Star Trek 3: 3 Reasons A Seasoned Trekkie Should Direct

2. Character Development

Star Trek Pine Edited 1 The entire premise of the 2009 reboot centres around the life events of Captain Kirk and, in a way, Spock as well. The Prime universe is corrupted with the arrival of Nero and the attack of the USS Kelvin, which killed Kirk's father in the process. These events set off a chain reaction that turns this version of Kirk into who Captain Pike calls "the only genius-level repeat offender in the Midwest." The very same chain reaction leads to the destruction of Vulcan, which defines Spock in a completely different way than we see Leonard Nimoy, focusing more on his half human side than his predominantly Vulcan traits. There's a double edged sword to this; in what is arguably the new trilogy's greatest flaw, we focus too much on the plights of Kirk and Spock, making everyone else completely two-dimensional supporting characters. Granted, the TV show was the exact same way, but had a movie franchise to fix that. We're now finished the second film of a planned trilogy with negotiations stalling for a TV series and this is still largely unchanged. We have virtually no backstory for Sulu or Uhura while Bones, Scotty and Chekhov have minimal back stories while serving mainly as comic relief. In short, however it is pulled off, we need a writer and/or director who will make Star Trek feel more like Star Trek and less like The Captain, The Vulcan & The Wardrobe.
Contributor
Contributor

Steve is an unrepentant nerd who enjoys all things Disney, Doctor Who, and Star Trek. He is currently finishing his undergraduate degree in political science at Temple University and divides his time between his homes in Philadelphia and Orlando.