Ever since Batman Begins hit theaters in 2005, reboots have become a very popular trend in Hollywood. Unlike a remake, a reboot allows a series to shed years of continuity and make new a jumping-on point for audiences. While legacy sequels have seemingly become the new hot-ticket item for relaunching franchises, reboots are still going strong. James Bond, Spider-Man, Michael Myers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, G.I. Joe, Robin Hood, King Arthur, and many more have been rebooted to mixed results.
Star Trek
Yet when it comes to reboots of long-running popular franchises, one of the best might be J.J. Abrams's Star Trek. Released on May 8, 2009, Star Trek was the shot in the arm the franchise needed after over 40 years of continuity, seemingly making it unapproachable to a mainstream audience. The franchise went from having the lowest-grossing opening in the franchise with Star Trek: Nemesis to Star Trek, giving the series its best opening weekend. Star Trek received critical acclaim, was a box office hit, and relaunched a new era for the series. Fifteen years later, Star Trek stands out as a marvel of what a reboot can be.
Here is why J.J. Abrams's Star Trek is still the best franchise reboot.
5 Defied Convention by Not Going Realistic
One element that often gets overlooked is how Star Trek broke the mold regarding reboots. In the four years following Batman Begins, reboots became linked to terms like "dark," "gritty," and "realistic." Batman Begins and Casino Royale popularized this trend, as both movies took franchises known for having inherent silliness and stripped away those elements to make the material fit into a post-9/11 world. The team behind Star Trek decided instead to truly stick to the spirit of Star Trek, one of a bright, optimistic future. Instead of reimaging Star Trek, it looked to visualize it with the budget and scope the original series could only dream of.
Dare to Hope
While other franchises tried to make themselves realistic, Star Trekembraced colorful aliens and bright costumes while not becoming too self-aware and mocking them. It takes itself seriously but knows its drama comes from characters, not surface-level aesthetic choices. Even Star Trek's excessive lens flares serve a thematic purpose. They show how hopeful the future of Star Trek is. The future is so bright it shines through every frame. At a time when blockbusters focused on grim reality, Star Trek provided both escapism and a look at a better tomorrow.
4 Updated the Franchise While Staying True to What Fans Loved
Star Trek walks a fine line between updating the franchise for a new generation and maintaining what original fans loved about the series. This is partially done through a creative team of people with varying degrees of familiarity with the franchise so it can be accessible to someone who has never seen Star Trek or identifies as a Trekker.
While it is filled with Easter eggs, these are rewards for hardcore Star Trek fans organically woven into the narrative as just standard sci-fi world-building for audiences less familiar. While some more hardcore Star Trek fans criticized the movie's pacing, saying it favored action adventure over the more philosophical questions the franchise had generally tackled, the movie looked to restore the swashbuckling nature of the franchise that was prevalent in The Original Series, but later entries moved away from.
It Can Be Enjoyed By Old and New Fans Alike
Every creative decision is rooted in how to make Star Trek accessible to an audience that might not be familiar with it.Star Trek kept the parts general audiences expected, like the Enterprise or the classic yellow, red, and blue shirts, but slightly tweaked them to make them appear more cinematic and modern for what a 2009 audience would think the future looks like.
Before the J.J. Abrams reboot, Star Trek had gained a reputation as a dense and less new viewer-friendly franchise, as opposed to Star Wars, which was for everyone. As eye-rolling as it might sound, there is no denying that Star Trek made the franchise "cool" for new viewers and allowed them to see the potential in the series. Now, a whole new generation of fans exists because Star Trek opened their eyes to what the franchise was.
3 The Script Has a Genius Hook
One of Star Trek's best elements is its strong script and the clever mid-point twist. On the surface, Star Trek appears as a prequel featuring younger versions of the characters seen in Star Trek: The Original Series. It shows traditional moments fans expect from a prequel to popular television shows, like characters meeting for the first time and how they get to their iconic status fans knew from the television series.
However, Star Trek reveals that the movie's storyline is an alternate reality to the main Star Trek film series, a rebooted timeline that only exists because of actions caused by the original Spock, played by Leonard Nimoy. This puts 2009's Star Trek in the unique position of being a prequel, a reboot, and a sequel at the same time.
The Future Becomes Limitless
The decision to make Star Trek a prequel/reboot on its own was nothing new, but the idea of integrating it as part of the broader Star Trek canon was a stroke of genius and one of the cleverest bits of franchise screenwriting ever. This way, Star Trek fans don't feel like the movie is throwing out years of continuity, but it still makes for a new, clean entry point.
Even the idea of setting the new Star Trek films in an alternate timeline, later dubbed the Kelvin Timeline, is another case of bringing Star Trek back to its roots, as the franchise has explored multiple realities before in The Original Series (TOS). The difference is that TOS would always go back to the main crew, while Star Trek picks up and follows the events of the new alternate timeline while the original continuity remains intact. It is the best of both worlds.
2 A Perfect Cast
Star Trek had one of the most rigorous casting processes, which even saw future superstars Sebastian Stan and James McAvoy in the running for lead roles. There was a lot of pressure as the original crew of the Starship Enterprise had been beloved for so long and played by the same core group of actors for nearly 40 years. Yet the final cast of Star Trek, which makes up the seven most iconic main crew members, not only perfectly rises to the task but also walks a fine line between honoring what came before them and putting their own spin on the material.
Chris Pine's Kirk captures the swagger fans love about the character but gives him a harder edge, while Zachary Quinto's Spock is younger and less experienced but perfectly captures the familiar mannerisms. Zoe Saldana's Uhura helps redefine the character, while Karl Urban perfectly captures the finer points of DeForsest Kelly's Leonard "Bones" McCoy and steals nearly every scene he is in. Anton Yelchin, John Cho, and Simon Pegg round out the cast, and each gives Chevok, Sulu, and Scotty, respectively, their big moments to shine that later expand in the sequels.
This isn't even getting into the incredible supporting cast that includes Eric Bana as Nero, Bruce Greenwood's commanding yet fatherly Captain Pike, or even minor roles sprinkled throughout for stars like Jennifer Morrison, Winona Ryder, and even a pre-MCU Chris Hemsworth.
A Case for Recasting Major Roles Instead of Digital De-Aging
Star Trek's decision to recast iconic characters played by beloved franchise favorites now appears novel in an age of continued legacy sequels. Unlike theatre, roles that originate in film often tend to get locked into an actor. Star Wars, Star Trek's biggest competitor, appears afraid to recast roles like Luke Skywalker or Princess Leia. Instead of moving on and introducing new characters, they are using CGI deepfakes to bring them back to the image fans had years ago.
Even Star Trek is not immune from this, as the recent "Unification" short digitally de-aged William Shatner and used a CGI animated face double of Leonard Nimoy to allow Kirk and Spock to have one final moment together.
This all feels incredibly cynical. If nobody will ever be able to do it as well, why bother trying? Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise are some of the most iconic characters in fiction, and the fact that they were able to recast them so well allowed these talented actors to put their spin on them. If the producers of Star Trek had the wrong mindset in 2009, fans wouldn't have Chris Pine's Kirk or Zachary Quinto's Spock. Star Trek is the best argument that there is always potential in recasting a role, no matter how iconic.
1 Everyone Brings Their A-Game
Star Trek's cast and script have already been highlighted, but it truly is remarkable how much of the movie comes together. Everyone is delivering their A-game, as they clearly understand the legacy of Star Trek and what a big deal it's been for previous generations. Star Trek is easily J.J. Abrams's best-directed film, as it has an incredible propulsive energy that feels like the best kind of summer blockbuster, one that balances spectacle with great characters.
Abrams' long-time cinematographer, Dan Mindel, gives the film a kinetic camera that pans and moves like the franchise had never seen before. Editors Mary Jo Markey and Maryann Brandon give Star Trek the same rhythm and energy that editors Paul Hirsch, Marcia Lucas, and Richard Chew gave Star Wars back in 1977. Michael Giacchino's score is one of his best, with his track "Star Trek" creating a soft new leitmotif for the franchise while "Enterprising Young Man" captures the scope and majesty of not just the Enterprise but Star Trek as a franchise. To use an old catchphrase to signify champions, everyone who worked on Star Trek "ate their Wheaties."
Star Trek's Creative Decisions Paid Off
With all the ingredients in place, it is no wonder Star Trek was a hit with critics and audiences. It is the highest-rated film in the franchise on Rotten Tomatoes with 94% and an 82 on Metacritic. It became the highest-grossing film in the franchise, unadjusted for inflation, bringing in $257 million domestically and $385 million worldwide.
Due to Star Trek being a holdover from 2008, the film was a highlight in a summer movie season filled with tentpoles that were rushed into production during the writer's strike, like X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Star Trek, like Iron Man the summer before it, was popcorn blockbuster filmmaking at its finest with an emphasis on character and story while also dazzling audiences with the larger-than-life spectacle that reminded audiences of the best summer movies from years past, filled with joy and excitement. Even after all these years, Star Trek stands tall as one of the best franchise entries ever.
