Star Trek Beyond

Star Trek Beyond is the third in the trio of films that take the classic Star Trek story back in time to when the seven members of the crew were fairly new to piloting the Enterprise.

Like most in my generation, I embraced the TV series Star Trek when it aired for three years in the late 1960’s. My sister and I even went to an event to hear Gene Rodenberry give a talk, where a comical bonus was clips of Star Trek bloopers.

I was pleased when the first of these films came out, as I liked seeing the crew in their relative youth. This third in the series does not disappoint. It is rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action and violence.

Star Trek Beyond is still in theaters where my fellow moviegoers and I watched with rapt attention. Simon Pegg, who plays Scotty in the film, wrote the screenplay. Simon was Hector in a great film I reviewed here on my blog recently, Hector and the Search for Happiness. He is quite a talented actor and writer.

It is Stardate 2263.2, the Enterprise is in deep space, and Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) and Commander Spock (Zachary Quinto) are at stages of their lives where they are questioning their choices. Lieutenant Uhura (Zoe Saldana) and Spock are still an item in this film. Scotty (Simon Pegg), Sulu (John Cho), Chekov (Anton Yelchin), and Bones (Karl Urban) complete the beloved seven of the Enterprise crew. (It was sad to watch Anton as Chekov, knowing of his untimely death.)

A decision is made to come to the aide of a space traveler and the action/adventure begins. All members of the Enterprise are forced to leave the ship, and land on a harsh planet that is, however, conveniently suited for oxygen breathing life forms. The bad guy Krall (Idris Elba) has a mysterious past, and he threatens to destroy the starbase Yorktown.

The crew is separated, and each individual must find his or her way to the others. A capable new character, Jaylah (Sofia Boutella), gives an interesting new perspective to their predicament.

I loved this screenplay. The more I think about it, the more impressed I am. Of course, there was lots of action and adventure going on, but there were also touches of humor here and there to help alleviate all the tension and adrenalin pumping action.

My husband commented that these types of films show humans surviving extremely physically demanding events in a superhero kind of way, which is unrealistic. I agreed, but it is fantasy after all. We both loved the film.

The plot point in the other films about Commander Spock meeting his older self in the form of Ambassador Spock (Leonard Nimoy) makes one’s head swim. That whole time travel, meeting yourself from the future is just plain bewildering. But somehow it works. This film ties up those loose ends in a way. See it while it’s still in theaters on the big screen.