No one knew how to make Star Trek relevant again, though everyone had their own idea. But it was J.J. Abrams who boldly went with a direction that both rebooted the franchise for new audiences while staying true to the 40-plus years of continuity fans knew and loved. He also did something no other Star Trek film had been able to do in nearly 20 years: bring Leonard Nimoy back to the franchise. Now you may make fun of the result: there’s all that lens flare, an Enterprise bridge that looks like an Apple store, the narrative contortions that take Kirk from Academy punk to Starfleet Captain in two hours etc. Also, Trekkies wince because of Abrams’ emphasis on action and adventure rather than pursuing something a little more, shall we say, intellectual, but when it comes to Trek movies, anytime they focus on exploration (The Motion Picture), existentialism (The Final Frontier) or social justice (Insurrection), they end up being the worst of the series. So instead, Abrams re-launched Star Trek for a new generation, and for many fans his Trek is fondly remembered next to Batman Begins and Casino Royale as a reboot that works.
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