John North Editor & Publisher

ìSpace ... the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Star Ship Enterprise. Itís five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.î
ó From the original ìStar Trekî
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I always liked the original ìStar Trekî television series, especially Leonard Nimoyís memorable character Mr. Spock.

Therefore, I was elated to read that Nimoy will reprise his role and don the pointy ears of a Vulcan ó at least one more time. (At age 76, one never knows if Nimoy even will be around to do another ìStar Trek.î) The new Paramount Pictures film, currently dubbed ìStar Trek XI,î is to be released at Christmas 2008.

However, it struck me as worrisome that Zachary Quinto will make his debut as a young Spock also in the new film ó an actor with the dubious distinction of being best known as the villain in TV series ìHeroes.î

Quintoís selection bothers me because I always saw Mr. Spock as a paragon of virtue ó and to choose someone who is seen as a ìheavyî as his probable successor in the series concerns me as to what direction his role will take in the future. Could it be in the quest for box-office dollars that Spock eventually will morph into a bad guy?

My concern was heightened when I read that J.J. Abrams, the filmís director, co-producer and co-writer, introduced both Spocks to the news media by stating, ìThis is a series I loved as a kid,î but adding that he was ìmore of a ëStar Warsí kid than a ëStar Trekí kid.î He was the producer of ìLostî and director of ìMission Impossible III.î

The last thing this treasured mythos needs is someone at the helm who prefers the special-effects-driven ìStar Warsî over the well-plotted, philosophically challenging ìStar Trek.î

While I have some appreciation for the ìStar Warsî series, especially the first installment, generally I think it devolved into a blatantly commercial venture, more oriented to lucrative spinoff products than careful scripting and complex characterization.

Nonetheless, I was somewhat reassured by Nimoyís comments to 6,500 fans at Comic-Con, the nationís largest pop-culture convention, on July 27 in San Diego.

ìThis is really going to be a great movie,î Nimoy said, greeting the crowd with a Vulcan salute. ìAnd I donít say things like that lightly.î

Regarding the selection of Quinto, who is said to bear an uncanny resemblance to him, Nimoy said, ìI looked at him, and Iíll tell you exactly what I said to J.J.: ëHe looks exactly right.í Whatís more,î Nimoy continued, ìhe has an interior life, which is vital to the character. With all of those elements in place, Iím very comfortable with this new ëStar Trek.íî

From the beginning, I liked ìStar Trekî because I enjoyed the juxtaposition of Mr. Spock, with his pure logic and non-emotional approach, with Dr. McCoy, who was the polar opposite ó emotional and people-oriented.

In the middle of this mix was Capt. James T. Kirk, who constantly strived to balance his own logical and emotional sides in making life-and-death decisions that could even affect the entire galaxy ó past, present and future.

I liked Spock because I always identified more with his character and admired his intelligence, dry wit and clear-headed way of looking at things.

I also was intrigued by the range of personalities displayed by other characters on the show, including Lt. Uhura, engineering officer Scotty, helmsmen Chekhov and Sulu, and even Yeoman Rand ó Kirkís buxom blonde assistant.

While the character of Kirk has yet to be cast, Abrams said that William Shatner, who played the role in the original TV series, would likely also have a part in the film.

ìIt has to be worthy, of him and of you,î Abrams told fans, adding that production should begin in November.

When a fan asked Nimoy what he thought of his ìreplacement,î in his inimitable fashion, he replied dryly, ìIt was logical.î Of course, Nimoy closed with Spockís classic line: ìLive long and prosper.î

When, on occasion, I introduce new young viewers to the original series, I always am amused by their reaction.

Of course, at first, everyone is intrigued with Mr. Spock and his pointy ears and the bizarre depiction of men in the distant future wearing form-fitting jumpsuit-like outfits ó and the women, all of whom are young and pretty, clad in ë60s-style miniskirts and acid-era hairdos.

After that, most new viewers tend to express much interest in the vivid characterization and soaring philosophical questions raised by the series.

Indeed, never ó before or after ó has there been a TV show like ìStar Trekî that explored the inner and outer aspects of the universe ó and the human psyche ó so deeply.

I hope that this film ó and the introduction of a new young Spock ó will keep the series boldly going in a thought-provoking direction ... where no franchise has gone before.

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John North, publisher and editor of the Daily Planet, may be contacted at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .