Resurrection

'Star Trek' to boldly go again?

(By Reuters)

Published: April 21, 2006

The as-yet-untitled "Star Trek" feature, the 11th since 1979, is aiming for a fall 2008 release through Paramount Pictures, the Viacom unit looking to restore its box-office luster under new management, the trade paper said.

The project will be directed by J.J. Abrams, whose Tom Cruise vehicle "Mission: Impossible III" will be released by Paramount on May 5. Abrams, famed for producing the TV shows "Alias" and "Lost," will also help write and produce.

Daily Variety said the action would center on the early days of "Star Trek" characters James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock, including their first meeting at Starfleet Academy and first outer-space mission.

The paper described "Star Trek" as Hollywood's most durable performer after James Bond, spawning 10 features that have grossed more than $1 billion and 726 TV episodes from six series.

The 10th film, "Star Trek: Nemesis," bombed at the box office on its December 2002 release, earning just $43 million in North America. Last year, Viacom-owned broadcast network UPN pulled the plug on the low-rated series "Star Trek: Enterprise" following a four-season run.

[Note by Republicus: This is beautiful. I was reading obituaries for Star Trek not too long ago.

We're seeing a generational passing down of late 20th Century American popular culture and mythology into the 21st, a renascence rejuvenated by new technologies that were only hinted at--if not actually envisioned--when Star-"Too-Cerebral"--Trek made it's first televised run in 1966 (in color!).

One could say that this is just an example of Hollywood being out of ideas and re-cycling old stuff and banking on aging American nostalgia, but that's being cynical and ignores the mythical nexus with the process that is not saddling a worn-out culture with old, tarnished goods to reminesce by, but conserving--while reinvigorating, rebooting-- our cultural heritage for new generations with good-as-new resurrections.

Batman Begins went back to the beginning, and is good as new.

James Bond goes back to his beginning in Casino Royale.

Superman Returns.

Kirk meets Spock.

And the first war of the 21st Century has our soldiers going back to the very beginning and stomping through the Garden of Eden trying to root out snakes, in the land of Genesis (and it's about time).

Haven't we seen all these movies before?

And yet all is new.

Republicus feels as young as Creation.

And so should you.]