[Warning: ahead there be spoilers. If you haven’t seen Star Trek Into Darkness yet, and if you don’t want to know plot details, save this review for after you leave the theater. It will, I hope, explain why it is that you feel so cheated.]

Walking out after my showing of Star Trek Into Darkness I found myself eavesdropping on a couple, a man and a woman who looked just about old enough to remember the original series on television. I hardly know anything about Star Trek, the woman was saying, turning to her partner, and I’ve never been much of a fan. But I really liked this movie! When can we go see it again?

This is an understandable sentiment, and I have a lot of sympathy for it.