It feels like the sort of thing that the show - which believed in a future where human beings had eliminated all conflict and lived in perfect peace - sometimes struggled to overcome (since stories, uh, need conflict).īut Beyond explicitly builds its conflict around that idea, questioning whether a society ever could live without conflict, before deciding that even if that’s an unattainable ideal, it’s still one worth striving for.Ī world in which human differences have been resolved and people work together in peace is presented not as something to be overcome in the name of big battles between starships, but as something that might someday become our norm. The ultimate message of Beyond - that making peace is far more important than waging war - would be very much at home in Gene Roddenberry’s original series, which (I’ll point out again) debuted almost 50 years ago, in September 1966. 2) The story is a ringing endorsement of ’60s-era liberalism Kirk and the film’s villain (played by Idris Elba) have a difference of opinion over what the future should hold. Beyond nestles a classic Trek episode in between two examples of the big-screen spectacle that has defined the new film series. Star Trek Beyond offers spectacle (especially in its gigantic third act), but it takes the time to set up that spectacle, which makes it all the more potent when it hits.Įxploration, of course, has always been at the center of Star Trek, and many episodes of both the original series and The Next Generation focused on the Enterprise crew having to figure out what was up on some strange planet or another. This sort of storytelling should be at the center of most blockbusters, but increasingly, big-budget flicks are overwhelmed by the need to chase spectacle. And all along, the characters are bickering and bantering and figuring things out, showing off the easy chemistry the cast has built up over the past two movies. Goals lead to other goals, which lead to still other goals. Then they need to find a way to stop that force from escaping and hurting anybody else - especially a giant star base within easy striking distance. Then they need to work to figure out just what force is keeping them on this planet. The characters need to work to find each other. They’re even split up into little groups that allow for maximum character interplay and gags - having Spock ( Zachary Quinto) and Bones ( Karl Urban) be forced to hang out together turns out to be a master stroke, for instance. Yes, this movie has a couple of great space battles (though the one that concludes the film’s opening section goes on way, way too long).īut for the most part, this is a story about the crew of the USS Enterprise finding themselves stranded on a mysterious planet, cut off from Starfleet and trying to figure out just who stranded them there. 1) This story isn’t about space battles it’s about exploration Spock (Zachary Quinto) and Bones (Karl Urban) try to figure out this crazy new planet they’re on. Here are five ways Beyond honors Star Trek’s 50-year legacy while staying true to itself. But in a summer filled with blockbusters that either take themselves too seriously or don’t try to tell a story, Beyond is a gleeful race through outer space, with a genuinely compelling (if easy-to-figure-out) mystery at its center. Instead, it’s a surprisingly joyful throwback to everything that makes the Star Trek universe great. So Beyond, which arrives with a brand new creative team behind the scenes and seemingly a total lack of buzz, could have easily been a total flop. Meanwhile, 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness was a shambles on almost every level. Though I probably prefer 2009’s Star Trek slightly to this one, just because seeing the ensemble cast gel onscreen was amazingly fun, let’s be honest - that story was a total mess.
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