The Summer Movie Machine may have thought it was booted up last week with "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," but for millions of geeks, fanboys and fangirls around the world, the season of blockbusters really begins with a voyage to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before — no man, that is, until director J.J. Abrams and his much-anticipated reboot of "Star Trek."

Here in Hawai'i, fans are on serious Trek alert, having waited seven years since the last flick, "Nemesis," transported them to deep space. Expect die-hards to hit local theaters in full Mr. Spock, Captain Kirk and Klingon frocks. But even less-flamboyant Trekkies are fired up about the 11th film of this multi-decade-spanning franchise, which explores the backstories of Kirk and Spock before they came aboard the USS Enterprise.

"I once spent a three-hour dinner at Alan Wong's restaurant fiercely debating the merits of 'First Contact,' " said Peter Savasta, a 32-year-old Kahala resident. "I don't even remember what I ate that night."

Konrad Ng, assistant professor in the University of Hawai'i Academy of Creative Media, also was willing to share his deepest, darkest memories of Trek geekiness.

"As a child, I built a mock Star Trek NCC-1701 era communicator out of a compass and wore a Star Trek NCC-1701-D-era communicator for fun," he said. "... And I have a miniature of the NCC-1701-D Enterprise on my desk at UH."

The latest "Star Trek" will be nothing less than a blockbuster, predicts Chris Lee, director of the Academy for Creative Media. "It'll achieve blast-off thanks to young males, but I suspect J.J. Abrams' sense of plot, character and dialogue will also satisfy more discerning, older audiences."

Some Trekkies, however, wonder whether Abrams, who created the O'ahu-filmed show "Lost" and directed "Mission: Impossible III," can do the legacy justice. Keep in mind, this is the filmmaker who once wrote a draft of a "Superman" script that turned Lex Luthor into a fellow Kryptonian. Oh, the sacrilege!

"I think Abrams does great work," Ng said. "This is only his second feature film as the director, and I look forward to seeing if his work has changed."

OK, so now that we've pumped you up on the movie, here's what you need to know:

WHERE TO BEAM DOWN

IMAX. Dole Cannery. Deep theater junkies will lecture you until your eyes bleed Vulcan green that it's not "real" IMAX, but for the extra few dollars, you aren't going to see a clearer picture until the Blu-ray disc is released on your 1080p TV. Then, there's the complex's amazing sound system that will make you literally feel the starship's main thrusters. Taking that into consideration, why would a hard-core Trekkie see it anywhere else? Make it so.

Regal Dole Cannery Stadium 18 & IMAX, 735B Iwilei Road, 528-3653.

OTHER RESPECTABLE VIEWING OPTIONS

If you can't do IMAX, you gotta at least catch the latest "Star Trek" flick on the biggest screens in town, like Consolidated Ward 16 Theatres and Mililani Stadium 14.

BEST ONLINE SITES TO GET INTO 'TREK' MODE

www.trekspace.org: Think MySpace for Trekkies; it's the ultimate social-networking site for those seriously interested in being transported to another world.

www.startrekwiki.wetpaint.com: It's like a Wikipedia ... for Trekkies.

www.trekmovie.com: Photos, videos, interviews, news, viral marking campaigns ... basically everything you need to know bout "Trek."

www.trekcore.com: Audio sound bites, reviews, wallpaper, screencaps and more to satisfy even the most discerning Trekkie.

HOW TO LOOK THE PART

To get two of our TGIF cover guys, Mr. Spock (Troy Manandic of Waipahu) and Captain Kirk (Patrick Torres of Kane'ohe), in "Trek" mode, we stopped by The Costume Closet Hawaii, a small shop at 3007 Lincoln Ave. in Kapahulu (739-1355). Owner Yvette La Fontaine armed us with Spock ears, glue and glue remover, and a black wig that could be easily trimmed a la Spock.

We cannot, however, take credit for the amazingly realistic Klingon on our cover.

Donning a costume made by his wife, Fort Shafter's William Sturgeon has been channeling his inner Klingon since 1992. "It was a Halloween costume that took on a life of its own," said the 38-year-old, who needs 45 minutes to get into full Klingon mode.