I am so old that I watched TOS from it's first episode. I have seen every Trek film in the theater when it was released. I attended a Trekkie event in the early 80's at Kemper Arena when Roddenberry was still the main attraction, and he was showing the original version of the Star Trek pilot, which was the *only* way one got to see it back in those days. It was the central feature of the three hour evening event, along with blooper reels and his wonderful tales of the olden days. I say all this so that I can say *this*, and hope that it is taken with at least a small amount of gravitas: I think that "Beyond" is the best film of the venerable series. If you leave aside the arguments about which cast you prefer, what epoch, things like TNG vs original vs Abrams reboot canon...yes...the best single film of the series. Is it bombastic? Yes,very...but the bombast is deftly woven, with each set piece, each intensely flowing scene or battle making sense in the whole - rare for a Sci-Fi film these days, where the emphasis is always on the gee whiz of special effects and CGI, to the detriment of the story or the characters. The 3D CGI is the best I've seen since "Avatar". The sound production is possibly the best *ever* (keeping in mind that seeing films in IMAX is a whole other bar for media rendered in lesser formats). Topped off with the fact that I cannot imagine a better set of players to represent our venerated TOS crew members - these actors don't so much portray TOS characters as *channel* them at times - the reasons to see "Beyond" are many. So deft and respectful and loving are the hands that guide this "new" iteration (the first reboot film, "Star Trek", was made seven years ago), that nods to the original cast, which could easily be hamhanded and just plain irritating, land fuzzy and warm in your lap, bringing a near certainty of tears being shed by the viewer. However, the single most impressive thing as in this entire film, as regards giving nods to the original television series...from my POV...is a scene where Spock and McCoy are moving through an area where they are completely surrounded by rocks...and the outcroppings are *so* obviously a set, as opposed to the spectacularly rendered CGI everywhere else, and so garishly colored and sculpted, that it *must* have been a nod to the sometimes comical sets of TOS. The fact that there is more classic Spock vs McCoy banter in "Beyond" than in any of it's reboot predecessors only makes me more certain that this seemingly clumsily rendered scene was, in fact, a loving tribute. Folks...*no* detail in such a high stakes Hollywood film exists by accident, and this must have been by design.
In conclusion, if the future of our beloved Star Trek could be in better hands than those of JJ Abrams and his minions, I cannot imagine who that might have been.
In conclusion, if the future of our beloved Star Trek could be in better hands than those of JJ Abrams and his minions, I cannot imagine who that might have been.