Review of Star Trek Beyond (2016) by Wholelifefan — 07 Aug 2016

Trek (and it's Trekker, not Trekkie!) has been a thread throughout my whole life and was a big, big thing between me, my Dad and my kids. As a scientist and people-watcher it ticks all my boxes. I cannot express how disappointing STB is and can only say it is for those with a short attention span, hooked on effects and non-stop action. Most reviews haven't yet been posted by life-long fans. JJ, why did you desert the directors chair! Was Jonathan Frakes busy as well?? BIG mistake.

Very, very thin plot, in spite of the quality and the easy interaction (spot on) of the Enterprise cast to exploit. Trek is ALL about the detail and the human condition and Roddenberry would have been appalled. With the huge universe of possibilities out there and all of Roddenbury's "what-if" plots from past TV episodes is yet another disaffected bad-guy all they could come up with? I know almost nothing about him, where he got his technology from; whose artefact was it and why was it being given from one unseen race to another (never to be seen again); what part of the galaxy/universe was it? Where there aliens or droids in those ships? What was the nature of the weapon and who developed it and why? etc, etc, etc. On top of this, Spock, fat-faced, blubbing and indecisive? NEVER!

Where was the onward development of the continuing crew story, to connect past and future. Where were the beloved references to our reality? The "proper" science? The trashing of the Enterprise was over in moments and without much drama with the crash landing of the saucer section not A PATCH on the one covered with huge emotion with the Next Generation crew, the personal moments between the crew where fleeting and the same old banter. No new information. Nothing I cared about.The dare-devil manoeuvre with the USS Franklin diving into the water was also a "blink and you miss it" potential stunner.

Basically, all been done, and better, before, Fast and Furious in Space is the best description I've seen so far. I've had a terrific ride for 50 years and it was bound to end eventually but it's sad to see it come to this. Not even an Idris moment of tenseness to drool over. Thank God for the series boxed sets.