I’m a grown man. My wife might disagree with that statement, but really, it’s true. I mow my lawn, build stuff, try to fix things (my wife would disagree with that, too). I also read serious books and magazines, like The Atlantic, The New Yorker and the New York Review of Books, all of which are known for in-depth, lofty dissections of politics and current events (plus they make me feel smart, which is important). Fiction is rarely read. I like dark comedies by T.C. Boyle because they seem to match my general outlook of humanity. 

I mock frivolity.

So why do I love – and I do mean love – science fiction movies? Better question: Why can’t I stop watching this damn “Star Trek” trailer?

A theory: Because it looks really cool. Capt. Kirk seems cool, and unless you were an six-year-old wearing Spiderman Underoos back in the 1970s, that indeed is a revelation. Heck, even wet-blanket Spock seems cool. Remember when he died of radiation poisoning in “Star Trek II: Wrath of Kahn”? Didn’t bother me. And if you think that statement sadist, know that its author nearly wept when they put Han Solo in carbon freezing in “The Empire Strikes Back”.

Anyway, the best thing about the new “Star Trek” is that it looks like one of the few science fiction movies that grown, serious men can go see without feeling embarrassed. And to someone who four times skulked into a darkened theater by himself to see “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith” like it was a porn flick, that’s a great feeling.