ESCONDIDO -- Call it "Star Trek Intergenerational."

North County moviegoers of all ages braved long lines for the opening of "Star Trek" on Friday.

The general consensus: Woot!

"It's got action, it's got conflict, it's got comedy, it's got a little romance," 21-year-old Escondido resident Rebecca Hammock said as she emerged from watching a special IMAX screening at the Escondido Regal Cinema with her father, John Castaneda. "I think it will make a lot of money. I'm going again."

Castaneda said that fans of the original "Star Trek" television series that first aired in 1966 -- long before his daughter was born -- would be pleased with the new movie, too.

"This is a rebirth of the 'Star Trek' mystique," he said. "I think even the old fans will be happy with it."

Christine Rideout of Escondido said she had already seen the premiere in Hollywood but decided to see it again in Escondido at a special screening Thursday night. On Friday afternoon, she was waiting to see it yet again with her 6-year-old daughter, Sophia.

Their dog is named Spock, Rideout added, after the science officer featured in both the original television series and several movies.

"I like Spock and Data," Sophia said, referring to the science officer in the TV series spinoff "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

"I'm going to be a scientist when I grow up," Sophia added.

The Friday matinee crowds cheered and applauded when the credits came up on the film, which told the story of the original television show's multicultural, multiplanetary characters in their earlier days as high-energy, 20something space explorers.

The word "awesome" was heard from teenagers and seniors alike as they emerged from the darkened theater.

In the lobby, "Star Trek" fans representing two San Diego County fan clubs wore Starfleet and Klingon costumes to welcome moviegoers. Old "Star Trek" television and movie posters and toys lined a table.

"We go wherever we can to promote 'Star Trek,'" said Mira Mesan Debbie Hanon, wearing a Klingon costume and makeup. She represented "The IKV Stranglehold," a fan club with initials that stand for Imperial Klingon Vessel.

"'Star Trek' is such a good franchise because it teaches tolerance and conflict resolution," Hanon said about the show based on the United Federation of Planets, mirrored after the United Nations. "I raised my kids on it,"

She was also eager to educate moviegoers to the difference between "Trekkies" and "Trekkers" when referring to longtime fans of the franchise. Hanon described herself as a Trekker.

"Trekkies are obsessed with the shows," she said. "Trekkers means we're trekking along with the franchise as it progresses. I have a real job. I'm an accountant. My life doesn't revolve around 'Star Trek.'"

San Diegan Mike Witt wore Starfleet insignia to the screening he saw Friday. The insignia represented the San Diego fan club called "USS Nicolaus Copernicus," after a Star Trek shuttlecraft named after a famed Polish astronomer.

Witt said the difference between the famed "Star Wars" franchise and older "Star Trek" franchise is that "Star Wars" is fantasy-based. Star Trek, he said, is rooted in the kind of science celebrated in traditional science-fiction books, he said.

"I've loved science fiction since I was a kid," Witt said. "When 'Star Trek' came out, it was like somebody had read all the sci-fi books. And it was dealing with black/white issues, Vietnam -- all that was happening in that period."