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"I've never been a fan of Star Trek. It's true, I never quite got it." -- J.J. Abrams

Last night Cinematical had the chance to screen roughly 20 minutes of footage from the new Star Trek film alongside select journalists, Paramount executives and Trek director J.J. Abrams. Four scenes in total, each was a fairly critical component of the film -- and while hardcore Trekkers may have a few problems with the final product, there's no denying this rebooted version of Star Trek will kick off the summer of '09 in spectacular fashion.

Below, I'll give you a very brief summary of each scene, then spit out a few initial thoughts on it all before providing a few movie facts (based on what we learned last night). Some of this info will come as a welcomed surprise to those faithful out there, and some ... well ... let's begin, shall we:

Note: We'll be discussing plot points, so there will be spoilers ahead.

Scene Summary

1. Kirk's Introduction -- This was our first introduction to the Chris Pine version of Kirk -- a somewhat disheveled, but great looking punk who hangs around the Starfleet bar looking to pick up chicks. His wooing of one such chick -- who goes by the name of Uhura (Zoe Saldana) -- winds up getting Kirk into trouble with some of the boys. A fight ensues, and a man by the name of Captain Pike (Bruce Greenwood) steps in to save the day before urging Kirk to follow in his father's footsteps and join the Starfleet.

Oh yes, that's exactly what you think it is. Moviefone snatched the first Star Trek photo, and though it's a tad dark, you can clearly see the new Enterprise ship coming together. Ever since it was announced that J.J. Abrams would be directing a brand new take on the Star Trek franchise, folks have been itching to see what he's come up with. Starring Zachary Quinto (as a young Spock), Chris Pine (as a young Kirk), Karl Urban (as Bones), Simon Pegg (as Scotty), John Cho (as Sulu), Anton Yelchin (as Checkov) and Zoe Saldana (as Uhuru), this latest Star Trek installment apparently follows the original crew during their early days at Starfleet Academy up through their first mission together. Eric Bana will be playing a villain named Nero, while Bruce Greenwood will also make an appearance as the original Captain, Christopher Pike. And for those longing for some old school Trek, you'll be happy to know that Leonard Nimoy will also be showing up as his old Spock self. Head to Moviefone to see a larger Star Trek photo, as well as a gallery of the cast. Star Trek is set to touch down on December 25.

Additionally, you can spot the first trailer for Star Trek this weekend in front of Cloverfield, and the film's official site has now gone live.

Rumors had been spreading throughout these internets for quite awhile that the character of Christopher Pike would play some sort of role in the upcoming Star Trek XI. Pike, as some of you may or may not know, was the first Enterprise captain before Kirk; he was featured in the TV show's unaired rejected pilot, then re-surfaced later on during a two-part episode where his backstory was explained. The Hollywood Reporter tells us Bruce Greenwood has landed the part, and while you might not recognize the name, dude's been around the block and then some. Greenwood, who most recently played two parts in Todd Haynes' I'm Not There, also has a role in the upcoming National Treasure: Book of Secrets and has played parts in the HBO show John from Cincinnati as well as a number of films over the years.

Pike was first played by Jeffrey Hunter in the pilot, and then by Sean Kenney in a two-parter called The Menagerie. In that episode, Pike is confined to a wheelchair due to a previous accident that found him trying to rescue cadets from a baffle plate rupture onboard a J-class training vessel (thanks Wikipedia!). The film will most likely take place much earlier than that episode however, because Kirk is already captain at that point. Originally, Spock had served with Pike for more than a decade. Greenwood looks like he'd play a good Pike; then again, I'm not a huge Trekkie and never watched either of those episodes ... so what do I know? What do you think? Should they have gone after a bigger name for the role of Pike? Should Pike be in the film? And how big of a part do you think he should play?

If there is one thing I'll never outgrow with family films, it's an appreciation for their villains. Mind you, it is more a guilty pleasure sort of appreciation the older I get, but nonetheless, those creepy, greedy, ruthless villains will forever be enjoyed by yours truly. There is just something fantastically wicked about them that is far more interesting than other movie bad-guys. Perhaps it is their one-dimensionality, which keeps them even less human and therefore less worthy of empathy. Perhaps it is because they kidnap dogs, trap aliens, hunt endangered species and would easily harm a child for a buck, but at the end of the day they consistently reek of cowardice. Regardless of plot, regardless of budget, and regardless of how many kids they have to take on, they have been one of the most dependable standards in the history of film.

In Mee-Shee: The Water Giant, which is being shown as part of the Tribeca Family Film Festival, the villains are two representatives (Charles Mesure and Joel Tobeck) of an evil oil-drilling company. The funny thing is I have to stress that they are from the evil oil-drilling company, because there is actually a good oil-drilling company, which is rare in the typically environment-friendly genre (to be fair, though, the good-guys quit their company in the end anyway). At first they are on a mission to sabotage and steal from their rival, but when it is discovered that the lake they're working in is the home of a giant sea creature, their goal quickly turns to a capture-and-profit scheme.