The Kelvinverse has come to an end. The universe that J.J. Abrams inaugurated with his 2009 reboot film Star Trek has now been officially shelved, as Paramount seeks a new direction. Now, it is time to remember the fallen franchise. And of the Kelvinverse, we can only say this: of all the movies I have encountered in my travels, these were the most… human.Okay, maybe that refiguring of a classic line from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan doesn’t completely work when applied to Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Star Trek Beyond. But it is an example of what the trilogy often did, taking familiar lines and characters and giving them new context. Sometimes, the results were disastrous, as when John Harrison revealed himself as Khan, a name that meant nothing to Kirk and Spock. Sometimes, though, it was magic, as when Leonard Nimoy‘s Spock introduced himself to Chris Pine’s Kirk by saying, “l have been, and always shall be, your friend.”cnx.cmd.push(function() {cnx({playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530",}).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796");});Yes, the Kelvinverse was a mixed experiment overall. But as it makes its way to Sto-vo-kor, let’s shout the franchise’s praises to let them know a warrior is coming.1. Trekking Is an AdventureThe biggest criticism of the J.J. Abrams movies—and, to a lesser extent, the Justin Lin-directed Star Trek Beyond—is that they’re really Star Wars movies retrofit for Federation service. Abrams and his screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman stripped away all the philosophical debate that marked the original series and movies and replaced them with scenes of Kirk and co running up and down the hallways of the Enterprise.That’s a totally fair and correct assessment. But here’s the counter-point: Star Trek 2009 is a lot of fun. And, believe it or not, Star Trek can be fun. Yes, we can all point to Gene Roddenberry-approved examples of Star Trek being boring (coughthemotionpicturecough). But we can point to just as many examples of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy going on adventures, punching out a bad guy or smirking in the face of danger.Abrams may have gone too far in some cases, but there’s nothing wrong with reminding everyone that this is a series about space explorers. It’s okay if Kirk has a twinkle in his eye.2. It’s About the CharactersThe other big complaint about the Kelvin movies was that they totally misunderstood Kirk and Spock. Again, this assessment has value. Chris Pine‘s Kirk had a different childhood than that of the one played by William Shatner, and clearly didn’t spend his days at Starfleet Academy with his nose in a book. Worse for some, this Kirk chases women in a manner more in line with Zapp Brannigan from Futurama than with anything Shatner did. For his part, Zachary Quinto plays Spock as the boiling pit of rage that Nimoy’s Spock always swore was there, and his romantic exploits foreshadow the third season of Strange New Worlds.And yet, all of the Kelvin movies have wonderful moments with the characters. There’s Karl Urban as Bones McCoy grouching about the endless emptiness of space. There’s Zoe Saldaña‘s Uhura talking down the Klingons in one of the few bright spots of the dire Into Darkness. There’s the loving homages to James Doohan and Walter Koenig from Simon Pegg and Anton Yelchin.The Kelvin movies understood what the TOS films and especially Next Generation learned. That traveling through space is a lot more fun when it happens with friends.3. The Aliens Look AlienLook, we love Star Trek‘s aliens. But even the most unapologetic Trekkie has to admit that its a bit disappointing that the galaxy is filled with humanoids who have different stuff stuck to their ears and foreheads, even after watching “The Chase.” Famously, the spartan alien designs were a consequence of the show’s limited budget. But man, it sure was nice that Paramount gave Abrams a budget to fill the cosmos with genuine weirdos.Suddenly, the Enterprise was filled with creatures of unusual shapes and sizes, whether it’s Scotty’s pal Keenser (Deep Roy) or the visually striking Jaylah (Sofia Boutella) from Beyond. Not only did these additions make the movies more visually striking, but they also underscored the primary hope of the franchise’s utopian future: that beings from all different worlds can come together and work for the good of all. The Kelvin movies achieved that dream without making it an explicit part of their stories, simply taking as a given that the universe is diverse.4. Preserve the Prime TimelineOne could legitimately argue that the very best moment in Star Trek history occurs in the 2009 film. Specifically, it occurs right at the start, when George Kirk sacrifices himself to save his crew. That short epilogue, starring a pre-Thor Chris Hemsworth as Jim Kirk’s father, has enough awe and emotion to stand alongside anything in “The Inner Light,” “City on the Edge of Forever,” or “It’s Only a Paper Moon.”But the even better part is that the arrival of Nero and the destruction of the Kelvin gave Abrams a whole new quadrant to play in. Unlike other reboots, such as DC Comics Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Kelvin split left in tact everything that came before, and just created its own branching timeline. Thus, we could get Kirk blasting “Sabotage” without ever compromising anything we see in TOS, TNG, or any other series. Sure, they blew up Vulcan to make it happen, and there is something tragic about having our Spock die so far from the Enterprise he loved and the planet he fought to unify, but given the way other reboots tend to wipe everything out, it’s a pretty good compromise.5. Go BeyondThe worst of the three Kelvin films was easily Into Darkness, perhaps the worst Trek movie ever made. And its major problems were those common to Abrams as a writer, including his tendency to appease fans instead of advancing the story (see also: “Rey who?” in The Rise of Skywalker). But outside of that entry, the Kelvin movies did an admirable job finding new corners of the Star Trek world to play in.The 2009 movie gave us Nero, a working-class Romulan with none of the deviousness that we so often associate with the race. Beyond did even better, introducing Jaylah, a member of a totally new species, which gave a fun twist to the Heart of Darkness plot that drove the primary villain, Krall.These might seem simple advances, but compared to nu-Trek‘s endless need to repeat the past, the movies serve as important reminder. Trek must, fundamentally, boldly go forward and seek out new lives and new civilizations. The Kelvin movies may have done seeking imperfectly, but the did do it. And now its the job of today’s Trek to do the same, even as we move on from Kelvinverse.The post Requiem for the Kelvinverse: 5 Things the J.J. Abrams Star Trek Movies Did Right appeared first on Den of Geek.