Beam Aboard the Starship Enterprise With Zachary Quinto and Company

This weekend, two of my all-time favorite televisions shows are united on the big screen. LOST creator J. J. Abrams helmed the 2009 theatrical reboot of Star Trek, perhaps my most anticipated film of the year, bringing with him fellow LOST head honchos Damon Lindelof and Bryan Burk, along with composer Michael Giacchino and Greg Grunberg, whose part in the film, while even tinier than his brief turn as the doomed pilot of Oceanic 815, is certainly memorable, though you'll probably have to consult the credits to figure out who he is. I watched Star Trek regularly with my family when I was growing up, and Spock was one of the first fictional characters I came to adore whole-heartedly. No matter who was involved in this movie, I would have been standing in line on opening night, but the LOST connections sweetened the deal.

From the time I first heard about this new Star Trek, I was pleased by all the attention being lavished upon Spock but slightly nervous about the casting, since Zachary Quinto also plays Sylar, who sadistically sliced open many an unsuspecting head on Heroes before I gave up on the series. I imagine the reason for Quinto getting so much of the spotlight is two-fold: in full regalia (including, of course, the pointy ears), he bears an extraordinary resemblance to the original Spock, and the logical half-Vulcan - the only holdover from the show's first pilot - really is the glue that holds Star Trek together. The more I saw of Quinto's Spock in magazines and late-night interviews, the more I embraced him as Leonard Nimoy's successor, so that by the time my latest issue of Entertainment Weekly arrived with a cover bearing a crystal-clear headshot of New Spock, I could gaze at it enthralled and not be remotely reminded of the hated Heroes villain.

Still, looking the part and acting it are two different things, so I reserved total acceptance until the movie, in which Spock is every bit as central a character as I'd hoped. Quinto's Spock has slightly less control over his emotions than Nimoy's; for the most part, he is the same calmly detached officer, a cool voice of reason rising above the flaring tempers among his crewmates. But there is conflict within him, and never are his human emotions so strongly roused as in matters concerning his mother. The tender relationship the film presents feels like one of many throwbacks to Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Spock, it transpires, is a bit of a mama's boy, but that doesn't stop him from being one of the most brilliant minds Starfleet has ever known.

Quinto conveys each subtle inflection of his genius masterfully while keeping us aware that Spock's feelings are submerged rather than nonexistent. Speaking in a gentle but authoritative tone, he is polite and precise and, when the occasion calls for it, droll. And thankfully, writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman give him plenty of compelling material, not to mention opportunities to whip out many Spock trademarks, including the Vulcan salute, nerve pinch and mind meld and the acknowledgement that something is "fascinating".

Spock also lifts quotes from specific moments in the series and subsequent movies, my favorite of which is the touching "I have been, and always shall be, your friend." This line is uttered not by Quinto but by Nimoy, whose appearance midway through the film is the audacious anchor upon which the plot rests, allowing Abrams wide creative license as he proceeds with the series. The movie is loaded with references meant to appease long-time fans, but Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan offers especially integral inspiration for the plot, from the revenge-driven crusade of tattooed Romulan Nero (Eric Bana) to the unpleasant interrogation method he uses. The nod that excited me the most involves a cocky young James Kirk (Chris Pine) taking a casual bite out of an apple as he takes the Academy's no-win scenario test for the third time.

The movie is hardly a collection of catch-phrases, but each of the major seven characters gets some time in the limelight, and there were cheers in my showing each time the officers uttered a familiar command or exclamation. Keep an ear out for Kirk saying, "Beam me up"; communications officer Uhura (Zoe Saldana) opening hailing frequencies; helmsman Sulu (John Cho) putting the ship into warp speed; ensign Chekov (Anton Yelchin) talking about "wessels" and "Wulcans"; engineer Scotty (Simon Pegg) bellowing, "I'm givin' it all she's got!" and Dr. McCoy (Karl Urban) snapping, "I'm a doctor, not a physicist!" Keep an eye out, meanwhile, for a man of little consequence dressed all in red and a surprising song credit rewarding longtime fans who stick around after the movie is over. Even with my eyes peeled, I missed the cameo of late Last Lecture author Randy Pausch, an avowed Trekker, early in the film; I'm sure that the next time I watch it, I'll catch plenty of other Easter eggs too.

Fans should be pleased with all of these opportunities to prove their prowess, and newcomers aren't likely to be distracted by them. While they miss the fun of the in-jokes, they have the advantage of not constantly comparing new with old and wondering whether these incarnations are betrayals. I have little issue with the acting in terms of these characterizations. More eyebrow-raising are some of the details written into these characters' histories and personalities. The aforementioned critical plot point explains some of the discrepancies, but there's also an extent to which these characters are being reinvented.

This is most evident in the cases of Uhura, Sulu and Chekov, whose personalities were always less developed than the other four. Saldana, who I first saw as an unabashed Trekker in The Terminal, makes sweet Uhura quite a bit feistier, especially in run-ins with Kirk. I appreciate the emphasis on her smarts but found it annoying that demure Uhura evidently wasn't good enough the 21st century. However, I like her much better once she gets on the ship, at which point another surprising aspect of her character emerges. It gels more with the tender, compassionate woman Nichelle Nichols played, and mostly I'm okay with it, though it strikes me as a controversial direction to take. Cho lacks the vocal gravitas to have me entirely convinced that he's Sulu; of the main seven, he's the only one whose casting I question. His role is mostly light, and while he does contribute in important ways on a couple of occasions (I especially like the way his established fondness for fencing is integrated), he seems a little greener to me than he should. Chekov, meanwhile, doesn't seem green enough. In the original series, I tended to think of him as capable but ultimately little more than comical eye candy. This time around, he's a Wesley Crusher-esque wunderkind, just as funny and adorable as always but considerably more indispensable. Of the three second-tier characters, he is my favorite, both then and now.

I had doubts about Karl Urban as the irascible Bones, since I previously knew him as Eomer, who I found just about the most boring character in Lord of the Rings. Then again, he didn't make much of an impression on me in the book, either, so I wasn't sure if that was really the actor's fault. Bones gets almost as much screen time as Kirk does, particularly toward the beginning, and thankfully, my worries were unfounded; he absolutely nails the good doctor's drawl and good-natured crankiness and gets many of the movie's biggest laughs. Particularly funny, especially considering classic Kirk's unending aversion to Sickbay, is the sequence in which he chases Jim around the ship, attempting to administer a series of unwanted treatments. It feels most appropriate that the film establishes the two as firm friends long before they serve together on the Enterprise.

Hot-headed, libidinous Jim Kirk was always my least favorite of the Enterprise Seven. He may have been brave and heroic, but his lack of respect for authority and his arrogance always got on my nerves. Unsurprisingly, the early-twenties version is even more obnoxious. Like everyone else besides Quinto, Pine bears no especially striking physical resemblance to his predecessor, but he captures his mannerisms well. I also have to offer kudos to the writers and young actors alike on the scenes depicting Kirk and Spock in childhood. Rabble-rousing Kirk's (Jimmy Bennett) is hilarious, exhilarating and the first of several action sequences that seem inspired more by Star Wars than Star Trek. Contemplative Spock's (Jacob Kogan) stands in stark contrast, though it also demonstrates the half-Vulcan's struggle to come to terms with his opposing natures, exemplified by an amusing exchange with some older students causing my brother to exclaim, "Spock's bullies would get beat up by the bullies on any other planet in the universe!" Instrumental to Kirk's development this time around is Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood), whose stern but kind mentorly role I love. Greenwood seems a little on the old side to be playing this captain who was in command in the show's original pilot, but the relationship feels believable.

That just leaves Pegg's Scotty, who takes so long to turn up I started to half-wonder if we were going to see him at all. Our introduction to him is a comical highlight, and he continues to steal the screen whenever he pipes up, usually with a cheerful assertion of some sort. I would speculate that of the seven, Pegg had the most fun; the Scottish engineer seems positively giddy throughout most of his all-too-brief appearances. I also like his interaction with one of the movie's few non-humanoid aliens. Few fans would argue with the statement that in the battle of Star Trek versus Star Wars, the latter has the coolest aliens. Abrams and his team seem determined to amend that, or at least remain open to the idea of a more diverse Federation. My favorite example of this is the disgruntled creature who finds himself lodged between Kirk and Uhura in the disastrous bar scene reminiscent of Top Gun in which he meets and puts the moves on her.

Giacchino's stirring score blends neatly with the action most of the time, with some of the more emotional moments containing hints of music we've heard on LOST. The special effects are impeccable, aside from a few moments that seem to be overdoing it just a little. I'm not too used to Jedi-style sword fights and escape from enormous hostile creatures on this series. Those new to the franchise at least aren't likely to complain that the movie lacks action. The movie offers something to love for viewers at any point along the previous Star Trek experience spectrum; as for me, I'm already looking forward to the sequel.

Hiro Elevates Otherwise Dreary Heroes

Last summer, I went to see several movies at the theater and was surprised to notice that along with the expected movie previews, there was advertising for upcoming television projects. This was how I first heard about NBC's Heroes, a drama about several seemingly ordinary people who suddenly discover hitherto unknown talents. Initially, the connections between most of these super-powered are tenuous or nonexistent, so there are a lot of threads to follow at once. Eventually, however, the storylines intersect as these potential heroes discover that something disastrous is about to happen unless they join forces to stop it.

When I found out about Heroes, I was stuck firmly in an obsession with Smalville, so perhaps I was feeling especially receptive to watching a show about superheroes, though I suspect it would have caught my interest anyway. I've always had a fondness for science fiction; the nerdy Trekkie in me cheered when Malcolm McDowell (Generations) showed up, and I was even happier to see George Takei, who played Sulu in the original series, show up as the father of my favorite character. I'm not so sure how I feel about Zachary Quinto, who portrays the vicious Sylar, stepping into the uniform of my beloved Spock; I'm hoping I can banish his character's nasty shenanigans from my mind before I see the new Star Trek movie.

Despite the Trek connections, Heroes really has more in common with X-Men and other tales of several people nursing superpowers that generally make their lives more difficult. Indeed, few of the characters seem happy with their newfound abilities. Cheerleader Claire Bennet (Hayden Panettiere) is completely freaked out by her indestructibility, particularly when she begins to suspect that her doting but vaguely sinister adoptive father (Jack Coleman) knows more than he's telling. On-the-run mom Niki Sanders (Ali Larter) has little control over her violent alter-ego, while Nathan Petrelli (Adrian Pasdar) represses his flying ability, fearing it will harm his political campaign. Devoted cop Matt Parkman (Greg Grunberg) faces marital problems and job woes, so he's not eager to embrace his sudden mind-reading prowess. Professor Mohinder Suresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy) doesn't want to admit that his father, who dedicated much of his life to finding people with such genetic mutations, was onto something.

There are only two characters - among the good guys, anyway - who really seem to relish their otherness. One is Nathan's younger brother Peter (Milo Ventimiglia), a sensitive young hospice worker. At first, it's unclear whether he actually has any unusual powers at all, since all he has is realistic dreams to back up his conviction, though we soon learn Peter has an important role to play in this drama, though it isn't quite what he envisioned. By far the most enthusiastic character, and my favorite, is Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka), a geeky, idealistic Japanese office drone who giddily discovers that he can manipulate time and space. As soon as he learns this, he sets out on a heroic journey, bringing his reluctant, cynical friend Ando Masahashi (James Kyson Lee) along for the ride. Neither speaks English very well, so the vast majority of their speech is in subtitles, which is rather unfortunate since the dialogue I am most interested in is also the easiest to miss.

Hiro and Ando also provide much-needed comic relief, and if it weren't for their thread in the story, I might not keep watching; this is a very dark show, and apart from them, the humor is very thinly spread. Heroes takes itself very seriously, as evidenced by the shadowy tones that permeate nearly every scene and Mohinder's sanctimonious voice-overs, which often begin and end episodes. And it's violent. Once the main cast of superheroes has been established, nearly everyone we meet afterward winds up dead, and not all the characters from the pilot will survive either. Much of the carnage comes courtesy of Sylar, a gifted clock-maker who desperately wants superpowers of his own and decides to seize them mechanically, by slicing heads open as if with a can opener and somehow surgically inserting the powers of the deceased into his own brain in a move rather reminiscent of Highlander. For the squeamish, pillows or other eye-shielding objects are definitely advised.

Is Heroes a good show? Yes, I'd say so, but I don't like it nearly as much as Smallville, LOST and Ugly Betty. I'll probably tune in again this year, but if Hiro is ever taken out of the picture, I'll bow out too - though that would free him up to score a spin-off... All Hiro, all the time; now that would be a show well worth watching!