So even though I’m a huge geek, there are still a bunch of fandoms that I don’t necessarily take part in. This is not to say at all that these fandoms aren’t awesome. It’s just usually I haven’t had much experience with them (though sometimes after I do spend time, I find myself becoming a fan – Doctor Who is a good example) or I just can’t get into no matter how much I try.

And then there are those times when for some weird reason, I end up liking the reboot instead of the long term original classic that has been around for years.  One good example of this is Star Trek. And yes I’m talking about JJ Abram movies.

I’m not a Trekkie at all.  I’ve tried to watch The Original Series and The Next Generation and while I enjoyed a few episodes in both series (I never got around to Voyager, Enterprise or Deep Space Nine) I didn’t feel the urge to start binge watching. When it comes to Star Trek vs. Star Wars, I’ve always been a Star Wars fan. Other than LeVar Burton hosting that episode of Reading Rainbow on TNG set, I never really got excited watching the show.

So it took me completely by surprise that I was excited for the 2009 movie.  I think was mainly because I was a fan of Abrams, thanks to Lost.  Also the cast looked like they would be stellar – Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Eric Bana.  At the time, I had no idea who the guys playing Kirk or Spock were. I didn’t prepare myself, like I normally do with other movies, by watching older episodes of TOS to get myself caught up. I just went in and since I didn’t know much of what was going to happen, I had no expectations to be honest.

Oh wow! I remember walking out of the movie thinking it was awesome and so fun! To this day, it’s one of the movies I love to rewatch.  I found myself sobbing after the prologue when it’s revealed that Kirk’s dad is Thor (seriously, it’s Chris Hemsworth) and I know that if a movie makes me cry, it’s going to be a good one. The action sequences were thrilling, the screenplay witty, and I loved the character development. I walked away being really thrilled about Star Trek for the first time in my life.

It still didn’t make me become a huge fan of the rest of the franchise but I became more appreciative of it as a whole. I knew I was looking forward to the sequel. It was being filmed in IMAX and it had Benedict Cumberbatch in it! Now I haven’t seen Wrath of Khan so about 99% of the references to it were lost on me. But I still had a ton of fun watching it. Action! Humor! An archives! Benedict Cumberbatch! This is the least informative review of a movie ever!

My point in all this is to say that even though it’s not normally my cup of tea, it is possible for someone who’s not normally a fan of a franchise/fandom to enjoy bits and pieces of it. And now that JJ Abrams is going to be directing the new Star Wars movie (thoughts about that later), it’s going to be interesting to see what he does there. Because basically, no one man should have all that power…..

Oh and just because it’s funny. Some spoilers if you still haven’t watched!