The Future Ain't What It Used To Be

Yogi Berra said that.

It would be nice to think that quote was from somebody like Isaac Asimov, but Yogi said the words first - whether he knew it or not.

Caught in the grips of self-analysis brought on by my recent introduction to mortality, I can't avoid questions like, "What am I leaving behind for my children?"

Most aspects of that question are too big to actually contemplate. Global warming makes me pessimistic about the environment. The economy makes me concerned over the future of the middle class. Politics makes me concerned for social progress. Government makes me lose heart over prospects for peace in the world.

You see? Too much. That way lies madness.

But Star Trek... I can handle that in my diminished capacity. What kind of Star Trek am I leaving to my children?

I grabbed Coop after school and we high-tailed it over to the 4pm IMAX. As we took our seats, I was once again surrounded by the warmth of Trekkers loudly expounding on themes from episodes long-past. It was 1979 again and I was ready to see the new adventures of Kirk, Spock, McCoy and the rest on the final frontier.

I watched for two hours as my history with the United Federation of Planets was erased and rewritten. This is a "rebooting" of Star Trek. It is definitely not this old man's Star Trek. It is a faster, funnier, more flash, less philosophy version of the famous crew. There are holes and problems. There always are. But who knows where it will go from here?

Coop loved it. And he loved it for his own reasons. What drew him into the story and the characters was not what had drawn me into the original Star Trek series. He was challenged by different ideas than I was as a kid.

And perhaps that will be how he will handle all the other legacies as well.

That's the future, isn't it?