the film's end credits, their unsolicited comments were as follows: TEEN #1: That's the best movie I'll see this year. There's no way it won't be.
TEEN #2: That's...good God. That's...awesome. It's just...
TEEN #3: It's bad ass.
TEEN #2: It's awesome. I mean...
(As Nimoy's credit flashes on screen) TEEN #3: Which one was Leonard Nimoy?
MERRICK: He was Old Spock.
TEEN #3: THAT was him?
MERRICK: Yep.
TEEN #3: He was cool.
MERRICK'S 15 YEAR OLD SON: Bruce Greenwood rocks. We should all join Starfleet.
At this point the hardened TREK fan expressed solemn guilt that THE WRATH OF KHAN may now be bested in his estimate. I glanced around the theater, eavesdropping on numerous conversations of a similar nature. It was in this nstant that I realized something had happened which I'd never before experienced in the franchise's long history. Abrams and his gang have accomplished what even STAR TREK's own creator could not - they've fashioned a STAR TREK for everyone. Young and old, newbie and veteran. A STAR TREK for fans of action, lovers of drama, and folks just looking to kill two hours on a hot Summer afternoon. A STAR TREK for everyone. Considering what TREK is about, at its core, can you think of any better gift for the franchise? Maybe it'll be cool to like STAR TREK now. Teens, perennially worried about their perception by others, are now going to school urging classmates to join the party. Perhaps, at long last, the people who call it "STAR TRACK" will finally see the light. Part of me is sad to see the TREK I once knew go the way of the dinosaurs, and it does sting a little to see all that I loved morph into something so different. But a bigger part of me feels certain this is what TREK should've been for a long time now, and begrudgingly realizes that this is what I've always wanted TREK to be...even if I couldn't articulate as much over the years. So on this day, when Geeks far and wide are holding their breath...waiting to see what fate has in store for the good ship Enterprise...and preparing to assimilate newly minted nerds into their ranks...I guess I'm saying "goodbye" to STAR TREK in a way, while at the very same time offering an unconditional, and enthusiastic, "hello"...