Billions of Lives in the Balance

Spock: "I can't believe my ears, Captain."
Kirk: "I can't believe your ears, either, Mr. Spock."

"Star Blech," Mad Magazine, circa 1967.

Spoiler alert - We went to see the latest Star Trek movie last night. If you think "the bad guy" and "Captain Kirk" used in the same sentence will screw up your enjoyment of this eminently enjoyable movie, either: You have a strikingly vivid imagination (let's write a book together), or you have never watched Star Trek in any iteration. But...you've been warned.

So, we went to see the latest Star Trek movie. It is exciting, action-packed and stays (in a millennial sort of way) genuinely true to the characters of yore. The villains are pretty villainous, the heroes heroic and the special effects put the viewer into the twenty-something century with ease. Kirk is a pilot at heart. We know that, because...

Kirk and the bad guy interact. The bad guy is brandishing a weapon that can immediately kill millions of "people," or whatever. He is monologuing - going on and on about why his villainy is, in fact, virtuous. Kirk, phaser in hand, attempts to deescalate the situation.

Seriously?!

Phaser his dumb ass!! You said drop it, he made additional threats... Evaporate him!

Like I said, he's a pilot, not a cop. Other than that, fun movie. Go see it.