Okay, new Star Trek. I liked it – bloody shocker, that. Here’s how it is – It’s TOS, to be sure.

• There is no stately Picard-style diplomacy up in here. There is, however, a fair amount of shooting people in the middle of the face.
• There are people running through at least two outdoor adventure sets, although there’s no Gorn (but it’s close!) and no battle music (“dun dun DUUUUUN DUUUUN DUUUN DUUUN DUUUUN”).
• There are jokes.
• There are lots of things getting blowed up, including redshirts.

It is most definitely Star Trek with some of the corners rounded off to appease non-fans. Also, I am told that the new Spock is hot.

I can’t really speak to this, as I was a bit distracted by, um…

… and, er…uh…

… what was I saying?

Oh right. Kirk’s a douchebag in this one.

The important thing us nerds need to remember, though, is that Captain Kirk was always a douchebag. Kirk is the guy that kicked us in the groin and and took our lunch money in elementary school. He became a nerd icon to be sure, but make no mistake – the guy cheated on his Academy finals, screws around, and punches hoes in the face from time to time. And that’s just in established canon! And the new one is even worse. The way he douches his way into the Captain’s chair is particularly galling. But it works.

Characterizations are generally right-on. Sets are great. Battles are good. Camera work is straight from Serenity/BSG.

Overall, recommended. It’s fun. It’s Star Trek. It’s supposed to be fun dammit!