Star Trek Into Darkness: Compassion and Justice

I just came away from watching Star Trek Into Darkness. Going into the movie theatre, I was expecting something 'meh', something not worth writing about – and yet... and yet, here I am. Writing about it.

In a way, this is all due to something I have been considering this past year, thoughts that have been percolating in this brain up until now. The issue of justice and compassion. When is it time to pursue justice – and how do we go about it? When is it time to show compassion – and is there ever a time to withhold it? Who deserves what – and who decides who deserves what? It is a complicated issue and anyone who tells me that they know the answer to EVERY situation that arises on this Earth regarding the balance of justice and compassion – is either delusional or lying.

Take Kirk. We see things clearly at first – a black and white situation, supposedly. Bad dude bombs an archive, kills unarmed officers (of an organization which isn't supposed to be military), endangers/kills civilians and basically appears to threaten life on the planet. OK. We get behind Kirk fast – twice as fast when we see the great-hearted Christopher Pike die.

But then... but then... We have Admiral Marcus and John Harrison, who both complicate matters. Marcus, for aggressively “defensive” purposes, has resurrected something dangerous – a Pandora's box, literally. Apparently, fear drives him (Yoda, for some reason, pops into my head at this point) – and reason has forced him to accept that military structure and action is the only way for the survival of humanity. And for that, he is willing to sacrifice anything (including Kirk and his crew) to eliminate his own blunders in that self-same mistaken pursuit. John Harrison is not much better or worse – responding to Marcus's threats with his own in a bid to protect his people, and thereby forcing Kirk and his crew to make decisions that could either sacrifice the Earth or sacrifice their own personal codes of morality and honour. Spock and Scotty both draw attention that their original mandate was that of peaceful exploration NOT aggression or defence - but those beliefs are definitely put the test.

Spock, of course, ends up facing the same thing Kirk does. He sees his friend die, San Francisco (?) destroyed (or at a third of it) and the crew and Earth are endangered. In this day and age, no police officer or soldier would hesitate to pull the trigger – and Spock does seem to be doing his darndest to bring the superhuman Harrison down. In the end, however, his anger and thirst for revenge are happily quelled by the realization that restraint will bring about a greater reward.

The ending scenes provide a sense of possibilities – as Spock and Kirk are able to stand on the bridge of the Enterprise, both able to live with themselves. Comparing this film to the original, I feel that this one comes away with a lot more hope – because in the end, Spock and Kirk did not lower themselves to the same level as either Marcus or Harrison, opting for a world of peace, cooperation and compassion with a healthy dollop of justice.

Other lessons – such as personal and social responsibilities, emotional health, the importance of communication and humanity's innate need for community – round out this film in a many ways I did not expect. However, for me, the message about compassion and justice had incredible impact as I consider how often in history we have taken arms in the names of rights and freedom when perhaps we should think twice before doing so. And if we still bear those arms, we must be ready to accept the judgement that will also fall upon us as we stand before the Father.

In the end, I reminded by a wonderful quote from an incredible book: “Many that live deserve death. And some die that deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then be not too eager to deal out death in the name of justice, fearing for your own safety. Even the wise cannot see all ends.” J. R. R. Tolkien: The Lord Of the Rings, Book Four, Chapter One.