Story
Star Trek XI opens with the USS Kelvin travelling through space on a routine patrol. A Romulan ship with advanced weaponry appears out of a ‘singularity’ (black hole) and fires several missiles at the ship. The Kelvin’s captain is ordered aboard the Romulan ship. He is killed by Nero (Eric Bana), the leader of the Romulans, who seems confused about the current date and the location of Ambassador Spock. Nero continues his attack on the Kelvin, so acting Captain George Kirk orders the crew, including his pregnant wife Winona (Jennifer Morrison), to abandon ship. As the escape pods move away from the Kelvin, we see Winona giving birth to a son, whom she names James Tiberius Kirk. After hearing his son’s name and saying goodbye, Captain George Kirk rams the doomed Kelvin into the Romulan ship to destroy it.
The following scenes portray the early years of James Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto). Young Kirk is depicted as a rebellious child, while a young Spock battles with controlling his emotions. As a young man, Kirk is still rebellious, and spends his time in bars chasing women and picking fights. Following a bar brawl, Kirk is approached by Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood), who dares Kirk to join Starfleet. Not wanting to refuse a dare, Kirk takes up Pike’s offer. Immediately he forms friendships with fellow Starfleet cadets Dr Leonard ‘Bone’ McCoy (Karl Urban) and communications whizkid Uhura (Zoe Saldana). He also forms a somewhat shaky relationship with Spock, who is now a Commander.
Just after Kirk and his fellow cadets graduate, Starfleet Command receives a distress call from Vulcan. Kirk, Spock and fellow crewmembers board the newly built Enterprise. They head off to do battle with time-traveller Nero, who is determined to avenge the future destruction of his home.
Themes
Alien worlds; time travel; death of a parent
Violence
Star Trek XI contains intense action violence, bullying, some reckless and life-endangering behaviour and infrequent depictions of blood and gore. For example:
Sexual references
This movie contains some sexual references and double entendres. For example:
- Kirk says to Uhura, ‘I mean you’ve got a talented tongue’.
- An adolescent Vulcan boy tells Spock that his mother is ‘a human whore’.
- A man insults Kirk, telling him that he only has sex with farm animals.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
This movie contains some use of substances. For example:
- Many people drink beer, cocktails and spirits in a nightclub scene.
- Kirk drinks beer in a couple of scenes.
- Kirk attempts to flirt with Uhura while he is drunk in a bar.
- Dr McCoy drinks from a hip flask.
- Dr McCoy injects Kirk with a vaccine, and then gives Kirk several other injections when he develops a bad reaction to the vaccine. McCoy also gives Kirk a tranquiliser injection after which Kirk falls unconscious.
Nudity and sexual activity
This movie contains some nudity and sexual activity. For example:
- Uhura kisses Spock on the lips in a couple of scenes.
- During a bar brawl, Kirk grabs hold of a woman’s breast by mistake.
- Kirk passionately kisses a woman in her apartment, and they strip down to their underwear. A second woman walks in on them, so Kirk hides under the woman’s bed. The second woman takes off her top and pulls down her pants. She is in her underwear when she discovers Kirk hiding under the bed. Kirk promptly leaves the room.
Product placement
None of concern
Coarse language
This movie contains some medium-level coarse language and putdowns.
Ideas to discuss with your children
Star Trek XI is an action-packed science-fiction adventure. It provides a new perspective on the two leading characters, Kirk and Spock. Established fans of this long-running TV and movie series are likely to be impressed with this movie. Newcomers might find it difficult to relate to some of the movie’s references.
The main messages from this movie are:
- We are capable of choosing our own destiny.
- Sometimes doing the right thing requires putting aside logical thinking in favour of following your own heart and doing what feels right.
Values in this movie that you might wish to reinforce with your children include selflessness, bravery and heroism. This movie could also give you the opportunity to discuss the following attitudes and issues with your children:
- Kirk’s rebellious behaviour as a youth and his willingness to defy authority as a Starfleet officer
- Kirk’s willingness to cheat, lie and bend the rules if it suits his needs
- Kirk’s belief that the end justifies the means and the fact that he often gets away with this.