A Tale of 2 Sci Fi Shows: Orville vs Discovery

One of these shows

truly captures the

spirit of Star Trek...

The other does not.

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know that I am a huge sci fi geek. I was raised on Star Trek Original Series reruns long before Star Trek: The Next Generation came out. But, Paramount has simply not been able to get it right in a long time. These rebooted Star Trek movies are horrible, and they pulled the plug on the Enterprise series in season 4, right when the show found its stride. So, they have created an all new show, Star Trek: Discovery, set before the events of The Original Series. Yep. A prequel of all things. Now, I'm not going to sit here and gripe about how the tech of today looks different from tech created in the 60's. That's a given, and to anyone who would gripe about that, I have one word for you. "DUH!" I'm going to do you a favor, and talk about the show itself, its characters and story lines.

Discovery cast

On the other side of the coin, Family Guy creator, Seth McFarlane has created a sci fi show called The Orville. It was billed as a spoof of Star Trek, with humor and antics that you'd expect from McFarlane. Did he overdo it? Did he get it right? Read on.

Orville cast

So, let's first start talking about the 6th official Star Trek series, Star Trek: Discovery. Minor spoilers ahead. First off, the series takes place several years before The Original Series. Any trekkie knows that the Klingon War takes place during that time frame. However, this series obliterates any of the canon that was established during Enterprise. For example, the lead up to the Klingon war, and the elephant in the room, the forehead ridges on the Klingons. Enterprise brilliantly explained why they looked so different in the Original Series vs how they look in the rest of Trek. That story is not only gone, but the Klingons look nothing like (or act nothing like) the Klingons of the older series...which in my opinion were the most badass looking. And, it gets worse from there.

You're saying we now look like
THIS????

Ahh yes.
We demand honor!
If everyone politely agrees!

The story is of a first officer who committed mutiny against her captain in a standoff with the Klingons. Her mutiny failed, but had it succeeded, Starfleet likely would not be involved in a war. The captain of her first ship is such a wuss, that you are actually wanting her to get killed off. This is a major problem with this series. You can't get attached to any of these characters. There's nothing redeeming about any of them. But, our main character, (Michael Burnham...a female) the aforementioned first officer who committed mutiny is sentenced to life in prison, but is transferred to the USS Discovery, a science vessel that is no longer a science vessel. Its now a war vessel because Starfleet is at war.

YES, my name is Michael
YES, I'm a GIRL!

The whole premise is flawed. This series mentions that they have had contact with the Klingons for a while, but there is little known about them. Any Trekkie knows that this is total bullshit. Paramount and CBS are trying to show the Klingon war. And, there is nothing wrong with that, other than the fact that the writers seem to have never seen an older Trek episode in their lives. It really shows.

Personally, I liked Enterprise alot, but many critics said that it was dark and morbid...which it was, but with the exception of season 3, it really was Star Trek. Discovery seems to be just a war story with lots of over bearing CGI, lens flare, and explosions. It seems ironic that a show called "Discovery" is turning out to be yet another dystonian sci fi series where everything is WAR!

I mentioned the Klingons, and how they look nothing like the badass Klingons of previous series. I also mentioned overkill of CGI. Remember how the ships of the previous Trek series looked elegant and big? Well throw that out the window. Star Trek: Discovery has taken tips from the Transformers movies, and shown you so much CGI that you can't even tell what you're looking at. Take a look at this pic. Can you see anything???

Me either.

So, now that we have that out of the way, let's move on, shall we? The Orville.

Right off the bat, if you've watched ONE episode each of both these shows, you know that The Orville is a much brighter, and upbeat show. Its sci fi, but with fun, and honestly, its a realistic look at how Star Trek would be in real life. It has a chain of command, but its officers are allowed to be themselves. For example, in one episode, the captain calls for one of the bridge crew, who is in his quarters. The announcing officer says (paraphrasing) "Hey, Bortis, the captain says to get your ass up here." There are comedy breaks, but the feel of the show is exploration and...discovery. Hmmm!

Seth Mcfarlane takes jabs at everyone. And, speaking as a conservative, its refreshing to see that he is really giving his all to make this a great sci fi series. He could easily use this show to advance his liberal beliefs. But, he doesn't. In fact, there's an episode where he actually takes a view that opposes the liberal template. The storylines are very much Star Trek. This isn't a show (so far) that takes on an arc, like STD. Yes, I went there. Its an episodic roller coaster ride, with a fresh new story each week, with the crew learning something new after a white knuckle, brush with disaster. Sound familiar? The Orville is Star Trek!

The Orville uses a model.
Trek hasn't done that in years.
Models look SO much better than CGI.

What's not to love? Aliens, mistakes by the crew, practical jokes, and the wisdom that Gene Roddenberry made famous before his death. He would be proud of this series, and less of Star Trek: Discovery. For simply obvious reasons, the character development is MUCH better. I know more about every character of Orville in 6 episodes than I do of Discovery after the same amount of episodes.

So, while CBS is charging people to watch a crappy Star Trek series, Fox is giving you a real one for free. So, if you're unable to process the data handed out in this post, there is a new Star Trek series, however, a show that was intended as a Trek spoof is more Star Trek than an actual Star Trek series.

It pains me to say that, but its the truth. I'm still going to watch STD, but honestly, I look forward to The Orville more. Hands down, its a better show.

Live long, and prosper.

CBS/Paramount Sues Star Trek Fans #Axanar

I'll be brief.

Star Trek Axanar is a fan made and funded Star Trek movie, starring Richard Hatch. (Battlestar Galactica) Paramount and CBS are suing the project for copyright infringement, which happens to coincide with the release of a new Trek series, and the upcoming movie, Star Trek: Beyond. 

Those are the facts.

Now, this is what I have to say to CBS and Paramount:

You people killed off Enterprise when it was getting really good. The Next Generation movies were mostly crap, and the 3 new movies (Star Trek, Into Darkness and Beyond) are garbage in the purest sense of the term. 

Star Trek has been dead for a very long time, and the fans aren't impressed with what JJ Abrams has done unless its Star Wars. Why in the hell would you sue people who are trying to make a good product? Are you worried that a fan created movie would make you idiots look bad? You're doing a good enough job of that on your own. Are you worried about competition? You know that Trek fans buy everything that comes out, so what's the problem? Do you think that they would see Axanar and skip Beyond? They should because the previews for Beyond make it look REALLY bad, but they won't. Many people have seen every single Trek film in the theater and are going to continue the tradition, just like Star Wars. So, since I've alleviated your concerns, the only one that remains is that you're worried about DVD and Blu Ray sales, and downloads. Here's a suggestion: Stop making garbage Star Trek! 

I don't buy the copyright infringement angle. Are you going to sue everyone who has done a Fan Fic? What about the people who recreated The Original Series with different actors? Why is their project any different than Axanar? 

You don't need this negative press. Suing fans? That's a dick move. It was the FANS that kept Trek alive for 50 years, not you people. And you never listened to them. Instead of suing them, how about you hire them and throw the unlimited budgets that you have into Axanar and make it an incredible film?

You people are amazing. Rather than making something good, you'd rather crush something good. Its pathetic. Drop the lawsuit and either back the people making the movie or leave them alone. The fans are sick of the crap you've been dishing out.

I'm just one small time blogger, but I think I am speaking for an overwhelming majority of Star Trek fans. I hope you do the right thing. And I hope someone in your organizations reads this.

Oh, and I wrote a fan fic years ago. Just an admission of guilt for your inevitable class action lawsuit against all Trek fans. And, in honor of Lemmy Killmister of Motorhead  (RIP) Here's a pic of him flicking you guys off.

This is for you, CBS
and Paramount!

#IStandWithAxanar #Axanar 

Top 10 Sci Fi TV Shows

We'll do movies next month. But now, we're talking about the TV series that have not only glued us to our seats, but also withstood the test of time as pure classics or as cult classics. But, we're going to have a simple top 10, regardless of whether or not its a cult classic or a pure classic.

Personally, I have been a Star Wars/ Trek guy all my life. I had seen all of the original Star Trek series and the movies long before Star Trek: The Next Generation came out. I saw the original Star Wars films in the theater too, when they were first released. I had also seen many Sci Fi movies. But, I never got into sci fi TV other than Star Trek and the original V, and Battlestar Galactica until very recently. Yes, I did a lot of catching up.

A tornado was responsible for taking me to a new world.
Sound familiar?

In early 2011, I lived in Chattanooga, TN. During a very dangerous storm that spawned hundreds of tornadoes throughout the region, a tornado hit my place. My satellite dish was broken, and because of the damage to the entire area, they estimated a week before they would be able to fix it. Once the power was restored, I went to Blockbuster, and was there specifically to find TV shows. I decided upon the remake of Battlestar Galactica because I had heard great things about it. I watched the 3 disks that I rented in one day, and had returned them for 3 more later that evening. I was hooked. I didn't even care when the satellite TV company fixed my dish. I didn't watch anything other than Battlestar Galactica until I had finished the series. After that, I decided to watch as many sci fi shows as I could. All of the shows listed in this list with the exception of Star Trek and V, I have seen for the first time since 2011. I have seen every single episode of all these shows except for one of them. And no, these are not just the only ones I've seen. I've seen much more in addition to these. So, enough of my yacking..Lets get on with it!

Number 10: Lexx. A dumb security guard, an assassin, a love slave, and a robot head who is obsessed with the love slave wind up in charge of an enormous bug shaped doomsday weapon, and set off to escape tyranny. But, tyranny follows, especially when you are carrying the living brains of the various tyrants from the past. This is an adult show that doesn't take itself seriously. Its a sci fi comedy that hits on all cylinders. However, it definitely isn't for everyone. NOTE: The first season is 4 full length movies. Just watch the first and fourth movies. The second and third simply are not watchable. The rest of the series? Great! Plus, the show ran 4 seasons, and was not cancelled.



Number 9: The Original V. No, not the remake in 2009. That was getting very good, but it was cancelled on a brutal cliffhanger. No, the original with Marc Singer was a masterpiece. It was scary, and the special effects were excellent for their time. It looked real, and it made you question the mental capacity of those in the human race who would sell out their own kind for a few scraps from an invading dictator's table. It showed the choice that we all would have to make should something like that happen...Fight or be a slave. The Original V was amazing. I've seen it straight through many times, and I could watch it all over again right now without being bored.

Number 8: Babylon 5. The humans picked a fight with a superior enemy. A war breaks out. Humanity is about to be wiped out, but they...win? The enemy surrendered on the eve of victory? What the hell? The humans built an outpost in neutral territory for all races to converge and do business, work out treaties, etc. But, there are of course other dangers, both from within and from a distance. Its a show that explores relationships in various species, politics, and religion, all with the threat of war hanging over everyone. The CGI looks cheesy now, but when the series aired, they represented cutting edge CGI. This is a great show that will hook you.

Number 7: Stargate. I am talking about all 3 of the shows that were created as a result of the movie. The gate that transports you to other worlds, and even galaxies using devices that create wormholes. You also get to explore the origins of Earth mythology. 3 shows. SG1, which continued where the movie left off, Atlantis, where humans find the lost city of Atlantis..in another galaxy, and meet one of the scariest villains ever shown on screen, and Universe. Humans discover a ship that is programmed on a mission to the end of the universe. A franchise that had 3 shows, 17 20+ episode seasons, and spawned 2 movies? Yeah, this has to be on the list. It would have listed higher, but some of the very early seasons didn't age very well. But, don't let that stop you from watching! You will be addicted!


Number 6: Fringe. A story of parallel universes, one of which has a bronze Statue of Liberty and a World Trade Center, mad scientists, aliens, looming Dystopian future and a secret division of the FBI. You like sci fi suspense? This is your show. Great characters, and stories. Look...If Leonard Nimoy is in it, its gotta be good right? See this one. In fact, see all of the shows listed here.


Number 5: Firefly. It only ran for one season, and its airing was botched, but it was one of the best inaugural seasons of all time. This series hits the ground running, grabs you, and refuses to let go. Its a sci-fi western for lack of a better term. Takes place in the future, where humans have migrated into deep space to escape an oppressive government, and they do what they need to do to stay alive. It has great characters, with development that doesn't take place in most series until the third season or after. It was cancelled, but the fans kept it alive, and a full length feature film was made and released. Considering how great this one season is, if this show had been allowed to continue, it would undoubtedly be the greatest sci fi TV show of all time.

Number 4: Farscape. The story of a present day astronaut who gets sucked into a distant part of space with all sorts of aliens, danger, and humor as well. This series is very well done. The main plot line is that the lead character has wormhole knowledge in his head, put there by aliens. There is a powerful villain who is chasing him from one side of the galaxy to another. This one ran 4 seasons, and was cancelled (stupidly) by SyFy. Like Firefly, the fans rallied, and a mini series was made to tie up the loose ends. A feature Farscape film is in the works as I write this.



Number 3: Battlestar Galactica Remake. The show that got me into sci fi TV shows. Although This is a re imagining of the 1978 series, the main premise is the same. A robotic race annihilates most of humanity except for a rag tag fleet of survivors; the Cylons who hunt the humans relentlessly. It does have several differences though. The Cylons look like people, and the show actually has the mood that the whole universe has been torn apart by a superior enemy. Although there are several nods to the original series, and the general premise is the same, the story is completely new, and the characters are believable. They are flawed like everyone else. The series focuses on human relationships, duty in the face of annihilation, religion and politics. BSG is also super addicting. Since 2011, I've seen it from start to finish 4 times.

Number 2: Star Trek. What can you say? 5 series, 28 20+ episode seasons, 10 movies, and a current reboot that has 2 movies, and new series in the works. Although Star Trek: The Next Generation is hard to watch these days in my opinion. Star Trek has not only influenced future sci fi, it has also influenced lots of technology. This franchise will be along for many generations to come.



And finally, Number One. If Star Trek is Number Two, there can only be one possibility for number one. And, it is none other than Doctor Who. Its the story of a man from another planet. A time lord who travels time and space, experiencing history and the future, doing good, accompanied by human companions. 13 different people have played The Doctor, and the show has been borrowed from on many different sci fi shows and movies. For example, the Borg on Star Trek? Cybermen. There have been 35 seasons, countless movies, spinoff series, etc. It has even survived a 15 year hiatus, and came back and was immediately adopted by a brand new generation of fans. Doctor Who started it all. A madman in a box. Another show that will be around for many generations to come. (Doctor Who is the show I mentioned that I haven't seen every episode, but I am working on it. At the time I write this, I have seen all of the first and second Doctors, over half of the third, some of the fourth, and everything from the ninth, tenth, and eleventh, and am eagerly awaiting the 12th Doctor next month.)

So, there you have it. My top 10. Do you agree or disagree? Let me know! Some great shows that I am currently watching or that didn't make the list are Falling Skies, Continuum, and while it may not be sci fi, The Last Ship is a pretty damn good show so far.

Things That Annoyed or Embarassed Me on TV...

This topic could easily spawn a series, but we are going to just focus on a few things that annoyed me on TV for the moment.

Have you ever watched TV shows, and been GENUINELY embarrassed by something that was being done on the show? For example, you're watching one of YOUR shows, and a roommate comes in with his girlfriend and 2 HOT friends right as the cast of your show does something really embarrassing.

The other side of this coin is something in a show that really got under your skin for whatever reason...or something that really 'grinds your gears'. Maybe something that insults your intelligence.

Whatever the case, we are going to discuss them here, and NOW! So, sit back and remissness. These things will annoy you too.

First on my list is:

Saved by the Bell. Yes, I watched this stupid show when I was younger. But even then, I was not a fan of the show. I watched it because of the even younger bitch I was living with at the time. (I was 21, she was 19.) I have always been analytical, and this show really bugged me. (other than the REALLY bad acting.) Why? Because it took place in a high school. High schools have classes with 20+ people in them. Yet when they showed any type of class activity, it was just the 5 stars of the shows. Didn't matter where they went. It was Zack and the rest of his crew, and nobody else. You would think the show's budget would allow 10 extras just to preserve the realism? You would be wrong.

Question: Did Slater know what his girlfriend did after
graduation? She went "different places."

Going to Disney World. There was no worse waste of a TV series episode than when the cast went to Disney World. Every time I saw this, it was the same thing. The cast riding the rides at Disney World. B-O-R-I-N-G. I can't imagine why producers of shows would do this, (unless Disney paid them to do it) because those episodes every time they were done got the lowest ratings of the season. Roseanne even did it. John Goodman's character redeemed it sort of, when he finally found the World of Beer in Epcot. However, the Family Matters Disney episode was painful. It was 2 (maybe even 3) episodes of just the family riding rides, except for the scenes with Urkel. He invented a machine that turned him from a nerd to a suave stud muffin that Laura was all over. But, of course, he realized she was in love with the fake Urkel, and turned back into the nerd. All at Disney World! Does Disney World really need the publicity bad enough to inject themselves into regular TV?

Oh come on...Full House did it too!
(We'll get to Full House later)

Breaking Into Song or something similar. There was nothing worse than when your characters broke into a song for no reason. And, it was NEVER a good song. For example, in Star Trek, it happened frequently. We won't even get into the original series. It came out during the 60's, so they get a pass. Its still the best Trek series by a long shot. But, the most notable time was when Picard was in the lounge, and led the crew in a song that started off "Come Cheer Up My Lads" or something like that. It was embarrassing to watch alone, let alone when a roommate walked in at that exact moment.

Other than song, was hopscotch?? In Deep Space Nine, the crew did a hopscotch number while chanting a nursery rhyme. Luckily, I watched that one alone, and nobody walked in on me. Even though I was alone, I was still embarrassed.

Thanks To Our Great Friends!!! This has happened in lots of TV series. A band stars on a sitcom as themselves, and the cast of the show gets invited up on stage at a concert to sing with the band. Full House was probably the worst example that I've seen. The gang wins a contest to hang out with The Beach Boys. The band loved the family so much that they unexpectedly invited them up on stage to sing Barbara Ann with them. And, the children (who had likely never even heard the song before the episode was filmed) somehow knew the words to the song, even though they were not expecting to be invited on stage. This happens in so many sitcoms, and it is lame every time its done.

Let's get our great friends from that
TV Show to join us on stage!!!

Overkill! A murder was committed at 5:45 this morning. It is solved by 5:00 PM the same day. Every day. Day in, and day out. Kill someone? You're gonna get it! YEEEAAAHHHHHH!!! I'm not so much embarrassed by the CSI crew, other than the fact that murders are not solved that fast...ever. Which means that they are insulting their (dumb) viewers intelligence. A friend of mine is a cop, and a victim of a minor burglary once told him "WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT WILL TAKE SOME TIME??? THEY GET IT DONE IN ONE DAY ON CSI!!! WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH YOU??

You do realize our nation is screwed, right???

Someone was killed in Miami, then taken
to Africa, where their body was split in pieces
and sent to North Korea, and Antarctica, and
the moon? Call me at 5PM!

Ambiguously Gay Duo! And, I'm not talking about the SNL skit. I'm talking about Supernatural. Sam and Dean Winchester are brothers who hunt ghosts, demons, monsters, etc. But their relationship is like an old married couple that thrives on a love/hate obsession. They bicker like an old married couple, and to some sick freaks, it looks gay.

Seriously, I love a good TV series better than any movie. However, the acting leaves a lot to be desired, especially with speaking extras. Who cares what they have to say, right?

Directors...Just lose the drama!

Goodnight! 

Which Iconic Sci-Fi Space Travel Device Would You Prefer?

 

Ok, I'm going to go geek on you all here, because there is a question that needs to be answered. Which Iconic Sci-Fi Space Travel Device Would You Prefer? Why does it need to be answered? Just because. But, there is a process we have to go through to determine which is the most desirable.

I can think of 3 drastically different types. Here they are: The Tardis from Doctor Who, The USS Enterprise from Star Trek, and the Stargate from Stargate. Now, before you go asking me why I didn't include Star Wars ships, let me tell you. Nothing about Star Wars ships compares to those in Star Trek. The Millenium Falcon made the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs, and it is generally accepted that hyperspace is faster than warp drive, there is nothing else that the Star Wars ships has over the Star Trek ships.

So, lets compare them, shall we?



USS Enterprise: Pros: Travels at warp speed, heavily armed, and shielded. Has holodecks, a bar, all the comforts of home, the transporter to decide exactly where you want to go.  Cons: You're there with hundreds of other people, you aren't allowed to drink alcohol or eat real meat, and the shields rarely hold if fired upon, can only travel in the Milky Galaxy. Its HUGE, and has a gazillion things that could go wrong...and do go wrong.



NCC 1701 A. The BEST version



The Tardis: Pros: Small, although bigger inside than it looks outside, easy to hide, it appears wherever you want it to, time travel is possible, you can go anywhere you want, you can go alone if you want, but can also have other people if you choose to, fixes itself in some cases. Easy to fix in others, you can do whatever you want, whenever you want. Also much faster than the Stargate and Enterprise. Can go anywhere in the universe. Cons:  Not very cozy, no privacy if you were traveling with someone and wanted it, Would have to go to a planet for just about every meal. A really bumpy ride.

The Stargate: Pros: You aren't confined to a ship. Cons: You are limited to the one galaxy unless you get a whole bunch of gates and string them between galaxy to galaxy. You have no say in where you go or come out. You simply go where the gate is, or you don't go. That could be dangerous either coming or going.

Now, lets put out some scenarios here to see which device would have the advantage in each scenario:

You are on another planet, and suddenly, you are ambushed by hostiles who want to kill you..or worse, eat you. You would have to run to the Stargate, and the Tardis. With the Enterprise, you could just beam up. Advantage, Enterprise.

You need to make a stealth entrance to a planet, grab something, and get out unnoticed. Clearly, the advantage goes to the Enterprise once again with the transporter, but you could also go unnoticed with the Tardis as long as you could find a place to hide it.

You need to get somewhere fast, but your destination is on the other side of the galaxy...or farther. Advantage, Tardis or Stargate if your destination is in this galaxy. It would take the Enterprise 75 years to get from one side or the other with warp drive, as we found out in Voyager.

You don't play well in large crowds, and simply want to be left alone, but still want to get out and see everything. Advantage. Tardis. You could give an advantage to the Stargate, but its best to travel in teams with it.

You are traveling, but wake up hungry in the middle of the night, and can't stop. Advantage, Enterprise.

So, in my opinion the Tardis would work the best for me. The reasons are the fact that I can literally go anywhere, and I can get there as fast or slow as I want. I can choose whether or not I want to be alone or with someone, and I can easily out run anybody, and leave no type of trail that an enemy can follow.

So, vote in the poll, and explain your answer in the comments! (preferably the comments section here on the blog!)

What sci fi travel device would you most want to have?
	USS Enterprise
	The Stargate
	The Tardis
pollcode.com free polls

Movie Review: Star Trek Into Darkness

The first of JJ Abrams' Star Trek reboots came out in 2009, and we were told that because of the time change, everything that their lives could have become would be different or something to that effect. That gave the Abrams team a clean slate to do whatever they wanted to do with it. Some Trek fans are angry because Mr. Spock is very un Spock-like. Well, I think if I watched my planet get destroyed, I would be a very different person as well, especially since Spock is half human. Something traumatic happens, the emotional human side takes over. Same thing with Kirk, and having to grow up without a father. Its understandable.

I'm bringing this up because in 'Into Darkness,' the Spock character evolves even more toward the human side. Zachary Quinto owns the role in this movie. He was very believable, even without having to suspend dis belief. 

Karl Urban stole the show as McCoy in the first one. perfected it in this one. Chris Pine's portrayal of Kirk was about the same as in the first film, as were Zoe Saldana as Uhura, Anton Yelchin as Chekov, and Jon Cho as Sulu. Pretty good, but nothing spectacular, unlike Urban.

However, there was one character who shined in his role, and in my opinion is now right up there with Karl Urban. Simon Pegg hit the ball out of the park as Scotty in this movie.

Now, we come to the controversial character. Benedict Cumberbatch as villain, John Harrison, AKA You Know Who...I'll be discussing the plot later because I don't want to spoil this for anyone. For now, we'll just stick to the review. Cumberbatch played Khan VERY well. He was a MUCH better villain than the Romulan, Nero in the first film. He was brutal, and extremely intelligent. I guess casting a man who played Sherlock Holmes to play Khan was a great idea.

Peter Weller also plays a significant role in this movie. He plays Admiral Alexander Marcus, who also happens to be the father of Carol Marcus, played by Alice Eve. Speaking of Carol Marcus, the quick shot in the Into Darkness trailer of her in her undies is not what you think, and I will leave it at that.

The action is riveting, and the story is solid. Through the majority of the film, you don't know what is going to happen next, so it is not just a remake or even a re-imagining of Star Trek 2. However at the end, it gets a little predictable, and there are a couple scenes where you just want to smack Abrams upside the head, and ask "WHY?" But, even with the couple scenes that they could have/ should have done differently, it is still a good movie. Better than the first one, and better than ANY of the Next Generation films, although Star Trek 2 and Star Trek 6 are still the reigning champions as the best Star Trek movies.

If you're worried that this movie will spoil Star Trek 2 and TOS Space Seed episode, don't be. It is Star Trek, in its alternate universe, like was explained in the first film, as well as in this blog. The movie even explains how the clash with Khan is happening now as opposed to later as in ST2. Not literally, but it is explained, and when I watched it, I thought to myself "Oh okay, that makes sense."

There were a couple scenes that made me wonder what they were thinking when they made it. Nothing major, just a minor writing flaw. I'm specifically talking about the hand held communicators. I was always under the impression that they were for short range communications. Not in this movie, I guess.

The plot centers around the theory that power corrupts, and also deals with terrorism. Go see it. If you're an old school Trekkie, you'll enjoy it. If you are new to Trek, you might want to watch the Space Seed episode and Star Trek 2 before seeing it. The only reason I say that is because if you don't know the original story, you won't understand just how much of a bad guy Khan is, and you won't understand what is actually being said when a certain someone tells Spock about Khan.

I give it 3.5 of 5 stars. The only reason it isn't 4 out of 5 is because of those scenes toward the end that I mentioned. Still, I may go see it again.

***SPOILERS***

Basically, Khan and his crew were found by Admiral Marcus. It doesn't say it in the movie, but I'm assuming that Marcus found the Botany Bay. Marcus is a leader in the underground Section 31 organization who wants Starfleet to be militarized, and wants to start a war with the Klingons. Using Khan's superior intellect, he and Khan construct a massive ship called the USS Vengeance, that is faster and more powerful than anything else known to the fleet. Khan is given the identity of John Harrison, and a Starfleet rank, but he quickly becomes a threat to Marcus. Marcus wants him dead. 

Harrison then begins terrorist bombings, and Marcus decides after an attempt on his life that kills several officers, including Captain Pike to send Kirk and the Enterprise on a mission to eliminate Harrison. He equips the Enterprise with 72 long range photon torpedoes, and orders Kirk to find Harrison, and obliterate him, using the torpedoes. Scotty wants nothing to do with the torpedoes, and resigns. 

The Enterprise warps off to the Klingon home world, Kronos where Harrison is. Harrison figures no one would follow him there. Shortly before they get to Kronos, the Enterprise's warp drive malfunctions, and they drop out of warp in Klingon space, exposed. We later find out that the engines were sabotaged. Kirk detects Harrison, and they go by shuttlecraft to capture him, rather than just opening fire...disobeying Marcus's order. After a showdown with Klingons, and aided by Harrison himself, Harrison is captured, and reveals his true identity. He tells Kirk that Marcus is trying to start a war, which firing on Kronos would have done. He also tells Kirk to examine the torpedoes. Kirk contacts Scotty, and gives him coordinates to check out. Coordinates that Khan gave to Kirk. 

Inside each torpedo tube is a member of Khan's crew. If they had fired them, every one of the crew would have been killed, and no one would have known anything about them, which was what Marcus wanted. 

Kirk contacts Marcus, and tells him that they captured Harrison.

Scotty goes to the coordinates, near Jupiter and finds the spacedock for the mega warship, Vengeance. 

Marcus shows up with the Vengeance, and demands that Khan be handed over. Kirk refuses, and warps away. But, the Vengeance catches up easily, and opens fire on the Enterprise. They both come out of warp near Earth's moon. The Enterprise is severely damaged, and Marcus is about to destroy the Enterprise, but they suffer a power outage, and we learn that Scotty had sneaked aboard and sabotaged the Vengeance. 

Kirk goes with Khan to the Vengeance to arrest Marcus, leaving Spock in control of the Enterprise. Spock contacts Spock Prime, and asks about Khan. Spock Prime tells Spock that he cannot tell him anything other than the fact that Khan was a very dangerous, intelligent, and evil man.

Kirk, Scotty and Khan get to the bridge to arrest Marcus, but Khan kills Marcus, and betrays Kirk. He beats up Kirk and Scotty, and contacts Spock to negotiate the photon torpedoes carrying his crew. Spock agrees, and they are beamed over. Khan then beams Scotty and Kirk back to the Enterprise, and opens fire on the ship. What he doesn't know is that Spock had the crew removed from the torpedoes, and armed one of them. It explodes, and both crippled ships start drifting toward Earth. 

The Enterprise is dead, yet Kirk goes into a radiation flooded section to realign the warp core. Sound familiar? Its because it is. This scene is pretty much the exact same as ST2, except for who is on which side of the glass. Kirk gets the warp coil realigned, and the Enterprise flies back up into space just in the nick of time. Kirk dies, and as he dies, an emotional Spock tears up, gets angry, and yells...You guessed it. "KHAAAAANNNN!!!"

The Vengeance crashes into San Francisco, and Spock goes down to kill Khan. Earlier in the movie, McCoy had injected Khan's blood into a dead tribble, and it suddenly comes back to life. McCoy sends Uhura down to Earth to tell Spock that Khan must be taken alive. The fight is a stand off, until Uhura gets there and shoots him with a phaser. Spock then knocks him out. His blood is put into Kirk, and it brings him back to life. Khan and his crew are put into cold storage.

A year later, the Enterprise is repaired and ready to embark on the longest space mission to date. A 5 year mission to explore strange new worlds....

The Enterprise is rechristened, and Kirk gives the captain's creed speech, which talks about Starfleet's mission, and concludes with Space...The Final Frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise......