Herb Solow, the former head of Desilu Studios, was asked by the BBC about his thoughts on the movie, and he didn't disappoint:

I really enjoyed finally meeting the young Kirk, the young McCoy, the young Scotty and the young Uhura, though I found the young Chekov a bit more hyper than we envisioned him to be. He was originally to be a rather plodding Russian astronaut with no sense of humour. But this young Chekov was much more lively and a bit of a caricature.

The young Sulu was of particular interest. Sulu was my namesake. Gene Roddenberry wanted to call him Solo - long before Han Solo made an appearance on screen, but we later changed it (my request!) to Sulu. I was a little disappointed in this performance. The original actor, George Takei, played the character with more grace and charm infused into his austerity.

So Sulu and Chekhov disappoint, but what about Zachary Quinto's new Spock?

The young Mr Spock was certainly commendable. But I missed the depth of Leonard's Spock, and the centuries of knowledge that always lurked in his eyes.

Overall, though, Solow wants to see the new version succeed, and not just because of any potential financial benefit for himself:

The single most emblematic phrase of our original series is 'Live Long and Prosper'. I hope the new series of movies will have that long life, and that Star Trek will continue to prosper.

Star Trek's ex-chief movie praise [BBC News]

While you're making up your mind what you think of the new Star Trek movie, why not take a look at Annalee's review from earlier this week? Spoiler: The words "brilliant and exciting re-imagining of the original series" and "hot, sexy new Spock" appear pretty early on.

Meredith managed to talk to some of the people responsible for said brilliance and excitement, giving you a look behind the scenes in these four posts:

J.J. Abrams Admits Star Trek Lens Flares Are "Ridiculous"
If you've seen a single second of Abrams' Star Trek you know the film is stuffed with audience blinding lens flashes. J.J. Abrams admitted he got a bit carried away, but explained why they're there.

The Romance That Will Change Star Trek Forever
J.J. Abrams' Star Trek takes your familiar crewmembers places they've never been before - including one love story that will forever alter the crew's dynamic. We asked writers Orci and Kurtzman about it.

Sulu and Chekov Talk Takei's Baritone, And How To Say "Wessel"
What's it take to pilot the shiny new Enterprise? We asked crew members John Cho and Anton Yelchin about changing their accents, mannerisms and overall tone, to portray Hikaru Sulu and Pavel Chekov.

Bana: Nero Is Really The Misunderstood Tragic Hero Of Star Trek
We got a few minutes alone with Star Trek's Romulan bad boy, Eric Bana, and looked deep into the psyche of Nero. Bana explained how he got so revved up, he passed out on set.

Meanwhile, Charlie Jane asks the important question Why Is The Media Trying To Make Star Trek Fans Look Like Naysaying Dorks?, wondering just why certain mainstream news outlets seem to want to find fans who hate the new movie.

If that's not enough for you, then we've also got The Complete Guide To All Things Star Trek Online to keep you busy, as well as our 5 Favorite Star Trek Rip-Offs, just in case you're wondering what's next. Besides going to see the movie again, that is.

As with the previous set of posters, these four combine to form a pop-art Starfleet insignia. Between these promo posters and the original announcement poster, someone at Paramount is very good with the graphic design.




The images were released at the con and put online by TrekMovie.com, who promise more coverage from the convention, including "a potential movie spoiler." Stay tuned...

VegasCon 08: New Star Trek Movie Posters With Four New Cast Images [TrekMovie]

It's sad to see so many old Trek actors whoring themselves out for fan projects. This one is the motherlode: you get to see Tuvok from Voyager give Uhura from the original series a mind meld. Walter Koenig is back as Chekhov, and original series actors Grace Lee Whitney and Lawrence Montaigne also reprise their minor roles from 40 years ago. And some guy who played a captain in one of the movies plays that role again. The actors who played Harry Kim, Neelix, Captain Sisko's son and a bunch of other supporting roles turn up playing new characters. You can literally sit there and play spot-that-obscure-Trek-actor.

Star Trek: Of Gods And Men, according to this just-released trailer, will premiere its first segment on Dec. 22. This, not, the J.J. Abrams dud, is the future of Star Trek.