Byline: Craig S. Semon

As any good Trekkie knows, James T. Kirk earned the reputation for being the only Starfleet Academy cadet ever to have beaten the "no-win" Kobayashi Maru scenario.

If the $150 million reboot of the "Star Trek" franchise is a hit with moviegoers and diehard Trekkies alike, then J.J. Abrams has done Kirk one better.

Abrams is at the helm of "Star Trek," which chronicles the early days of Kirk and his fellow USS Enterprise crew.

Seven years since the last "Star Trek" movie (the miserable "Star Trek: Nemesis") and four since the cancellation (or mercy killing) of the UPN series, "Enterprise," Paramount is hoping that Abrams can do what "Batman Begins" and "Casino Royale" did for the Caped Crusader and James Bond: make a tired franchise vibrant and alive again.

And only time will tell if Abrams, best known as the producer of the time-tripping "Lost," will get a Starfleet Citation for Conspicuous Gallantry for his efforts or get tangled in his own Tholian web

While promoting an appearance at the Boston Super Megafest back in November, Jonathan Frakes (aka Commander William T. Riker in "Star Trek: The Next Generation") said he was "cautiously optimistic" about the new take on "Star Trek." So are many area Trekkers who have been faithful to the 40-year-plus phenomenon.

Not only does William H. Gustafson fondly remember watching the first episode of "Star Trek" on Sept 8, 1966, the 65-year-old Clintonian was involved in the write-in campaign to get NBC to renew the classic series for its third and final season.

Mr. Gustafson confesses that he's a little hesitant having new actors suiting up as beloved "Trek" characters (especially Kirk) but, he...