Taking Care of the Troops

In past wars the USO sent groups of celebrities around to entertain the troops. They still do, although Bob Hope is sadly no longer on the circuit. Individual singers and groups have made trips to the Middle East, both on land and on ship, to entertain our military while it performs a vital mission.

While I certainly don't begrudge our troops any of this type of entertainment they receive, I'll admit to a slight amount of jealousy regarding this:

About 440 soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines will get to see the newest Star Trek movie at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, on Saturday — about a month before its stateside premiere, Army and Air Force Exchange Service officials announced Friday.

The troops will get an extra treat at AAFES’ Reel Time Theater: The actors playing the new recruits on the Starship Enterprise will also attend — Captain Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Nero (Eric Bana), Dr. McCoy (Karl Urban) and Lt. Sulu (John Cho). Director J.J. Abrams also will be on hand.

How very cool.

Update, 4/12/09: I received permission to forward the following, from someone who was there:

So you may be wondering; is it worth it to see? That part is a no brainer. It is definitely worth it.

Is it true to the roots of the original series? Actually, so much so that many of the characters look pretty darn close and act like the originals, only better.

Is the movie good? From my perspective, it hands down beats the best of the Star Trek movies that were ever made, namely the Wrath of Khan.

In short folks, this movie is a kick in the pants and I predict it will start a whole new franchise for an entirely new generation of fans and soon to be fans. If this movie is not the blockbuster of the Summer, I will be greatly surprised.

It was that good.

[signature redacted, just in case]

- no, I will not get into the plot. Suffice it to say, it explains the very beginning of the very first episode of the original TV series and provides context that never previously existed before, particularly **CPT Pike**