Everything Star Trek is new again as J.J. Abrams reboots the beloved franchise this weekend in theaters around the world.
Wired.com does a photographic comparison study of the old-school crew that manned the U.S.S. Enterprise in the original TV series and the new, wet-behind-the-ears version.
The original update of the Enterprise, as seen in the first three Trek movies (then rebuilt for a couple more), inspired much of the look of the new movie's flagship. Just ignore the astronomical odds against the new (old) Enterprise being built in an Iowa cornfield within easy driving distance of James T. Kirk's childhood home.
Top photo: Courtesy of NBC
Bottom photo: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
The original James T. Kirk (played by William Shatner) enjoyed natural gravitas, warm lighting and a sturdy wood-and-leather command chair. The new version (Chris Pine) boldly plays in the snow without a coat and survives bouts with killer CGI.
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Bottom photo: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Spock Prime (Leonard Nimoy) was emotionless, calm and contemplative. Zachary Quinto's version is more intense and driven. He's also so uptight that if he broke wind, glass would shatter.
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Bottom photo: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
The original Lt. Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) opened the door for generations of black actresses like her successor, Zoe Saldana. But Saldana lacks 1960s Uhura's natural curves as, like most 21st-century actresses, she doesn't appear to have eaten since 1974.
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Bottom photo: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Though he takes some unnecessary ribbing these days for coming out of the closet, George Takei's Sulu (above, left) was a sober and professional presence on the old Enterprise bridge. John Cho (second photo below) follows up with the same basic performance. Meanwhile, while the original Chekov (Walter Koenig, above, right) was originally brought in as a Russian navigator meant to look like a Beatle, Anton Yelchin's version (first photo below) is a Russian technician meant to look like a poodle.
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Bottom photos: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
While the original Montgomery Scott (James Doohan) could hit the sauce occasionally, he was the best engineer in the fleet and a formidable commander when Kirk was off chasing green girlfriends. The new Scotty (Simon Pegg) is used mostly for comic relief in Abrams' Trek.
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Alternate Star Trek origin stories from novels and comic books use the dramatic tactic of having Kirk and Spock take an immediate dislike to each other. The new version wanders down that same road, though the two heroes get on the same page in time to save the day.
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In the '60s version of Trek, Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelley) was Kirk's sounding board and conscience. In Abrams' Trek, McCoy (Karl Urban) is more of Kirk's comrade and enabler. We'll see if the relationship grows in sequels.
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Bottom photo: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Star Trek's antagonists can take very different forms. In Abrams' reboot, Eric Bana plays Nero, a blood-thirsty, revenge-crazed Romulan villain. The Kirk of years past took out plenty of alien scum like Nero, but he struggled against fuzzier, less-threatening foes like Tribbles.
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Bottom photo: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
The original cast of the U.S.S. Enterprise was mature and seasoned — well into their five-year mission when fans caught up to them. The new cast is filled with rookies, forced into action because Earth is in dire need — and because film executives decided moviegoers can't stand to watch anyone over 25.
Top photo: Courtesy of NBC
Bottom photo: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
