I finally got around to checking out the Star Trek Exhibit that's been in town. It's actually a bit smaller than I thought it'd be -- I more or less saw everything in 2.5 hours -- and some of the exhibits were underwhelming. I didn't get much out of the recreated "Guardian" set, or the model ships (OK, the Borg cube was pretty rad), but some of the costumes were surprisingly informative. For instance, I learned that Nichelle Nichols had an unbelievably tiny waist (although, I might add, her uniform had plenty of capacity for her, um, bust). (I made similar observations about 7 of 9's catsuit, and a Dabo girl's costume.) (And on a Project Runway tip, Ra'mon should've taken a cue from DS9's Dabo girl costumes for his sci-fi challenge, instead of doing that silly lizard look.) Oh, and walking down a Galaxy-class corridor was a trip and a half, especially with the trompe l'oeil at the end that made me dizzy, and me being a Picard man all the way, loved his recreated quarters, which included sundry Picardian artifacts like the Ressikan flute, a PADD (which I am now convinced served as inspiration for the iPad), and memory sticks. Alas, no Livingstone, though.
After killing some more time, I went to see JJ Abrams' Star Trek in the IMAX theater. (Note to self: sit in one of the higher rows next time, unless I want to crane my neck upwards for 2 hours.) I noted a score of inconsistencies that you probably couldn't chalk up to time travel paradoxes (since when have Romulans been screamy types? And why is a Romulan mining ship outfitted with such potent torpedoes?), but they hardly mattered because of how well put together the film was (leaving aside how JJ usually punches holes in his own plots). The action scenes were fine (though hard to follow on IMAX), the characterizations didn't linger too long on eye-rolling pop psychology, and as much as JJ sez he's not a Trekkie, he laid down the nostalgia with a deft hand -- I was even amused at the anachronism of having all the female officers wearing miniskirts. Zach Quinto was born to play young Spock in a Trek reboot, and Nimoy's scenes were a hoot. I even have to commend the hair/makeup department for rendering Jennifer Morrison and Wynona Ryder completely unrecognizable while I was watching (after I found out they were in it I could tell it was them).
Indie rating: Mogwai – "Secret Pint"
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