Thanks for pointing out that Kirk was no longer the center of the ST universe. I'd noticed the focus on Spock, of course, but I hadn't thought about how that was a deviation from previous ST ventures. Kirk does becoem a little more interesting when it's not all about him, and I do think Pine did a great job. Going into this film, I was fully prepared to love Spock and secretly dislike Kirk; leaving it, I love Spock and like Kirk. That's a small triumph of acting and writing.