Star Trek Beyond: 10 Things It Did Better Than J.J. Abrams
4. Acknowledging The Past, Tastefully
The plot of Star Trek ’09 is intrinsically connected
to the original series, and Into Darkness references The Wrath of Khan so
excessively that it becomes detrimental to the overall experience. With that
said, each film does acknowledge the history of the franchise, and makes a
conscious effort to bridge the gap between the old and the new.
However, isn’t that a little counterproductive? Instead of boldly going forward, the current films have been stuck in reverse, wallowing in the past, and refusing to evolve. Into Darkness was almost completely derailed by its commitment to the past, recreating scenes from previous movies, quoting entire lines of dialogue, and pointlessly reintroducing everything from Klingons to Tribbles in a desperate bid to appeal to nostalgia.
In Star Trek Beyond, the history of the series is referenced only sparingly, and it is never allowed to interfere with the larger narrative. In fact, the legacy of the series is compressed into a single moment, a powerful scene in which a photo of the original crew is discovered amongst the possessions of Spock, who we learn has recently passed away.
The scene serves as a perfect tribute, a respectful tipping of the hat to the original crew of the Enterprise.