"Into Darkness" Boldly Goes Where Others HAVE Gone Before (but still well worth return visits)

[revdorothyl]

I finally got around to seeing "Star Trek: Into Darkness" in the theater yesterday and was pretty well satisfied, though it definitely covered some familiar ST:TOS and original series movies territory. Still, it mixed the familiar elements around in some truly interesting and entertaining ways. And I'm fond enough of ALL the new Enterprise officers (including the more mobile Christopher Pike) AND their relationships (yes, I dig the Spock/Uhura, among other things) that I'll be happy to spend further time in their company, on repeated viewings of this film.

All told, I can honestly recommend this film, though my first impression is that I don't think it's going to change anyone's life or open any new fields of philosophical debate.

Now, if you haven't yet seen it and want to, please stop reading here.

If you HAVE seen it already, then ON TO THE DETAILED COMMENTS!

First, let's talk about some of the familiar elements:

Yes, this movie DOES recycle (quite well, really!) and reinterpret elements from at least three Original Series movies that I noticed, including the beloved "ST II: The Wrath of Khan" (and the 'needs of the many' death scene works even better for me, in some ways, with Spock on the other side of the glass, saying good-bye to his newly-realized (rather than oldest and best) friend Kirk, and doing the "Kha-a-a-a-an!" scream of grief and promised vengeance.

I gotta love the symmetry of Kirk doing what he figures Spock would do in his place, while Spock does what he knows Kirk would do. Kirk makes the logical sacrifice, and Spock cons the bad guy and then turns into Enraged-Vulcan-Action-Guy determined to beat Khan to death with his bare fists. And hey! No annoying wait for the resurrection that you know is coming as soon as you see Dr. McCoy injecting Khan's super-blood into a tribble that has 'ceased to be'.

I liked 'Nu!Khan' quite a lot more than I ever expected, since I had Benedict Cumberbatch pegged as a much more likely choice for some new version of 'Lord' Garth of Izar than for the more East-Indian-sounding Khan Noonian Singh (until I saw him barely fazed by Kirk doing his level best to beat him to a pulp, displaying more-than-Vulcan levels of stamina and strength, after which it became pretty obvious that he must be genetically enhanced). I actually found him a sympathetic character for a little while, even when I knew his real name, until his essential ruthlessness and savagery came out, scaring me even more than the more romantic, superficially charming, occasionally swashbuckling portrayal offered by Ricardo Montalban in the original series and movie.

And of course I enjoyed Scotty disabling the super-ship that was threatening the Enterprise, even though I'd seen something sort of similar in "ST III: The Search for Spock".

Peter Weller as Admiral Marcus seems to be on the side of light, for a change, at the beginning, but then once again turns out to be a bad guy (as he was in the last two REAL episodes of "Enterprise"), only this time he's a Star Fleet Admiral ruthlessly setting Kirk and company up to take the fall for starting the 'inevitable' war with the Klingons, as in "ST VI: The Undiscovered Country". (Plus we get a glimpse of what a formidable starship captain Hikaru Sulu will be, as also seen in that 6th TOS film!)

Oh, and 'Section 31' rears its disturbing head again, having been introduced first in the final season of my beloved "Deep Space Nine" and then picked up again in the last season of "Enterprise".

And then there's the stuff that's definitely unique to this particular alternate universe version of Kirk, Spock, and the others:

I was first surprised, then disturbed, and ultimately pleased that this second film in the re-boot actually dealt with some of the fallout and problems related to young Jim Kirk's troubled youth and perhaps too-speedy (and definitely too-traumatic) accession to 'the chair' at a much younger age than original Kirk.

In fact, I eventually realized that the film was bringing up some of the issues that jedibuttercup had drawn attention to in her ST:TOS/ST:XI crossover one-shot last October, where Original!Kirk had found himself really disturbed by the potential for chaos and trouble inherent in the much-younger alternate crew:

...The others did appear, on the surface, as would any tight-knit crew who'd worked together for years-- but the fact was, they were nothing of the sort. They hadn't gone through all of the preliminary training his own men and women had. They hadn't learned respect for the division of roles and ranks in the traditional command structure, beyond their initial education in San Francisco. They hadn't earned their confidence through the long process of trial, error, and hands-on education that either proved an officer qualified for a position on the flagship... or shunted him aside to some other, less precarious Starfleet station.

They'd forged their unity in a much more vicious arena, without any superior officers available to guide them. And that showed in the belligerent tilt of their Captain Kirk's chin; in the calculation behind their Spock's avid gaze-- not nearly as detached as Jim remembered his Spock in the early days of their acquaintance; and in every glance exchanged between the members of their command crew.

"They're a pack of wolves, Bones," he said, grimly.

In the new film, Christopher Pike -- whose role as substitute father-figure for Kirk, particularly, comes through even more strongly than in the first film -- has to express almost the same sentiments when informing Kirk that violating the Prime Directive and then lying about it in an official report to his superiors has cost him both his captain's chair and the company of Spock, the friend for whose sake he'd shattered the rules.

(By the way, this whole "lying-in-an-official-report-and-thereby-disappointing-a-trusted-superior-and-losing-what-you-love-most" bit in the latest film is just another way that Nu!Kirk continues to remind me of younger Miles Vorkosigan, since Miles went through something sort of similar in Lois McMaster Bujold's Memory! But I digress . . . .)

On the other hand, a larger part of Original!Kirk's fears in jedibuttercup's fic turn out to be not so well-founded:

Spock and Bones grounded Jim; over the last four years, they'd become as essential a part of Jim's command as the deck under his feet. If the other's were equally supportive, but goaded an even more impulsive Kirk onward, rather than tempering his rasher decisions....

In fact, Nu!Spock and Nu!Bones and Nu!Uhura DO attempt (and eventually succeed) in tempering some of Nu!Kirk's more rash and emotional impulses . . . even when those impulses have all the force of a Starfleet Admiral's direct orders behind them. For the sake of not betraying the ideals of the Federation as seen through Spock's eyes (and to a lesser extent, perhaps, in the eyes of Bones and Uhura), Kirk unknowingly foils a large part of Admiral Marcus' plot, deciding to take the additional risks inherent in giving the supposedly traitorous Starfleet officer 'Harrison' a chance to surrender and enjoy the protection of due process under the law.

Which, in turn, leads to that so-intriguing apparent crossover of expected roles between Kirk and Spock by the end of the film (not that Original!Kirk would ever have shirked from the need to sacrifice his own life to save his ship and crew, even if he might not have expressed it as a matter of logic, and Original!Spock certainly came to appreciate the value of tactical deception -- a.k.a. 'bluffing' or 'exaggerating', at various times -- and learned to practice it well enough to mislead an amorous Romulan Commander and the original Khan, among others, but still . . .).

And I have to say that I love the fact that because of -- or more often, it seems, IN SPITE OF -- her romantic relationship with Spock, this version of Uhura has become an essential part of the core group dynamics, as well as someone who's just as likely to beam down or rush in to save the day as Kirk, Spock, or McCoy.

In TOS, the central emotional dynamic was the dyad of Kirk-Spock or the triad of Kirk-Spock-McCoy, in most cases, with Scotty sometimes thrown in to make a fourth for Bridge as the need arose.

But in this new iteration, we get a powerful new version of the Kirk-Spock, and a neat twist on the old Kirk-Spock-McCoy dynamic, but we also get a few moments of Spock/Uhura and a good deal more of Kirk-Uhura-Spock (which can involve Kirk and Uhura briefly bonding over the difficulty of relating to Spock, at times, or Spock and Kirk bonding over the difficulty of backing Uhura's play without being over-protective and having to face her wrath), and even some pretty high-quality Kirk-Spock-Uhura-McCoy. I like that! :)

Plus, there's just something about Zachary Quinto's 'baby-face' version of young Spock that makes me want to pat (or pinch) his cheek at times! So adorable!

All in all, I found a lot more to love in this movie than I'd expected, after hearing some of the reviews.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

...and the 'needs of the many' death scene works even better for me, in some ways, with Spock on the other side of the glass, saying good-bye to his newly-realized (rather than oldest and best) friend Kirk, and doing the "Kha-a-a-a-an!" scream of grief and promised vengeance. 

I agree, this was a surprise turn-around that really worked. Brilliant writing. I think some of us were dreading a re-do of “The Wrath of Khan,” because it might feel exploitative, but this twist, with Kirk taking the logical role and Spock taking the grief-stricken, revenge role, really worked for me. (Also, it starts me wondering what core themes they will revisit in future movies.)

While I loved that Spock went after Khan with murderous intent, by that point in the movie I was just plain tired of fist-fights, and it felt just a bit like more gratuitous violence instead of the dramatic role-reversal it was supposed to portray. I loved it when Uhura beamed down and just stood there blasting Khan – that really added to the theme you are describing in this blog about new dyads and triads forming that include Uhura. Plus, it gave her a warrior role, instead of the more passive role she often had to take in the original series. (She was a warrior in the "Mirror, Mirror" episode that she pretended to seduce alternate-Sulu, but the story treats it as play-acting to buy time for the men to do the real work.)

[(Anonymous)]

I actually found [Cumberbatch's Khan] a sympathetic character for a little while, even when I knew his real name, until his essential ruthlessness and savagery came out, scaring me even more than the more romantic, superficially charming, occasionally swashbuckling portrayal offered by Ricardo Montalban in the original series and movie.

Cumberbatch was a terrific villain. And yet I have to admit I missed the swashbuckling Montalban – so often, a villain is effective precisely because he/she is so attractive, seductive, and charming on the surface, so that one is deceived and taken off-guard when the true evilness shows through. Cumberbatch was too cold and calculating to take me off guard. Admittedly, though, Montalban becomes something of a cliché, and sometimes we laugh at his character’s over-the-top Don Juan role; one would never laugh at Cumberbatch’s character.

And of course I enjoyed Scotty disabling the super-ship that was threatening the 'Enterprise'...

The new Scotty is delightful. I wasn’t sure I was going to warm up to Sean of the Dead becoming chief engineer of the Enterprise, but it works for me. The only thing I’m still not warmed up to is the little alien officer friend he has as a sidekick. That little dude is too much like an Ewok or other Star Wars “cute” character, and he doesn’t do much for me. Maybe I’m missing the point.

[(Anonymous)]

(Plus we get a glimpse of what a formidable starship captain Hikaru Sulu will be, as also seen in that 6th TOS film!) 

Yes! That was a very impressive Sulu in the captain’s seat! He nailed that scene. The film helped make that delivery all the more amazing because of his initial doubt at being placed in the captain’s chair.

It was also fun to see Chekhov in a big role, having to replace Scotty. All the main characters (except Bones, really) had a bigger, more challenging role to play and some growing up to do.

...Christopher Pike -- whose role as substitute father-figure for Kirk, particularly, comes through even more strongly than in the first film...

Yes, the scenes with Pike as a father figure built on the first movie and took the story further. The theme of Kirk having to grow into his role as captain was very well done. I found it very moving and compelling when Kirk grieves for Pike, and Spock with him. We didn’t really get to know Pike in the original series, and the character has become essential to the new movies.

[(Anonymous)]

...I love the fact that because of -- or more often, it seems, IN SPITE OF -- her romantic relationship with Spock, this version of Uhura has become an essential part of the core group dynamics, as well as someone who's just as likely to beam down or rush in to save the day as Kirk, Spock, or McCoy. 

Though I found the Spock-Uhura romance initially shocking in the first movie (I think everyone in the theater gasped when she started kissing him in the turbo lift), the idea has grown on me, and I think it is very well done. Uhura is portrayed as a competent and assertive woman with equal say in the relationship (although see my comments below). I appreciate especially that these films are un-doing a long-entrenched theme in Star Trek that the captain and other main characters cannot have long-lasting love relationships. They are so wedded to their ship and their work that any love interest must soon be broken away. In the original series, Kirk fell in love dozens of times, but the object of his affections (and I use the term “object” intentionally) always had to disappear by the end of the episode. This theme served to maintain Kirk as the unattainable male that every woman character (and many women viewers) wanted. The series also managed to portray Spock as un-obtainable, even though several women character’s wanted to “be the one” who could penetrate his logical non-emotional resolve. Any woman who managed to get close to Spock was guaranteed to have her heart broken by the end of the episode (with Christine Chapel being the most enduring relationship across episodes). Scotty’s and McCoy’s love interests also get deep-sixed within the episode, and I don’t recall Uhura ever having a love interest.

In contrast, in these new movies, we see Spock in a very long-lasting and stable relationship – moreover, his love is not induced by plant spores or a time-warp that takes him back to a primitive Vulcan state, or any other means of artificially overwhelming his Vulcan resolve. He genuinely loves Uhura, the relationship has seemingly evolved naturally, and the love is not going to end when the episode ends and he “snaps out of it.” I find this very refreshing.

I wonder if they will eventually do the same for Kirk, that is, give him a lasting love interest – although I think not, since they are having a lot of fun portraying him as the lusty womanizer. But it would be an interesting twist, at some point, to give Kirk a relationship that lasts, and see how that affects the dyads, triads, and other groupings that have been established.

...and a good deal more of Kirk-Uhura-Spock (which can involve Kirk and Uhura briefly bonding over the difficulty of relating to Spock, at times, or Spock and Kirk bonding over the difficulty of backing Uhura's play without being over-protective and having to face her wrath)...

I loved the scene in the shuttle when Kirk is triangulated with Spock and Uhura in their lover’s quarrel, and we find out that Kirk shares Uhura’s objections, even though he doesn’t want to be dragged in….and yet I was a little disappointed that Uhura’s “strength” was portrayed as the “shrewish woman” theme. I have seen too much of this theme (where the men back down because they fear the woman’s wrath) to appreciate it here – it doesn’t seem like she’s truly an equal to them, but the “other.” (Hearken back to when she tells Spock that she is on the Enterprise, not the Farragut, and he says, “Yes, I believe you are.” I doubt this scene would have been written the same for two male characters.) The men do not so much respect as fear Uhura, it seems to me, because she is a woman, and as men all know, women are inscrutable and ultimately irrational (hysterical) creatures, so it’s best to just do what they want and get on with it. This must be especially so, because she is in a relationship with a Vulcan who rarely shows any emotion. Even her beaming down to blast Khan and save “her man” did not quite erase this theme of a woman’s emotional “otherness” for me. I get a whiff of the head-shaking acquiescence in Kirk and Spock’s fear of Uhura’s wrath.)

[(Anonymous)]

Plus, there's just something about Zachary Quinto's 'baby-face' version of young Spock that makes me want to pat (or pinch) his cheek at times! So adorable!

Yes, he is adorable. His baby face gives him a youthfulness that even the young Nimoy did not have, because Nimoy’s features are so much more angular. Quinto pulls off being Spock and yet gives us a very young, vulnerable Spock.

At first I wasn’t sure why they dragged Nimoy back into another picture, when his role was simply to say “can’t help you out, but yes, you are in grave danger.” And yet, to see the ancient Spock talking to the young Spock effectively reinforced the theme of Spock’s youth and relative inexperience. By the end of the original series and several movies, we have grown accustomed to Spock being able to do just about anything – he is the Yoda Jedi Master of the new Star Trek movies – and it is helpful to be reminded that the older Spock had to grow into this role, just as the young Spock must grow.