Popular culture is under renewed attack from a cult phenomenon known as Star Trek . . .

More than four decades, six TV series and 10 films since the crew of the Enterprise first pledged ‘to boldly go where no man has been before’, Captain Kirk and his pointy-eared sidekick Spock are back.

But with the franchise in a tailspin after flop TV series Enterprise and disappointing 2002 film Nemesis, all eyes are on director JJ Abrams and his cast to see whether they can right the Starship.

The original 1966 series wasn’t an instant hit, but through re-runs on TV it won over a legion of Trekkies, who can still be found spouting Klingon at fan conventions in their droves.

Such is the impact of Star Trek on modern culture, that even the staunchest non-fan could reluctantly pull a Vulcan salute and would know that if you need beaming up, Scotty’s your man.

So how do you tackle a new film to bring the brand back up to warp speed and attract a new generation of fans, without offending Trekkies at the same time?

Find a young, hip cast worthy of wearing the iconic primary colour Lycra tops and bring back Leonard Nimoy to pass the Spock baton to Heroes’ star Zachary Quinto, is how.

This was the mission Lost creator JJ Abrams boldly embarked on. The self-professed non-fan also decided to take the franchise back to its roots, showing the 23rd century launch of the U.S.S. Enterprise and how its crew all came to be there.

The director says: “I was never a huge Star Trek fan, so when I started working on this I didn’t have this feeling of it being a sacred text.

”The risk was obviously alienating fans of Star Trek originally and I didn’t want to do that. But I also felt that if we did our job and made it entertaining, it would include Star Trek fans.”

Central to the film is the relationship between James T Kirk, made famous by William Shatner, and his one-day First Officer, who goes only by the name Spock.

From the moment they meet at the Starfleet Academy, there’s no love lost, with Kirk — played by rising star Chris Pine — calling Spock a “pointy-eared b*****d”.

Like other origins movies, including Batman Begins, JJ takes us back to his characters’ childhoods to show us what shapes and motivates them.

The film opens with Kirk’s birth, as his father, captain of the doomed U.S.S. Kelvin is locked in battle with a rogue Romulan ship.

Flash forward to Kirk on earth as a young man, in a bloody bar brawl with students of the Starfleet Academy after trying to chat up Uhura (Zoe Saldana).

He finally gets inspired to make something of his life by Captain Pike (Bruce Greenwood), who challenges him to fulfil his father’s thwarted potential.

Meanwhile, on the planet Vulcan, young Spock is being bullied by his classmates because he’s half-human and half Vulcan.

The formerly violent Vulcans vowed to change their ways and eschew emotion in favour of pure logic. But Spock is torn between Vulcan logic and his human instincts.

At the Starfleet Academy, Spock despises Kirk’s impulsiveness and Kirk is equally frustrated by the officious Spock.

Chris Pine, aged 28, explains: “Zach and I wanted the audience to see Kirk and Spock as these two very bright, very obstinate young men who are destined to butt heads throughout their lives, but will grow to love each other for that very reason.”

Chris is sure the film, like the original series, will impress and endure. ”Right now in an economic crisis, to present a vision of people working together instead of division, I just think it’s a positive, wonderful message,” he said.