So I’ve seen Star Trek twice now. Loved it as much the second time as I did the first. I expect I’ll see it at least once more in the theaters, maybe twice depending on how long a run it has. The last time I had any desire to see a movie in the theater more than once was Star Wars, over 30 years ago. I don’t remember how many times I went back to the theater for that one. Around ten, I think.

Lord of the Rings came close, but while I certainly had no objections to seeing it more than once, I wasn’t making plans as such. I do have the extended versions of all three LOTR movies and I’ve watched them multiple times since. Once Star Trek has finished its run I will anxiously await its release on Blu-ray so I can do the same with it. Don’t expect me to be camping out in front of Best Buy so I can get one of the first copies, though. I’m not that bad.

I’m not sure I can even express why I loved it so much. No spoilers here, so don’t panic. (Though I can’t imagine any real Star Trek fan who hasn’t seen it yet.) Maybe it was the perfect balance of old and new: just enough melodrama and swagger to nod to the original series, but not so much that it was obnoxious or hokey; generous amounts of references to past episodes/movies, some which only die hard fans will catch, but some which even my girls recognized; and enough back story to make us make us feel like we’re finally getting to know the characters.

I’m not even really sure why I’ve been a Star Trek fan my whole life. Have you ever gone back to watch the original series? Ouch. Still, something about the story captured the imagination of a young kid and hasn’t let go. I’m sure it appealed to my latent sense of adventure, but I couldn’t tell you why Star Trek—of all the adventure stories out there—is the only one that has stood the test of time.

You have to give the folks at Paramount credit. It takes a lot of foresight and commitment to keep a series like this going. Just look at Star Wars. George killed it. I saw Episode III more out of obligation than anything else. I didn’t even bother with the last animation monstrosity. So hats off to you Paramount. Here’s hoping you can keep it up.