When the original “new” Star Trek movie arrived in 2009, I was both hopeful and, paradoxically, doubtful it could successfully reboot the original Star Trek series/movies.

You see, the original Star Trek series hold a very special place in my heart.  While Steven Spielberg’s Duel was the first movie I recall seeing start to end and understanding as a story told in full, the original Star Trek was the first TV series I recall gravitating to and loving, along with Get Smart, back in my very early years (both series were in reruns by the time I watched them, so I was a second generation fan of both).

I recall my elation at learning of, then my disappointment with the release, of Star Trek: The Motion Picture.  On the one hand, it was there was an undeniable thrill in seeing the original cast and crew I loved so much back together again…yet on the other hand the movie’s story was muddy even as the effects were for the most part great and the cast seemed constrained by the focus on the boring “newcomers” presented in the movie.  It was later revealed the movie was released in an incredible rush and, with the advent and money to be made on special edition DVDs, director Robert Wise was allowed to return to the film and “fix” it to the way he originally wanted it.  The director’s cut of Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a far better experience, IMHO, than the theatrical or “expanded” edition and its too bad the new effects were made before the advent of HD and, thus, we have no HD version of the director’s cut…for now.

And then along came Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan.

While critics -and many fans- weren’t all that enamored of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, the film nonetheless made a lot of money.  Enough to justify the studios green lighting a sequel film, later re-titled Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

To put it kindly, this film single-handedly gave the entire Star Trek universe new lease on life.  Thanks to its critical and box-office success, we were treated (and sometimes punished!) with a string of Star Trek movies and new series, including Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space 9, Star Trek Voyager, and Enterprise.

With that much material, it isn’t too surprising the quality eventually started to vary considerably.  I hated the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation and, in general, didn’t like the series quite as much as so many others…yet I’d be lying if there weren’t episodes here and there -many to be sure- that floored me.  So much so that early on into the production and release of this series and when I heard they were looking for new writers, I sent out not one but TWO complete scripts for their consideration…the first script, which came back to me after a very long time and looked very well read and even had food particles (!) stuck within its pages, I suspect had a strong impression on the folks at STTNG.  Not strong enough to buy the script mind you, yet I suspect (and its nothing more than a suspicion) someone liked it enough to appropriate some of its material in the plot of one of the show’s episodes…but that’s a story for another time.

After a few years, however, the wheels of the series/movies were slowly grinding to a halt.  The original series cast got too old to continue starring in these “action” type films and, with the passing of DeForest Kelley, it was obvious there would not be another Star Trek feature with the originals.

So the original cast movies gave way to the Next Generation cast as that TV series ended its run.  But with the exception of the very first movie solely featuring that NG cast, First Contact (Generations featured both original and NG characters together), the movies that followed were, IMHO, quite dreadful.

Soon the movies stopped and so too did the various TV series and suddenly there was a Star Trek vacuum.

As much of a fan of the original series as I was, I was fine with this.  Sometimes, too much is…too much.

So fast forward to 2009 and J. J. Abrams’ reboots Star Trek with a new, young cast though he does -wisely, IMHO- include Leonard Nimoy in the proceedings.

I didn’t like the film all that much as I felt it tried a little too hard to crib other well worn Star Trek story ideas (that movie’s villain, in particular, felt like a pale re-working of Khan, which Mr. Abrams’ would do again, this time more directly, in the next film), but I did like the new cast and thought there was potential.

When Star Trek: Into Darkness appeared, I enjoyed the film when I was watching it in the theater but, afterwards, it proved to be one of those films that curdled the more you thought about it.  I haven’t rewatched it since first seeing it and I fear if I do, my opinion will be considerably more negative.

Which, in a very long winded way, brings us to Star Trek Beyond, the third feature in this “new” Star Trek universe and the first in which Mr. Abrams is not the director.  The first trailer for the film was nearly universally panned.  The next was a little better and here we have some more stuff…

Have to admit, after a turbulent first trailer, this material is a far better selling point for this new film, though I’m not a terribly big Rhianna fan and therefore her mini-interview does little to pull me for or against what’s here.

So, I’m game to see this.

I truly hope this movie wows me more than the previous two “new” ST films and takes me back to a time when ST was THE best sci-fi around.

As with so many things…we will see.