I thought the movie was brilliant. My guess is Gene hadn't yet seen it as of his last post or he'd have even more to complain about.
Reinventing the Star Trek timeline is a stroke of genius. Here are the things that I think make this particularly awesome:
1) It gives Spock way more leeway to use/exhibit emotion
(now his mother died when he was young and his planet was blown up)
2) Many characters have more depth (Scotty is younger, Spock/Uhura,
Kirk enters combat/captainship at earlier point in life & loses his father early on
)
3) The Star Trek fans have to shut up (thank GOODNESS) and can't whine about continuity since the entire universe has been changed.
4) Anything is possible now
To those who don't fully "get" this. Consider:
- Since there was a
time travel incident that killed Kirks' dad in the past
, this explains why the ship is designed differently (the bridge, for example)
- It also explains any differences in facts - like the test scenario and Spock's position in Starfleet
- The ripple effect may even explain Spock's added emotional response to the Vulcan council and him going to Starfleet.
If you notice, Spock is now a MUCH more interesting character with a LOT of depth. Expect him to be more emotional. He has about 40 years advancement on the elder Spock who embraces (finally) his humanity.