J.J. Abrams returns with his second take on Gene Roddenberry’s “Star Trek.” It is clear that Abrams is a student of the series. Much of this film is taken from the lore of the series and the previous films.
The beginning of the film has the crew of the Enterprise doing a survey of a planet with a primitive culture. The people of the planet are threatened by a volcano which will wipe out all life on the planet. Kirk and company attempt to save the planet from extinction. To do so they have to violate the “prime directive.”
The “prime directive” states that members of Starfleet cannot interfere with any planet’s development and are not to do anything that would reveal the presence of Starfleet to the population.
Michael Catlett
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This brings trouble for Kirk (Chris Pine). He is brought up on charges of violating the directive. It is his first officer, Spock (Zachary Quinto), who causes what happens. Kirk is relieved of duty as captain of the Enterprise. This adds more tension to the pair’s relationship.
What follows is a sequence of events where the greatest terror ever faced by Starfleet is unleashed. A Starfleet officer, John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) declares war on the mighty Starfleet. But who is John Harrison?
He turns out to be someone that is well known to any person that followed the franchise. And that villain is ruthless and unmerciful.
The story that unfolds is full of all manner of plot twists. We watch the Enterprise go from one side of the known universe to another in search of justice. They pursue the villain and finds villainy within their ranks.
In an article by B. B. Kush on the “Star Trek” franchise, the lead reads: “If you’re a big fan of the ‘Star Trek’ science fiction genre, then there’s a good chance that you’re a humanist at heart.”
This film holds true to that statement. In every encounter, there is a measure of reason, logic and rationality to it circumstance and the outcome.
Something happens that is out of the ordinary and seemingly unexplained in this film. Sulu (John Woo) declares, “It’s a miracle!” Spock coldly, but directly says, “There is no such thing.”
So why does “Star Trek” appeal to the person of faith?
“Star Trek” espouses more than a mere “secular humanist” philosophy. It speaks to the need of continual engagement with the circumstance one is placed in. The idea is that one must come to a level of comfort and understanding with the larger context one finds one’s self in.
The missions of the Enterprise all deal with finding a means of engaging the beings discovered with the same kind of respect and understanding given to those that are known.
In this age of rising secularism, the need is for a church to be more like the Enterprise. The church needs to “boldly go where no one has gone before.” And doing so, we need to find ways to more apostolic, rather than prophetic.
The story of “Star Trek” is that of an apostolic group going into the unknown to learn the ways of those encountered — not to point out the wrong we think is there, but to learn the way in which we may declare the wonderful words of Christ, who said, “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:17, NRSV).
Michael Parnell ([email protected]) is pastor of Beth Car Baptist Church in Halifax, Va.
Star Trek Into Darkness
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence.
Directed by J. J. Abrams; written by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof
WITH: Chris Pine (James T. Kirk), Zachary Quinto (Spock), Benedict Cumerbatch (John Harrison), Simon Pegg (Montgomery “Scotty” Scott), Karl Urban (Leonard “Bones” McCoy), Zoe Saldana (Nyota Uhura), John Cho (Hikaru Sulu).