Boldly Went Where Others Have Gone Before (This Weekend)

Well, I finally was able to see the much-anticipated sequel to the 2009 release of Star Trek. Into Darkness was absolutely riveting. I'm not going to get all movie critic on your, nor are there any spoilers.  But seeing it in 3D IMAX was so worth the price of admission.

I am one of those (space) anomalies that love both Star Trek and Star Wars. I grew up with Star Trek, which paved the way for Star Wars. Personally, as a fan of science fiction, I don't understand how some fans are 'one or the other'. In my universe, there's room for both.  Enough with the puns.

One thing I will say is that there was a lot of name-dropping in this movie. For those who are familiar with the TV series, novels, etc., you will hear some familiar names and situations. It leads me to believe there is plenty of material for sequels, and for that, I am grateful.

Of course when you have a blockbuster release, you get plenty of pictures and memes floating around the Internet. One of my favorite pictures is the one above, showing the men who portrayed such classic and memorable characters. It amazes me how spot-on Zachary Quinto and Karl Urban, who play Spock and Dr. McCoy, respectively, portray the classic characters we know so well. It's like how Ewan McGregor nailed his interpretation of Sir Alec Guinness' role as Obi-Wan Kenobi. The speech inflections and mannerisms make the performance that much more believable. 

Just like in a parallel universe, you also get articles drawing parallels between the movie and life. I read one such article this morning, entitled 10 Things Businesses Should Learn from 'Star Trek', by Mark Harden. It's a great read and so true for anyone sitting the Captain's chair.

The other thing I found is a little more dangerous (to me). Since I wasn't able to go to Star Wars Weekends at Walt Disney World to make myself into a Stormtrooper or frozen in Carbonite, so I'll have to settle for the next best thing: becoming a Starfleet Officer.

I found this on Cubify this morning. You have to check it out! You choose a pose, uniform and rank, load up a picture of yourself, and they make an action figure of you! That's got my name (and face) all over it.