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Director J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek XI" is poised to introduce a new generation to the franchise's earnest roots, and early reviews are buzzing with praise.

Buoyed by a wave of hype toward its May 8 release, the film is positioned to be the "The Dark Knight" of 2009 in terms of hype. Initial concerns of the franchise's mainstream viability have waned.

Abrams, who brought fans "Lost" and "Mission: Impossible III," hopes to ease moviegoers into the Star Trek experience without alienating long-time fans. The film chronicles the first voyage of the U.S.S. Enterprise, examining how Kirk, Spock, Dr. McCoy and the rest of the crew came together.

"I always felt there was something that had not been done with Star Trek," Abrams said. "There have been 10 movies, but this is the first time that a movie has dealt with the fundamental, primary story Gene Roddenberry originally created in 1966.

"There are so many versions and narrations of 'Star Trek,' it felt like bringing in another ship and a whole new group of characters wasn't the way to go."

Featuring a mix of new and familiar faces, the cast includes Chris Pine as James T. Kirk., "Heroes" villain Zachary Quinto as Spock, and Karl Urban as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy.

The cast had the unenviable task of honoring their predecessors without slumping into awkward imitations.

"That was the challenge for all of us, really, not to deliver some carbon copy," Urban said.

The foundation of Star Trek is its characters, according to Abrams. Though the film features a dizzying degree of spectacle that dwarfs previous installments, he wasn't about to let action and special effects serve as a crutch.

They had "to take something that has pre-existed us for decades, and make it feel legitimate, and vital, and relevant for today," Abrams said. "And the only way to do that was through the characters that these actors played so well. None of the vast spectacle would matter if we didn't believe in and care about these characters."

With that focus in mind, Abrams trusted the film would find its own life.

"It's so much bigger than anything I've worked on before," he said. "The scope is so crazy. But I also felt that if we did our job and made a movie that was entertaining, it would include Star Trek fans."

Confidence for "Star Trek" at Paramount Pictures is moving at warp speed. The studio gave the thumbs up to a sequel, with Abrams returning to produce. Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof and Roberto Orci will script.