COMMENT: Winston Peters - Boldly going

Beating up alien lizards and snogging green women might not be in Winston Peters' immediate political plans, but he has plenty of other lessons to learn from the fate of Star Trek's Captain James T Kirk.

Mr Peters was in his early 20s when Star Trek first appeared on local television screens, and while that might be a bit too old for the show to make a huge impression on the young Winston, he may still have picked up a few hints from the leadership style of the captain of the USS Enterprise.

Mr Peters has kept quiet over past months, content to lick his wounds after failing to hold on to his parliamentary position at the last election and the New Zealand political scene has been a little bit duller because of this.

While John Key’s government has been steadily setting their own agenda, Mr Peters has, in uncharacteristic fashion, stayed out of the spotlight.

He signaled a return to form at New Zealand First's annual meeting last week, telling the party faithful that they should start gearing up for 2011 and going on the attack over foreshore and seabed and maori flag issues

Ten months can be a long time to remain silent in politics but after years of walking in different directions along the corridors of power, Mr Peters’ decision could be the right move, especially considering the success another long-running presence in our culture has seen this year after taking its own break.

The latest version of Star Trek, directed by JJ Abrams, was released to considerable critical warmth and box office fire earlier this year. The success of the movie, which went back to the earliest days of the concept and gave it a fresh coat of paint, was even more remarkable considering the condition of the franchise in the years leading up to the release.

For about 20 years, there was always some sort of Star Trek product available with four long-running television series and five feature films released since the late eighties.

While they fulfilled a substantial appetite for Star Trek product, each progressive series was a prime example of diminishing returns, each slightly less successful than the last, both financially and critically.

When Star Trek: Enterprise - the final series - finished its four-year run in 2005, it wrapped up with little fanfare and less remorse from viewers. For the first time in decades there was no new Star Trek on the horizon and nobody was particularly bothered.

But over the next four years, the audience began to miss their Star Trek fix and this year’s reboot filled that need, bringing in enough of a crowd to spark the entire franchise back into life.

A short break away can remind us all what we have missed, whether you’re talking about an entertainment brand worth billions of dollars or an ex-minister of finance in a good suit.

Mr Peters already shares much in common with Captain Kirk. One of them looks good in his uniform, boldly leads his crew into strange and unknown territory, charms his way out of danger and takes out the enemy with a dropkick and a two-handed karate chop - and the other drives a spaceship.

Mr Peters’ dropkicking ability may still need to be put to the test but he has proven a master at a verbal cutting down of anybody eager enough to cross him, another trait he shares with the good captain.

He might not be getting in younger but that never stopped Captain Kirk either. He was still off saving the universe well into his sixties.

Mr Peters' apparent willingness to speak his mind and set the agenda has not been dimmed since the last election and no matter what anybody thinks of his ideologies, the New Zealand political scene needs a loud rabblerouser like Mr Peters to stir things up. It's been a bit too nice without him.

And if Star Trek can come back from 20 years of mediocrity to be new and bright and shiny again, Winston Peters stands a good chance of doing the same and boldly going where no-one else can be bothered going.