AT the session where I saw the sixth “Star Trek” feature, the audience barely reached double digits. Have those committed Trekkies of yore grown up, got wiser, lost their passion for an idea that even when it was fresh had so many limitations? That would be a good thing.

The film’s futurism, its voyaging to the furthest reaches of the universe, the construct of its conflict, its view of a confederation of beings recruited into StarFleet from around the galaxy are, if you will forgive the oversimplification, a collection of pies in the sky.

USS Enterprise is tasked to make a five-year voyage to seek out and destroy a demagogue known as Krall. Idris Elba plays him in what qualifies for mention as the film’s best acting, a tad ahead of Simon Pegg (who co-wrote the screenplay) as chief engineer and beamer-upper Scotty.

When Enterprise crashes on a planet looking very like Earth, with forests and streams, Krall’s henchmen capture all of its crew apart from those with speaking parts. Captain Kirk, Bones, Spock and Scotty meet up with Jaylah, a bonny fighter with a prominent bosom, who lives in a cave near the century-old wreck of Starship Franklin. Together they get the old Franklin going, rescue the Enterprise crew, hurtle back to the nearest space station where Kirk and Krall (commander of the Franklin when it crashed) have a big stoush, then back to Earth where it’s promotion and champagne for all and…

It’s all so boring, dull, predictable, lacking novelty or freshness.

At all cinemas