Opaque Lucidity

To Still Boldly Go

There are many people in our society who are of the belief that each generation needs to re-imagine the myths of the last generation and adapt them for their present needs. As an armchair historian, I question the worth of that, but that’s an issue for another day. The Lovely Kelli and I went to see ‘Star Trek’ Saturday night, a welcome break for both her and me since we don’t get out of the house very often these days. Without a doubt, it is the retelling of a myth but more importantly to me, it is the retelling of a very American story.

If you are a serious Trekker, you have already seen the film. If you have no idea about the Star Trek universe, go see it soon---no prerequisites in this version, unlike previous films centered around the USS Enterprise. The plot of the film involves some time travel, so the writers had some wiggle room in terms of being true to Trek canon. The story itself is fairly simple and is, in my opinion, weak in some areas, but that is secondary to the purpose. The real meat of the story is in the characters and how they interacted in their early days.

Heading up the young characters are Kirk and Spock. Jim Kirk is a punk who borders on genius, a young man capable of great things if he would only stop getting into bar fights and cheating on simulation exams. Spock is the half-human, half-Vulcan who has almost mastered his emotions. He is brilliant, logical and squared away. His early encounters with Kirk are rough, but you soon realize the two make a brilliant pair. That’s when the story turns all-American.

Americans like cowboys and that’s what Jim Kirk is. He shoots first and asks questions later. He breaks the rules if necessary and doesn’t apologize for doing so. But he needs a second, a Tonto, someone to rein him in and make him think about the situation first. How many movies have we seen that involve a pair of characters just like this?

In this case, I believe the re-telling went well. It reminded me that my fellow Americans still appreciate not just the gun-toting cowboy, but the pairing of bravado and logic, two things that have brought us so far as a nation.