Star Trek: Beyond

It’s probably a bad sign for this version of the series that, at this point, the viewer starts to ponder questions that have little to do with the movie immediately in front of him. Questions such as: how much longer will this cast stay together? Are they going to be basing any future movies on original episodes, or can they keep coming up with original ideas? Original, in this case, being a relative term, since there seem to be some elements of movies we’ve seen before in this flick. The crew--or at least certain members--being marooned on a strange planet is a familiar trope; the powerful external threat to the Federation is just about an every-other-movie plot point; we’ve even seen the Enterprise crash and burn before. So story is probably not the selling point for this franchise; given that, they’d better have an appealing cast for the crew, and fortunately the producers scored on that front. The primary cast features likeable actors who fit their roles well; that’s probably why this movie remains appealing and entertaining despite some otherwise stale elements. But you have to wonder: how much longer will this one go on before there’s yet another reboot needed? The next “beyond” may require another go round with another “next generation” if they can’t up the game a little further for this crew’s next outing.