Lesson 6: Don't be afraid to break the rules
Reason: Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

After the Shatner led debacle of Star Trek V, producers looked back to Star Trek II director Nicholas Meyer for guidance. His decision: go political. Departing from the hokey metaphysical lessons of the cosmos of Final Frontier, Meyer concentrated the sixth and final Original Series film on the intricacies of war and the difficulty behind forging peace. Kirk's distrust of Klingons borders on hatred, a trait which defies Gene Roddenbury's vision of a universe that's grown beyond racism and war mongering. Regardless, the film maintains a message that stays true to what "Star Trek" represents, without being a slave to convention. Abrams would do well to mind Spock's advice to Kirk at the end of the film, that, sometimes, it doesn't hurt to tell convention to "go to Hell."

Story by Kris King

Starpulse contributing writer