Star Treck

So how about that new Star Trek trailer?

A lot of fans have their tunics in a twist over this.  They complain about the lack of continuity and the changed design cues that make them uncomfortable.

This is a good thing.

The original Star Trek was about having fun.  Sure, it had its heavyhanded extended metaphors, but the sheer idea of it all, and the fact that everybody involved was having a good time, more than made up for it. The problem seems to be that there was a Next Generation that stole the mindshare of a generation of fans -- people who thought of it as somehow more genuine than the good old TOS.  Sure it had more new worlds and better effects, but it was just so damn smug.  And not a lot of fun.

What the franchise needs is a good kick in the head.  (Well, and a fresh start, I guess.)  There's something just unpleasant about the idea of canon.  After all, if there's only one telling of the story that drags on, it's just a franchise.  You have to start taking hammer and tongs to continuity to get to the meat of things -- becoming myth.  Look at Batman.  Batman as myth transcends the fact that most Batman tellings weren't actually very good.  We only remember the great ones, and they contradict each other.

I have to wonder, though, if Abrams is the right man for the job.  Even if he doesn't do a very good job of it, he'll have popped open the box, and we'll see more resets soon.

Resets are a good thing.  Ask Batman.