When I was about 10 years old, every day after school I used to get some cookies and milk and watch Star Trek: The Next Generation on TV. The series had recently ended and they played it five nights a week on UPN 57. I eventually got around to seeing all of the old movies and kept up with the new ones, and then in college watched the entire Original Series within about a couple of weeks on DVD. I’ve bits of Deep Space 9, Voyager, and even Enterprise, but never on a consistent basis so I’m hoping those will pop up (legally) online someday.
The Next Generation is my favorite series, but I really enjoyed The Original Series too, even though they only visit two planets: “The Soundstage Full Of Plaster-based Rocks Where You Can See The Shadows Of The Trees On The Sky During Lightning” and “The One That Looks Just Like Earth.”
Last night, I finally got a long-awaited Trek fix and saw the new Star Trek movie. I don’t want to give away anything to those who haven’t seen it yet, so I’ll just say that I was a bit worried going in and even during the movie, but in the end I enjoyed it. The characters were pretty true to their original personalities, and even the plot uses one of Star Trek’s favorite devices. It wasn’t the most serious Star Trek content, but their movies are generally fun and let the characters let loose a little more, so they honored that tradition. I could totally have done without the Nokia ad, though (it’s like watching one of their cheesy “concept” videos about the future), but it only lasts a few seconds and I didn’t notice any other intrusive placements in the film.
After the movie we ate at Tomatina, which was really good. We had garlic rolls and a Margherita pizza, both recommended. I don’t often go to good pizza places with friends out here. It reminded me of home, although just seeing Star Trek may have helped with that feeling.