Spock's Brain

Like a lot of people this weekend, I saw the new Star Trek movie by J.J. Abrams. I thought it was amazing and there's a lot to gush about, but perhaps the best tweak that was made to the original series is the shifting of the spotlight from Kirk to Spock. While a lot of newer Trekkies dismiss Kirk in favor of Picard, Janeway, etc., I've always favored James Tiberius. He's a true pop culture icon. But let's face it, he's also a relic--a frat boy, a cowboy, and a womanizer. Spock is a hero for today--a multicultural alien struggling to fit his ethnicity and culture with people who fear him. I won't go as far as saying that the sensible Spock is to Obama as the substance-abusing Kirk is to George W., but there are undoubtedly a few college students out there writing a paper about just that topic...